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

Lisbon Families,

Greetings! We hope you all are well! January and February certainly flew by. Both months have been challenging with weather closures and an increase in illnesses. As we move into a new month, we are excited to share the latest updates and events in our school community. In the newsletter below, please find important dates, upcoming activities, and a few highlights from the amazing things happening. We are looking forward to all the great things coming up in the next few months and appreciate your continued support in making our school a place where every student belongs. Thank you for being such an important part of our school family!

Warmly,

Mrs. Anoff, Principal

Mr. Scobie, Assistant Principal

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

February

• 24 - Vision & Hearing Screening

March

• 3-7 - Reading Week
• 3-7 - Kindergarten Registration Week
• 4 - Vision & Hearing Re-screening, 9:30 a.m.
• 6 - Reading Night, 6:30-8:00 p.m.
  

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

• 12 - Kindergarten Visits the Glenwood Library, 9:45-11:30 a.m.
• 12 - PTA Meeting (Virtual)
• 13 - Spring Individual & Class Pictures
• 14 - Tickets go on Sale for Harlem Wizards vs. Lisbon Staff

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

April

• 3 - 4th Grade Visits the Robinson Nature Center, 9:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m.
• 7 - 3rd Grade Visits the Weinberg Center, 11:15 a.m.-1:45 p.m.
• 8 - Report Cards Available at 4:00 p.m.
• 9 - PTA Meeting (In-person)
• 10 - Give Back Event at Yogi Castle, 2:00-9:00 p.m.

• 14-21 - Spring Break, schools closed
• 16 - Last Day to Order Yearbooks
• 22 - Schools reopen
  

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

Yesterday evening, Lisbon Elementary was buzzing with excitement as over 250 participants joined us for a spectacular STEM Night! Families explored hands-on activities in robotics, 3-D printing, circuits, the solar system, and so much more. From interactive exhibits to exciting discoveries, there was something for everyone to enjoy.

A highlight of the evening was the incredible Eric Energy show, which captivated our audience with engaging, high-energy science demonstrations. It was truly a night of exploration, learning, and fun!

We extend a great BIG thank you to Mrs. Landry for organizing such a fantastic event and ensuring every station was interactive, engaging, and educational. We are also deeply grateful to our amazing Lisbon PTA for sponsoring the event and making this wonderful evening possible.

Thank you Mrs. Thompson and Mrs. Rathmann for volunteering your time as well as all who attended—we loved seeing our Lisbon community come together to celebrate STEM!

This is a reminder that the annual hearing & vision screening will be on Monday, February 24, 2025. All students in Kindergarten and 1st grade will be screened. Students in grades 2-5 will not be screened unless they are new to the state of Maryland. If your child wears glasses or hearing aids, please be sure that they bring them to school that day. If you have any questions, please contact the health room.

Thank you,

Kathryn Pickard, RN

kathryn_pickard@hcpss.org

health room phone: 410-313-5555

Kindergarten registration for the 2025-2026 school year begins March 3, 2025. Children must be 5 years old by September 1, 2025, in order to enroll in kindergarten. Please see more specific information below. Every child who is 5 years old by September 1 must be enrolled in a kindergarten program this fall or have an approved waiver. This link provides information on how to get your child ready for Kindergarten. If you would like to enroll your child for the 2025-2026 school year and begin the online registration process use this link. Please call the front office if you have any questions. We are happy to help.

There is always a reason to celebrate our staff here at Lisbon! The PTA would like to host a PI Day Luncheon for our staff on Friday, March 14th. If you would like to assist in making this luncheon possible, please use the sign up genius below!

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/70A0B4FADAA2BA75-55231346-pies#/

We wish those students, families, and community members celebrating, a Blessed Ramadan. If your child will be fasting on certain days and would like to go to another location during their designated lunch time, email Mrs. Taylor at alicia_taylor@hcpss.org and she will find an alternate location.

From the Art Room: We are in need of donations of stuffed animal STUFFING! The 4th grade artists are working on stuffed creature creations and we need to fill them with fluff 🙂

Thank you!

Mrs. Giro

Lisbon will be holding our 2nd annual Reading Week on Monday, March 3- Friday, March 7! This year’s week revolves around the “Reading is Magic” theme. Each day will center around a different reading comprehension strategy:

Monday, March 3: Questioning

Tuesday, March 4: Visualizing

Wednesday, March 5: Inferencing

Thursday, March 6: Summarizing

Friday, March 7: Predicting

The students will learn about a different comprehension “magic trick” and participate in special reading activities during the school day. To celebrate the end of Reading Week, we are having a school-wide spirit day on Friday, March 7th where students can dress up as their favorite book character. Be sure to bring your book to go along with your character clothing. Clothing must be school appropriate and will be worn all day. No masks or props please!

Then our Lisbon Lion "mane" reading event will take place at Lisbon on Thursday, March 6th from 6:30-8:00pm. Get ready for a fun-filled Despicable Me reading night where families will transform into Minions and help Gru obtain the tools he needs to become a Super Reader! Please use the QR code below to RSVP by Monday, February 24th if you are attending. We hope to see you there!

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.

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

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

Thank you to all those that joined us last night for STEM Night! Thank you to Karen Landry for all your hard work in making the night a success!!

The next session of Studio Art with Mrs. Giro is right around the corner! Sign up opens at 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday, February 25th. The form will be released on the PTA website under after school activities.

The Harlem Wizards are coming to town!! Join us May 2nd as the Lisbon Staff take on the Harlem

Wizards!! It will be a great night! Tickets go on sale March 14th!!

Yearbooks are for Sale! Deadline for ordering is April 16th! Availability for yearbooks after the deadline is very limited - be sure to order early!

Lisbon PTA is partnering with Tri Star Martial Arts in Mt Airy. Every new registration earns the PTA $50 towards supporting our programs. Check out the attached flier.

Upcoming Events

March 6th - Giveback Night at CarterQue, 4:00-8:00 p.m.

March 12th - PTA Meeting (In-Person)

April 10th - Giveback Night at Yogi Castle, 2:00-9:00 p.m.

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/