Husky Bytes January 8, 2024
Today's Learners, Tomorrow's Leaders
DES Vision
By educating and empowering the whole child, Dowell Elementary strives to develop life-long learners who become productive members of society.
DES Mission
Dowell Elementary seeks to cultivate a love of learning within all students. We will accomplish this by maintaining high academic standards in a learning environment that is inclusive, equitable, and that supports the academic and social-emotional growth of our students. Staff will strive to implement effective teaching strategies in an engaged, targeted, student-driven learning environment through the use of technology, collaboration, and deep knowledge of resources. We believe that effective communication builds stronger relationships with families. Our success in this mission will empower all students to be productive members of society.
Our Focus for 2023-2024 - Data Driven Instructional Practices, Flex/Acceleration and Collaborative Planning
Set the Bar...Meet the Bar... Exceed the Bar... Raise the Bar!
Week at a Glance:
PLC Schedule: 8:10 - 8:35 (room 104)
1/8/24 - No PLC
1/9/24 - Literacy Team
1/10/24 - District PLC
1/11/24 - District PLC
1/12/24 - Equity Team
Collaborative Planning: 2:40-3:40 (room 104)
1/8/24 - School Improvement Leadership Team
1/9/24 - 5th Grade.
1/10/24 - 5th Grade.
1/11/24 - 4th Grade.
1/12/24 - 4th Grade.
1/9/24 - PBIS breakfast for PreK - 2 (9:00 am) cafeteria
1/9/24 - Musical Theatre Club
1/9/24 - Roy Rogers Spirit Night - 5pm-8pm
1/10/24 - PBIS breakfast for 3-5 (9:00 am) cafeteria
1/10/24 - Inclusive Leadership Team meeting - 2:30-3:30 in PLC room
1/10/24 - Ruddy Duck Spirit Night sponsored by PAWS.
1/11/24 - Musical Theatre Club
1/12/24 - January Fire Drill
Looking ahead...
1/15/24 - Schools and Offices Closed-Holiday: Martin Luther King, Jr. Day
1/16/24 - Staff Meeting - 7:35 in cafeteria
1/16/24 - Musical Theatre Club
1/18/24 - Musical Theatre Club
1/19/24 - End of Second Marking Period/First Semester
1/22/24 - Two-Hour Late Arrival for Students-Teacher Work Time
1/23/24 - Musical Theatre Club
1/25/24 - Title I Family Night
1/25/24 - Musical Theatre Club
1/26/24 - Second Marking Period Report Cards Available in HAC
1/30/24 - Musical Theatre Club
School Appreciation Days: January
National Mentoring Month
National School Board Appreciation Month
1 - New Year's Day
9 - Law Enforcement Day
15 - Martin Luther King Jr. Day
Friendly Reminders and Announcements:
Please give a warm Dowell welcome to Aaron Liebowitz and Renee Annand. Mr. Liebowitz joined us on Jan 2 as our new IA2 in SLE intermediate and Mrs. Annand will join us on Jan 9 as our new Food Service Worker. Welcome to the team!
We are excited to announce our Teacher of the Year and Educational Support Professional of the Year. Please join me in congratulating Kristin Dare and Barb Mowery. We are so proud of these two and their contributions to Dowell Elementary School!
The second-grade team is conducting a Valentine's fundraiser for their field trip to Skate Zone. Please see the attachment below and help us spread the word.
An updated PLC/Collaborative Planning calendar for January is attached below.
Please be sure to complete the mandatory cyber security staff training. The training may be found here: https://training.knowbe4.com
Attached is a flyer for a professional development SIOP class that combines the work of SIOP and 7-Steps to a Language Rich, Interactive Classroom. This class will run five evenings in January and February, beginning January 23 through February 20th, on Tuesday evenings at the BOE from 5:00 – 8:00 https://ccps365.sharepoint.com/:w:/s/admin/EcGJ7Ns2vwRGg1866zdR50cBVwSBR9paAYtiU0d6mveAeg?e=oCkRSb
Remember to submit your 2 SLO's to the appropriate administrator.
