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Dear Laurel Woods Community,

Welcome back! I hope your spring break brought you time to rest, recharge, and enjoy special moments with family and friends. It’s so nice to have everyone back together as we head into the final stretch of the school year.

This week, we have a wonderful opportunity to celebrate two very special members of our school family—Khalilah Braxton and Katie Lee as part of National Assistant Principal Week. Their care for our students, support for our staff, and leadership each day truly make a difference. In so many ways, they are the 🍒cherry on top🍒—adding that extra touch that makes our school such a positive and supportive place to learn and grow.

Please join me in showing appreciation this week.

Warmly,

Tanisha

Individual student pictures will be taken on Friday, April 10th. All students will have their picture taken, however there is no scheduled retake if they are absent. If you'd like to order a picture package, order forms will be coming home today, 4/6. Orders may be placed online at mylifetouch.com using our school code: EVTQQ9VKC or by returning the order form with payment in the attached envelope on picture day with your student. Click here to view the flyer.

Following the Board of Education’s recent adjustments to the school year calendar, HCPSS met the 180 days and 1,170 hours required by the State for high schools to be open for students. Unfortunately, a two-hour delay on March 3 resulted in a one-hour deficit, and a three-hour early dismissal on March 16 added three additional hours to that deficit.

To account for the four-hour total deficit in high school, the following adjustments are being made to the 2025-2026 school year calendar:

• Monday, June 8: Previously scheduled as a three-hour early dismissal and now will be a full day for all students.
• Beginning Monday, May 4, the high school student day will begin at 7:48 a.m., two minutes earlier than the current 7:50 start time. This will add a total of 1 hour and 4 minutes to the school year for high schools. The bus pickup schedule will remain unimpacted, and middle and elementary schools will not have an extended student day.

Howard County Public School's Title I Office receives Title I funds to provide additional support and resources to Title I Schools. The Title I Office supports family engagement through the implementation of its Parent, Family, and Community Engagement Plan and by providing schools with funds to support family engagement.

The Virtual Family Resource Center is open for monthly orders. The order form is available here: Family Resource Order Link. Please return reusable bags. Thank you!

Generation Teach is returning to Laurel Woods! Monday - Friday 8:30am - 4:00pm. No cost to families. Breakfast, lunch, and materials included. Classes in engineering, law, math, and reading along with arts, sports, games, field trips, competition and prizes! June 29th - July 31st. All students currently in K - 4 are welcome! Registration open! Please let Alesia Richter, Community Schools Site Coordinator know if you have any questions. Generation Teach Enrollment

Girls on the Run is now registering for our spring session. Information below. Scholarships are available. Please reach out to the Family Resource Center if you would like to have your daughter participate and need financial assistance.

flyer GOTR SP26.pdf

Spanish.pdf

Free family workshops! Check out these flyers

OCF Family Workshops April 2026.pdf (Spanish)

OCF Family Workshops April 2026.pdf

Girls on the Run is now registering for our spring session. Information below. Scholarships are available. Please reach out to the Family Resource Center if you would like to have your daughter participate and need financial assistance.

flyer GOTR SP26.pdf

Spanish.pdf

Roving Radish The market will be at Laurel Woods this week on Wednesday, April 8th from 5pm - 7pm.

ABOVE After School Basketball Program - has opening: $175 a month. Meets every day after school until 5:15 pm. Please contact Alesia Richter with any questions.

Mobile Library is returning to Laurel Woods on Wednesday April 22nd from 5pm - 6pm. Students and families will have the opportunity to check out free books and materials. All returns can be made to Laurel Woods.

English Classes - Tuesday, April 7th 6pm - 7:30pm. This is for returning students that registered at the start of the year. We plan to have a new class beginning in September. Registration will be in August. Look here for more information!

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! 💙

We hope everyone had a wonderful Spring Break! Welcome back for 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 - Monday April 6th

• 🪴Garden Club - Saturday April 18th - 10-11AM

• 📕 Yearbook sales are open online through May 1st! Use code: 15436926. Yearbooks are $30. Don’t delay, order your yearbook today!
• 🏆Teacher and Staff Appreciation Week - May 4-8, more information coming soon!
• 📅 PTO General Meeting – May 21st

Mark your calendars! Our May PTO General Meeting is scheduled for Thursday, March 12. 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!

