Newsletter

School Calendar

Lunch Menu & AAFES doc/signup information

Army in Europe Child and Youth Supervision

Bulldog Welcome Packet

Unit 23814 APO, AE 09034-3814

DSN: 545-1225 Local: 0611-143-545-1225 (+49) 611-143-545-1225

Rev 11/23/2020

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BLUEPRINT STRATEGIC GOALS:

Strategic Goal 1 - Student Excellence

Challenge and prepare each student to maximize his or her academic growth and well-being for college, career, and life.

Strategic Goal 2 - School Excellence

Develop and sustain each school to be high-performing within a culture of innovation, collaboration, continuous improvement and caring relationships.

Strategic Goal 3 - Talent Excellence

Recruit, develop, empower and retain a high-performing work force that reflects the diversity of our students.

Strategic Goal 4 - Organizational Excellence Build an enduring, accountable, and responsive organization that provides appropriate resources, direction and

support to accomplish the mission.

Strategic Goal 5 - Outreach Excellence

Partner with families, schools and communities to better serve students.

Interested in working

for DODEA?

Visit https://www.usajobs.gov

for a current list of openings

Principal’s Corner :

Hello New Smith Family,

Welcome to Smith Elementary School (SES)! We are happy you are here

and we hope to help you adjust to your new school as quickly as we can.

You are now part of the 'Bulldog Family', and in order to blend you into the

family, we have compiled the highlights of our Smith Parent/Student Hand-

book in this packet, which is available in full on our DoDEA website. How-

ever, at any time, if you have questions or concerns about policies, proce-

dures, and practices at Smith, or how you can become involved as a parent

or student, please do not hesitate to ask our Administrative Office Team!

We look forward to making this the best school community with your feed-

back, suggestions, and participation. Let us know how we can assist you!

Again, a big welcome to Smith Elementary School, Home of the Bulldogs,

and to the Baumholder Military Community!!!

Thank you,

Dr. Michelle Woodfork, Principal

Ms. Dionne Dansby-Clark, Assistant Principal

WELCOME NEW BULLDOG FAMILY - SY 2020/21 rev 10/01/20

The first time Smith Elementary, then known as Baumholder

American Elementary School, opened its doors was Sep-

tember 1952. One of the original DoD American schools in

Europe, we are still going strong! Want to know more, then

the next time you're at school, please take time to learn

more about the history of Smith ES. All of this information

remains available in the glass-encased bulletin board at

the bottom of the main entry stairwell, first grade hallway.

Information about our school is also available on our

school's webpage https://sites.google.com/student.dodea.edu/smith-es/

home with the associated link located in the Library section, under “Captain

Smith”. Students will learn more throughout the year with the assistance of

Ms. Majorwitz, our Information Specialist. In addition to unveiling our histo-

ry and learning about our namesake, students learn the significance of rely-

ing upon primary and secondary sources for their research.

Smith Elementary

School

Student-Parent

Handbook:

https://www.dodea.edu/SmithES/upl

oad/Smith-ES-Student-Handbook-SY-

2019-2020-updated.pdf

Why do we have delayed start? Do you ever wonder what teachers are doing during the one hour delayed start? It

is not exactly a teacher social where we are drinking coffee with our feet kicked

up. We are actively engaged in focused collaboration groups. Focused collabora-

tion is where teachers come together and share and discuss ways to help students

become more successful in the classroom. All grade levels meet and go over stu-

dent performance data. This allows for teachers to know where their students are,

where they need to be, and how the teacher will get them there. Teachers create

grade level assessments to measure students’ progress. Teachers also share differ-

ent strategies on what works in their classrooms. Teachers take this data and use it

to drive instruction in the classroom to ensure all students are making adequate

growth.

