Owl Observer News

Greetings Ducketts Lane Friends and Families,

It has been another wonderful week here at school. It is hard to believe that we only have one more week of school before Winter Break. Our lost and found area has again become over filled with lost belongings. We will be asking students to look during each lunch period next week, and you are welcome to come check the lost and found area between 9:00am-2:30pm each day. Any items not claimed by 3:30pm on December 20th will be removed.

This seems like a good time to remind all adults to add their child's first and last name to their outerwear, as students often get hot running around outside and forget to collect their belongings. It is hard to believe that some of our students get hot when we go outside because if it is greater than 20 degrees we go outside for recess. However, our students do run and play hard when they get the opportunity to play outside. If you label their items with their first and last name, we are more likely to be able to return lost items.

Proudly serving you,

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

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!

Saturday, December 14th-PTA Winter Vendor Fair

Thursday, December 19th-Vision and Hearing Screening

Monday, December 23rd-January 1, 2025- Schools closed for Winter Break

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

Our Winter Concerts are right around the corner! If your child is in Band, Orchestra or Chorus, please review the concert flyers linked below.

Advanced Winter Concert - December 19, 2024 @ DLES

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

• 4th Grade Advanced Orchestra

• 5th Grade Band

• 5th Grade Orchestra

• 5th Grade Chorus

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 Howard County Literacy Association invites students in grades 1-5 to submit their original poems and/or short stories to the annual writing contest called The Young Authors' Contest. Please see the attached Young Authors’ Contest Guidelines ( en Espanol) for information about the rules and guidelines. All entries must have a completed YAC Cover Sheet DLES YAC Student Cover Sheet, 2024-25 HOWARD.docx sent as a PDF. Submissions may be emailed to Casey_Sawyer@hcpss.org by December 20, 2024. Please contact Mrs. Sawyer or Mrs. Esposito (Keri_Esposito@hcpss.org) with any questions. All Young Authors’ Contest information can be found on the HCLA website.

Howard County Literacy Association welcomes parents as members. Visit the HCLA Welcome Page for information about joining.

This year, Ducketts Lane will be administering the Cognitive Abilities Test (CogAT) to students in 3rd grade on December 16, 17, and 18 (9:00-10:15am). The CogAT is an abilities test that measures students’ reasoning abilities, which they develop through in-school and out-of-school experiences. It is not designed to test a student’s academic achievement, but their potential. All students in Grade 3 will participate in the testing. No special preparation is required. Please send your child to school ready to learn and on time.

The last of the de-escalation strategies we have been focusing on is Wait. Wait is the third strategy to use after Help and Prompt have been tried. Again, any of these strategies can be used in any order. The ultimate goal is to help an agitated student with assistance and get them back to a place where learning can occur.

• Wait:

  • Position yourself so the student and others are not at risk of harm.

  • Placing yourself between the student and the distraction is the first step. For example, if the student is trying to elope from the space, position yourself between the student and the door. If a student is agitated with a classmate, position yourself between the two. Inviting the other student to move briefly is a good idea also. Be mindful of materials that can easily become ‘dangerous’ to an elevated student; i.e. scissors, sharpened pencils, heavy metal water bottles, and so on…

  • Planned ignoring.

  • Briefly communicate nonverbally the expectation then wait. Often, presence is enough to re-engage a student who is agitated. While waiting, you are ensuring the safety of all students. You can engage with others while keeping a very close eye on the agitated student to see positive signs of getting back to Green Zone.

  • Praise other students for showing expected behaviors.

  • This is very important. This is your opportunity to remind students of what is expected and praise those behaviors. Your engagement with others, your interest in their learning, their writing, their ‘work’, is a good way to help a student in need. Return your attention to the agitated student to provide help if desired. If not, just simply wait until the student is ready.

  • Avoid reinforcing the student’s problem behaviors.

  • Using the wait strategy and being patient (because sometimes the wait is long) is important for the student to see. This alone reminds the student you care.

  • Remember that the wait strategy can take a long time.

  • Be patient and stay visible to the student to show your willingness to help, even when on the student’s time period.

  • Have a plan to make sure that others don’t interfere.

  • Give a nonverbal signal or communicate discreetly that you are waiting. Most importantly, you don’t want to agitate the student further by saying to another adult why you are waiting. You would be starting the wait all over again if the agitated student becomes escalated again.

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!

Here are some suggestions on how to incorporate math throughout the day. Finding ways to practice math and showing how important math is to daily life will help all of our students achieve their academic goals.

Encourage your child to bring home new books from the media center that you can read together or ask them about as they read. Take trips to the Elkridge Library, where you can access a wide range of books.

Winter Vendor and Craft Fair:

The DLES PTA is hosting our annual Winter Vendor and Craft Fair on Saturday, December 14th from 12-3 pm. If you own a business you would like to promote or have handmade crafts to sell, sign up to be a vendor by filling out the form below. Vendor registration is $25. Student vendors are also encouraged and there is no fee for students to register. Vendor registration closes today, December 6th.

https://forms.gle/iCm49pZnTBVQk7U19

Staff Supplies Drive

The DLES PTA is collecting supplies for our staff to help replenish classroom items before winter break! Wanted items include gel pens, felt pens, and dry erase markers. An amazon wish list has been created for convenience, but please feel free to donate any items from any retailer. Donations can be dropped off to the front office labeled "PTA". Be on the lookout for any great deals you see during Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales. Thank you for your amazing support for our staff and the DLES PTA—we couldn’t do it without you!

https://www.amazon.com/registries/gl/guest-view/1DVWTE0BVX32U

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