The Royal Decree
December 2019 Newsletter
December at a Glace
- Running Club 2:45-3:45pm
- Enrichment Eagles 2:45-4pm at Wilder Waite
Thursday, December 5, 2019
- Winter Wonderland Day: Wear Blue/Silver/White or Snowflakes/Snow Attire
Friday, December 6, 2019
- Pajama Day
Monday, December 9, 2019
- Scarf Day
- DGS Parent/Child Paint Night. RSVP Required
Tuesday, December 10, 2019
- DHS Cookie Sales $1.00
Wednesday, December 11, 2019
- Winter in the Tropics Day/Dress for the Beach
Thursday, December 12, 2019
- Mad About Plaid/Wear Flannel Day
Friday, December 13, 2019
- DHS Mad/Jazz Musical Assembly
Monday, December 16, 2019
- Wear your favorite Holiday attire
Tuesday, December 17, 2019
- Festive Hat/Headband Day
Wednesday, December 18, 2019
- Board of Education Meeting 6pm at DHS
Thursday, December 19, 2019
- K-2 Polar Express Day
- 3-5 Grinch Day
Friday, December 20, 2019
- End of Grading Period
- All School Sing 10am
- Winter Parties 12:45pm
- Early Dismissal 1:45pm
Saturday, December 28, 2019
- DGS Day at Elevate Peoria 2-6pm
November Staff Birthdays
December 12: Mrs. Raylnn Sahm
December 27: Mr. Steve Carter
5 Essentials School Survey
We ask all parents to take time to provide us with feedback through the 5 Essentials Survey which is linked below. The survey should take no more than 10 minutes to complete. What is the 5 Essentials Survey? The 5 Essentials Survey identifies five indicators that lead to improved outcomes for all students, including improved attendance and larger test score gains.
The five indicators that positively affect school success are:
1.Effective Leaders
2.Collaborative Teachers
3.Involved Families
4.Supportive Environments
5.Ambitious Instruction
Research derived from the Five Essentials for School Success has proven that schools strong on at least three of the 5Essentials are 10 times more likely to improve student outcomes. We appreciate your feedback on what we are doing well as well as opportunities for improvement. You can access the survey here: https://survey.5-essentials.org/illino…/survey/parent/login/
Winter Weather
Tis the season to prepare for winter weather.
Students should come to school prepared to go outside for recess. This would include a warm coat, hat, mittens, and scarf. We strongly urge you to write your name and phone number on all winter clothing so that it can be returned in the event your child loses it. We understand the importance of getting students outdoors, even during the winter months. We will likely send students outdoors if the temperature is above 15 degrees. We do take into consideration wind chill and precipitation or snowy conditions. We also will limit the time outside if the conditions warrant it. In the event of snow, students must have snow boots and snow pants to play in the snow. If your family or child is in need of winter coats or warm clothing, please let us know and we can assist you.
School emergency closings could happen at any time of the year. Parents need to arrange plans with their children (a neighbor, child care, employer, etc.) on what is expected should an emergency closing occur. Decisions for closure, delayed start or to dismiss school early are always a judgment call; however, we do use some general criteria in making such decisions. School procedures call for an emergency school closing announcement to be given over local radio and television media. When listed, please look for Dunlap Community School District or Dunlap #323 in determining if your school is closed or delayed. Below are some of the criteria and examples of what would impact a decision to cancel school, delay start or dismiss school early.
Delayed Start:
There may be times when the weather is such that delaying the start of school by two hours would provide for a safer environment for our students and staff This decision will be announced no later than 6:30 a.m. on the day of the delayed start via School Messenger system as well as local TV stations. On these days, buses will run and morning pick up times will be two hours later than normal. Classes will begin two hours later than their regularly scheduled time. There will be no morning Early Childhood or Bright Futures classes, but the afternoon classes will run at the normal time. School will still dismiss at the regular time. If the district decides to implement a delayed start for the school day, all notifications will be sent in the same manner as the closing of school.
Weather Forecasts: Weather conditions and events are very unpredictable. We generally do not cancel school or dismiss school early solely on a weather forecast. Weather events must be occurring and deteriorating for school to be cancelled or for us to dismiss early.
- Snow: Generally speaking, snow is not a primary reason for closing school. As long as roads are not drifting shut, it’s possible we would have school even with a sizable snowfall.
- Road Conditions: As referenced above, road conditions dictate many of our decisions. Due to the fact the district is widely spread out, we have an early morning process (before 5:00 a.m.) of checking our rural and city roads.
- Cold: We will look at wind chill and air temperature (also road conditions) when making a decision relating to cold weather. Please remember that we do live in central Illinois so below 0-degree weather is not uncommon.
