Dowdall Elementary, Flint MI

March/April 2026

Dear Dowdall Families,

We have made it through the winter and are ready for Spring!

The month of March will bring us many fun activities and opportunites with March is Reading month and Dowdall's "Born to Make Music" student performances on Tuesday, March 24 at Kearsley High School. Students have been working hard learning songs in preparation for the concert. If you hear your child singing "Do-Re-Mi" or "Grand Old Flag", they may just be practicing.

Dowdall students have been working hard academically as we move into Spring. We are piloting new Language Arts Materials from EL Education to provide lessons more closely aligned to scientifically proven methods and our Bridges math curriculum has been enhanced with new Math Quests to get students to apply what they know about math and think deeper.

Students continue to work to be good citizens that follow the B-Code. A special third marking period celebration day is planned for March 27 for students who maintain positive behavior (see details in the article below).

We also have warm spring weather and of course Spring break to look forward to which will carry us into April and state testing season where our 3rd graders will be able to "show what they know" in Language Arts and Math on M-Step assessments.

Spring is our reward for making it through the harsh winter and it will be amazing!

With gratitude,

Mrs. Fisher

Calendar of Events

March

Wed. 4: NO SCHOOL full day staff professional development

Fri. 6: Popcorn day

Sun. 8: Set clocks ahead 1 hour (Spring Forward)

Wed. 18: Statewide Tornado drill 1pm; Early Release day; students released at 2:20pm

Tue. 24: Dowdall Born to Sing student concert @ Kearsey High School

Fri. 27: End 3rd Marking period

Mon. 30 - April 3: SPRING BREAK

April

Mon 6: Back to school; M-Step window begins

Fri 17: Mommy/Son dance 6-8pm

Mon 20: 2nd grade Fieldtrip to Sloan museum (more info to come)

Wed 22: Early Release day; students dismissed at 2:20pm

March is Reading Month

Third Marking period Behavior challenge

Our third marking period behavior challenge begins on Monday March 1!

Each school day in March, students will receive 2 tickets at the beginning of the day through March 26. On March 26 students will count their tickets and they will participate in our B-Code Celebration based on the amount of tickets they have been able to collect.

Students can collect more ticket beyond their 2 per day by showing extraordinary B-code behavior! Students can also lose tickets as fines for not following the B-Code.

Here is how the ticket count translates into particpation in the B-code celebration on March 27

30 or more tickets = ALL stations

25 -29 tickets = 3 stations

20-24 tickets = 2 stations

15-19 tickets = 1 station

Less than 15 tickets= No play

Our hope is that ALL our Dowdall Diamonds will paricipate in this celebration of positve behavior!

Winners of winter attendance competition

You might recall we had a school wide attendance contest going for the months of January and February. The two classes with the highest average attendance rate earned a pizza party. Ms. Taylor and Mrs. Fisher will work with the teachers to get those parties planned.

The winners are....

Ms. Martin's class

Mrs. Brannan's class

Congratulations!

Dowdall Spring Concert

"Born to Make Music"

Tuesday, March 24

2nd grade: 6pm

3rd grade: 6:45pm

Kearsley High School Auditorium

More details to come....

Key facts about School Attendance

Chronic absence is a major issue
Missing 10% or more of school—about 18 days a year—is considered chronic absenteeism, and it harms student achievement.
Impact starts early
Poor attendance in kindergarten and first grade can lead to a struggle with reading by third grade.
Good attendance is a predictor of future success
By middle school, chronic absenteeism is a leading sign that a student may drop out of high school. Students who attend regularly are also more likely to graduate and earn more over a lifetime.
All absences matter
It doesn't matter if an absence is for vacation, illness, or another reason; any time missed is lost learning time.
Absenteeism can lead to a cycle
A poor attendance record in the first month of school can predict poor attendance for the rest of the year.
It's not just about high school
The habit of good attendance needs to be built early, with preschool being a critical time to start.

M-Step to start after Spring Break

The window for 3rd grade state testing is April 6 - May 15, 2026. Dowdall will officially start testing on Tuesday, April 7 (see schedule below). More specific info will be coming your way via letter but, it is important for students to be in attendance on these assessment days.

Volunteering at Dowdall

Always stay in touch with your child's teacher for opportunities to volunteer or let Joy, out secretary know your availability. We often need volunteers to assist with projects from helping organize materials, go through lost and found items and a bevy of other things.

To be eligible to volunteer you must have a current background check on file. Here is the LINK to more information on volunteering and the link ot the Volunteer Screening Form.

Building Bridges Breaking Barriers graphic

Kate Dowdall Elementary
3333 Shillelagh
Flint, MI 48506

Phone: 810-591-2274

Connect with Us!

Website: KearsleySchools.org/o/DES

Dowdall's Facebook: @DowdallDiamonds
Kearsley Schools' Facebook: @KearsleyCommunitySchools

Email Principal Kelly Fisher: kfisher@kearsleyschools.org