As DoDEA is striving to strengthen the standards-based educational system we are

transitioning to college and career ready standards that are infused with rigor and

relevancy, a common standards aligned curriculum, a common instructional frame-

work, and a common assessment system (Brady, T. DoDEA Director)

Morning Arrival

K - 5 0745* - 0755

PSCD 0815* AM / None-PM

Sure Start 0840*

Bell Rings: 0755*

*Thursday Late Start:

1 hour later than times above

Instructional Schedules

K-5: 0800*-1420

PSCD: 0815*-1030 AM Session

None PM Session

Sure Start: 0845*-1400

*Thursday Late Start:

1 hour delay

Important SES Information

Civilian: 0611-143-545-1225

DSN: 545-1225

Principal: Dr. Michelle Woodfork

Assistant Principal:

Ms. Dionne Dansby-Clark

Guidance Counselors:

Ms. Susie Strasner

Ms. Kelsey Manning

School Nurse: Nurse Peggy Benton

Admin Officer: Mr. Robert Dean

Registrar: Mr. Robert Woods

School Secretary: Ms. Tracy Fagan

School Clerk: Ms. Gwendolyn Peterson

Email: first.lastname@dodea.edu

School Website:

http://www.dodea.edu/SmithES/index.

cfm

School ePortal:

https://sites.google.com/student.dodea

.edu/smith-es/home

Facebook: Smith Elementary School

Lunch Please consider having lunch with your children at the school site. Whether you

brown-bag-it, or purchase an adult lunch from the AAFES cafeteria for $6.

Grade 1: 1050-1120

Kindergarten: 1050-1120

Grade 2: 1120-1150

Grade 3: 1150-1220

Grade 4: 1220-1250

Grade 5: 1230-1300

*Sure Start eats lunch in the classroom. Please contact Ms. Whittaker for exact

times.

No need to call ahead. All we ask is that once at the school site, please stop by the

main office to collect your visitors pass. Thanks!

Registrar’s Corner

Parents, if your child will be out due to a sickness, please send an EMAIL to:

robert.woods@dodea.edu or gwendolyn.peterson@dodea.edu CALL 0611-143-

545-1231 so the office can update our databases with your child’s absence. When

your child returns to school, please provide a doctor’s note if a doctor was seen. If

you have any questions, please contact either Mr. Woods or Mrs. Peterson in the

main office.

If your student is going to be out of school for an extended period of time, please

stop by and fill out the appropriate form so we can update our DB and notify the

teacher.

Arriving Late? If your child is going to be late to school (8:00 is when a student is consid-

ered late), please remember that a parent is required to come into the

main office to sign them in. DO NOT drop students off at the front door.

Information regarding DoDEA’s Attendance can be accessed on-line as follows:

http://www.dodea.edu/studentservices/attendance/index.cfm

CHANGE IN TRANSPORTATION METHOD? If you need to pick your student up early or notify them of a

change for their transportation of the day, it is okay to contact

the office or come to the office to sign your child out; however,

please remember that you need to do this no later than 1:50

pm. There has been a high volume of calls or parents showing

up at the end of the day. Often students are in transition and it

may not allow us time to locate them and ensure that the

change will occur.

School Bus Expectations

Parents please ensure that your chil-

dren understand and follow the 10

School Bus rules listed below:

• Obey the driver or adult.

• Enter and exit the bus safely, and

always show your bus pass.

• Stay properly seated and use seat-

belts when available.

• Keep your hands, feet and other

body parts to yourself.

• Do not throw things.

• Don’t put anything out of the win-

dow.

• Remain quiet, and do not disturb

the driver or others.

• No profanity, indecency, smoking,

prohibited items, or vandalism.

• Do not eat, drink, or chew gum.

• Be responsible, be safe.

Should students choose not to meet

these expectancies, behavior referrals

will be followed up by school princi-

pal. Any and all other bus-related

concerns are the responsibility of the

Baumholder Student Transportation

Office, located at Baumholder Middle

High School (Wetzel Housing Area).

STUDENT-PARENT HANDBOOK

An electronic version of the Smith ES Stu-

dent Parent Handbook is available on our

website. Thank you for taking time to re-

view policies, procedures, and expecta-

tions with the children so that home-to-

school transitions will be seamless and

successful for everyone. The school, too,

will continue to teach and model school

expectations to all students throughout the

course of this school year.

