Dover Avenue Elementary News
January 2024
Message From the Principal
April 2024
DA Families,
Get ready for a blooming April! This month brings exciting events alongside some important dates to keep on your calendar for the remainder of the year including Purple Up Day, Time with Teacher ticket sales, Book Fair, Teacher Appreciation Week and Right to Read Week! More information about these important events will be coming home soon! Lastly, please make note of our state testing dates and end of year MAP and DIBELS testing dates (see dates below)!
Mrs. Katie Nicholson, Principal
Dover Avenue Elementary School
Spring News & Events
Ohio State Testing
- April 11-12 - 5th Grade ELA
- April 16-17 - 4th Grade ELA
- April 18-19 - 5th Grade Math
- April 23-24 - 4th Grade Math
- April 25-26 - 5th Grade Science
"Purple Up" Day - April 19
“Purple Up” day is a day we can show support for students and families of military-connected youth. Over 14,000 students in Ohio are members of military families. Frequent moves and family separations through deployments, as well as reintegration issues make life especially challenging. In Ohio, April is the Month of the Military Child. At Dover Schools, we are recognizing the efforts and sacrifices of our military-connected families by wearing Purple. All students and staff are encouraged to “Purple Up” on April 19th!
Workbook Fees
Workbook fees include the cost for novels and workbooks. Grades 4-5 workbook fees are $25 and were due September 30, 2023. Please make checks payable to Dover Avenue Elementary. Report cards were held for any unpaid workbook fees. (If you need a fee waiver application, please call the office.)
Congratulations Leon Dorenkott
Leon Dorenkott participated in the Regional Spelling Bee on March 16. He made it to the fourth round of spelling and was in the top 15 of 40 students! Awesome job, Leon!
Important Information for DA Families
Student Handbook
Please review the 2023-2024 Elementary Student Handbook which can be found on our district website under parents: https://www.dovertornadoes.com/Handbooks.aspx
Absences
In compliance with the Missing Child Act and for the safety of our children, parents are requested to call Dover Avenue School (330-364-7117) before 8:30AM to report the reason for your child's absence. We encourage student attendance every day to ensure continuity of learning. However, if your child is absent, please send a note following the return of your child to verify his/her absence. If the absence is due to a medical, dental, or legal appointment, please provide a verification note on the provider’s stationary upon return to school. If no call or note is received within 24 hours, the absence(s) will be marked as unexcused.
Transportation
Updated bus routes will be available before school on the district website under the Parents tab. https://www.dovertornadoes.com/TransportationServices.aspx If you need to change your child’s mode of transportation home, please contact the office by 1:00PM.
Meals
Breakfast and Lunch are available for students daily. Breakfast will no longer be free this year. If you’d like to purchase breakfast for your child it is $1.00. Lunch is $2.50. Milk is available for purchase for $0.50. Ala carte funds can be added using your Payschools Account (https://dovercity.healtheliving.net) or make checks payable to Dover Schools Cafeteria with student name in the memo line.
Medications
If your child needs medication at school, in accordance with state and board policies, we are not permitted to dispense medication without directions and signatures of both the physician and the parent or legal guardian. If it is essential that a child takes medication during the school day, medication forms are available on our district website or you may stop in the office.
Drills
Throughout the year we will practice Fire Drills, Tornado Drills, Lockdown Drills and Evacuation Drills. We perform these Safety Procedure Drills in order to be prepared in case of an emergency. We will discuss these drills with our students.
Child Find
Dover City Schools receives IDEA-B funds for the purpose of the education of children with disabilities. Annually, at the September Board of Education meeting, discussion will be held regarding how the district will spend its IDEA-B funds. Time will be allowed for public comment.
