Important Dates
May 6 8:00am PTA 5K/1 Mile Fun Run at LRHS
May 9 Class Picture Day
May 11 4-6pm On the Road to Kindergarten Event
May 12 Grade 5 Simulated Congressional Hearings
Spirit Day: Red, White & Blue Day
Kindergarten Trip to Sharps Farm
May 17 6-7:30pm GT Enrichment Fair
May 18 Grade 2 Trip to MD Science Center
6-7:15pm Food Pantry
6:15-7:45pm Taller Navengando Synergy (Spanish only workshop)
May 19 No School - Professional Learning Day for Staff
7:05pm PLES Night at Bowie Baysox Game
May 23 6pm Incoming Kindergarten Orientation
May 25 Grade 5 Trip to Washington, DC
May 26 Spirit Day: Hawaiian Day
May 29 No School - Memorial Day
May 31 7pm Spring Concert at HHS
June 1 PK Trip to Clark’s Elioak Farm
Grade 5 Middle School Visits
June 2 Grade 2 Trip to Robinson Nature Center
June 3 Girls on the Run 5K
June 6 9:15am Kindergarten Celebration
5:30-7:00pm PTA Paint Night - NEW DATE
June 7 3 Hour Early Dismissal at 12:20pm
June 8 10am Grade 1 Readers Theater
June 9 Spirit Day: Sunglasses Day
9:30am PK Celebration
June 12 3 Hour Early Dismissal at 12:20pm
2-4pm Grade 5 Promotion
June 13 3 Hour Early Dismissal at 12:20pm
June 14 Last Day of School - 3 Hour Early Dismissal at 12:20pm
From the Principal. . .
Dear Phelps Luck Families,
As we begin the month of May, our staff is busy making plans for the 2023-24 school year. If you
wish to share any information with me about your child that is important to his/her class placement for
next year, please send me an e-mail. Your perspective on how your child learns best in school is
essential. Please do not make teacher requests but include your child’s strengths and needs.
Staff Appreciation Week is the week of May 8 through May 12. The PLES PTA and our Administrative Team
are planning to share appreciation of our school staff throughout the week. Please take a moment to send
a message of gratitude to the staff members with whom your children spends their day. We truly have
AMAZING staff at PLES who work tirelessly to support each and every child!!!
Thank you,
Michelle M. Leader
Principal
School News
Bus Transportation for 2023-2024:
Families whose children are eligible for bus transportation must register through HCPSS Connect Synergy to receive bus service for the 2023-2024 school year. This new process will take place annually to help HCPSS plan for student ridership and to make routes more efficient. Registration for 2023-2024 bus service is open now through June 1.
Visit https://www.hcpss.org/schools/transportation/registration/ for instructions on how to register and more information. Families who reside in non-transportation areas are not eligible for bus transportation and do not need to take any action. Find the new non-transportation areas for your school online. Students who receive transportation as part of their Individualized Education Program (IEP) or 504 Plan do not need to register.
Non-Transported Areas for 2023-2024:
Non-transportation areas (walk areas) have been expanded for the majority of HCPSS schools for the 2023-2024 school year. Board of Education Policy 5200 Student Transportation increases the allowable distance students may walk to school based on the distance between a student’s home and school.
These changes result in an expanded walk area for our school for next year. Please view the online map for our school that identifies the households that will not receive bus transportation next school year.
We will send out information if changes are made that impact our school community. If you would like to know more about the countywide changes that were made, please visit the HCPSS website.
Idle Free:
In Content, third grade students studied environmental problems. Third graders were charged with the task
to create a public policy and actionable steps to help solve or decrease the effects of this problem. In
conjunction with PTA members, some of Mrs. Goldman's students researched, collected and analyzed data about car idling and how it is a big contributor to air pollution. After learning about the harmful effects car idling has, students created signs, which will soon be posted in the car loop, a video, which will be shared soon and are asking falcon families and the community to help make Phelps Luck an "idle free" zone in the
car loop. Be on the lookout for more information coming your way. Mrs. Goldman's students are working hard to educate and encourage the PLES community to "Turn the Key and be Idle Free.”
GT Enrichment Fair:
SAVE THE DATE - GT Enrichment Fair is Wednesday, May 17th from 6:00-7:30pm! Join us as we celebrate and showcase all of the work our students in GT classes have done this year including Primary Talent Development, GT Recess Seminars, CEUs, and GT Math.
