Centennial Lane Elementary:

Centennial Lane Elementary School

Mrs. Debra Anoff, Principal

Mrs. Siobhan Drumgoole, Assistant Principal

3825 Centennial Lane

Ellicott City, MD 21042

(410) 313-2800

(410) 313-2804 - Fax

(410) 313-1710 (Health Room)

Student Hours: 8:45a.m. - 3:15 p.m.

Office Hours: 8:00 a.m. - 3:45 p.m.

cles.hcpss.org

Dear Centennial Lane Families,

On behalf of our entire staff, we are excited to welcome both our returning and new families! We hope you had a wonderful summer and are looking forward to an amazing year ahead.

Welcome to our CLES Dolphin Detail newsletter! This is our first Dolphin Detail for the 2026-2027 school year. Our Dolphin Detail communication will come out on Fridays, beginning on Friday, August 28th, and will often include the following: Important Dates, CLES New Information, CLES Information Worth Repeating, HCPSS News, PTA Information, etc. In addition, please know previous Dolphin Details can be found on our CLES website.

This newsletter is packed full of a lot of information. Please pay particular attention to arrival and dismissal procedures so we can establish safe routines on the first day of school. Please expect longer arrivals and dismissals for the first few days. If everyone follows the procedures, we can have a very safe, efficient and speedy arrival and dismissal time. Please be patient with us during the first few days of school.

On that note, we highly recommend sending your child to school on the first day in the same way as will be their normal daily routine. We know the first day of school, especially kindergarten, brings a range of emotions for families and we are prepared and ready to support all student emotions. We ask that you give your goodbye hugs and well wishes at the bus stop or before the students enter the building.

Our doors open at 8:30 am and all students should be in the building and ready for instruction at 8:45 am. All children who are not in the building and in their classrooms ready for instruction by 8:45 am are considered late. All children who arrive late must be accompanied by a parent or guardian and signed into school in the front office using the Raptor system.

We truly value a strong home-school connection. We encourage you to contact us with any questions or concerns, and to stay informed about your child's studies, assignments, and school activities. We extend a special, year-long invitation to our families to join us at school activities and events whenever possible. We certainly look forward to the exciting, collaborative journey ahead. We can't wait to welcome our Amazing Dolphins during our Open House on Friday, August 21st and on the first student day of school on Monday, August 24th.

From the entire Centennial Lane staff, we welcome you and look forward to a very positive and productive 2026-2027 school year together!

Debra Anoff & Siobhan Drumgoole
Principal & Assistant Principal

August

• 18-Back to School Night Grades PK-2 @5:30 pm
• 19-Back to School Night Grades 3-5 @6:00 pm -GT begins @ 5:15 pm
• 24-First Day of School for Students Grades K-5
• 27-First Day of School for Pre-K students

September

• 2-Back to Music Night-Band,Orchestra & Chorus
• 8-PTA Meeting @ 6:30 pm
• 7-Schools & Offices Closed
• 18-PTA Dolphin Dash
• 21-Schools & Offices Closed
• 30-3 hr Early Dismissal-CLES Dismisses @ 12:15 pm

October

• 12 & 13 - Fall Picture Days
• 13-PTA Meeting@6:30 pm
• 16-Schools Closed for Students
• 24-PTA Trunk or Treat
• 28-Schools Closed for Students

For another language, click "Translate Newsletter" tab and select the language of choice at the top of this page.

Spanish

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Korean

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Chinese

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Urdu

دوسری زبانوں کے لئے ، نیوزلیٹر کا ترجمہ کریں پر کلک کریں اور اپنی پسند کی زبان کا انتخاب کریں۔

Add the HCPSS online calendar to your mobile/online calendar by following the steps on the HCPSS calendar page.

PLEASE NOTE! The calendar is subject to change. The online calendar reflects the most recent version.

