Owl Observer News

Greetings Ducketts Lane Friends and Families,

Thank you for helping us have another wonderful week here at DLES.

We hope that you will be able to find sometime to visit us next week, during American Education Week.

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!

Friday, November 15th- PTA Family Game Night 6:30

Friday, November 22nd- Coffee & Conversation at 9:00am

Monday, November 25th- Students Dismiss at 12:15pm & No AM/PM Preschool classes

Monday, November 25th- In-Person Parent/Teacher Conferences

Tuesday November 26th- Students Dismiss at 12:15pm & No AM/PM Preschool classes

Tuesday, November 26th- Virtual Parent/Teacher Conferences

Wednesday, November 27-Schools Closed for Students

Thursday, November 28th-Schools Closed

Friday, November 29th- Schools Closed

REMINDER: Joe Corbi's orders will be delivered on Monday, November 25th. They will be available for pick-up on that day from around dismissal time until 7pm in the evening. Please be sure to stop by DLES to pick up your orders on this day as we do not have freezer space available to keep any orders that are not picked up.

Thank you for your support!

If you have any questions, please contact Jennifer Abramson (Jennifer_Abramson@hcpss.org) or

by calling 410-313-5050.

Parents will have the opportunity to choose from topics to discuss in small groups with staff and other parents. Additionally , there will be time for open Questions & Answers. Lite refreshments will be provided.

For planning purposed please RSVP if you plan to attend by scanning the OR code below.

During the 2nd Quarter, all of the Band, Orchestra and Chorus students will perform their Winter Concerts. Students are expected to wear the following concert attire:

• Plain white shirt (no writing or big pictures)

• Black pants or skirt

• Black shoes

It is recommended that families start planning to get concert clothes for their musician to wear for the concert.

If families are unable to get what their child needs for the concert, please contact one of the music teachers for assistance.

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.

It’s that time of year, and we are happy to announce our annual #WEAREDUCKETTS “Fall Fun Run Event!” on Tuesday, November 26th. Each grade will “FUN Run” during their Related Arts time, and you are cordially invited to join. If you want to run with our kiddos or cheer them on:) Please click the link below.

‘DLES #WEAREDUCKETTS Fall Fun Run.

Thank you for your continued support, and we look forward to having you join us!

We are fortunate to have the Kangaroo Kids coming to put on a demonstration here at DLES. Kangaroo Kids is a local jump rope team in Howard county. YES, there are jump rope teams you can join for sport as well! Jump roping is a great way to build confidence, make friends, get a great workout, all while learning skills that your child can use for lifelong joy! If you are interested in exploring the possibility of your student joining Kangaroo Kids, here is a link to their website for more information.

Kangaroo Kids | Jump Rope | Howard County, MD

When: Monday, November 25

Where Ducketts Lane Elementary School

When: During the school day

What Will your Student Need: We encourage all students to wear athletic shoes with shoelaces or Velcro. They may be called upon to join in the demonstration if they do!

Please contact Mr. Abramson if you have any questions!

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.

DLES Families and Community Members can now access affordable fresh produce at the Roving Radish Mobile Market happening once a week on Wednesdays. Their Mobile market will be located beside the school building on the main road starting Wednesdays 2:30 pm to 4:30pm. Roving Radish's goal is "dedicated to promoting healthy farm to table eating habits to our community, while creating sustainable markets for our local and regional farms." Many local farmers are part of this initiative as it has been hosted by Howard county government and now an official partnership with HCPSS has begun. We are excited to have easy access to healthy and fresh produce right here at our school!

Extracted from":https://rovingradish.com/pages/about-us

When: Nov, 26

Time: During Related Arts

We are happy to announce our “Fall Fun Run Event!” Each grade will have a “Run” during their Related Arts time.

You are cordially invited to run with or cheer our kiddos on as we celebrate another fantastic school year here at DLES! We will be sending out more info in the weeks to come!

Recently our students have been working to decompose numbers as a strategy. This is sometimes referred to as the break apart strategy. Here are some videos that show you what this strategy may look like that within our classrooms and when they are working on math homework with you.

Click here for a video on how to use decomposing to add.

Click here for a video on how to use decomposing to subtract.

Click here for a video on how to use decomposing to multiply.

There are a variety of ways that adults at home can help with raising readers. One of Howard County's wonderful resources is the public library system. Take advantage of this wonderful FREE resource.

