Paw Points……

From your Principal

Mrs. Betty Pettiford

June 4, 2015

Dear Dogwood Families,

It is hard to believe that another school year is drawing to a close. What a year it has

been! As I reflect upon the many accomplishments we have achieved, I feel great pride. Our stu-

dents participated in county and statewide competitions, receiving numerous awards and recog-

nition.

We want to thank all of the parents who plan to participate in our Field Day activities,

and everyone who supported our school and fundraisers throughout the year. On behalf of our

students and staff, we would like to thank our PTA and community for their continued support,

input, and most of all contributions to Dogwood. Our students succeed because we work to-

gether!

Fifth grade parents received information about residency verification prior to spring

break. All residency information needs to be submitted to the office by June 30th. To our fifth

graders….we know you will continue to make us proud. We thank you for sharing your gifts with

Dogwood over the past five years!!!! Please remember to visit us and keep us updated on all of

your achievements!!!!

Parents, please mark your calendar. We look forward to seeing you and your parents at

some of our end of the year activities. Our Pre-k closing assembly will be held on June 12th, kin-

dergarten, June 15th and our fifth grade farewell assembly will be held on June 16th in the school

cafeteria.

There will be a few staffing changes in staffing that will be announced in your August

welcome back newsletter. One change to note is that the Adaptive Learning Support classes are

being phased out across the county. Using the continuum of service model students with identi-

fied needs will be able to have their needs met in their home school through a variety of resource

and inclusive model.

In closing, I wish to extend best wishes to all of our students, our dedicated staff, and our

families for a safe, happy and healthy summer!

“The object of education is to prepare the young to educate themselves throughout

their lives.”

—Robert Maynard Hutchins

A Note from the Principal

Dogwood Elementary

June 2015

5th Grade Farewell: The 5th grade fare-

well is scheduled for June 16th at 9:30

am. It will take place in the school cafete-

ria/gym. You do not need tickets but seat-

ing is limited and on a first come first

serve basis. Please do not park in the

school parking lot. Park on the street or

on the fields next to the school. Dress for

students is formal attire. Girls should

wear dresses and boys in dress slacks and

button down tops. The students have been

given information about appropriate at-

tire. Teachers will send out more informa-

tion in regard to the farewell. Also, there

will be sign out sheets after the ceremony.

PLEASE make sure to sign out your child

after graduation before leaving.

Field Day: The school wide field day is

scheduled for Friday, June 5th. All 5th

grade students should wear their t-shirts

and comfortable shorts and shoes. Also,

students should bring lunches from home.

5th grade team

Ms. Williams:bwilliams11@bcps.org

Ms. Sutton: csutton@bcps.org

Ms. Crump: acrump@bcps.org

Ms. Caldwell: bcaldwell@bcps.org

As we approach the end of the school year, we are finishing up strong. We are finishing up our Roald

Dahl novels. Our students have been extremely excited to be reading these novels. Some other

works by Roald Dahl include: BFG, The Twitches, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Fantastic Mr.

Fox and many more. Please feel free to choose a novel to read with your child over the summer!

In math we are working on mastering our multiplication and division facts. Over the summer re-

member to continue to practice the many skills learned this year. These skills include counting

money, telling time, adding and subtracting 3 digit numbers, mastering those multiplication facts

from 0-10, fractions and division. Oh but most importantly, have a little bit of fun!!!

Page 2

Inside the 4th Grade

Dogwood Elementary

5th Grade Highlights...

weight, and mass. Students are also

tackling more complex topics that

require them to apply their knowl-

edge of multiplication, division,

fractions, and angles!

Science and Social Studies

Students have started learning

about the earliest explorers of

America from far away lands in our

newest Social Studies unit, “Age of

Encounters,” before they transition

back to our final Science and

Health lessons for the school year.

Important Notes:

Students will receive supply lists

and their report cards on the last

day of school. Please remember

the importance of student atten-

dance during these last few weeks

of school! Let’s have a great finish

to our fourth grade year!

Contact the Fourth Grade

Team

Miss Liston: jliston@bcps.org

Ms. Putnam: sputnam@bcps.org

Miss Talerico: mtalerico@bcps.org

Mrs. Monroe-Rice: smonro-

erice@bcps.org

Reading/Language Arts

All four Reading/Language Arts

classes have delved into a variety

of literary and expository texts for

the end of the school year. Stu-

dents are exploring poetry, nov-

els, and non-fiction texts while

engaging in collaborative small

group discussions!

