Owl Observer News

Greetings Ducketts Lane Families,

We are so excited to begin welcoming our families and students back to school later this afternoon for our open house at 1:30pm. This will be a great opportunity for students to drop off their school supplies, find their classroom, and meet at least one of their teachers.

WHAT CAN YOU DO TO HELP MAKE SURE THE FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL IS A SUCCESS?

One of the most important steps that you have do to help your child have a successful first day of school is to have them come to school and dismiss from school the same way that they will for the rest of the school year.

We have multiple entrances for arrival based on whether students are walkers, bus riders, or car riders. It can become very confusing for our students to learn the best route to their classroom if the procedure is different. Additionally, dismissal has a lot of different procedures and lines that students need to get into based on how they get home at the end of the day.

Making sure all of our students get home safely is a top priority, and we need your help with building their routine. Please start this on the very first day of school. Students who will be riding a bus will have a tag placed on their bag as they get off the bus in the morning, and we use this tag as a reference for how the students get home. If they don't have a tag, this can cause confusion and a delay in ensuring we are getting 600 students dismissed appropriately.

Bus riders are asked to arrive at their assigned bus stops 10 minutes prior to the assigned pick-up time, as traffic and routes can vary slightly, and we need to allow for an arrival time window. Please be patient.

PRACTICE the route that your students will travel to and from school. Walk the path this weekend, review the procedures found within this newsletter and make sure that you have updated your family file.

We will not allow entrance of adults into the building on the first day of school. We want all of our students to understand that we are partners and that they are safe here at school. So give them the love and well wishes prior to them entering the building.

If you are a new Ducketts Lane family and are not able to attend the New Student Orientation or Open House later today, please take a moment and click HERE to review some important information.

We hope to see all of you this afternoon for open house at 1:30pm.

Proudly Serving You,

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

TODAY-Friday, August 23rd- NEW Family & Student Orientation 12:45pm

• This is intended for parents with students in grades 1-5 who will be new to DLES this school year.

TODAY_Friday, August 23rd-Open House 1:30-2:30pm

• Parents and students are encouraged to come drop off their school supplies, find their classroom, and meet their teacher.

Monday, August 26th-First Day of School for Kindergarten - 5th Grade Students

Thursday, August 29th-First Day of School for PreK & Preschool RECC Students

Monday, September 2nd-Schools Closed for Labor Day

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

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.

GRAB YOUR ORDER FORM AT OPEN HOUSE AND RETURN 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/guardian 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 make 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 in 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

Click here to learn more about what each student should have and bring to help get the school year started.

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.

School Hours

Doors will open for students at 8:30 AM and the late bell rings at 8:45 AM. Students should be in the building ready for instruction to begin at 8:45 AM. Students that are walkers, bike riders, or car riders should arrive at school NO LATER than 8:38 AM.

Arriving to School by Bus

For families that receive bus transportation, bus stop information for the 2024-2025 school year are forthcoming and once available, you may access this information through the online Bus Stop Locator or HCPSS Connect Synergy under More Options and then Homeroom / Transportation / POS.

Please take a moment to review the Parent & Student Responsibilities for riding a school bus.

Students who ride the bus will enter the building from the bus loop side of the building and report to their assigned classroom.

Walkers

For families that do not receive bus transportation, your child is assigned as a student who will be walking or riding their bike to school, We encourage you to take time now to familiarize your child with their route to and from school. Map out and walk the route between your home and school to ensure all roads, sidewalks and pathways are familiar for your child. In addition, review crosswalks and intersections that are safe for crossing the road if required and review safe pedestrian tips with your student.

Students are to line up in front of the door that is matched with their grade level, and will be welcomed into the building starting at 8:30am and are to walk directly to their assigned classrooms.

Adults are not permitted to escort their child to their classroom. We have staff assigned to help direct students to their classroom each morning.

