Owl Observer News

We’ve had another wonderful week of learning and growth here at Ducketts Lane! With several exciting events and meaningful learning experiences coming up before winter break, be sure to read through the newsletter so you can stay up-to-date. We appreciate your partnership and look forward to an amazing few weeks ahead!

This week, we experienced our first delayed opening of the school year due to forecasted weather. As we move further into the winter months, we encourage all families to closely monitor the HCPSS website and weather notifications for any updates on delayed openings or early closings.

Please remember that when schools open late, all staff also report later so that everyone can travel safely. For this reason, we are not able to monitor or supervise students before the adjusted start time.

On a regular school day, our doors open at 8:30 a.m.
On a 2-hour delay, our doors open at 10:30 a.m.

We cannot open the building earlier than these times because our custodial team and teachers are completing the essential morning tasks required for a smooth and safe start to the day.

Commit to coming to school every day and practicing reading and math skills at home so that we can show strong growth and achievement on our spring assessments.

Let’s close out the last month of the 2025 year by meeting this challenge together—because together, we can do anything.

We are so grateful for our vibrant community garden, and we need your help to prepare it for the cold months ahead! Families are warmly invited to volunteer for a quick winterizing session on Tuesday, December 9th, from 3:30 PM - 4:30 PM. Just meet us directly at the garden, located on the left side of the school when facing the main entrance—no sign-up is needed. Your support makes a huge difference in keeping our green space thriving!

If you have any questions please contact Mrs. De La Cruz-Van Natta.

Follow the steps below to help your child be an Attendance H.E.R.O. (Here. Everyday. Ready. On-Time)!

We’re kicking off a friendly December Attendance Challenge, and your child’s grade is so close to taking home the prize… but we need everyone to help us win!

To keep our momentum going, we’ve planned Monday Spirit Days all month long and a schoolwide attendance competition. It’s simple: just come to school!

Each grade level that earns 100% attendance on Fridays in December will celebrate with a Movie Matinee during lunch on Friday, January 9th. And don’t worry—we won’t penalize a grade for any excused absences.

What a fun way for our kids to compete, celebrate, and learn together—and we know we can count on YOU to help make it happen! Let’s finish the year strong! 💙📚✨

Wednesday, December 24th-Friday, January 2nd: Schools Closed for Winter Break

The Howard County Literacy Association invites students in grades 1-5 to submit their original poems and/or short stories to the annual writing contest called The Young Authors' Contest. Please see the attached Young Authors’ Contest Guidelines in English or Spanish for information about the rules and guidelines. Stories and poems must be typed and saved as a Word Doc or Googledoc. All entries must have a completed YAC Cover Sheet (English/español) sent as a PDF. Submissions may be emailed to Keri Esposito by December 15, 2025. Contact Keri Esposito (keri_esposito@hcpss.org) and/or Casey Sawyer (casey_sawyer@hcpss.org) with any questions. All Young Authors’ Contest information can be found on the HCLA website.

Howard County Literacy Association welcomes parents as members. Visit the HCLA Welcome Page for information about joining.

Reading Specialists have visited classrooms and shared information about the contest with students! Feel free to reach out with any questions.

Our Winter Concerts are right around the corner! If your child is in Band, Orchestra or Chorus, please review the concert flyers linked below.

5th Grade Winter Concert - December 11, 2025 @ DLES

6:00pm Concert (students arrive at 5:30pm)

• 5th Grade Band

• 5th Grade Orchestra

• 5th Grade Chorus

4th Grade Winter Concert - December 17, 2025

6:00pm Concert (students arrive at 5:30pm)

• 4th Grade Orchestra

• 4th Grade Band

• 4th Grade Chorus

If your child is in need of a white shirt, black pants or black shoes please contact their music teacher. DLES has a small closet of donated concert clothes available for students in need.

Mrs. McKay (Orchestra) amanda_mckay@hcpss.org

Mr. Marsh (Band) josiah_marsh@hcpss.org

Ms. Abrams (4th Chorus) hana_abrams@hcpss.org

Ms. Eng (5th Chorus) taylor_eng@hcpss.org

If you have any concert clothes (shirt, pants/skirt, shoes) that no longer fit your child, please consider donating them to the DLES Concert Closet for another student to wear.

We successfully navigated our first two-hour delay this week! While a little extra sleep was a welcome surprise for some, we also recognize that these schedule changes can create unexpected challenges, especially regarding childcare.

As we reviewed our recent attendance, focusing specifically on half-day schedules, we wanted to share a snapshot of our performance as a community:

Our data shows that Wednesdays and Thursdays are consistently our highest-attendance days. Conversely, Fridays and half-days see the most absences.

The Challenge: How can we capture that mid-week energy and carry it into Friday?

This month, our administration is setting a fun goal: The Friday 100% Attendance Challenge!

Any grade that achieves 100% attendance (Note: excused absences with a submitted note do not count against this total) on Fridays in December will earn a special Movie Matinee during lunch on Friday, January 9th.

Please support your students in aiming for perfect attendance and earning this fantastic award!

Best,

Mrs. De La Cruz-Van Natta Community Schools Site Coordinator

Did you know you can view our school’s Student Directory right from HCPSS Connect Family Portal? The directory is a helpful tool for families—it provides a searchable list of students and parents with contact information that parents have opted to show via the Family File. To access it, simply follow the directions below. It’s a quick and easy way to help families stay connected and support our school community!

In elementary school, students learn strategies that help them understand numbers—not just memorize steps. These approaches build confidence and mental-math skills. Here are a few ways that your child may be working on solving addition and subtraction problems that you may not be familiar with.

