Dragon Digest- Family Edition

A Message from DOES Administration

We would like to invite you to join us for the Great American Teach In. This is a special day where members of the community are invited into K-12 schools to share information and teach our students about their career. The Teach In is on Wednesday, November 15, 2023. If you would like to join us and can take some time to teach in your child's class- please reach out to your child's teacher as soon as possible so they can get you scheduled. If you would like to do a grade level or school wide lesson- please reach out to Mrs. Wisneski to coordinate. We do this with the Fire Department, Sherriff Office, helicopters, or other things that are big programs. We hope you can all join us for the fun day of learning for our students. Don't forget to reach out ASAP as you must be pre-scheduled in order to attend.

Report cards are now available on myStudent. Please make sure you have logged in and reviewed your child's grades and expected behavior with them. We really need to work to improve our students attendance- as being late, leaving early and being absent (not illness related) does impact students learning. Students should be in school all day every day to ensure they learn as much as they can.

CARLINE DISMISSAL UPDATE:

Carline Dismissal is finishing much faster- YAY! Please make sure you are in the carline to pick up your child BY 4:00pm each day. We are out of cars by 4:10pm but still have alot of children left. Lately, We have many kids not being picked up until after 4:20 due to parents not coming on time. Our staff leaves by their contract at 4:10pm each day so please be sure to pick your child up on time.

Kelly Wisneski, Principal

kwisnesk@pasco.k12.fl.us

Kori Barber, Assistant Principal

kellis@pasco.k12.fl.us

Change of Dismissal - Updated!

Update- Our new system has been working WONDERFULLY!!!! It has made communication easier between families and school and the office with the teachers! Thank you for continuing to use the online form for Change of Dismissal. Remember it needs to before 3:15pm!

We know the late busses and long car line have been stressful for many families, as well as DOES Staff. We appreciate your patience as we try new systems to expedite the process and communicate with our families. One huge hurdle that has been put in front of us with this is the TREMENDOUSLY LARGE amount of dismissal changes each day due to 2-3 late busses each day. This impacts approximately 190 students. We have been receiving up to 100 phone calls every day, and there are times we can't even answer every line that is ringing to help you. We have come up with a solution that many other schools use that will save you time and get us your change request quickly and in writing to ensure we are all on the same page.

If you want to or need to change your child's dismissal due to a late bus, rain, an appointment or something else, you will now fill our the form below by clicking on the button that says "Request for Temporary Change of Dismissal'. This form will go directly to two of the secretaries and administration. We will print them out, keep them in the daily file and call your child's classroom to let them know of this change. Do not call the office to change your child's dismissal or check that we received the form. We will send you an email back confirming we have the change. This will be a good check and balance for everyone. We do request that you are not changing them daily- this gets very confusing for the teacher and the office to keep up with-we still have many families doing that due to late busses.

Our school policy is that there will be NO dismissal changes honored after 3:15pm. If you need to change your child's dismissal, it MUST be done PRIOR TO 3:15pm. All bus notifications go out prior to that so you will have ample time to fill out the form.

If your child is sick...keep them home!!

Many students are coming to school sick and we wanted to remind you our Wellness and COVID protocols. In Pasco County, the flu, strep and COVID are going around so we want to make sure everyone protects themselves and others from getting sick.

In order to protect the health and safety of staff, students, and visitors, all those who access Pasco County School locations, including vaccinated individuals, must self-screen daily for symptoms and other risk factors of COVID-19.

The screeners for employees, students and visitors can be found at this link.

Mark Your Calendars...Important Dates in November!

