Lisbon Elementary

Mrs. Debra Anoff, Principal
Mr. Bradley Scobie, Assistant Principal

15901 Frederick Road
Woodbine, MD 21797

(410) 313-5506
(410) 313-5508 - Fax

les.hcpss.org

Throughout each year we celebrate the incredible diversity of all of our students at Lisbon. In February, we focus on Black History Month and highlight the important contributions of Black and African Americans who have helped shape our country and contributed to our society.

Black History Month was created to focus attention on the contributions of African Americans to the United States. It honors all Black people from all periods of U.S. history, from the enslaved people first brought over from Africa in the early 17th century to African Americans living in the United States today. This newsletter has resources that can be utilized in the classroom or at home to celebrate Black History Month. Throughout the month of February, Lisbon Elementary School will recognize Black History Month and highlight the many accomplishments of African Americans.

Sincerely,

Debra Anoff, Principal

Bradley Scobie, Assistant Principals

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

January

• 31 - Conference Scheduling Window Closes, 4:00 p.m.
  

February

• 4 - Report Cards Available at 4:00 p.m.
  

• 5 - Parent/Teacher Conferences (3 hour early dismissal - 12:45 p.m.)
• 5 - Give Back Event at Chipotle, 5:00-9:00 p.m.
  
• 6 - Parent/Teacher Conferences (3 hour early dismissal - 12:45 p.m.)
• 7 - Professional Learning Day, schools closed
• 12 - PTA Meeting (Virtual)
  
• 17 - Presidents Day, schools and offices closed
• 20 - STEM Night
• 24 - Vision & Hearing Screening

March

• 6 - Give Back Event at CarterQue, 4:00-8:00 p.m.
  

• 12 - Kindergarten Visits the Glenwood Library, 9:45-11:30 a.m.
• 13 - Spring Individual & Class Pictures
  

• 14 - Professional Work & Wellness Day (3 hour early dismissal - 12:45 p.m.)
• 31 - Professional Work & Development, schools closed
  

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

On Jan. 21, 2025, the Department of Homeland Security issued a directive allowing immigration enforcement actions to occur in sensitive areas, including schools and bus stops.

While staff in the Howard County Public School System (HCPSS) are not aware of any such incident occurring in Maryland or nationally, school administrators have been provided with instructions if a representative from any State or Federal agency arrives unexpectedly at one of our schools.

When visitors arrive at the school, the school principal or assistant principal will greet the visitor, ask them to join them in an office or private conference area, and seek to learn the reason for the visit. At that time, the school administrator will contact their representative from the HCPSS Division of Schools and General Counsel’s office to receive guidance. This practice has been in place as it is not uncommon for schools to receive unannounced visitors and receive support from Central Office leaders.

While staff will not obstruct a state or federal agent carrying out a lawful order on school grounds, we hope that our learning environments will remain free of disruptions. Staff will also continue to monitor the situation in our county, state and nation, and work with county officials and community groups to guide families in need of additional support to the appropriate available resources in our community.

HCPSS and our school staff remain committed to providing a safe, inclusive, nurturing, and supportive school climate.

National School Counseling Week (#NSCW25), sponsored by the American School Counselor Association (ASCA), will be February 3 thru 7. The purpose of the week is to focus public attention on the unique contribution of professional school counselors within U.S. school systems, Howard County, and here at Lisbon ES. National School Counseling Week highlights the tremendous impact school counselors have in helping students achieve school success.

The special week honoring school counselors provides recognition for school counselors who implement comprehensive school counseling programs. We are fortunate to have school counselors in each of our schools throughout Howard County. At Lisbon, we are fortunate to have Mrs. Taylor who is a vital part of our school and student services team. She actively engage in helping students examine their abilities, strengths, interests, and talents. Mrs. Taylor partners with parents as they encounter the challenges of raising children in today's world. She also provide support for teachers to help them meet the social, emotional, and academic needs of our students. Please join us in thanking Mrs. Taylor for her dedication to our Lisbon students and community.

Attention 5th Grade Families!

Middle School Course Requests are happening NOW! Detailed information was sent via school messenger to all 5th grade families.

If you have additional questions about middle school course requests, Mrs. Taylor will have open office hours via Google Meet. The times and meet codes are below.

Tuesday, February 4th from 11:30 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.

Google Meet joining info: https://meet.google.com/iyx-muqs-svz

Wednesday, February 5th from 2:00 p.m. - 3:30 p.m.

Google Meet joining info: https://meet.google.com/jnu-xjki-bdj

Middle School course requests are available via HCPSS Connect from 1/30/25 to 2/12/25 at 4:00 p.m.

Grab a book, grab a friend, and join Netflix Jr. in celebrating Black voices during Black History Month. Full Episodes of Bookmarks included are:

• "I Love My Hair" read by Tiffany Haddish
• "I Am Enough" read by Grace Byers
• "Crown: An Ode to the Fresh Cut" read by Caleb McLaughlin
• "Sulwe" read by Lupita Nyong'o
• "ABCs For Girls Like Me" read by Marsai Martin
• "I Am Perfectly Designed" read by Karamo Brown
• "Pretty Brown Face" and "Brown Boy Joy" read by Jill Scott
• "Firebird" read by Misty Copeland
• "Let's Talk About Race" read by Common
• "The Day You Begin" read by Jacqueline Woodson
• "Antiracist Baby" read by Kendrick Sampson
• "We March" read by Marley Dias

Student report cards will be available for parent view after 4:00 PM on February 4th. Directions on how to access report cards through HCPSS Connect can be found HERE along with report card templates and documents to help you better understand student report cards. The Parent CANVAS Course is also linked to provide you with any additional information you may need to access and understand student report cards. Just a reminder that Related Arts Teachers report grades by semester.

