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Dear Laurel Woods Community,

Last week, as part of our end-of-year countdown, students and staff had the opportunity to share something they love about LWES on our "Positive Vibes" board. It was heartwarming to read the many responses highlighting the friendships, teachers, and experiences that make Laurel Woods such a special place. Be sure to check out some of the responses below!

On Friday, we also celebrated Field Day. While the temperatures were high, so was the excitement! Students enjoyed a day filled with fun, teamwork, laughter, and memorable experiences. In fact, I overheard one student describe it as the "best day ever!"

A special thank you goes to our PE team for planning and organizing such a fantastic event. We are also incredibly grateful to the staff members and family volunteers who generously gave their time to make the day a success for our students. Your support helped create a wonderful experience and lasting memories for our Panthers.

Warmly,

Tanisha

The PTO has extra yearbooks for sale! If you did not pre-order a yearbook, it is not too late! Click here to purchase a yearbook and it will be sent home with your student 1-2 days after purchasing

We are excited to continue one of our favorite LWES traditions: the End-of-Year Clap Out! On the last day of school, students will be celebrated during dismissal as staff, families, and classmates cheer them on and help us close out another wonderful school year together.

Please be on the lookout for additional details in an upcoming newsletter. We hope you'll join us for this special LWES tradition!

Our 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade students recently completed Zoom & Bloom 2026 and raised an incredible $500 for Blossoms of Hope!

A special thank you to Mr. Valenta and Mr. Ashby for leading this effort and helping make the event such a success. We are so proud of our Panthers for supporting such a meaningful cause and are already looking forward to Zoom & Bloom 2027!

Check out our new date for Promotion!

We have recently received the following questions, suggestions, and concerns through our LWES Open Feedback Form. We value and appreciate the feedback from our school community. Please see the submitted questions and concerns, along with our responses, below.

• Could a employee dress code be enforced? ie: mini skirts in front of young impressionable children does not seem appropriate from staff. HCPSS has professional expectations regarding employee attire, and staff members are expected to dress in a manner that is appropriate for an educational environment. We will continue to reinforce these expectations and appreciate your feedback.
• My children report they are not able to eat school lunches if they "don't order in time" or "someone else in line ahead of them takes what they ordered." They come home hungry and cranky. This is unacceptable, especially being government supplied. There needs to be a better way to ensure all children are fed daily for breakfast and lunch. Maybe do away with the ordering ahead? Also, my children have reported them and their friends have noticed green and moldy cheese sticks on more than one occasion and were told to just go get another one. We agree that all students should have access to a nutritious meal each day and should not leave school hungry. We have shared your feedback with our cafeteria team and Food and Nutrition Services to better understand the concerns regarding meal availability and the lunch ordering process. We are also concerned by the report regarding the quality of the cheese sticks. Food safety is extremely important, and any concerns about food quality should be reported immediately so the item can be removed and addressed. We appreciate you making us aware of this issue and will follow up with our cafeteria staff.
• The school’s stated values include empathy, kindness, equity, and accountability, so I was disappointed to hear that children in the chorus were not initially included in the Wizard of Oz cast party. These students also worked hard and contributed to the production, and exclusion sends the wrong message about belonging and respect. If the school expects children to learn inclusion, leadership should model it consistently and not having the children know they are an afterthought only because "parents were coming down on them" so now they are invited to the cast party. It is shameful that the children now feel like an afterthought instead of valued participants. We value all of the students who contributed to the success of the Wizard of Oz production, including our chorus members. The celebration was open to all students who participated in the production, and it was never our intention for any student to feel excluded or less valued.
• At the pickup loop in the afternoon can we please stop walking the children down 4-5 cars in line past the dip/hole with rocks in the grass to be placed in their vehicles? This not only does not save any time but I've personally seen many children almost fall into the pit of rocks and get hurt. Student safety is our top priority, and we are reviewing our dismissal procedures and the area you referenced for this upcoming school year to determine whether any adjustments are needed to ensure students can safely enter their vehicles during dismissal.
• I am 100% against celebrating or even mentioning “pride month” to the students. It is 100% against our beliefs and our faith. This should be a parents decision to celebrate/participate in this so called celebration. This is not a normal thing a child should be taught since this could be a big confusion to them against what they are being taught at home. We recognize that families hold a wide range of beliefs and values. Our goal is to create a safe, welcoming, and respectful environment for all students while following HCPSS policies and guidelines. Our expectation is that teachers are teaching the approved curriculum and instructional materials. If you have concerns about a specific topic being taught to your child, please reach out to Tanisha directly at tanisha_burks@hcpss.org so that we can better understand and address your concerns.
• Please consider having students make cards/gifts for fathers and father figures. My child comes home with Mothers Day cards for me every year, yet her dad gets nothing. I know Fathers Day is late June, but it’s close enough and only a few days after school ends. We appreciate the important role that fathers and father figures play in our students' lives. We will share your feedback with our staff to take it into consideration when planning future classroom celebrations and activities that recognize the important adults in our students' lives.
  

