Lutherville Lab Report

Lutherville Families,

Happy New Year! We hope and trust that winter break was a time to rest and relax and be together with loved ones. Our students returned ready to roll and we are back in our learning routines this week!

We are only one week away from the end of the Marking Period 2 (Friday, January 16) and the mid-point of the school year! Today, parents and guardians should have received automated emails with both Schoology updates and an Attendance Report. Two important items for parents:

• Review your student's Schoology Progress and discuss any missing assignments with students (for our 4th and 5th grade families especially). The quarter closes on Friday.
• Review your students attendance. The state standard for attendance is to not miss more than 17 days in the year, including half-days. So, any student at 8 or more at this point is a concern for reaching that goal. And of course, every day is an important opportunity to build knowledge and grow skills, so we love to see our Leopards here every day!

Please read on for much more with some continued good news on our achievement, upcoming events, and an important budget cycle ahead for BCPS.

Minds On, Whole Hearts, ALL IN!

In partnership,

-Mr. McComb

It's Safe Racer season! After design and build, 3rd graders are getting ready to race their prototype!

January 13 -- Lego Night!

January 16 -- 1:05 dismissal, end of MP2

January 19 -- Schools closed
January 23 -- LL Spirit Day

February 2 -- 100th Day of School (if no closures)

February 16 -- School Closed

February 17 -- School Closed

February 20 -- 1:05 dismissal

February 25 -- Art Show

We are so excited to announce the 2026 Lutherville Lab art show, which will be right at home in our school! This will allow families to not only see the art selected for the show, but the wealth of beautiful art on display throughout our building. If you haven't been in for a while - our school is bursting with beautiful color and is a sight to behold!

There will be opportunities to support with mounting art pieces and Mrs. Powell and Mrs. Hopkins would love some volunteers. More information to come on signing up for that opportunity soon!

Our school Instructional Leadership Team recently had an annual check-in with the Director of School Performance. In that meeting we learned that there is a ranking for all 1448 schools in Maryland showing how each school performed relative to their comparison school group. In that ranking, Lutherville Lab ranked #37 in the state of Maryland, our of 1448 schools. And 18 of the schools ahead of us have a selective admissions process, such as Eastern Tech and Carver Center, in BCPS.

On this metric (outcomes relative to similar schools), Lutherville Lab is performing in the 97th% of schools in the state of Maryland. WAY TO GO LEOPARDS!!

In December, the Maryland State Department of Education updated their "Similar Schools" comparisons, which shows how a school, in this case Lutherville Lab, compares to schools with similar student characteristics: grade space, race/ethnicity, economic disadvantage, multilingual learners, and students with disabilities.

This is another lens onto the excellent work that the teachers and staff are doing with students at Lutherville, in partnership with our community. We hope that you, too, take great pride in the work we are doing together!

Curiosity is peaked in Mrs. Levy's math lesson today!

Here is a Mental Health Message that can bring a smile to your face and something you can use. Have you ever experienced laughing out of control? Did you know what the benefits of laughing are? Understanding the positive impacts of laughter can increase a person’s knowledge of mental health wellness. Studies show that laughter has lots of health benefits – with no side effects either-

Here is what expert, Dr Michael Sass, DO describes why laughter is the best medicine:

· Releases endorphins and decreases pain: Laughter feels good because the brain produces endorphins, which are chemicals that promote feelings of happiness and well-being. Studies have found that a funny movie could increase pain tolerance and decrease anxiety.

· Stress reduction: More endorphins will elevate a person’s mood as well as reduce stress. A good laugh pr “Humor Therapy” can set a positive tone for someone’s day.

· Immune System Support: When someone laughs, the body will produce less stress hormones such as cortisol. Laughter can activate infection fighting cells, helping the body fight stress reactions.

· Improve mood and brainpower: Laughter can lighten your mood and will improve self-esteem. Studies have shown that laughter can help increase learning and memory.