NOVEMBER:

1- Early Release Day

3- Student of the Month

6- PTA Meeting 4:15pm

6-10- Holocaust Education Week

7- Health Screenings

8- PTA Family Night at Chick-fil-a 5-8pm

8,9,10- 4th Grade Field Trip to EMC

8,9- KG Field Trip to Safety Town

10- Progress Reports go home for Quarter 2

10- School Advisory Council Meeting

10- 5th Grade Virtual Field Trip to Holocaust Museum

13- Veteran's Days Program

13- World Kindness Day

15- Great American Teach In

15- All Pro Dad

20-24- Thanksgiving Break- NO SCHOOL

27- Students Return to School

28- Lions Club Reading Kickoff for 3rd Grade

Upcoming Spirit Days:

November 3- Wear your favorite Jersey (National Jersey Day)

November 9- Bucs Day

November 10- Wear your DOES Gear

November 13-Wear Red, White and Blue for Veteran's Day Celebration

November 17- Wear your DOES Gear or Fall/Thanksgiving Shirt

December 1- Bucs Day

December 8- DOES Spirit Day

**We will have our annual Winter Fun Spirit Days the last two weeks prior to Winter Break (12/11-12/22). I will send those out to you prior to Thanksgiving Break in the December Parent Newsletter so stay tuned!


DOES Mission #everydragoneveryday	School Bell Hours It is very important that students are in school bell to bell to maximize their learning. ~9:20 am Campus open, breakfast served ~9:40 am Tardy Bell ~3:50 pm Dismissal Bell	DOES Expectations This is our schoolwide expectation for all students, staff and parents.

DOES Mission

#everydragoneveryday

School Bell Hours

It is very important that students are in school bell to bell to maximize their learning.

~9:20 am Campus open, breakfast served

~9:40 am Tardy Bell

~3:50 pm Dismissal Bell

DOES Expectations

This is our schoolwide expectation for all students, staff and parents.

Respect and Civility Policy

Respect and Civility Board Policy 8380

Pasco County Schools has a Respect and Civility Policy. Please read the link below so you are familiar with it. We continue to have many families calling and yelling at the office staff, administration, teachers and other parents. This is not ok! We teach our students to be respectful and not to do this and then they are watching their adults do this daily.

As I have said before, we work VERY hard to help you when you call or come in to the office, sometimes we can't always give you the answer you want. We know the bus situation is frustrating and so is the long car line- we ask for your patience and grace- we are doing all we can to help. We will abide by our school policies with change of dismissal, attendance and other areas that involve your child's safety. Again, please familiarize yourself with the link below so we can work positively together with you as a school community.

Respect and Civility Board Policy 8380

Important Contact Information to Remember

Denham Oaks Main Line 813-794-1600

Report an Absence does.pasco.k12.fl.us

Clinic 813-794-1605

Cafeteria 813-794-1678

PLACE 813-794-1692

Bus Transportation 813-794-0520

District Office 813-794-1691

Denham Oaks Website does.pasco.k12.fl.us

Change of Dismissal Form https://does.pasco.k12.fl.us/mform/view.php?id=52903

If students need to be leave early, they must be signed out prior to 3:15pm.

Always bring your ID for signing out students or volunteering- no exceptions!


