DHES News and Notes
June 10, 2022
Educating every child for confidence today and contribution tomorrow.
A Message From the Principal
DHES Families,
We have had a couple of wonderful events here at DHES over the last two weeks. We had a fantastic band and Cougar Chorus concert here last week. The students did a great job and it was really good to have people in the building for an in person performance. It is always wonderful to see the growth the students make over the course of a year, and that was evident throughout the performance. Last night we had our Variety Show. We had a big mix of acts from dancers, drummers, singers, and gymnasts to Karate routines, skits, and comedians. The students all did a super job. We will share the show with our students virtually over the next few days in each classroom.
A big THANK YOU to the PTA and all of our wonderful parent volunteers who spent a day helping our 5th grade students at JA Biz Town. The students had a wonderful experience, great learning and a lot of fun. Thanks for all of your support.
As we come down to the last days of school, I want to thank you for sharing your students with us here at DHES. We have such a wonderful community. Even with all the challenges the pandemic has brought, difficulties we have faced, and the many changes we have had to manage due to COVID, I appreciate how our staff and families have worked together to support our students. Many thanks!
That being said, we still have a handful of days to close out the year. Students are feeling the pressures, spring fever, and fatigue of a long and challenging school year. Let’s all keep focused and finish strong over these last days of school.
Take care,
Kevin Anderson, Principal
DHES
Calendar of Upcoming Events
June 10 Family Picnic LTES 5-7PM
June 13 Hat Day
June 14 Crazy Hair Day
June 15 Color Wars Day
June 15 Field Day
June 16 Decades Day
June 16 Preschool 3s Celebration
June 16 Preschool 4s Graduation 6PM
June 17 Career Day
June 20 Last day for Preschool
June 21 Last Day of School Early Release 11:30AM
You're Invited to the PTA Family Picnic!
We are so excited that we get to have a family event and we hope that you are all able to join us next Friday!! Bring your own picnic, or we will have the BBQ Junkies food truck at the school, as well as a hot dog meal available to purchase for $3 (cash/check please). Don't forget a chair or blanket to sit on!!
We will have a Parent vs. Kids kickball game, a cake walk, bubbles, and a reverse dunk tank from 5:30-6:30. Popsicles will be available at 6:30! It's going to be a fun time that you don't want to miss!
We need your help to make this happen! We are looking for donations for the cake walk as well as some Middle/High School Volunteers! Please see the sign up below!
https://www.signupgenius.com/go/4090F4BA4A72FA3FF2-family
Cara Compton | President LTES PTA Serving Dieringer Heights Elementary and Lake Tapps Elementary Phone | 425-306-7660 Web | ltespta.org FB | ltespta
Thoughts on a November Capital Levy - A Message from the Superintendent
The school board is considering running the capital levy that was put before voters in February, again this November. We are trying to gather feedback to aid in our decision. As you may be aware, over the years as Dieringer's buildings and facilities have aged, various systems and equipment in our schools are reaching the end of their serviceable life. Two examples of urgent needed repairs are the roof at North Tapps Middle School and the HVAC system at Dieringer Heights Elementary School. These repairs are essential to ensure that schools can remain open to students and staff. In addition, we have heard from parents and the community about the desire to make improvements to our existing buildings and outdoor spaces. As the school board considers putting another capital levy before the voters in November, please provide us with your thoughts and ideas about how we can replace and/or repair parts of aging buildings and create new spaces for students, parents, and the community. Please use this link and join our ThoughtExchange to propose ideas and thoughts, and then rank the ideas of others. This is all completely anonymous and is a simple way to crowdsource an idea. The school board and our district administration appreciate your involvement and feedback.
Thanks,
Michael Farmer
Superintendent
Dieringer School District | Lake Tapps, WA 98391
253-862-2537
@DieringerSD343
Field Day is Coming
Field Day Popsicles
For Field Day on June 15th, we are pleased to offer Budget Saver popsicles, which are produced in a peanut and tree nut free facility. They are also free of the top 8 food allergens! PTA will also be providing these popsicles as a RAH (Reading At Home) reward at lunches on June 16th. For more information please visit https://www.twinpops.com/faq
Thank you,
Terry
Terry Woodall, BSN, RN
District Nurse
Dieringer School District
Lake Tapps, WA
Kindergarten Enrollment
Will Your Child Turn 5 by August 31?
A child who will be five years old on or before August 31 is eligible to enroll in kindergarten for the next school year.
