Dicken Family Newsletter
10.21.22
Principal's Corner
Upcoming Dates
- Friday, October 28 - Pumpkin Patch (5 - 7 pm)
- Monday, October 31 - Halloween Parade (1:45 pm)
- Friday, November 4 - Principal's Coffee - In Person (9:30)
- Tuesday, November 8 - No School - Election Day / Teacher PD
- Monday, November 14 - Picture Re-Take Day
- Wednesday - Friday, November 23 - 25 - No School, Thanksgiving Break
- Wednesday, November 30 - Early Release Day (1:18 Dismissal)
Volunteer Clarification
When visiting your child's classroom for a class party or occasional visit such as a read aloud, there is no need to fill out the complete Parent Volunteer Form. However, we do ask that you stop into the office for a visitor's badge. Please bring your photo ID. When joining your child's class for a field trip or regularly volunteering in the classroom, library, or the lunch room, the complete Parent Volunteer Form needs to be completed in advance. We typically need at least 48 hours to process these forms. Thank you for your cooperation!
After School Plans Communication
Please remember to let classroom teacher(s) and our office staff know if your child(ren) will be leaving early. Of course we know last minute things happen but if you have something scheduled such as an appointment or vacation it's helpful to know in advance. Our front office email is dicken@a2schools.org. If the change is last minute please call the office at 994-1928 as teachers may not see emails in time. Thank you!
Lunch Hour Volunteers
We are still in need of a few more parent volunteers for lunch if you have interest in joining us once or twice a week. The days/time we are in most need are Mondays / Thursdays 11:30 - 12:20. Please reach out to Heather if you are interested.
Social Emotional Learning Donation
Thanks to a generous anonymous parent donation, the Dicken staff was given funds to purchase items that support Social Emotional Learning. Our support staff decided as a team to create a calming corner for students who occasionally need breaks from the classrooms. This is for both general education and special education students.
The purchased items include:
- sensory pad
- balance board
- bean bags
- mini-trampoline
- Legos
- compression swing
- punching bag
- body sock
- conflict resolution ball
- games
(total amount, approx. $800)
Washtenaw County CDC Covid Level
As of today, September 30, Washtenaw County is in the CDC MEDIUM/YELLOW Community Level.
The Ann Arbor Public Schools Fall 2022 Covid Guidance is available here. The Ann Arbor Public Schools will always remain a mask-friendly environment.
Fall 2022 Guidance on masking in AAPS schools:
Masks are strongly recommended indoors when CDC Community Level is ‘HIGH’- RED
Masks are encouraged indoors when CDC Community Level is ‘MEDIUM’ - Yellow
Masks are welcomed indoors when CDC Community Level is ‘LOW’ - Green
Heather
PTO News
Message from the PTO President
The PTO has been busy this month with the Dicken Dash and next week's Pumpkin Patch. We are also bringing back school assemblies and collecting donated items from the community to benefit our Dicken Dolphins.
If you have any gently used Halloween costumes (we are particularly looking for 4th/5th grade sized costumes) or winter gear your Dolphin has outgrown, we will be collecting these at the school over the next few weeks, including at the Pumpkin Patch! These will be used for any children who need a Halloween costume or warm gear this winter.
—Jenifer Miller, Dicken PTO President
Click here for the Dicken Elementary Parents Facebook group
Find information about events, meeting minutes, and more on the PTO website at www.dickenpto.com
Upcoming PTO Meeting Dates
Thursday, November 17 - PTO Board Meeting, 6:30 - 8:00 pm (virtual via Zoom)
Thursday, December 15 - PTO Board Meeting, 6:30 - 8:00 pm (virtual via Zoom)
To see all Dicken school & PTO events in one place, click here for our PTO Google Calendar.
Another helpful link: the AAPS School Calendar.
Pumpkin Patch is Only One Week Away!
Our annual Pumpkin Patch event is just one week away! Please join us on Friday, October 28th (5-7pm) for a fun evening of food, games, and prizes! We are still looking for more volunteers, so please consider signing up for an hour or two here!
Ticket pre-order forms have been sent home and are due on October 24th. Tickets can also be purchased the day of the event.
We look forward to seeing you there!
Winter Gear Support
Brrr! It is starting to get chilly outside. The PTO wants to make sure that everyone can stay warm and healthy and ready to learn!
The PTO closet has items (coats, hats, gloves, etc.) to loan if our students forget or have misplaced their gear and they need to keep warm at recess or temporarily as they get to or from school. Also, we like to help students who may need more permanent solutions.
We could use your gently used winter gear to stock our closet. Items that are in high demand:
- snow gloves
- snow pants
- larger sizes for our 4th & 5th graders!
Donations of your used items will be collected during the Pumpkin Patch. Stay tuned for additional opportunities to donate in the future.
Next Community Night Out: Noodles & Co., Wednesday, October 26th
We have a Community Night Out next week at Noodles and Co!
Wednesday, October 26th
4-8 pm
2245 West Stadium location
Use online code GIVING25 (enter this in the coupon code field) to ensure that Dicken gets 25% of qualifying sales.
Celebrating what makes us UNIQUE!
We surprised our teachers and staff this week with coffee and tea from Ann Arbor’s local Bitty & Beau’s Coffee Shop! The original Bitty & Beau’s opened in 2016 in Wilmington, NC with a commitment to employ individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities. October is Disability Employment Awareness Month and as part of our focus on Disability PRIDE, we encourage you to give them a try too!
***Parents, please join Principal Halabu for coffee on Friday, November 4th @ 9:30 am in Dicken’s refreshed staff lounge.**