Dragoneer

Dec. 10 Dragoneer Updates

Fall Festival

A big shoutout to our wonderful teachers, staff and volunteers that made this year’s Fall Festival a fun success! Thank you!

Dragon Fire Update

Drum roll please…. This year’s Dragon Fire no-fuss fundraiser raised over $10,200! Thank you to everyone who donated. All of your contributions go directly toward supporting our school. It’s never too late to give. You can contribute by giving cash, check (made payable to Douglas PTA, Paypal, or PTA Givebacks Site (formerly called Memberhub). Your continued support is truly appreciated!

Pie a Teacher

As part of our Dragon Fire campaign, students participated on this year’s spin of our annual Coin Wars. Students could place their coins in the buckets of teachers they wanted to see get a pie in the face! This year’s “winners” were Ms. Faison-Bullock, Mr. Steltenpohl, Ms. Bache-Wiig, and Mr. McDonald. Thank you for being great sports!

Art Competition Douglas Yearbook Cover Contest

Ms.. Edgerly will be hosting a yearbook cover contest for the 2023-2024 school year. Students are encouraged to create an original piece of art that represents this year’s theme: Diary of a Dragon. All grades are encouraged to participate. If your child is interested, please click on this link.

Carpool Casanova

Douglas was nominated and chosen to have Mix 101.5 Carpool Casanova visit our carpool this past Friday. Bryan Lord from MIX Mornings transformed into the “Carpool Casanova” and entertained our students, staff, and families in the carpool line with his silky vocal notes of perfection! Members of the PTA decorated the entrance and students, staff and parents showed support by dressing in every shade of pink. You can watch a recording of the event on the Mix 101.5 Facebook page.

2023-24 Teacher of the Year

Congratulations to Ms. Saleh, Douglas’ Teacher of the Year, and to Mrs. Hagemann, Douglas’ Teacher Assistant of the

Spirit Night

Thank you to everyone who participated in our Spirit Night at Chick-fil-A last week. We raised a total of $72.09! Save the date for our next Spirit Night on Monday, Dec. 18 at Salt and Lime Cabo Grill in the North Ridge Shopping Center located on Falls of the Neuse Road. More details coming!

Winter Concert Performed by the Douglas Elementary Creative Arts & Science Magnet School Chorus

Finally, a huge round of applause to our very own Douglas Elementary Creative Arts & Science Magnet School Chorus, who performed their Winter Concert at the Cardinal Senior Center Thursday night, as well as two performances on Friday for our students and staff. The Douglas Elementary Chorus winter concert celebrated December holidays as they sung about special preparations for the seven principles of Kwanzaa, the miracle and lights of Hanukkah, the festive atmosphere of Las Posadas, and the traditional music of Christmas. The songs shared the universal messages of peace, hope, and goodwill in our school and community. You can find the complete program here. Many thanks to our Chorus Director, Ms. Zelasky, and Douglas parent, Kevin Johnson, for accompanying on piano!

Oct. 23 Dragoneer Updates

Here’s a summary of what’s headed your way from the school — and the PTA!

It’s Spirit Week!

October marks Bullying Prevention Month. So far throughout October, Douglas has been not only raising awareness about bullying — but has also placed a strong emphasis on cultivating positive behaviors. In support of bully prevention, students can participate in a spirit week from October 23- 27.

Kilwins Spirit Night on Wednesday

Don’t forget: Head to Kilwins Raleigh between 4-9 p.m. on Wednesday for a sweet treat! Here are some tips:

Usually there’s a big crew of Douglas kids who head over right after school for a sweet treat and a hangout by the amphitheater.

Take a treat to-go for your child’s teacher(s).

Mention Douglas at checkout!

Also on Wednesday: Walk or Roll to School Day!

Have your walking shoes and helmets ready for Wednesday, October 25. Find a starting point in the neighborhood that works for you or join one of the two meet-ups happening:

Lakemont Pool: Meet at 8:25 a.m. and begin walking/rolling at 8:35 a.m. There will be a couple parent volunteers at the pool and stationed along the route. It’s approximately 0.6 mile walk with sidewalks the whole way.

Quail Hollow Pool: At 8:35 a.m., another parent volunteer will lead a group in a walk/roll to school.

Parents are encouraged to walk/roll with their children, if possible. If you’d like to volunteer to help support students along the way, please email Bette.

There will be a Pedestrian Safety Bingo page going home in folders this week. Students may return their completed Bingo to the office for a small prize or sticker (while supplies last)!

Need a little safety inspiration from our beloved Ms. Teressa? Watch her being interviewed in this Spectrum News 1 news piece from a few weeks ago!

Oct. 1 Dragoneer Updates

If you’ve been part of the Douglas family for a little while, you may remember our monthly enewsletter called The Dragoneer. Due to volunteer constraints and communication reorganization school-wide, we were discontinued that publication in the 2022-23 school year. Instead, we began to incorporate weekly announcements in Principal Faison-Bullock’s Sunday email as well as update the PTA community via our Facebook page. Knowing that not everyone is on Facebook, this year we’re taking a blog-first approach to communicating our updates. If there is something new to report, we’ll still incorporate updates in Principal Faison-Bullock’s weekly email and on Facebook — but we’ll be utilizing this space more than we have in previous years. The best way to stay informed of PTA happenings is by subscribing to our blog at douglaspta.com! On the upper right corner of our website, enter your email address and you’ll receive notifications of new PTA blog posts via your inbox or the Reader app.

With that said, here’s a summary of what’s headed your way from the PTA!

PTA General Meeting Slideshow

In case you missed the PTA General Meeting at the Back-to-School Open House, here’s a link to our slideshow. It’s never too late to join the PTA (it’s only $12 per family for the year and there are no volunteer requirements of members!). Membership simply shows your support and keeps you in the loop for volunteer opportunities, if you’re interested! Click here to join the PTA.

October 9-15: Quail Ridge Book Fair

Support Douglas Elementary October 9-15 at Quail Ridge Books! Just mention “Douglas Elementary School Book Fair” at checkout or use the coupon code “DOUGLAS1023” at online checkout. Quail Ridge Books will donate a portion of the sale to our wonderful school!

United Arts Artists in Schools Grant Awarded to Douglas, Plus Oct. 11 Didgeridoo Down Under Performance!

The United Arts Council awards noncompetitive grants to Wake County schools to help provide the Artists in Schools programs for staff and students. The funds support performances, writer residencies, and workshops that are geared towards school curriculum. Douglas has been awarded $1800 in grant funds, with our PTA funding the balance of the costs to bring in several artists.

Our first scheduled artist is Didgeridoo Down Under, a fusion of Australian music, culture, comedy, character building, anti-bullying, storytelling and audience participation. There will be two performances on October 11 for staff and students to enjoy!

There will be an additional performance, a writer residency for the third grade classes, and a fifth grade art project — all scheduled after January.

Our Final Dragoneer is PACKED!

Be sure to check your email today for the final Dragoneer newsletter of the 2021-22 school year. There is a TON of information about upcoming events, volunteer opportunities, our silent auction and more!

read the may dragoneer

Get the Latest News in the Dragoneer!

Hot off the press, our March 2 Dragoneer newsletter is packed with information about everything from Spirit Nights to yearbooks. Check it out here!

Hot off the Press! Our First Dragoneer of the Year

In this issue, you’ll meet our awesome school counselors, get resources for food and tips for stress and anxiety, and learn about some fun volunteer opportunities — plus lots more, including a video greeting from our Dragon-in-Chief, Principal Burns. Happy reading!