May 2015 Dogwood Elementary

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From your Principal… Mrs. Betty Pettiford Has Spring finally sprung? The Merry Month of May brings us close to the end of the school year. This certainly is one of the busiest times of the year. After Spring Break, we became involved in a whirl- wind of activities, and our Dogwood students will have the opportunity to demonstrate all that they have learned in a variety of settings. Our Science Fair, Safe Racer, and Field Day are only a few ways our stu- dents demonstrated their knowledge and creative talents! We want to sincerely thank our families for their continued support and cooperation. This week is Teacher Appreciation Week. On behalf of our teachers and staff, we want to thank our PTA in advance for treating the faculty to a delicious breakfast, and lunch, as well as the many acts of kindness and support they have provided throughout the school year. We also appreciate our parent community, and the support you have given us. Please let your child’s teacher know that you appreciate them during this special week. Wednesday, May 6 th is Nurses Day….and Dogwood is fortunate to have one of the best care providers in Baltimore County Schools. If you stop by the school, let her know that you appreciate how she takes care of our children. It’s commencement time…mark your calendar!!!!! Our Pre-K commencement activities will be held on June 12 th , kindergarten graduation will be held on June 15 th and fifth grade graduation will be held on June 16 th . More information will be forthcoming. We have received numerous calls about the date of the last day of school. The official last day of school is Thursday, June 18th, with June 17 th and 18th being half days. The last official day for pre-K is June 16 th . We encourage you to have your students to clean out their lockers and check the lost and found for any items that may be missing. Parents we need your help! Baltimore County has a dress code for students and teachers. Shorts must be fingertip length, tops cannot expose mid-driff, and flip-flops are not permitted for safety rea- sons. We are working with the PTA to introduce uniforms for next school year. Studies show that school where children where uniforms are worn, test scores have increased, students are more focused, and suspen- sions decreased. More information is forthcoming. Save the Date… Our spring concert will be held on Thursday, June 4 th starting at 7:00 p.m. Fifth grade parents…for those students who will be attending Windsor Mill Middle School, you are invited to attend a 6 th grade “Family Night” orientation. The orientation will take place at Windsor Mill Middle School on Wednesday, May 18 th from 6:00 7:30 p.m. If you have any questions you may call the school 887-0618, and ask for Mrs. Purcell. Calling all moms! Calling all moms! We will have a special “Muffins for Mom” event on Friday, May 15 in the cafeteria, from 8:30 to 9:45 a.m. We will have a special guest speaker. Please RSVP when you receive your invitation. Great food…Great topics, and you! A Note from the Principal Dogwood Elementary May 2015

Transcript of May 2015 Dogwood Elementary

Page 1: May 2015 Dogwood Elementary

From your Principal…

Mrs. Betty Pettiford

Has Spring finally sprung? The Merry Month of May brings us close to the end of the school year.

This certainly is one of the busiest times of the year. After Spring Break, we became involved in a whirl-

wind of activities, and our Dogwood students will have the opportunity to demonstrate all that they have

learned in a variety of settings. Our Science Fair, Safe Racer, and Field Day are only a few ways our stu-

dents demonstrated their knowledge and creative talents! We want to sincerely thank our families for

their continued support and cooperation.

This week is Teacher Appreciation Week. On behalf of our teachers and staff, we want to thank

our PTA in advance for treating the faculty to a delicious breakfast, and lunch, as well as the many acts

of kindness and support they have provided throughout the school year. We also appreciate our parent

community, and the support you have given us. Please let your child’s teacher know that you appreciate

them during this special week. Wednesday, May 6th is Nurses Day….and Dogwood is fortunate to have one

of the best care providers in Baltimore County Schools. If you stop by the school, let her know that you

appreciate how she takes care of our children.

It’s commencement time…mark your calendar!!!!! Our Pre-K commencement activities will be held on

June 12th, kindergarten graduation will be held on June 15th and fifth grade graduation will be held on

June 16th. More information will be forthcoming.

We have received numerous calls about the date of the last day of school. The official last day of

school is Thursday, June 18th, with June 17th and 18th being half days. The last official day for pre-K is

June 16th. We encourage you to have your students to clean out their lockers and check the lost and found

for any items that may be missing.

Parents we need your help! Baltimore County has a dress code for students and teachers. Shorts

must be fingertip length, tops cannot expose mid-driff, and flip-flops are not permitted for safety rea-

sons.

