Owl Observer News
December 8, 2023
A Message from Administration
Greetings DLES Families,
It has been another fantastic week here at Ducketts Lane. We want to thank all the volunteers and parents who supported our students as they reached their goal and completed their 5K runs. Our Boys Running Club and Girls on the Run groups really shined!
All week we were able to join together as a community to celebrate the inclusivity within schools. Additionally, many of us came together virtually in partnership with the Black Student Achievement Program (BSAP) and the Council of Elders on Wednesday evening, to honor and celebrate our Black/African American students for their academic achievement last year. Please join us in acknowledging the following students for being recognized for earning all As and Bs all four quarters on their report card last year.
Bryson Adams
Grace Afolabi
Oreoluwa Akinmolayemi
Kaila Atkinson
Waverly Boakye
Nana Ama Boateng
Calia Brooks
Jaxson Chinn
Joshua Crooks
Anaelle Desta
David Ighalo
Krista Ikekhuame
Melody Jackson
Adam Lawal
Miola Lawal
Kendra Mafosso
Adeseye Rojugbokan
Asher Sam
Kaniel Smith
Thalia Tague
Carter Turner
Nayelli Williams
Your help is needed: The trend of students using cell phones during the school hour, on school grounds and the school bus has begun to become a problem. It is important to remind students that the school bus is an extension of school and all student code of conduct expectations remain in place.
Under Policy 8080, elementary students are allowed to bring personal devices to school but they are to remain in backpacks, unless otherwise authorized by school administrators or instructional staff.
We have reviewed and reminded students of this expectation but ask for you to also have the conversation about appropriate use of technology. Unfortunately, we have had students record videos and or taken pictures without permission of the person being captured in video or photo format.
These practices are becoming a distraction to the safety of our students on the school bus and have become disruptive during instructional time. If a student uses a personal device during the school day or school bus, we will collect the device and hold it in the front office until a parent or guardian can come collect the item.
Finally, we would like to give a proud shout out to our 3rd graders who are scheduled to complete their CogAT testing this week. Thank you for partnering with us to make Ducketts Lane a truly special place to be. We hope to see a lot of you tomorrow at the Holiday Vendor Fair sponsored by our PTA.
To our families that celebrate Hanukkah, we wanted to extend our best wishes of health and happiness to you in this season and all others.
Proudly Serving You,
Mrs. Caroland, Mrs. Van Osdel, and Mrs. Yerashunas
Save the Date
December 9: PTA Winter Vendor Fair
December 12: Vision & Hearing Clinic
December 12: 5th Grade Winter Concert 6:00pm
December 13: Early Dismissal-Students dismiss at 12:15pm NO Half-Day PreK
December 20: 3rd & 4th Grade Winter Concert-see times below
December 25: January 1: Schools closed for winter break
January 2: School is back in session
Related Arts Schedule
Social Emotional Learning at School and at Home
One focus of social emotional learning here at school is around Responsible Decision-Making: The ability to make caring and constructive choices about personal behavior and social interactions across diverse situations. This includes the capacities to consider ethical standards and safety concerns, and to evaluate the benefits and consequences of various actions for personal, social, and collective well-being.
Schooling plays a large role in the moral development of students as they learn to navigate rules, fairness, and standing up for what is right. For the youngest learners, this happens at the most basic level as they come to recognize positive and negative consequences for their actions. As students age, however, determining “rightness” becomes somewhat subjective, and it becomes clearer that there are gray areas. What is right for one person may, certainly, not be for another, and as students navigate the winding pathways of ethics, the adults in their lives, including teachers, largely influence how they will define what is right later in life.
Giving students the chance to actively sort through how to make responsible decisions supports their development as deep thinkers and problem solvers, as well as skilled communicators. Just like helping our children learn to read, write, and do math, we need to assist them by teaching them how to preform responsible decision making in and outside of school.
PTA NEWS
Winter Vendor Fair: Shop til you drop tomorrow, Saturday, December 9th, from 12-3 pm. We have 30+ local vendors confirmed! Food trucks Blowfish Poke & Grill and Somethang Delicious will be at the event! Free hot cocoa and cookies will be provided to all attendees.
Gift Card Drive: The DLES PTA is collecting gift cards in $10 increments to pass out to teachers and staff before winter break. You may drop off donations by December 15th to the front office or send them in with your student in an envelope marked PTA.
To stay up-to-date on all of our upcoming events, visit our website and Facebook page.
Helping Others in Our Community
Happenings Around Town
Registration for BSAP Saturday Math Academy
The HCPSS Black Student Achievement Program Saturday Math Academy Fall Session is approaching!
This year, the BSAP Saturday Math Academy will offer an in-person enrichment program for Howard County Public School System students in all levels of math for grades 3-12 based on course availability. Registration will take place online Saturday, January 6, 2024 from 9:00 a.m.- until capacity is reached. Class space is limited.
Families can register by accessing the HCPSS Connect Website
For more information, please visit: https://news.hcpss.org/news-posts/2023/12/black-student-achievement-program-bsap-saturday-math-academy-spring-2024-program/
Flyers for distribution:
BSAP SMA Spring 2024 Flyer (English)
BSAP SMA Spring 2024 Flyer (Spanish)
HCPSS and The Council of Elders (TCOE) Community Academy - Social Emotional Well-being and Substance Misuse
On December 16 from 9-10:30 a.m., parents and families are invited to attend a virtual session regarding how to effectively support students in maintaining positive Social and Emotional Well-Being and prevent substance misuse. Representatives from HCPSS and community partner organizations will provide resources for social and emotional development and education on prevention, risk factors, and warning signs of substance misuse. This session is for families of students at the elementary, middle, or high school levels and will be held virtually. To register, please complete the registration form linked here.
Your Voice is Important
Please click on the Feedback Form to share your thoughts with how we can make DLES the best for everyone.
We are here to help!
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