End of Year Medication

If your child has medication in the Health Room at school, please be sure to pick it up during the last week of school. Medication is not able to be kept in the Health Room over the summer and may be discarded if not picked up by the last day of school. Please contact the school Health Room to arrange a time to pick up medication.

Annual Health Checkups

As you schedule your child/ren to have an annual health checkup, please remember to send completed forms to the Health Room.

Immunization Reminder

If your child/ren receive any immunizations, please be sure to provide a copy to the Health Room. Each year we must submit data to the State showing we are in compliance with student immunizations. If all required immunizations are not complete your child/ren may be excluded from school within the first few weeks of returning for the 2026-27 school year until immunizations are updated.

Medications in Health Room for 2026-27 school year

Students who require medications to be kept in the Health Room for 2026-27 school year, both Prescription and Over the Counter Medications will need to have new orders provided to the Health Room. New orders must be dated on or after July 1, 2026. We are unable to use orders from 2025-26 school year for next year (2026-27). Medication orders expire at the end of the school year. ALL MEDICATIONS, BOTH PRESCRIPTION AND OVER THE COUNTER REQUIRE A NEW MEDICATION ORDER EACH YEAR. Please note HCPSS Health Rooms do not provide any medication to students unless provided by Family with proper order form.

The Virtual Family Resource Center is open for orders. Thank you to everyone who continues to drop off their bags! We appreciate you! Please remember families are able to place an order one time each month. Family Resource Order Link. The Family Resource Center will remain open this summer!

Sun Bucks are Back - Maryland SUN Bucks helps families with school-aged children who receive free or reduced-price meals buy groceries during the summer break when school meals are unavailable. Families who qualify for the Maryland SUN Bucks program will receive $40 for June, July, and August (a total of $120) for each eligible student. If you have any questions, call 1-800-332-6347 and select the Maryland SUN Bucks option. We will have a manager from Sun Bucks at the LWES Farmers Market on 6/16/26 to help anyone with applications.Sun Bucks Flyer 2026 ESP (1).pdf Sun Bucks Flyer 2026 ESP (1).pdf

Roving Radish The market will be at Laurel Woods this week on Wednesday, June 10th from 5pm - 7pm.

Laurel Woods Farmers Market to return on 6/16/26! Every Tuesday at 11am in front of the school in partnership with Gorman Farms and The Community Action Council, we will have free fresh produce available to Laurel Woods families and community members.

Free Soccer Clinics with Alex Douyon. See Information Below!

My name is Alex Douyon and I am the Varsity Boy's soccer coach at Oakland Mills High School. At Oakland Mills on the last Wednesday afternoon of each month we have a food pantry service where we give food to those in need. We regularly service in the ballpark of 160 families EVERY week we do this. This is organized by one of our Spanish teachers, Ashleigh Magrin.

The majority of our food is donated by other families within our community as well as some other local organizations. While that is great, I'd like to find a way to help out and get even more food to those families. I grew up in this community, love all the opportunities that my time here has afforded me, and just want to give a little something back.

That being said I am going to run a few FREE soccer clinics at Oakland Mills High School on the field hockey field which is the fenced in area to the right of the stadium behind the portable units. All I ask is that anyone who attends bring a few items of their choosing off of the list below EACH week that you attend. You can also venmo @Ashleigh-Eliz with the caption "Food Pantry Donation" if you feel so inclined.

