The Weekly Duck, 5/10/2024
Mon, 05/13/2024 - 11:10am
Planning for the 2024-25 School Year
The Manor Woods staff is looking ahead to the 2024-25 school year. As part of this process, we would like to give you the opportunity to share some information that you would like for us to consider as we work this spring/summer to finalize class placement for next school year. This consideration form is for you, as parents/guardians, to share specific information about your child that you feel would be beneficial to determine next year's placement.
When placing students, the staff and administration utilize a wide range of criteria, which are supportive of the Howard County philosophy of heterogeneous grouping. Some of these criteria include, but are not limited to:
• social emotional strengths and needs
• learning style
• math, reading and writing strengths and needs
• assessment results
• special education requirements; IEP goals
• structured versus unstructured needs
• information from previous teachers and school counselor
There are certain concerns that we cannot consider as part of this Consideration Form: therefore we ask that you not use this form to propose the following:
• specific teacher requests,
• grouping based on siblings’ experience,
• grouping based on friends,
• grouping based on hearsay.
Your input on this form will be used in our planning for your child rather than a letter requesting a specific teacher. Your response is OPTIONAL but is a very valuable source of information to the school staff and to the next teacher.
The form closes on May 15th at 4:00 PM. Thank you for your help. The time, thought, and commitment put into the completion of this form is appreciated.
Click on the following link to complete the MWES Consideration Form for 2024-25 School Year.
IMPORTANT DATES
May
14 - Schools and Offices Closed -Primary Election
15 - 4th & 5th Grade Band Concert @ Marriotts Ridge HS
17 - 5th Grade Panoramic Picture
17 - Schools close 3 hours early -Professional Learning Day
20 - 5th Grade Simulated Congressional Hearings (SCH)
22 - Rising Kindergarten Popsicles on the Playground
27 - Schools and Offices Closed -Memorial Day
30 - 5th Grade Middle School Visit Day (for students only)
31 - Last Day to Register for SY24/25 Bus Transportation
June
4 - Orchestra Concert @ Marriotts Ridge High School
5 - Schools Close 3 Hours Early (Professional Work Day)
7 - Kindergarten End-of-the-Year Closing (SAVE THE DATE ~ More Information Coming)
12 - Schools Close 3 Hours Early (Professional Work Day)
13 - Schools Close 3 Hours Early (Professional Learning Day)
13 - 5th Grade End-of-the-Year Promotion (SAVE THE DATE ~ More Information Coming)
14 - Schools Close 3 Hours Early (Last Day Of School)
INFORMATION TO SHARE
Field Day Rain Date
Due to the inclement weather today (Friday 5/10), outside activities for Field Day will be postponed until Monday, May 13th. Students will still see the PTA sponsored show of “Corey, the Dribbler” on Friday afternoon.
Thank you to those that have signed up to volunteer Friday. Volunteers are still able to assist on Monday at the altered times below:
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9-10 Fifth Grade
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10-11 Third Grade
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11-12 Fourth Grade
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12-1 First Grade
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1-2 Kindergarten
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2-3 Second Grade
Due to the change in date, if you would now like to volunteer, please register here. Volunteers must have completed the HCPSS Volunteer Training prior to arriving.
If you have any questions, please email Karyn_peksa@hcpss.org or Allison_holocker@hcpss.org.
Congratulations
To our mighty musical ducks who performed stellar concerts in the Howard County GT Orchestra and Sinfonia concerts this past Saturday!
Jessie Cheng, Myla Durland, Olivia Gurvits, Lucas He, Dana Kim, Sam Lee, Nicole Li, Sophie Mao, Dylan Patel, Riley Pearsall, Edgar Rodriguez Abrego, Jayden Sun, & Nathan Zhang - We are so proud of you!
Congratulations
To the 4th and 5th Grade Choruses on 2 fabulous Spring Concerts. We are so proud of your performances! Special thanks to Mrs.S.Lee, our collaborative pianist, and parent volunteer. Her talent is such a gift to our Choruses! ~Ms. Rinaldi and Mr. Dobson
Lost and Found
Please make sure to check the lost and found. Pictures show some of the lost items.
May is National Mental Health Awareness Month
The purpose of National Mental Health Awareness Month, established in 1949, is to increase the awareness of mental health and its impact on our overall health and well-being and to celebrate recovery from mental illness. Check out the resources below to support families' health and well-being.