Here are some ways to increase your laughter:

1. Watch something funny such as an animal video or something that you enjoy. Build it in to your day- mental health scrolling- not doom scrolling.

2. Share a Joke- maybe it’s a pun or a humorous memory.

3. Spend time with pets. Animals can play games or have a playful nature.

4. Dance and connect with friends. Reach out to a friend that makes you laugh. Play your Favorite tune and crank the music up. Encourage others around you to let loose.

Resources and more information:

Here’s Why Laughter is the Best Medicine

Laughter is the Best Medicine

Volunteers and visitors are both vital to our operations and events here at school, but there is a big and important difference in the role. While visitors focus on experiencing something alongside only their own children, or viewing an event in which their children are participating, volunteers directly engage students other than their own, and as such must complete volunteer training annually and be on the approved list prior to the event. This process can take time after submissions, which is why we have been encouraging completion since August and must be submitted at least one week prior to events.

The Process:

1) Complete the Orientation Video and receive your certificate.

2) Complete the Volunteer Application, attaching your certificate.

3) Await receipt of your approval via email.

Volunteers:

• Play a role at class parties
• Have a role at class picnics
• Run a station at Sports Day
• Run a station at Colonial Day (5th)
• Chaperone children on field trips

Visitors:

• Observe learning at American Education Week
• Appear as a mystery reader
• Present at Career Day
• Attend Kindergarten Celebration
• Attend 5th Grade Farewell
• Attend a class party or picnic to celebrate with your child.

The distinction -- if you are attending an event in which you'll be working with or supervising children other than your own, then volunteer training must be completed. Teachers may only select folks for these roles from approved volunteers, so it is recommended that you not wait until something comes around that you would like to volunteer for; other eager parents who are approved volunteers may be ready to pounce on that opportunity while you are awaiting approval.

On Monday, Dr. Rogers will present her proposed budget to an audience at Carver Center. This is shaping up to be another difficult budget cycle. We encourage families to stay informed next week and as the process plays out in the weeks and months ahead.

In preparation, BCPS has created this Budget 101 website, which provides pertinent information.

LEGO night - Tuesday 1/13 - Lego Night is this coming Tuesday! This is a great opportunity to come and free build with provided legos, complete challenges and/or bring a set of your own to construct! Come enjoy pizza and a build among friends!

Young Entrepreneur Initiative- Join us after school Thursday 1/29 and Thursday 2/26 from 4-5:30pm for our two after school workshops with fun activities to help develop ideas and skills.

Look for more communication soon to sign up for a table at our Community Entrepreneur Fair on Sun. 3/22 1-2pm.

Book Fair- Volunteers needed for Set Up the evening of Fri. 1./30 as well as throughout the school day the first week of Feb (2/2-2/6) and the evenings of 2/3 and 2/5. Sign up information coming soon.

Heart for Hopkins- Save the date for our Heart for Hopkins event on Fri 2/20 from 6-8pm.

Please email LuthervilleLabPTA@gmail.com for any questions or to let us know if you are able to help with any of the above events.

Lastly, if we have any parents interested in helping to set up Spirit Nights at local restaurants, Food Truck Night, or help with our Orioles and Hershey Park tickets fundraisers, please contact LuthervilleLabPTA@gmail.com.

Book Drive: January 2026 -Thank you to all those who have sent in books! We are doing great with our Book Drive so far. At this point, we are especially in need of graphic novels, chapter books and novels for our upper grades. Thank you, Leopards!

Please find previous Lab Reports via the following links:

Dec 5, 19

Nov 7, 21

Oct 3, 17
Sept 5, 19
Aug 22

June 13th, 2025 (with links to 24-25 Lab Reports)

June 7th, 2024 (with links to 23-24 Lab Reports)

June 9th, 2023 (with links to 22-23 Lab Reports)

June 17th, 2022 (with links to 21-22 Lab Reports)

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