Tentative Related Arts Color Day schedule

Students participate in related arts daily for one hour. There are five related arts classes: Art, Media, Music, Physical Education, and Technology. A few years ago, we moved from a set or fixed daily related arts schedule to a rotating related arts schedule. The rotating schedule is called the Related Arts Color Calendar. We rotate days using the color calendar because there are a disproportional number of days off on Mondays and Fridays. This used to mean students would have up to 6 fewer Monday or Friday related arts versus the other classes and days of the week. Your child's teacher will share their specific related arts color day assignments with you. It is very important to make sure your child dresses appropriately for the classes he/she has for related arts, especially for physical education.

We are very excited to be welcoming a few new staff members to Centennial Lane! Please be sure to send a warm greeting to:

Letty Mahoney - ELD Teacher

Liz Wyant - Pre-K Special Education Teacher

Natalie Ricketts - 2nd Grade Teacher

Rebecca Contreras - Special Education Resource Teacher

Carly Cole - Special Education Teacher

Sujatha Sudhakar - Special Education Teacher

Michelle Kirby - Pre-K General Education Teacher

Courtney McDevitt - Pre-K General Education Teacher

Min Hee Song - Instructional Paraeducator

Shanita Brooks - Health Assistant

Allison Zarchin - Art Teacher (0.6)

Eliana McFate - Vocal Music Teacher (0.6)

Tracy McEvoy - Media Paraeducator (0.6)

Amama Jamil - Pre-K Paraeducator

Michelle Kavka - Physical Education Teacher (0.4)

Diane Milano - Daily Building Substitute

Vasantha Kota - Lunch/Recess Monitor

"Kiss and Wave" : We ask parents to say goodbye at home and at the front door of the school. We do not permit parents in the building during the drop-off times.

Please do not drop your child off without supervision prior to 8:30 a.m.
There is no supervision of students before 8:30 a.m.

Kindergarten Students: All kindergarten students will be escorted to their kindergarten classroom upon arrival at school.

Kindergarten Walkers: All walkers will come to the side door closest to the front of the building and enter.

Kindergarten Car Loop: Parents are to remain in their vehicle, a staff member will assist your child and they will be walked to their classroom.

Kindergarten Bus Riders: All bus riders will be gathered by a staff member when they exit the bus and will be walked to their classroom.

Thanks so much for your flexibility! Please ensure that your child's teacher has received accurate information regarding dismissal on the first day of school no later than noon today.

Students in Grades 1-5:

Bus Riders: It is very important to put your child on the bus on the first day. Students who ride buses will have their bus number tagged onto their backpack with a wristband strip.

Please leave the bus tag on their backpack. This helps us help students get on their buses in the afternoon throughout the school year. Additionally, students in Kindergarten will have a luggage tag attached to their backpack. The luggage tag helps bus drivers know which students are Kindergarten students so they can help them situate on the bus in the morning and get off the bus in the afternoon at the correct bus stop. Please let your child's teacher know if they will be using a different mode of transportation for arrival and dismissal.

If you have a bus service to your home, please have your child ride the bus to and from school.

If your child is designated as a walker, please walk to school when possible to help reduce the congestion in the car line each day.

ARRIVAL/DISMISSAL Important information

1. Buses and cars/vans are lined up side by side in our parking lot. Buses park against the sidewalk, and cars line up next to them on the other side of the yellow line.
2. There is a yellow line separating the bus and car/van lines. The speed limit is 10 mph, but please drive as slow as possible and always be on the lookout for pedestrians.
3. Do not park anywhere along Centennial Lane during arrival and dismissal. PARKING ALONG Centennial Lane to exit and walk your child to the building is PROHIBITED.
4. Vehicles CANNOT turn left into the parking lot after 8:15 AM and after 3 PM, which prevents the buses from entering.
5. Staff will direct vehicles during arrival and dismissal.
6. During arrival, students must wait in the vehicle until it reaches the car drop-off area with staff.
7. STUDENTS MUST EXIT FROM THE LEFT SIDE OF THE VEHICLE where staff are located.
8. Cars MUST remain in a line. Cars CANNOT go around another car to ensure safety.
9. Again, cars MUST remain in line.

10. For dismissal, please attend to the staff for directions on leaving the parking lot.

We will be dismissing in the following order:

1) The first dismissal announcement will be for PK and K at 3:10 PM

• PK and K walkers will line up along the brick wall to the right of the blacktop facing the building from the playground and wait for a parent or caretaker.
• PK and K car riders will be escorted to the car rider pad.
• PK and K bus riders will be escorted to their buses.