✨ PTO Event Recaps ✨

Raise Craze wrapped up in March and we raised $796.77 for our school and PTO and completed 67 acts of kindness! Great job, Panthers!

Chuck E. Cheese Fundraiser Success!
Our Chuck E. Cheese fundraiser raised $162.62! Thank you to everyone who showed up to support the LWES PTO.

Thank you for joining us for our March General Membership Meeting! If you missed it, you can find the meeting slides here. Please reach out with any questions!

📸 Do you have photos to share with us from any of our PTO 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 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

April

• NEW - 04.6: Full Day for Students - NEW
• 04.07: Vision to Learn - Vision Van
• 04.08: Kindergarten Registration Event
• 04.09: Vision to Learn - Vision Van
• 04.10 Spring Individual Pictures
• 04.14: End of Third Quarter; 2nd Gr-Fire Safety House Presentation
• NEW - 04.15: Schools Close 3 Hours Early (No half-day pre-K/RECC) - Professional Learning/Work Day - NEW
• 04.17: 5th Gr Panoramic Picture
• 04.18: 10:00am-11:00am PTO Garden Club Spring Freshen Up
• 04.19-04.25: National School Library Week - Theme: “Find Your Joy”
• 04.20: 9:00-10:30 Kindergarten In-House Library Visit
• 04.22: 5:00-6:00 Mobile Library; Earth Day; Report Cards Issued
• 04.24: 7:00pm Battle of the Books;
  1st Grade Zoo Field Trip
  
• 04.27: Vision Van
• 04.28: Vision Van
• 04.29: 7:00pm Spring Band/Strings Concert @ RHS

May

• 05.01: Last day to purchase Yearbook online
• 05.02: 8:30am Best Buddies Walk at University of Maryland College Park
• 05.04-05.08: Teacher and Staff Appreciation Week
• 05.07: 7:00pm Spring Musical - Wizard of Oz
• 05.08: 7:00pm Spring Musical - Wizard of Oz
• 05.13: 4th Grade Field Trip to Maryland Zoo
• 05.15: 6:30pm Culture Night
• 05.19: 5:15pm Middle School Transition Night
• 05.21: 7:00pm PTO Meeting
• 05.22: Field Day
• 05.25: Memorial Day- School Closed
• 05.29: 8:45am Coffee and Conversation w/Admin

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

Capture the memories of this amazing school year! Yearbook sales are now open online, and you won’t want to miss out on this keepsake filled with special moments, friends, and fun.

💻 Order online using code: 15436926
💲 $28 through March 31st
⏰ Price increases to $30 starting April 1st

Don’t wait—secure your copy today before prices go up and supplies run out! 🎉

Our next Coffee and Conversation will be held on Friday, March 27 at 8:45 AM. We hope you are able to join us! Please use the link below to let us know if you will be attending and to share any questions or topics you would like us to discuss.

Additionally, we received a request to offer Coffee and Conversation at a different time of day so that families who are unavailable at 8:45 AM may also participate. We appreciate this feedback and will explore options for offering an alternate time next year to better accommodate more families.

Get ready to smile! Group and Club Picture Day will take place on Thursday, March 26th. This is a great opportunity for students to capture memories with their clubs and school groups.

Please make sure your child is dressed appropriately for their group or club and ready for their photo! We can’t wait to see all those smiling faces! 😄

Thank you for your patience and feedback regarding our arrival and dismissal procedures. Through our continuous improvement efforts, we have made some revisions and will continue to monitor our practices to ensure safety for everyone and efficiency.

Beginning Monday, March 23rd, the following revisions will be implemented:

Arrival: Carloop

• We will continue to use the bottom parking lot for car loop.
• Students will exit from the right side door when directed, however staff will no longer open car doors. Staff will gesture for students to get out. This allows for a more students to exit their cars at one time.
• Cones are in place to ensure one single lane in car loop. Do not go around other cars or let children out on the left side. If your child cannot exit on the right side let a staff member know so that we can escort them safely around the car from the right side.
• After our buses and vans have arrived, staff may direct you to come to the top of the car loop, do not stop in front of the building to let your child out. You'll be directed to pull up parallel to the sidewalk (not angled parking or on the red painted area) to let your child out on the left side door.

