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Dear Laurel Woods Community,

🌈 There’s No Place Like Our School! 🌈

Wow, what a fantastic end to last week! Our production of The Wizard of Oz was truly magical. The cast and chorus did an outstanding job, and we are so proud of all of our talented students for their hard work and dedication.

A HUGE shout-out goes to Mrs. Green, Mr. Hay, and Mrs. Garland for leading and directing this incredible musical experience. We also want to extend our heartfelt thanks to all of the staff members who supported the production behind the scenes and on performance night. Finally, thank you to our amazing families for your encouragement, support, and enthusiasm every step of the way. It was truly two nights to remember!

As Dorothy discovered, “There’s no place like home,” and we feel so lucky to have such a wonderful school community.

It’s hard to believe, but we are officially beginning our End-of-the-Year Countdown! Starting on Tuesday, May 12, we will celebrate the last 26 days of the school year with a fun ABC Countdown! Each day will match a different letter of the alphabet with exciting themes and activities for students and staff to enjoy together.

Join us as we click our ruby slippers together and celebrate the final journey down the Yellow Brick Road of the 2026–2027 school year. We can’t wait to make these last days filled with fun, laughter, learning, and memories!

✨ Follow the Yellow Brick Road… all the way to summer! ✨

Warmly,

Tanisha

Join us for our Middle School Transition Night as we help students and families prepare for an exciting next step at Murray Hill Middle School!

📅 Tuesday, May 19
🕔 5:00 PM – 6:30 PM
📍 Laurel Woods Elementary School
🍽️ Grab-and-go dinner provided
✨ Sponsored by Title I

Participants will have the opportunity to:

• Meet administrators and student support staff from Murray Hill Middle School

• Learn about important middle school topics and expectations

• Participate in interactive Q&A sessions with middle school staff and students

• Connect with other incoming middle school families

We hope you will join us for an informative and welcoming evening as we support a smooth transition to middle school!

If you would like to volunteer at field day this year, please read through all the information in the link below and complete if you would like to volunteer. You only need to complete one of the forms if you would like to volunteer.

A heartfelt THANK YOU to our amazing PTO and families for making Staff Appreciation Week so special! Our staff works incredibly hard every single day, and your kindness and generosity truly made them feel celebrated and valued.

From the delicious breakfast and lunch to the snacks, treats, and thoughtful surprises along the way, every detail brought smiles to our staff’s faces. Your support and appreciation mean so much, and we are grateful to be part of such a caring and supportive school community.

Thank you!

As a reminder, all testing takes place in the morning, so arriving on time is key. Thank you for helping set our students up for success each day!

Tips for Test Days:

• Make sure your child gets a good night’s rest and eats a healthy breakfast before testing, either at home or at school.

• Students should arrive at school on time (8:45) on testing days so they do not need to be pulled out of class instruction for make-up sessions. If your student eats breakfast at school they should arrive at 8:30. Breakfast ends at 8:45.

• Please avoid early dismissals during testing sessions to ensure their time is uninterrupted.

• Personal electronic devices (cell phones, iPads, smart watches, etc.) are not permitted in the testing areas.

Grade 1 and 2 students completed the Reading MAP assessment last week and will take the Math assessment on Thursday, 5/14. Grades 3 and 4 will take the Math assessment on Friday, 5/15. These grades do not take the Reading assessment in the Spring because they are taking MCAP. Grade 5 does not take either the Reading or the Math MAP assessment in the Spring

To learn more about the MAP assessment, please visit: https://www.nwea.org/the-map-suite/common-questions-families/

The Spring testing schedule is:

• Grade 1 - 5/4 ELA, 5/14 Math

• Grade 2 - 5/4 ELA, 5/14 Math

• Grade 3 - 5/15 Math

• Grade 4 - 5/15 Math

• Grade 5 - N/A

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! 💙

Happy May! We can’t believe we have made it to the final stretch of the school year! We have some upcoming events and recaps to share with you, but first, take a moment to read about the differences between being a PTO Member and serving on the PTO Board. The PTO is in need of individuals to serve on the PTO executive board for the 2026-27 school year - in fact, without these volunteers the PTO will move to an “inactive” status which will mean PTO sponsored events and initiatives will not happen for the 26/27 school year. If you are interested in serving on the PTO Executive board, please email Kelly at ptolwes@gmail.com and be sure to join us on Thursday, May 21st to vote on the future of the LWES PTO.