Your Child's Attendance:
School punctuality and regular attendance will teach your child good lessons for a lifetime! Please see the school attendance brochure that went home in folders. Unless your child is ill, please make sure they come to school on time daily. School breaks are already built into the calendar. Our attendance goal is a daily average of 95% or higher. Everyone can do their part in making sure our students are in school!
If your child must be absent due to illness, parents/guardians must turn in a note. The note needs to include the student’s name, date absent, reason for absence, and parent/guardian signature. We also accept these notes through an email address. Please email PLESabsence@hcpss.org with the same information if you prefer this format. All notes need to be submitted/turned in within 2 days of the student returning to school.
Opting In to School Text Messages
If you wish to “opt-in” to receive PLES and HCPSS texts with emergency information or reminders, please follow the directions below:
Send a text to the number: 67587
Text “Yes” in the message.
Reply “Yes” when prompted if you want to “opt-in”.
Bowie Baysox Reading Program:
Our Bowie Baysox Game will be on Friday, May 19th at 7:05pm. Click here to see more info!!!
Early Dismissal Request:
If you are signing your child out early for an appointment or other reason, please do so prior to 3:00pm. Our dismissal is very busy and our Front Office staff need to focus on the safe dismissal of our students. Thank you for your assistance!
Community Center Parking:
Please refrain from parking in the parking lot at the community center that is next to PLES any time throughout the day. The parking there is for the community center and is not intended for our families. The community center may have cars towed if needed. Thank you for your assistance!
Neighborhood Parking:
We know there are times when you cannot find a parking space on school property. If this is the case, please refrain from parking in front of any of the neighbor’s driveways or in places that restrict our neighbors from driving through. We appreciate your assistance with this!
Student Clothing, Lunchboxes, and Water Bottles:
We have many items in our Lost and Found. At times, there is a large amount of items! Please consider labeling all of their clothing, lunchbox and water bottle. This helps us to return items to the children. Please have your child look at the items on the racks in the front hallway for any lost items. Please see the Dojo messages that are sent out with pictures of the items that are currently in our Lost and Found.
HCPSS Calendar
Please use the links below to access the HCPSS calendar for the year. It includes all days that students do not attend school. https://www.hcpss.org/f/news/calendars/calendar-202223.pdf
· English Calendar Updated 6/27/22
· 学年行事历
· 학년도 달력
Student Absences
Just a reminder that parents/guardians must turn in a note if the child is absent. The note needs to include the student’s name, date absent, reason for absence, and parent/guardian signature. We also accept these notes through an email address. Please email PLESabsence@hcpss.org with the same information if you prefer this format. All notes need to be submitted/turned in within 2 days of the student returning to school.
PLES School Counselor Support
The counseling team is providing the opportunity for you to refer your student to talk to a school counselor. If your student is experiencing something at home, struggling with school, or could just use an adult connection, please feel free to complete the Request for Counseling Services form . We are here to support your students with anything that may be getting in the way of their learning and being the best falcon they can be. Once the form is completed, counselors will connect with your and your student, as they are able. Please feel free to contact Andrea Stremmel, School Counselor, at 410.313.6886 or andrea_stremmel@hcpss.org with any questions or concerns.
News from the PTA:
Raise Right E-Gift Card Fundraising Program
Starting right now, you can earn fundraising dollars for Phelps Luck PTA by participating in our RaiseRight (formerly Scrip) program! This easy-to-use program means you earn fundraising dollars by purchasing electronic gift cards to an extensive list of large businesses (Target, Amazon, Giant, Old Navy, Lowes, etc.) and a percentage of that sale is returned to the PTA as fundraising dollars. This program is great for holiday shopping and will be ongoing throughout the year. Visit https://www.raiseright.com/enroll and look for “Join an existing program”. Enter our Enrollment Code: BRWAATM9HK7P and click “Join a Program”.
Clothing Bin:
Our Clothing Bin is still accessible all school year long! Please feel free to donate any items to our Clothing Bin in our school parking lot. This is a fundraiser and supports our PTA! Please place all items in a closed trash bag before placing the bag in the bin. Thank you!!!
From the Community
Here is a list of resources for you to access:
Howard County Resources:
CAREAPP is a resource through the Howard County Health Department. It provides easy-to-access resources available to families by zip code. The CAREAPP website connects our community to free and reduced-cost services for food, health, housing, transportation, and more in multiple languages. Families can search by typing in the family’s zip code and then identifying relevant resources.
