Owl Observer News

Greetings Ducketts Lane Families,

We are off to a fantastic start and our students are beginning to settle into a routine. We are looking forward to seeing many families next week at our back to school bash.

School Hours

Doors will open for students at 8:30 AM and the late bell rings at 8:45 AM. The goal is for all students to be in their classroom and ready to learn at 8:45, because we start instruction at that time. Students that are walkers, bike riders, or car riders should arrive at school NO LATER than 8:38 AM.

Please make sure that you are looking at your child's Thursday folder as important information is sent home weekly.

Proudly Serving You,

Mrs. Caroland, Mrs. Van Osdel, and Mrs. Yerashunas

Monday, September 2nd-Schools Closed for Labor Day

Tuesday, September 3rd-Schools Reopen for all students...doors open at 8:30am

Thursday, September 5th-5:30-7:00- BACK TO SCHOOL BASH

Tuesday, September 10th- Back to School Night for Preschool & Prekindergarten 5:00-6:00pm

Tuesday, September 10th- Back to School Night for Kindergarten-2nd grade 6:00-7:00pm

Thursday, September 12th- Band & Strings Information Session 5:30-6:00pm

Thursday, September 12th- Back to School Night for 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade 6:00-7:00pm

Thursday, September 19th- School Picture Day

Thursday, September 26th- All voices needed for our Title I Annual Meeting 5:30pm

Students can always wear tennis shoes to school, but tennis shoes are required when your child has PE. This is for their safety. When students are not wearing the correct shoes, they have to sit out on the side and miss out on the learning and play with the rest of the class.

BRING YOUR DINNER AND JOIN US ON THE BLACKTOP FOR OUR ANNUAL BACK TO SCHOOL BASH!

THE FUN DOESN’T STOP THERE! PREORDER A PARTY PASS FOR $5!

WITH THE PREORDER PARTY PASS YOU WILL RECEIVE 12 TICKETS THAT CAN BE USED TO PLAY GAMES , ENTER THE CAKE RAFFLE, & BUY SNACKS FROM OUR CONCESSION STAND.

TICKETS WILL BE AVAILABLE AT THE EVENT, BUT YOU WILL NOT GET THE PREORDER PARTY PASS DISCOUNT.

RETURN YOUR ORDER FORM BY WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 4TH.

Order Forms will be coming home very soon, but you can also print and return this complete order form with cash or check if you don't want to wait for the order from to come to you.

Please make all checks payable to Ducketts Lane Elementary School

Please visit HCPSS Connect to update your Family File for the 2024-2025 school year today! It is mandatory for parents/guardians to complete the Family File every year to ensure that DLES has the most current and accurate information for each year.

Did you know that your child will not be allowed to go on a field trip without this completed?

Parents/guardians will be asked to provide or update the following information…

• Student Information

• Parent/Guardian Contact

• Emergency Contacts

  • Please list multiple emergency contacts!

• Medical Information

• Arrival/Dismissal Procedures and Transportation Options

• Photo Approval

• Data Confidentiality

• Student Creative Work Approval

• PTA/PTSA Directory

Family File must be completed in order for families to access teacher assignments for the child/children prior to the start of the school year. It is anticipated that teacher assignments will be made available to families during the week of August 19th. Only families who have completed Family File will be able to view their child’s teacher! Thank you for updating your child’s Family File today in HCPSS Connect!

Helpful Family File Resources:

• FAMILY FILE QUICK REFERENCE CARD (ENGLISH)

• FAMILY FILE USER GUIDE (ENGLISH)

• FAMILY FILE USER GUIDE (SPANISH)

• FAMILY FILE USER GUIDE (CHINESE)

• FAMILY FILE USER GUIDE (KOREAN)

• HOMEPAGE FOR HCPSS CONNECT GUIDES & TUTORIALS

We are more committed than ever to partner with our parents to best support our students achieve their dreams. The first step towards achieving this goal is having at least one adult for each student present at the specialized Back-to-School-Night.

Please mark your calendars and join us for an evening to understand more about what's to come this school year, and what we need our students to achieve while at school this year.

RECC Back-to-School Night is Tuesday, September 10th 5:00-6:00pm

Kindergarten, 1st, and 2nd Grade Back-to School Night is Tuesday, September 10th 6:00-7:00pm

Band & Strings Information Session for Grades 3-5 is Thursday, September 12th 5:30-6:00pm

3rd, 4th, and 5th Grade Back-to-School Night is Thursday, September 12th 6:00-7:00pm

Being a Title I school brings so many benefits that are provided to all students. Being identified as a Title I school is not guaranteed and is only considered based on our families completing the FARMs application each year. These supports go well beyond free breakfast for all and free lunches so many. Title I provides us the ability to have additional math and reading specialists on staff, provides resources for parents, additional instructional materials for student use, additional computers, tutoring and more. We really want to maintain access to all of the supports but everyone needs to complete this form- link.

Want to learn more about Title I and all that it brings our school and community? Click here for a lot of great information with some Spanish translations.

As mentioned, being identified as a Title I school goes well beyond free and reduced meals. This is a support that provides so many invaluable resources that benefit our entire school.

We want to share more at our annual Title I meeting, and provide an opportunity to get feedback from our families so that together we can create our compact-an agreement among both families and the school to work together to help close the achievement gap that we have so that we can see our students hopes and dreams come to fruition.

What is the purpose of a Title I Annual meeting?