Link:

https://www.dodea.edu/SmithES/uplo

ad/Smith-ES-Student-Handbook-SY-

2019-2020-updated.pdf

KISS & RIDE AND KINDERGARTEN

Parents, please remember that we have staff and adult volunteers to assist

with Kiss & Ride drop-off and pick up. Do not get out of your car or pull over

during these times. Someone will assist your child(ren) in and/or out of the

vehicle so that we can ensure safety as well as expedite the process. Chil-

dren will be unloaded on the “sidewalk side” only. Also, please remember

that Kindergartners must be walked to and from

class unless they are bus riders. You may not

drop kindergartners off at the front of school or

in Kiss & Ride.

Thank you for your cooperation with keeping our

bulldogs safe.

GradeSpeed - 4th & 5th Graders Sign-up and log in with GradeSpeed today! A full-featured web

based gradebook. Easily view your child’s grades, assign-

ments and more online. https://dodea.gradespeed.net/gs/

VISITORS & VOLUNTEERS ALL visitors and volunteers MUST sign in at the office to receive a visitor’s badge that MUST be worn at all times.

Please do not go directly to your child’s classroom. At this time, volunteers must be pre-approved by Principal.

If your child is missing their jacket or lunch box, please visit the lost and found area in the cafeteria. High value

items (jewelry, wallets, keys, glasses, etc.) are kept in the main office.

FAMILY PETS ON CAMPUS Although our school’s mascot is the bulldog, families are reminded to keep their family pets off of school

grounds for the comfort and safety of students and their families. While pets are, indeed, important members of

families, some children and their family members have allergies, while others are frightened by animals.

Thanks for helping us with these needs and for enjoying “walking the dog” as part of your one-on-one time with

your child to learn more about his/her day, dreams, etc.

SMITH PTO Smith ES’ Parent –Teacher Organization (PTO)

needs parents and teachers the new school year

to volunteer for leadership positions (great or

small) to support this active group of school en-

richment opportunities. In years past, the PTO has

been instrumental in plan-

ning/sponsoring/facilitating /purchas-

ing:

•School T-shirts & Sweatshirts

•Student Homework Planners

(grades 3-5)

•School Yearbook

•Family Social Nights

•Popcorn Days & School Pictures

•P.R.I.D.E Award Student Recogni-

tions

•Teacher Appreciation Luncheon

•Field Day Support & Other Enrich-

ment Activities/Resources

None of these endeavors can happen

without the support of the adults of

Smith ES’ learning community. If inter-

ested in being a part of this year’s PTO,

you can reach them at

ptosmithelem@gmail.com.

2020/21 PTO

Executive Board Members President:

Vice President - Vacant

Secretary - Vacant

Treasurer - Vacant

Publicist - Vacant

Committee Members

Bookfair Chairperson - Vacant

Box Top Chairperson - Vacant

Fundraiser Chairperson - Vacant

Volunteer Coordinator - Vacant

Yearbook - Vacant

Teacher/Grade Level Reps: Vacant

PTO main email :

ptosmithelem@gmail.com

SES VOLUNTEERS Smith ES often has volunteer opportuni-

ties throughout the school. If you are

interested, please visit the main office

for a volunteer packet. SES also partici-

pates in the VMIS (Volunteer Manage-

ment Information System) through Army

Volunteer Corps/Army Community Ser-

vice via www.myarmyonesource.com.

Some, but not all volunteer positions are

posted on that sight. We are also very

proud to work with the 44th ESB through

the Adopt-a-School program and wel-

come volunteers through this endeavor.

For additional information, refer to the

volunteer packet or email the Volunteer

Point of Contact, Ms. Gwen Peterson at

gwendolyn.peterson@dodea.edu.

ADDITIONAL CAFETERIA NOTES

• AAFES does not provide forks/spoons/plastic-ware for children who are bringing lunches from

home. Whether it is fruit cups, yogurt or reheated leftovers, K-5 students who “brown bag” their

lunches will also need to pack utensils from home.

• Microwaves are available in the cafeteria for students that want to warm the meal that they brought from home. Please note

that these microwaves are donated and only available if currently operational. Kinder Aides will warm meals for Kindergar-

ten students and Cafeteria Aides will assist students in Grades 1-5 as needed.

• The K-5 student PIN numbers to “purchase” lunches are a 6 digit pin. These are available from AAFES once you set up an

account. Please have your child practice learning his/her PIN; doing so will reduce the amount of time students are waiting to

get their school lunches from the food service line.