Columbia Community Care:
This group gives out food at the Long Reach Village Center, Wilde Lake Interfaith Center, and Oakland Mills Middle School on Wednesdays from 5-8pm and Saturdays 10:30am-1:30pm. If you need food delivered fill out the form for food and they can deliver or you may have someone pick up for you as well.
Website: http://columbiacare.live/
Form for food:
OMHS Food Pantry
The OMHS Food Pantry is open the last Wednesday of the month unless otherwise noted, from 3:00 - 5:00pm. You will need to bring a photo ID. Please do not arrive prior to 2:30pm to allow for student dismissal. Also, please remain in your car and a volunteer will come to your vehicle. More info can be found at the link below:
The Food Pantry will be open on the following dates:
· May 31, 2023
· June 23, 2023
· July 26, 2023
Howard County Food Connection Map - The Howard County Food Connection Map is an interactive tool to help you find low-cost, accessible food and nutrition resources in the County. Bus routes are also added on the map.
Howard County Food Bank Links to an external site. - access to shop twice a month for families that meet eligibility requirements. Walk-ins and appointments available.
The Salvation Army - Drive Thru Food Distribution flyer available in English and Spanish
Dates: May 22nd, and June 26th
July – October TBD
Time: Noon – 2:00 PM
Howard County Children and Families Workshops
Please click the link below for details:
Howard County Health Department Social Media Sessions:
The Howard County Health Department is offering sessions on Social Media Guides for Parents: Guide to Healthy Summer Habits. The sessions are virtual, and you can register and see more details here. Each event is from 6:30-8:00 p.m. and will start with a presentation, and end with Q & A.
May 9 - Parents of Children ages 3-8
May 10 - Parents of Children ages 9-12
May 11- Parents of Children ages 13-17
HC DrugFree Updates
Free Parenting Classes (open to grandparents too): Free
Guiding Good Choices is an evidence-based, interactive prevention program that provides families with the skills and knowledge to reduce the risk that their children will use drugs and alcohol or engage in other dangerous behaviors. Howard County parents, guardians and grandparents will learn how to encourage your child to adopt healthy attitudes and behaviors, how to communicate more effectively, how to build a relationship of trust, and much more! HC DrugFree's classes will be held Tuesdays, May 9, 16, 23, and 30
from 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. via Zoom. Learn more or register: https://hcdrugfree.org/2023/02/guiding-good-choices-free-classes-for-parents-2/
Know What’s Happening in Howard County:
Sign up for HC DrugFree’s newsletter at https://hcdrugfree.org/enews-signup/ or follow us on social media to get updates on events as well as information to keep your family safe and informed:
School’s Out Ninja Day Camps!
Did you know? HCPSS is closed on various days throughout the school year. Make sure to reserve your child’s spot in our business partners' - "School’s Out Ninja Day Camp". The Okinawan Karate Dojo has you covered from 9 AM to 4 PM (with before/after care available 8a-6p)! OKD's year-round camps are action-packed, tons of fun, and keep kids happy, entertained, challenged and moving all day! Not only that, they are licensed as a Child Care Provider by the state of Maryland. The staff is highly trained and certified to give your child a safe, enriching, and AWESOME, camp experience! Voted #1 Martial Arts School in HoCo and one of the best Child Care Providers in 2020 and 2021, this will be OKD's 23rd annual camp season! Find additional information about the camp, online registration, FREE karate offer, COVID safety policies, and MORE at: OKDkarate.com. Space is Limited. Questions? Call: 443 574 8999 or Email: info@OKDkarate.com.
Summer Camp Info:
Attention aspiring filmmakers! Have you always been interested in the movie-making process? Do you dream of being a YouTube vlogger? There is a week-long summer camp just for you!
Sign up for Video Production camp either in the morning or afternoon (or both) to learn how to improve your filming and editing skills and how to work as part of a video production team. The morning session covers filmmaking techniques such as continuity and composition, whereas the afternoon session is tailored towards social video content creation. Find out more at riverhill.org; just click on Programs > Boosters > Summer Sports Camps
New HCPSS Community News and Programs Site:
In response to community requests for resources, HCPSS’ new Community News and Programs website makes it easy for families to find educational and recreational resources, events and after-school programs beyond the school day by non-profit organizations. Community organizations requesting their announcements be shared in school newsletters should visit community-programs.hcpss.org for more information. Questions should be directed to the Public Information Office at publicinfo@hcpss.org.