2) Students in after care with Columbia Association, after-school activities, and van riders are dismissed at 3:13 PM

3) The students in grades 1-5 who are car riders will be dismissed at 3:11 PM

• Walkers will meet their caretaker on the blacktop or walk straight home.
• Students should not play on the play equipment unless they have contacted their caretaker to ensure that no one is left behind.
• Walkers will be brought to the front office at 3:20 PM if a caretaker did not pick them up.

*Crossing guards will be responsible for the safe crossing of students across Centennial Lane. *

As soon as you have all your children, please move away from the doors/ building to lessen congestion in one area. You may want to designate a location for your children to come and meet you, especially our older students. For example, you might have a first grader who you pick up at the first grade door, but then you move to a location to meet with your third grader. This is an idea to help with congestion.

4) Announcements for bus riders begins at 3:15 pm

Teacher notifications will be through Family File this year. You will be able to see your child's teacher on August 19. In order to access your child's teacher, you must complete Family File. You will need to do this prior to Open House on August 21.

You can access HCPSS Connect here http://www.hcpss.org/connect/

Changes of address may not be made through Family File. If you have recently moved, please contact our Ilchester ES office at 410-313-2524 as soon as possible.

Parents who have forgotten their login credentials for Family File may click the “Forgot Password” link on the sign-in page. If you need additional assistance, please fill out this Connect Help Form.

For the 2026-2027 school year, HCPSS will be using LINQ Connect for all things food and nutrition. LINQ Connect is a secure, online portal that allows families to make online payments to their child’s meal account, monitor their child’s account, schedule automatic recurring payments, set up low balance alerts, submit a Free and Reduced Meals program application, and more.

The HCPSS participates in the National School Lunch and Breakfast Programs. Students from households that meet federal income guidelines are eligible to receive free or reduced-price meals. Qualification is based on family size and income, and enrollment is confidential. All children in households receiving benefits from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) can get free meals regardless of income, and students from households that meet federal income guidelines are eligible to receive free or reduced-price meals. Those eligible for Free and Reduced Meals receive both breakfast and lunch for free.

Parents/guardians must submit a new application every school year to maintain their student’s eligibility. Click the button below to apply.

Anyone visiting the school to have lunch or visit classrooms, as well as volunteers or chaperones for a field trip are required to complete two training sessions.

Please follow the steps below to complete and submit the training certificates.

Step 1: Complete the required Confidentiality Training for volunteers & chaperones.

https://www.hcpss.org/parents/volunteer-information/

Step 2: Complete the Confidentiality Training Certificate to verify you completed the training. https://www.hcpss.org/f/parents/volunteer-confidentiality-certificate.pdf

Step 3: Review the Training Powerpoint about How to Report Child Abuse

MD State Law & HCPSS Policy 1030 (PDF)

• Reporting Form
• Reporting Procedure (PDF)

Step 4: Complete the Abuse Training Certificate to verify you completed the training. Abuse Training Certificate (PDF)

Step 5: Complete and submit this Volunteer & Chaperone Google form below to submit your certificates. Submit Volunteer Certificates here

Zum RFID Cards:

Again this year, students who are bus riders will use their Zum RFID Bus Cards to scan on and off the bus each day. Students who were at CCES last year should use their card from last year and attach it to their backpack again. We recommend hooking it to the backpack shoulder strap so that the student can easily hold it to scan. It should be used starting the first day of school, Monday, August 24th. If your child's card was lost, we will note this at the start of the year and request a new one.

If your child is new to CCES, we will request a card for them at the start of the school year. All Pre-kindergarten and kindergarten students will begin using the cards later in the year. Communication will come out later with the start date for these students.

Bus Locator Information:

The HCPSS Bus locator will be updated before school starts. Please be sure to check your child's bus stop location, bus time, and bus number as they may have changed from last year. Please be sure to arrive at your bus stop at least 5 minutes before your scheduled pick-up time.

https://www.hcpss.org/schools/transportation/

Safety at our bus stops is essential. For younger children (elementary and middle school students), HCPSS recommends that parents/guardians or another trusted adult wait at the bus stop with the students to supervise their behavior and to help with any problems that may arise, such as a delayed bus or injury while waiting. Both adults and students should stand at a safe distance from the roadway.

