Doby's Bridge Elementary News

August 8, 2025

Greetings Dragon Families!

We had such an amazing week welcoming our students back to school! All of our Dragon students spent time learning routines, procedures, and the school-wide expectations of what it means to be on FIRE (Friendly, Inclusive, Respectful, Engaged).

We look forward to another successful year with our Dragon Families!

Building the Bridge Together,

Amanda Kubbs

Principal

STEAM Activity in 4th Grade

Making new friends in Kindergarten

Reading with Mrs. McCreary

We're working to make our car rider line as smooth and fast as possible, and we need your help.

To keep things moving, please:

Pull all the way up to the car in front of you. This helps us fit more cars in the line and prevents traffic from backing up.
Have your car rider tag ready and visible. Please display it in your windshield or on the passenger side window so our staff can see it easily. We can not read your number when the car tag is lying down.

Following these simple steps makes a big difference for everyone!

We are excited to have our WATCH D.O.G.S. (Dads of Great Students) program again this year! Watch D.O.G.S. are fathers, grandfathers, uncles, and other father figures who volunteer for at least one day each year as an official WATCH D.O.G.S. ® If you are interested in learning more about the program, we invite you to attend the information and launch event on Wednesday, August 20th from 6-7 PM in our school cafeteria. Please email Paul Miller to RSVP if you plan to attend the event, so we can have an accurate headcount to provide pizza

RSVP to ➡️ PMILLER0444@gmail.com

We are excited to welcome visitors and volunteers into our building!

Want to visit for lunch? Students can have up to four lunch visits per school year, with a maximum of two adults per visit. These visits are in addition to any school, class, or grade-level events. We're limiting visits due to space constraints in the cafeteria.. Lunch visits will begin on Monday, August 25, to allow students time to learn our cafeteria procedures. If your child has a birthday during the first few weeks of school, you're welcome to join them for lunch. Please let your child's teacher and our school receptionist, Suzanne Crider, know if you will be coming for a birthday during the first few weeks.

Volunteers/Visitors in the classroom: Classrooms will have several opportunities throughout the year to welcome families to see all the wonderful learning occurring. To minimize classroom disruptions, volunteers assisting teachers with tasks like copying and laminating will continue to pick up materials in the office rather than going directly to classrooms.

This year we will begin using a Google Form for daily transportation changes. This form will take the place of an email (our prior method). In the event that your child/ren will not go home their normal way, please complete the Google Form below to let us know of the transportation change. This form needs to be completed before 1:00 pm on the day of the change.

DBES Daily Transportation Change

Need a Magnet with our Vision?

To help families engage in common language with our students using the DBES Vision, we have created magnets for families to put on their refrigerators. This magnet can serve as a reminder to our students on how to be on FIRE! If you need a magnet, feel free to stop by our front office anytime to pick one up.

DBES School Website

DBES Parent/Student Handbook

Fort Mill School District Website

Click below to visit our DBES Instagram page

Our first Spirit Night of the year is on Thursday, August 14, 2025, 6-9 PM at Sweet Frog of Fort Mill. It’s an easy and delicious way to support DBES PTO as a portion of all proceeds will go to our school. You do not need to mention DBES.

We have some great news to share, including overviews about our PTO sponsored after school clubs that are held at DBES! See captions for description about programs. The links to the clubs and registration can be found on our PTO Website under the After School Clubs tab:

https://www.dbespto.org/about-4

Chess Club Registration is now open! The club will meet on Wednesdays 2:00-3:00 PM at DBES from 9/10/25 to 1/14/26. This after school club is for Grades: 2nd-5th.

https://www.charlottechesscenter.org/schools

Welcome to Limelight Kids at Doby's Bridge Elementary - a place where your child's artistic journey begins! Our specially curated afterschool theater program is designed to spark creativity, build confidence, and develop essential life skills through the magic of performing arts. Students will showcase their growth in the spring during a live performance, bringing their hard work and imagination to the stage! They will meet Mondays for 2nd to 5th, 2:15-3:15 PM starting 8/25/25-5/15/26.

