Principal Update

Smith ES Parents and Sponsors,

 As we continue to celebrate Month of the Military Child the PTO Sponsored Eggstravaganza this past Wednesday afternoon.  Frau Braun and several volunteer faculty members created an exciting German Festival Atmosphere to celebrate Oster, a German Holiday with frozen eggs smashing them open to reveal a prize, and some holiday treats and snack.  It was fun and those who participated learned a little about our host nation culture.  

Next week there is no school on Monday, April 28, 2025, so teachers can focus on the High-Quality Instructional Practices during Quarter 4 CCRS professional development.  

This coming Wednesday is the last day of April and the end of MOMC, so we want to show our Purple Up Spirit.  Please wear as much purple as you can next Wednesday for our Final PUPRLE UP DAY of 2025.  Weather permitting, we hope to have a school-wide Purple UP photo opportunity.  

     Summative Assessments:  Parents of 3^rd-5^th grade students received a letter this week concerning the Summative Assessment Schedule.  All Grade 3-5 students will participate in the Math Assessment April 29, 30 and May 2^nd, and the Literacy Assessment May 6 & 7, 2025.  If you have questions about the assessment, please reach out to our Assessment Coordinator, Ms. linda.yates@dodea.edu Please be sure to get lots of rest and eat a well-balanced breakfast before the assessment.  

    Re-Registration for SY25/26:  Starting this week, we will be sending out notifications to sponsors who have not yet re-registered students for SY25/26.  Please take a few moments and log into the DoDEA Parent Portal and re-register for next school year or use the link to let us know your family is not returning to Smith ES next school year.  We are currently at 46% re-registrations!  Please help us get to 100%.  Parents must submit re-registration to indicate whether each student is staying in DoDEA or leaving their current location. All 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) and indicate if your student is returning.  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.  Again, 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: There were no agenda items for the April meeting date, so this meeting has been cancelled, and we have opened up the end of the year meeting on May 19, 2025, for all stakeholders.  Generally, this is an administrative meeting to close out the year, but we wanted to give more time to collect agenda items before the end of the year.  During the meeting we will be nominating Leadership positions for SY 25/26, preparing our end of the year reports, and setting dates for next year’s SAC meetings.  If you or someone you know are interested in serving on the School Advisory Committee, please email sacsmithes@gmail.com 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:  Thank you to the PTO for all of their support for the MOMC, our Purple UP decorations, snacks and encouragement for the teachers, and for purchasing a new PURPLE UP t-shirt for every Student and Faculty member.  If you want to know more about our PTO, please check out their Facebook Page at Smith Elementary School PTO where you can find information about activities, how to volunteer, and especially how you can make nominations for PTO leadership positions for next school year.  We are in needed of the following nominations: 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.

Purple UP Bulldogs!

Respectfully,

Richard C. Dye
Principal
Smith Elementary School