Enrollment for the 2022-23 school year is now open. Click on this link to access registration information.
A Note From the Nurse
Dear Dieringer Families:
We are nearing the end of the school year, with just a few short weeks to go. Our staff, students, and families have shown amazing dedication and resilience for the past two years.
Since last spring, our top priorities have been to maximize in-person learning and slow the spread of Covid-19. Our community has come a long way since the beginning of the school year, however Covid is still present and impacting students and staff in our schools.
Covid case numbers have been going up in our community, and hence in our schools, for the past couple of weeks. We would like to maintain a strong finish to the school year with healthy students and staff as much as possible. With that in mind, please remember the following to minimize the spread of the virus:
Wash hands frequently, and keep students home when they are sick. Test them for Covid with any of the following symptoms not caused by a known chronic health condition. You may call your school’s nurse or health technician for more symptom-specific guidance:
Fever
Chills
Cough
Shortness of breath/difficulty breathing
Muscle or body aches
New loss of taste or smell
Unusual fatigue
Congestion/stuffy nose
Runny nose
Sore throat
Nausea or vomiting
Diarrhea
If your student develops symptoms while at school, we can test them here with a rapid antigen test. Curative also has a PCR testing site at Auburn Memorial Stadium, 801 4th ST NE. The current hours are 7:30 am -1:30 pm Monday through Friday, and rapid PCR tests are available. For more information or to schedule an appointment, please visit https://book.curative.com/sites/34106 . Appointments are preferred but not mandatory.
*Please note: the Auburn testing site at 2400 Perimeter Road will close effective June 1st.
We have had some outbreaks in classrooms in our district. Our goal is to slow the spread of Covid. It is possible that if we continue to see outbreaks, we may need to reevaluate our requirements, always consulting with the Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department. Please remember that masks are optional, but strongly recommended when exposed to help minimize the spread of the virus.
Thank you,
Terry Woodall, BSN, RN
District Nurse
Updates to Covid Communication
Since updated Department of Health guidance no longer requires contact tracing, we will send out a letter via email when students shared a space with someone who is Covid positive and may have been exposed. This will, in most cases, be a classroom space. See the link below for an example of the notification letter:
Updated Department of Health Covid Information
How to Order Your Free Covid Test
Did you know that you can order free Covid home tests from the federal government and from Washington State? Here are the websites to order free tests for your family:
Federal Government: https://www.covidtests.gov/
Washington State: https://sayyescovidhometest.org/
Covid Testing for Students with Symptoms-Updated
We can accept either a negative PCR test or negative antigen/home test for students with symptoms. If your child has just one of the following symptoms which resolves within 24 hours (stuffy nose, runny nose, headache, fatigue, sore throat, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea) your child may return to school without a test. However if your student’s single symptom lasts >24 hours, they have two or more of these symptoms, or one of the following symptoms (fever of 100.4 or greater, chills, shortness of breath/difficulty breathing, muscle or body aches, new loss of taste or smell, cough), they will need a negative Covid test to return to school, and symptoms must have significantly improved (including no fever for 24 hours without taking fever-reducing medication). Please call the school and email a copy of your student’s negative test results to your school’s nurse or health technician. (Your child may not need testing if symptoms are from a documented, chronic health condition. Please check with your school’s nurse or health technician).
*If your student has tested positive for Covid in the past 90 days, please use the rapid antigen test option, as a PCR test may show positive for up to three months.
If your student develops any of the above symptoms while at school, rapid antigen testing may be available. A parent will be notified first, and a Test to Stay/Testing Permission form must be completed. If the test is negative, students are still required to go home and may return when symptoms have significantly Improved and no fever for 24 hours without taking fever reducing medication, per Department of Health guidance.
June Menus
Substitute Teachers and Paras Needed
Call Jade Hughes (253-862-2537) or stop by the District Office for more information. Applications can be found on our website under Employment!
**If you have a 4 year degree, you are eligible to be a substitute teacher!
Need Tech Support?
Remember to:
- Make sure to shutdown and restart your device nightly
- Keep your device charged nightly
- Keep your device and charger cord stored in a safe place
Check out our Parent & Student Tech Help Website to access several how-to help guides for the programs we use.
Contact Us
Website: https://dhes.dieringer.wednet.edu/
Location: Dieringer Heights Elementary, 34th Street East, Lake Tapps, WA, USA
Phone: 253-826-4937
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/dhescougs
Twitter: @dhescougs