The Panther Post

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Dear Laurel Woods Community,

We are excited to host our second Coffee and Conversation on Friday, January 23rd, from 8:45–9:45 AM in the cafeteria. Please click here to let us know if you will be joining us—we hope to see you there!

As a reminder, there will be no school tomorrow, Monday, January 19th, in observance of Martin Luther King Jr. Day.

With Pride,

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

Our Year-to-Date (YTD) Attendance Rate reflects the percentage of school days our students have attended LWES from the beginning of the school year up to the current date. Last year, we finished the year with a 93.2% attendance rate. This year, our goal is to reach 95%. Currently, we are at 94%, and with your continued support, we know we can reach our goal by the end of the year.

To keep you informed of our progress, we will share our updated YTD attendance rate each week in our newsletter.

Thank you for your continued support in helping our students be present and engaged in school every single day!

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.

Thursday, February 5th

Afternoon conferences (approximately 12:30-3:30pm) are in-person

Evening conferences (approximately 3:30-6:30pm) if offered, are virtual only

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Friday, February 6th

(Conferences offered ONLY IF teacher held NO Thursday night virtual conference slots)

Afternoon conferences (approximately 12:30-3:30pm) are virtual only

Conference scheduling opens for families on Thursday, January 22 at 8:00 a.m. and closes on January 30 at 4:00 p.m.

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.

• 🍕🍕🍕January 28th - 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! 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. Be on the lookout for a flier and links.

• 🌞☀️🌞 January (date TBD) 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

January

• 01/19: Schools & Offices Closed- Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day

• 01/22: 8:00am Conference Scheduling Opens, 8:00 am; 12:15pm LWES closes, early dismissal (Staff professional learning day)

• 01/23: 8:45am Coffee and Conversation w/Admin; End of 2nd quarter

• 01/26: Schools Closed for Students (Professional Work Day)

• 01/28: 4:00pm Targeted Math Night; 5:00pm Mobile Library; PTO Domino Pizza Fundraiser

February

• 02/02: Black History Month Tribute Assembly
• 02/03: 2nd Q Report Cards Issued
• 02/04: Schools Closed Countywide Professional Learning Day
• 02.05: 12:15pm Dismissal- LWES Closes 3 hr early, Parent/Teacher Conferences
• 02.06: 12:15pm Dismissal-LWES Closes 3 hr early, Parent/Teacher Conferences
• 02.16: Presidents' Day 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

We are “searching” for volunteers to read in our classrooms from now until the end of the school year. Since this is meant to be a MYSTERY, all information is meant to be kept from your child, including the day that you are reading and the clues you will share about yourself. Students love having a family member or special person visit and share in learning by reading a favorite story aloud!

Your child’s teacher can provide you with a book to read, or you can bring one of your favorite books. (the book will need to be approved in advance by LWES staff)

Any adult (parent, guardian, grandparent, aunt/uncle, older sibling) is welcome to join in the fun! If you are interested, please fill out and return this form.

Interest Form

Interest Form-Spanish

Our Family and Community Engagement Contact, Nikee Singh will contact you to schedule a date and time for you to be a MYSTERY READER.

During our most recent Coffee and Conversation, a suggestion was shared to allow students to enter the building early during rainy or stormy weather so they are not standing outside in inclement conditions. To help bring this plan to fruition, we need your support!

If you are available between 8:20–8:30 a.m. and are flexible to be notified the day of to help supervise students, please complete this form. An LWES staff member will be in touch with you soon.

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

If you have a child who will be 5 years old by September 1, 2026, please join HCPSS for a Kindergarten information session. All sessions will begin promptly at 6:30pm. No registration is required and child care is available at each session for children ages 2 and older. In the event the in-person sessions are cancelled due to snow, please join the virtual event on 1/28. For more information, please visit HERE.

• Monday, January 12 @ Centennial High School
• Tuesday, January 20 @ Guilford Park High School
• Wednesday, January 28, Virtual Event Hosted by the Howard County Library.

This FREE and VIRTUAL event, scheduled for January 27th at 6pm, is open to all. Participants will engage in a read aloud of the book Like THAT Eleanor: The Amazing Power of Being an Ally by Lee Wind, followed by a discussion with the author. The first 50 families with children in grades 5 and under who register for the program will receive a free copy of the book, courtesy of our partner, CARY.
Flier
Register HERE

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.