Principal Smith Weekly Update
PTO MEAT STICK FUNDRAISER REMINDER
Families, we need your help! Our Meat Stick Fundraiser has wrapped up, and we are still missing both unsold meat sticks and funds collected from many students.
Please check with your child and return any unsold product and all money raised as soon as possible. Prompt returns help us finalize our fundraiser totals and support important school activities.
Thank you for your cooperation and for supporting our school!
SPIRIT DAY- Pajama Day
Get ready to get cozy, Mustangs! On Thursday, December 19th, Douglas Gardens Elementary is celebrating Spirit Day, and the theme is… PAJAMA DAY!
Wear your comfiest, silliest, or most festive pajamas and join the fun. Whether they’re fuzzy, colorful, or covered in your favorite characters, we can’t wait to see everyone’s school spirit shine.....pillow fights not included!
Let’s make it a warm and cozy day to remember!
Inclement Weather Information
It's hard to believe it now, considering the beautiful weather we are having but, the winter weather is just around the corner.
Weather-Related Decisions
If snow or ice is expected, designated staff monitor conditions and drive bus routes between 4–6 a.m. A decision about closure, delay, or normal operations is made by 6:30 a.m.
No News = No Change
If you don’t hear an announcement, Springfield Public Schools are operating normally. Parents may still choose to keep their child home if they feel conditions are unsafe—just notify the school.
After-School Activities
When schools close due to hazardous weather, all after-school activities—including athletics and building rentals—are cancelled.
Snow Routes
When conditions don’t require closing but make some areas unsafe for buses, snow routes may be used. Families in higher elevations may need to meet the bus at an alternate, lower location. Updated snow routes are available online.
Additional Information
Further updates may be shared through FlashAlert, the district website, social media, and, if needed, the auto-dialer system.
Spotlight On Music at Douglas Gardens
At Douglas Gardens, our music program follows a thoughtful scope and` sequence that supports students’ musical, behavioral, and fine and gross motor development. Our goal is to prepare students to transition smoothly into middle school and to participate confidently in extracurricular programs such as band, choir, orchestra, and theater.
The music classroom provides a valuable opportunity to reinforce our school’s core values and to build social–emotional skills in a setting beyond the traditional academic environment. Students practice following directions, demonstrating patience, sharing, and expressing themselves creatively. Music also exposes students to a wide range of cultural perspectives, helping them gain a broader understanding of the world through song.
Students work to develop a foundation of musical understanding and skills through an active, hands-on approach that engages the whole body. We explore key musical concepts such as pitch, melody, rhythm, tempo, and dynamics. In kindergarten and first grade, students focus on reading and writing basic rhythms and using unpitched percussion instruments. In second through fifth grade, each grade level presents one musical performance for the community and continues to refine essential musical skills through music theory instruction.
After strengthening their music-reading and theory skills in second grade, students begin instrument studies in third grade, starting with bucket drums and introductory recorder. Fourth grade continues recorder instruction, and fifth grade expands to piano and ukulele, allowing students to apply their musical knowledge in increasingly sophisticated ways.