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Dear Laurel Woods Community,

A huge thank you to everyone who joined us for Coffee and Conversation this past Friday. We appreciated the meaningful dialogue and collaborative problem-solving around issues impacting our school community. We are currently following up on several questions and suggestions that were raised and will be in touch with updates soon. We hope you’ll consider joining us for our next Coffee and Conversation on Friday, February 27th.

As a reminder, there will be no school tomorrow, Monday, January 26th, due to a teacher workday. Stay warm!

With Pride,

Dr. Burks, Ms. Braxton, & Ms. Lee

Our Year-to-Date (YTD) Attendance Rate reflects the percentage of school days our students have attended LWES from the beginning of the school year up to the current date. Last year, we finished the year with a 93.2% attendance rate. This year, our goal is to reach 95%. Currently, we are at 94%, and with your continued support, we know we can reach our goal by the end of the year.

To keep you informed of our progress, we will share our updated YTD attendance rate each week in our newsletter.

Thank you for your continued support in helping our students be present and engaged in school every single day!

Parent/teacher conferences will be held on Thursday, Feb. 5 and Friday, Feb. 6. Afternoon conferences on Feb. 5 will be held in-person; evening conferences that day will be held virtually. All conferences on Feb. 6 will be held virtually. Families may login into HCPSS Connect Synergy to schedule conferences from 8 a.m., Jan. 22 through 4 p.m., Jan. 30.

The HCPSS Family Empowerment Academy is designed to equip parents and guardians with practical strategies, resources, and insights to support their children’s academic, social, and emotional success. The academy will take place on four consecutive Saturdays- March 7 through March 28, 2026, from 9:00-10:30 AM- and will feature interactive learning experiences, guest speakers, and opportunities to connect with other HCPSS families. Participation is limited to 30 participants, and registration is first-come, first-served. Attendance is encouraged for all four sessions. Language interpretation and childcare will be provided. Please complete the application form to be considered for participation.

Stay in the loop with all the exciting events hosted and organized by our Family Resource Center — you won’t want to miss what’s coming up! 👀📅

Click on the link below! 👇

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.

💙 Hello Laurel Woods Families! 💙

The PTO has some exciting events and ways to get involved—read on for all the highlights! Para ver la versión en español de este boletín informativo, desplácese hacia abajo.

📅 Upcoming PTO Events

Mark your calendars! Here are some of the awesome events and initiatives we’ve got coming up later this month and in the new year:

• 🍕🍕🍕 January 28th - February 11th - Sign up to participate in the Domino’s “Slice the Price” Fundraiser! Sign up HERE!

• Ever wish your Dominoes pizza order could double? Our coupon card fundraiser will help make it a reality all year long - buy a large and get a large pizza for free with the Slice the Price card! (unlimited quantities - buy 1, get 1 free, buy 10, get 10 free) The cost of the card is just $20 and doubles all your large pizza orders all year long - use the card as many times for as many pizzas as you’d like until it expires on 12/31/2026.

• ☀️☀️☀️Originally scheduled for January 30th - this will be rescheduled due to the incoming winter weather! - Sunshine Families Cheer Cart - We will be visiting teachers and staff during planning periods so they can select their favorite treats. Donate prepackaged items or drinks OR donate money on Givebacks and the PTO will purchase!

• 🩷🩷🩷Raise Craze is coming! Save the dates (Spanish) for our Kindness Fundraiser - beginning February 2nd! Commit to acts of kindness in your home, school and community and raise money for the LWES PTO!

• 🌮🌯🥙February 18th - join us from 4-8pm for a dine-out at Chipotle (Spanish version here) at 11811 W. Market Pl. Fulton Order online using code FW4NJDB

• 🏆🎨🏆Thank you to all students who submitted yearbook covers in our Yearbook Cover Contest. Please vote for your favorite HERE!

• 📚📖📕 Yearbook sales are open online! Use code: 15436926. Yearbooks are $28 through 3/31. From April 1st to May 1st, the price increases to $30. Don’t delay, order your yearbook today!

🕰 Looking Back

Thank you for participating in our events!

• January General Membership Meeting - please take a moment to view our meeting slides here. We hope to see you at our next meeting on March 19th, 7pm on Zoom!

• Noodle & Co - Thanks to all families that joined us at Noodle & Co. for a dine out - we raised $112.30 for the PTO!

Do you have photos to share with us of these events? Would you love to see them in the yearbook? Please email photos to ptolwesmedia@gmail.com, making sure that any students who are pictured have photo release consent on file within their HCPSS Family File.

🌟 Get Involved!

Our remaining meetings this year will take place from 7-8pm on Mar. 19th and May 16th. All meetings will be on Zoom. At our next meeting, we will share fundraising successes, upcoming events, and even more opportunities to get involved!

Looking for even more ways to lend a hand? Read on!

• Sunshine Families: Help show love to our teachers with appreciation events in January, March, and May.