📅 Upcoming PTO Events

Mark your calendars! Here are some of the awesome events and initiatives we’ve got coming up:

☀️ Sunshine Families - Teacher & Staff Appreciation Week - May 4-8
This week we will be showering our teachers and staff in little and big ways to show how much we appreciate them! This year’s theme is “Thank you for being a part of our story!” The PTO will be providing lunch, breakfast, snacks and treats throughout the week. You can donate money here if you’d like to be a part of these efforts!

We are also asking for students to get involved:

🧁🍭🍫Monday: Bring a sweet treat for a teacher or staff member

🩷💜💙Tuesday: Wear your teacher’s favorite color. Color list here.

📝🗒️✏️Wednesday: Choose a teacher and give them one of these notes.

🌷💐🌻Thursday: Bring a flower or a picture of a flower to a staff member.

🙌🏻🙌🏻🙌🏻Friday: Give a high five to every staff member you see!

🌎International Night - Friday, May 15th

We are excited to promote and support International Night on Friday, May 15. Join us for to experience the many cultures that make up our vibrant school community! 6:30-8pm in the LWES Cafeteria

📅 PTO General Meeting – May 21st
Mark your calendars! Our May PTO General Meeting is scheduled for Thursday, May 21. This will be an important meeting as we determine the future of the PTO - We’d love to see you over Zoom!

🎉Save The Date - End of Year Block Party - Thursday, June 4th

Thank you for participating in our events!

📕 Yearbook sales are now closed. The PTO will have a limited number of yearbooks available for sale at the End of Year Picnic.

🌟Get Involved!

Our last meeting this year will take place from 7-8pm on May 21st. All meetings will be on Zoom. At our next meeting, we will share a recap of the year, end of year events and vote on board positions for the 2026-2027 school year!

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

• Sunshine Families: Help show love to our teachers with appreciation events in April, 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

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

May

• 05.13: 4th Grade Field Trip to Maryland Zoo
• 05.13: 5:15-6:30pm Rising Kindergarten Readiness Night
• NEW - May 14: Full Day for Students - NEW
• 05.14: National Speech Pathologist Day 💬💙
• 05.15: 6:30pm Culture Night
• 05.18: National Speech Pathologist Day
• 05.19: 5:15pm Middle School Transition Night
• 05.21: 7:00pm PTO Meeting
• 05.22: Field Day
• 05.25: Memorial Day- School Closed
• 05.27: Eid ul-Adha-School Closed
• 05.29: 8:45am Coffee and Conversation w/Admin

June

• 06.02: 5th Grade Simulated Congressional Hearings (SCH)
• 06.03: 9:00am FSP Steering Committee Meeting
• 06.04: 6:00pm- PTO Block Party
• 06.05: LWES Field Day Rain Date
• 06.08: HCPL Summer Reading Presentation
• 06.16-06.18: Early Dismissal, 12:15 pm
• 06.16: 8:30am 5th Grade Promotion Ceremony
• 06.17: 5th Grade Picnic
• 06.18: Last day for students

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

This weekend, our Best Buddies After School Program, led by Ms. Hendricks and Mr. Egert, proudly participated in the Best Buddies Friendship Walk at the University of Maryland. The Best Buddies Friendship Walk is the leading walk in the country supporting people with intellectual and developmental disabilities

We are so proud of our students for showing up, participating, and representing what inclusion looks like in action! 💜

All students in grades 1-4 will take the Measured Academic Progress (MAP) assessment during the Spring testing window. Grades 1 & 2 will take it for both ELA and Math and grades 3 & 4 will take it only for Math. Grade 5 does not take MAP in the Spring.

