As other schools are just beginning, it’s hard to believe
we are more than halfway through our first quarter of
school. Our first PTA meeting was very well attended.
We shared an academic update with parents that
included a celebration of student achievement gains and
our Dogwood instructional priorities for 09-10. Students
in all 29 subgroups identified by the No Child Left Behind
(NCLB) legislation, made significant gains in the areas of
math and reading based on the annual Virginia
Standards of Learning Assessments (SOL
Assessments), the public measure. This includes steady
gains of students scoring in the “Pass Advanced” range
with SOL scores beyond 500. Additionally, Dogwood
students made significant growth and progress
measured by common assessments conducted by
Fairfax County Public Schools in all content areas.

As a Title 1 school, we are fortunate to have additional
resources and personnel to help us implement our
initiatives and achieve our goals. We will continue to
monitor student progress regularly and provide students
with supports, extensions, and intervention in order to
help them meet and exceed their learning goals.

Welcome Mrs. Azad & Ms. Simpson!
Our student numbers have continued to grow in our first
and third grades. We have created a new class in each
grade and are very thrilled to welcome our new
Dogwood teachers. Mrs. Azad is our new first grade
teacher and Ms. Simpson is our new third grade teacher.
To make the best use of space for our new third grade
class, Fairfax County is enclosing part of our upstairs
pod space. Construction began Friday evening and will
continue this week. Special thanks to our FCPS
Facilities and coordinator, Bill Fenimore, for making this
possible so very quickly. Bill is working very closely with
us throughout the construction project.

Sincerely,

Robyn Cochran, Principal
Bill Vardeman, Assistant Principal
Gina Hensberger, Intersession Coordinator