When are decisions made? A decision to cancel school may occur between 6:00 p.m. – 9:30 p.m. the night before school. In most instances, no later than 6:30 a.m. the next day. In an extreme emergency, we may have to announce early dismissal during the school day.
School closings will be communicated in the following ways:
School Messenger Phone/Email System
TV Stations – Channels 19, 25, and 31
Local Radio Stations - All local stations
Dunlap School District Voicemail System
Notification on www.dunlapcusd.net
Dunlap Facebook page - www.facebook.com/CUSD323
Further information regarding our weather related procedures can be found at http://www.dunlapcusd.net/Distri…/…/SchoolClosingPolicy.aspx
When to Keep Your Child Home from School
FEVER
A temperature of 100 or over is a sure sign to keep your child home. The child must be 24 hours fever free without fever reducing medication before returning to school. Giving a fever reducer and sending them to school will almost guarantee a call from school when the medicine wears off, as well as exposing other students to your child’s illness.
VOMITING/DIARRHEA
If your child has been vomiting or having diarrhea during the previous evening, please keep them home. Consult your doctor if symptoms continue more than 48 hours or worsen instead of improving.
CONTAGIOUS DISEASE
If your child is diagnosed with a contagious disease, such as strep, impetigo or pink eye they should be on prescribed antibiotics for 24 hours before returning to school.
RASH
A rash is a characteristic symptom of infectious diseases. If your child has a rapidly spreading rash or any rash with fever, signs of other illness or behavioral change they need to be evaluated by a physician.
NASAL DISCHARGE/COUGH
Keep your child home if they have heavy nasal congestion and/or frequent cough. They probably feel miserable and will not be focused on school work, as well as sharing
their illness with others.
RED, RUNNY EYES
If your child has crusty, red or weepy eyes with thick or sticky eye drainage please keep home until evaluated by a medical provider. Prescription medication may be needed depending on the diagnosis.
LICE
We have a “No Live Lice” policy. Keep your child home until after the first treatment is administered.
MALAISE
Any illness that prevents your child from participating comfortably in class or school activities
Head Lice Reminders
Head lice (Pediculosis) are tiny, wingless, parasitic insects that live close to the human scalp. Knowing the definition doesn’t make us feel any better. However, I do want to reassure you that, although these insects may be pesky, they are not harmful. Dunlap School District follows the evidenced based mindset of the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), Center for Disease Control (CDC) and the National Association of School Nurses (NASN). We support a “No Live Lice” protocol.
Head Lice Facts.
- Anyone can get head lice
- Cleanliness is not a factor
- Lice do not jump or fly
- Head lice are mostly spread by direct head-to-head contact—for example, slumber parties, sport activities and camp
- Lice and nits (silver to dark gray colored eggs attached to the hair shaft) are visible to the naked eye.
- Nits which are further than ¼ inch from the scalp are not considered viable.
Please routinely check your child’s hair throughout the school year.
What are the signs and symptoms of having head lice?
- Tickling feeling on the scalp or hair.
- Itching (caused by the bites of the louse) especially behind the ears and at the nape of the neck.
- Sores on the head from scratching.
- Presence of nits that are less than ¼” from the scalp or live lice in the hair.
Procedures if your student is found to have head lice while at school.
- Parents will be notified and encouraged to pick their child up and begin head lice treatment.
- If parents are unable to come then the student may return to class. Immediate removal of child is unnecessary. This is supported by the AAP, CDC and NASN.
- Your child may return to school after initial application of lice shampoo/ treatment.
- Your child will be rechecked upon arrival to school and then again 5-7 days after initial treatment.
- Whole classroom head checks have not been proven to be effective in ridding schools of lice. No school is EVER lice free. We encourage you to be proactive and routinely check your child’s hair. *Remember lice can be acquired anywhere close contact occurs. This could be at home, at school or within the community.
- Staff will maintain the privacy of students identified as being infected with head lice.
What to do if my child gets head lice?
- It warrants repeating....In order to provide safe and effective treatment please follow the Package Directions!
- Apply lice shampoo/treatment according to directions. There are a number of over the counter treatment options or prescription medication available.
- Wash all bed linens, recently worn clothing articles, towels in very hot water. Items that are not washable may be sealed in a plastic bag for 2 weeks.
- Dry items on high heat for at least 20 minutes.
- Personal items such as combs, brushes, hair clips, should be soaked in very hot water and sanitized or thrown away.
- Vacuum the floors and furniture.
- All household members and other close contacts should be checked and those with evidence of head lice should be treated at the same time.
- Call your family doctor if you have any questions. A prescription treatment may be recommended.