DISCIPLINE AND SAFETY Here at Denham Oaks we pride ourselves on three principles: Be Responsible – “Doing the right thing even when nobody is watching.” Being responsible is coming to school on time, being prepared and ready to learn, and using good character. It is important to do what is expected and always try your best. Be Respectful – “Treating others the way you want to be treated.” Being respectful is treating self, staff, peers and school property with kindness. Being considerate of others’ feelings and being tolerant of differences in all areas of the school and our community is important. Be Safe - “Be aware of what is happening around you.” Being safe is making choices that keep yourself and others free from harm. We work hard on teaching Self Control. This is keeping hands, feet, hurtful words and objects to ourselves. Parents and families can reinforce these same ideas at home and in the community. When we are all using the same language, a child can truly understand and practice these skills.	CELL PHONES AND SMART WATCHES **NEW CELL PHONE POLICY for all Pasco County Schools Grades Pre-K through 5: Students in grades Pre-K through 5 who bring WCDs (wireless communication devices) to school must ensure that they remain on silent mode and completely out of view for the entire school day. Classroom teachers may also provide, and student may utilize, a cell phone storage area in their classroom. Students will need to put their cell phones on silent and their smart watches and put them in the bookbags once arriving on campus each day. Please have a conversation with your child prior to the first day of school so they know that they MUST silence their devices and put them away during the ENTIRE school day- no exceptions. Refer to pg. 17 of the Student Code of Conduct for more details and corrective actions/confiscation of device procedures.	BIRTHDAY CELEBRATIONS Birthdays are a special time, especially for children. It is important for you to make arrangements PRIOR to your child’s special day with your child’s teacher. All food provided in school for birthdays must be purchased from our school cafeteria- you MAY NOT send in store bought food or treat bags for students. You can contact our Cafeteria Manager at 813-794-1678 to purchase birthday snacks, this must be done 2 weeks prior to the day you are requesting it for. You can also download the order form from our webpage: does.pasco.k12.fl.us. While every teacher/classroom has a different way to recognize birthdays, it is important to remember that school is NOT a place to hold your child’s party. Party favors/gift bags will not be given out and presents should not be brought to school for a child to open. Please do not have gifts or flowers delivered to school for your child. They will be held in the front office until the end of the day.

DISCIPLINE AND SAFETY

Here at Denham Oaks we pride ourselves on three principles:

Be Responsible – “Doing the right thing even when nobody is watching.”

Being responsible is coming to school on time, being prepared and ready to learn, and using good character. It is important to do what is expected and always try your best.

Be Respectful – “Treating others the way you want to be treated.”

Being respectful is treating self, staff, peers and school property with kindness. Being considerate of others’ feelings and being tolerant of differences in all areas of the school and our community is important.

Be Safe - “Be aware of what is happening around you.”

Being safe is making choices that keep yourself and others free from harm. We work hard on teaching Self Control. This is keeping hands, feet, hurtful words and objects to ourselves.

Parents and families can reinforce these same ideas at home and in the community. When we are all using the same language, a child can truly understand and practice these skills.

CELL PHONES AND SMART WATCHES

**NEW CELL PHONE POLICY for all Pasco County Schools

Grades Pre-K through 5: Students in grades Pre-K through 5 who bring WCDs (wireless communication devices) to school must ensure that they remain on silent mode and completely out of view for the entire school day. Classroom teachers may also provide, and student may utilize, a cell phone storage area in their classroom. Students will need to put their cell phones on silent and their smart watches and put them in the bookbags once arriving on campus each day. Please have a conversation with your child prior to the first day of school so they know that they MUST silence their devices and put them away during the ENTIRE school day- no exceptions. Refer to pg. 17 of the Student Code of Conduct for more details and corrective actions/confiscation of device procedures.

BIRTHDAY CELEBRATIONS

Birthdays are a special time, especially for children. It is important for you to make arrangements PRIOR to your child’s special day with your child’s teacher. All food provided in school for birthdays must be purchased from our school cafeteria- you MAY NOT send in store bought food or treat bags for students. You can contact our Cafeteria Manager at 813-794-1678 to purchase birthday snacks, this must be done 2 weeks prior to the day you are requesting it for. You can also download the order form from our webpage: does.pasco.k12.fl.us.

While every teacher/classroom has a different way to recognize birthdays, it is important to remember that school is NOT a place to hold your child’s party. Party favors/gift bags will not be given out and presents should not be brought to school for a child to open. Please do not have gifts or flowers delivered to school for your child. They will be held in the front office until the end of the day.

EARLY RELEASE DATES

Pasco County will now be implementing Early Release days. Students will be released two hours earlier on one Wednesday a month. Dismissal is at 1:50 p.m. on the following dates:

September 6, 2023

October 4, 2023

November 1, 2023

December 6, 2023

January 10, 2024

February 14, 2024

March 13, 2024

April 10, 2024

At DOES during the month of October, we celebrated Red Ribbon Week and focused on "Being Kind to Our Mind". In a world where media bombards kids with talk of dislike, impatience and intolerance, teaching kindness is key. Learning the value of being kind to others is an important part of their healthy development. And the first lessons on this skill start at home.

