The Panther Post

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Dear Laurel Woods Community,

Thank you for your patience and understanding as we navigated multiple schedule changes last week—including two weather delays, no school on Wednesday, and two early dismissals for conferences. We are excited to return to our normal schedule and are looking forward to full days of learning this week.

We also appreciate your flexibility as we adjusted our arrival and dismissal procedures. We will continue with the revised process at least through Monday, and we are hopeful that with the warmer weather this week, we will be able to move Carloop back to its original location. We will keep families informed with any updates throughout the week.

Despite the schedule changes, we still had plenty of fun! On Thursday, we welcomed Fidos for Freedom 🐾 , who brought three wonderful dogs for students to meet and pet during rotations in the gym. On Friday, DJ Formerly Known as Live Turkey (Ms. Leclercq)🎶 brought the energy to lunch, turning it into a dance party that had students moving right up until dismissal. We definitely ended the week on a high note!

With Pride,

Dr. Burks, Ms. Braxton, & Ms. Lee

Black History Month is a time when communities, such as ours, give special attention to learning about the contributions and history of African Americans. During February, family members and community members are invited to participate in a very special LWES Black History Month Read-In, celebrating diversity in literature. Click on the link to sign up and we look forward your participation.

The Howard County Literacy Association has posted the names of all county winners on its website. Congratulations to all the winners!

The writing contest is open to all students in grades 1 through 12 in public and private schools across Howard County. Participating schools submitted their winning poems and short stories to the county level of the Young Authors’ Contest.

We are so proud of our students who participated!

LWES Winners:

Rachel P. - 5th poetry

Ilaan W.- 5th Short story

Nova S. - 2nd short story

Other participants:

Logan B - 5th SS

Siguya W. - 2nd SS

Quarter 2 report cards will be available in HCPSS Connect Synergy after 4 p.m on Feb. 9, revised date due to recent school closures. A hard copy will also be sent home in your child's bookbag today.

This spring, HCPSS is offering its Supportive Parenting for Anxious Childhood Emotions program (SPACE), a no-cost, evidenced-based training program to assist parents/guardians in helping their children manage anxiety. HCPSS will offer five SPACE groups, listed below. Each group will be facilitated by two licensed HCPSS mental health staff members.

• Two groups for parents of middle and high school students (one virtual and one in-person)

• Two groups for parents of elementary students (one virtual and one in-person)

• One group for parents of Pre-K students (ages 4 & 5)

All groups will meet weekly, in the evenings, beginning the week of March 9, 2026 and ending the week of April 27, 2026, for a total of seven sessions. There will be no meetings the week of Spring Break (March 30-April 6, 2026).

Parents/guardians interested in participating in SPACE should complete the registration form that is associated with the group they wish to join by February 13, 2026. Please note that capacity is limited; parents/guardians may be placed on a waitlist if sessions fill up.

SPACE Registration Form

Thank you to those who were able to join us for our Coffee and Conversation on Friday, January 23rd. We have compiled the questions and discussion points from the meeting and are in the process of gathering responses and resources to share with you.

Due to the school closure the following week, we are still finalizing some of the information. Please use the link below to review what we have gathered so far. Our goal is to provide more complete and detailed follow-up responses by next week.

Stay in the loop with all the exciting events hosted and organized by our Family Resource Center — you won’t want to miss what’s coming up! 👀📅

Click on the link below! 👇

We truly value input from our families and community partners as we strive to grow and improve. Your feedback helps us better serve our students—so please don’t hesitate to share your thoughts with our LWES administrative team. Your response can remain anonymous, or you can provide your name for a follow-up phone call.

💙 Hello Laurel Woods Families! 💙

The PTO has some exciting events and ways to get involved—read on for all the highlights!

📅 Upcoming PTO Events

Mark your calendars! Here are some of the awesome events and initiatives we’ve got coming up later this month and in the new year:

• 🍕🍕🍕 January 28th - February 11th - Sign up to participate in the Domino’s “Slice the Price” Fundraiser! Sign up HERE!

• Ever wish your Dominoes pizza order could double? Our coupon card fundraiser will help make it a reality all year long - buy a large and get a large pizza for free with the Slice the Price card! (unlimited quantities - buy 1, get 1 free, buy 10, get 10 free) The cost of the card is just $20 and doubles all your large pizza orders all year long - use the card as many times for as many pizzas as you’d like until it expires on 12/31/2026.

• ☀️☀️☀️February 13th - Sunshine Families Cheer Cart - We will be visiting teachers and staff during planning periods so they can select their favorite treats. Donate prepackaged items or drinks OR donate money on Givebacks and the PTO will purchase!

