Principal Update

Dear Parents and Sponsors, 

Happy first day of Spring!

The start of the 4^th Grading period will begin on Monday, April 7^th with a Military Clap In from the 44^th ESB our sponsoring unit from 0730-0800.  

LOST & FOUND – The lost and found from Q3 will be available through Friday, March 28^th and then all that remains will be donated to the Baumholder Thrift Store.

A New Look!  The Principal Update has moved to our Smith Elementary Official DoDEA Website, or https://smithes.dodea.edu/.  You can access our newsletter each week on the “School News” tab.  We are still in the process of updating many of the pages on our Official School Website and we would love to have your feedback as we build our new communication platform.  It is our desire to make this website your “Go to” landing page for information about Smith Elementary School.  If you have suggestions or comments, please simply reply to the parent email and your suggestion goes directly to our admin team.

STEAM Night was such an amazing event, thank you to all of our faculty and staff for the time and effort to provide such a great family fun community event.  There is a picture gallery of the event on our  Smith Elementary Official DoDEA Website.

Thank you to everyone who attended the Baumholder Town Hall last night.  I am leaving the information about our future staffing and how it relates to our Large Group Specials for next year on the website.  As always, if you have any specific questions or would like clarification, please feel free to reply to the parent email, or make an appointment to meet with me in person.

 Staffing Changes for SY25/26:

What is changing at Smith ES next year?  I know there have been a lot of questions circling about our staffing changes for SY25/26 so I would like to try to alleviate concern by letting you know what is happening as we prepare for SY25/26 with changes in our staffing.

 What is happening? Our staffing for large group specialists, PE, Music and Art for next school year will be (.5) or part-time.  This means our full-time large group specialists are excessed and will be transferring to other DoDEA schools at the end of SY24/25.  I have already made a selection for a local part-time Music teacher, part-time local Art teacher, and are in the process of interviewing for the PE position and I expect to have all these part-time positions filled and onboarded on the first day of school 25/26.

What does this mean for my student? Although our current PE and Music teacher will transfer to other DoDEA schools, we are able to provide 50-minute specials for every grade level at least once per week on a four-day rotation throughout the entire school year.  This means, every student will have PE, Music, Art, and Host Nation every four days throughout the year.

What about after-school programs like Sweaty Bulldogs and the Bulldog Band?  After school programs like Sweaty Bulldogs, Art Enrichment, and Bulldog Band are all funded through extra-duty contracts, so these programs will continue next year as well.  These extra duty contracts are the way all of our after-school programs are funded. 

It's time for School Year 2025-2026 Spring Re-registration!

Parents must submit a re-registration to indicate whether each student is staying in DoDEA or leaving their current location. Parents should log into the DoDEA Student Information System (DSIS) Family Portal at https://dodeasis.myfollett.com/aspen/logon.do to submit each student re-registration request. The re-registration process also provides a quick and easy way for families to update information (contacts, Sponsor's employment status, student health) if the student is returning.  Please see the flyer for helpful hints.

Please complete the re-registration process as soon as possible.  The information collected during re-registration will be used to determine each student's continued eligibility, as well as plan staffing and resource needs for the coming school year. After your re-registration submission has been reviewed, the School Registrar will contact you if additional information is required.  

The classroom teacher with the highest re-registrations at the end of the 3rd grading period on March 28th will have a Purple UP Pizza Party with the Principal during MOMC.  So, Parents even if you are not returning, please complete re-registration and simply let us know you are PCSing at the end of the school year.

If you encounter issues, please contact the School Registrar, Robert.Woods@dodea.edu

The School Advisory Committee: The remaining meeting dates for SY24/25 is April 14, 2025.  We will be nominating Leadership positions for SY 25/26 during this meeting.  If you or someone you know are interested in serving on the School Advisory Committee, please reach out to Mr. Dye or the SAC email to make a nomination.  We are hopeful this year to elect a new President, Vice President, and Secretary. If you have agenda items for any of the meetings scheduled for SY 24/25, please email sacsmithes@gmail.com.  Minutes from the most recent SAC meeting are posted outside the main office and on the Smith ES Official DoDEA Website.

PTO Update:  The PTO is also now accepting nominations for leadership positions for next school year.  Needed are the President, Vice President, Treasurer, and Secretary. You can learn more about the PTO on the Get Involved/Partnerships page on our Smith ES Official DoDEA Website.

Emergency Contact Information Update:  We have discovered that parents are not able to update their contact information in the DoDEA/SIS system online.  Please contact the school registrar by email when your emergency contact or cell phone information changes. If you do not have updated emergency contact information, the school may need to contact command to reach you.

 Have a great weekend, Go Bulldogs!

Respectfully,

Richard C. Dye
Principal
Smith Elementary School