Edward Cosentino, Principal

Sandra Anderson, Assistant Principal

Kelly Grenzer, Assistant Principal

Website: ples.hcpss.org
Location: Phelps Luck Elementary School, Old Stone Court, Columbia, MD, USA
Phone: 410-313-6886
Facebook: facebook.com/phelpsluckelementary
Twitter: @hcpss_ples

For another language, click "Translate Newsletter" tab and select the language of choice in the upper right-hand corner.

Spanish

Para otros idiomas, haga clic en Traducir Newsletter y elija el idioma que prefiera.

Korean

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Chinese

对于其他语言，请单击翻译新闻通讯，然后选择所需的语言。

Urdu

دوسری زبانوں کے لئے ، نیوزلیٹر کا ترجمہ کریں پر کلک کریں اور اپنی پسند کی زبان کا انتخاب کریں۔

We are excited to welcome over 700 students back to Phelps Luck Elementary School on Monday, August 26. Our incredible staff is busy preparing for our student's arrival, and we cannot wait to see our amazing students. We hope you enjoyed receiving welcome calls from your child's homeroom teacher yesterday. We know how important it is to connect with families prior to the start of school. We hope to see you at our open house sessions on Friday. During open house, please visit your child's current teacher. It is not a time to visit other classrooms. Please also plan to attend our Back-to-School nights. Those dates are listed below.

Our theme for this year is BELIEVE! Believe that everything is possible as we start a brand new school year. Our staff made a welcome video for our students and community to kick off the year. Below the video is the lyrics of the song Believe by Shawn Mendes. The song is full of positive and encouraging words. Enjoy, and welcome back to school!

Mr. Cosentino, Principal

Ms. Anderson, Assistant Principal

Mrs. Grenzer, Assistant Principal

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For a complete list of dates and events visit ples.hcpss.org/calendar.

August

• 21 - Teacher assignments are available in Family File
• 22 - Kindergarten Back to School Night, 6:00 p.m.
• 22 - FYI: Long Reach High School Back to School Night, 6:00 p.m.
• 23 - Kindergarten Open House, 10:00 a.m.
• 23 - 1st & 2nd Grades - Open House, 11:30 a.m.
• 23 - 3rd, 4th, & 5th Grades - Open House, 1:00 p.m.
• 26 - First Day of School
• 28 - Gifted & Talented Information Session, 5:45 p.m.
• 28 - 3rd, 4th, & 5th Grades - Back-to-School Night, 6:15 p.m.
• 29 - FYI: Howard High School Back to School Night, 6:00 p.m.

September

• 2 - Labor Day - No School
• 4 - 1st & 2nd Grades - Back-to-School Night, 6:00 p.m
• 5 - FYI: Bonnie Branch & Ellicott Mills Middle Schools Back to School Nights, 6:00 p.m.
• 6 - PTA Back-to-School Picnic, 5:00 p.m.
• 11 - PTA Meeting, 7:00 p.m.
• 15 - National Hispanic Heritage Month Begins
• 18 - Professional Workday and Wellness Day, Schools dismiss 3 hours early, 12:15 p.m.
• 19 - Multilanguage Learner Information Parent Night, 6:00 p.m.
• 26 - Hispanic Parent Meeting, 6:30 p.m.

To subscribe to the PLES calendar on your smartphone, electronic device, or email system, click the plus sign + at the bottom right-hand corner of the Google Calendar or click this link.

There will be no printed 2024-2025 calendars. Staff, students, and families may add our online calendar to their own mobile/online calendar by

1. Going to https://www.hcpss.org/calendar/
2. Scrolling down to Subscribing to a Calendar
3. Right-clicking on the calendar you wish to subscribe to
4. Selecting Copy Link Location/Address/Shortcut
5. Adding to your calendar of choice (See your calendar for specifics on adding a new calendar)

You also may view and/or download printable PDFs of the full calendar and/or important dates only. Updates to the PDFs will be noted on the HCPSS calendar page.

PLEASE NOTE! The calendar is subject to change. The online calendar reflects the most recent version.

Calendars in Spanish, Chinese, and Korean

Calendario en español

西班牙语日历

스페인어로 된 달력

School-based clinics are located in 10 elementary, middle and high schools in the Howard County Public School System including Phelps Luck Elementary School. They are made possible through a partnership between the Howard County Health Department and Howard County Public School System. The goal of the program is to keep kids in school, healthy and ready to learn. All student in Phelps Luck are eligible to be part of the School-Based Wellness Center. In order to do that, your child(ren) must be enrolled in the School-Based Wellness Center.