• 🩷🩷🩷Raise Craze is coming! Save the dates (Spanish) for our Kindness Fundraiser - now beginning February 13th (rescheduled due to the snow days)! Commit to acts of kindness in your home, school and community and raise money for the LWES PTO!

• 🌮🌯🥙February 18th - join us from 4-8pm for a dine-out at Chipotle (Spanish version here) at 11811 W. Market Pl. Fulton. Order online using code FW4NJDB

• 🏆🎨🏆Thank you to all students who submitted yearbook covers in our Yearbook Cover Contest. Please vote for your favorite HERE! Voting will be open through Friday 2/13.

• 📚📖📕 Yearbook sales are open online! Use code: 15436926. Yearbooks are $28 through 3/31. From April 1st to May 1st, the price increases to $30. Don’t delay, order your yearbook today!

• March 3rd - Join us for a fundraiser at Chuck E. Cheese 12:30-9pm! Keep an eye out for Chuck E. at dismissal!

🕰 Looking Back

Thank you for participating in our events!

• We have raised $490 towards our goal of $1000 from the Domoino's Fundraiser. Track our progress here.

• January General Membership Meeting - please take a moment to view our meeting slides here. We hope to see you at our next meeting on March 19th, 7pm on Zoom!

• Noodle & Co - Thanks to all families that joined us at Noodle & Co. for a dine out - we raised $112.30 for the PTO!

Do you have photos to share with us of these events? Would you love to see them in the yearbook? Please email photos to ptolwesmedia@gmail.com, making sure that any students who are pictured have photo release consent on file within their HCPSS Family File.

🌟 Get Involved!

Our remaining meetings this year will take place from 7-8pm on Mar. 19th and May 16th. All meetings will be on Zoom. At our next meeting, we will share fundraising successes, upcoming events, and even more opportunities to get involved!

Looking for even more ways to lend a hand? Read on!

• Sunshine Families: Help show love to our teachers with appreciation events in January, March, and May.

• Media Center Volunteers: contact Sarai_Gray@hcpss.org for details.

• Would your restaurant like to host a LWES PTO fundraiser? Let us know!

• PTO Board Positions for the 2026-2027 school year - We’d love for you to join us - reach out and shadow us at our meetings this spring.

• PTO Volunteer Coordinator: can you rally a crowd to help out in a pinch? We’d love for you to be our PTO Volunteer Coordinator!

Have a great idea for an event or project? Let us know—we’d love to hear from you!

Reach out to ptolwes@gmail.com to sign up for any of the opportunities above or recommend your own!

📱 Stay Connected

Follow us on Facebook to stay up to date on events, reminders, and ways to be involved.

Warmly,

💙 The LWES PTO

February

• 02.09: Report Cards come home in your child's bookbag
• 02.10: Black History Trivia Assembly- Rescheduled due to weather
• 02.11: PTO Domino Fundraiser ends; 100th Day of School
• 02.13: PTO Sunshine Families Cheer Cart visits Staff; PTO Raise Craze begins
• 02.16: Presidents' Day School Closed
• 02.17: Lunar New Year School Closed
• 02.18: PTO Dine Out @ Chipotle
• 02.23: Vision Van - Vision Screening for 3rd - 5th Graders
• 02.24: Vision Van - Vision Screening for 3rd - 5th Graders
• 02.25: 5:00pm Mobile Library
• 02.26: 6:15pm Black History Trivia Night
• 02.27: 8:45am Coffee and Conversation w/Admin

For a complete list of dates and events visit https://lwes.hcpss.org/events

Our custodial staff have been working tirelessly this week to ensure our campus is safe and welcoming as we prepare to welcome students and staff back to school. We are ready for our students to return!

A heartfelt thank you to Mr. Curry, Mr. Asante, Mr. Carter, and all HCPSS grounds staff for their incredible efforts clearing parking lots, pathways, and sidewalks. We are truly grateful for the care and dedication you show our school community.

Although there were no school days this past week, we have officially begun Quarter 3! Thank you to each of you for the important role you play in making the first half of the school year such a success and we are looking forward to the 2nd half of the year.

Due to the recent snow days, we have adjusted our MAP testing schedule to allow students time to settle back into their routines before testing. Below is the updated testing schedule.

