May 2015 Dogwood Elementary
Transcript of 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
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!
Page 2
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...
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
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
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
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.
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...
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!