Owl Observer News

Greetings Ducketts Lane Friends and Families,

This was a very busy week at Ducketts Lane.We want to congratulate and say job well done to our band, strings, and chorus students who were able to perform on Tuesday and last night. Bravo! We were so proud of you. We also want to thank all of our first graders and their grown-ups who were able to join their teachers on Wednesday night for a fun night of learning. These three events are just a few examples of the special and talented school community we have.

As you may already be aware, this upcoming weekend is a 3-day weekend. However, this is not just a weekend with an extra day off. On Monday, January 20th, schools and offices will be closed in remembrance of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr, an influential leader who helped change the world in which we live in and enjoy freedoms in today.

Dr. Martin Luther King was a shining example of the change that can come about through kindness, perseverance, and the power of community. He believed in using nonviolence as a means to lead and inspire others to be more accepting, kind, and appreciative of the diversity within the world.

We look forward to welcoming everyone back to school on Tuesday.

Proudly serving you,

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

Hello DLES Families!

Thank you to the 49 families who have completed the survey! However, we really want to hear from everyone! The survey below aims to identify the school's biggest needs in order to better address them and develop solutions and programs that help bridge any gaps for the academic success of our students.

The survey responses will be sent to the Maryland State Department of Education for review.

The responses will also help us make decisions regarding the allocation of funding and resources for Ducketts Lane ES over the next three years.

The survey results will let me know where my focus should be directed, whether that be towards food support, health services, tutoring, after-school programs, etc. The results will help guide my role and my work.

I am heavily relying on your responses to help inform our decisions. I appreciate your partnership and your help with completing the survey. Thank you in advance!

~Alejandra Medina, Your Community School Site Coordinator

In English: https://forms.gle/kuxmSodWosZDtVoQ8

¡Hola, Familias de DLES!

Espero que hayan tenido unas excelentes vacaciones de invierno. La encuesta a continuación tiene como objetivo identificar las mayores necesidades de la escuela para abordarlas mejor y desarrollar soluciones y programas que ayuden a cerrar las brechas para el éxito académico de nuestros estudiantes.

Las respuestas de la encuesta se enviarán al Departamento de Educación del Estado de Maryland para su revisión.

Las respuestas también nos ayudarán a tomar decisiones con respecto a la asignación de fondos y recursos para Ducketts Lane ES durante los próximos tres años.

Los resultados de la encuesta me permitirán saber hacia dónde debería dirigir mi enfoque, ya sea hacia el apoyo alimentario, los servicios de salud, la tutoría, los programas extraescolares, etc. Los resultados ayudarán a orientar mi función y mi trabajo.

Dependo en gran medida de sus respuestas para ayudar a informar nuestras decisiones. Aprecio su colaboración y su ayuda para completar la encuesta. ¡Gracias de antemano!

~Alejandra Medina, Your Community School Site Coordinator

En Español:

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/16okyt_XBYHoEi329CQh45UBe9S0PBjhusGXqD8l3Y-I/edit

Monday, January 20th- School Closed in Honor of Martin Luther King Jr.

Thursday, January 23rd– School Close 3 hours early-Students dismiss at 12:15. No half-day Pre-K/RECC

Wednesday, January 29– School closed for students

Friday, January 31- Coffee & Conversations 9:00am

Wednesday, February 5th-School close 3 hours early-Students dismiss at 12:15pm. No half-day Pre-K/RECC. Parent/Teacher Conferences

Thursday, February 6th-School close 3 hours early-Students dismiss at 12:15pm. No half-day Pre-K/RECC. Parent/Teacher Conferences

Friday, February 7th- School closed for students

The MAP (Measures of Academic Progress) winter testing window for Grades 1-4 runs from January 27th to February 27th. The 5th grade MAP window runs from January 6th through January 10th. The following are the testing dates for each grade during this window:

1st grade - ELA January 28 (AM) and Math January 31 (AM)

2nd grade - ELA January 27 (AM) and Math January 30 (AM)

3rd grade - ELA February 3 (AM) and Math February 10 (AM)

4th grade - ELA February 4 (PM) and Math February 11 (PM)

5th grade - ELA January 6 (PM) and Math January 8 (AM)

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!

DLES Administration

We would like to say a BIG Congratulations to all of our students who entered our Young Author’s Contest! We enjoyed reading each and every entry that was submitted and we are so proud of all the students who participated! As you can imagine it was not easy to pick just one winner from each category, our judges had a very hard job to do! We look forward to even more students participating next year!

The DLES students with 1st place stories and poems will go on to compete with the other 1st place stories and poems for that grade level throughout Howard County. HCPSS winners will be selected in January! Best of luck to all our students! Here are the winners by grade level:

First, THANK YOU...to all of you and our young people who participated in our first DLES Play 60 Challenge! This initiative was intended to encourage our young people to be active and promote the many benefits of physical fitness. Please join us in celebrating the students below with the most active time for their grade level.

Additionally, we would like to highlight Lucia Lee and Valentina Gonzalez for having the highest totals for our school.

Once again, thank you for your continued partnership and support,

THE P.E. DEPT

#WEAREDUCKETTS

Mr. Anderson & Mr. Abramson

Ducketts Lane Coffee & Conversation Sponsored by Title I

Please Join us in the DLES Cafeteria for a Coffee and Conversation, on , January 31, 2025 from 9 am - 10:05 am.

Parents will have the opportunity to discuss three topics in small groups with DLES staff and other parents, and debrief as a full group. Additionally, there will be time for open Questions & Answers. There is no formal presentation of scheduled material.

RSVP Below if you plan to attend (RSVP is not required, just encouraged for planning purposes) and if you have a topic to suggest for one of our "campfire discussions."

We hope to see you there!

1/31/25 Coffee and Conversation Registration Link

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!

