Duniway Dispatch
March 15, 2024
Calendar
- March 21: Lockdown Drill
- March 18-22: Book Fair
- March 25-29: Schools Closed for Spring Break
- April 5: Schools Closed - No School for Students
- April 10: Connect for Kindergarten for Incoming Families
- April 26: Duniway Auction
- May 8: Connect to Duniway for Interested Families
- May 17: Duniway Fund Run
- May 27: Schools Closed - No School for Students
- June 7: Duniway Parade and Carnival
- June 14: Last Day of School
Principal's Message
Dear Duniway School Community,
The nice weather is here and it is just going to keep getting nicer. Spring is one of my favorite times of the year. In the schoolhouse, we are rocking and rolling. By March, students will get to emerge to our fields and playground, and the time changes will make our evening longer. I know many of us here at Duniway, staff and students, definitely felt the time change, but I can't help but be grateful for the extra evening light.
On Wednesday morning of this week, we had a successful fire drill. Students were outstanding in leaving the building quietly and lining up in the designated area. Well done, kiddos! This is a friendly reminder that we will have a lockdown drill next Wednesday, March 21, at 9:00 a.m. We practice the lockdown drill twice a year. We would engage in a lockdown if something were happening inside the school that posed a significant safety threat. We handle these drills in a trauma-informed way, simply engaging in the "lights, lock, out of sight" activity. I am thankful to the team here for the work they do to engage in safety and to do so in a way that is K-5 appropriate. I know that this evokes weighty topics with regard to school safety; please know that we handle this process very gently and with tons of care. Thank you for trusting us with your precious cargo!
Next week is the Scholastic Book Fair. Please remember that students get to visit the fair during school hours, and there will be time after school for students to shop at the book fair with a grownup in the library.
The Duniway Foundation Auction tickets are on sale! If you purchase before March 29, you'll get a free pass to the after-party. Visit https://duniway.schoolauction.net/auction2024/register/ticket_sales to get your tickets today! We are still in need of sponsorship. Please consider sponsoring or working with your employer to sponsor our event.
A note about smartwatches: We have seen an increase in the number of smartwatches at school. Please remember that students should not have devices on their person during the school day. I am aware that students use these devices before and after school to communicate with their grownups, which is entirely acceptable, but during the school day, students should not use them. If students use them during school, we will confiscate them. If you need to connect with your student during school hours, please call the main office. Please talk with your student about these expectations.
Thank you for the great turnout this week at our 5:00 p.m. PTA meeting. Please don't hesitate to reach out to me if you need anything. I am always happy to connect!
Best.
Principal Rafferty
Duniway Book Fair Next Week!
The Book Fair is next week in the Duniway library! Volunteers are still needed, including setting up the fair tonight and takedown next Friday. Sign Up to Volunteer Here.
Please plan to come shop the fair—stock up on reading for spring break travels. The fair raises funds to support new reading material in our school library and classrooms.
Duniway Auction Tickets on Sale!
The Duniway Foundation’s largest fundraiser of the year is coming up Friday, April 26 at Leftbank Annex and you definitely won’t want to miss this evening out with Duniway families and teachers.
If you haven’t already, check out the important work our Duniway Foundation does to help keep class sizes small and help enrich the lives of our students. Meet our incredible EAs who support our students daily in our classrooms.
Follow us on Insta for all of the latest!
Speech Language Pathologist Update
Dear Duniway community,
Recently some PPS Westside schools near my house had an opening for a SLP starting mid-year. I was already hoping to move in the fall and get closer to home and my family. I'm sad to leave Duniway and say goodbye to all my wonderful kids. I have loved working here the last 10 years with such a great community.
My last day is April 1st and a new SLP will be starting on the 2nd. Her name is Christine Durant-Wysong and she is coming from Whitman and Kellogg Middle School.
Rachel McMorris, CCC-SLP