The data from the MAP assessment will help schools and teachers measure your student’s academic progress. The MAP test does not affect grades and the difficulty adjusts depending on how your child responds. To learn more about the MAP assessment, please visit: https://www.nwea.org/the-map-suite/common-questions-families/

Please note that there is no need for your child to study for the MAP assessment. Arriving on time to school on testing days is very important, however, if your child is absent, makeups will be offered within the testing window. As usual, please make sure they are well rested and eat their normal breakfast the day of testing.

The Spring testing schedule is:

• Grade 1 - 5/4 ELA, 5/14 Math

• Grade 2 - 5/4 ELA, 5/14 Math

• Grade 3 - 5/15 Math

• Grade 4 - 5/15 Math

• Grade 5 - N/A

May 5th–May 9th is nationally recognized as Teacher Appreciation Week. At LWES, we take this opportunity to celebrate all of our staff members, because every adult in our building plays an important role in supporting our students each and every day. No matter their title, their impact is meaningful and lasting.

We are also incredibly grateful to our PTO, who has planned an amazing week to celebrate and recognize our staff, along with opportunities for students and families to participate throughout the building. Please see the flyer below for more details on how to join in the celebration!

Thank you, as always, for your continued support of our incredible LWES staff. We are truly grateful each day to work alongside such a dedicated, caring, and hardworking team.

In our continuous effort to build and maintain a strong LWES community, we would like your feedback on our initiatives this school year. Our partnership with you is vital to our students' success, and your insights help us refine our programs to better serve each family.

Please take a few minutes to complete our 2026 Family School Partnership Survey. Your responses are confidential and will be used to guide our future planning.

