Owl Observer News

Greetings Ducketts Lane Families,

We hope that everyone had a great week and that our students and families are enjoying this lovely fall day with school closed today. Speaking of fall, the weather changes during the day and there are instances where children are coming to school wearing heavy coats but take them off and leave them behind. Please write your child's first and last name on the inside of any outerwear so that we can try to return lost items.

Our lost and found area has become very crowded. We will ask students all of next week to look at lunch if they are missing an item, and we welcome parents to come check for missing items between 9:00-2:00 each day. At the end of the day on October 25th we will remove all left items, as we can't keep piles of unclaimed clothes stacked-it is a sanitary issue.

It is hard to believe that we are quickly approaching the end of the 1st quarter, and with the end of the quarter comes report cards. Parents will be able to view their child or children's elementary learning progress on November 8th. The purpose of this report card is to describe students’ learning progress, based on our school’s learning goals for each grade level. It is intended to inform parents and families about learning successes, emphasizing the importance of your child's learning behaviors and to guide improvements when needed.

Please access this website provided by HCPSS to better understand the new report card:

• Website resources: Parent SBIR Canvas site and on https://www.hcpss.org/report-cards/

Translations: all grade level report cards have been translated into Chinese, Korean, and Spanish as seen on the website.

Need Something? There are a variety of ways that our school and community come together to support families that find themselves in need of an extra support. This is often true during the holiday months. We don't want to overlook a family that may be in need of support. In order for us to work our hardest to best serve you, we ask that you please complete the survey below. We want you to know that your family needs are not shared publicly, our purpose is to help remove challenges and barriers for your child and family.

Help us understand your Family's Needs, Family Event and Volunteer Interest by filling out this SURVEY."

"Ayúdenos a comprender las necesidades de su familia, su evento familiar y su interés como voluntario completando esta ENCUESTA.

Thank you for your continued support and partnership and we look forward to welcoming all our students back to school on Monday.

Proudly partnering with you,

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

Fluency is defined as "the ability to read connected text rapidly, smoothly, effortlessly, and automatically with little conscious attention to the mechanics of reading, such as decoding" (Meyer and Felton, 1999, p. 284). It provides "a bridge between word recognition and comprehension" (National Institute for Literacy, 2001, p. 22). Fluency combines rate, accuracy, and prosody (i.e., reading with expression).

When a child incorporates prosody, his oral reading sounds much like speech with appropriate phrasing, pause structures, stress, rise and fall patterns, and general expressiveness.

A fluent reader does not need to give his attention on decoding the words. Instead, he can concentrate on what the text means and develop his comprehension skills (e.g., making connections, asking questions, understanding nuances and references in text, etc.)

Fluency training is something all parents can do for their child. It requires little time, minimal expertise, and it invariably works. You can read single words, poetry, plays, comic books, or fiction – anything of interest to your child.

Fluency develops gradually over time and through substantial practice. A good way to help motivate your child is to use material that is of interest to him.

Over the next couple of weeks, we will share a couple of specific tips that you can use at home to help your child become more fluent readers.

Tip Number 1: Dedicate 10-20 minutes seven days a week for reading at home.

This link provides an opportunity to have children listen to a book being read. Pause the book and ask them questions about the story.

Storyline Online: Do you need an example of fluent reading? Storyline Online is a free online library that features popular books read by celebrities including Betty White, James Earl Jones, Tia and Tamera Mowry to name a few. New books are added regularly and it's funded by the Screen Actors Guild.

Tip Number 2: Younger learners or students still working on letter names and sounds can go on letter and sound hunts in the house or when they are out and about. Challenge your child to find letters, say their name, and make the sound. Praise when they are correct and if they don't know or make a mistake, tell the correct name and or sound and have the repeat it back to you.

• Number: a word, symbol, or figure that represents a quantity
• Place Value: the value of the place of the digit in a number
• Digit: a symbol used to show a number
• Greater: bigger, more
• Less: smaller, fewer
• Equal: having the same value or amount
• Cardinality: the number of items in a set

• Count objects such as jellybeans in a bowl, pennies in a jar, cheerios in a baggie, etc.
• Find numbers on common objects such as license plates, highway signs, price tags, clothing, etc.
• Practice counting with your student while doing various activities-driving in the car, jumping rope, waiting in line at a store, etc. Challenge your student to start counting at a given number, such as 13 or 28.
• Use cards to compare numbers (remove the face cards). Have each player take a card; identify who has more, less, or if the values are equal.
• Count how many eggs are in an egg carton. How many more are needed to fill the carton?
• Put items such as socks, stickers, toys, food, etc. into groups and talk about which group has more or less items using the terms greater than and less than.
• Roll a die and count the dots. Say the number. What number comes before? What number comes after? Can your student subitize (that is, say how many dots on the die without counting)? Play with two dice and count the total.