• Peanut butter

• Jelly

• Pasta sauce

• Canned protein (tuna, chicken, salmon)

• A variety of canned fruit

• A variety of canned vegetables

• Canned soups and/or gravy

• Canned pasta

• Canned beans

• Dry pasta

• Macaroni & cheese

• Shelf-stable milk

• Juice

• Dry cereal

• Oatmeal

• Baking mixes

• Dry beans

• Rice

• Ramen noodles

• Boxed stuffing

• Potato products

• A variety of snack foods (to include raisins, nuts, granola bars, chips, fruit snacks, cookies, crackers, etc.)

• Diapers (all sizes)

• Baby wipes

Please read the following information carefully so that you know when to bring your child. The clinics will run on the following dates:

Mondays (6:00pm) - June 8th, 15th, and 22nd. This is for kids aged 7-12 and spots are limited to the first 64 kids (can do more if needed).

Wednesdays (6:00pm) - June 10th, 17th, and 24th. This is for kids aged 4-6 and spots are limited to the first 30 kids (can do more if needed).

Please let me know if you plan to attend all 3 so I can make note of that as well. I will build a registration database for future soccer opportunities that we will be putting on at The Mill.

If you could please email me at Douyon.Alex@gmail.com to reserve your child's spot, that would be greatly appreciated so I can sort out groups and fields ahead of time. The hope is that when your child arrives I'll be able to tell them where to go etc. and we can get started asap. I suggest parking in the general main parking lot and just walking over. Your child should bring the following items if you have them. A soccer ball (size 4 preferred), cleats or tennis shoes/shin guards, proper attire for the weather, and plenty of water.

If you have a high school aged child that is in need of community service hours etc. I am happy to help them with that and can sign off on that as well if they'd like to volunteer their time.

Thank you in advance for your support of our community and as always Go Scorps!

Sincerely,

Alex Douyon

Director

Scorpion Soccer Camp

443.677.8371

We truly value input from our families and community partners as we strive to grow and improve. Your feedback helps us better serve our students—so please don’t hesitate to share your thoughts with our LWES administrative team. Your response can remain anonymous, or you can provide your name for a follow-up phone call.

June

• 06.08: HCPL Summer Reading Presentation; Full Day for Students
• 06.15: 8:50am 5th Grade Promotion Ceremony; Last Day for ½ Day PreK/RECC
• 06.16 12:15pm Early Dismissal
• 06.17: 5th Grade Picnic; 12:15pm Early Dismissal
• 06.18: Last day for students; 12:15pm Early Dismissal

For a complete list of dates and events visit https://lwes.hcpss.org/events

Thank you to all of the families who joined us for our final Coffee & Conversation of the school year on Friday, as well as those who participated throughout the year. These gatherings have provided a valuable opportunity to connect in a small-group setting, answer questions, share updates and information about our school, and most importantly, hear directly from our families.

Your feedback, ideas, and perspectives have helped us strengthen the partnership between home and school and have informed our efforts to better support the success and well-being of all students. We are grateful for your willingness to engage in meaningful conversations and collaborate with us throughout the year.

As we look ahead to next school year, we are excited to explore additional opportunities to connect with even more families, including the possibility of offering virtual and evening meeting options to increase accessibility and participation.

Because of the valuable feedback and engagement we have received through our Coffee & Conversation sessions, we plan to incorporate this format into our Family-School Partnership meetings moving forward. We look forward to continuing these important conversations and working together to build an even stronger school community.

Check out this HCPSS resource!

Simply select your child's grade level, click the yellow "Grade Course Navigation" button, choose a subject area, and then select "How to Support Your Child."

You'll find resources and activities to reinforce the skills your child has learned this year and even get a head start on what they will be learning next year!

Rising 6th grade student course requests will be available in Synergy/HCPSS Connect from June 4, 2026 at 4:00 pm through June 10, 2026 at 4:00 pm. You will receive communication regarding access.

Requests for changes should be directed to the middle school.

After being rained out, we're excited to finally celebrate Field Day this Friday!