• Why is the bus evacuation drill only for students who ride a bus? Shouldn’t ALL students know what to do in case of an emergency on the bus - like when they are on a bus for a field trip? Everyone’s safety should be considered. The bus evacuation drills are scheduled and structured by our Central Office, which is why they are currently conducted with students who regularly ride the bus prior to school. That said, we agree that all students should have a basic understanding of bus safety, especially for situations like field trips. To support this, we will provide teachers with materials (such as slides) to review with their classes so that all students are familiar with what to do in the event of an emergency while on a bus.
• Is it possible to schedule dress up days around the related arts schedule? For example, picture day ALWAYS falls on a day there is PE. Next week, “dress to the 9’s” falls on PE day as well. I want my child to fully participate, but that’s hard to do if she’s required to be in athletic gear due to PE. We understand the challenge you’re describing and appreciate you wanting your child to fully participate in both activities. Because PE is part of the daily schedule across grade levels, it’s not feasible for us to plan school-wide dress-up days around related arts. However, students are welcome to bring a change of clothes or shoes so they can participate in both the dress-up day and PE comfortably.
• I’m concerned about the safety of students and families with the new drop off and dismissal procedures. With so many students exiting from the front of the building, it creates a problem of overcrowded sidewalks and no place for families to go except sometimes into the bus lane. I’ve witnessed a student push off of one of the buses as it was turning through the bus lane. Small children are especially at risk. I understand the reasons why dismissal was moved to the front, but the blacktop offered a safer alternative as well as a chance for families to build community with one another. It is also strange to me that kindergarten now exits by the dumpsters instead of out of the kindergarten doors. Thank you for sharing your concerns and for taking the time to describe what you’ve observed. Student and family safety is always our top priority. We are continuously monitoring, revising, and adjusting our arrival and dismissal processes to ensure they are as safe and efficient as possible. We recognize that having more students exit from the front of the building has created some challenges with space and flow, and we are actively looking at ways to address those concerns. We also appreciate your perspective regarding the kindergarten dismissal location. The hallway referenced is adjacent to one of our PreK classrooms and has traditionally been used for our PreK program entry and dismissal, which informed that decision. That said, we understand your concern and will continue to reflect on whether adjustments are needed. In the meantime, we will reinforce expectations around staying clear of the bus lane and maintaining safe movement during dismissal. We will also continue gathering feedback and suggestions from families and staff as we refine our procedures and plan for the 2026–2027 school year.
• The morning car loop in the lower lot also feels unsafe for students, teachers and safety patrols. Many parents are dropping off in the lower lot as directed, however many parents pull into the upper lot, especially as they get closer to the 8:45am bell. At this time students are still crossing in the crosswalk as cars are continuing to pull in or back up, etc. Carloop was safer in the park access road as students never had to cross an active roadway to get to the building. We understand your observations regarding the lower lot and the challenges that arise when families enter the upper lot, particularly closer to the 8:45 bell when there is increased traffic and student movement. We will continue to reinforce expectations with families about using the designated drop-off location and avoiding the upper lot during arrival times. We also have staff and safety patrols assigned to support students at specific crossing areas, and we will revisit our supervision and traffic flow to see where additional adjustments can be made to improve safety. We recognize that the previous car loop had advantages, and we are continuing to monitor and refine our current procedures.
• Why has admin switched so many veteran teachers grade levels for next school year? Why would you replace an entire grade level ?(5th grade) this is concerning especially as that is a big test taking year as well and now there will not be any teachers with 5th grade experience. Staff morale is low and parents have been concerned about teacher retention (this was brought up at a previous coffee and conversation). This seems like it is purposeful and trying to push good teachers out of LWES. The trending data from 2025-2026 HCEA Job Satisfaction Survey Trend Report for Laurel Woods is one of the worst in the county. Why is administration moving so many teachers for next school year? This will only hurt the students in the long run. Parents have a right to discuss this poor trending data with administration, as it affects our children the most. Parents are very concerned about this trending data and the rumblings of unwanted movement amongst staff. It’s very convenient that you did not hold an April coffee and conversation. We understand that staffing changes can feel unsettling, especially when they impact multiple grade levels, and we appreciate the opportunity to provide some context. Decisions about teacher placement are not made lightly. When considering staffing for the upcoming school year, we look at a variety of factors, including teacher strengths, experience, areas of passion, and most importantly student data and trends. These decisions are made with the goal of maximizing staff strengths and using data to maximize student progress and learning across all grade levels. While there are changes within our 5th grade team for next year, we are confident in the collective expertise of the staff and the support structures in place to ensure a successful year for students. We also recognize the concerns you’ve raised regarding staff morale. As shared this year’s job satisfaction survey data does reflect areas for growth. Change can be challenging, and we are committed to continuing to build strong relationships, improve communication, and support our staff in meaningful ways as we move forward. Staffing for next year is still being finalized. In June, we will share an update with our school community once placements are more settled, and we will provide a mid-summer update if additional changes occur so families remain informed. If you would like to discuss your concerns further, we encourage you to reach out to Tanisha to schedule a time to talk. Regarding Coffee and Conversation, we did not hold a session in April. Attendance at our March Coffee and Conversation had decreased, and our March meeting was shorter than anticipated. We made the decision to pause in April in hopes of encouraging stronger participation in May. We look forward to connecting at our upcoming May Coffee and Conversation, where we will share updates on our focus areas: Reading, Math, Attendance, and Behavior, and gather family feedback on how we can continue strengthening our partnership in these areas and beyond.

During one of our Coffee and Conversations, the opportunity for students to participate in Scouts came up. As Spring rolls around and the weather gets warmer, Scouting America has some exciting activities coming up and invites all youth to come participate and have fun. Whether you are in kindergarten to 5th grade, we have fun festivities for all ages!!!

Check out this link to learn more about the available opportunities.

This summer program is open to all HCPSS students who will be in grades 6-12 for the 2026-27 school year.

• The purpose of the Legacy Leadership Institute is to: cultivate collaboration among students across middle and high schools throughout HCPSS, establish common practices, themes, and plans for GSAs/SAGA clubs for the 2026-27 school year, and for students to participate in student growth and leadership activities.
• If you know of a student who would be a candidate for this program, please share the application form The application form will close on Friday, May 15th and students selected to participate will be notified by Friday, May 29th.

The Mental Health Community Advisory Council (MHCAC) is a group of Howard County mental health professionals and community members who seek to remove barriers and build awareness of mental health support for our children and families.

Please view their MHCAC Spring 2026 Newsletter filled with mental health resources, upcoming events, Spring Break Tips, coping skills, and kindness resources, in your school newsletter.