Math

Students are continuing to de-

velop their understanding of cus-

tomary and metric forms of meas-

urement for length, capacity,

3rd Grade News...

It is hard to believe that the school year is coming to an end!! We have been busy reading biogra-

phies, realistic fictional texts and writing book reviews. In math, we’ve learned many new work-

shop games that help up with the structure of a 100 chart and adding and subtracting within 100.

We are currently working with comparing three-digit numbers and adding and subtracting ten

from three-digit numbers. We have also almost completed the cursive alphabet.

*Important Dates to Remember*

Thursday, June 4th: Spring Concert- be at school by 6pm and the concert starts as 6:30

Friday, June 5th: Field Day- remember to bring water, sunscreen, a lunch (if possible) and wear

sneakers

(We ask that students try and bring a lunch on field day because all students have the same lunch

time, so the cafeteria will be backed up!)

Have fun this summer, but also remember to continue to practice the variety of skills we have

learned this year. For example, in math continue counting money, telling time, and adding and

subtracting two and three digit numbers. Also keep reading to build fluency and comprehension!

Have a wonderful summer!

have fun!!!

We will be having Water-

melon day on June 11th, cele-

brate summer birthdays and

ice cream day on June 12th,

pizza day on June 15th, beach

day on June 16h, and finally

memory books on June 17th.

The last day of school is

June 18th.

Wow, it is hard to believe

that the school year is over!

It has been a pleasure

watching your child learn

and grow this school year.

We are very proud of all of

their accomplishments.

Over the summer, remem-

ber to read, write, and prac-

tice your math skills. Most

importantly, be safe and

June 2015

1st Grade Corner

Page 3

2nd Grade News

What’s Happening in Kindergarten?

Our closing ceremony is Friday, June 12. The morning ceremony is at 9:30, and the after-

noon ceremony is at 1:30. Please have your child in school by 9:15 for the morning cere-

mony and 1:15 for the afternoon. Your child should be dressed appropriately for the

closing ceremony. All family members are invited!

The last official day of prek is Tuesday, June 16.

Please make sure your child wears sneakers or closed-toe shoes every day. They hate get-

ting wood chips in their shoes!!

If your child will not be attending Dogwood for kindergarten, please let me know so that we

can prepare a transfer packet for your child.

Pre-K Highlights...

Dear Kindergarten Families,

The Kindergarten team hopes that you have enjoyed this past year as much as we have! During the month of June,

the Kindergarten classrooms will be bringing everything we have learned to a close. J

During Phonics:

We will continue to review long and short vowels, various consonants, and identify a few blends in preparation for

first grade. The students will continue with discriminating, segmenting, manipulating, and blending sounds.

During Shared Reading:

We will be reading several different texts, including, “What’s the Big Idea, Molly,” “All Kinds of Families,” and

“Panda Kindergarten.” These stories will wrap all of the literacy skills up that we have learned this year! They will

each touch upon picture clues, making personal connections, finding sentence patterns, identifying characters, set-

tings and plot, naming sight words, and filling in a word that makes sense. Please continue to work on these skills

at home as you read with your child over the summer.

During Math:

We will continue to work on basic addition and subtraction problems including finding the total after 1, 2, or 3 has

been added or subtracted from a set. We will develop strategies from solving story problems and break down num-

bers in different ways. This math unit is filled with many exciting games for the students such as roll and record,

double compare, toss the chips, and racing bears.

Helpful Reminders:

-Please bring in a snack DAILY.

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

-Please be sure to send in clothing that is weather appropriate- it is getting much warmer.

Important Dates

Tuesday, June 15th – Kindergarten Closing Ceremony

Friday, June 5th –Field Day

Wednesday, June 17th – Half day of school for ALL students

Thursday, June 18th – Half day of school for ALL students – LAST DAY OF SCHOOL

Look for the included flyer

for information about Art

Summer Enrichment Camp

Physical Education

Music Library/

Technology TECH -KNOWLEDGY NEWS - from Gwendolyn

Gilliam-Price, Technology Resource/Liaison

BCPS students have their own username/

passwords to access BCPSOne and its re-

sources. Students have been using their credentials

throughout the school year but we would like for

them to have continued access to BCPSOne during

the summer vacation. By June 12th, all students in

Kindergarten through Grade 5 will receive a letter

that includes their username/password along with

ideas for using BCPSOne.

