Lisbon Elementary
August 29, 2021
Lisbon Elementary School
Ms. LaShonne Wright, Assistant Principal
15901 Frederick Road
Woodbine, MD 21797
(410) 313-5506
(410) 313-5508 - Fax
les.hcpss.org
From School Administration
Dear Lisbon Families,
It’s been a fantastic week at Lisbon! Yesterday we met our newest families and are welcoming 52 new Lions in grades 1st-5th! We are also excited about our smallest Lions with 62 kindergarten students joining us this year! It was great to see so many families and students this past week at our New Family Orientation, Open House, and Back-to-School Nights. We hope that those of you who joined us in-person this past week, enjoyed meeting your child’s teacher and are excited about a great new beginning!
We are so READY to welcome our students on Monday! The Lisbon teachers and staff have been working hard these past few weeks, and we appreciate them. We would like to thank our custodial team who has spent the summer cleaning and moving furniture. We would also like to thank our PTA for the delicious meals and beautiful sunflowers this week.
Please watch for our next school newsletter, The Lisbon Lines, on Friday, Sept. 3. If you need anything or have any questions, please call the front office next week Monday-Friday 8:00-4:00 p.m. or email us.
Thank you for trusting us with your amazing and awesome children! We hope you and your family have a restful and wonderful weekend!
Warmly,
Mrs. Anoff, Principal (debra_anoff@hcpss.org)
Ms. LaShonne Wright, Assistant Principal (lashonne_wright@hcpss.org)
Important Upcoming Dates and Events
For a complete list of dates and events visit les.hcpss.org/calendar
August
- 30 - First Day of School for Students
September
- 1 - PTA Virtual Kick-Off Meeting, 6:30 p.m. (code: lisbonPTA)
- 6 - Labor Day - Schools and Offices closed
- 7 - Rosh Hashanah - Schools and Offices closed
- 10 - PTA Welcome Back Family Picnic, 5:00 - 7:30 p.m.
- 15 - National Hispanic-Latino Heritage Month begins
- 16 - Yom Kippur - Schools and Offices closed
- 22 - Gifted & Talented Parent Information Night, 5:30 - 6:15 p.m.
HCPSS Calendars
There will be no printed 2021-2022 calendars. Staff, students, and families may add our online calendar to their own mobile/online calendar by
- Going to https://www.hcpss.org/calendar/
- Scrolling down to Subscribing to a Calendar
- Right-clicking on the calendar you wish to subscribe to
- Selecting Copy Link Location/Address/Shortcut
- 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 españolNEW INFORMATION
School Hours
Arrival:
First Bell: 8:30 a.m. Students enter building. Car riders, please wait for a staff member to arrive in the car rider loop before exiting your car.
Late Bell: 8:40 a.m. Academics begin. Students arriving after 8:40 a.m. are considered late and must be signed in by a parent or guardian in the front office.
***Please note, grace is given the first week of school. Please do not worry if your bus is running late or you or the car loop is moving slowly. Students arriving late on buses are always excused.
Dismissal:
3:00 p.m. Students stack and pack their materials
3:05 p.m. Car riders, after care, and after school activities are dismissed
3:08 p.m. Bus riders begin dismissal (K, 1, 2)
3:10 p.m. Bus riders continue dismissal (3, 4, 5)
Reminders to Start the Year
First Day of School
Assuring all students get home safely is a top priority. You can help make sure that happens! Please have your child arrive at school in the same manner that they will go home. As students arrive, we will record their transportation and give them a tag identifying their bus number. If your child is going home another way than how they arrived, please send a note for the teacher and include relevant information such as the bus they are to take or the method in which they will be going home.LES Master Schedule 2021-22
Related Arts and the Continuation of Color Days
One of the lessons learned from last year's virtual and hybrid arrangement was the ability to equalize the number of Related Arts sessions we have. In most years, schools are closed more frequently on Mondays. Therefore, the regularly scheduled related arts class (art, media, music, physical education, or technology) on Mondays would be the class a student would miss the most. The school system will continue with related arts color days. The color days rotate from red, orange, yellow, green, and blue days. This ensures students will have equal time in all of the related arts. We will publish the color calendar in the Lisbon Lines. Homeroom teachers will share their specific color day schedules with their students and families. Having this information will help you, as parents, make sure children wear the appropriate clothing especially on PE days.
GIFTED AND TALENTED CORNER
Welcome and Parent Orientation to the Gifted and Talented Education Program
Welcome to our returning and new families. Mrs. O’Connor and Mr. Nath, G/T Resource Teachers, are looking forward to a great school year with your children!
