IMPORTANT DATES TO REMEMBER
June 3 Dine & Dance Family Event 5:00-7:00pm
June 4 School closes at 12:20pm- Staff Professional Day
June 5 Chorus Concert 6:00pm at DLES
June 5 Beginner Concert (3rd Orch/ 4th Band) 7:15pm at DLES
June 7 All Media books due back to DLES
June 10 5th Grade Simulated Congressional Hearing 9:10am-12noon
June 14 1st Grade Author’s Tea 9:30am-10:30am
June 14 RECC/ PreK End of Year activities 10:30am / 2:30pm
June 14 2nd Grade Writing Showcase 2:00-3:00pm
June 17 5th Grade Fun in the Sun
June 17 2nd Grade End of Year activities
June 18 Last student day for half day PreK and RECC students only
June 18 5th Grade Promotion: Guests arrive at 9:00am/ceremony begins at 9:15am
June 18 Kindergarten End of Year activity 2:00-3:00pm
June 18 3rd Grade End of year activity
June 19 School closes 3 hours early (12:20pm)
June 20 School closes 3 hours early (12:20pm)
June 21 All medication must be picked up from the Health Room by 12:20pm
June 21 Last student day Grades K-5: School closes at 12:20pm
MESSAGE FROM ADMINISTRATION
Dear Families,
We are all very excited that summer vacation is coming soon. In fact, we only have 15 school days remaining. However, we have a lot of important teaching and learning to accomplish before this school year ends. As you might imagine, some of our students have gone into “vacation mode” a bit early due in part to the beautiful weather. As a result, we would appreciate each parent taking time this weekend to talk to his or her child about the importance of appropriate behavior in school and maintaining a good work ethic right up to the very last day.
We want to congratulate our wonderful advanced orchestra and band students for doing such a great job during their concert last week. We look forward to our beginner band and orchestra concert and chorus concert next week. The talent of our students in this community is boundless and it is always a joy to see them perform.
We have MANY items in our school’s lost and found located in the cafeteria. Please take time in the next two weeks to check for any of your child’s clothing or other items that you have not been able to find in your home. It might be in Duckett’s lost and found! We will donate any unclaimed lost and found items to a local charity after the last day of school.
Have a wonderful weekend,
Mrs. Balter and Mrs. Madden
ARE YOU MOVING?
Please let us know as soon as possible if your child will not be attending Ducketts Lane next year. If your family is moving within the DLES attendance area, please bring your new residency documents into the front office so we can update your child’s records. If you are moving to another Howard County area, another MD school district or out of state, notify the front office. It is important that we have an enrollment number that is accurate. Enrollment affects the number of teachers assigned to our schools. Call us at 410-313-5050 or stop in between the hours of 8:00am- 3:00pm during the summer.
PARCC TESTING
We would like to share the upcoming dates when the 2019 Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Career (PARCC) assessments will be administered at Ducketts Lane ES. Below are the assigned testing dates for students in grade 5. Testing for most students will occur between 9:00 am and 12:00 pm during each assigned day (listed below). Grade 5: 6/3, 6/4, 6/5, 6/6
UPDATE ON THE LAST DAY OF SCHOOL
MSDE has approved HCPSS’ request for a waiver of one school day. As a result, the last day of school for students is Friday, June 21. The final, updated calendar includes:
Tuesday, June 18: Last day for half-day Pre-K/RECC
Wed., June 19-Fri., June 21: Schools dismiss three-hours early (12:20pm-DLES)
Friday, June 21: Last day of schools for students
DINE and DANCE Monday, June 3rd 5:00-7:00pm
Join us for our DLES End of the Year Celebration for the whole family! Fun activities include dancing with Bristol Sounds DJ’s, face painting, tattoos and our always popular cake walk! Everyone is invited to bring their own picnic dinner if you did not pre-order pizza. The pre-order pizzas will be delivered by 5:15pm.
CONCERT INFORMATION
Wednesday, June 5th at Ducketts Lane ES
6:00pm Chorus Concert
7:15pm Beginner Orchestra and Band Concert
MEDIA CENTER INFORMATION
The last day for students to check out library books was Friday, May 24, 2019. All DLES library books are due back no later than Friday, June 7, 2019. Please locate and return all overdue books as soon as possible. For books that are lost or damaged, we accept cash or check made payable to DLES for the replacement cost indicated on the overdue notices. Any questions-email Cathy_Hastings@hcpss.org.
THE 5th GRADE SIMULATED CONGRESSIONAL HEARINGS (SCH) will be on held on Monday, June 10th. The opening ceremony will be held in the cafeteria from 9:10am-9:50am, and the hearings will be held in the fifth grade classrooms from 10:00am-12:00pm. The students are working hard in their Social Studies classes to prepare for this event, so please mark this date on your calendars. Students are being asked to dress professionally in either black and white (concert dress) or patriotic colors (no jeans, please). Parents, family members and community members are encouraged to come out and support the students during this important event. We ask that all attendees dress professionally as well in order to support our students’ hard work.
YEARBOOK ORDERS
Yearbook order forms came home in K - 4th grade student's Thursday folders on May 23rd. The cost of each yearbook is $10.00. Yearbook orders must be placed byMonday, June 10th. Quantities are limited and orders will be filled on a first paid, first served basis. The yearbooks will be sent home on June 17th.