Raptor Visitor Management System
Dover City Schools will be using the Raptor Visitor Management System in all of our schools to strengthen school safety for students and faculty. Part of keeping students and faculty safe includes knowing who is in our buildings at all times, and the Raptor system allows us to do that. The Raptor system will better allow us to screen visitors, workers, and volunteers in our schools and provide us with a safer environment for all. Upon entering a district building, visitors will be asked to present a US government-issued ID such as a Driver’s License, which can be scanned or manually entered into the system. If a parent or guardian does not have a scannable ID, the school staff member can use any form of government identification that includes a photo to manually enter the person’s information into the Raptor system. The Raptor system checks the visitor's name and date of birth for comparison with public state and national databases of registered sex offenders. The registered sex offender database is the only official database checked by the Raptor system. No other data from the ID is gathered or recorded, and the information is not shared with any outside agency. Upon approval, Raptor will issue a badge that identifies the visitor, the date, and the purpose of his/her visit. If anyone other than a parent or guardian is signing a child out from school, he or she may be asked to present identification, as well. A visitor’s badge will not be necessary for those who are not going past the main office but are simply dropping off an item in the office or picking up paperwork. The safety of our students is our highest priority. The Raptor visitor management system allows us to quickly identify those who may present a danger to our students. Thank you in advance for your understanding and your support in enhancing school safety procedures in our district.
During the month of March teachers were preparing for state testing in April. Please continue to take 15-20 minutes each day to read with your child or practice math facts as these two skills are great ways to improve basic literacy and numeracy skills. This month, as we complete our state testing, please help your child have a good start to their testing day by getting a good night's rest the night before, eating a healthy breakfast and encouraging them to simply do their best!
Teaching Tidbits
Each month we will begin sharing some "teaching tidbits" from our staff at Dover Avenue! As the principal, I have the privilege to see the wonderful lessons, activities, and assessments our teachers do daily and want to begin sharing these with our parents and families! I know you see what your child brings home but seeing it in action will hopefully help you gain a better understanding of what your child is learning at school! This month we're starting off with Mr. Graves, music teacher, and Mrs. Hindman, school counselor!
Music Madness with Mr. Graves
Mr. Graves has been working with our students on a March Mania music bracket. "My music classes have been participating in a nationwide music tournament called "Sousa's March Mania" sponsored by The President's Own United States Marine Band. Students listen to, evaluate, and vote for their favorite of the 32 musical marches each weekday. The game has made learning about marches interactive for my students as they are very excited to see which march will be crowned champion! Emma from Schumacher is the March "King" in honor of the great composer and King of Marches, John Philip Sousa. Emma correctly predicted Cyrus the Great and Semper Fidelis as the two final marches in Sousa's March Mania Championship. Although Semper Fidelis lost to Cyrus the Great in the end, Emma had the highest score in the entire school with 4,300 points. Way to go, Emma!"
Size of my Problem with Mrs. Hindman
Mrs. Hindman has been working with 4th grade students on "Size of my Problem." They received instruction to help them accurately identify the different sizes of problems they may face. Then, they took part in activities to help them understand that their reactions should match the size of their problems, realizing that when the size of the reaction does not match the size of the problem, it makes others feel uncomfortable. You can click on the link to view some of the slides she used.
Accelerated Reader
We will celebrate our students who met their goal of 50 points by the end of the third nine weeks on Friday with a Popcorn Party and flashlight reading! Our end of year goal is 75 points! Students who meet this goal will celebrate with an ice cream party on May 29!
PBIS Update
Each week students are randomly selected for receiving Tornado Shout Outs. These students are given a certificate and their picture is put on our slides on the main floor. Each month, teams of teachers look at our PBIS data and choose 1-2 "Top Tornadoes" to earn a special lunch with me, a special sticker and certificate. Congratulations to the following students for being our “TOP TORNADOES” for March and the many other students who received a Tornado Shout Out this month!
- Karla Brito Ailon
Franco Gonzalez Mejia
Kate Stewart
Kaitlyn Stokey
Taylor Scott
Alexia Palmer
- Jamisen Metcalf
- Scarlett Peterman
Communication
Monthly Newsletters
My monthly newsletters will be sent via text and email every month and will be available on the Dover Avenue website. These newsletters will include special events, Dover Avenue specific information, district news, academic updates and any other relevant information. These will no longer be paper copies sent home. However, a paper copy of the calendar will still be sent home each month. Please be on the lookout for this in your child’s DA Folder and via text/email.