Did you know that all children at LES can be involved in the Gifted and Talented Education Program? To find out how, please join us on Wednesday, September 22nd from 5:30-6:15 p.m. in the LES cafeteria for a brief G/T Parent Information Night. ALL parents are invited and encouraged to attend. This session is especially valuable for families new to HCPSS or the Lisbon community. We hope to see you there; however, if you are unable to attend, the presentation slides will be available on the Lisbon Elementary School website. In the meantime, please visit http://www.hcpss.org/academics/gifted-and-talented/ for information about the Gifted and Talented Education Program. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact Mrs. O’Connor at Jodi_OConnor@hcpss.org or Mr. Nath at Anjan_Nath@hcpss.org or call 410-313-5506.
INFORMATION WORTH REPEATING
First Day of School
"Kiss and Wave" : We ask parents to say goodbye at home and at the front door of the school. We do not permit parents in the building during the drop-off times.
Please do not drop your child off without supervision prior to 8:30 a.m.
There is no supervision of students before 8:30 a.m.
Kindergarten Students: All Kindergarten students will be met at the front main doors and hallways. Kindergarten students only will be gathered in the cafeteria and will be escorted to their classroom together with their teacher for the first three days of school.
Please leave the bus tag on their backpack. This helps us help students get on their buses in the afternoon throughout the school year. Additionally, students in Kindergarten will have a luggage tag attached to their backpack. The luggage tag helps bus drivers know which students are Kindergarten students so they can help them situate on the bus in the morning and get off the bus in the afternoon at the correct bus stop.
Bus Routes and Schedules Available
Howard County Public School System provides safe, reliable, and efficient transportation to and from school for enrolled students living beyond a one-mile walking distance from elementary school.
The Bus Locator features an efficient, mobile-friendly and informative format. The locator offers an enhanced map, pop-up messaging, same-day updating capability, and additional school information. Type in your address to see your child’s school, bus schedule, and location of their bus stop.
For the first week of school, parents are asked to ensure students arrive at bus stops earlier than the usual five minutes.
We encourage parents to send their children to school on the first day the same way they would each day.
Medication Drop Off Information
Medication Drop Off will be available starting August 24th
If your child requires medication (prescription or over the counter) during the school day, your child’s health care provider must complete a medication order form and/or Epi Pen Care Form dated after July 1, 2021. Forms have been included below. All prescribed medications must be in properly labeled containers that include the following information:
- Student name
- Medication name
- Dose to be given
- Time & Frequency of medication
- Prescriber’s name & signature
- Date of medication order
Pharmacy labels will usually contain this information. Over-the-counter medications should be new, unopened containers labeled with the student’s name.
Please feel free to contact the health room with any additional questions at 410-313-5555.
From the Health Room
Children exhibiting symptoms of COVID-19 may not attend school. These students need to be evaluated for COVID-19 or an alternate medical diagnosis by a doctor. They may not return to school until the School Nurse gives clearance. Parents/guardians should keep their children home if they are experiencing:
Any ONE of the following:
- fever of 100.4 degrees or higher
- sore throat
- cough
- difficulty breathing
- diarrhea or vomiting
- new onset of severe headache (especially with fever), or
- new loss of taste or smell
Unvaccinated students who have been exposed to anyone with COVID-19 must remain in quarantine for the designated period of time. If vaccinated and showing symptoms, students must be medically evaluated prior to entering the building.
Cafeteria Protocols & Updates
Students will be required to wear masks at all times when they are not eating or drinking, including when entering and exiting the cafeteria, in the lunch line, throwing trash away, and after finishing their meal. Plexiglass shields have been ordered to provide additional protection between students in our cafeteria.
Students will have assigned cafeteria seating. The assigned seat will facilitate close contact identification for students if contact tracing becomes necessary.
We will also have the option for students to eat outside if weather and staffing permits. 9 tables have arrived at Lisbon and are ready to be used on Monday. Our tent has been ordered to help ensure our outside eating area is furnished as well as to allow maximum spacing indoors. We hope to have our Lisbon tent on property and installed by late September. We will also have a seat in the cafeteria reserved at all times in case students need to eat inside.
Free Student Meals for 2021-2022 School Year
FREE AND REDUCED MEALS (FARMS) PROGRAM
Many families are eligible to participate in the FARMs program, which helps families save money and opens access to many resources and discounts, including testing fees, tuition, internet, and much more. FARMs enrollment and participation is confidential. Families must reapply each year. Find more information and apply online.
Families approved for FARMS benefits by August 27, 2021 will receive Pandemic Electronic Benefit Transfer (P-EBT) benefits for July and August in September. These benefits are intended to help families in Maryland purchase food while schools are closed due to COVID-19.