Parent's Club Corner
Holiday Room Parties
The Holiday classroom parties will be held on Friday, December 20th from 12:45 pm - 1:30 pm. A big thank you to those who have already signed up. The kids so look forward to these classroom parties and we can't do it without your help! For those of you that have signed up you will be getting an email in early December with more details.Only those that are signed up to attend the party will be able to.
Classes still needing parent volunteers for the Holiday parties are 1W, 2B, 2W and 3K. Please consider signing up if you haven't done so already.
As a reminder, to volunteer in the classroom you will need to complete the District's employment/volunteer process. This process only needs to be done one time to be an approved volunteer so if you have completed the process and are approved you do not have to do it again.
We ask that younger siblings not attend the parties and alternative arrangements are made for child care during this time.
For those sending in snacks or treats for the party, they are to be nut-free and individually wrapped.
If you have any questions, please contact the room party coordinators for the appropriate grade.
Emily Smith (K-2) k-2roomparty@dunlapgradeparentsclub.com
Jodi Lindsay (3-5) 3-5roomparty@dunlapgradeparentsclub.com
Dunlap Grade School Night at Bradley Braves Men’s Basketball!
On Saturday, January 11, we will have a DGS Family Night Out at the Bradley Basketball game vs. Southern IL at 7 PM. Ticket order information will be sent home after Thanksgiving break.
DGS Carnival
On Saturday, February 22, from 3 to 7 PM (please note the time change) at DGS we will host our winter carnival: Royals In Candyland!
Games! Food! Fun! Raffles! Silent Auction! Photo booth! Face painting! Information was recently sent home on how you can donate to support our carnival. Information on raffle tickets, food order forms, basket raffle donations, and volunteering for the carnival will be sent home after winter break.
Paint Night
Don't forget to secure your spot for paint night at DGS! Sign up is open until November 25th.
Join us for a fun filled fundraiser on Monday, December 9th at 6:00PM! A generous portion of each ticket sold will be donated to the DGS Parents Club. To date, Yaymaker has helped raise over $3.5 million for those in need with lively creative events that feel more fun than philanthropic.
Feel good about giving as a local artist guides you and your friends through two hours of painting and laughing ‘til your cheeks hurt. The best part? You don’t have to be an artist to have an amazing time.
Student signups are welcome and encouraged. Students must be accompanied by an adult (even if the adult is not painting). No need to worry about more than one member of your family attending and creating the same painting since no two paintings are exactly alike and because your children's paintings will make the perfect gifts for grandparents and other special people in your life!
Please note, you only pay for the number of people painting that evening.
There are only 30 painting spots available and since this is all being done via the YAYMAKER website, signups will automatically be cut off once 30 registrations are complete or two weeks (November 24th) before the event at the latest, so please sign up right away to secure your spot(s).
Please email questions to myrnaghantous@hotmail.com with the subject Paint Night Fundraiser.
Following is the sign-up link:
We look forward to a fun filled night with you and your family!
Royal Roundup
Thank you to everyone who came out to the Royal Round Up. From all the smiles, it seems everyone had a great time!
Family Night Out
The December family night out event will be at Elevate on Saturday, December 28 from 2-6pm. Families need to show the flier (hard copy or on a device) for Elevate to donate 20% of the jump sales to DGS Parents Club.
January Meeting
The Parents Club does NOT meet in December, so our next meeting will be on Tuesday, January 7th, 2020 at 7 PM in the DGS Café. All parents and guardians of DGS Royals and DGS staff are welcome! We hope you can join us!
Don’t forget to use your Kroger Community Rewards card during the holiday season for an easy way to support Dunlap Grade School! Not a Kroger Community Rewards member or don’t have DGS linked to your card yet? Go to our DGS Parents’ Club website here for more information on how easy it is to participate in this program and support DGS.
Do you use Amazon for your holiday shopping? You can support DGS Parents’ Club while you shop via AmazonSmile! Go to the AmazonSmile page on our DGS Parents’ Club website here for more information on how you can support DGS while doing your holiday shopping!
Thank you to all our DGS Royal families for your support of the DGS Parents’ Club through volunteering, attending events, and participating in our fundraisers. We appreciate all of you!
We hope all our DGS Royal families have a safe and wonderful holiday season with their families!
Happy Holidays,
Annalee Huntington
DGS Parents’ Club President
Interesting Articles and Tips for Parents
Dunlap Grade School
Email: mellis@dunlapcusd.net
Website: www.dunlapcusd.net/dgs
Location: 301 1st Street, Dunlap, IL, United States
Phone: 309-243-7772
Facebook: facebook.com/dunlapgrade
Twitter: @dgsroyals