FindSupport.gov Take the first step to getting help with mental health, alcohol or drug issues
HOCO Children & Family Services Family Workshops May 2024
MEANINGFUL MAY Calendar Action for Happiness
Spring MAP Testing
First and second graders will take the Measures of Academic Progress (MAP) test for reading and math this month. The Measures of Academic Progress (MAP) assessment is designed to measure a student’s academic achievement and growth over time in reading and mathematics. Together with other classroom-based information, MAP results can help teachers make instructional decisions that match the needs of each child.
MAP is a computer adaptive assessment. In a computer adaptive assessment, as a student responds to questions, the test responds to the student, adjusting up or down the difficulty of the questions presented to the student. This creates a personalized assessment for every student.
For more information visit https://www.hcpss.org/academics/testing/map-information/
Grade 1 Reading - May 9
Grade 1 Math - May 13
Grade 2 Reading - May 21
Grade 2 Math - May 16
Kindergarten Playdate
All Kindergarten students are welcome to meet and play with other new kindergarten students. Please see the flyer for more information.
Kindergarten and New First Grade Enrollment
It is that time of year when we enroll kindergarteners and new students to first grade for next year! If you have a child who will be 5 years old by September 1st, please enroll them now! If you know anyone who has a child this age, please have them enroll their child now! The official date to begin enrolling was March 4th, and the enrollment link remains open for registration. The link to on-line enrollment is below!
Please feel free to call the office at 410-313-7165 with any questions!
Register Your Child For School
Howard County Pride
HoCo Pride is hosting a t-shirt contest for students in grades K-12. Here is the information.
Counselors Corner
NAMI Howard County
The mission of the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) is to improve the lives of individuals with mental illness and their families through education, advocacy and support, and to increase awareness of mental illness throughout the community. Visit NAMI Howard County for more information about support group offerings.
Schools Counselors
Ms. Heinlein and Mrs. Salapata, School Counselors, are here to support our students and families. Mrs. Heinlein works with grades K, 1, 4 and 5. Mrs. Salapata works with grades 2 and 3. Ms. Sam Schildt, Counseling Intern from McDaniel College, will be working with us on Wednesdays this semester. Please reach out through email or by calling 410-313-7165 if we can be of assistance. monica_heinlein@hcpss.org; christina_salapata@hcpss.org
PTA NEWS
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Monday, May 13- O’s Game
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Friday, May 31- End of School Blacktop Bash, 5:30 pm-7:30pm
Monday, June 3 - Yogi Castle Restaurant Night
Yearbook Purchase
Be sure to purchase a yearbook for the 23-24 school year!
Go to: www.Treering.com/validate
Schoold Passcode 1014749226162236
Click Here To View The PTA Newsletter
JOIN THE PTA!
If you haven't already, please take a moment to join the PTA! It's quick, easy and membership funds help to support our school! The PTA funds and supports school-wide presentations, family fun events, teacher appreciation activities, items needed by the teachers for their lessons and classrooms and much more!
Join Today!
https://www.mwespta.com/
Did you know the PTA has a Facebook group to stay up to date with PTA events? Join here today!
Community News & Events
Family Read the Rainbow
Our next FAMILY Read the Rainbow book club will occur on Monday, June 3rd at 6:00PM and feature the book Twas the Night Before Pride. The book's author, Joanna McClintick, will be present at our book club meeting to answer questions and talk about writing the book. The first 50 families with students in Pre school - 5th grade who register for this book club will receive a free copy of the book sent to their home or media center. This book club is open to anyone who would like to join us - students, staff, parents, and community.
HCPSS News
Families are encouraged to visit the HCPSS website for all your needs, including:
HCPSS Student & Parent Handbook
Click HERE for the county's 2022-23 handbook. The Student & Parent Handbook can be found online and outlines districtwide practices and policies related to parents and students, including the Student Code of Conduct, school procedures, student responsibilities and more.
HCPSS Student Code of Conduct
The Howard County Public School System is committed to providing a safe, engaging and supportive learning environment where all policies are enforced fairly and consistently. HCPSS policies and regulations emphasize instruction and rehabilitation rather than punishment and are designed to foster and reward appropriate behavior and keep students connected to school so they can graduate college and career ready. Please read and review the HCPSS student code of conduct with your child(ren) before the school year begins: https://www.hcpss.org/f/aboutus/student-handbook/student-code-of-conduct.pdf