February 5th and 6th are designated for Parent Teacher Conferences this year. We will be holding 15 minute conferences. Parent Teacher Conferences are a terrific opportunity for staff and parents to partner together for each child’s success. All conferences will be held with your child’s Math teacher. Below are the details about how they will be held based on the date of the conference.

Wednesday, February 5th:

- Conferences from 1:30 p.m. - 4:15 p.m. will be IN PERSON at LES.

- Conferences from 4:15 p.m. - 7:15 p.m. will be VIRTUAL. A google link will be sent.

Thursday, February 6th:

- All Conferences will be VIRTUAL - A google link will be sent.

The Google Meet link will be sent to you with your confirmation email. If you have questions, please email your child’s math teacher.

Please note, Mrs. O'Connor will be holding conferences with parents of her 5th Grade GT Math class only.

If your conference is virtual, once you enter the google link, you will be put in a “holding space” until the teacher admits you. Because many conferences will be back-to-back, please only log on one minute before your designated time. If you have technology challenges or need assistance joining your conference, we will have a Virtual Conference Help Desk available. The link to the Help Desk will be sent out closer to conferences,

We look forward to conferencing with you about your child’s progress!

Lisbon Elementary second graders will be collecting boxes of cereal to support our Lisbon Food Pantry as well as the Mount Airy Net Food Pantry. We will be collecting boxes of cereal from January 27th to February 6th. Once the collection is complete, we plan to celebrate by creating a school wide cereal box domino toppling through the building. Please consider donating if possible.

The MAP (Measures of Academic Progress) winter testing window for Grade 5 begins on Monday, January 6th and the testing window for grades 1-4 begins Monday, January 27th. All winter MAP testing must be completed by Thursday, February 27th. Below are the scheduled testing dates for each grade at Lisbon. Make-ups will provided for all students who are absent.

1st grade: Math- January 28 and Reading- February 3

2nd grade: Math- January 27 and Reading- February 5

3rd grade: Math- January 31 and Reading- February 10

4th grade: Math- January 27 and Reading- February 3

5th grade: Math- January 6 and Reading- January 8

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!

LES Administration

How Does HCPSS Determine to Close Schools?

To learn about the decision process for closing schools, please view the Vimeo video below.
You can also visit the section of the HCPSS website listing the many ways you can be informed of weather-related school closings. Lisbon ES will not send any additional email out because that communication comes directly from the HCPSS Communications Office.

Unscheduled Emergency Early School Closing

In the event that schools need to close early due to an unexpected weather event, please be sure to share with your child how he/she will go home if it is different than their normal dismissal routine.
All parents were asked to indicate how children are to go home in the event of an emergency/unscheduled closing when they completed their Family File information in August or September.

Weather Guidelines for Outdoor Recess

Exercise outdoors is healthy and is strongly encouraged. It provides a break from the regular school routine, a chance to get some outside air, and an opportunity to run off excess energy.

If conditions preclude the full recess time, even a five-minute break can revitalize children and prepare them for more sitting and academic learning. Children are expected to wear warm clothing to protect them during cold weather when participating in recess or outside activities.

The decision to go out or stay in for recess is the decision of the Administrator at individual schools. However, the following are to be considered in determining whether recess is to be held outside:

• Temperature and Windchill
  
• Age of students
  
• Length of time outdoors
  
• Adequacy of the children’s clothing
  
• Condition of the playground
  
• Falling precipitation (more than a sprinkle or mist)
  

Generally, it is assumed that students will be outside for recess when the temperature combined with the wind chill is not less than 20 degrees Fahrenheit. Children with certain health conditions may need special accommodations during extremely cold weather. Parents of those children should provide medical documentation and may be consulted to determine if other arrangements are necessary.

Parents can email LESabsence@hcpss.org to report a student’s absence. Please include your child(ren)’s full name, parent’s/guardian’s full name and phone number, the date your child(ren) was absent and the reason. Parents may instead choose to send in a paper excuse note to their child’s teacher with the same information when the student returns to school.

For families requesting local discretionary absences, please complete a Local Discretionary Absence Request Form and submit it to the front office at least one week in advance.

President: Elizabeth Hall

1st Vice President: Elizabeth Dudley

2nd Vice President: Diane Byrne

Treasurer: Kate Weiss

Recording Secretary: Tarah Theoret

Upcoming Events

February 5th - Giveback Night at Chipotle

February 12th - Virtual PTA Meeting

February 20th - STEM Night

March 6th - Giveback Night at Carter Que

March 12th - PTA Meeting

April 10th - Giveback Night at Yogi Castle

In alignment with Howard County Board of Education Policy 10010, Distribution and Display of Materials and Announcements, the following announcements have been approved by the Public Information Office for distribution. Please visit Distributing Community Information through the School System or contact the Public Information Office at 410-313-6682 if you have any questions.

The link below will take you to community notices are neither sponsored nor endorsed by the Howard County Public School System.
http://www.hcpss.org/community-news-and-programs/