Students will use these credentials as long as they

are BCPS students. In essence, the fifth grade stu-

dents will use their credentials at any BCPS middle

school. If a student transfers to another BCPS ele-

mentary school, they will use the same creden-

tials. Please be sure to safeguard this information

and keep it private.

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact

me at gprice@bcps.org or call the school at 410-887-

6808.

Art YOU are invited to

Field Day! Please spread the word to any fam-

ily member that would enjoy

watching your child participate in

field day activities.

Friday, June 5th Please remember to sign in at

front office.

Spring Concert will be Thursday,

June 4th at 6:30 pm.

Performances by 5th grade Band,

5th grade Chorus, 4th grade Re-

corder Club and special presenta-

tions by 2nd , 3rd and 4th grade

students

Special Area News

The character trait of the

month is:

SAFETY

Safety means making smart de-

cisions to help protect ourselves and others., Stu-

dents can show safety by making smart decisions,

following directions, obeying the rules, listening to

adults, wearing bike helmets, and wearing seatbelts.

HAVE A GREAT

SUMMER!!!

Mark your

Calendar!

Counselors Corner

June Events

June 4—Spring Concert

June 5—Field Day

June 12—Pre-K closing

June 15—Kindergarten Closing

June 16—5th Grade Farewell

June 17—School Closes 12:10pm

June 18—School Closes 12:10 pm

Last Day of School

PTA SPIRIT WEEK

Super Hero/Character Day: Come dressed as or in your favorite super hero gear Retro Day: 70’s 80’s, 90’s gear Wacky/tacky/crazy hat hair day: Come dressed mixed matched or wearing wild hair or hats. Be creative Dogwood Pride Day: Wear your best purple and Gold Gear. Royal court will receive and wear crowns

and sashes for their day of Royalty

College/Team Jersey Day: Wear your favorite college or professional team gear

7

8

Super-Hero/ Char-

acter Day

9

Retro/Blast from

the Past Day

70’s, 80’s, 90’s

10

WACKY/TACKY

Crazy Hat & Hair

Day

11

Crowning of Royal

Court / &

DOGWOOD PRIDE

DAY

12

College/Team

Sports T-shirt-

Jersey Day

Pre-K Graduation

Drink Up! Drinking water is an important part of staying healthy, especially when it's hot outside. When you're sweating, you

lose water that your body needs to work properly. And if you're playing a sport or running around in the sun, you lose even more water, because you sweat that much more. Cool down with water.

Protect Your Brain—Wear a proper fitting helmet when biking, skating, or on a scooter /skateboard.

Have a happy, healthy, and safe summer! Mrs. Edwards, RN

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 mboegner2@bcps.org

.

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.

CALLING ALL 1ST & 2ND GRADE FEMALES

Girl Scouts Brownies work together, earn Girl Scout

Brownie Awards, and explore their community. Friendship,

fun, and age-appropriate activities begin at the Girl Scout

Brownie meetings and move out to the community and wider

WOULD YOU LIKE TO BE A

GIRL-SCOUT? If yes, keep reading to

find-out what being a

If you are interested in being a Brownie for the 2015-2016 School

Year. Please contact Mrs. Johnson, School Social Worker & Brownie

Troop Leader ASAP at 410-887-6808 as SPACES ARE LIMITED.

Please note: there is a $22.00 registration fee per BROWNIE due

at the time of registration. There are also additional Brownie fees

which include but are not limited to the BROWNIE Starter-Kit, Girl

Scout Annual Dues and field trip/other expenses. However, these

items/payments can be purchased/paid at a later time. Please use

the following link to register for this event:

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/brownie-registration-information-

session-tickets-17196854254

Information Meeting on New Troop forming for

2015-2016 school year.

Please come and join the fun! Open to all girls entering Kindergarten and 1st grade.

Tuesday, June 9, 2015

Dogwood Elementary School

6-7:30 p.m.

RSVP today: http://gstroop372info.eventbrite.com

Questions: Please contact Alethea Watkins at (410) 258-0722 or aletheacwatkins@icloud.com