As parents, family members, and/or educators we all know that kids are motivated by a number of things both at home and at school. Sometimes, kids (much like adults) are motivated by some source of external, or extrinsic, factor, such as gaining a reward or avoiding a punishment. On the other hand, internal, or intrinsic, motivation occurs when a person is driven by an internal reward, such as an enjoyment of learning or having special interest in a particular topic.

Unfortunately, children often lose engagement when they are only externally motivated to do something, which means that their interest may be short-term and may prevent them from simply enjoying learning, something key to success in school. To help promote lifelong success in learning we have to help children develop their intrinsic motivation to learn. But how can we do that? Here are a few ideas:

• Help your student(s) become aware of their interests. While we do not always get to do what we want when we want to it is also good to know the things we get extra excited about;

• Try to find connections between what your student is learning at school and some other aspect of their life, even if it may be in the future;

• Share YOUR love of a subject or topic with your student. If you share why you love to learn and why school is important in your eyes your student is more likely to feed off of your enthusiasm.

The school counseling team works with students to help them set goals for themselves and develop coping skills for when things may be challenging at school. We appreciate your ongoing partnership in helping all of our students achieve success in school.

Mrs. Barron + Mr. L

Help - Prompt - Wait strategies have been reviewed and shared to help agitated students get back to a place of learning. It is important to remember that these de-escalation strategies can be used in any order. The last thing you want to do is escalate a student further, so be specific with your direction, take the emotion out of it, and wait long enough to follow through.

Next, we would like to take some time to share another school wide behavior management system we use, 1-2-3 Magic. This strategy of effective discipline practices is based on the book by Thomas W. Phelan, Ph.D., originally written for parents which is now commonly used in schools.

1-2-3 Magic is an effective way of gently and firmly managing behavior. It reinforces boundaries that you are setting and creates an environment rooted in respect to teach appropriate behaviors for school and home. 1-2-3 Magic is a strategy that takes the “talking” and “emotion” out of responses and reinforces attention to positive behavior that is desired.

We will spend some time reviewing how to stop interfering behaviors and encourage start behaviors over the next couple of weeks. Students are very familiar with 1-2-3 Magic; start the conversations with them and as you become more familiar and comfortable with this behavioral strategy, we encourage you to give it a try at home.

Glow Dance/Family Movie Night:

We wanted to let you know that due to a scheduling conflict, the Family Glow Dance has been rescheduled to Friday, February 21st. In its place, we’ll be hosting a Family Movie Night on Friday, January 24th! Join us in the cafeteria at 6:00 PM for a cozy evening with your family. Don’t forget to bring a blanket! Every student will recieve 1 free snack and drink, and additional concessions will be available for purchase. Students will have the chance to vote for the movie during lunch or recess. We can’t wait to see you there!

Our Silent Auction is just around the corner, and we need YOUR help to make it a huge success! Whether you’re a pro at organizing or just ready to lend a hand, we’d love to have you on board.

If you can volunteer, sign up below! We’ll be holding a meeting soon to go over all the details and duties. Remember, many hands make light work – and we can't do it without YOU! Let’s make this event unforgettable together!

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0D49AAA92CA0FFC70-54319275-silent#/

Do you have a child who will be 5 years old by September 1, 2025? Please save the date and join us for an upcoming Road to Kindergarten parent information session. All sessions will run 6:30-7:30 p.m. and cover the same content.:

• Expectations for school readiness (and receive a Ready for Kindergarten toolkit;

• Details about the HCPSS kindergarten program;

• Information about HCPSS kindergarten registration and website;
• Ways that families and children can be supported during the transition to kindergarten.

Information sessions will be offered on the following dates:

• January 21, 2025, Hammond High School*

• January 23, 2025 Centennial High School**

• January 28, 2025, Wilde Lake High School*

• SNOW DATE: Tuesday, Feb. 4, 2025, Hammond High School**

* Spanish interpreter will be present at these sites.

** Chinese, Korean, and Spanish interpreters will be present at these sites

For: Parents of all ages

When: Wednesday, January 29, from 8:00 - 9:00 PM ET

Cost: FREE!

The critical link between parental well-being and child outcomes is more relevant than ever.

While parents have had to deal with stressors and challenges for generations, today’s parents are more isolated, without the benefit of important support networks.

PEP believes, and the research shows, that there is a strong return to society when we invest in strengthening parenting and the family environment, which are key determinants in the healthy mental, emotional, and social development of children.

Join us for a conversation with PEP parent educators to:

• Reflect on the current state of parenting and the pressure to perform
• Connect with each other to know that we’re not alone in our parenting journeys
• Share insights to see challenges through a more can-do lens
• Build confidence in our own parenting abilities

Register with the link below:

https://pepparentonline.org/p/nurturing-the-nurturers-2025

Project 10Million’s Direct to Parent/Guardian program provides internet access to eligible families that have a student who meets the eligibility criteria. Approved families receive 200GB of mobile data per year for 5 years and a FREE mobile hotspot, plus the opportunity to purchase additional Wi-Fi devices at a low cost.

• New and existing T-Mobile (including Metro by T-Mobile and Assurance) as well as Non-T-Mobile customers are eligible to apply.
• Available to residents of the United States and Puerto Rico. Not currently available in the US Virgin Islands.
• One free T-Mobile hotspot device and 200GB/year data line per household, max one per student.
• Data service ends when allotment is reached until the yearly renewal date (additional data passes are available for purchase).

• May purchase up to five select, at-cost Wi-Fi-only tablets and laptops for use with the hotspot device.

  
  

  Website linked here: https://www.t-mobile.com/support/account/project-10million-direct-to-parent-guardian-eligibility?icid=MGPO_TMO_U_20TENMM_6BRGAVTKUD4AUN8W23252

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