Owl Observer News

Students dismss at 12:15 and there are no Preschool Classes

We had a fantastic week of learning and celebration at Ducketts Lane! All state assessments for grades 3–5 and MAP assessments are now complete. We are so proud of our students for showing perseverance and focus during testing, and we thank our amazing PTA for providing prizes that motivated students to do their best. Our 5th graders wrapped up their government studies with an exciting trip to Washington, D.C., while our Preschool and Pre-K students enjoyed a sunny, joy-filled water day. It’s hard to believe, but next week marks our final full week of the school year—we’re soaking in every moment as we wrap up a great year!

JOIN US FOR THE DLES RUN TO SUMMER EVENT

As we close our wonderful school year, we will host our annual RUN TO SUMMER EVENT today (June 6th). During this event, students will be trying their best to run around the entire DLES property. Our amazing PTA will be offering each child a snow cone as the special treat. You were asked to send in a message if you did not want your child to have a snow cone, and we will honor any of those requests that have been submitted, otherwise, we will offer them a snow cone. As part of this fun day, we are inviting parents/guardians to come out and run or cheer on their student as they participate. If you would like be a part of this special day please fill out the form below and we hope to see you there!

#WeAreDucketts Run to Summer Fun Run

Fun Run Schedule

Thank you for your continued support and partnership!

Proudly serving you,

Mrs. Caroland, Mrs. Van Osdel, and Mrs. Yerashunas

We’re excited to finally launch our master gardening project—an event that was previously postponed but is now ready to bloom! Come be part of this special day as we work together to bring our garden back to life. Don’t miss the chance to make a lasting impact and help grow something beautiful for our school community. See you there!

EARLY DISMISSAL DAYS

Friday, June 6th-Students dismiss at 12:15pm NO PRESCHOOL CLASSES

Monday, June 16th-Students dismiss at 12:15pm NO PRESCHOOL CLASSES

Tuesday, June 17th-Students dismiss at 12:15pm NO PRESCHOOL CLASSES

Wednesday, June 18th- Students dismiss at 12:15pm NO PRESCHOOL CLASSES Last Day of School

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. Please contact the school Health Room to arrange a time to pick up medication. 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 2025-26 school year until immunizations are updated.

Medications in Health Room for 2025-26 school year

Students who require medications to be kept in the Health Room for 2025-26 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, 2025. We are unable to use orders from 2024-25 school year for next year (2025-26). Medication orders expire at the end of the school year. ALL MEDICATIONS, BOTH PRESCIPTION 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.

Yearbook order forms were sent home in your student's Thursday folders before spring break. Yearbooks are $12.00 each. Students in Fifth Grade do not need to purchase a Yearbook, each fifth grader will be provided a Yearbook. All payment information is listed on the order form. Yearbooks will be given to students the last week of school. We have a limited number of Yearbooks. At this time, the remaining yearbooks can only be ordered by sending in money with your child's first and last name to the front office.

If your child has borrowed an instrument from DLES this school year, Mrs. McKay will begin collecting those instruments during class time next week.

All borrowed DLES instruments must be returned to DLES by Wednesday, June 11th.

If you have any questions, please contact Mrs. McKay - amanda_mckay@hcpss.org

Starting on Monday, students are no longer allowed to check out a book from the Media center for the remainder of the year. Mrs. McAfee and Mrs. Hastings have begun their inventory, and we have found that we have a lot of books still checked out. ALL BOOKS MUST BE RETURNED BY JUNE 6th.

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.

Families will begin receiving an invoice for the cost of the hardcover book replacement. We will need the book returned or the funds required to purchase the book again. It is important that we all work together to get these books back so that they can be available next year.

If you have any questions regarding an overdue book, please contact Mrs. McAfee at rebecca_mcafee@hcpss.org or Mrs. Hastings at cathy_hastings@hcpss.org.

As we prepare for our upcoming school year, it is important to have your child registered to ensure we have the correct amount of teachers for our students. Please do not delay! Help us with the process by registering your new kindergartner or first grader as soon as possible.