Dismissal Family waiting area:

• PreK and K families, continue to greet your students on the side of the building at the PreK door.
• 1st and 4th Grade families continue to meet your children at the exterior doors for those grades.
• 2nd and 5th grade families, wait for your children in the grassy area by our Family Resource Center. There will be signs to direct you.
• 3rd grade families, wait for your children in the grassy area next to the cafeteria.There will be signs to direct you.

We are excited to announce the Chesapeake Baysox Read and Hit a Home Run Reading Program. It is a fun reading incentive designed to encourage literacy while rewarding students and teachers for their commitment to reading.

Program Requirements:

• Students are required to read four (4) books, either inside or outside of the classroom.

• Submit the titles of the books read to your classroom teacher.

• Deadline to submit: March 25th

Rewards for Participation:

• Students who complete the program will receive TWO FREE tickets to their school’s Reading Program Night at a Chesapeake Baysox game—one child ticket and one adult ticket—to celebrate their reading accomplishment.

• Additional discounted tickets will be available for purchase for family members.

We look forward to celebrating our students' success and "hitting a home run" for reading with an unforgettable night at the ballpark. Thank you for your continued support of literacy and student achievement!

For students in Grades 1-5, MAP test results are entered in Synergy at the conclusion of the testing window. It can take up to a week to become visible for an individual student. Test results for students who participated in MAP testing should be visible to parents now.

To access test scores:

• Log in to HCPSS Connect
• Select More Options from the left panel
• Select Standardized Test Scores from the middle

Detailed PDF home reports are available in Synergy. To access home reports:

• Log in to HCPSS Connect
• Select More Options from the left panel
• Select Report Cards from the middle
• Select the applicable report from the Student's MAP Reports section.

Note: If your child did not participate in the most recent administration, a report may still appear based on the previous administration. Additional information on MAP testing and how to interpret the report can be found online. Please reach out to your child's teacher for additional questions.

The LWES Early Childhood Classes are making preparations for the upcoming 2026-2027 school year. Beginning now applications for general education students to participate as peers through the Learning Together Program (LTP) are available. These classes include general education and special education students. The program’s focus is helping all children develop communication, literacy, math, problem solving, motor, and social skills. Parents of children who will be 3 by September 1st, may apply.

In alignment with Maryland’s Blueprint for the Future, new applications for students turning 4 by September 1 are not available. The Howard County Public School System continues to offer Prekindergarten for income eligible children who will be 4 years old by September 1. For additional information contact the school or visit: https://www.hcpss.org/schools/pre-k-programs/

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.

Parenting Classes: Free! On Zoom and open to parents, guardians and grandparents residing in HoCo or with school-age children/grandchildren residing in HoCo. Evidence-based, interactive prevention program that provides families with the skills and knowledge to reduce the risk that their children will engage in other dangerous behaviors. Appropriate for K-12 families.

Class dates: April 14, 15, 21, 22 (and April 28 will be optional) from Noon to 1:30 p.m. on Zoom.

Visit HC DrugFree’s website for more information and register at https://tinyurl.com/GGCSpring2026

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Drive-Thru Medication Disposal: Saturday, April 25 in the Wilde Lake Village Center Parking Lot near the CA Swim Center from 10 a.m. - 2 p.m. Safely dispose of prescription and over-the-counter medication, vitamins, pet meds, vape devices, inhalers, and more. Unlike previous events, we will not collect sharps (needles, syringes and EpiPens). Need student, adult, and medically-trained adult
volunteers. Earn Community Service Hours! Giving away 100 medication lockboxes.

For more information and to volunteer, visit HC DrugFree's website: https://hcdrugfree.org/drug-take-back-day-1/

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Teen Advisory Council: Open to Howard County students in grades 8-12. Earn Community Service Hours and make meaningful contributions to the community. Next meeting: Monday, May 4 from 5:30-7:00pm on Zoom. Earn Community Service Hours at meetings/events.

Register to receive the meeting link:

https://forms.gle/fmVDQizeWv3pTJdr5

For more information, visit HC DrugFree's website: https://hcdrugfree.org/teen-advisory-council/