Dicken Family Newsletter
1.21.22
Principal's Corner
Upcoming Dates
- Wednesday, January 26: Virtual Learning Day - Early Release at 1:18
- Friday, January 28: Principal's Coffee 9:00 - 9:30
Principal's Coffee
Please feel free to drop in to the next Principal's Coffee on Friday, January 28 at 9:00! Zoom link above.
Student Mask Guidelines
A reminder that KN95 masks are strongly encouraged for students if possible. If not, 2 surgical masks are recommended or a cloth mask and a surgical mask worn together. We will continue to provide surgical masks for students who need them.
We have received a limited supply of student KN95 masks. These masks are intended for students who come back on day 6 after being out for quarantine due to a positive test. They are then to be worn days 6-10 as added protection.
Free Rapid Antigen Testing
AAPS is partnering with the National Guard to offer free rapid antigen testing on Saturday, Jan. 22, from 9:00 - Noon at Pioneer High School.
A limited number of tests is available, and pre-registration is required.
Details and sign up:
- Youth and adults are welcome, with or without symptoms.
- Parents must accompany children under the age of 18.
- The test is a swab of the lower nasal cavity. It's painless and quick.
- Individuals will enter the building to be tested and wait 15 minutes for results.
- Everyone must wear a tight-fitting mask the entire time except when getting tested.
- Learn more and pre-register using this SIGN-UP LINK
We anticipate that this event will fill quickly, and intend to offer more testing events if resources allow.
Questions? Contact Jenna Bacolor at bacolor@a2schools.org
AAPS Vaccine Clinics
AAPS is pleased to be able to offer four more vaccine clinics for AAPS students that will include the booster shot for students 12-15 years old, as approved by the CDC this week.
These clinics will be held at Pioneer High School in the school cafeteria. Please enter at the Clock Tower entrance off Stadium Blvd.
Registration is required as we are allotted a specific number of vaccines by MDHHS whose contractor administers the vaccine.
You will not receive a confirmation when you register, but if the registrations are closed you will receive a notice that your registration is unable to be processed.
We will send a notification the day before the clinic as a reminder to all who have registered.
Vaccine Dates all take place at Pioneer High School from 4 - 6:30pm:
· Tuesday, January 25
· Tuesday, February 1
Register Here
A consent form can be found here and we will have forms available at the vaccine clinics.
Everyone must wear a mask on school property. Thank you!
.....
All the best,
Heather
Message from the PTO President
Last night’s PTO meeting was a busy one, with lots of topics being discussed. Check out our PTO report below for more details on decisions that were made. There are some fun things coming up for Dicken students, staff, and families, and we couldn’t do it without the support of our wonderful community. The PTO is always open to input from our families, so if there’s anything you’d like to share or ask, please don’t hesitate to reach out.
In addition, we’re beginning to look for people to join our board for next school year. I don’t have any information yet on which positions will be open, but if you have any interest in being part of the PTO board for the 2022-23 school year, please send me an email and we’ll get the conversation started.
Directory | Form For Directory Inclusion
—Jenifer Miller, Dicken PTO President
PTO News
Highlights from the January PTO Meeting:
- Date decided for the Winter Walk! Tuesday, February 15 (February 17 - weather backup)
- Dicken will again be participating in the racial equity challenge this year, and it will be very similar to last year's. More details to come in a future email.
- Spending decisions: purchasing supplies for the staff coffee station to keep it stocked for the rest of the school year; plans for continuing to show teachers/staff how we appreciate them with small gifts from time to time over the next few months; approved spending money on a social-emotional learning program for our students, and staff will be working to decide on the best fit program for Dicken (to occur before the end of the school year)
Upcoming PTO Event Dates:
Winter Walk! - February 15 (February 17 backup date)
Dicken PTO Board Meeting - February 17
Dicken PTO Board Meeting - March 17
Dicken PTO Board Meeting - April 21
Dicken PTO Board Meeting - May 19
All PTO meetings are currently scheduled to take place over Zoom.
It’s WESO Season, and Dicken needs coaches!
Do you or your child have a have a passion for science? Want to spend one night a week hanging out with your super-cool, future Nobel prize winning kid, and sharing that passion for science with other like-minded Dicken kids? Then WESO is for you!
WESO (the Washtenaw Elementary Science Olympiad) is an annual academic competition that allows students in elementary schools across Washtenaw County to compete utilizing their math and science skills in a fun, challenging, day-long Science Olympiad. This year the date of the competition is (tentatively) June 5, 2022 and is currently scheduled to be in person at Pioneer High School. Practices are anticipated to begin in March or April.
Who can participate?
Students in grades 2-5 are eligible to participate.
How can you help?
Right now, Dicken needs coaches. In order for our school to compete we need adults willing to spend an hour or so a week for a few months (or less) meeting with small groups of kids helping them understand their subject, practice, and prepare for the big day. For some events, in light of the current situation, zoom meetings may even be an option. Parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, older siblings, and neighbors, are all welcome! This year’s events are:
- Aerodynamics: participants will build and fly paper airplanes for distance, time and accuracy.
- Feathered Friends: Participants will detested on bird identification by sight and sound, anatomy, life history and habitat.
- iRobot (grades 2&3): Participants will be tested on their knowledge of basic computing and robot automation concepts, including software, their understanding of how computers and robots solve problems, and their ability to create a simple program that can be uploaded to the ozbot to complete an objective
- iCompute (grades 4&5): Participants will be tested on their knowledge of basic computing concepts including hardware and software, their understanding of how computers solve problems, and their ability to create a simple program.
- Mystery Architecture: each team will be given a bag of materials to build a structure that an support a ball. The tallest suture wins.
- The Human Machine: Take a journey through the human body to find out what you are made of and how all the parts work together. Teams will answer questions pertaining to basic human anatomy and physiology and then move through a series of stations that address the organ system(s) of focus for that year which is the musculoskeletal system.
- On Target: Each team will build missiles, using straws as the missile body (materials are provided by WESO). The accuracy of the missiles launched indoors at a fixed target will be tested.
- Potions: each team will answer questions about basic chemistry concepts and complete several simple chemistry experiments, exercising basic lab skills and safety procedures.
- Read it, Build it (grades 2&3): students will follow provided grade-appropriate instructions to construct an object from fun materials.
- Write it, Build It (grades 4&5): Group A will be shown a picture made from materials and will write a description of it. Group B will be given the pieces of the picture and Group A’s written description. The event tests an team’s ability to clearly communicate in writing between two groups.
- Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah: given a few household materials, each team will construct a cable car capable of safely carrying a ping-pong ball down a zip line.
- Pentathlon: five athletes from your team will compete in this event that combines a physical challenge relay with the ability to do arithmetic, estimate, and interpret data visualizations.
If you or someone you know is interested in coaching one of these events, please reach out to Dicken’s Head Coach Colleen Diedrich via email (clmaloney3@gmail.com), or phone/text (207-240-5542).
AAPS Support Group
Did you know there are a variety of parent and student support groups active within AAPS?
Check here in the newsletter each week, where we will highlight one group each week.
APISA/A: Asian Pacific Islander South Asian/American Parent Advisory Group
Our organization offers:
- Support, advocacy and resources for Asian, Pacific Islander, and South Asian/American (APISA/A) families in AAPS
- Community connections with other APISA/A families
- Support around new family services, cultural awareness, curriculum, anti-racist teaching practices, equity, and other topics of concern
Contact Info: email a2apisaa@gmail.com
website http://apisaa.org
If you are interested in becoming a liaison for Dicken PTO and the APISA/A community please contact Ms. Halabu.