Children must be 5 years old by 9/1/25 in order to enroll in kindergarten next school year. Every child who is 5 years old by this date must be enrolled in a kindergarten program this fall or have an approved waiver. HCPSS kindergarten is a full day program.

• Please make certain you are on the screen for 2025-2026 if registering for the next school year.

• Parents or guardians are to register students at the school serving the address where the child’s parent or guardian resides. Information on neighborhood schools can be found through HCPSS School Locator.

• Complete your child’s registration online by providing the documents listed below. The registration process will be more efficient if you upload the required documents during online registration. Otherwise, you will be asked to submit the required documents via email as pdfs, or you may contact the office to make arrangements to bring the documents in and we will copy them for you. The following documents are needed for registration and should be submitted during the online registration process: Click here for a checklist for registration.

  • Child’s evidence of birth (i.e. birth certificate, baptismal certificate)

  • An authorized record of immunizations

  • Proof of residency in the form of your entire signed lease/deed including signature pages.

  • Current utility bill with your name and address that has been issued within the last 45 days. (cellular device bills not accepted)

  • Photo ID of parent/guardian

Additional Documents to bring if applicable to your child:

Proof of custody - only if there is information the school must adhere to during school hours (full document including the signature pages)

• Individualized Education Plan (IEP) for Special Education Services

• 504 plan

• Psychological report or related services reports/plans

• English Language Learner (ELL) plans or previous assessments

These forms should be completed by your child's pediatrician and dentist and emailed to our Health Room prior to the first day of school or as soon as your child has their 5 year check-up

• Blood Lead Testing

• Dental Health Form

• Physical Exam Form

• Immunization Form

It is recommended that you work on a laptop or desktop to complete registration. Cell phone registration is not recommended. Please call our front office at 410-313-5050.

The HCPSS Pre-K Program is accepting applications for the 2025-2026 school year! The Pre-K Program is offered at no cost to families that qualify and is made available to eligible children in all attendance areas. Children must be four years old on or before September 1, 2025, to be considered for fall 2025 enrollment and must also meet the eligibility criteria. Families who are interested in applying should submit their completed application along with the required documentation to hcpss_pk@hcpss.org or to their local elementary school. Please visit the HCPSS' Pre-K Program website for an application, information about the program, and eligibility criteria. If you have additional questions about the program, please contact the Office of Early Childhood Programs at 410-313-6836.

The Learning Together Program will be accepting applications to attend one of our early childhood classrooms for the upcoming school year. Families of children who will be 3 by September 1 may apply. Locations of RECC programs for the upcoming school year are budget-pending and will be confirmed prior to June 15th or the last day of the current school year. Locations with available LTP programs may vary each year.

Take a moment to see all of the amazing options available to show your Ducketts Lane spirit and pride.

Click here to see all the options and deals!

The DLES PTA would like to extend a heartfelt thank you to everyone who supported us this school year. Whether you became a member, donated items, volunteered your time, or attended our events — your support truly made a difference!

As we look ahead to the upcoming school year, we are still looking for passionate and dedicated individuals to join our Executive PTA Board. The following positions are currently open:

President

Treasurer

Recording Secretary

Corresponding Secretary

We also have several Chair positions available:

Membership Chair

Ways and Means Chair

PTACHC Representative

If you’re interested in getting involved and making a positive impact at Ducketts Lane Elementary, we’d love to have you on our team!

Email us at duckettslanepta@gmail.com or connect with us on Facebook: @dles.pta

GPHS Boosters is offering summer camps for rising 4th-9th graders in football, boys/girls basketball, boys/girls soccer, field hockey, baseball, volleyball, wrestling, and girls lacrosse! Camps will be run by GPHS coaches and all campers will receive a GPHS t-shirt upon the completion of the camp. Registration is now open at https://gphsboosters.com/summer-camp

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. Yerashunas Brianna_Yerashunas@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

• Counselor Mr. Leisawitz Alexander_Leisawitz@hcpss.org

• Counselor Mrs. Baron Krista_Baron@hcpss.org

• Community School Coordinator Ms. Medina Alejandra_Medina@hcpss.org