Lutherville Lab Report
What's gone down & what's coming up at the leopards' lair.
May 2, 2025
Lutherville Families,
We had a full week at The Lab! This week was highlighted by our Battle of the Books Team for winning the Towson Library area competition on Thursday evening against 6 other schools in the central area. The Team read 10 books: 7 novels and 3 graphic novels in preparation for the competition. During the competition they had to answer true/false, content, and "in which book" style questions and came out on top! Congratulations to Andrea G., Ava W., Chloe B., Penny E., and Daniel P. for their win in competition. Congratulations to all members of the Battle of the Books club and our staff sponsor Mrs. Nicholson, for their reading, discussions, and preparation of the Team.
We are also celebrating the hard work of our 5th graders this week on MCAP. Next week, 3rd and 4th graders join in to show what they have learned through MCAP testing! Please make sure students are getting a good night's rest and coming to school with a fully charged device each day.
Next week is Teacher Appreciation Week and we look forward to showering our teachers, and staff at large, in love and appreciation. If you'd like to participate in the collective efforts, please scroll down to the PTA section below. And as always, your words and stories of impact and appreciation are deeply meaningful.
The packed spring season is upon us. Please see some calendar reminders and opportunities below. Please be on the lookout in your child's folder/backpack for a packet from the PTA that has all the information on events through the end of the year in one place.
We're so proud of our Battle of the Books Champions!!
Calendar Reminders
May 5-9 - Teacher & Staff Appreciation Week
May 9 - LL Spirit Day
May 13 - Spring Concert, 7pm
May 16 - 1:05 dismissal
May 23 - Sports Day Gr 3-5
May 26 - Schools Closed (Memorial Day)
May 30 - Sports Day K-2
Information and Invitation from the LL Equity Guiding Coalition
Lutherville Lab Community,
The EGC, Equity Guiding Coalition, is a community that consists of a group of Lutherville Lab Staff, parents, and community members who passionately work on building an equitable environment for all members of the Lutherville Lab Community. We are interested in growing our Coalition to include more perspectives and voices and invite anyone interested in supporting our work to visit and observe our meeting the evening of May 6th in the Lutherville Lab Library at 6:00.
Our mission is to be a community that is doing the courageous work necessary for an unapologetically equitable environment that authentically honors the humanity of all. We strive to achieve this goal by providing a variety of backgrounds and experiences to create new optics & opportunities to ensure that every child has the best possible learning experience and a deep sense of belonging regardless of their background.
To put that into action, the EGC has been able to accomplish the following:
- Empathy interviews: During the 2022-2023 school year, members of the EGC interviewed students about their experiences at school. This was so fruitful, that it inspired the School Improvement Team to create time for all teachers on the Lutherville staff to meet one on one with LL students from diverse backgrounds, grades, and genders to gather ideas, experiences, and opinions from our number one stakeholders during the 2023-2024 school year. These interviews were shared and discussed by the EGC and Lutherville staff to show an awareness of first-hand student experiences and opportunities to reflect on current practices in the school building.
- School supplies for all Lutherville Lab students: Inspired by conversations within the EGC and in partnership with the PTA, all Lutherville Lab student school supplies were provided through a crowdfunding project ensuring that all students had the same resources provided for them on the first day of school. This project, inspired by discussions from an equity lens, addressed the differences of resources and possible hardships facing families from a solutions-oriented lens.
- Representation by the school community in the boundary study: The EGC analyzed data provided by the county in order to be prepared for boundary study meetings with the goal of protecting our diverse community at Lutherville Lab.
- Panel discussion in the Maryland Cultural Proficiency Conference at Morgan State University: EGC members presented its mission statement and goals to show the successes of a working equity guiding coalition.
- Fairfax County Networking Conference: EGC members had the opportunity to hear from and work with staff from The Carnegie Foundation to identify and discuss potential equity-based initiatives that were important to our Lutherville Lab community.
We look forward to continuing the important work of centering the humanity of all members of the Lutherville Lab community. If you would like to learn more, please join us on May 6th, and/or let Mr. McComb know that you would like to learn more and he will work to connect you with a member of the Coalition.
-Lutherville Lab Equity Guiding Coalition including Parents, Staff, and Community members
“Gym-NEWS-ium” PE News and Notes from Mr. Bruns
SPORTS DAY VOLUNTEERS NEEDED!
Please save the date! We would love for volunteers to help make our Sports Day a success this year. Please mark your calendars and more information will be coming home after spring break.
All participating volunteers must complete the volunteer application. We appreciate your time registering and helping make this day great!
https://www.bcps.org/cos/communications/FACE/b_c_p_s_volunteers
Sports Day Grades 3-5, (9:00 am-3:00pm) Friday, May 23, 2025
Primary Sports Day K-2, (12:50-4pm) Friday, May 30, 2025
Lutherville Lab Sports and Fitness Camp-
Get moving and have some fun this summer with Lutherville Lab’s Sports & Fitness Camp! This camp is designed to teach and improve fitness, sport skills and provide an opportunity to enjoy recreational activities. Mr. Bruns will be hosting three weeks of summer camp at Lutherville Lab Elementary School, please see the attachment for more information.
