Please make sure that your child is coming to school regularly or logging into Schoology and completing the assignments. Attendance is checked daily by classroom teachers. Failure of a student to log in consistently or come to school regularly will be reported to the school's attendance office for further action. Attendance is taken for in-person and remote learners.

All parents in the dismissal carpool line will be required to have an official E.R. Dickson car decal affixed to their car’s rear-view mirror in order for their child to be released. This is for the safety and security of all students. If there is no car decal visible, parents will be asked to pull around to the parking lot while we check for proper identification of the driver to ensure that this individual is on the student’s contact list for pickup.

Additionally, if there are multiple drivers who pick up a student, it is up to the parent to ensure that the other drivers have a decal in their vehicle as well. Failure to have the appropriate decal in a pickup vehicle will result in a delay in a student being released.

Car decals are available for purchase. You may send money with your child on Friday, Dec. 4. The cost of the decal is 2 for $5 or 1 for $3. You may also order car decals from our school website. We will send the decals home with your student. The directions are listed below.

Steps for making online payments:

1. Go to erdickson.com and click on the e-Funds for Schools icon

2. Create your account

3. Log into your account.

4. Select Manage Students under Manage Account.

5. Enter student Last Name and Student S#.

6. Select Add Student(s).

7. Repeat steps 2-4 to add additional students.

8. Select Payment Methods under Payment Settings.

9. Select New Credit Card or New Direct Debit to add new payment information.

10.After entering all required information, read Consent and select Add to save information to account.

11. Select fee you want to pay.

12.Select student.

13.Enter amount of payment.

14. Select Begin Checkout.

15. Choose payment method or enter new method.

16. Review items and total.

17. Select Pay Now.

Thank you for your cooperation regarding this matter as we work to ensure enhanced security measures for the safety of our students.

How to View Your Child’s Schoology Activities and Grades

Signing into Schoology, https://app.schoology.com

1. Your personal account, with your own name and information;

2. Your Child Activity view. From here, you can view Schoology from your child’s perspective, and see what he or she sees, and receive updates about his or her activity.

Start by clicking on the arrow in the upper-right corner, next to your name, and then select your child’s name to switch into his or her account. The checkmark in this drop-down menu indicates which account you are currently viewing.

1. The Student Activity area in the center of the page displays your child’s recent submission, grade, and attendance information.

2. Toggle into Enrollments in the same area to see a list of the courses your child is currently enrolled in, along with his or her grade. If the teacher or administrator has chosen not to display the grade while the course is in progress, you will see a blank value (as in the grade column above). Click on an individual course to see grades received on assignments, tests, and discussions from that course. Depending on the permission settings in place at your school, you may not be able to view content posted by other members of the course.

3. The Recent Grades/Attendance area lists graded assignments, tests/quizzes, discussions, and attendance marks for the student. To view the graded items and attendance marks, click the item you'd like to view.

4. The Overdue section displays a list of course materials your child did not turn in by the due date.

5. The Upcoming section displays a list of your child’s upcoming assignments and events.

6. Courses: You can see a list of your child’s current courses. Click the course name to navigate to the course profile as your child views it. Depending on the permission settings in place at your school, you may not be able to view content posted by other members of the course.

7. Groups: You can see a list of your child’s Schoology Groups. Groups can be used for a variety of activities, from school projects to extracurricular teams and clubs. Depending on the permission settings in place at your school, you may not be able to view content posted by other members of the group.

8. Grades: Depending on the settings in place at your child’s school, this menu provides access to view the following: 1. Grade Report: Review your child’s grades for all courses.

2. Mastery: If your child’s school aligns materials to standard and learning objectives, you can check your child’s progress in this area.

3. Attendance: Review your child’s attendance for all courses.

Calendar of Events

12/16 – Progress Reports available through Schoology

12/16 – Dickson Dateline Sent Out

12/17 – Tacky Sweater Day – Wear tacky sweater to school with uniform pants

12/18

· Wear Green and Red Day with uniform pants

· Virtual Holiday Sing-along/ Reading of ‘Twas the Night before Christmas

· Holiday Snacks in the classrooms (No Christmas Parties this Year)

12/21 - 1/1/21 – Holiday Break

1/4 – Return to School

1/12 – Picture Day (Wear Uniforms)

1/18 – Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday

1/21 – Class Pictures

1/22 – 2nd Quarter Ends

1/25 – 3rd Quarter Begins

When Your Child SHOULD NOT Be At School

COVID-like Illness- If your child has any of the following symptoms, please keep them at home and consult with your physician to rule out COVID-19:

· Fever (100 degrees or greater) or chills

· Cough

· Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing (not related to other conditions)

· Fatigue

· Muscle or body aches

· Headache

· New loss of taste or smell

· Sore throat

· Congestion or runny nose

· Nausea or vomiting

· Diarrhea

If your physician diagnoses your child or anyone in the home with COVID-19, please contact your school nurse immediately so that proper contact tracing can be initiated. Please adhere to isolation/quarantine orders issued by the ADPH, MCHD, or your physician.

Remote Learning: E. R. Dickson’s Recipe for School Success

Ingredients:

• Consistency

• Positive reinforcement

• Frequent breaks

• Communication

• Taking care of yourself

Preparation:

1. Consistency is key! Kids crave structure and consistency. Develop as much routine as possible. The best time to start is right after breakfast. Do as much as you can right away in the morning, while they are well rested and have full stomachs.

2. Positive reinforcement. Use as much positive reinforcement as you can. For example, for every assignment your child completes they earn a sticker towards a bigger reward at the end of the school day—if they earn 5 stickers by the end of the day they have earned 30 extra minutes of technology time or a special snack. Try to give as many small, immediate rewards as possible. Words of affirmation and encouragement are great reinforcers, too!

3. Allow for frequent breaks. If your child gets frustrated with his/her work easily, allow for frequent, timed breaks. Using a timer can allow for consistency so they do not take advantage of the breaks.

4. Communicate at their age-level. Use as many emotion words as you can. For example, “I see that you are getting frustrated. Let’s take some deep breaths together. What can I do to help you?” Validate their feelings and that it is okay to get upset. Point out how well they handled a situation when they were upset.

5. Take care of you! Don’t forget to take care of yourself, also. If you can sense yourself getting frustrated, then it is okay to walk away for a moment and calm your own emotions.

Some things to think about:

Schoolwork can be fun! For math, use various items from around the house for examples. Cheer them on and praise them for trying. Go outside- change the atmosphere. If you make this fun, your child will see it as fun. If you are stressed, your child will be stressed. It's all in YOUR attitude.

The Counselors -Summer Davis and Kristy Elderkin

What is the Alabama Literacy Act?

When: Tuesday and Thursday (January 7 – May 11)

Time: 4:00 – 5:00 p.m.

Where: Students will join remotely from home

Who: 2nd – 5th Grade Students (Students must meet certain criteria)

More information will be available soon!

Parents please make sure your child is getting on

i-Ready Reading and Math daily.

Remember to read your AR books!

Goal Setting Chart for 2nd Quarter

Each week your child should be reaching the following percentage of their AR goal.

12/14/20 - 12/18/20 – 61% of AR goal

1/4/21 - 1/8/21 – 74% of AR goal

1/11/21 - 1/15/21 – 87% of AR goal

1/18/21 - 1/22/21 – 100% of AR goal

End of 2nd Quarter is January 22, 2021.