We are working with the PTA to introduce uniforms for next school year. Studies show that school where

children where uniforms are worn, test scores have increased, students are more focused, and suspen-

sions decreased. More information is forthcoming.

Save the Date… Our spring concert will be held on Thursday, June 4th starting at 7:00 p.m. Fifth

grade parents…for those students who will be attending Windsor Mill Middle School, you are invited to

attend a 6th grade “Family Night” orientation. The orientation will take place at Windsor Mill Middle

School on Wednesday, May 18th from 6:00 – 7:30 p.m. If you have any questions you may call the school

887-0618, and ask for Mrs. Purcell.

Calling all moms! Calling all moms! We will have a special “Muffins for Mom” event on Friday, May

15 in the cafeteria, from 8:30 to 9:45 a.m. We will have a special guest speaker. Please RSVP when you

receive your invitation. Great food…Great topics, and you!

A Note from the Principal

Dogwood Elementary

May 2015

Page 2: May 2015 Dogwood Elementary

5th Grade Farewell: The 5th grade farewell is

scheduled for June 16th at 9:00 am. It will take

place in the school cafeteria/gym. You do not need

tickets but seating is limited and on a first come

first serve basis. Dress for students is formal at-

tire. Teachers will send out more information in re-

gard to the farewell.

Philadelphia and Dance A Thon: Our 5th grade trip

to Philadelphia is scheduled for Monday, June 1st.

All money is due to the teachers on May 22nd. The

Dance-a-Thon will take place on May 22nd and is a

great opportunity for students to raise for money

for their trip.

Health: The 5th grade Human Body and Development

health unit will be taught the last two weeks in May.

Permission slips must be signed and handed in to par-

ents in order to teach the course. Also, there will be

an information meeting for parents on May 12th.

5th grade t-shirts: The 5th grade teachers will be

ordering t-shirts for all students to have for Phila-

delphia as well as other end of the year activities.

Teachers will send out order forms for t-shirts in

the next two weeks.

5th grade team

Ms. Williams:[email protected]

Ms. Sutton: [email protected]

Ms. Crump: [email protected]

Ms. Caldwell: [email protected]

Fourth quarter has arrived and third grade students are eager to begin our author study on Roald Dahl.

Students will have to opportunity to read either one or two stories written by Roald Dahl; James and the Giant

Peach, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, or Fantastic Mr. Fox. During this unit we will be investigating the differ-

ent story elements in order to gain a deeper understanding of the story.

During math students will be exploring new concepts about geometry, multiplication, and division. We will

continue to reinforce these skills through daily assessments and homework.

Third grade is learning about the importance of exercise in health! Each class will be challenging one an-

other in making an aerobic exercise video! Now that the weather is nice, encourage your child to get our and exer-

cise.

Please continue to help our third grade students develop their passion of reading! READ! READ! READ!

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Inside the 4th Grade

Dogwood Elementary

5th Grade Highlights...

class work activities and complete their homework carefully each night. Students

are also working to apply these fractions concepts to different forms of measure-ment! Keep practicing those basic facts!

Science and Social Studies

The students are very excited about con-ducting research about different Meso-

American and Native Americans groups

for our Social Studies unit, “The Earliest Americans.”

Important Notes:

Students will be completing the

PARCC End of Year assessments for Reading and Math during the month

of May. Students, remember to get lots

of sleep and eat a healthy breakfast in order to do your very best on these

tests!

Contact the Fourth Grade Team Miss Liston: [email protected]

Ms. Putnam: [email protected]

Miss Talerico: [email protected]

Mrs. Monroe-Rice: [email protected]

Reading/Language Arts

Students are busy reading informa-

tional texts about science and social studies topics. Writing has also been a focus for this unit, including expressing

an opinion in writing after conducting short, focused research.

Math

The third and fourth quarters have brought our Math focus to fractions! Fractions are a complex subject, so

please encourage students to review all

3rd Grade News...

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It’s hard to believe it is already May! Second grade has been busy reading biographies of famous Americans and

working on place value and adding and subtracting. We have also been working hard on our economics unit. On

Wednesday, May 13th, we will be going to the Baltimore Museum of Industry as a culmination to our economics

unit. Please make sure you have sent in a permission slip and money for your child so they will be able to attend.

Reminder: If the field trip has to be cancelled, all money will be refunded. If you would like to attend the field

trip, please make sure you have completed the volunteer training. It can be found at www.bcps.org under the par-

ent tab.

