From School Administration
Dear Manor Woods Families,
It’s hard to believe today is the final day of the second quarter. As we reach the end of the second quarter, we want to recognize our MWES Mighty Ducks for their hard work, dedication and perseverance which made for an incredible first semester of the 2025-2026 school year! Report cards will be available for families to access on HCPSS Connect on Wednesday, February 4th after 4pm (see below for detailed access information). This is a wonderful opportunity to review your child’s report card as a family and set goals for the third quarter.
Parent-Teacher conferences are upon us February 5th-6th. During your child’s conference with their Math teacher you will learn much more about how your child is performing in the classroom. Therefore, we encourage you to sign up for a conference with your child’s teacher. Please find more detailed information below regarding parent/teacher conferences.
This is a reminder that HCPSS schools are closed on Monday, January 26th for a Professional Work Day. We look forward to seeing all of our students on Tuesday the 27th.
Wishing everyone a wonderful weekend! Stay safe!
Kelli Jenkins, Principal
Jennifer Zinn, Assistant Principal
Important Dates
January
23 - End of 2nd Quarter (FULL SCHOOL DAY for ELEMENTARY & MIDDLE SCHOOLS ~ Early dismissal for HS only)
26 - Schools Closed for Students - Professional Work Day
February
4 - 2nd Quarter Report Cards ~ Viewable via HCPSS Connect @ 4:00 PM
4 - Schools Closed for students
5 - Elementary Schools ONLY ~ Close 3 Hours Early at 12:15 PM
5 - Elementary Schools ONLY ~ Parent/Teacher Conferences
6 - Elementary Schools ONLY ~ Close 3 Hours Early at 12:15 PM
6 - Elementary Schools ONLY ~ Parent/Teacher Conferences
16 - Schools & Offices Closed
17 - Schools & Offices Closed
RELATED ARTS ~ COLOR CALENDAR SCHEDULE
February Parent-TeacherConferences
The Parent-Teacher Conference scheduling window will open on Thursday, January 22nd at 8:00 AM. Winter conferences will be held on February 5th and February 6th. When scheduling conferences for multiple children, please allow one full conference time between your meetings to allow for transitions both in person and virtually. The conference scheduling window closes January 30th.
See Directions How To Register
Directions to Select a Conference Time:
Login to hcpss.org/connect
Select Conference from the left-side choices
Select Parent Scheduled Conferences at the top right
Select a time slot for your conference
- For winter conferences:
- On Thursday, February 5th, and Friday, February 6th, all elementary schools will close 3 hours early for parent-teacher conferences.
- On February 5th, afternoon conferences (12:30-3:30 pm) will be held in-person only. If a teacher decides to host evening conferences, these conferences will be held virtually.
- On Friday, February 6th, all conferences will be held virtually.
- Parents should schedule a conference with their child’s MATH teacher only. Mrs. Parker will hold Math conferences for 5th Grade GT Math students ONLY. 4th grade G/T students in Ms. Parker’s math class will not need conferences at this time as math conferences were already held in the fall for these students.
- Related arts will be hosting one office hour during the conference window. The office hours are for general questions about the content area and expectations. Office hours should not be used for questions specific about your child. The office hours schedule will be shared with parents from the teachers’ Canvas pages
- If you have a child-specific question, please sign up for a conference spot with the related arts teacher. Each related arts teacher will have limited conference spots.
If you cannot access HCPSS Connect, please contact the school at 410-313-7165 for assistance. The scheduling window will remain open from Thursday, January 22nd, at 8:00 am through Friday, January 30th, at 4:00 pm. After Jan. 30th, families must call the front office secretaries directly to check availability to schedule a conference.
YEARBOOK COVER CONTEST
2025-26 Yearbook Cover Contest flyer (3).pdf
All Students are invited to enter the Yearbook Cover Contest. Teachers and staff will vote for their favorites, based on creativity and representation of the yearbook theme. First and Second Place will be displayed on the front or back cover of the yearbook and Third Place will be included on the first inside page. All other entries will be displayed throughout the yearbook.
Please see Flyer for more details: 2025-26 Yearbook Cover Contest flyer (3).pdf
Parent Educational Group
HCPSS will be offering SPACE parent groups this spring starting in March. This group is for parents who would like help supporting their children with anxiety and school avoidance. Parents can self-register through the link on the HCPSS News Announcement or the QR code on the flyer.
INFORMATION WORTH REPEATING
UPCOMING ASSESSMENT SCHEDULE
With the start of the new year, students in Grades K–5 will participate in several assessments. We kindly ask that you review the Winter Testing Dates below and be mindful of your student’s schedule during these testing windows.
WIDA ACCESS Testing for Multilingual Learners (K–5)
This assessment measures a student’s English language proficiency.
Testing Window: January 7 – February 18
Make-Up Testing: February 19 – March 4
This assessment may be administered in small groups or one-on-one.
DIBELS Reading – Middle of the Year Screener (K–5)
This is a brief, one-minute fluency assessment used to evaluate key reading skills such as letter naming, phonemic awareness, and decoding.
Testing Window: January 12 – January 31
ELA Reading Assessments (Grades 3–5)
This reading assessment is administered at the beginning, middle, and end of the year to monitor student growth and reading proficiency.
CommonLit Testing Window: Month of January
MAP Winter Assessment (Grades 1–5)
This computer-adaptive assessment measures student growth in Reading, Math, and Language Usage. It adjusts question difficulty in real time to identify learning levels and support personalized instruction throughout the school year.
- Grade 5 Only: January 5 – January 14
- Grades 1–4: January 27 – February 27
COLD WEATHER INFORMATION REMINDERS
To learn about the decision process for closing schools, please view the Vimeo video below.
You can also visit the section of the HCPSS website listing the many ways you can be informed of weather-related school closings. Manor Woods Elementary will not send any additional email out because that communication comes directly from the HCPSS Communications Office.
Unscheduled Emergency Early School Closing
In the event that schools need to close early due to an unexpected weather event, please be sure to share with your child how he/she will go home if it is different from their normal dismissal routine.
All parents were asked to indicate how children are to go home in the event of an emergency/unscheduled closing when they completed their Family File information in August or September.
Weather Guidelines for Outdoor Recess
Exercise outdoors is healthy and is strongly encouraged. It provides a break from the regular school routine, a chance to get some outside air, and an opportunity to run off excess energy.
If conditions preclude the full recess time, even a five-minute break can revitalize children and prepare them for more sitting and academic learning. Children are expected to wear warm clothing to protect them during cold weather when participating in recess or outside activities.
The decision to go out or stay in for recess is the decision of the Administrator at individual schools. However, the following are to be considered in determining whether recess is to be held outside:
- Temperature and Windchill
- Age of students
- Length of time outdoors
- Adequacy of the children’s clothing
- Condition of the playground
- Falling precipitation (more than a sprinkle or mist)
Generally, it is assumed that students will be outside for recess when the temperature combined with the wind chill is not less than 20 degrees Fahrenheit. Children with certain health conditions may need special accommodations during extremely cold weather. Parents of those children should provide medical documentation and may be consulted to determine if other arrangements are necessary.
Community News
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: HCPSS Student Code Of Conduct
HCPSS Student & Parent 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.
Family Guides: What your Child Will Learn this Year
Do you want to get a head start on the school year? We encourage all parents/guardians to visit the link below to learn what your child will learn this year in grades PreK-5! Once you click on your child’s grade level, use the yellow “course navigation” box in the top right corner to navigate standards, free games, and family activities for each subject area. Happy learning!
What Your Child Will Learn Guides
HCPSS / Community News and Programs
https://community-programs.hcpss.org/
HCPSS NEWS