🔢 Single-Digit Strategies

Counting On/Back
➡️ 8 + 3 → 8 → 9 → 10 → 11

Making Ten
➡️ 9 + 6 → 9 + 1 + 5 = 15

Number Line Jumps
➡️ 14 – 5 → jump back 5 spaces

Breaking Numbers Apart (Decompose)
➡️ 14 – 6 → (10 – 6) + 4 = 8

🔢 Multi-Digit Strategies

Place Value (Add or Subtract Tens and Ones Separately)
➡️ 47 + 26 → 40 + 20 = 60, 7 + 6 = 13, 60 + 13 = 73

Open Number Line
➡️ 63 – 28 →
• Jump back 20 → 43
• Jump back 8 → 35

Expanded Form
➡️ 342 + 158 →
300 + 100 = 400
40 + 50 = 90
2 + 8 = 10
Total = 500

These methods help students understand why answers are correct—not just follow rules.

💡 How Families Can Help at Home

• Ask your child: “Can you show me your thinking?”

• Use everyday situations (snacks, shopping, cooking) to make math meaningful.

• Practice mental math in the car: “What’s 10 more?” “What’s 100 less?”

• Encourage your child to draw their strategy—number lines, boxes, or breaking numbers apart.

Show your DLES pride and let everyone know you’re part of one of the best school communities! Check out our new school spirit wear store—new weekly deals are added regularly, so be sure to check back often.

Join us for a delicious way to support our PTA at Red Robin (8640 Snowden River Pkwy, Columbia, MD 21045) on December 10th, ALL DAY!

Order in person and show the flyer, or skip the line and order online at redrobin.com/order and select the Columbia MD location for pickup! in the menu, go to the category labeled "Fundraisers (To-Go Only)" and click on that item. Click the "add" button, and then "add to bag". Add your mean items and make sure to note your order is for Ducketts Lane Elementary Spirit Night during checkout!

Get into the holiday spirit with us at the Ducketts Lane Elementary Winter Vendor Fair!

Join us for a cheerful day of shopping, unique gifts, and festive fun — all while supporting local vendors and our school community.

📅 Saturday, December 13th
⏰ 12:00 – 3:00 PM
📍 DLES
💰 FREE Admission!

What to look forward to:
☕ Free Hot Chocolate
🚚 Delicious Food Trucks
🛍 Local Crafters & Vendors
🎄 Unique Gifts & Holiday Finds
…and so much more!

Bring your family, invite a friend, and come support our local creators while checking off your holiday shopping list. We can’t wait to see you there! ❄️💚

The Reflections Program allows our students to express themselves through their gifts & talents in the Arts! Each year Maryland students participate in Reflections and produce amazing entries in all six Reflections arts areas.

The 2025–2026 PTA Reflections Arts Program has a new theme, "I Belong!", which is intended to inspire students to express their creativity while embracing their unique perspectives.

Entries due before December 15th. Visit https://www.fspta.org/reflections to view the Reflections hand book and more.

Help us spread joy and appreciation to the amazing teachers and staff who support our students every day!

We are collecting donations and gift cards to create winter gift bundles — big or small, every contribution makes a difference. Donations may be dropped off now through December 12th.

🛍 How to Give:
• Donate an item or gift card in person at the office labeled PTA (drop-off through 12/12)
• Shop directly from our Amazon Wish List for easy delivery

Together, we can wrap our school community in warmth this season. Thank you for giving, supporting, and sharing kindness! ✨

Thank you to everyone who joined and supported the DLES PTA! We are excited to announce the raffle winners of the $25 Amazon Gift card — the one lucky teacher/staff member is Terri Canter and our one lucky family member is Kaitlyn Wise.

Not yet a member? There’s still time to join us and be part of the fun!

Become a DLES PTA member today and you could join the fun. 🙌
Sign up here: https://duckettspta.givebacks.com/

Your generosity and willingness to give your time and energy helped make both our Staff Holiday Dinner and Book Fair a wonderful success.

Because of you, our teachers and staff enjoyed a memorable evening, and our students had the chance to explore and get excited about reading.

We appreciate all you did to help make these events successful and full of joy.

Thank you for being a part of what makes DLES shine!

✨ Celebrate the season at one of the largest holiday shows in Howard County - the Concert for Kids on December 6th at Oakland Mills High School—presented in partnership with WBAL Radio! ✨

Kick off the festivities with our 1 PM Matinee, featuring a delightful post-show Kids Craft activity and photos with Santa—a perfect holiday outing for families.

Return in the evening for the 7 PM Evening Pops Show, continuing our cherished tradition of welcoming the season with a spectacular blend of traditional and contemporary holiday music performed by full orchestra, choir and dance.

🎟️ Get your tickets now:https://www.ticketleap.events/tickets/concertforkids/2025#

This annual Concert for Kids supports the WBAL Radio Kids Campaign, uplifting our community by raising funds and awareness for children and families in need. Since its debut in 2007, this event has proudly contributed over $119,000 to the campaign. Join us for a night of joy, music, and meaningful giving!

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. Poquette Laurie_Poquette@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

• Synergy and Family File Support, Secretary Mrs. Haque Puna_Haque@hcpss.org

• Counselor Mr. Leisawitz Alexander_Leisawitz@hcpss.org

• Counselor Mrs. Barron Krista_Barron@hcpss.org

• Community School Coordinator Mrs. De La Cruz- Van Natta ndelacruzvannatta@hcpss.org