Owl Observer News

Greetings Ducketts Lane Friends and Families,

This was a fantastic full week of school. Unfortunately, a GI virus has been floating around our building and many have been infected. Some students have experienced symptoms of vomiting, diarrhea, nausea, fever, and abdominal cramps. Gastrointestinal illnesses can spread easily and quickly from one person to another through contact with an infected person and contaminated surfaces. Please keep your child home if they are experiencing any gastrointestinal symptoms and follow the guidance below.

People can become infected by:

• Touching contaminated surfaces or objects and then placing their hands in their mouth

• Having direct contact with another person who is infected and showing symptoms

• Sharing food and beverages with others

We want our students to come to school, but we need them to be healthy and not arrive ill. We have had an increase in the number of students who have been ill overnight arriving at school in the morning. This is increasing the chances of exposing other students and staff to the virus.

Our amazing custodial team is continuing to deep clean all hard surfaces each night. Let's work together to help our school community combat this virus so that we can all get back to school and increase our attendance. We have a lot of learning to accomplish and such a little amount of time left.

Proudly serving you,

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

We had a wonderful final week of celebrating Black History month here at DLES. A special shout out to all our students, staff, parents, and community members that were able to make our annual assembly possible.

Our final trivia question was: What is the name of the first African American Supreme Court Justice? Here are a few fun facts about this change-maker: he was born in Baltimore, Maryland, he attended an HBCU, AND the airport closest to our school, BWI, is named after him! The answer is...Thurgood Marshall! This week, our two winning classes are Mrs. Allan and Ms. Nupp’s class and Mrs. Crow’s class. Way to go Ducketts Lane and Happy Black History Month!

We hope that all of our students enjoyed this month as much as we did and we are already thinking about how we can make next year even better.

On January 30, 2025, the Board of Education approved adjustments to Policy 8080 - Responsible Use of Technology, Digital Tools, and Social Media that changes the ability for students to use personal devices during the school day. The Board approved the following changes related to the use of personal devices by students at school:

• No students, PreKindergarten-12, will be permitted to use cell phones and other personal technology devices during the student day (first bell to last bell of the day or posted school hours) except for reasons detailed in a student’s IEP, 504, or health plan. Under the prior version of the policy, elementary and middle school students were not permitted to use personal devices during the school day at any time. For high school students, this policy removes access to personal device in between classes and at lunch. For all grade levels, the addition of consequences for violating the policy is new.

• When a personal device is used in violation of the new policy, the device will be confiscated for the remainder of the student day. Following the first violation, the student may retrieve the device at the end of the student day. For all subsequent violations, a parent/guardian must retrieve the device from the school.
• A device that is confiscated during the final period of the student day will be confiscated for the entire next student day. The student may retrieve the device at the end of the day it was originally confiscated to take home but must provide it to the front office upon arrival on the next student day.

• Students may be in possession of personal devices, but they must be “away and silenced,” meaning devices are not able to be seen by either the student or staff member and are set to make no noise. Additionally, devices may not be a distraction.
• Smart watches will be permitted to be worn to check time but may not be a distraction.
• Personal laptops may be used for instructional activities in high school when permitted by the teacher.
• A staff member on a school-sponsored field trip may permit the use of a personal technology device by a student in limited situations where capturing a picture or video may be appropriate or contacting a parent/guardian is necessary.
• School administrators and school administrators’ designees may authorize use of a personal device in rare instances such as an emergency for communication purposes.

These new expectations will take effect on Monday, March 3, 2025. The complete changes and expectationsLinks to an external site. may be found online. Please take time to review these new expectations with your student to ensure they do not violate the new policy.

Our school will adhere strictly to the policy with hopes that the elimination of the distractions that personal devices cause use will result in healthier and more productive learning and social environments during the school day. More information will be shared before the implementation date.

Thank you for your collaboration in the successful implementation of these changes.

Monday, March 10- Reading Spirit Week Starts

Friday, March 14- Students dismiss at 12:15pm. No half-day preschool classes

THE BOYS RUN CLUB IS COMING!

Be on the Lookout next week for the link to sign up!

When: Wednesdays

Start Date: March 19th

Here is another segment of the good news and great experiences of the DLES PE Department. Our PreK students continued to enjoy working on dribbling with their feet (Soccer skills) and practicing their locomotor movements.

Our K-5 students have been enjoying dribbling with their hands and basketball skills. This uni reinforces fundamental movement concepts and hand-eye coordination. Our 3rd and th-grade students have been learning and practicing ways to maintain control while dribbling, the fundamentals of a chest and bounce pass, and B.E.E.F. cues to shoot to a hoop properly. Our K-2 students have been focusing on enhancing their dribbling skills.

Additionally, our 3rd through 5th-grade students continue to discuss the importance of Aerobic fitness and cardiovascular endurance and have been practicing finding and calculating their heart rates!! So get up, get the whole family moving, and have your young person help everyone find their heart rate.

As we enter March, we will explore and enjoy the use of Whittle equipment. The Whittle equipment consists of various climbing apparatuses that we will use to reinforce multiple concepts, such as shapes and other body actions.