PTO SPIRIT GEAR REMINDER Every Friday is Spirit Friday at Smith Elementary. Wear your school shirts, sweatshirts, or the school colors on Fri-

days. On random Fridays, throughout the year, the class showing the most school spirit will receive a prize!

AAFES prices are as follows:

BREAKFAST: LUNCH:

Full pay = $1.75 Full pay = $3.25

Reduced= $.30 Reduced = $.40

Adult/Teacher = $3.50 Adult/Teacher = $6.00

Breakfast plus = $2.00 Lunch plus = $2.00

School Nurses make it Happen!

Welcome to Smith Elementary School! To ensure a

safe and healthy school year I ask that you:

• Please provide the school with current home, work, cell, and emergency phone numbers.

• Ensure that your children are well rested for

school. According to sleep foundation: Children ages 3-6 need 10 -12 hours of sleep

per day and Children ages 7-12 need 10 - 11 hours of sleep per day

• Provide your child with a nutritious breakfast,

snack, and lunch every day. Please do not send candy and soda to school for your child’s snack and/

or lunch.

• Make certain that your child has an umbrella, raincoat with a hood, and galoshes to wear to

school on the rainy days.

• Dress your children for safety. To decrease slips, trips, falls, and other injuries our students should

avoid wearing high heel shoes, “slip” in shoes, dan-gling earrings, and floor length skirts. These can be hazardous to our little ones as they move about the

stairs and playground.

• Keep your children home when they: have a fever of 100 degrees Fahrenheit or above, have diarrhea,

and/or vomiting.

IMMUNIZATIONS DoDEA requires parents to present proof of immun-izations upon registration in any DoDEA school. Should the immunization documentation reveal miss-

ing immunization data, the necessary immunization(s) must be obtained, and proof of immunization compli-ance must be presented to school officials within thir-ty 30 days of enrollment for continued enrollment in DoDEA schools. For an immunization that requires a series of vaccinations to achieve immunity, as deter-mined by the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices' series spacing requirements, the next im-munization in the series is due no later than 10 days after the due date. Please bring updated shot records to me in the school’s clinic. This will verify that your child received the immunizations.

MEDICATIONS

Parents, please bring a new Hold Harmless Letter for every medication that your child

must take while at school. Hold Harmless Letters must be

renewed by your child’s physician every school year.

Children are not allowed to transport medications to and from schools. All medications should be brought

to the school nurse by a parent along with a

current, signed, Hold harmless letter for each medica-tion.

Remember: “A healthy child will feel like learning.” Vicki Alderman, RN BS MS

Smith Elementary School Nurse

Baumholder Community Schools Transportation Office 8801 School Street, Baumholder, Germany 55776

DSN: 545-1212 / CIV: 0611-143-545-1212 / Email: darrell.winfrey@dodea.edu

DIRECTIONS:

• From SES, exit the main gate of Smith Kaserne and proceed onto Ave. C

• Cross over Kennedyalle

• Ave. C transitions to Aulenbacher Str.

• At the split, keep left, onto Ringstr.

• At the light, turn right onto Berschweiler Str.

• Turn right onto Macaroni Road

• Follow signs to go through Main Entrance of Wetzel Kaserne

• Proceed straight onto Hill Side Ave.

• Parking is on the left, just past BMHS (Baumholder Middle High School) Playhouse

• Entrance is across the street at BMHS, located on School Road

• Once you enter BMHS, go directly to the main office to sign in and get a visitor badge.

• From the BMHS main office, turn left in the main hall and transportation is located, past the

main entrance, in the third door on the right.

Baumholder Middle High School /

Baumholder Community Schools Transportation Office

Smith Elementary School

ADDITIONAL DOCUMENTS ATTACHED:

SES School Map

AAFES - School Meal Program

AAFES - Lunch Menu - current month

Baumholder Military Complex School Calendar

Child and Youth Supervision Policy

Also visit our website at:

https://www.dodea.edu/SmithES/index.cfm

Student-Parent Handbook link:

https://www.dodea.edu/SmithES/upload/Smith-ES-

Student-Handbook-SY-2019-2020-updated.pdf