We are very excited that, as a school with a Regional Early Childhood Center (RECC), PLES has been allocated a Learning Together Program (LTP) for this school year!

RECCs provide special education services for preschoolers with disabilities in classes that also include children who do not have disabilities. This program enables all young children to play with each other, develop long-term friendships, and benefit from a diverse and stimulating environment. The purpose of the Learning Together Program (LTP) is to include children who do not have disabilities in the RECC classes located within elementary schools.

We are accepting applications for LTP Peers (students without disabilities) with birthdates from 8/31/2020 through and including 9/1/2021.

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. If necessary, a lottery process is conducted. The fees listed in the application will be collected monthly regardless of the learning model determined by HCPSS throughout the upcoming school year (virtual, hybrid, or in person).

Please click on the link below for detailed information about the program and a link to the application:

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1uLv1R3GIFWJTForGglkqdsBGaSkW0Rb7o5OZLR4OHog/edit?usp=sharing

Registration opens on Sunday, August 25 at noon.

www.gotrcentralmd.org

Girls do not have to be runners to join! Girls on the Run focuses on helping girls develop confidence, find their inner strength and recognizing their potential, all through fun physical activities.

• The program is open to girls in grades 3 through 5.
• We meet on Tuesday and Thursdays after school from 3:15-4:45
• The program runs from September 24 through December 10
• The celebratory 5K that is held on Saturday, December 7

Feel free to contact Deb Sharkey (deborah_sharkey@hcpss.org) with any questions about the Phelps Luck program, or Girls on the Run Central Maryland with registration questions.

Is your child interested in outdoor activities, learning new skills, and going on adventures with friends? If so, you can learn about Cub Scout Pack 678 during Back to School nights, and then come out for our Join Scouting Night at 7pm on September 18 at Phelps Luck Elementary School. Pack 678 meets most Wednesdays at PLES and accepts boys and girls from kindergarten through 5th grade. We have a fun year ahead of us filled with hiking, camping, and the always popular Pinewood Derby. We can’t wait to meet you! Email scoutpack678@yahoo.com if you have any questions.

Related Arts and the Color Calendar Schedule

Students participate in related arts daily for one hour. There are five related arts classes: Art, Media, Music, Physical Education, and Technology. A few years ago, we moved from a set or fixed daily related arts schedule to a rotating related arts schedule. The rotating schedule is called the Related Arts Color Calendar. We rotate days using the color calendar because there are a disproportional number of days off on Mondays and Fridays. This used to mean students would have up to 6 fewer Monday or Friday related arts versus the other classes and days of the week. Your child's teacher will share their specific related arts color day assignments with you. It is very important to make sure your child dresses appropriately for the classes he/she has for related arts, especially for physical education.

The Family Guide - The ABCs of PLES is a lengthy document that provides information about our school. Click below to download the PLES Family Guide. The guide is also located on the main page of the PLES website.

It is time to update your child's emergency contact information in HCPSS Connect! This is the most important step as we prepare for the start of the 2024-2025 school year. Your Family File needs to be updated every school year. This must be done for new and returning families.

Families that update and complete their Family File will be able to view teacher assignments for the upcoming school year beginning August 21, 2024. In addition, having this information is critical to us as soon as the first day of school.

HCPSS Connect is open to update your Family File. This information is very important! Please take the time to do this now. It is very important to have your Family File information complete prior to the first day of school.

You will be asked to update or provide the following information:

• Parent/guardian contact information. Please provide the most current contact information.
  
• Emergency contacts: Who do you want to pick up your child in case you cannot?
• Medical information: Your child's health information.
• Arrival and dismissal procedures. How will your child arrive to school and be dismissed on a daily basis? Additionally, provide what procedure your child should follow in case of an unscheduled early closing of schools.
• Media coverage. This includes students being photographed.
• Data confidentiality. Permission to release your child’s information to various organizations.
• PTA directory. What information do you want to be included in our PLES PTA Directory?

You can access HCPSS Connect here http://www.hcpss.org/connect/

Changes of address may not be made through Family File. If you have recently moved, please contact our PLES office at 410-313-6886 as soon as possible.

Parents who have forgotten their login credentials for Family File may click the “Forgot Password” link on the sign-in page. If you need additional assistance, please fill out this Connect Help Form.