According to an article written by the American Academy of Pediatrics, teaching and modeling kindness gives children a life skill they will take with them forever.

Now more than ever, learning to be kind to others is an important lesson and an ongoing process that should take place throughout your child's life. Teaching children to be kind creates a supportive, positive environment, making children and those around them feel better about themselves and others.

Sailing the MAP with Specials (Music.Art.PE)

Music Moments

VETERANS DAY CEREMONY!

The Veterans Day Ceremony is a wonderful tradition held each year at DOES. We are so thankful and proud of our Veterans, and we are so excited to go back to our outdoor in-person tribute this year!

All fourth and fifth grade students are working on a special musical tribute during their music classes that will be performed live at Denham Oaks Elementary on Monday, November 13th. This tribute will be performed for the entire school so we encourage everyone to wear red white and blue on this day!

There will also be a special video created in honor of all of the Veterans no longer with us, or any Veterans that do not live in the area and cannot make it to our in-person tribute.

Veterans Breakfast

Any Veterans that are able to come to the in-person tribute will be provided with a special breakfast before the ceremony starts to enjoy with their families. The breakfast will start at 9:00am with our tribute starting promptly at 10:00am.

The ceremony will have a run-time of approximately one hour.

More information will come in the weeks leading up to Veterans Day!

We look forward to seeing all of the amazing Veterans in our community!

WINTER PERFORMANCES!

We are so excited to have our winter musical performances be on Wednesday, December 13th at the Center for the Arts at Wesley Chapel! All second and third grade students have been working diligently on their winter musical performance, as well as our chorus and instrument ensembles. It will be a magical night for sure! More information will be sent home in Tuesday folders in the coming weeks!

IN ART

Now that we’ve completed our S1A projects, we are working on our new Art Unit- The Element of Art: LINE

KG and 1st - are learning about the different kinds of lines and how they can draw a variety of lines to create in their art projects.

2nd- Are learning about the Principle of Design: PATTERN and how they can incorporate a variety of line patterns to create their art projects.

3rd- 5th - Are learning about the Principle of Design: MOVEMENT and how they can use different types of lines to create movement in their art projects.

Artfully Yours,

Ms. Encinosa and Mr. Rader

lebridge@pasco.k12.fl.us | wrader@pasco.k12.fl.us

We are outside for 45 minutes during each PE period with set water breaks every 15 minutes during class. Students can have water any time they wish outside of those planned breaks as well. We recommend that each student brings their own water bottle with their name on it to PE in order to stay hydrated. Please only send water (no other drinks) to PE with students, as other spills will quickly attract ants to our PE area.

Students should dress comfortably in short-sleeve and light-colored clothing. When students are not wearing appropriate clothing for PE it can pose a safety risk to themselves, and they can be asked to change and/or sit out of important PE activities for their safety. Denham Oaks is fortunate to have a tree canopy that provides a good amount of shade. Therefore, we do spend half of our PE period within the shady areas, and half of the time on the basketball courts and field. Closed-toed Shoes are important to wear to PE because there are a variety of activities that require kicking and quick agility movements where support is needed.

We are looking forward to a super September with everyone! Stay healthy!

Sincerely,

Coach Cornelius, Coach Partain and Coach Black

fcorneli@pasco.k12.fl.us | jpartain@pasco.k12.fl.us | jblack@pasco.k12.fl.us

Volunteers

Volunteers are a vital part of building relationships between schools, parents, community members, and business partners, while adding value to the educational experience of Pasco County students. Anyone wishing to volunteer at a Pasco County school must complete a volunteer application. Florida law requires all school volunteers to undergo a new background check each year. Please complete a Volunteer Application available on the Pasco County District website or by clicking the button below.