Owl Observer News

Greetings Ducketts Lane Friends and Families,

Happy New Year! Welcome to 2025. As much as we enjoyed spending time over break with our own friends and family, we missed our students and we looked forward to welcoming everyone back on January, 2, 2025. We hope that everyone was able to enjoy the break, and are as ready as we are to get back into a schedule that supports great learning and growth.

Together with you, we set goals for our students back in August, and it is going to take all of us to reach them. We need you to revisit those promises that you made in September and recommit to the steps that you can take in helping your students make the reading and math progress we know they can achieve.

Attendance is the first key to success.

STAY INFORMED!-Information on Weather-Related School Closings or Early Dismissals Details

click here to find more information on from HCPSS

Late Openings For Inclement Weather

If inclement weather conditions develop overnight, the Director of Transportation follows the procedures used to determine late openings or school closures. Decisions regarding closings due to inclement weather will be made no later than 5:30 a.m. Two-hour delays will be called by 5:30 a.m. and reevaluated for closure no later than 7:30 a.m.

Pre-K/RECC Late Arrival

• Schedules for pre-K/RECC planned and emergency late arrivals are available online.

Weather-Related School Closing

Decisions regarding closings due to inclement weather will be made no later than 5:30 a.m. Two-hour delays will be called by 5:30 a.m. and reevaluated for closure no later than 7:30 a.m.

If schools are closed, or closed early due to weather conditions, all after-school and evening activities, both school and non-school, scheduled in school facilities are canceled.

If schools are closed, or closed early due to weather conditions, all evening activities in schools, both school-sponsored and community-sponsored, are canceled. This includes high school athletic practices and games. All aftercare programs, sponsored by the Columbia Association and the Department of Recreation & Parks in Howard County public schools, are canceled.

Early Dismissals For Inclement Weather

If inclement weather conditions develop during the school day, the Director of Transportation follows the procedures used to determine late openings or school closures. Generally, a decision to close schools early is made no later than 10:30 a.m. In deciding whether or not to close schools early, the Superintendent will consult with the Director of Transportation, the Deputy Superintendent, the Director of Operations, the Community Services Specialist, the Coordinator of Athletics, the Director of Public Relations, and other staff members as appropriate.

Pre-K/RECC Early Dismissal

• Schedules for pre-K/RECC planned and emergency early dismissals are available online.

School Sponsored and Community Sponsored After-School and Evening Activities

• If schools are dismissed early for inclement weather, all after-school and evening activities in schools—both school sponsored and community sponsored—are canceled.

Please check that your Family File to make sure it reflects how you want your children sent home in the event of an Unscheduled Closing or Early Dismissals For Inclement Weather. This can be found on the Arrival/Departure page of your Family File. Please ensure your child knows how they will be dismissed if we have to close early unexpectedly.

Proudly serving you,

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

Hello DLES Families!

I hope you had a great winter break. The survey below aims to identify the school's biggest needs in order to better address them and develop solutions and programs that help bridge any gaps for the academic success of our students.

The survey responses will be sent to the Maryland State Department of Education for review.

The responses will also help us make decisions regarding the allocation of funding and resources for Ducketts Lane ES over the next three years.

The survey results will let me know where my focus should be directed, whether that be towards food support, health services, tutoring, after-school programs, etc. The results will help guide my role and my work.

I am heavily relying on your responses to help inform our decisions. I appreciate your partnership and your help with completing the survey. Thank you in advance!

~Alejandra Medina, Your Community School Site Coordinator

In English: https://forms.gle/kuxmSodWosZDtVoQ8

¡Hola, Familias de DLES!

Espero que hayan tenido unas excelentes vacaciones de invierno. La encuesta a continuación tiene como objetivo identificar las mayores necesidades de la escuela para abordarlas mejor y desarrollar soluciones y programas que ayuden a cerrar las brechas para el éxito académico de nuestros estudiantes.

Las respuestas de la encuesta se enviarán al Departamento de Educación del Estado de Maryland para su revisión.

