Lutherville Lab Report

What's gone down & what's coming up at the leopards' lair.

January 20, 2023

Lutherville Families,

This week marks the transition to the second half of the school year. We are so proud of our Leopards for their hard work in the first half of the year and are excited to share their progress through report cards on Wednesday of next week.

We will also be measuring student progress through DIBELS assessments of foundational reading skills and MAP assessment of growth in reading and math in weeks ahead. We use the data-markers to continue to guide our instruction and support of students.

At this halfway mark, I have also started visiting all classrooms to refresh and reinforce our ROAR (Respect - On-take - Achieving - Responsible) code of conduct and particularly remind students of their responsibility with the words they use, keeping their body safe, and using technology responsibly. I am also reminding students of how we are a school family and have a responsibility to one another to share concerns with adults if we see or hear something that is unsafe or inappropriate. We appreciate your partnership in reinforcing to your children their opportunity and responsibility to contribute to our school family in these ways.

Finally, we are looking for children's bicycle helmets, if you or a neighbor may have some that children have outgrown -- we'd love to put them to good use! =)

Have a fabulous weekend. We look forward to reconnecting with our students on Tuesday!

-Mr. McComb

Calendar Reminders

Jan 23: School closed for students (PD for staff)

Jan 25: Class Picture Day
Jan 27: THB Fundraiser! & Flannel Day

Feb 3rd: Dress to Impress Day

Feb 6th - 10th: Book Fair!

zoom_out_map

3rd Graders wading into division!

zoom_out_map

Kindergartners polling preferences -- cornbread or ginger snaps?

zoom_out_map

2nd graders working on their creative writing!

Attendance -- A Key To Success

Research has proven a high correlation between regular school attendance and academic performance. Attendance is the key to high school graduation and college and career readiness. Students who regularly attend school are more likely to read on grade level, less likely to drop out of school, an dmore likely to graduate on time.

A child who misses a day of school misses a day of learning. Although 2 days per month may not seem like a lot, it translates into 20 days per year or one month of school. Over the course of thirteen years of school, it translates to 260 days, or nearly 1.5 years of school.

Here are ways you can improve your child's school attendance:

Talk with your child about the importance of attending school regularly and on time.
Ensure your child goes to school every day unless he/she is truly sick.
Establish a regular bedtime and morning routine.
Lay out clothes and pack backpacks the night before.
Schedule family trips and doctor appointments after school when possible.
Develop back up plans for getting your child to school if something comes up.
Talk to teachers, counselors, and school support staff for advice if your child feels anxious about going to school.
When your child is absent, send in a written note and be sure to include the date(s) and reason for the absence.

Middle School Boundary Study

Passing along the following message from BCPS:

The committee charged with considering boundary options for Central and Northeast area middle schools will be meeting between January 12 and March 29, 2023.

The purpose of the boundary study is to establish an attendance area for the new Northeast area middle school, expand the attendance area for Pine Grove MS following the construction of its addition, and to provide capacity relief to participating Central and Northeast Area middle schools.

The schools included in this study are:

Cockeysville Middle School
Dumbarton Middle School
Golden Ring Middle School
Loch Raven Academy
Middle River Middle School
Parkville Middle School
Perry Hall Middle School
Pine Grove Middle School
Ridgley Middle School
Stemmers Run Middle School

The public is invited to attend meetings or view the proceedings online. All information, including a calendar of meeting times and all meeting materials, may be found on the Central and Northeast Area Middle School Boundary Study Web site.

Spanish translation services will be provided at each meeting. Additional translation services will be made available upon request to our office if received at least 72 hours prior to the scheduled meeting time.

Thank you for your engagement during this process.

School Spirit Days - Updates in Bold!

Please see the list of fall spirit days below. Additional opportunities may be added as we move through the year, but want to send this now for planning purposes:

January 27th – Flannel Friday

February 3rd – Dress to Impress Your Principal

February 17th – Crazy Sock Day