Please consider signing up for a coaching cycle with Denise, Veronica, or Brandi. The interest form is attached below.
PAWsome Shout-outs!
• Thank you Ms. Furl for covering me with all my appointments this week (week before Winter Break) ❤️ -- Kristin Dare
• Muzzey- thank you for my small violin! I’m still waiting for the perfect opportunity for its debut. 😂 – Kristin Dare
• Shout-out to Leishear for making awesome 100% on iReady Test posters for 5th grade – Melissa Carter
• Shout-out to Hawks for making our Benchmark #2 review & iReady certificate – Melissa Carter
• Shout-out to Schoppert for her iReady STARS hallway friendly competition – Melissa Carter
• Shout-out to Schoppert & Hollday for your bulletin board ideas (Yeti) and creativity/quickness– Melissa Carter
• Shout-out to EVERYONE who ordered Girl Scout cookies from my Kayden - THANK YOU! – Melissa Carter
• Thank you to everyone who reached out, gave cards, checked in on me, supported any fundraiser and prayed for my nephew Finn. This has definitely been one of the hardest times I have experienced and the support and love from all of you has really helped. Thank you all! – Kelly Hawks
• I have been consistently impressed by our custodial staff - they have been very accommodating to all my requests (there are many) and do it with kindness and a smile. – Deanna Watrous
• THANK YOU to Mrs. Miller for subbing for Ms. Shores! You have been a great addition to the team and will be missed! ❤️ - Duttweiler
• HUGE Shout Out to Denise and my K team for their understanding, kindness, and help when I was out unexpectedly. I appreciate and am so thankful for each and every one of you! ❤️ - Cindy Steuart
• THANK YOU, Mrs. Jamerson, for holding down the fort and doing a phenomenal job while I was out recently. You are appreciated so very much! ❤️ -Cindy Steuart
• Big shout-out to Mrs. Fossile for being such a good sport and reading to our class. The kiddos loved it! – Stephanie Schoppert
• Mrs. Hawks- I saw where your mittens went during recess. You are such an amazing, caring teacher. The fifth graders are lucky to have you watching out for them! – Stephanie Schoppert
• Mrs. Hollady, thank you for taking on two more students during your already busy day. – Stephanie Schoppert
• Fifth grade ladies... You made coming back after break wonderful for teammates and students alike! – Stephanie Schoppert
• Ms. Hattaway, the work you have done with the friend in our class is nothing short of amazing! Thank you for giving her so much love and confidence! -- Felicia Castiglione
MyPath Movers and Shakers:
Just some reminders, CCPS usage goal is 45 minutes each week. My Path will show students meeting usage goals between 30-49 minutes. Students should stay within this range and not exceed it. My Path does only track Time on Task.
Lexia Legends:
Usage directly correlates to the number of skills gained in Lexia. In class, your students should be focused on completing green bars while in Lexia and tracking that data. If you have any questions, please reach out to Kristin Dare.
DES Math Minute - Opportunities for students, staff and families to enhance math learning!
Professional Quick Read
Recommended Children’s Books on Autism
Primary grades:
- A Friend for Henry by Jenn Bailey, illustrated by Mika Song
- All My Stripes: A Story for Children with Autism by Shaina Rudolph and Danielle Royer, illustrated by Jennifer Zivoin
- Masterpiece by Alexandra Hoffman, illustrated by Beatriz Mello
- My Brother Charlie by Holly Robinson Peete, illustrated by Shane Evans
- Noah Chases the Wind by Michelle Worthington, illustrated by Joseph Cowman
- The Girl Who Thought in Pictures: The Story of Dr. Temple Grandin by Julia Finley Mosca, illustrated by Daniel Rieley
CCPS Vision
CCPS Mission
Dowell Elementary
Email: pattonj@calvertnet.k12.md.us
Website: calvertcountypublicschools.com
Location: 12680 H G Trueman Road, Lusby, Maryland 20657, USA
Phone: 443-550-9480
Facebook: facebook.com/
Twitter: @dowellesccps