Weekly Assignment Sheets
Your child’s team will have a weekly newsletter / assignment sheet that is sent home with your child. This includes upcoming events, assignments or other important information for you and your child. Please be sure to review this on a weekly basis.
Text Notifications
If you have not yet signed up for text notifications from the district and Dover Avenue, please do so on the link below. This link is located on our webpage under Parents -- Parent Text Notifications "Opt in"
District News
Dover Fine Arts Festival
SAVE THE DATE -- Our first annual district-wide Fine Arts Festival is happening April 27, 2024 from 3:00-7:00 PM at Dover High School! We are currently looking for parent volunteers to help with mounting art so if you are interested, please reach out to our PTG! ( doveravenueptg@gmail.com )
Dover Athletic Ticket Information
All tickets for Crimson Tornado home athletic events can be purchased online or with cash at the gate. Reserved-seat season football passes, adult fall all-sports passes, and student (grades 1-12) year-long passes are now available for purchase online through Hometown Tickets via the Dover City Schools webpage: https://www.dovertornadoes.com/Athletics.aspx
*Free language assistance with respect to school programs and activities is available for all students and families of Dover City Schools. Please contact your child's building principal for translation or interpretation services.
Check out the district calendar highlights for next year below!
PTG
During the month of March we kicked off our first ever Raise Craze! This kindness initiative was a huge success not only for our students but also for our community! It was amazing to see all of our students joining together to give back to our community and to each other! Seeing our older students lead the charge and give back to our younger students was touching! We met our first goal of $35,000 so we'll get to celebrate with a free family picnic! Thank you for all of your support and encouragement to make this possible! Prizes for the drawings were sent home on Thursday before break or will be sent home this week!
Thank you to our Dover Avenue PTG for sponsoring our third nine weeks PBIS reward party which took place on March 21! Students loved their ice cream sundaes!!
We'd love to have you get involved these last few months of school! Please join our Facebook Group, join the Remind Group or email our PTG!
For more info, contact doveravenueptg@gmail.com, join the Dover Ave PTG Facebook Group or text “@dvraveptg” to 81010 to join our Dover Ave PTG Remind group!
Our next meeting is April 10 in the Dover Avenue library at 6:00!
Upcoming Events
- March 25-29: Spring Break
- April 1: School Resumes
- April 5: Report Cards sent home
- April 5: AR Party
- April 8: NO SCHOOL - Teacher In-Service Day
- April 9: Top Tornado Lunch with Mrs. Nicholson
- April 10: PTG Meeting 6:00
- April 11-12: 5th Grade ELA OST
- April 16-17: 4th Grade ELA OST
- April 18-19: 5th Grade Math OST
- April 23-24: 4th Grade Math OST
- April 25-26: 5th Grade Science OST
- April 27: Fine Arts Festival 3:00-7:00
- April 29-May 3: Spring Book Fair & Time with Teacher ticket sales
- April 29-30: 4th Grade MAP testing
- May 1-2: 5th Grade MAP Testing
- May 3: Midterms mailed home
- May 2: Orff Spring Concert 7:00
- May 6-10: Teacher Appreciation Week
- May 6-7: Panorama Surveys
- May 8: 4th Grade Field Trip to Zoar
- May 8: PTG Meeting 6:00
- May 10: 5th Grade visit to DMS & Class Picture
- May 13-17: Right to Read Week
- May 15: Curriculum Night 6:00
- May 17: Chalk Walk for 5th Grade
- May 17: Crimson Companions
- May 19: Family Picnic 12:00-3:00
- May 23: Field Day (rain date May 24)
- May 27: NO SCHOOL - Memorial Day
- May 28: 5th Grade Celebration
- May 29: AR Ice Cream Party
- May 30: Last Day of School & Report Cards sent home
- May 30: End of Year Party 1-1:45
- May 30: 5th Grade Clap Out 2:10