Lisbon Elementary
September 28, 2018
Lisbon Elementary School
Ms. LaShonne Wright, Assistant Principal
15901 Frederick Road
Woodbine, MD 21797
(410) 313-5506
(410) 313-5508 - Fax
les.hcpss.org
Important Dates to Remember
- 3 - Professional Work Day - schools dismiss 3 hours early (12:10 p.m.)
- 4 - PTA Meeting, 7:00 p.m.
- 9 - Interim progress reports issued
- 10 - Flu Clinic
- 11 - Picture Day
- 12 - School-wide Sports Day
- 12 - PTA Fall Festival, 6:30-8:30 p.m.
- 18 - 1st Grade Visits the Howard County Conservancy, 9:15 a.m.-12:45 p.m.
- 19 - Professional Work Day - schools closed for students
- 26 - Kindergarten Visits Gaver Farm, 9:30 a.m.-1:00 p.m.
November
- 6 - General Election Day - schools & offices closed
- 7 - Professional Work Day - schools closed for students
- 8 - PTA Meeting, 7:00 p.m.
- 14 - Qtr. 1 Report Cards Issued
- 16 - Geography Bee
- 16 - Kindness Counts Day
- 16 - Community Night - Thanksgiving Baskets
- 19 - Parent/Teacher Conferences - schools dismiss 3 hours early (12:10 p.m.)
- 19 - Jump Rope for Heart
- 20 - Parent/Teacher Conferences - schools dismiss 3 hours early (12:10 p.m.)
- 21 - Parent/Teacher Conferences - schools closed for students
- 22 - Thanksgiving Holiday - schools & offices closed
- 23 - Thanksgiving Holiday - schools & offices closed
- 30 - PTA Movie Night
From the Desk of the Principal
This past week, the Howard County Public School System celebrated the many outstanding educational partnerships that the school system has with area businesses at the Annual Business Partnership Celebration.
We are extremely fortunate to have educational partnerships at Lisbon Elementary. Whether the business partnerships provide financial assistance, helps enhance the curriculum, or allows students to learn basic life skills, everyone benefits from these collaborations.
As our school benefits from these partnerships, the organizations also benefit from their collaboration with our school. Please support the organizations that partner with our school.
We would like to thank A-OK Mentoring-Tutoring, Inc., Howard County Public Library- Glenwood Branch, and Sandy Spring Bank for their commitment to our school and students.
Attendance is Key to Success!
Over the past three years, Lisbon Elementary has maintained a 95-96% attendance rate. While this is good overall, a 5% schoolwide absence rate at LES represents over 4,000 days missed by our students.
The state of Maryland considers chronic absenteeism at 10% or 18 days of school. To stay on track in school, students need to be present every day. Missing 18 or more days of school in a year puts a child’s high school graduation at risk according to AbsencesAddUp.org, a national chronic absenteeism prevention campaign. Being absent for just two days every month of the school year can put a child behind academically. Students with regular attendance are more likely to read well by third grade and score higher on tests. They also tend to be more engaged in school and feel better about themselves.
Put your child on the path to success with these attendance strategies.
Make school a priority. Every absence (excused or not), can impact a child’s academic achievement. Talk to your child about how important their education is. Make daily routines for homework and waking up on time for school.
Maintain communication with teachers and keep an eye on your child’s academic progress.
If your child seems disconnected from school or is prone to skipping class, try signing him or her up for an after-school activity. A report by the University of Minnesota found that students in an after-school program attended 18 more days of school and missed nine fewer days than their peers.
Make a plan. If your schedule or transportation situation makes getting your child to school a challenge, ask for assistance. Make a carpool or transportation plan with other parents or family members.
Report In. Know your school’s attendance policies. If an absence or early dismissal is unavoidable, contact your school. If your family’s religious observances fall on school days, let teachers know early in the year which days your child will miss.
The Maryland State Department of Education has defined full and partial day attendance as follows:
- A student is counted present for a full day if the student is in attendance for four hours or more of the school day.
- A student is counted present for half day if the student is in attendance for at least two hours of the school day, but less than four hours.
- A student scheduled for less than a full day is to be counted present based on the amount of time he/she is scheduled.
A note from the parent must be submitted to the school within two school days of the student’s return, indicating the date and reason for tardiness or absence from a regular school session. A doctor’s certificate is required in cases of long-term absence due to illness. A note should also be submitted to request early dismissal or exclusion from activities (e.g. physical education). Chronic absences are referred to our Student Services Team at LES.
Carefully weigh sick days. If your child is sick, they should stay home. Students should be fever free for 24 hours. If the doctor or nurse recommends that your child stay home, find out exactly how long and on what conditions he or she can return to class (for example, after 24 hours of antibiotics). Before keeping your children home, make sure they aren’t faking symptoms. Regularly feigning sickness may be a sign that your child is anxious about facing a challenge at school.
Schedule wisely. Know your school’s calendar, and arrange doctor and dentist appointments after school, on weekends, or during holiday breaks, if possible. Resist the urge to schedule vacations when students will miss school. This gives students the impression that school is not a priority.
We hope this helps you and your family plan to make every school day count.
Important Policy Information
A Student/Parent Handbook 2018-2019 was sent home to every family the first day of school with important policies for parents and student to become familiar with. We would like to communicate some of these policies.