Limelight Kids Charlotte - Class Registration

Reading Giraffe is the place where books run wild, by making picture books interactive, fun, and active adventures in learning! Classes are based on collaborative read-alouds, where we study art, vocabulary, characters, and plot, while facilitated discussions spur students’ analytical thinking… all on a mission to create lifelong readers! This program is for grades K-3rd and will be held at DBES on Thursdays 9/11/25-1/22/26 2:15-3:15.

www.FitLitKids.com/DBES

Girls on the Run is in need of coaches at our school this fall. Coaches do NOT have to be runners or have any prior coaching experience. Our team will meet twice a week for 90-minutes after school (days TBD by lead coach). The season begins 9/15/25.

Www.gotrtricountysc.org/coach

Welcome to Overtime Athletics as a new afterschool club at DBES!

This program is a variety athletic program that features different sports throughout the session. Participants will practice skills and play games in both traditional sports and playground favorites. The Sports Spectacular Variety Program features the best “to-do” list ever – Basketball, Soccer, Flag Football, Kickball, Capture the Flag, Wiffle Ball, Bump and Bite, Knights and Dragons, Numbers Game, Tag Games, Safe Base and MORE! OTA covers all the bases with our emphasis on playing, teamwork, sportsmanship, and fitness. Don’t miss out on the FUN! The program is held on Wednesdays 9/10/25 - 1/14/26 2:30-3:30 PM for grades 2nd-5th.

https://otamanage.azurewebsites.net/registration/charlotte

Soccer Stars is a program set in a fun, non-competitive environment. Soccer Stars has a unique, age-specific curriculum that is crafted to improve soccer skills, build self-confidence, and develop socialization skills.

This program is for K-5th grade and will be held on Tuesdays 9/9/25-1/13/26 immediately after school (times TBD).

https://bit.ly/3U12TlC

We are excited to announce our 2025-2026 DBES PTO Board, Chairpersons, Coordinators and Liaisons!

President: Macy Litvay

Vice President: Tara Kennedy

Secretary: Melissa Maynard

Treasurer: Rachel Neubia

VP Communications: Maria Baldi

VP Fundraising: Denise Slensker

VP Hospitality: Lauren Nadratowski

VP Special Events: Britney Tallman

VP Sponsorship: Shea Maple

Bookfair Committee Kelly Pretzsch & Denise Slensker

Boosterthon Committee: Amy Dunbar & Melissa Wayne

Hospitality Committee: Kelly Pretzsch & Denise Slensker

Special Events Committee:

Cassie Corcoran, Eunie (EJ) Crane, Joy MacVittie, Kendall Richards, Kristin Unde, Megan Aber, Natalie Harrison, Stacy Stacey, & Terri Rentschler

Spirit Night Coordinator: Kristin Poynter

Spirit Rock Coordinator: Sara Lotko

Spirit Wear Coordinator: Denise Slensker

Town Contract Coordinator: Diana Werner

Volunteer Coordinator: Tara Kennedy

Kindergarten Liaison: Melanie Gaul

1st Grade Liaison – Lauren Cole

2nd Grade Liaison – Melanie Gaul

3rd Grade Liaison –Stacey Lockwood

4th Grade Liaison – Paige Kinder

5th Grade Liaison –Stacey Lockwood

Our amazing PTO Liaisons keep us updated with each grade level happenings via Facebook Group Pages. Below is a complete list of links for each class to follow by grade level as well as the designated liaison. Join your child’s grade level page before school starts!

Please note if you’re already in your grade level class, there’s no need to rejoin as the group names will be changed to the next grade level up!

☑️ Kindergarten

Liaison Melanie Gaul

https://www.facebook.com/groups/1794634167983425

☑️ 1st grade

Liaison Lauren Cole

https://www.facebook.com/groups/908435454357247/

☑️2nd Grade

Liaison Melanie Gaul

https://www.facebook.com/groups/618066917011268

☑️3rd Grade

Liaison Stacey Lockwood

https://www.facebook.com/groups/772114543747332

☑️4th Grade

Liaison Paige Kinder

https://www.facebook.com/groups/186545213363368

☑️5th Grade

Liaison Stacey Lockwood

https://www.facebook.com/groups/4636575869693252

DBES Spirit Rock links are now available! Celebrate your child’s birthday by reserving one of the rocks! Please note there are two different links, one for the car rider line and one for the bus loop. In addition, please be sure to review the Spirit Rock rules.

Car Rider: https://tinyurl.com/bddm9zfk

Bus Rider: https://tinyurl.com/vnh369xk