Take advantage of all the books, materials, story times, programs, and resources your local library has to offer. Click here to view all of the offerings at the closet library branch, Elkridge Library and DIY Education Center.

Last week we reviewed behavioral basics and some proactive strategies to use to promote desirable behaviors. This week we will focus our attention on de-escalation strategies to use when the unexpected occurs. Specifically, we will introduce the Help, Prompt, Wait strategies.

We use de-escalation strategies with students who are exhibiting agitation. The goal of de-escalation is to assist students to return to the Green Zone, a place where they are ready to learn and receive direction to respond in an appropriate manner.

The key points to remember with de-escalation is to begin early, right when you notice student behavior is changing. When one strategy is not working, change to a different strategy. It is also important to note that de-escalation can be very quick, with a change of direction, or it can take a long time. Be patient and consistent with your calm, clear direction and demeanor.

3 De-Escalation Strategies

Help:

• Asking a student to communicate with you.

• Use open-ended questions.

• Praise all attempts to communicate.

• Comply with reasonable requests.

• Provide support if you can’t comply.

• It’s best to use this strategy early when you first notice signals of agitation.

Prompt:

• Look for safe behaviors to prompt/reinforce.

• Identify behaviors that are incompatible with the crisis behaviors.

• Think of behaviors that a student is likely to cooperate with.

• Calmly prompt using a few words and/or gestural/modeling prompts.

• Phrase your requests instructionally; not as a question.

Wait:

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

• Planned ignoring.

• Praise other students for showing expected behaviors.

• Avoid reinforcing the student’s problem behaviors.

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

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

The next 3 weeks we will take a deeper dive into these 3 strategies, sharing some examples and language to use specifically with each one.

Family Game Night: Game On!
Gather the family and join us for an evening of laughter and friendly competition at our Family Game Night!
When: Friday, November 15, 2024
Time: 6:30 - 8:00 PM
Where: DLES Cafeteria

Bring your favorite games to share, and let’s make some unforgettable memories together! Can’t wait to see you there!

Staff Conference Dinner:

Conferences are coming up, which means it’s time to treat our amazing staff to dinner! The DLES PTA will be setting up a build-your-own salad and baked potato bar! We can’t make this event a success without your help- please use the link below to see what items are needed and consider signing up to send in a donation. All non-perishable items can be dropped off at the school anytime before Monday, November 25th. If you are donating a perishable item please drop them off ON Monday, November 25th by 9:00 am. Please label all donations PTA. Thank you so much for your support!

https://bit.ly/DLESstaffdinner24

Coal Fire Spirit Night:

Join us for a spirit night at Coal Fire on Monday, November 18th. Bring in the flyer or show it on your phone so 20% of all generated sales will go directly to the DLES PTA.

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.

https://forms.gle/iCm49pZnTBVQk7U19

Free Bikes 4 Kidz (FB4K) is a non-profit organization geared toward helping all kids ride into a happier, healthier childhood by providing FREE bikes and new helmets to those most in need. The public donates gently used bikes, FB4K organizes scores of volunteers to clean and refurbish them, and then gives them away to children referred to them by schools, churches, nonprofit organizations, and government agencies. In Maryland FB4K conducts an annual campaign during which they collect bikes until October, refurbish them in ten weeks, and give them away at 6725 Business Parkway, Elkridge by the holidays.

If you would be interested in receiving a FREE used bike and new Helmet and can pick a bike up at 6725 Business Parkway in Elkridge, on December 14 please fill out this FB4K Interest Form and FB4K will contact you with further instructions on how to sign up for a FREE bike.

If you have any further questions, please do not hesitate to contact Annie Chairs, DLES Family Involvement Contact at annemarie_chairs@hcpss.org or 410-313-5050.

The Toys for Tots registration link is now live and ready to accept applicants!

Please use this sign-up link for Toys For Tots to register your child to receive a toy this year from the Howard County Toys for Tots Holiday Campaign.

Families being submitted must be Howard County residents.***

Submission via this online portal does not necessarily constitute approval. You will be contacted if there are any questions. Toys for Tots is thrilled to support children up

to 14yrs old.

Please print email Approval Confirmation, which will help guide you through the lines faster during distribution.

If you have any questions or need help filling out the form please contact Annie Chairs at annemarie_chairs@hcpss.org or 410-313-5050.

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