ATTENDANCE (POLICY 9010)
Regular daily attendance is vital to the continuity of classroom instruction and participation in school activities. Therefore, students are required to be in school or to be attending a school activity each day school is in session. In recognition that situations do arise that necessitate absence from school, the Board of Education allow students to be lawfully absent for a death in the family, illness, a court summons, hazardous weather as determined by the Superintendent, work release, religious obligation, declared State emergencies, suspension, or for other emergencies or set of circumstances which in the judgment of the Superintendent or designee constitutes a good and sufficient cause for absence.
Picture Day on October 11th
Strawbridge Studios will be at Lisbon Elementary on Thursday, October 11th. ALL students will be photographed for the memory book. Picture flyers will be sent home with your child(ren) closer to the October 11th date.
Spiritwear is Coming
Look for spiritwear order forms to be coming home with your child(ren) next week. Orders will be accepted until October 31.
Don't Delay, Join Your PTA!
The 2018-19 membership rates are $20 for a family and $15 for an individual.
Consider all the programs your PTA brings to the school -- Cultural Arts assemblies, after school classes, field trip support, the Science Fair, Talent Show, Fall Festival, etc., etc., etc., and support your PTA!
Donations Needed
Walking Wednesday
Our very first Walking Wednesday of the 2018-2019 school year will be on October 10th! Our Lisbon Walking Wednesdays program is a healthy way for students to get actively involved at recess time. It is also a great volunteering opportunity for our families! If you are interested in volunteering, please contact us at (410) 313-5506.
GIFTED & TALENTED CORNER
Howard County G/T Program Parent Academy, Oct. 17
Wednesday, October 17, 7 – 8:30 p.m. – Howard High School, 8700 Old Annapolis Road, Ellicott City, 21043
HCPSS families interested in the Gifted and Talented (G/T) Program are invited to come learn about the advanced-level offerings available through the G/T Education Program and how their students can become involved.
The evening will begin with an overview of G/T Education Program offerings at the elementary, middle, and high school levels. These overviews will be presented by both G/T staff and Howard County students.
Following the general session, parents and community members will have an opportunity to meet by school level for a question and answer session.
Full Schedule:
7:00 – 8:00, G/T Education Program Overview Presentation – Auditorium
8:05 – 8:30, Question and Answer Sessions:
- Elementary G/T Program Offerings: Auditorium
- Middle G/T Program Offerings: Classroom F124
- High School G/T and AP Courses: Classroom F126
For more information, please email hcpssgtac@gmail.com or alyson_tommins@hcpss.org or call 410-313‐6800.
Box Tops 4 Lisbon Lions!!
Last school year, we earned almost $1,200 from Box Tops for PTA events, activities and sponsored teacher requests.
This year's Fall mailing submission must be postmarked by November 1st!
Flyers will be sent home for your family to find your Box Tops, cut, and paste. Box Tops can also be submitted in sandwich bags or envelopes with the number included labeled on the front with your child's name and grade. Labeled submissions get included in our Fall PTA BoxTops Hero contest for most contributions!
For more information on Box Tops, including a list of participating products, go to BTFE.com.
Thanks for your help!
From the PTA
10/4 – Q&A Panel and PTA Meeting
We hope to see you at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday, 10/4 for October’s PTA meeting! And … if you’re a new kindergarten family or new to our community, we’d love to have you join us starting at 6:30 p.m. in the Media Center, just prior to the PTA meeting. We will have a panel of experienced LES parents available to answer your questions and share their insight on some of Lisbon’s unique events and programs. See you there!
Looking to Volunteer?
Are you looking to get involved with your LES PTA but don’t know where to start? No worries – we are here to help! We’ve prepared a survey that provides a brief overview of each committee, and you can express your interest in leading or helping with the committee(s) of your choice. We’d love your help; please fill out the survey and we’ll be in touch soon! http://bit.ly/18-19_LESPTA_committee_interest
Membership
Congratulations to the Conte, Para, and Ashmore families for winning a VIP parking space at the PTA event of their choice by submitting their PTA membership by 9/18! A huge thank you to everyone who has joined the PTA so far – your support of our ROARsome Lisbon Lions means so much. And if you haven’t yet joined, it’s not too late! You’ll find a membership form on our website: www.lisbonpta.org – and we’ll have them available at next Thursday’s PTA meeting, as well! Remember, all PTA members will receive a copy of the Lisbon ES directory – so don’t delay, sign up today!
School Supply Donations
Our friends at Phelps Luck Elementary need our help! PLES is in need of: boxes of tissues, primary writing journals (journals with primary, dotted, handwriting lines and picture space), and poly expanding files (plastic expandable files with a rubber band closure and file divider pockets inside, for 8.5 x 11 letter size papers). Simply send your items to LES with your child or place them in the collection bin in front of the school office. Thank you SO much for your donation and ROARsome support of our HCPSS family!
Where to Find Us
Please follow us on Facebook! Visit www.facebook.com/LisbonESPTA or search for “Lisbon Elementary School PTA.” And if you haven’t checked out the Lisbon ES PTA website, please do! At www.lisbonpta.org you’ll find a calendar of events, parent resources, forms, open volunteer positions and more! We would love to have your feedback on programming for the year, too. You’ll find a survey link on the home page.
Mark Your Calendars!
Mark your calendars for the following upcoming PTA events:
10/4 – PTA Meeting
10/12 – Fall Festival
11/8 – PTA Meeting
11/16 – Community Night – Thanksgiving Baskets
11/30 – Movie Night
School Lunch Menus
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/