Reminders:

*The air conditioning is on and it can be very cold in the room. You may want to send your child a sweater or

sweatshirt to keep in school.

*Field day will be June 5th

*The spring concert will be June 4th. Second grade will be performing.

drawings to show strate-

gies and solutions.

Language Arts- In Unit

5, Figure It Out, students

explore the Essential

Question, What can we

learn from the world

around us? They read

and write about “How-

To” books to figure out

how to make things in

their world. They learn

how ships and bridges

are built, and about fa-

mous inventors who fig-

ured out how to improve

our daily lives with

their clever inventions.

Please talk with your

child about some of the

texts we are reading in

class.

Math- We are currently

working on Unit 6: This

unit focuses on addition,

subtraction, and the

number system. Stu-

dents will make sense

and develop strategies

to solve addition and

subtraction problems.

Students will use ma-

nipulatives, tools, and

May 2015

1st Grade Corner

Page 3

2nd Grade News

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What’s Happening in Kindergarten?

May is here and as the school year winds down, there are many, many things going on in prek! Our

current unit is “On the Farm.” During this unit we will be learning about farms and farm animals. We

are also working on blending 2 and 3 sounds to form words. In math, we are reviewing many of the skills

that were introduced this year such as positional words, geometry, and numbers and sets,

There are several dates to remember in May and June so please check your child’s folder nightly to

keep up with events and schedule changes. Here is a brief summary of dates to be aware of:

Monday, May 11 and Tuesday, May 12 are spring conference days. There is no school for pre-

kindergarten and kindergarten students Monday. In addition, there are is no school

for prekindergarten Tuesday. I will not be holding conferences on those days but will have

many other times available.

Friday, May 8 is prek screening day for next year’s class. There is no school for prekindergarten

students only!

The prek closing ceremony is tentatively on Friday, June 12. Each class has a ceremony during

their class time(exact times will go home soon). Please plan to be there!

At this time of year, the weather can be cool in the morning but warm up quickly. Please dress your

child for the weather. Also, don’t forget…sandals should not be worn for outdoor play or on Fridays when we

have gym. Children wearing sandals are not allowed to participate in some outdoor activities so please have

your child wear sneakers or bring sneakers every day.

Pre-K Highlights...

In May, our Kindergarten students will be working very hard!

During Phonics

We will continue working on letter sound recognition, as well as discriminating, segmenting, manipulat-

ing, and blending sounds. Also, we will continue to work on sight word recognition.

During Math

We will work on counting, decomposing numbers, using numbers and notation, describing tile arrange-

ments and other addition situations, and finding and exploring combinations of numbers.

During Reading

We will cover the following theme: Thinking Outside the Box. Our reading selections will include stories

about how we can work together, how things are alike and different, and how we can protect the en-

vironment.

Helpful Reminders:

Please bring in a snack DAILY.

Check DAILY for important papers in your child’s communication folder

Please make sure your child has an extra set of weather appropriate clothing at the school.

Please check your child’s lunch account often and add money as needed. If sending money, we ask that

you place it in a sealed envelope with your child’s name, teacher’s name and the amount. Please

place the envelope in your child’s folder to ensure that the teacher is receiving the money.

If your child is absent from school, please send an absence note with the child when they return to

school.

Important Dates:

Monday, May 11th - Kindergarten Conference Day No School for Kindergarten students

Monday, May 25th - No School for Students

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Physical Education Music

Library/Technology We are very fortunate again to have this wonderful program for the summer. Mrs. Gray and

Mrs. Price are running this program this year and we have already had most students fill

out there selection form. We are very excited and hope you are too!!

Five self-selected fiction/ nonfiction books

Summer Journal

Activity worksheets

Access to online TrackIt

Reading knapsack

How It Works

Select Books

Take Books/Materials Home

Log minutes online

Return Reading Log to school

All students will be preparing for

Field Day activities, which will be

held on Friday, June 5th. Please

feel free to join us!

FLIP-FLOPS are not a

school safe shoe. Please discourage

your child from wearing these to

school. Tennis shoes are the best

since most classes have recess eve-

ryday. In addition we are a two

storey school, flip-flops and steps

are not a good combination. Thank

you for your help in this matter.