Thank you and as always we appreciate your supports,

The P.E. Department

Mr. Anderson & Mr. Abramson

#WEAREDUCKETTS

The program will begin Tuesday March 18 and will end Tuesday, June 3.

• The 5k will take place on Saturday, May 31, 2025 at 8:00 a.m

Girls on the Run is an afterschool program unlike any other. We are proud to be one-of-a-kind, just like the incredible participants we serve. Our program utilizes a research-based curriculum that inspires confidence in 3rd-8th grade girls by:

· Thoughtful group discussions that teach social-emotional skills ❤️

· Participants build confidence through learning 💪

· The intentional fun, physical movement-based curriculum promotes a healthy lifestyle 🏃‍♀️

· Dynamic team-building exercises that unlock empathy and inclusion 🔑

· Setting goals in preparation for a celebratory 5K event 🏅

We take great pride in creating safe spaces of belonging where every participant can thrive, achieve their dreams and unlock their inner power.

The program registration fee is $185, which includes lessons, all program materials, 5K and program shirts, a water bottle, and more. Financial assistance is available and a discount for co-coaching! Visit www.gotrcentralmd.org for a list of program sites and to register. Questions? Call 443-864-8593.

What is the Kids Heart Challenge?

Building on key learnings from nearly 45 years in America’s schools, the Kids Heart Challenge focuses on whole body wellness, helping students improve their own health and better their character while raising life-saving donations for the American Heart Association to help kids facing heart-health issues

When: Fundraiser activities at home: February 20 – March 14

Donation Options: Online only

To get a head start, click the link below for more info on registration

Kids Heart Challenge

Instrucciones en español para el Desafío del Corazón para Niños

If you have any questions, please contact Mr. Abramson (robert_abramson@hcpss.org)

We’re excited to invite you to our 2nd Annual DLES Family Fun & Fitness Night! This special event is open to students, staff, and parents, offering an evening full of engaging fitness activities, games, and fun throughout the building.

Enjoy activities like cornhole, mini-golf, bowling, Giant Jenga, Uno, and even Lava Lamps—plus much more!

📅 When: March 27, 2025

Don’t miss this fantastic opportunity to connect, have fun, and strengthen our school community. We hope to see you there! Please click the link below to register your family today!

DLES Family, Fun & Fitness Night 2025

If you have any questions, please contact Kevin_anderson@hcpss.org. Thank you for your continued support and partnership:

The DLES Family, Fun & Fitness Committee:)

#WEAREDUCKETTS

The Ducketts Lane Elementary school counseling team is looking for volunteers to speak to classes for Career Day on Wednesday, April 2nd.

Please complete this form if you are interested in coming in to share more about your career. You will be asked to share about your occupation/career in an approximately 15-minute presentation and answer questions that students may have. After gathering responses from interested speakers we will contact you to schedule specific times for your presentation on April 2nd (different grades will be presented to at different times throughout the day).

Thank you for your time and consideration!

~The DLES Counseling Team

The DLES Counseling Team is planning a career day at Ducketts Lane, which is set to take place on Wednesday, April 2nd.

We would LOVE to have your student help us mark the occasion by creating a poster that highlights information on a particular career, trade, OR college/university. We would like to create connections between jobs/careers and the major school subjects, so if your child chooses a career, consider selecting one from the following categories:

• 
  

• Art (Animator, Video Game Designer, Architect, etc.),

• English (Writer, Author, Librarian, Researcher, etc),

• Math (Accountant, Astronaut, Computer Scientist, etc.),

• Music (Music teacher, Music producer, Audio engineer, Conductor, etc.)

• Science (Biologist, Climatologist, Meteorologist, etc.),

• Social studies (Politician, Historian, Police Officer, etc.), or

• Technology (Software developer, Information Security, IT Manager, etc)

  
  

If your child is interested in creating a poster please have them include information such as:

For career/trade

• What is the selected career/trade?

• What are the responsibilities of this career/trade?

• Where does the work typically take place?

• What kinds of education or training are required to attain this type of job?

• Any other information or pictures (drawn or printed out) your student finds interesting and important

For college/university

• What is the name of the college/university?

• Where is this college/university located?

• How many students attend this college/university?

• What are some of the top degrees/programs at this school?

• What is the school's mascot?

• Any other information or pictures (drawn or printed out) your student finds interesting and important

There are no strict requirements on the size or color of posters so please let your creativity run wild! The only thing we ask is that your student delivers their poster to the counselors (Mr. L or Mrs. Barron) by Thursday, March 27th so we can begin to display them around the school.

If you have any questions at all please email or call us at 410-313-5050. Thank you for your ongoing partnership and collaboration!

Mr. L + Mrs. Barron

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!

International Night

Join us for a trip around the world on Thursday, March 6th from 6:30-8 pm in the cafeteria. We are looking for families to volunteer, join the fun, and share their culture with our community! Let’s all come together to celebrate our community’s diversity through art, food, traditional dress, displays, artifacts, flags, and stage performances from some of the many countries and cultures represented at DLES. Reserve your table and sign up today at https://bit.ly/DLESInternationalNight2025.

General PTA Meeting

During International Night on March 6th, we will hold our next General PTA meeting. During the meeting, you'll hear from the administration team and learn more about all the great things happening with the DLES PTA.

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