• Addition: to join two or more groups (Example: 2 + 3 =)
  
• Subtraction: to find the difference when two groups are compared or to find out how many are left when items are taken away from a group
  
• Equation: a mathematical statement containing an equal sign; to show that two expressions are equal
  
• Addend: any numbers being added together (Example: 3 + 4 = 7, 3 and 4 are the addends)
  
• Count On: start from any given number and count forward
  
• Count Back: start from any given number and count backwards
  
• Equal Sign (=): a symbol used to show that two amounts have the same value (Example: 384 = 384)
  
• Sum: the answer to an addition problem (Example: in 2 + 3 = 5, 5 is the sum)
  
• Difference: the answer to a subtraction problem (Example: in 8 – 3 = 5, 5 is the difference)
  
• Number Sentence: a sentence that includes numbers, operation symbols ( +,- ), a greater than or less than symbol ( >,< ) or equal sign (Example: 5 + 3 = 8, 25 < 32)
  
• Fact Family: a collection of related addition and subtraction facts made from the same numbers (Example: For 7, 8, and 15, the addition/subtraction fact family consists of 7 + 8 = 15, 8 + 7 = 15, 15 - 8 = 7, 15 - 7 = 8)
  

• Roll 2 or 3 dice with single digit numbers and add them together. (Example 4 + 2 or 4 + 2 + 1)
• Roll 2 dice to create a 2-digit number and record it. Roll 1 die and add it to the 2-digit number you created. (Example: 47 + 6)
• Add all the digits of your house number together.
• Make a train with Legos or colored blocks. Write a number sentence for the different colors in the train.
• Add the price of two items at a store.
• Compare gas prices to find the lowest amount.
• Start with 20 counters (beans, pennies, etc.) and roll two dice to make a 2-digit number. Subtract counters until you get to 0.
• Give your student an addition or subtraction number sentence and ask them to make up a story problem to go with the number sentence.

• Place Value: the value of a digit in a number
• Digit: a symbol used to show a number
• Estimate: an approximate calculation that is close to the exact number based on rounding
• Compare: tell how a number is related to another number using >, <, =, or different
• Rounding: to find the nearest ten, hundred, or thousand (and so on) (For example, 391 rounds up to 400 and 331 rounds up to 300.)
• Expanded Form: writing a number as the sum of the values in each digit
• Regrouping: to exchange amounts of equal value to rename a number
• Factor: a number that is multiplied by another (factor x factor = product)
• Multiple: the product of a given whole number and another whole number
• Array: an arrangement of objects in rows and columns
• Identity Property: any number times 1 is that number
• Commutative Property: changing the order of the factors does not change the product (5 x 7 is the same as 7 x 5)
• Associative Property: the way in which 3 numbers are grouped when they are multiplied doesn't change the product (2 x 3) x 4 = 2 x (3 x 4)
• Zero Property: any number times 0 is 0
• Product: the answer to a multiplication problem
• Remainder: the amount left over when a number cannot be divided equally
• Divisor: the number that divides the dividend
• Dividend: a number being divided
• Quotient: the answer after you divide one number by another

• Make arrays out of household items (e.g., pennies, beans, blocks).
• Select multiplication or division facts to illustrate or write a word problem.
• Hunt for multiple sets of objects in the home. Use repeated addition and multiplication to find the totals.
• Sort coins according to type, count the number of coins and then multiply to find the total value of pennies (x 1), nickels (x 5), dimes (x 10) and quarters (x 25).
• Roll 2 number cubes. Find the products of the factors.
• Count quantities of items by 2’s, 3’s, 5’s, and 10’s.

Friday, October 18th- Schools Closed for Students

Saturday, October 26th- PTA Trunk or Treat in the bus loop at 4:00pm

Wednesday, October 30th- End of the 1st Marking Period-SPIRIT DAY

Thursday, October 31st- Schools Closed for Students

Friday, November 1st- SPIRIT DAY

Tuesday, November 5th- Schools Closed for Students

Friday, November 8th- Report Cards Issued

October 30th is the end of the 1st quarter. We have all gotten to know each other better this first quarter! Show what you know!

Students dress like their teacher

Teachers & Staff dress like our students

November 1st might find some of us a little more tired-it's Comfy Cozy Day

Students, Teachers & Staff Dress

in your Comfy Cozy clothes (pj's, sweats, or other most comfy clothes)

Last week's trivia with answers:

Q: What country in Central America is known as the Land of Volcanoes?

A: El Salvador

Q: Que pais de Centroamerica es conocido como la Tierra de los Volcanes?

A: El Salvador.

We hope you enjoyed learning and engaging in our Hispanic Heritage Month Trivia this year.

