Important Dates to Remember
August 31 Open House RECC 10:00am-11:00am and Grades K-5 at 2:00pm-3:00pm
September 4 First Day of School for K-5
September 6 First Day of School for RECC and PreK
September 6 Form Filling Assistance with Interpreters from 3:30pm - 6:30pm
September 10 School Closed
September 17 Back to School Night for Grades 1 and 2 from 6:30pm- 8:00pm
September 19 School Closed
September 20 Fall Picture Day
September 20 Back to School Night for GT at 6:00 pm and for grades 3-5 from 6:30pm-8:00pm
September 27 Donuts for Dads at 8:00am
September 27 PTA Meeting at 7:00pm - All are welcome!
First Day of School
Students should come to school on the first day of school the way they will throughout the school year. If your child rides a bus, please have him/her ride the bus on the first day. This enables us to tag backpacks with bus numbers which helps students get on the right bus in the afternoon. We will have many, many staff available to greet students when they get off the bus and to help them get to the right classroom. Staff will also assist students in getting on the right bus at the end of the day.
On the first day of school, we ask all families to “kiss and wave” good-bye to their children at the bus stop for bus riders or at our schoolhouse doors for walkers. This is necessary for keeping a secure school building and helps your child establish an independent routine for entering his/her classroom.
We are asking that parents do not walk their children to class. We will have many staff members available to ensure all students safely get to their classrooms. Our Open House is today and that’s the perfect time for families to visit classrooms and meet our teachers. Your help in ensuring consistent procedures and a safe and smooth start to the first day of school is greatly appreciated.
School Hours
8:35 am Students may enter the building.
8:50 am Morning Announcements and official start to the school day and instruction begins. Students arriving after 8:50 are late and will be marked tardy. They must be signed in by a parent in the front office.
3:20 pm End of the school day. All students are dismissed.
School Meals
Lunch is $2.75. Parents are encouraged to pre-pay for lunch online. Additional information about the meal programs is on the HCPSS Website.
HCPSS participates in the Free and Reduced Meals (FARMs) program. Students (PreK-12) who meet the federal income guidelines are eligible to receive free or reduced-price meals. Applications are available on-line or in paper forms. A new application must be submitted each year. Please complete the application (Spanish and English) as soon as possible to avoid delays in your student receiving a meal. Go to http://www.hcpss.org/food-services/farms/
Thursday Folders
Important information and flyers about community events will go home in Thursday Folders. This will give families time to review the information and return completed information to school before the weekend. Please be sure to check Thursday folders on a regular basis and return them to school.
Back to School Night Information
Back to School Nights are just around the corner so mark your calendars. Back to School Night for Grades 1 and 2 is scheduled for Monday, September 17th beginning at 6:30 PM. Our GT Back to School Night will be held on Thursday, September 20th beginning at 6:00 PM followed by Back to School Night for Grades 3-5 at 6:30 PM.
Message from our PTA President
Dear Ducketts Lane Families,
As we enter another exciting school year, I would like to welcome all of you returning or just starting out at DLES. We at Ducketts Lane PTA are looking forward to another year of strengthening our community and assisting the school in enriching your student’s experience while at DLES.
We have many exciting events planned for the school year including Donuts with Dads, Muffins with Moms, International Night, a family dance, book bingo and our ever popular movie night. We also will be coordinating teacher appreciation week, as always. Finally we look forward to supporting several different cultural arts activities at the school throughout the year.
As we hold these events, we also engage in the larger community both at the county and state level to advocate for the best education policies to support our children. The PTA’s mission is “to make every child's potential a reality by engaging and empowering families and communities to advocate for all children.” As we enter into a new school year I encourage you to stop by the PTA table during Open House or Back to School nights or just talk to a PTA member about the importance of PTA and how to join.
I also encourage you to come out to our first general meeting on September 27th at 7:00 PM in the cafeteria where will have more information about all of our activities.
Check out our Facebook page at: https://www.facebook.com/dles.pta/ to get more information about our events and how to join.
Family File
It is time to update your child's emergency contact information in HCPSS Connect! This is the most important step as we prepare for the start of the 2018-2019 school year.
Your Family file needs to be updated every school year.
Having this information is critical to us as soon as the first day of school.
HCPSS uses Family File for parents/guardians to complete emergency information. Parents/guardians must verify and/or update information for each child, and can do so by logging in to HCPSS Connect and selecting the Family File tab and then clicking on Family File.
Once logged in, parents/guardians will be asked to provide or update the following information:
Student information
Parent/guardian contact
Emergency contacts
Medical information
Arrival/dismissal procedures
Media release (photo approval)
Data confidentiality
PTA/PTSA directory
Changes of address may not be made through Family File. If you have recently moved, please contact DLES at 410-313-5050 as soon as possible as we need to update your address in our files as well. You will need to complete an Address Change Form and provide a copy of your new lease or deed.
Parents who have forgotten their login credentials for Family File may click the “Forgot Password” link on the sign in page. If you need additional assistance, please fill out this Connect Help Form.
Please complete the Family File through HCPSS Connect!