Dogwood Dispatch

Students and staff have certainly been busy at Dogwood these past months. Red Ribbon Week was celebrated during the month of October. Students received the message of "Say no to drugs" and making healthy life choices in a developmentally appropriate way. This is part of our Health curriculum. Our PTA coordinated themes and school spirit days to help us come together as a school during Red Ribbon Week. It was wonderful to see so many children and staff participating. Together, we celebrated the uniqueness of others and being a school family.

As a school, we celebrated Unity Day on October 19th. Students and staff joined in unity against bullying by wearing orange and participating in various lessons about this topic. Students shared their class pledge to be kind. October 20th was our Big Apple Crunch Day and students brought in a healthy snack of apples and also used apples for math calculations, graphing and charting the different colors and more! Children were encouraged to wear clothing the color of their favorite apple. Other special treats this October were the Halloween Obstacle Course in Physical Education class and the Dogwood Pumpkin Patch. All grades enjoyed the challenges of the obstacle course and students picked a pumpkin of their choice from the “patch” and used the pumpkins in many learning activities throughout the day.

Our reading teachers and Academic Intervention Services tutors presented a parent workshop on AIS (Academic Instructional Support) on October 14th. Parents of students in this program had the opportunity to learn how the school is providing additional instructional support for students at risk of not meeting NYS Learning Standards.

If you have visited the building you may have noticed that this autumn our building looked so cheerful and inviting due to the beautiful seasonal decorations. The front entrance of our building was enhanced with autumn plantings, hay bales, scarecrows and pumpkins. New this year, the PTA class parents made themed scarecrows to adorn the Pumpkin Patch. What a welcoming treat for our students! We appreciate our PTA volunteers’ time and energy to bring these nice additions to our students.

November is traditionally a month where we count our blessings and give thanks. We at Dogwood are certainly thankful for our dedicated teachers and staff and our extremely supportive and involved PTA and parent community. All these groups together are what makes Smithtown so special.

This November our PTA sponsored the Holiday Boutique where our students went "shopping" for their loved ones. The Boosterthon Fun Run was a huge hit and due to generous donations from our community, raised over $21, 000 that will be used to fund the Cultural Arts assemblies at Dogwood. Kindergarten students had a visit from nurses in the Stony Brook Nursing Program and learned how to provide basic first aid care and discussed seatbelt and bicycle safety guidlines.

We continue to collaborate with the SCPD. On November 21st, Communications Bureau Officer Tom Dilena spoke with students on bullying prevention, internet safety and drug/alcohol/vaping awareness.

Students have a fun December ahead of them as we celebrate as a school "A December to Remember." Be on the lookout for our "A December to Remember" calendar of events and themed days which will be sent home in the near future.

Wishing you a Happy Holiday Season.

Fondly,

Renee Carpenter

DEL Principal

Parent-Teacher Conferences will be held on December 1st in the afternoon and December 2nd (full day). K-5 students will be dismissed at 11:50 pm on the half day with buses departing at 12:10 pm. There will be no school for UPK-5th grade students on December 2nd. Report cards will be handed out at your Parent-Teacher conference. If you opted for a Google Meet or Phone Conference, the classroom teacher will send your child's report card home on December 1st. If you have not yet signed up for a parent-teacher conference, please contact your child's teacher.

There will be no Aftercare on December 1.

Parents and teachers share a common goal when it comes to Parent-Teacher conferences and that is to work together to ensure the academic and social-emotional development of the child. Conferences are a time for discussion about the progress and areas of focus for a child and how best to support the child.

It’s understandable that when it comes time for these conferences, some parents may feel somewhat nervous or skip the conference altogether. With a little preparation, these conferences can be very productive and parents will gain a better understanding of what they can do to help their child succeed.

Since the teacher has limited time, parents should plan on covering only a few topics during the conference. But this does not mean that you cannot set up another time to meet with your child’s teacher to continue your discussions. The following are questions that you may want to consider asking your child’s teacher:

• What is my child like during the day?

• Does he/she participate in activities?

• What are my child’s strengths/weakness? What subjects does he/she excel in?

• How can I help him or her improve in the areas that need work?

• What are your expectations or the standards for my child’s grade level?

• How much help should I provide on homework assignments?

• Is my child trying as hard as he/she can?

After the conference, consider thanking the teacher with a note or a telephone call. This simple gesture will help establish an ongoing positive relationship with the teacher. Continuous communication with the teacher even when things are going well will only benefit your child.

Resource: Adapted from Our Children V1N2

Report Cards: Advice for Parents

A child’s report card can bring feelings of joy and pride; it can also cause concern and frustration. In either case, the report card provides you with a snapshot of your child’s progress. It is a time for you to communicate with your child and to work together to determine a plan or direction for future academic and social-emotional growth.

Focus on the Positive

It would be beneficial when reviewing your child’s report card, to first focus on an area of success. This may not always be easy. Try highlighting a strong effort or praising an academic achievement. Starting on a positive note shows your child that you truly care about his/her accomplishments and effort and not only on areas that need improvement.

Valuable Questions to ask

Speaking with your child and asking questions will help you to understand how a particular grade was earned.