Mr. McComb was glad to receive some appreciation on National Principals Day from our kindergarten students who impressed with their writing and insights!
Attention 5th Grade Families!
Middle School Transition Events!
Notes From the PTA
LAST CALL BY SAT 5/3 AT 1:35 PM: ORIOLES TICKETS FOR GAME ON SUNDAY
Purchase tickets for $18.60 here for our LL section, with $5 of each ticket coming back to the PTA. Also, as part of Star Wars Weekend, the first 20,000 fans will receive a Gunnar Henderson Star Wars Bobblehead. All fans ages 4 to 14 are invited to Run the Bases following the game. We hope to see you on Sunday!
COMING NEXT WEEK: TEACHER & STAFF APPRECIATION WEEK - 3 OPPORTUNITIES TO HELP CELEBRATE
Our PTA Hospitality Chairs, Kim Harcum and Hayley Rose, are excited to lead a full week of PTA efforts to celebrate our amazing teachers and staff. Please join in by:
1. Donating funds, food (store-bought or homemade) or time via this SignUp Genius Link (includes all May events)
2. Leaving a message of love, appreciation or thanks with a note, video and/or pictures on the Padlet - click here. Submissions are due Thurs May 8th by 5 pm. This is an electronic message board (it takes a few minutes to load). We share it electronically and in print form with the staff on Friday. You can share something for the whole LL commmunity, a team of teachers, specific teachers or staff - don't forget our custodians, cafeteria staff, etc... Instructions are here and this is an example of the 2024 (last year's) Padlet.
3. Helping/asking your child to fill out a note or coloring sheet - provided in green folder & links below. We printed two sheets per child - a fill-in-the-blank letter and a coloring page - which will be coming home in your child's green folder very soon. Students can complete them for any teacher or staff member for whom they wish to express appreciation and deliver directly to the recipient any time next week. Feel free to make copies if you'd like!
- Fill-in-blank letter for K-2nd
CHALK THE WALK - WEEKDAY EVENING TBA
Please check your email as well as our Facebook and Instagram pages for an update on Sunday about which day we'll be having this based on weather predictions. We'll provide the chalk, you bring your creativity and thankful hearts for all that our teachers and staff do!
PASSING THE PTA TORCH
LL has had a beautiful and rich history of family involvement. Perhaps you feel called to be a part of the next chapter of leadership for the PTA? Maybe you are:
- passionate about making LL the best if can be for all our students, families, teachers and staff
- like to help find solutions and put plans into place
- enjoy working with a team of other dedicated family members who do their part to add to our community
- are interested in being more connected to the decisions that are made about budget, events and overlap with school support.
Please consider the following positions and email luthervillelabpta@gmail.com if you are interested or have questions.
Nominations are due by Fri May 23rd and elections will occur virtually on Wed June 4th.
President
- Serve 2 year position (July 2025- July 2027)
- Serve as an Executive Committee member along with our Treasurer (to be elected), Secretary (Kelly Riolo), Vice President (Shannon Weiss) and 2nd Vice President (to be elected)
- Preside over Executive meetings (3-4 per year), Board of Director meetings (4 per year), and General Meetings (4 per year)
- Have input on the budget, events, and school support efforts
- Coordinate the work of officers and committee chairs
- Perform duties determined by needs of Board of Directors
- Maintain open communication with Mr. McComb, Mrs. Hart, PTA staff liaisons and school community at large
- Build community and connect families with opportunities to support and be involved
- Connect with Baltimore County PTA and the National PTA when appropriate
Treasurer
- Serve 2 year position (July 2025- July 2027)
- Serve as an Executive Committee member along with our President (to be elected), Secretary (Kelly Riolo), Vice President (Shannon Weiss) and 2nd Vice President (to be elected)
- Attend Executive meetings (3-4 per year), Board of Director meetings (4 per year), and General Meetings (4 per year), presenting financial statements and proposed budget
- Have input on the budget, events, and school support efforts
- Perform duties determined by needs of Board of Directors
- Build community and connect families with opportunities to support and be involved
- Possess custody of all PTA funds, keep accurate records, make disbursements, review and sign bank statements
- Prepare and file all necessary tax forms, submitting a copy to Free State PTA within thirty (30) days of filing
- Oversee an audit/financial review committee
Co-Vice President
One of two, Shannon Weiss, current VP, remaining with 1 more year in her position
- Serve 2 year position (July 2025- July 2027)
- Serve as an Executive Committee member along with our President (to be elected), Treasurer (new), Secretary (Kelly Riolo) and existing Vice President (Shannon Weiss)
- Attend Executive meetings (3-4 per year), Board of Director meetings (4 per year), and General Meetings (4 per year)
- Have input on the budget, events, and school support efforts
- Build community and connect families with opportunities to support and be involved
- Perform duties of president in absence or inability to serve
- Perform duties determined by needs of Board of Directors
In addition to these elected positions, several Board of Directors & Committee Chair positions will be available for the 2025-2026 school year. Stay tuned for more information about those opportunities for involvement!
Previous Lab Reports
Contact Information
Website: https://luthervillees.bcps.org/
Location: 1700 York Road, Lutherville-Timonium, MD, USA
Phone: 443-809-7800
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LuthervillePTA/
Twitter: @LuthervilleLab