About Us
Susan Brown
Assistant Principal
Welcome to Laurel Woods Elementary School! I am so delighted and honored to serve as your new assistant principal! On a hot spring day in Montgomery, Alabama while attending Alabama State University, I was required to visit a 1st grade class with the purpose of gaining service hours, but surprisingly I gained so much more!
From that day on, an inner flame for elementary education had been lit in the heart of this young lady from Anchorage, Alaska! Immediately, I knew this is where I belong-in the elementary school classroom! I quickly changed my major from criminology to elementary education and so my journey of teaching and learning began. After completing my Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees, it seemed as if I blinked and had completed 12 years of teaching and learning with 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th grade students. This experience eventually led me to this great place in time! I couldn’t be more thrilled!
Throughout the years of my educational and professional milestones, my family has been right there by my side through it all! My time with my husband of 16 years and our three sons is best spent cheering on the Ravens or enjoying quality time at a park, the beach or the movies. I look forward to meeting and working with the Laurel Woods school community, where respect is valued and student success is the top priority! Please feel free to come by, my door is always open! I’d love to meet you!
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 was selected to pilot the new elementary level World Language Program, which provides students with a semester of instruction in both Spanish and Chinese. Our community has embraced this exceptional opportunity and we recognize that world language instruction will positively impact all facets of the school experience.
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 a Early Childhood and Elementary Education Professional Development School partnership with UMBC. Our University Coordinator (IHE) is Lindsey Eder. Sarah McGuire 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. Student interns will participate in a 2-semester field experience rotation. In their first semester they will have a 1 day/week experience in one classroom. The second semester they will have 5 days/week field experience.
School Profile:
Laurel Woods Elementary School
Fast facts about Laurel Woods ES listing special programs, total enrollment, accomplishments and more.
MSDE Individual School
Performance Report
The Individual School Performance Report for each school is provided by the
Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE) and reflects the school's
proficiency levels on the Maryland School Assessment (MSA).
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 1: Marcy Leonard
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: Bess Altwerger, Ed.D.