As we continue to recognize National Bullying Prevention Month, Mr. L and Mrs. Barron want to continue to educate our students and the DLES community on the impacts of bullying, signs of bullying, and how the school counseling program is involved in the prevention of bullying.

Last week we began to discuss cyberbullying, which can occur on social media such as Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, and Tik Tok as well as other online platforms such as games or group chats.

One of the best things you can do to keep your student(s) safe from cyberbullying is to be aware of what they are doing online. Here are some strategies that can help if your student is experiencing possible cyberbullying:

• Remove yourself from a group chat or online forum

• Block or "unfriend" other users who are not following the rules or are posting/sharing harmful content

• Untag yourself from a harmful post or photo

• Report harmful language or content to the website owner (Roblox, Minecraft, Instagram, etc.)

Most importantly, please encourage your students to speak up if they encounter something they feel is harmful, hurtful, or unsafe online. If you believe your child is a victim of bullying, please report the behavior in accordance with HCPSS policies. Mr. L and Mrs. Barron can offer a safe space for your student to visit for support if they believe they are the victims of bullying behavior.

As part of a grant from the State of Maryland’s Connected Devices Program, our school is partnering with the Bright Minds Foundation and the Howard County Government to provide qualifying families with one free Chromebook and charger per household. This free new HP Chromebook can be used by your family to connect with our schools, access community services, or for any other purpose that would be of benefit to you.

In order to qualify for a free Chromebook and charger, you must meet the following criteria:

• Your family has not already received a free device from one of these organizations: Community Action Council of Howard County, Howard County Office of Children and Families, or Making Change;

• You are the parent or legal guardian of a student currently enrolled in HCPSS;

• You meet one of the income qualifications outlined on the application form; and,

• The application form is fully completed.

If you qualify for a Chromebook and have completed the Google Form application, you will be notified by Ducketts Lane when the device is available in November/December for pick up. At that time, an adult family member (at least 18 years old) will need to come to the school to receive the device. When you pick up the device, you will receive information about setting up the device and how to access technical support. These are not HCPSS devices, and will not come loaded with any HCPSS educational applications. HCPSS is not responsible or liable for the operation, loss, or repair of your Chromebook or charger. Families will be responsible for their own internet service. Families will have 5 days to exchange any non-functioning devices. Please read the instructions and complete the Free Chromebooks for Eligible HCPSS Parents or Guardians Google Form at this link by Friday November 1, 2024.

We look forward to partnering with the Bright Minds Foundations, Howard County Government, and you for this incredible opportunity!

At Ducketts Lane Elementary School, our Top 5 violations of our Student Code of Conduct are:

1. Attack on Student/Staff

2. Fighting

3. Disrespect- Adult or Student

4. Disruption

5. Bullying/Cyberbullying, Harassment & Intimidation.

When these unexpected behaviors occur, administrators and staff review considerations in response to violations of behavior and discipline policies. HCPSS employees follow policy and the Student Code of Conduct when determining consequences for violations.

Some Considerations for Response to Violations of Behavior and Discipline Policy

• Severity of the incident and age of student

• A student’s previous violations and/or response to the same or related offense

• Whether the offense interfered with the rights/privileges/responsibilities/property of others

• Intentionality of student actions

• Whether the offense posed a threat to the health or safety of themselves or others

• Does the student have an Individualized Education Plan (IEP), 504 Plan, or Behavioral Intervention Plan (BIP) and if it was implemented

• Age-appropriateness of the consequence

• Any specific responses articulated in Board of Education and HCPSS policies

• Potential for criminal charges

Next week, we will focus our attention on the Level 1-5 Responses, explaining when violations are classroom/staff managed versus administrator led.

The MAP testing window for Grades 1-5 ended on Thursday, October 17th. Student MAP Progress Reports will be generated now that the window has closed and families can access them in HCPSS Connect. HCPSS Connect can only be accessed through a parent/guardian account login, not a student login. More information for logging in to HCPSS connect can be found here: https://help.hcpss.org/how-do-i-log-in-to-hcpss-connect

Not a member yet? Join the DLES PTA today at https://duckettspta.givebacks.com/store! When you become a member you are supporting the students and teachers at DLES, as well as the nation. Each voice makes the PTA louder when advocating for what they need.

Charleston Wrap Fundraiser- Our Fall fundraiser flyer came home in Thursday folders and we need your help! Register online at https://www.registercw.com/. Our Organization ID is 26189. Orders placed using your participant link by October 31, 2024 will be credited to you and help you win cool prizes! Every purchase makes a difference and we appreciate your support!

Trunk or Treat- Our 4th annual Truck or Treat is on Saturday, October 26th from 4-5 pm. If you would like to decorate your trunk and pass out candy or volunteer at the event, visit our sign-up page here.

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

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