From School Administration
Dear Manor Woods Families,
The Manor Woods staff is looking ahead to the 2026-27 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 2026-27 School Year.
Wishing everyone a fantastic weekend!
Kelli Jenkins, Principal
Jennifer Zinn, Assistant Principal
Important Dates
May
4-8 - Staff Appreciation Week
6 - Spring Band Concert, Marriott Ridge HS, 7:00 PM
8 - Kindergarten Field Trip to Green Meadows
13 - 5th Grade Simulated Congressional Hearings (SCH)
13 - PTO Meeting, Media Center, 7:00 PM
19 - Field Day
25 - Schools and Offices Closed ~ Memorial Day
27- Schools and Offices Closed ~ Eid ul-Adha
28 - 4th Grade Field Trip to Biz Town
29 - 4th Grade Field Trip to Biz Town
June
3 - Spring Orchestra Concert, Marriotts Ridge HS, 7:00 PM
8 - Full Day of School (New)
9 - Spring Chorus Concert, Marriotts Ridge HS, 7:00 PM
15 - 5th Grade Promotion Ceremony, 9:15 AM ~ (More details coming soon)
16 - 3 Hour Early Dismissal - Professional Learning Day
17 - 3 Hour Early Dismissal - Professional Work Day
18 - Last Day of School / 3 Hour Early Dismissal - Professional Work Day
19 - Schools & Offices Closed - Juneteenth
23 - Schools & Offices Closed - Primary Election Day
RELATED ARTS ~ COLOR CALENDAR SCHEDULE
Note: Color Calendar May Not Reflect Updated School Closures/Early Dismissals
UPDATED HCPSS CALENDAR
https://www.hcpss.org/calendar/
MWES NEWS
5TH GRADE BATTLE OF THE BOOKS ~ CONGRATULATIONS!
On Friday, April 24th, the Howard County Public Library Battle of the Books event took place at Merriweather, with over 365 teams competing from across HCPSS and Manor Woods had a fantastic showing!
We are so proud of all of our students/teams who participated!
Gold Place:
K-Pop Reading Hunters
Silver Place:
Book Burglars
Chapter Soldiers
Kit Cats
Pen and the Paw
2nd Place for their Poster:
Reading Rebels
Brainy Bananas, The Refereaders, The Book Bees, Look What You Made Me Read, Storm Dashers, Word Warriors, Reading Rascals, Sad Secretly A Dinosaur, Book Bosses and Chapterbara Books
We know this was a memorable event as these students are coming to a close of their 5th grade year. CONGRATULATIONS to these AWESOME young readers!
HOCO SECAC ~ 3rd ANNUAL GLADIATOR AWARDS EVENT
Step into the Arena: It’s Time to Honor Our Champions!
The 3rd Annual Gladiator Awards is back, and we are calling on our community to help us recognize the true heroes among us. This event is dedicated to celebrating the incredible individuals within the HCPSS school system who go above and beyond to support, uplift, and empower students in special education.
Nomination Criteria:
- The nominee must have worked with the student for a full school year (current or previous).
- You must provide complete and accurate contact information for the nominee (nominations without this will not be considered).
- You’ll be asked to share specific examples of your Gladiator's impact
- The nominee will be notified, and your name as the nominator will be shared with them.
- Only the first 300 nominations will be accepted—submit early!
- Each individual may submit up to two nominations.
Nomination Form:
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSffFs6S0lf1MWYH2zU2JYjU1l7ToglRxrZQE2FWCWm4OD1sJw/viewform
📅 Event Details:
Monday, June 15
6:30 PM – 8:30 PM
Guilford Park High School
8500 Ridgelys Run Road, Jessup, MD 20794
MAKE YOUR VOICE HEARD! YOUR OPINION MATTERS!
Parents and guardians of children receiving special education and related services were mailed the Maryland Special Education Parent Involvement Survey from the Maryland State Department of Education, Division of Special Education/Early Intervention Services. Parents are asked to complete the survey and return it in the postage paid envelope by Friday, June 5, 2026. The survey can also be completed online.
Your feedback will help guide efforts to improve special education and related services in HCPSS. Your voice can make a real difference for your child and many other children across the state of Maryland.
MARYLAND MATHEMATICS POLICY FAMILY INFORMATION SESSIONS
Mathematics Policy Family Information Sessions: MSDE will host virtual Math Policy Family Information Sessions in June 2026 to support family understanding of upcoming mathematics initiatives and updates for the 2026–2027 school year.
Participants must register in advance to receive session links. Click here for details and dates/times.
FIELD DAY
Field Day is Tuesday May 19th! Students will be participating in movement & cooperative activities during the school day. We need volunteers to help supervise and run stations. If you would like to volunteer, please register here. Please be mindful when registering to look at which grade levels will be participating in the area during that session.