Las respuestas también nos ayudarán a tomar decisiones con respecto a la asignación de fondos y recursos para Ducketts Lane ES durante los próximos tres años.

Los resultados de la encuesta me permitirán saber hacia dónde debería dirigir mi enfoque, ya sea hacia el apoyo alimentario, los servicios de salud, la tutoría, los programas extraescolares, etc. Los resultados ayudarán a orientar mi función y mi trabajo.

Dependo en gran medida de sus respuestas para ayudar a informar nuestras decisiones. Aprecio su colaboración y su ayuda para completar la encuesta. ¡Gracias de antemano!

~Alejandra Medina, Your Community School Site Coordinator

En Español:

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/16okyt_XBYHoEi329CQh45UBe9S0PBjhusGXqD8l3Y-I/edit

Thursday, January 2nd- Schools Reopen for All Students

Wednesday, January, 8th- 1st Grade Only Family Night

Tuesday, January 14th- Winter Concert (more information below)

Thursday, January 23rd– Schools close 3 hours early. No half-day Pre-K/RECC.

Friday, January 24th- PTA Family Glow Dance 6:30pm

Wednesday, January 29– Schools closed for students

Beginning Winter Concert - January 14, 2025 @ DLES

6:00pm 4th Grade Concert (students arrive at 5:30pm)

• 4th Grade Beginning Orchestra

• 4th Grade Band

• 4th Grade Chorus

7:00pm 3rd Grade Orchestra Concert (students arrive at 6:30pm)

• 3rd Grade Orchestra

If your child is in need of a white shirt, black pants or black shoes please contact their music teacher. DLES has a small closet of donated concert clothes available for students in need.

Mrs. McKay (Band & Orchestra) amanda_mckay@hcpss.org

Ms. Abrams (4th Chorus) hana_abrams@hcpss.org

Ms. Eng (5th Chorus) taylor_eng@hcpss.org

If you have any concert clothes (shirt, pants/skirt, shoes) that no longer fit your child, please consider donating them to the DLES Concert Closet for another student to wear.

The MAP (Measures of Academic Progress) winter testing window for Grades 1-4 runs from January 27th to February 27th. The 5th grade MAP window runs from January 6th through January 10th. The following are the testing dates for each grade during this window:

1st grade - ELA January 28 (AM) and Math January 31 (AM)

2nd grade - ELA January 27 (AM) and Math January 30 (AM)

3rd grade - ELA February 3 (AM) and Math February 10 (AM)

4th grade - ELA February 4 (PM) and Math February 11 (PM)

5th grade - ELA January 6 (PM) and Math January 8 (AM)

Each student will complete one session of reading testing and one session of math testing. The MAP assessment allows teachers to view instructional strengths and needs for each student. MAP is an adaptive test in which it adjusts based on the students’ answers to each question. The test gets more difficult as correct answers are given and easier as incorrect answers are given until an instructional match is found.

At the conclusion of the test, each student receives a RIT score that aligns to their instructional level. MAP, in conjunction with other measures throughout the school year, helps teachers differentiate instruction within their classrooms. Please be sure your students are present and on time to school each day to set them up for success during this testing period.

Please reach out with any questions and thank you!

DLES Administration

This is the time of year when the winter season takes a toll on school attendance. Common illnesses such as colds, flu, fevers, earaches and Covid-19, along with unpredictable winter weather, can result in students having to miss school.

These absences, even when they are excused, break the routine of daily attendance that contributes to students feeling connected and engaged in learning. As we are seeing many students missing school, we ask that you please consider these steps to keep your children healthy this winter.

Parents/guardians should keep their children home if they are experiencing symptom(s) associated with any communicable disease. For people with chronic conditions such as asthma, the symptoms should represent a change from baseline. A student should NOT come to school with any of these symptoms:

• fever of 100 degrees or higher
• sore throat
• cough
• difficulty breathing
• diarrhea or vomiting
• new onset of severe headache (especially with fever), or
• new loss of taste or smell

Ways to prevent your children from getting sick and missing school can include:

• Encourage children to wash their hands before and after eating and after using the restroom.
• Avoid sharing cups and utensils with other individuals.
• Dress your children for the cold weather. If you need help with winter clothing, please let us know. Visit the HCHD website for cold weather safety information.
• Encourage healthy habits such as getting enough sleep, eating healthy foods, drinking fluids and getting exercise.
• If your children need to stay home for a prolonged period due to illness, please reach out to your child’s teacher to find out about resources they can use at home to keep learning once they feel well enough.

