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IT’S TIME!!!!!!

We are SO excited to welcome everyone back to school tomorrow! This is such a beautiful time of year, filled with excitement, fresh starts, and so many possibilities. Our incredible teachers and staff have been working hard to prepare for your children, and we cannot wait to fill our hallways with students again. This is going to be an amazing year!

A few important reminders to help us have a safe and smooth start:

Kindergarten

Our kindergarten families may walk their children to their classrooms during the first week of school. Please make sure kindergarten students wear their ID necklaces for the first two weeks of school. These help our staff quickly identify students and make sure everyone gets where they need to be safely.

First Grade

First-grade families may walk their children to their classrooms on the first day of school. First-grade students will also wear ID necklaces during the first week to help us make sure everyone gets to the right place.

Grades 2-6

For the safety of all students, parents of students in grades 2-6 will say their goodbyes outside the building. We will have plenty of staff members throughout the hallways ready to greet students, help them find their classrooms, and make sure everyone gets where they need to go.

Transportation

The first week of school can be a little tricky when it comes to transportation! Please make sure your child’s teacher and the front office know how your child will arrive at school and go home before the first day.

Whenever possible, please avoid changing your child’s mode of transportation during the first week. Consistency helps us keep dismissal safe, organized, and smooth for everyone.

A Little Patience Goes a Long Way!

Dismissal may take a little longer during the first few weeks as we carefully make sure every student gets to the correct place and heads home safely. Buses may also arrive a little earlier or later than expected as routes and routines settle into place.

We appreciate your patience, flexibility, and partnership as we work together to keep all of our students safe!

Quick Arrival & Dismissal Reminders

• K-6 walkers enter at Door 5 at the back of the building for arrival.
• Walkers will be picked up on the blacktop at dismissal.
• Kiss & Ride families must remain in their vehicles, pull through the bus loop, and wait for an adult to assist.
• Arrival begins at 8:35 AM. Please remember that students are not supervised before 8:35 AM.
• Dismissal is from 3:35-3:50 PM.

We cannot wait to see our students on Monday! Thank you for helping us start the year safely, smoothly, and with lots of excitement. Here’s to a wonderful first day and an AMAZING school year!

Sincerely,

Kate Beckner

Principal

Important Dates

August

August 24th - First Day of School for Kindergarten - 6th grade

August 27th - First Day of School for PreK students

September

September 1st - PTA Information Session (See information below)

September 4th - Student Holiday (No School)

September 7th - Student Holiday (No School)

September 14th - 18th - Hispanic Heritage Week

September 21st - Student Holiday (No School)

September 24th - Back to School Picnic

September 30th - 3 Hour Early Release (Information coming soon)

PTA Info Session

Mark your calendar for the first PTA meeting of the year. Tuesday, Sept. 1st at 6 pm at Dogwood Library (+virtual option).

At this meeting, you will:

• Meet and greet current members of PTA.

• Learn why we started a PTA two years ago and some of our goals to support Dogwood students and staff.

• Learn about some of the events happening this year. 

• Learn some of the small and big ways you can get involved.

Join us in the Dogwood school library Tuesday, Sept. 1st at 6 pm. Virtual link to be provided for those who can't come in person.

Virtual option: Join with Google Meet meet.google.com/hwj-tsqd-quw

Join by phone ‪(US) +1 316-789-6631‬ PIN: ‪483 336 880‬#

Many Permission Forms Now Available Online

Families can now easily grant permission for their children to access a variety of school resources through the Parent Digital Consent system. This online tool can be accessed using your SIS ParentVUE account and parents can easily opt in or opt out their child from a variety of resources including online educational tools, school counseling services, tutoring services, and how student information is managed. 

Visit the Parent Digital Consent webpage to access the system. 

If you do not have a SIS ParentVUE account, contact our school’s Registrar, Erin Silvan ~ ensilvan@fcps.edu, for an activation code and follow the directions on the SIS ParentVUE Account webpage.

Student ID Cards for Dogwood Bus Riders

We will begin distributing student ID cards to all our students who ride the school bus or use FCPS transportation services.

[Add details about how student ID cards will be provided to families.]

Students who have student ID cards should begin tapping as they board and exit the bus. Only students who use FCPS transportation services will be provided with a student ID card at this time.

We ask for your patience! Bus drivers will begin checking in students next week and may need some extra time at each bus stop while they do this. The transportation team is working hard to minimize any potential delays.

Learn more about the bus navigation and student ID cards.

You Can Manage Student Web Access at Home

At Dogwood, we acknowledge that parents are our students' first and most important teachers. Parents now have greater control over their child’s FCPS-issued device outside of school hours through Lightspeed Parent Portal.

In addition to monitoring weekly internet activity, parents can now also customize web access at home on FCPS devices through Lightspeed using Schedules and Web Rules.

With Schedules, you can set tailored times to automatically pause or restrict internet access. This makes it easier to enforce rules around homework time, family dinners, weekends, or bedtime.

In Web Rules, you can create Custom Block Lists to block specific, individual websites they do not want your child accessing at home. This allows parents greater control over what is happening online, under their own roof.

These new custom controls take effect at home, outside of school hours, and when the device is off the FCPS network. They will not override standard district filtering policies during the instructional day.

Customize Your Lightspeed Settings

All parents should be receiving weekly Lightspeed Online Student Activity Report emails. To set up these new features, click the “Log in or Register” button at the bottom of your weekly Lightspeed Online Student Activity Report email.

Visit the FCPS Lightspeed Parent Portal Guide for more information. If you have additional questions, submit a Parent Technology Support Ticket.

Parents are encouraged to discuss internet boundaries with their children so that they can understand the reasoning behind any limits and the differences between access at home and at school. Get tips on talking to your children about technology safety.