Students are encouraged to dress appropriately for the outside weather in their Field Day color or any MWES attire for the event. (K-Red, 1-Orange, 2-Yellow, 3-Blue, 4-Green, 5-Purple)
If you have any questions, please email Karyn_peksa@hcpss.org, Allison_holocker@hcpss.org or laura_krasilovsky@hcpss.org.
Information Worth Repeating
YEARBOOK
PURCHASE A YEARBOOK!
Purchase a yearbook today! The deadline for ordering and creating custom pages is 5/13/26. Yearbooks are available for purchase at:
https://account.treering.com/create-account/1014749226162236?PassCode=1014749226162236
Early Pickup/Afterschool Activities Reminders
To ensure smooth end-of-day procedures, please plan to pick up your child no later than 2:55 pm for an early pickup. This helps us maintain a focused learning environment and ensures the safety and smooth dismissal of all students. Picking up students after this time can disrupt classroom activities and interfere with dismissal procedures. Early dismissals cannot be conducted after 2:55 pm. If you arrive after 3:00 pm, you will need to wait in the car loop line until our regular dismissal begins.
Please bring your driver's license for any early dismissal.
If your child has an after-school activity, please provide a note each day. This will help for a smoother dismissal as there are many days our students visit the front office at dismissal with questions regarding an afterschool activity and if they are supposed to stay at school for the activity. A note will help the teacher and your child remember the activity on a weekly basis.
We appreciate your cooperation in helping us provide the best possible environment for all students!
Maryland Comprehensive Assessment Program (MCAP)
Manor Woods students in grades 3, 4, and 5 will take the Maryland Comprehensive Assessment Program (MCAP) in both ELA and math. The MCAP provides information to educators, parents, and the public on student progress towards proficiency on the Maryland College and Career Ready Standards. For more information, visit https://www.hcpss.org/academics/testing/mcap/.
The MCAP assessment window is Tuesday, April 7 - Friday, May 29. Specific testing dates are below for each grade level. Please make every effort to have your child attend school on testing days and to refrain from scheduling any appointments during these times to minimize missing instruction due to make-up testing. There is no need to study for the MCAP. To prepare, have your child get a good night’s sleep, eat a healthy breakfast, and arrive at school on time.
MCAP Math
3rd Grade - May 4, 5, 6, and 8
4th Grade - May 4, 5, 6, and 8
5th Grade - April 27, 28, 29 and May 1
HCPSS Bullying, Harassment, Intimidation Communication
Parents, Guardians, and Families,
Our school is committed to creating a safe, welcoming, and respectful environment for every student. As part of that commitment, we want to share information about how we prevent, respond to, and investigate incidents involving hate and bias.
Incidents related to hate or bias can have a serious impact on students’ emotional well-being, sense of belonging, and ability to fully engage in school. Harmful language, slurs, symbols, jokes, threats, exclusion, or online behavior targeting someone’s identity can affect not only the person directly involved, but also others in the school community who may feel unsafe or unseen.
We believe that addressing these incidents requires a strong partnership between school staff, students, and families.
What We Mean by Hate/Bias
A hate- or bias-related incident is behavior that targets or demeans a person or group based on actual or perceived identity. This may include race, ethnicity, national origin, religion, disability, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, or other aspects of identity. Some incidents may involve student discipline or policy violations, while others may still require school follow-up, support, and education because of their impact.
How Families Can Help
- Talk with your child. Encourage honest conversations about identity, belonging, respect, and how to respond when harm occurs. Ask your child what they are seeing or hearing at school and online.
- Reinforce that words and symbols matter. Help children understand that comments framed as jokes or trends can still be harmful and may create fear, humiliation, or exclusion for others.
- Encourage reporting. If your child experiences or witnesses a hate/bias concern, encourage them to tell a trusted adult at school as soon as possible. Reporting helps us respond, support students, and address harm. Reports can be made at https://stopbullying.hcpss.org/report/bullying.
- Stay engaged in online activity. Digital communication can spread harm quickly. Monitoring online interactions and talking openly about respectful digital behavior can help prevent escalation.
- Partner with the school. When concerns arise, your communication and support are important. Working together helps us respond thoughtfully and consistently.
When a report is made, school administrators will review the concern, gather information, and determine appropriate next steps in alignment with school and district procedures. Responses may include student support, family communication, restorative measures, disciplinary action, safety planning, and broader school or classroom follow-up as needed.
If your child reports a hate/bias concern, or if you become aware of one, please contact a school administrator and use the established reporting process. Even if you are unsure whether an incident meets a specific definition, we encourage you to share the concern so it can be reviewed.
Thank you for your partnership in helping us foster a school community where every student feels safe, affirmed, and respected.
PTO NEWS
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