We can't wait to see our Panthers enjoying a day filled with fun, teamwork, laughter, and school spirit. Thank you for your flexibility as we adjusted our plans due to the weather.

Be sure your child wears comfortable clothing, sneakers, and is ready for a day of outdoor fun!

This past Friday, May 29th, students are no longer allowed to check out a book from the Media center for the remainder of the year. ALL BOOKS MUST BE RETURNED AS SOON AS POSSIBLE.

Please have your child look in their room, backpacks, closets, cars and any other location that a book may have been placed and return them to school as soon as possible.

The HCPSS Pre-K Program is now accepting applications for the 2026-27 school year! The Pre-K Program is offered at no cost to families who qualify and is made available to eligible children in all attendance areas. Children must be four years old on or before September 1, 2026, to be considered for fall 2026 enrollment and must also meet the eligibility criteria.

Please visit the HCPSS Pre-K Program website for information about the program, eligibility criteria, and how to apply If you have additional questions about the program, please contact the Office of Early Childhood Programs at 410-313-6836.

In honor of the 250th anniversary of the United States and the great experiment of self-governance our Founders set out on, the Office of Congresswoman Elfreth is hosting an America 250 Video Contest. The contest is an opportunity to recognize and encourage talented young storytellers in our Congressional District to share what participation in our government means to them and to reflect on the significance of America 250 to our nation. Videos submitted to the contest will have a chance to be featured in a compilation on Congresswoman Elfreth’s social media, showcasing what America 250 means to young people in Maryland’s Third District.

The contest is open to all residents of the Third Congressional District under the age of 18. Students can verify their District residency HERE. There will be two categories for the contest: youth and teen. All applicants under 12 years old will be eligible for the youth category, and all applicants ages 13 to 17 will be eligible for the teen category. A winner will be chosen from each category.

Please find all additional information on the website HERE. The submission period will close on Wednesday, June 10, 2026, at 11:59 PM.

As part of the A+ Partnership with HCLS, HCPSS is invited to share information and resources about summer reading with all our students and families. Please see the information below from HCLS staff.

Summer Reading 2026 Flyer Teen Summer Reading Flyer

2026 Summer Reading Adventures: Into the Wild

Sponsored by Friends & Foundation of HCLS

June 15 through August 15 read, listen, learn, connect and celebrate all summer by participating in one of our summer reading programs. For book lists, classes, events, and summer fun, visit us in person or online at hclibrary.org/summer

How to participate:

Visit one of our branches to select your Summer Reading program. Return completed gameboards by August 15 for a prize or a chance to win a prize, while supplies last.

We have a unique summer reading program for every age!

Ages birth – 4

Color in one butterfly on the gameboard for every 10 minutes you enjoy a book OR for each library class you attend. There are 10 butterflies to finish.

Ages 5-10

Color in one print on the gameboard for every 15 minutes you read or listen to a book OR for each library class you attend. There are 15 fish to finish.

Teens 11-18

Earn raffle tickets all summer long when you read, attend classes, borrow library items, or complete fun challenges. Use your tickets for chances to win awesome gift cards, with multiple winners selected at branches each month all summer long.

And there’s more—once you earn 10 tickets, you’ll automatically qualify for a chance to win a special Grand Prize! Stop by your local branch to check out what grand prizes are up for grabs.

Beyond Words

Beyond Words is designed to spark joy and ignite the imagination of young people and adults with developmental, intellectual, and cognitive disabilities. Complete ten or more activities and receive a prize! (While supplies last).

Adults 18+

Complete 3 or more reading challenges or read 3 or more books by August 15. Complete a finisher’s card to enter into end-of-summer prize drawings. All finishers receive a limited edition prize while supplies last!

Summer Reading Adventures: Into the Wild

For everyone.

Go wild at one of Howard County Library System's Summer Reading Celebration events! Activities may include crafts, games, live animals, and more. Sponsored in part by Friends and Foundation of HCLS.

To find more adventures, classes and events all summer long go to bit.ly/SummerReading26.

Questions? Contact

Cari Gast | Head of Children's Curriculum

410.313.7755 office | 410.313.7675 fax

cari.gast@hclibrary.org