Car Loop Arrival and Dismissal Guidelines
Welcome to another school year at Lisbon Elementary School. In an effort to make the drop off and pick up of students flow as smoothly and safely as possible, we have the following guidelines. We would appreciate your adherence as a consideration to others:
1. When entering the loop, please drive all the way forward. You do not need to wait until you are at the front of the line to allow your child out of the car – we can unload 2-3 cars at one time.
2. Please DO NOT PASS another vehicle while in the carpool line unless directed to do so by a staff member. It is extremely dangerous for vehicles to pull around other vehicles. We appreciate your patience.
3. Please DO NOT LEAVE YOUR CAR UNATTENDED EITHER FOR ARRIVAL OR DISMISSAL. If you need to get out of your car, you should park your car in the overflow lot and walk your child over to the school. Please kiss your children and give them their lunch money before you get into your car at home. The drop off loop needs to run safely and efficiently, therefore, take care of good-byes and last minute issues ahead of time.
4. Students should only be dropped off & picked up curbside. Please do not allow your children to exit or enter the vehicle on the driver’s side. Students are not permitted to walk across the carloop without a staff member to meet you on the other side.
5. Please do not back up or do a “U turn” at the entrance to the loop.
6. Exit by driving straight out of the loop to either Church Alley or Rte. 144. DO NOT drive thru the bus lanes.
7. Parents with handicapped students should park in the designated handicapped parking spaces if the student needs assistance entering or exiting the car.
8. For the safety of our students, please do NOT drop them off prior to 8:30 a.m.
Bus Responsibilities for Parents and Students
Parents
HCPSS works with parents to further the safety of all children by making certain that students know the bus rules that are there to provide a safe and enjoyable bus ride for everyone. Parents ensure that students know their bus number, which is located on each side of the bus. For younger children (elementary students), HCPSS recommends that parents/guardians or another trusted adult wait at the bus stop with the students to supervise their behavior and to help with any problems that may arise, such as a delayed bus or injury while waiting. Both adults and students should stand at a safe distance from the roadway.
Bus stops are chosen to provide both safety and convenience for students as well as to economize on fuel and minimize the time that students spend on the bus. Parents, please do not request bus drivers to make additional stops. This puts our drivers in a difficult position, as our regulations prohibit bus drivers from making extra stops between the designated bus stops in place. Many bus routes are designed so that students do not need to cross a major roadway to use the bus. Parents should never allow their students to bypass this safety measure by walking across the street to use a different bus stop.
Helpful tips
- Remind children that playing near or running toward a moving bus is dangerous.
- Remind children to never retrieve items that fall under the bus or next to the bus wheels.
- Make sure children are at the bus stop at least five minutes prior to the established pick-up time.
- Emphasize the need to follow the bus driver’s directions and to follow all bus rules.
- Help children remember landmarks that identify their bus stop.
- Make sure children do not have any hanging objects or materials that potentially could become caught or lodged in handrails or other tight spaces.
- Provide morning and afternoon supervision at bus stops, particularly for primary-aged children.
Before the First Day Checklist:
- I have discussed basic safety practices with my child.
- I have reinforced the importance of using extra caution during bad weather.
- I am aware of proper procedures for use of parent pick-up and drop-off area.
- I have made a visit to the bus stop with my child.
- I have checked and selected the safest and most direct route to and from the bus stop.
- My child is aware of the danger zone.
- My child is aware of where he/she needs to go when leaving the bus.
- I have discussed with my child what to do if she/he misses the bus.
- My child knows the location of his or her bus stop.
Students
Students are responsible for their behavior while on the bus and at bus stops.
School buses are an extension of school. As such, students are expected to adhere to the same standards of behavior on a school bus as they do the classroom. And just like students obey teachers and instructors while at school, so also are they expected to obey the bus driver who are their instructors while on the way to and back from school. Remember, riding the school bus is a privilege for most students, but it is not a right. That privilege can and will be revoked if the student fails to observe the basic standards of conduct and safety required of them.
Helpful Tips
- Leave home early enough to arrive at your bus stop at least five minutes prior to the expected pick up time.
- Wait for your bus in a safe place, well off the roadway.
- Enter the bus in an orderly manner and take your seat.
- Follow the instructions of the school bus driver.
- Remain in your seat while the bus is in motion.
- Keep the center aisle clear at all times.
- Remain quiet and orderly.
- Be courteous to your school bus driver and fellow passengers.
- Be alert to traffic when leaving the bus.
Avoid the Danger Zone
- Take 10 giant steps away from the bus when getting off.
- Always cross in front of the bus.
- Look at the bus driver and wait for the driver’s signal before crossing the road.
- If you drop something outside the bus, leave it. Get permission from the driver before picking it up. Never go under the bus, the driver will help you.
PTA Welcome Back Family Picnic
Community News and Programs
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/