Instructions to order a Yearbook online are as follows:
Go to www.strawbridge.net
Click on the red box labeled "Pay or Order Online"
Enter our Ducketts Lane code: 110501
Click View Gallery
Click on Yearbook
Enter your email address
Then proceed with the checkout process
Or you may send the completed Yearbook envelope to the office with a CHECKpayable to Strawbridge for the amount of $10.00. Please do not make the check payable to DLES. Please do not place an order for your 5th grade student. Our fundraising efforts and a planned donation from the PTA will cover the cost of a yearbook for each 5th grade student! If you have any questions, contact Mrs. Forman in the Front Office.
1st GRADE AUTHOR’S TEA Friday, June 14th
The first grade students are working on publishing and illustrating their very own book! Our annual Author's Tea will be on June 14, 2019 from 9:30am-10:30am. An invitation will be sent home closer to the date of this event. Please RSVP by returning the invitation or by emailing your child’s teacher.
2nd GRADE WRITING WORKSHOP SHOWCASE Friday, June 14th 2:00-3:00pm
As part of our opinion writing unit, the second graders have been working hard to write their very own opinion writing pieces! Please come support our students as they share their writing projects. We hope to see you there!
THE 5th GRADE PROMOTION CEREMONY will be held on Tuesday, June 18th at 9:15am. Arrival time for guests is 9:00am. Due to space limitations, each fifth grade student is permitted to have two guests. Seating is extremely limited. There will be seating in the cafeteria and mini auditorium. School-aged siblings may not attend. Please do not bring strollers to this event. Thank you for understanding. Light refreshments will be served after the ceremony. We encourage students to dress to impress!
KINDERGARTEN END OF YEAR CELEBRATION
Parents are invited to join us in their child's classroom from 2:00-3:00 pm on Tuesday,June 18th to celebrate all we have accomplished this school year! Mark your calendars! More information will be coming home soon!
HEALTH ROOM NEWS
Medication must be picked up by an adult from the health room no later than dismissal (12:20pm) on Friday, June 21st. The health room is open each school day from 8:00am-3:30pm. Please contact the health room at 410-313-1739 if you are unable to pick up the medication during that time frame. If your child is attending summer school, it is the parents' responsibility to deliver the medication to summer school. Any unclaimed medication will be disposed of after dismissal on Friday, June 21st.
CAPSTONE eBOOKS - free access for summer!
Dear Families: We’re excited to announce a great resource for reading this summer: Capstone Interactive eBooks! This summer, Capstone is providing free access to thousands of ebooks that can be read from school, home, or on-the-go. These eBooks can be used with a laptop or desktop computer or an iPad. Best of all, Capstone Interactive eBooks provide critical supports like text-highlighting and read-aloud audio, recorded by professional voice-over artists. Plus, the easy navigation makes it inviting for your student to find their Capstone favorites: like the spunky Katie Woo, stunning photography from PebblePlus books, and thrilling reads like Library of Doom from Michael Dahl. And you can feel comfortable knowing your student is exploring an ad-free website bursting with resources to help them read this summer!
All students have free access to Capstone eBooks through August 31, 2019.
Access thousands of books right now by going to MyCapstoneLibrary.com (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site.and entering:
Username: capstonesummer
Password: interactive19
KINDERGARTEN REGISTRATION 2019-20
The time to register your child is NOW! Registration for new students or students entering public school kindergarten in fall 2019 has begun in all HCPSS schools. Children entering kindergarten in the fall of 2019 must be 5 years of age on or before September 1, 2019. Children entering first grade in the fall of 2019 must be 6 years old on or before September 1, 2019. For details about registration and enrollment, visit www.hcpss.org/enroll/. If you have any questions or would like to schedule a registration appointment, please call the DLES front office at 410-313-5050.
PRE-KINDERGARTEN PROGRAM 2019-20
Enroll now for our half day Pre-K programs at DLES for the 2019-20 school year. The Pre-K program is a high-quality, early childhood instructional program designed to support early learning and school readiness. It aims to provide experiences that foster children’s academic, social, emotional and physical development. The Maryland State Department of Education requires that the Pre-K program be made available to students who meet priority criteria. Parents of children who will be 4 by September 1, 2019 may contact Ms. Lynette or Mrs. Grove in the DLES front office for an application package. All application information will be kept confidential and reviewed only by school staff. The school will review applications and supporting documentation and then invite students to enroll according to the criteria described above.
THOMAS VIADUCT MIDDLE SCHOOL
TVMS has scheduled several important dates in August and September:
Aug 29 Rising 6th grade & New 7/8th grade Student Orientation 1:15-2:15 pm
Aug 29 Wolf Pack Rally for students & families in all grades 2:15-3:15 pm
Sept 12 Back To School Night - all grades 6:00 pm
SOLVED! After School Transportation/Childcare and Year-Round Camps - Wow! TheOkinawan Karate Dojo, business partner of Ducketts Lane, will be providing after school transportation (and more!) at their new facility on 4900 Waterloo Rd in Ellicott City (Rte 103/Montgomery Rd)! Ready for the 2019-20 school year and fully-licensed by Howard County and MD State, the Okinawan Karate Dojo has your solution! Services include: transportation from school after dismissal to thedojo, homework assistance, game and snack time, recreational activity (traditional karate, tumbling, etc!), a Fitness Ninja Obstacle Course, and so much more! For information on this and their 9-weeks of summer Fitness Ninja Camp...visitOKDkarate.com or call (443) 574-8999.
COMMUNITY NEWS AND PROGRAMS
Please visit the Community News and Programs page at
http://www.hcpss.org/community-news-and-programs/ for announcements of upcoming events and programs sponsored by non-profit organizations.