The Spring Concert will be Thursday, June 4th at 6:30 pm. Performances by 5th grade Band, 5th grade Cho-rus, 4th grade Recorder Club and special presentations by 2nd , 3rd and 4th grade students. More details to come!

Special Area News

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Baltimore County Summer Visual Arts Enrichment Program

PROGRAM OVERVIEW: The Baltimore County Summer Visual Arts Enrichment Pro-

gram provides a wonderful opportunity for students in Grades 3-12 to build their per-

sonal art skills and add to their art portfolios. A variety of courses are offered to meet

varied needs and interests of students whether they are seeking to improve art skills or

preparing a portfolio for consideration for gifted and talented coursework, or acceptance

into a magnet program.

The program will take place from: July 6-17, 2015

The cost of the program: $375.00

Hours for the program are: 9:30 a.m. - 3 p.m.

The program will be held at: Perry Hall High School

*Please note: All questions concerning the program should be directed to the Of-

fice of Visual Arts at

(410) 887-4030 or e-mailed to [email protected]

.

Tentative) Bus pick up is available at the following locations: Bus 1: Catons-

ville Elementary, Sudbrook Middle Magnet, Woodlawn High, Bus 2: Holabird

Middle, Golden Ring Middle, Parkville High, Bus 3: Hereford High, Cockeys-

ville Middle, and Cromwell Elementary

A program fee of $375.00, payable to Baltimore County Public Schools is

required for this program. The program fee covers all art materials, transpor-

tation, and consultant fees.

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Seasonal allergies, sometimes called "hay fever" or seasonal allergic rhinitis, are al-

lergy symptoms that occur during certain times of the year, usually when outdoor

molds release their spores, and trees, grasses, and weeds release tiny pollen particles

into the air.The immune systems of people who are allergic to mold spores or pollen

treat these particles (called allergens) as invaders and release chemicals, including his-

tamine, into the bloodstream to defend against them. It's the release of these chemicals

that causes allergy symptoms.

People can be allergic to one or more types of pollen or mold. The type someone is aller-

gic to determines when symptoms occur. For example, in the Mid-Atlantic States, tree

pollination is February through May, grass pollen runs from May through June, and

weed pollen is from August through October. Even children who have never had sea-

sonal allergies in years past can develop them.

Signs and Symptoms

If your child develops a "cold" at the same time every year, seasonal allergies might be

to blame. Allergy symptoms, which usually come on suddenly and last as long as a per-

son is exposed to a particular allergen, can include:

sneezing

itchy nose and/or throat

nasal congestion

clear, runny nose

coughing

These symptoms often come with itchy, watery, and/or red eyes, which is called allergic

conjunctivitis.

Treatment

There is no real cure for seasonal allergies, but it is possible to relieve symptoms. Start

by reducing or eliminating exposure to allergens. During allergy season, keep windows

closed, use air conditioning if possible, and stay indoors when pollen counts are high.

Have your child wash hands or shower and change clothing after playing outside. And

a child with seasonal allergies should not mow the lawn (this tends to kick up pollen

and mold spores).

If reducing exposure isn't possible or is ineffective, medicines can help ease allergy

symptoms. These may include decongestants, antihistamines, and nasal spray steroids.

If symptoms cannot be managed with medicines, the doctor may recommend taking

your child to an allergist or immunologist for regular allergy shots (immunotherapy),

which can help desensitize kids to allergens.

Reviewed by: Nicole A. Green, MD: Kids Health

Nurse News...

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The character trait of the month is:

COURAGE

Courage means doing the right thing and making the

right choice even if it is very difficult to do. Stu-

dents can show courage by working hard to overcome

fears, trying new things, standing up for what you

know is right, making good choices, and having confi-

dence!

Important Dates: 5th GRADE CAREER DAY! Friday,

May 29th. Please email me at [email protected] if

interested in participating!

Mark your

Calendar! Counselors Corner

May Events May 1 Kindergarten Round Up

May 4-8 Teacher Appreciation Week

May 8 Pre-K Screening

May 11 Kindergarten Conferences

No School for Kindergarten only

May 11 & 12 No School for Pre-K Students

May 13 2nd Grade Field Trip

May 15 Muffins for Moms

May 22 5th Grade Dance-a-thon

May 25 No School

May 26 Parent Workshop

Sparking Excitement Around Everyday Math

May 28 Parent Workshop

Ready to Read Strategies and Skills

May 29 5th Grade Career Day

HAPPY SPRING!

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