About Us
Connie Stahler
Connie
Stahler
Principal
connie_stahler@hcpss.org
I am honored to be the principal of LWES. I am excited to start my fifth year and serving the LWES community. Each year, I look forward to knowing and building relationships with our new families and deepen my relationships with our current families.
Prior to coming to LWES, I served as an assistant principal at three elementary schools including Guilford, Waverly and Forest Ridge. In addition, I have been in the role of a first, second, and fourth grade level teacher, and a special education teacher at Ilchester and Clemens Crossing Elementary Schools.
My husband and I have two children, Caelin and Sean. Caelin is in high school in Howard County and Sean is attending a Maryland state college. When I am not at school, I enjoy listening to music, reading and spending time with my family.
Khalilah Braxton
Greetings! My name is Khalilah N. Braxton, and I am thrilled to join and serve the Laurel Woods Elementary School community as your assistant principal! I have served as an educator for 23 years in the Howard County Public School System. My journey began at Hammond Elementary as a classroom teacher for 17 years, where I taught first and second grades, as well as kindergarten. I was also the Kindergarten Instructional Team Leader. I joined Talbott Springs Elementary in 2016 to begin a new chapter as Title I Interventionist, balancing multiple roles including first grade Instructional Team Leader, Diversity Equity and Inclusion Liaison, and Evening School Point of Contact. I hold a Bachelor’s Degree in Elementary Education from Radford University in VA and a Master’s Degree in Administration and Supervision from Loyola University in Maryland. I look forward to developing relationships and supporting the Laurel Woods students, staff, and community!
School Overview
LWES – Looking Within Every Student encompasses the essence of our vision statement. Laurel Woods is a community of active learners where staff, families, students and educational partners take responsibility to ensure excellence and success for each student. It is our mission to develop productive and responsible citizens in a positive and challenging environment that accelerates achievement, and encourages enthusiasm for lifelong learning. We focus on the whole child, taking into consideration the personal, cognitive and social dimensions of each child.
Our students benefit from the many programs and resources available within our school. Reading and math support teachers offer continuous assistance to students and staff. Our comprehensive technology program provides students with essential computer skills. The teaching staff provides daily instruction that is specific to individual student needs.
Laurel Woods has been recognized by the State of Maryland for our outstanding PBIS (Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports) program. PBIS is a school-wide program designed to teach and recognize excellence in student learning and citizenship. We remain committed as a school community to provide our children with the opportunity to excel with academics while learning essential social skills that will lead to success in the years ahead.
Our PTO, community, volunteers and business partners come together to provide a positive, exciting and joy-filled school community. We recognize our responsibility to develop students who are competent with essential skills, able to use information to solve real-world problems and capable of working together in a rapidly changing and diverse world.
PDS Partnership
What is a PDS?
A Professional Development School (PDS) is a collaboratively planned and implemented partnership for the academic and clinical preparation of interns and the continuous professional development of both school system and institution of higher education (IHE) faculty. The focus of the PDS partnership is improved student performance through research-based teaching and learning. A PDS may involve a single or multiple schools, school systems and IHEs and may take many forms to reflect specific partnership activities and approaches to improving both teacher education and PreK-12 schools.
About Our Partnership
Laurel Woods has started an Early Childhood and Elementary Education Professional Development School partnership with UMBC. Our University Coordinator (IHE) is Marloe Lippert. Julie Wehrmeister will serve as the PDS site liaison facilitating communication and professional development opportunities between the university and school partners. As a part of this partnership Laurel Woods will host student interns completing their early childhood and/or elementary field experiences.
School Profile:
Laurel Woods Elementary School
Fast facts about Laurel Woods ES listing special programs, total enrollment, accomplishments and more.
MSDE School Report Card
The Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE) School Report Card reflects overall
school performance using a combination of academic and school quality indicators.
Community Superintendent
With a focus on instruction as a birth-through-graduation continuum, Community Superintendents better position the school system to support students throughout their entire journey with HCPSS. View community superintendents by regional area.
Community Superintendent Area 2: Jennifer A Robinson
Board of Education Representative
Howard County public schools are divided into school clusters, which are assigned to individual Board members to facilitate school visitations, attend special events, and provide a point of contact for each school community. View all BOE school cluster assignments.
LWES BOE Representative: Jennifer Swickard Mallo