Please see the info here about parent/guardian expectations that support bus stop safety. Thank you!

Get ready to show your CLES school spirit! CLES has an annual spiritwear fundraiser, and each grade is assigned a color that will follow students from grade to grade. Check out the color dolphin to see which color represents your student’s grade this year!

Help support CLES while showing off your school spirit!

This week’s sale features:

• 20% OFF Blankets
• 15% OFF Crystal Tie-Dye Tees, Weekend Fleece, and Shorts
• Additional savings on Tie-Dye Hoodies, Ladies’ Colorblock Tees, and Baseball Tees
• FREE SHIPPING on all orders over $49 — no code needed!

Click here to check out our CLES Spiritwear Store!

Grab your CLES spiritwear and wear your grade’s color with pride! 🐬💙

We encourage you to drop off your school supplies during your child's Open House on August 21st. Please be sure to clearly label your child's supplies with their name.

As a reminder, for the safety and security of our students and staff, all visitors must enter the front office and sign in using a government-issued photo ID. Please be sure to bring your ID with you whenever you visit. Thank you for helping us maintain a safe and secure learning environment for everyone.

Any medications required during school hours including prescription, “over-the-counter” (OTC) and homeopathic/herbal medications require a medication order signed by an approved health care provider and are subject to the HCPSS medication policy and procedure.

Medication form

• Have a student with allergies? Learn more about ordering an epipen and our allergic reaction protocols.

School health room staff administer medications, store medications in the school’s health room and keep records of when medications are taken by the student.

Approved Non-Medications:

The items below are not considered medications. Students may bring the items to school without a medical prescription. Health Services requests that a parent/guardian note accompany the item to serve as permission to bring to school.

• Sunscreen
• Chapstick
• Hand lotion
• Non-medicated cough drops
• Saline contact solution

Sunscreen must be supplied by an individual student and is not to be shared with other students due to potential allergens and skin reactions.

Please contact the health room at 410 313-1710 if you have any questions.

Parents can email CLESabsence@hcpss.org to report a student’s absence. Please include your child(ren)’s full name, parent’s/guardian’s full name and phone number, the date your child(ren) was absent and the reason. Parents may instead choose to send in a paper excuse note to their child’s teacher with the same information when the student returns to school.

For families requesting local discretionary absences, please complete a Local Discretionary Absence Request Form and submit it to the front office at least one week in advance.

Help CLES While You Do Your Summer (or Fall) Cleaning!

Did you know you can support Centennial Lane Elementary just by cleaning out your closets? Our white donation bins, located in the school parking lot, collect:

• Clothing
• Shoes
• Textiles (linens, towels, blankets, etc.)

Every donation helps! Centennial Lane earns money each month based on the total weight of items collected.

Please remember: All donations must be bagged before being placed in the bin.

Parent Donations: You can also support CLES by making a direct monetary donation through the Howard County Public School System's Online School Payments site. Parent direct donations help support the general and educational needs of our students and staff.

Thank you for supporting our students, staff, and the CLES community!

Join us in the Media Center to meet our new PTA Board, learn more about the PTA, and connect with other CLES families!

We’ll also enjoy a potluck dinner together! Please bring a favorite dish or something to share.

Kids are welcome! We look forward to seeing you there and kicking off another wonderful year together! 💙

The Centennial Lane PTA is a volunteer-based nonprofit organization committed to community-building activities and experiences for our CLES students, families, and staff members. Many wonderful volunteers make PTA-sponsored activities possible, and we welcome anyone who can bring fresh ideas, energy, and support to any of the PTA’s efforts. Membership dues are the backbone of our financial health, and the best way you can support the PTA is by becoming a member. Sign up today!

In alignment w/ Policy 10010, the following announcements have been approved by the Public Information Office for distribution.

The below community notices are neither sponsored nor endorsed by the HCPSS.