• The purpose of a Title I Annual meeting is to share what it means to be a school-wide Title I school, get input on the Title I Compact & Plan. This will also be the first of many opportunities become involved in your child’s education, and start to build a sense of community.

Please join us on September 26th at 5:30pm in the cafeteria. You ideas and thoughts are important to us.

The Howard County Public School System (HCPSS) is committed to providing a safe and nurturing environment for all students. Preventing bullying is an important part of this goal. HCPSS Policy 9460 states that bullying, cyberbullying, harassment, and intimidation are prohibited in HCPSS. Our administration and staff have been trained and made aware of this policy as well as preventative and responsive measures.

We know how important your role is in not only supporting your children, but also reporting possible incidents as you become aware of them. The Bullying, Cyberbullying, Harassment and Intimidation (BCHI Reporting Form should be used to report all alleged incidents of bullying, cyberbullying, harassment, and intimidation that occur at school or have a connection back to the school setting that create a risk of harm to other students while they are at school, or interfere with the educational environment. An online version is available and can easily and confidentially be used by students, staff, and family members. Hard copies of this form are available in the main office, staff workroom, school counseling office, media center, and health services office. If you believe your child has been bullied, please complete and submit this form as soon as possible and/or assist your child in doing so.

Once the form is submitted, school administrators will ensure the parent/guardian of both the alleged target and alleged offender are aware of the report and will begin an investigation within two school days of receiving the report. Parents/guardians can expect a school administrator to reach out to them during the investigation. Once the investigation is completed, parents/guardians will be provided written notice of the outcome of the investigation within fifteen days of receiving the complaint, excluding extenuating circumstances.

There are times when incidents of peer conflict or code of conduct offenses may occur that may not be bullying, but may need follow up action. If you become aware of something that falls under conflict and/or a code of conduct offense, please notify a school administrator via email or phone call so that they can become aware and follow up as needed.

Lastly, I want to take a moment to specifically lift up cyberbullying. Cyberbullying is bullying using electronic media like computers, cell phones, and game systems. Our digital interconnectedness makes bullying different and more damaging than it’s ever been before. It allows hatred and publicly humiliating gossip or photos to be instantly far-reaching and inescapable as electronic media is everywhere. It can NOT simply be ignored. In October 2013, the State of Maryland enacted Grace’s Law, making misuse of interactive computer services a criminal offense. Its purpose is to prohibit anyone from using electronic media (computers, tablets, phones, etc.) to maliciously engage in conduct that inflicts serious emotional distress on a minor and/or places that minor in reasonable fear of death or serious bodily injury. A person who is found guilty of violating this law is subject to imprisonment and/or fines.

While all of this information will be reviewed with students at school, we are asking you to do the same at home. Thank you for your partnership in ensuring all of our students feel a sense of safety and belonging in their school communities! More information can be found on the HCPSS Stop Bullying website. If you have any questions regarding this policy or its implementation, please contact a school administrator.

If so, consider applying for our Learning Together Program! The Learning Together Program (LTP) enables all young children to play with each other, develop long-term friendships, and benefit from a diverse and stimulating environment. A limited number of openings are available for children without disabilities. Children are selected based upon screening information given on the application form and space availability. Participation in the Learning Together Program requires a monthly fee, and families are required to provide their own transportation daily.

If interested, please download and complete the 3-Year-Old LTP Application. You can also get a copy of the application at the DLES front office.

Join the DLES PTA today at https://duckettspta.givebacks.com/store! When you become a member, you support the students and teachers at DLES and the nation. Each voice makes the PTA louder when advocating for what they need.

We are running a membership promotion through September 13th. All Individual and Family memberships that sign up from the beginning of the school year through September 13th will be placed into a raffle to win a DLES PTA Stanley Cup! Join today online or visit our table during Back to School Night and meet some of our Executive Board members!

The DLES PTA's Double Good pop-up store will be open online starting Tuesday, September 10th 12 pm through Saturday, September 15th 12 pm. 50% of all funds raised will help support the DLES PTA fund for the various activities and initiatives we have planned for this school year! The link for our online store is https://popup.doublegood.com/dashboard/bzvzvv. You can also share this link with others who may want to support our efforts. Thank you in advance for your support!

We hope to see you at our first General PTA Meeting of the school year on Tuesday, September 10th at 7 pm in the cafeteria. We will be collecting membership forms, voting to approve this year's budget, and signing up volunteers to help out at our upcoming events.

To stay up-to-date on all of our upcoming events, visit our website and Facebook page.

Order by the end of today-August 30th.

Click here to review and register for after-school activities that are being offered.

We strive to be a school that actively partners with our students, staff, families, and surrounding community members. We welcome your feedback.

Please click on the Feedback Form to share your thoughts with how we can make DLES the best for everyone.

• Principal, Mrs. Caroland Molly_Caroland@hcpss.org

• Assistant Principal, Mrs. Van Osdel Amy_Van_Osdel@hcpss.org

• Leadership Intern, Mrs. Yerashunas Brianna_Yerashunas@hcpss.org

• Principal Secretary, Mrs. Canter Teresa_Canter@hcpss.org

• Registration Support, Secretary Ms. Lynette Carmen_Lynette@hcpss.org

• Attendance, Synergy and Family File Support, Secretary Mrs. Forman Julie_Forman@hcpss.org

• Counselor Mr. Leisawitz Alexander_Leisawitz@hcpss.org