Owl Observer News

We had a wonderful first week back after Spring Break, and it was great to see our students returning with energy and excitement. As we settle back into routines, we have noticed a dip in attendance and on-time arrival. Let’s work together to get back into the swing of making daily attendance a priority—every day of learning truly matters!

Our 4th graders kicked off the first round of MCAP testing this week, and we are so proud of their focus and effort. Thank you for supporting your students by ensuring they get plenty of rest and arrive on time each morning.

Please also note an important calendar update:
Wednesday, April 15th is now a half-day for students, with dismissal at 12:15 PM. This day was originally scheduled as a non-school day, but it has been converted to a half day to help make up for snow closures earlier this winter.

And don’t forget—Monday is our next Math Month Spirit Day! Students are encouraged to wear clothing items we can count, such as polka dots, stripes, numbers, or patterned designs. We can’t wait to see the creativity!

Thank you for your continued partnership in making Ducketts a place where every student learns and grows.

Unfortunately, due to a scheduling conflict, we are unable to host International Night this Friday, April 10th. We plan to host International Night in May and will share the updated date and additional information once it has been confirmed.

We look forward to celebrating our beautiful and diverse DLES community together soon!

Now that March is behind us, our official Attendance Contest results are in! The DLES Student Support Team is excited to congratulate the following classes as the winners for their grade-level:

Kindergarten: Ms. Zabransky

1st Grade: Ms. Richmond

2nd Grade: Ms. Lasser

3rd Grade: Mr. Ngo

4th Grade: Mrs. LaCava

5th Grade: Ms. Davis and Ms. Wigglesworth

The Student Support Team will be offering these classes their earned extra recess within the next 2 or 3 school days.

We also declared a school-wide winner. Surprisingly, this also resulted in a tie! Kindergarten and 5th Grade both deserve the honor of best overall attendance school-wide for the month of March! Congrats to all students in both of those grades. The dedication of each individual student towards coming to school regularly contributed to their grade's overall success! We will be reaching out separately to the families of these students regarding the popcorn and movie reward for having the best attendance at DLES.

The students (and teachers) were so excited about this contest, that we are doing it again for the month of April! Every student can do their part to support their class's chance to be the next winner!

Wednesday, April 15th- Students dismiss at 12:15pm

Monday, May 25th- Schools Closed-Memorial Day

Wednesday, May 27th- Schools Closed-Eid ul-Adha

The SMILE Dental Program is coming to DLES on 4/16/26 and 4/17/26. If you would like your DLES student to see the Dentist at school please fill out this link.

El Programa Dental SMILE llega a DLES el 16/4/2026 y el 17/4/2026. Si desea que su estudiante de DLES vea al dentista en la escuela, complete este enlace.

The Maryland Comprehensive Assessment Program, or MCAP for short, is underway here at DLES. For students in 3rd-5th grades, the MCAP assessment helps build students’ career and college readiness skills and provides teachers with timely information to inform instruction and provide student support. This assessment is 8 total days, 4 days of ELA testing and 4 days of Math testing. We encourage students to come to school on time, be well rested, and ready to learn and do their DLES best!

Our MCAP testing schedule for students in grades 3-5 is:

Additionally, some students participate in our Alternate MCAP Assessment - called The Dynamic Learning Map. This assessment is administered one-on-one and will take place during the student’s grade level assigned MCAP dates or a specified time chosen by your child’s teacher.

We invite all families and staff to come together for a warm and welcoming time of connection.
Monday, April 13th · 9:00–10:00 AM

Register Here

Enjoy great coffee, friendly conversation, and the opportunity to strengthen our school community. We hope to see you there!

Howard County Public School's Title I Office receives Title I funds to provide additional support and resources to Title I Schools. The Title I Office supports family engagement through the implementation of its Parent, Family, and Community Engagement Plan and by providing schools with funds to support family engagement. Please take a moment to complete the HCPSS Title I Parent, Family, and Community Engagement Input Survey, providing feedback on the district's Parent, Family, and Community Engagement Plan and parent engagement funds.

La Oficina de Título I de las Escuelas Públicas del Condado de Howard recibe fondos Título I para proveer apoyo y recursos adicionales a Escuelas Título I. La Oficina de Título I apoya el compromiso familiar mediante la implementación de su Plan de participación de padres, familias y la comunidad y proporcionando a las escuelas con fondos para apoyar la participación familiar. Por favor, dedique un momento para completar la Encuesta de opinión sobre participación de padres, la familia y la comunidad del HCPSS, realizando comentarios sobre el Plan de participación de padres, familias y la comunidad y los fondos para la participación de padres del distrito.

We hope you had a relaxing and memorable spring break, filled with quality time and lasting memories with family and friends.