If you feel that other factors beyond physical health are playing a role in your child’s ability to attend school, talk to your child’s teacher, the school nurse, counselor or your medical provider about how best to support your child.

Let us know how we can help you. If you need resources or guidance, please contact the school at 410-313-5050.

We all want our children to find success in their lives. Sometimes, success for a young child looks like making a new friend. Sometimes, it means learning something new or earning a desired grade. Other times, it may be just getting to school on time. However your child defines success for themselves the school counseling team is here to help them work towards and achieve their goals.

At school the counselors, along with other educators, help students to set both short-term and long-term goals and identify steps they can take to achieve those goals, even if they are far off in the future. This not only helps enhance a student's sense of achievement but also allows them to practice the lifelong skills of planning, organization, and perseverance.

Want to help your student(s) get the most out of their school experience? Here are some things you can do at home to help them develop a positive attitude about school:

• Stay involved and do not hesitate to contact your child's teacher if you have questions or concerns

• Ask your children about their school day and encourage them to share things they like and/or things that they found challenging

• Avoid talking negatively about their teacher or their school

• Read with your child as much as time allows

• Make sure your child is getting enough sleep each night

• Help your student practice the skill of being accountable for their actions

As always, Mrs. Barron and Mr. L are here in partnership with you to support your student's ongoing growth and success so please never hesitate to reach out to our team!

Take a moment to see all of the amazing options available to show your Ducketts Lane spirit and pride.

Click here to see all the options and deals!

Glow Dance: Come get your glow on at the Family Glow Dance on Friday, January 24th from 6:30-8 pm! This is not a drop-off event, all students must be accompanied by an adult. More information to come.

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

Do you have a child who will be 5 years old by September 1, 2025? Please save the date and join us for an upcoming Road to Kindergarten parent information session. All sessions will run 6:30-7:30 p.m. and cover the same content.:

• Expectations for school readiness (and receive a Ready for Kindergarten toolkit;

• Details about the HCPSS kindergarten program;

• Information about HCPSS kindergarten registration and website;
• Ways that families and children can be supported during the transition to kindergarten.

Information sessions will be offered on the following dates:

• January 21, 2025, Hammond High School*

• January 23, 2025 Centennial High School**

• January 28, 2025, Wilde Lake High School*

• SNOW DATE: Tuesday, Feb. 4, 2025, Hammond High School**

* Spanish interpreter will be present at these sites.

** Chinese, Korean, and Spanish interpreters will be present at these sites

Project 10Million’s Direct to Parent/Guardian program provides internet access to eligible families that have a student who meets the eligibility criteria. Approved families receive 200GB of mobile data per year for 5 years and a FREE mobile hotspot, plus the opportunity to purchase additional Wi-Fi devices at a low cost.

• New and existing T-Mobile (including Metro by T-Mobile and Assurance) as well as Non-T-Mobile customers are eligible to apply.
• Available to residents of the United States and Puerto Rico. Not currently available in the US Virgin Islands.
• One free T-Mobile hotspot device and 200GB/year data line per household, max one per student.
• Data service ends when allotment is reached until the yearly renewal date (additional data passes are available for purchase).

• May purchase up to five select, at-cost Wi-Fi-only tablets and laptops for use with the hotspot device.

  
  

  Website linked here: https://www.t-mobile.com/support/account/project-10million-direct-to-parent-guardian-eligibility?icid=MGPO_TMO_U_20TENMM_6BRGAVTKUD4AUN8W23252

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

• Counselor Mrs. Baron Krista_Baron@hcpss.org

• Community School Coordinator Ms. Medina Alejandra_Medina@hcpss.org