The Weekly Duck | Manor Woods Elementary School

From School Administration

Dear Families,

It was great to see so many parents/guardians on Tuesday and Wednesday evenings for our Back-to-School Nights. Each night was greatly attended, and we are hopeful parents/guardians gained important information to support your child(ren) throughout the 2025-2026 school year! If you are unable to attend, all presentations will be posted on our website.

Wishing everyone a great weekend!

Kelli Jenkins, Principal

Jennifer Zinn, Assistant Principal

2025-2026 IMPORTANT DATES AND EVENTS

SEPTEMBER
15 - Hispanic American Heritage Month Begins
15 - PTO Meeting ~ Media Center, 7:00 pm
17 - Schools Close 3 Hours Early (Professional Work/Wellness Day), 12:15 pm
23 - Rosh Hashanah - Schools & Offices Closed

OCOTOBER

2 - Yom Yippur Schools & Offices Closed

17 - Schools Closed For Students (Professional Work Day)

20 - Diwali ~ Schools & Offices Closed

31 - Schools Close 3 Hours Early (Professional Work Day), Dismissal Time: 12:15 pm

HCPSS 2025-26 School Calendar

There will be no printed 2025-2026 calendars. Staff, students, and families may add our online calendar to their own mobile/online calendar by:

Going to School System Calendar - HCPSS
Scrolling down to Subscribing to a calendar.
Right-clicking on the calendar you wish to subscribe to.
Selecting Copy Link Location/Address/Shortcut
Adding to your calendar of choice (See your calendar for specifics on adding a new calendar)

In addition families can access the 2025-2026 HCPSS academic calendar on line and/or print if desired by clicking on the link below.

2025-2026 Academic Calendar, Monthly Format

2025-2026 Academic Calendar, Dates-Only List

MWES NEWS

Counselor’s Corner

Ms. Heinlein and Mrs. Salapata, School Counselors, are here to support students and families. Ms. Heinlein (grades 1, 2, 4 & 5) and Mrs. Salapata (grades K and 3) can be reached through email: mheinlein@hcpss.org; csalapata@hcpss.org or by calling 410-313-7165. We look forward to serving you and your children!

ZEN ZONES

All Manor Woods classrooms have implemented the use of Zen Zones (also called regulation or calm down spaces). Through a Bright Minds Foundation grant award, we were able to purchase materials for 40+ classrooms. The Zen Zone spaces are used by students if they need to take a brief break when they're having strong emotions and need to regulate (manage) their feelings using calm down strategies. Ask your child(ren) about the Zen Zones in their classrooms. The Zen Zones incorporate The Zones of Regulation strategies and materials. For more information visit The Zones of Regulation website.

HISPANIC HERITAGE MONTH

Hispanic Heritage Month is celebrated from September 15th to October 15th each year in the United States. This celebration honors numerous people from Spanish-speaking backgrounds who have come to the United States. We celebrate their cultures and traditions during this month. September 15th was chosen as the starting point for the celebration because it is the anniversary of the independence of five Latin American countries: Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua. Also, Mexico celebrates its independence day on September 16th and Chile celebrates its independence day on September 18th.

Check out these websites for more information about Hispanic Heritage Month and how you can celebrate virtually and at home!

FAMILY ACADEMY KICKOFF
Date: Saturday, Sept. 27, 9:00 am–12:00 pm
Location: Oakland Mills High School
This districtwide event is open to all HCPSS families and will feature:

A session with Superintendent Bill Barnes
Resource tables hosted by HCPSS offices and local organizations
Information on programs, resources, and services available throughout the school year
Childcare and language access provided

For additional information, please visit the Family Academy Kickoff HCPSS News Post.
Flier: English | Spanish | Chinese | Korean

INFORMATION WORTH REPEATING

DIBELS Universal Screener Information

In accordance with Maryland’s Ready to Read Act (2019), COMAR (2021) and the direction from the Howard County Board of Education, all Howard County Public School System students in kindergarten to grade 5 will participate in the 2025 - 2026 administration of the Amplify mClass with DIBELS 8th Edition universal screener to identify potential reading difficulties during the following windows.

Beginning of the year (BOY) - September 8, 2025 - September 22, 2025
Middle of the year (MOY) - January 12, 2026 - January 30, 2026
End of the year (EOY) - May 18, 2026 - June 2, 2026

Amplify mClass DIBELS 8th Edition has identified students for whom mClass is not an appropriate assessment. Students for whom this is true include those with limited verbal language skills, with fluency-based speech disorders or oral apraxia, and/or who are blind and/or deaf.

Please see below for screening areas measured in each grade. Students will complete the screener in four to twelve minutes and will be screened three times this year during the windows indicated above in the chart.

How will the results be used?

Performance is an indicator of overall reading status and is not intended to be an in-depth or comprehensive measure of reading. Just like using a thermometer to take a temperature, which provides a quick indicator of general health, these quick assessments provide information about reading health on particular early reading skills.

A student’s scores on the screener give school staff information about whether or not a student is on track for grade-level reading success. School staff can quickly identify students who may require extra help. Parents and guardians will receive a home report with their child’s scores.

Some information on this parent notification is taken directly from the Ready to Read Act and COMAR, while other content was summarized to reflect HCPSS procedures.

https://dibels.amplify.com/

COMAR 13A.03.08 - Students at Risk for Reading Difficulties

Ready to Read Act Senate Bill 734

Screening Measures by Grade Level

Measures of Academic Progress (MAP) Assessment

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.

Currently, MAP is being used in all elementary and middle schools in HCPSS. In order to monitor growth across the school year, students in grades 1 through 8 take MAP two or three times a year: in the beginning (fall), in the middle (winter), and at the end of the school year (spring), with students in grades 3 through 8 only participating in fall and winter.

https://www.hcpss.org/f/academics/understanding-map-student-report.pdf

MAP assessment items are designed to align to objectives in the Maryland College and Career Ready Standards, which are now being taught throughout the Howard County Public School System (HCPSS).

Below is the window for Fall MAP administration.

September 15-19 (Grade 1 only)
September 22 - October 24 (Grades 1-5)

MWES Community Engagement and Volunteering

We would like to kick off this school year at Manor Woods by engaging our families in the most meaningful way. Please take a minute to complete the survey linked below for the grade level of your child(ren) to help us understand how you would like to participate this year. This survey should take no longer than 5 minutes. If you have more than one child, please complete one form for each child. Thank you!

PTO NEWS

THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING A PTO MEMBER

Joining the PTO is one of the simplest yet most powerful ways to support our school community. PTO members help strengthen the connection between home and school, ensuring that families have a voice in decisions that impact students. Membership directly supports programs, events, and resources that enrich the learning experience for every child. Whether you attend meetings, volunteer, or simply join to show support, your membership makes a difference—it demonstrates a shared commitment to student success and a thriving school community. Please consider joining today! Join the PTO

PTO LINKS:

Order Spiritwear by 9/19

Join the PTO

Find a committee that interests you

UPCOMING EVENTS:

Attend the first PTO meeting 9/15 (no sign up required!)

HCPSS News/Events

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

https://news.hcpss.org/