Owl Observer News

Another wonderful week at Ducketts Lane! 🌟

Our 4th and 5th graders have officially wrapped up their MCAP testing—great job to all! Students who were absent will have opportunities to complete make-up sessions. Meanwhile, our talented musicians have been hard at work preparing for upcoming spring concerts, and our 5th graders continue to stay focused and engaged in their SCH learning.

It has been especially exciting to see the growth across classrooms. Students are eager to share their knowledge and new skills, and that enthusiasm is truly what makes our school community so special. It’s a great reminder of why we do this work each day—to support our students in reaching their goals.

A HUGE shout-out to our AMAZING PTA for making Teacher Appreciation Week so special! From daily treats in the lounge to their ongoing support, we are incredibly grateful. The greatest gift of all is the strong partnership we share.

We look forward to welcoming everyone back on Monday!

The end of April brought a close to month 2 of our attendance contest! It was exciting to see how dedicated students and staff were to help their class win... the friendly competition is doing exactly what we hoped it would do by keeping our students accountable for being at school each day! Over the next couple of weeks, the winners from each grade will be getting extra recess to celebrate, and 1st grade will get a special movie and popcorn at lunch sometime soon to celebrate having the best attendance across the school!

We are changing things up a little for May, tracking by grade-level only instead of by individual class. We will recognize a weekly grade-level winner over the announcements, as well as an overall winner at the end of the month. As the school year draws to a close, remember that attendance is just as important now as it was in September!

Monday, May 25th- Schools Closed-Memorial Day

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

#WEAREDUCKETTS Day (Friday May 22nd) is almost here! Thank you to our amazing community—over 80 parents have signed up to volunteer.

For the day we are encouraging families to have students bring: a water bottle, sunglasses, and a towel (we’ll have water stations), and apply sunblock at home. Students will receive a snowcone and an freeze pop—please let us know of any restrictions.

Thank you for your continued support and partnership, as we hope this will be the best day of the year for our young people and school community!

As always if you should have any questions please do not hesitate to reach out:

The P.E. Dept

Kevin_Anderson@hcpss.org

Robert_Ambramson@hcpss.org

We’re looking for enthusiastic volunteers to serve as judges for our 5th Grade Simulated Congressional Hearings (SCH)—one of the most exciting and meaningful learning experiences of the year!

This is a powerful opportunity to see our students bring their social studies learning to life as they take on the role of constitutional experts—presenting, defending ideas, and engaging in thoughtful dialogue. It’s a moment they remember long after they leave elementary school!

📅 Event Date: Friday, May 29th
📍 Location: Ducketts Lane Elementary School

Your presence truly makes this experience authentic and impactful for our students.

👉 Interested in volunteering as a judge?
Click HERE be sure to select Ducketts Lane when completing the form.

Thank you for supporting our students and helping make this experience so special! 💙

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

5th Grade Spring Concert

Tuesday, May 19, 2026 @ DLES

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

• 5th Grade Band

• 5th Grade Orchestra

• 5th Grade Chorus

4th Grade Spring Concert

THURSDAY, JUNE 4, 2026 @ DLES

*PLEASE NOTE THE DATE CHANGE FROM PREVIOUS COMMUNICATION

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 (5th Chorus) hana_abrams@hcpss.org

Ms. Eng (4th 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.

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.

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.

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 special morning on May 11 from 8-8:30 am as we celebrate all the moms, grandmas, aunts or any special guest of honor! Enjoy delicious muffins, warm smiles, and quality time together before the school day begins.

We look forward to sharing this sweet moment with you!

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.

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