• Was the work too difficult?

• Could the pace of the class be too fast (so your child feels lost) or too slow causing your child to feel bored?

• Does your child complete all homework and ask questions when he/she needs clarification?

• Is your child taking responsibility for his/her actions?

Creating a plan and goal setting

Work with your child to develop a plan for future academic success. Set realistic goals. Break large tasks down into small achievable steps. Don’t get caught up in measuring success by the number of 4’s and 3’s on a report card. Instead, focus on continuous progress and effort. Reinforce to your child that it is important to always do the best job that he/she can do and that you will be there to help him/her along the way.

Resource: Kidshealth.org

Note: Please reference the Report Card Handbook provided by the District for more information about how to read your child's reportcard.

If your child is absent for any reason, please contact the Health Office at 382-4260 and leave a message on the voice mail, which is available 24 hours a day. To help ensure the safety of our students, we will have to call you regarding an absence if you do not contact us. An absence note must be sent in with your child with the date(s) and reason for absence when he/she returns to school. You may also call this number if there are any changes to your child's dismissal routine.

Students should be sitting in grade order on our school buses with younger students in the front and older students in the back of the bus. The principal, bus driver and school personnel are permitted to assign seats to students as they see necessary.

This is a good time of the year to remind students of proper bus behavior and expecations. Students should talk with others using an indoor voice, remain in their seats until the bus comes to their bus stop, and keep their hands/feet to themselves. We ask for your assistance in helping to keep our buses a safe place for our students.

In the event of a school closing or early dismissal during the school year the District will be contacting you via the School Messenger system. In the event of an early dismissal, the system will send a message to each of your listed contacts. For a school closing your primary contact will be receiving the message. It is extremely important for the Parent Portal to reflect your up-to-date phone numbers (home, work, & cell) for both parents in the event that we have to reach you in an emergency.

Please be advised that on Wednesday, November 23, 2022, The Smithtown School District will be conducting its early dismissal drill at all of its schools. The students early dismissal from school on that day will be approximately 15 minutes earlier than the normal dismissal time. Please expect your child home approximately 15 minutes earlier and make whatever arrangements may be necessary. Students going to Aftercare will be dismissed directly to this program.

K-5 Dogwood student information for this drill:

• 2:55 pm Cars will be permitted inside the pick-up circle.
• 3:10 pm Walkers will be dismissed to cars or side door for pickup.
• 3:15 pm Students begin boarding buses.
• 3:30 pm (approximately) Buses depart from Dogwood.

UPK students:

2:25 pm Cars will be permitted inside the pick up circle.

2:30 pm UPK children will be released to their Parent/Guardian

With the fall weather approaching, it is necessary for students to dress appropriately for the outdoors. Layering clothing will enable them to endure cooler temperatures and enjoy fresh air. Weather conditions determine our outdoor schedule. Windy conditions may restrict outdoor recess. Whenever possible, children are brought outside if only for a few minutes. PLEASE REMEMBER TO LABEL ALL PERSONAL BELONGINGS.

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November 24 and 25 Thanksgiving – No School

November 29 PTA meeting @ 10:00am – virtual

December 1 Half day of school for Parent-Teacher Conferences. Dismissal starting at 11:50 with buses departing by 12:10pm. Report Cards distributed at conferences. No Aftercare.

December 2 Parent-Teacher Conferences - No School, No Aftercare

December 3 4th Grade Chorus - Deepwells Tree Lighting @ 4:00pm

December 7 Winter Wonderland Project: Gr. 2 Ms. Aversano’s class*

December 8 Winter Wonderland Project: Gr. 2 Mrs. Reid’s class*

December 9 Winter Wonderland Project: Gr. 2 Mrs. Mangels/Mrs.Massa*

Therapy dogs visit

December 12 Gingerbread Houses: Gr. K Mrs. Rarineri’s class and Mrs. Nielsen's class*

December 13 Gingerbread Houses: Gr. 4 Mrs. Savicki’s< Mrs. Nucci's and Mrs. Terlato's class*

December 13 Family Connect Night – No Homework

BOE Meeting 8:00pm @ NYA

December 14 Gingerbread Houses: Gr. K Mrs. Mass/Mrs. Diemer’s class*

Log Cabins: Gr. 1 Mrs. Levens’ class*)

Gingerbread Houses: Gr. 3 Mrs. Panzarino’s class*

December 15 Gingerbread Houses: Gr. 3 Mr. Korba’s class*

Popcorn Thursday

December 16 Gingerbread Houses: Gr. K Mrs. Stucchio’s class*

Log Cabins: Gr. 1 Mrs. Braun’s class*

Gingerbread Houses: Gr. 3 Mrs. Paplin/Mrs. Velez’s class*

December 19 4th Grade Cultural Art program

December 21 Gingerbread Houses: Gr. 5 Mrs. DeFranco/Mrs. Neri’s class*

Gingerbread Houses: Gr. 5 Mrs. Krug’s class*

Gingerbread Houses: Gr. 5 Mrs. Concagh’s class*

December 26 - January 2 Winter Recess: No School

* 1 guest per child