The Falcon Flier

Dr. Holden, Principal

Dr. Anderson, Assistant Principal

Mrs. Grenzer, Assistant Principal

Website: ples.hcpss.org

• November - Native American Heritage Month
• November 1 - Daylight Savings Time Ends
• November 3 - Schools and offices closed - Election Day
• November 5 - Ms. Harback and Ms. Hamrick's classes Library Field Trip
• November 6 - Conference scheduling will open to everyone at all schools at 8:00 am
• November 9-13 - National School Psychologists Week
• November 10 - Virtual PTA Meeting
• November 11 - Veterans Day
• November 12 - Ms. Baker, Ms. Barfield and Ms. vom Saal's classes Library Field Trip
• November 12 - 3rd Grade Field Trip to Fort McHenry
• November 12 - Family Science/Engineering Night from 5:30 PM - 6:30 PM
• November 13 - World Kindness Day
• November 13 - Ruby Bridges Walk to School Day
• November 16 - 20 - American Education Week
• November 17 - 2nd Grade Math & Munchkins from 9:15 AM - 11:00 AM
• November 18 - Educator Support Professionals Day
• November 18 - 1st Grade Math Family Learning Session at 9:30 AM
• November 19 - Conference scheduling is closed for parents/guardians at 4:00 pm
• November 20 - Turkey Trot
• November 21 - Girls on the Run 5K at 8:30 AM
• November 23 - Schools close 3 hour early - Parent/Teacher Conferences
• November 23 - Book Fair
• November 24 - Schools close 3 hour early - Parent/Teacher Conferences
• November 24 - Book Fair
• November 25 - Schools close 3 hour early - Parent/Teacher Conferences
• November 25 - Book Fair
• November 26 - Schools and offices closed
• November 27 - Schools and offices closed

• For your planning needs, please see the link below which details dates/holidays for HCPSS this coming year, including Winter break, Spring break, and professional learning days. Click here: https://www.hcpss.org/calendar/#print

• HCPSS Related Arts Calendar

Congratulations to these students for earning Falcon of the Week! Way to go!!!

In celebration of World Kindness Day on November 13, we invite everyone to show their kindness in a creative way! Students and staff are encouraged to wear a shirt or hat that features a kind message. Let’s spread positivity and make kindness visible throughout our school community!

Each year, we look forward to celebrating public education and recognizing the many individuals who make a difference in ensuring that every student receives a high-quality education.

American Education Week provides a wonderful opportunity to strengthen the partnership between home and school. We are excited to welcome parents and guardians into our classrooms to experience some of the engaging learning opportunities taking place at Phelps Luck Elementary School.

Our grade-level teams have planned special activities for families during designated times throughout the week. Please see the schedule below for your child's grade-level activity.

To maintain a safe and productive environment for all, please review the following visitor guidelines:

• Participation in American Education Week is for adults only. Unfortunately, we are unable to accommodate children in the classroom.

• Visitors are not permitted during lunch or recess.

• For safety purposes, please report to the front office with your driver’s license to sign in and wear your visitor sticker during your visit.

• Please silence electronic devices; if you need to make a call, do so in the front lobby.

• Photography, video recording, and audio recording are not permitted during classroom visits to protect student privacy

• When your visit concludes, please sign out in the front office before departing.

We look forward to welcoming families during American Education Week and celebrating the important partnership between home and school that supports every student’s success!

On behalf of County Executive Calvin Ball, I’m excited to share that we are kicking off our 11th Annual Howard County Toys for Tots Campaign! For the past 11 years, County Executive Ball has partnered with the U.S. Marine Corps and our amazing community partners to help bring joy to children and families throughout Howard County during the holiday season. This initiative has always been about so much more than toys. It’s about giving back, spreading kindness, and coming together as a community to make sure every child has something special to look forward to during the holidays.

• You can register directly here: Family Registration Link.
• Registration closes, Friday, October 30th

Here is the upcoming timeline:

• October 30: Family Registration Closes

• Mid-November: Families are notified if they've been accepted/declined, and provided additional information and instructions for distribution

• December 19: Toys for Tots! Specific time slots will be assigned, but families can anticipate between 9am and noon.

Many HCPSS families may be eligible to receive benefits through the Free and Reduced Price Meals (FARMs) program.

Qualifying families can take advantage of a wide range of additional resources and discounts, including free college applications, free or reduced JumpStart dual enrollment tuition, discounted internet through the Comcast Internet Essentials program, and more.

Families must submit a new application every school year. Any student whose family has not filled out an application by the 30th school day will have their status changed to full pay until a new application is received.

Parents/guardians are highly encouraged to fill out the applications as soon as possible. It is very important that applications are filled out accurately and completely.

• Apply online
• Apply by mail: Paper applications will be available at all school front offices. Applications can be returned to the school or mailed to HCPSS Food & Nutrition Services, 10910 Clarksville Pike, Ellicott City, MD 21042

Additionally, I want you to know that there are school staff available to support you and your child. We have numerous supports in place, and I encourage you and your child to take advantage of them whenever they are needed.

Here are a number of administrators and support staff available at our school who can provide supports along with your child’s teachers:

Dr. Holden, Dr. Anderson, Mrs. Grenzer, Ms. Garcia-Hedges, and Ms. Stremmel.

Answers to frequently asked questions on HCPSS meals and additional meals/nutrition assistance programs can be found on the HCPSS Help site. If you have questions regarding the program, please visit www.hcpss.org/FARMs or contact Food and Nutrition Services at 410-313-6743 or foodsvc@hcpss.org.

The Howard County Literacy Association invites writers in Grades 1-5 to submit an original short story or poem, see flyer below for details.

The PLES PTA would like to thank all the administrators, teachers, friends and families, and most of all, our absolutely incredible PLES students for a phenomenal PTA fall fundraiser!

We met and exceeded our $16,000 fundraising goal with over $19,000 raised (!!!) and our friendly reading minute competition has really shown that our students read... ALOT!

We still have today, Friday 10/30 to squeeze in a few more reading minutes or get a bit more fundraising done; but what has been accomplished already is something to be proud of!

We can't wait to celebrate all of our met fundraising goals; with Bring a Stuffie Day this MONDAY, NOVEMBER 2nd (please make sure your stuffie can fit comfortably in your backpack) and our Glow Party date to be determined but coming soon so please be on the lookout. Also coming soon but exact date not yet set are our VIP lunches for our primary (K-2) and intermediate (3-5) classes with the most reading minutes and our Oreo and squishy treats for our reading class winners in each grade level.

Tuesday, November 10th

from 7-8 pm

Please complete this form to let us know what you’d like information about.

Thank you for considering helping!

(Please note: by completing this form you are not committing to volunteering, you are requesting information about opportunities to help.)