To qualify for Free and Reduced Meals, families will need to apply for that benefit.

HCPSS participates in the National School Lunch and Breakfast Programs, which provides families with significant benefits to help save money. Qualification is based on family size and income, and enrollment is confidential. All children in households receiving benefits from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) can get free meals regardless of income, and students from households that meet federal income guidelines are eligible to receive free or reduced-price meals. Those eligible for reduced-price lunch pay $0.10 and breakfast is free.

Free and Reduced Meals eligibility provides discounts for summer programs, SAT, recreation programs, Maryland Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP), and internet programs.

Howard County Public School System (HCPSS) provides safe, reliable and efficient transportation to and from school for enrolled students living beyond a one-mile walking distance from elementary schools, a one and one-half mile walking distance from middle schools and a two-mile walking distance from high schools.

Non-transportation areas (walk areas) have been expanded for most HCPSS schools. Board of Education Policy 5200 Student Transportation increased the allowable distance students may walk to school based on the distance between a student’s home and school. As a result, some students who previously received bus service may not receive it in 2024-2025.

At PLES, our non-transportation zone increased slightly. We are anticipating nine buses this year. The transportation zone will include the areas between Lambskin Lane, near the Locust Park Pool, along Tamar Drive to Spiral Cut.

The supply list for the 2024-25 school year can be found on the main page of our school's website.

We encourage you to drop off your school supplies during Open House on August 23. Please be sure to clearly label your child's supplies with his/her name.

What Your Child Will Learn guides provide an overview of the instructional program for your child’s grade, as well as student goals and expectations. The guides include information to help parents monitor and support their child’s progress during the school year.

Individual guides are provided for each grade level. Each grade level guide provides information categorized by curriculum area, e.g., Language Arts, Science, etc.

The guides are available online only; print versions are no longer distributed. Specific guide webpages may be printed from the website.

Specific student programs may differ depending on instructional needs.

• Kindergarten
• Grade One
• Grade Two
• Grade Three
• Grade Four
• Grade Five

Listed below are the many ways to stay informed at Phelps Luck Elementary School.

Twitter

• Follow us on Twitter at https://twitter.com/hcpss_ples
• We use Twitter to inform, celebrate, and engage our community.
• Twitter is used to share what is going on in our school, our community, and throughout the Howard County Public School System.
• Turn on notifications to get information the second it is tweeted.
• We live-stream our concerts on Periscope through Twitter.

Facebook

• Like us on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/PhelpsLuckElementary
• We have found that Facebook is the social media most used by our parents so we are now on Facebook, too!
• Our Facebook page is updated automatically from our Twitter feed.
• Please use Facebook to share the good news from PLES with your friends and families.

Website

• Our website, ples.hcpss.org, is updated regularly.
• Important news and information is located on the main page of the site, including an archive of our weekly newsletter, Falcon Flier.
• Staff information and email are located under the "Our Staff" tab.
• Subscribe to the Google calendar located on the "Calendar" tab.

Class Dojo

• Class Dojo is a communication tool used in classrooms throughout Phelps Luck. Your homeroom teacher will share more information about how to connect and communicate through Class Dojo.

Email

• Email is our main form of communication.
• You will receive news and information automatically to the email address you provide in your Family File. We will not inundate your inbox with email. Look for the weekly Falcon Flier on Friday mornings.
• If you would like email sent to a different email address, update your email in Family File with the email address you prefer.
• You can subscribe additional email addresses by visiting the HCPSS News site here. http://www.hcpss.org/hcpss-news/
• Weekly announcements, important information and updates, and more will primarily be sent through email.
• You also have the opportunity to opt-in for text messaging

Kick off the new school year with two exciting events hosted by your Phelps Luck PTA. First, catch up with old friends and make new ones at a fun-filled back-to-school picnic on Thursday, September 6, from 5:00 - 6:30 pm. Then, join us for the first PTA meeting of the year on Wednesday, September 11, from 7:00-8:00 pm in the media center and online. Stay tuned for more information on joining and volunteering with the PTA. We can’t wait to see you!

We are the Phelps Luck Elementary School’s PTA (Parent Teacher Association).

"Through advocacy, events and fundraising, the PTA strives to provide the support our students, families and staff need to make our PLES community the best it can be for our children to learn and grow."

WE WORK TOGETHER
AND SUPPORT EACH OTHER
TO CREATE A BETTER SCHOOL
FOR OUR CHILDREN