• Media Center Volunteers: contact Sarai_Gray@hcpss.org for details.

• Would your restaurant like to host a LWES PTO fundraiser? Let us know!

• PTO Board Positions for the 2026-2027 school year - We’d love for you to join us - reach out and shadow us at our meetings this spring.

• PTO Volunteer Coordinator: can you rally a crowd to help out in a pinch? We’d love for you to be our PTO Volunteer Coordinator!

Have a great idea for an event or project? Let us know—we’d love to hear from you!

Reach out to ptolwes@gmail.com to sign up for any of the opportunities above or recommend your own!

📱 Stay Connected

Follow us on Facebook to stay up to date on events, reminders, and ways to be involved.

Warmly,

💙 The LWES PTO

LWES Parents & Families!
I am excited to announce that today we are starting the Domino’s Pizza Fundraiser. The money raised will go towards in school assemblies, indoor recess supplies, community events and Field Day equipment!

Here is a video that will explain everything you need to know about the program! The remaining eight videos should be watched throughout the course of the two weeks: The Slice the Price Card: Fundraising Made Easy - Day 1

Let’s begin by checking out your school’s dashboard: https://dash.dominos.cards/52005

Scroll down to the section “Register to Pick Your Prize” or click here: https://register.dominos.cards/52005

Once you register, your child will be able to pick their prize and share their very own store link! Once the fundraiser is complete, they will receive the prize they selected from the highest level they qualify for.

After registering, share your child’s link via email, text, and social media! When a customer clicks on your link, it will take them directly to your child’s store to purchase a card, and we will send the card directly to them. Using your personalized link will ensure your child is given credit for the purchase.

Also, once you register you will have two chances to earn a $50 gift card! The registered student with the most cards sold by 2/3 at 11:59 p.m. EST will win a $50 Gift Card (when our group sells at least 100 cards online).

For questions, please call the hotline number: 866-252-6103

Thank you for participating and supporting our school!

Laurel Woods ES PTO

January

• 01/26: Schools Closed for Students (Professional Work Day)

• 01/28: 5:00pm Mobile Library; PTO Domino Pizza Fundraiser

February

• 02/02: Black History Month Tribute Assembly
• 02/04: Schools Closed Countywide Professional Learning Day; 2nd Quarter Report Cards Issued (Updated Date)
• 02.05: 12:15pm Dismissal- LWES Closes 3 hr early, Parent/Teacher Conferences
• 02.06: 12:15pm Dismissal-LWES Closes 3 hr early, Parent/Teacher Conferences
• 02.16: Presidents' Day School Closed
• 02.17: Lunar New Year School Closed
• 02.18: PTO Dine Out @ Chipotle
• 02.23: Vision Van - Vision Screening for 3rd - 5th Graders
• 02.24: Vision Van - Vision Screening for 3rd - 5th Graders
• 02.25: 5:00pm Mobile Library
• 02.26: 6:15pm Black History Trivia Night
• 02.27: 8:45am Coffee and Conversation w/Admin

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

We are excited to host our second Coffee and Conversation on Friday, January 23rd, from 8:45–9:45 AM in the cafeteria. Please click here to let us know if you will be joining us—we hope to see you there!

As a reminder, there will be no school tomorrow, Monday, January 19th, in observance of Martin Luther King Jr. Day.

Black History Month is a time when communities, such as ours, give special attention to learning about the contributions and history of African Americans. During February, family members and community members are invited to participate in a very special LWES Black History Month Read-In, celebrating diversity in literature. Click on the link to sign up and we look forward your participation.

Brainfuse HelpNow is now available 24/7 for all library users, expanding access beyond the previous 2 p.m.–midnight live tutoring hours. This means students and caregivers can connect with live online tutoring and academic support anytime that fits their schedule. Brainfuse HelpNow is available on the HCLS websiteLinks to an external site., and video and written instructions on how to use the resource are available hereLinks to an external site.. First-time users will need to create a username and password

HCPSS families are invited to save the date for the 2026 Family Academy Conference on Wednesday, March 4, 2026, from 6:00–8:30 pm at Long Reach High School. Families can look forward to a light dinner, a community resource fair, and interactive workshops focused on academic achievement, well-being, and family engagement. Workshop topics will include college and career readiness, special education supports, curriculum updates, hands-on learning strategies for use at home, and more. For more information, visit HCPSS News

Howard County is full of wonderful resources for families. Sometimes it can be hard to know where to start looking. There’s a helpful website that brings all these resources together in one place. You can search by topic and zip code. You can visit the website using the link below or download the CAREapp Howard County on your phone for easy access. We hope this tool makes it easier to find services for food, health, housing, transportation, education, employment assistance, and more https://findhcresources.org/

The Mental Health Advisory Council (MHCAC) is a group of community members who seek to remove barriers and build awareness for behavioral health support in Howard County for our children and families. Check out this flyer for more information.