At Ducketts, we’ve returned recharged and excited to begin the final quarter of what has already been an amazing school year. In P.E., this season provides a great opportunity to revisit collaborative games. Through this unit, students participate in activities that emphasize teamwork, positive communication, goal setting, and resilience. These skills not only support physical development but also reinforce positive behaviors and expectations in the gym, classroom, and beyond.

Following this unit, students will transition into our Striking with Implements unit, where they will engage in activities such as pickleball, badminton, tennis, floor hockey, and mini golf.

Additionally, our 3rd–5th grade students will continue exploring the importance of aerobic fitness and cardiovascular endurance. They are learning how to monitor and calculate their heart rates—an essential step in understanding personal health and wellness.

We truly value your continued support and partnership.

The P.E. Dept

Mr. Anderson & Mr. Abramson

Our school is committed to creating a safe, welcoming, and respectful environment for every student. As part of that commitment, we want to share information about how we prevent, respond to, and investigate incidents involving hate and bias.

Incidents related to hate or bias can have a serious impact on students’ emotional well-being, sense of belonging, and ability to fully engage in school. Harmful language, slurs, symbols, jokes, threats, exclusion, or online behavior targeting someone’s identity can affect not only the person directly involved, but also others in the school community who may feel unsafe or unseen.

We believe that addressing these incidents requires strong partnership between school staff, students, and families.

What We Mean by Hate/Bias

A hate- or bias-related incident is behavior that targets or demeans a person or group based on actual or perceived identity. This may include race, ethnicity, national origin, religion, disability, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, or other aspects of identity. Some incidents may involve student discipline or policy violations, while others may still require school follow-up, support, and education because of their impact.

How Families Can Help

• Talk with your child. Encourage honest conversations about identity, belonging, respect, and how to respond when harm occurs. Ask your child what they are seeing or hearing at school and online.

• Reinforce that words and symbols matter. Help children understand that comments framed as jokes or trends can still be harmful and may create fear, humiliation, or exclusion for others.

• Encourage reporting. If your child experiences or witnesses a hate/bias concern, encourage them to tell a trusted adult at school as soon as possible. Reporting helps us respond, support students, and address harm. Reports can be made at https://stopbullying.hcpss.org/.

• Stay engaged in online activity. Digital communication can spread harm quickly. Monitoring online interactions and talking openly about respectful digital behavior can help prevent escalation.

• Partner with the school. When concerns arise, your communication and support are important. Working together helps us respond thoughtfully and consistently.

When a report is made, school administrators will review the concern, gather information, and determine appropriate next steps in alignment with school and district procedures. Responses may include student support, family communication, restorative measures, disciplinary action, safety planning, and broader school or classroom follow-up as needed.

If your child reports a hate/bias concern, or if you become aware of one, please contact a school administrator and use the established reporting process. Even if you are unsure whether an incident meets a specific definition, we encourage you to share the concern so it can be reviewed.

Thank you for your partnership in helping us foster a school community where every student feels safe, affirmed, and respected.

In school, students strengthen their Self-Awareness skills—an essential part of their social–emotional growth. Self-awareness is the ability to understand our own emotions, thoughts, and values, and recognize how they influence our actions. When children can identify their strengths, challenges, feelings, and personal goals, they are better equipped to make positive choices at school and at home.

We are focus on four key areas:
• Recognizing strengths and weaknesses
• Understanding personal character traits
• Showing respect
• Accepting the consequences of actions

At school, self-awareness looks like students naming their emotions, recognizing what they’re good at, and building confidence and perseverance. It sounds like students asking themselves questions such as: “How am I feeling?” “When am I at my best?” “What kind of person do I want to be today?”

You can support this learning at home, too!
Here are simple ways to nurture your child’s self-awareness every day:

• Talk openly about feelings—yours and theirs—and name emotions as they happen.
• Help your child notice the feelings of others and practice empathy.
• Model healthy ways to express emotions, especially during challenging moments.
• When a conflict occurs, skip the blame and focus on solution-finding together.
• Create a safe space where your child feels heard, valued, and able to share freely.
• Listen with intention—even a brief moment of presence makes a difference.
• Encourage hobbies, passions, and trying new things.
• Foster a growth mindset by celebrating effort, resilience, and progress.

By working together, we can help our children build confidence, understand themselves more deeply, and develop the skills they need to thrive—now and in the future.

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.

"We’re inviting dads, stepdads, grandpas, uncles, older brothers, and male mentors to spend a fun and

meaningful day volunteering at school!"

Register Here

Join today at https://duckettspta.givebacks.com/shop! When you become a member you are supporting the students and teachers at DLES, as well as the nation. Each voice makes the PTA louder when advocating for what they need.

To stay up-to-date on all of our upcoming events, visit our website and Facebook page.

Screen Time Struggles: Navigating Screen Time Challenges with Young Children

April 29, 7 p.m. | Virtual | Register FREE

Excessive screen time is linked to attention difficulties, disrupted sleep and elevated stress in children even before age five. Come ready to connect, learn and leave with a personalized action plan for your family.

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