Car Riders

~Cars should pull up to the sign that indicates where cars are to stop (this is close to the

playground closest to the street)

~Students should be seated on the passenger side of the car and wait until there is staff

indicating for them to exit the vehicle starting at 8:30

~At 8:45 the final start bell rings, all drivers will need to stop their cars and exit the vehicle, walk their child into the building and sign them in as late

Walkers K-5 grade:

~Students exit the building from various locations based on grade level

~Kindergarten walkers exit one of the kindergarten classroom doors close to the

playground

~1st & 2nd grade walkers exit the main doors at the front of the building

~3rd, 4th, & 5th grade walkers exit the side of the building by the courtyard and walk

with teachers towards the front area of the school

~ Students can walk and meet a family member who is at one of the designated walkers waiting

zones (image below references waiting zones with the hearts).

~Staff will be present at designated waiting zones to make sure that students who are directed

to not walk home without someone coming to meet them are picked up or they will be walked to

the front office, otherwise students are allowed to walk home as they normally would

~ Family members who wish to meet and walk home with students to school must stand at the

waiting zone

~ It is a safety risk to have our doorways, sidewalks and building surrounding areas congested

with additional people

Walkers for PM Preschool or FULL day Prekindergarten

~A family member may meet in front of the small playground (closest to the flagpole) and walk their student home from there

Car riders RECC-5th Grade

~Students exit the building from various locations and wait under the awing in front of the main doors.

Car Rider Process-

● We will be using a number system for calling students to their same number car.

● A number will be distributed to your child today (the first day of school). Students

will have alight gray tag with their assigned number on their backpack and 2 yellow

cards with the same number will be sent home today. This is for the use by

multiple cars or if you lose a tag. You should continue to have your child or

children's name displayed on the passenger visor sign.

● Cars-All cars must display their assigned number(s) tomorrow (the 2nd day of

school) and for the rest of the school year for dismissal.

● No one may park in the car loop parking lot at dismissal time. Anyone needing to

park and come into the building, must find an alternate location to park.

We are excited to announce that ALL students are able to receive FREE breakfast AND lunch this year. This is not limited to just our families that qualified for free and reduced meals (FARMS) this past year.

However, it will be imperative for all of our families to complete this year's FARMS application, regardless if you believe your family would qualify. This application can be completed online by clicking here. **There will be a popup window that says our school is all free lunches. Please close and complete the FARMS form, as it is still required by all.**

The Ducketts Lane school counseling team hopes that your family had an enjoyable summer!

We are so excited to see your students when they return next week. With the start of a new school year we recognize students will likely experience a range of emotions from the excitement of seeing friends to the nerves of meeting a new teacher and learning new expectations as they enter a new grade. Whatever your student is experiencing on day one or day one hundred the school counseling team will be here to support their continued growth and will work with them to ensure school is a comfortable place for them to thrive both academically and socially.

If you should ever have questions or concerns or require support for your student please do not hesitate to contact the counseling team at DLES. We hope you have a good start to the new school year!

Mr. L and Mrs. Barron

Please note the following important information:

• Parents who wish to bring medication and/or supplies for the upcoming school year, can stop by the health room on Friday between 12:45-2:30pm. If this time does not work, please call the front office at 410-313-5050 and ask to speak with someone in the health room.

  • Links to Medication Forms:

    Epi Pen: https://www.hcpss.org/f/schools/health/epipenorder-careplan.pdf

    Medication Physician Form: https://www.hcpss.org/f/aboutus/physician-medication-form.pdf
    

• Students that do not have the required immunizations cannot stay in school. If your child is not up to date on their vaccinations, the health room will contact you with further instructions.
  
• During the school year, if your student has an injury that occurs outside of school and has any restrictions from a doctor, please provide a physician's note and/or the Activity Restriction Form to the health room. This form provides medical instructions for the school to keep your child safe, especially related to recess and PE.

When to keep your child home-

• Any fever over 100 degrees. Your child needs to stay home until they are fever-free for 24 hours WITHOUT the use of medications such as Tylenol/Advil/Motrin. If your child develops a fever over 100°F while at school, we will call you to come take them home.
  
• If your child has vomited and/or has had diarrhea two or more times
  
• Is having moderate to severe pain- This pain should be evaluated by their doctor before returning to school.
  
• Difficulty breathing- Any respiratory concerns should be evaluated by their doctor before attending school.
  

If you have any questions on if your child should be at school during/after an illness, never hesitate to call the health room at 410-313-5050. ·

Thank you for helping to keep our school community safe and healthy!!! It's going to be a great year.

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