Testing Schedule

• Grade 1 - 2/11 Math, 2/23 ELA

• Grade 2 - 2/11 Math, 2/24 ELA

• Grade 3 - 2/13 Math, 2/24 ELA

• Grade 4 - 2/9 Math, 2/23 ELA

• Grade 5 - completed both ELA and Math

We are looking forward to welcoming students back to LWES this week. Due to the amount of snow and ice that remains on campus, we have adjusted our arrival and dismissal procedures to ensure student safety.

Please know that student safety is our top priority. As a result, we anticipate delays and a slower-than-usual process at both arrival and dismissal to maintain safe conditions for students, families, and staff. Please plan your morning/afternoon accordingly, there WILL be delays and we need everyone to drive safely.

Please take a moment to familiarize yourself with our revised procedures to ensure the safety of everyone and thank you in advance for your support and collaborative in carefully following the procedures.

Click on the link below👇🏾

A huge thank you to everyone who joined us for Coffee and Conversation this past Friday. We appreciated the meaningful dialogue and collaborative problem-solving around issues impacting our school community. We are currently following up on several questions and suggestions that were raised and will be in touch with updates soon. We hope you’ll consider joining us for our next Coffee and Conversation on Friday, February 27th.

HCPSS families are invited to attend the 2026 Family Academy Conference on Wednesday, March 4, 2026, from 5:30–8:30 pm at Long Reach High School. This free, districtwide event brings families, educators, and community partners together for an evening of learning, connection, and support. Families can enjoy a light dinner, a community resource fair, interactive workshops focused on academic achievement and well-being, and free childcare. Workshops will include topics such as college and career readiness, special education supports, curriculum updates, and hands-on learning strategies for use at home. Interpretation services will be available.

Register online: English, Español, 中文, 한국어

Saturday, March 14, 2026 10:00 a.m.-1:00 p.m. at the Cedar Lane School

The HCPSS Special Education Resource Fair provides families with information available from the community and HCPSS to support their students receiving special education and related services. Get connected to: Services within HCPSS, Recreational Activities, Camps, Community Groups, Service Providers, Transition Information, Assistive Technology, Behavioral Health, Howard County Government Resources, and Much More!

This spring, HCPSS again will offer its Supportive Parenting for Anxious Childhood Emotions program (SPACE), a no-cost, evidenced-based training program to assist parents/guardians in helping their children manage anxiety. HCPSS will offer five SPACE groups, listed below. Each group will be facilitated by two licensed HCPSS mental health staff members.

• Two groups for parents of middle and high school students (one virtual and one in-person)
• Two groups for parents of elementary students (one virtual and one in-person)
• One group for parents of Pre-K students (ages 4 & 5)

All groups will meet weekly, starting the week of March 9, 2026 and ending the week of April 27, 2026, for a total of seven sessions. There will be no meetings the week of Spring Break (March 30-April 6, 2026). Register here

The HCPSS Family Empowerment Academy is designed to equip parents and guardians with practical strategies, resources, and insights to support their children’s academic, social, and emotional success. The academy will take place on four consecutive Saturdays- March 7 through March 28, 2026, from 9:00-10:30 AM- and will feature interactive learning experiences, guest speakers, and opportunities to connect with other HCPSS families. Participation is limited to 30 participants, and registration is first-come, first-served. Attendance is encouraged for all four sessions. Language interpretation and childcare will be provided. Please complete the application form to be considered for participation.

Brainfuse HelpNow is now available 24/7 for all library users, expanding access beyond the previous 2 p.m.–midnight live tutoring hours. This means students and caregivers can connect with live online tutoring and academic support anytime that fits their schedule. Brainfuse HelpNow is available on the HCLS websiteLinks to an external site., and video and written instructions on how to use the resource are available hereLinks to an external site.. First-time users will need to create a username and password

HCPSS families are invited to save the date for the 2026 Family Academy Conference on Wednesday, March 4, 2026, from 6:00–8:30 pm at Long Reach High School. Families can look forward to a light dinner, a community resource fair, and interactive workshops focused on academic achievement, well-being, and family engagement. Workshop topics will include college and career readiness, special education supports, curriculum updates, hands-on learning strategies for use at home, and more. For more information, visit HCPSS News

Howard County is full of wonderful resources for families. Sometimes it can be hard to know where to start looking. There’s a helpful website that brings all these resources together in one place. You can search by topic and zip code. You can visit the website using the link below or download the CAREapp Howard County on your phone for easy access. We hope this tool makes it easier to find services for food, health, housing, transportation, education, employment assistance, and more https://findhcresources.org/

The Mental Health Advisory Council (MHCAC) is a group of community members who seek to remove barriers and build awareness for behavioral health support in Howard County for our children and families. Check out this flyer for more information.