Dicken Family Newsletter
4.4.21
Principal's Corner
Dear Families,
I hope this finds you well after a lovely break with signs of spring! It was incredible to open our doors to many of our Y5 and Kindergarten students late last week and see the building come to life again. We look forward to welcoming back many of our first and second graders this week as well!
Upcoming Dates
- Monday, April 5 - 1st & 2nd Grade Cohort 1 - In Person Hybrid return
- Thursday, April 8 - 1st & 2nd Grade Cohort 2 - In Person Hybrid return
- Friday, April 9 Report Letters emailed home
Asynchronous Lessons Reminder
As we prepare to launch our hybrid model, I just wanted to remind everyone about our asynchronous days. In order to give teachers time to set up their classrooms before launching hybrid instruction, there are three asynchronous days of learning prior to each phase. Third, fourth, and fifth grade classes will have asynchronous days on April 7, April 8, and April 9. Teachers will provide work for students to complete, but there will be no synchronous classes on these days.
In addition, specials teachers will be providing asynchronous lessons this week as well. They will be using that time to support Stage 2 returning students. Students are expected to complete their assignments during their normal specials times. We will begin our new hybrid specials schedule on Monday, April 12th. Classroom teachers will communicate special schedule changes in advance of each stage's return date. Thank you for your patience and flexibility as we transition to the new classroom and special schedules.
School Breakfast and Lunches
Student breakfast/lunch will be offered free of charge for the rest of the school year but you must order lunch for your student! First, you must register for the program at sendmoneytoschool.com
Families will then need to order student lunches using the new
AAPS Online Student Lunch Ordering system.
Clarification on Ordering Meals:
The Meal Magic systems only allows meal ordering 7 days ahead of time so families may order one week at a time.
Questions? Contact AAPS Food Service at 734-994-2265.
Noon Hour Supervisor Positions
We are still looking to hire Noon Hour supervisors for our return to in person hybrid school. If you are interested the job posting can be found here. Please feel free to reach out to Mrs. Dorris if you'd like to learn more. dorris@aaps.k12.mi.us
Mask Lanyards
Mask lanyards will be provided for all students so that they can remove masks while eating without losing them. If you have a lanyard you prefer to supply your child with, that is of course perfectly fine.
Arrival / Dismissal Plans for Return to Hybrid
If you have yet to read through our Return to School Handbook, please take the time to do so and review with your child(ren).
Important return to hybrid reminders:
Dicken Transportation survey: Please fill this form out which will help teachers plan for arrival/dismissal. Please fill this out whether or not your students will ride the bus. Thank you!
Driveline:
We will be using a system called Driveline for parent pickup. This video gives you a snapshot of what Driveline looks like in action. This letter explains the new process. You will receive a hangtag with your family ID on your youngest child’s first day.
Each FAMILY should hang their family ID tag on their rearview mirror for easy identification. Parents do not need an app.
Staff will use the Driveline app to notify teachers.
- Students will use designated exits and walk to their car.
**Your unique Driveline tag family number was emailed out on Wednesday, March 24. Before you receive your Driveline tags, please write your tag number on a sheet of paper for your child's first day of school.
Parent Drop off / Pick Locations (see map below)
Grades 3 - 5 families: Carol St. entrance and loop
Grades K - 2 families: Runnymede entrance - first loop
Y5 families: Dicken Drive
Buses: Runnymede entrance - second loop
Students will enter and exit Dicken through the designated doors, assigned by classroom teacher. (See map below). We have painted blue hash marks 3 feet apart leading to each designated entrance.
A friendly reminder that parking spaces are reserved for staff during school hours. Please stay in the carpool lanes when dropping off your child(ren). Thank you!
Please remember that this spring we may not allow children to play on the playground before or after school immediately following dismissal. Any time after 2:45 should be fine. We will let you know if we need to adjust. Thank you so much for your cooperation and understanding.
Student & Family Help Desk Live Hours
The Student & Family Help Desk is available 7:30AM to 5:00PM, Monday through Friday. As always, families can leave a voicemail after hours as well as send an email to the help desk. 734-997-1222. Ayuda en Español: 734-997-1246
Helpful Links on the AAPS Website
- The AAPS Community Resource page
- Food Distribution Plan
- AAPS 2020-21 Calendar
- COVID-19 Metrics Dashboard
- COVID- 19 Cases Dashboard
All the best,
Heather
PTO News
Open PTO Board Positions for 2021-2022 School Year
The Dicken PTO needs you to fill open board positions. All Dicken parents are part of the PTO, but our executive board meets monthly to discuss and vote on various items related to fundraising and supporting our students and staff.
We encourage all parents to consider being involved with the PTO! Meetings are held one evening per month, for about 2 hours. If you have any interest in serving on the PTO board for the 2021-22 school year, please reach out to Jenifer Miller at dickenptopresident@gmail.com. Many board positions are filled by co-chairs, so please reach out even if you're not sure you want to handle one of these positions on your own. At this time we are looking for people for the following positions:
Co-President
Treasurer-Elect
Fundraising/Auction Chair
Room Parent Coordinator
Volunteer Coordinator
Hospitality
Dicken Garden Needs You!
The garden is a fantastic way to bring school outdoors, and we need help to get it to its full potential. No gardening experience is necessary. This spring we need volunteers to help lay weedblock fabric (to keep the thistle out), make temporary repairs to beds, pick up free compost and mulch (pickup trucks work best!), install garden fencing, start seedlings (soil, seeds and containers will be provided), and prepare beds -- all to get ready for planting!
Contact co-coordinators Anne Erickson, amcerickson@gmail.com, or Kristin Dickinson, kad341@gmail.com, if you are able to help in any way! You can also join the Facebook group Dicken Elementary Garden to hear about all of the opportunities to get your hands dirty!
Teacher Wishlists
Our teachers are working hard to prepare for our students’ return to in-person learning. If you are able, please consider purchasing items on your student’s teacher’s wishlists. Teachers may have requested additional items which will be noted by your class’s homeroom parent. Make sure to take a look at the non-classroom teachers as well!
Young 5s
Ms. Brogno - wishlist
Kindergarten
Ms. Harris - wishlist
Mrs. Gargaro - wishlist
1st Grade
Ms. Lypka - wishlist
Mrs. Rossi - wishlist
Mrs. Thomas - wishlist
2nd Grade
Mrs. Maus - wishlist
Mrs. Posey - wishlist
Mrs. Bahr - wishlist
3rd Grade
Mrs. Hubbard - wishlist
Ms. Concannon - wishlist
4th Grade
Ms. Miller and Ms. Brann (team teaching) - wishlist
5th Grade
Ms. Chartier - wishlist
Mrs. Hane - wishlist
Non-Classroom Teachers
Lauren York (Building Literacy Expert) wishlist
Liz Bauman (Special Education Teacher Consultant) wishlist
Original Works Art Fundraiser
WHAT: ORIGINAL WORKS ART FUNDRAISER
WHO: Any Dicken Students, Parents, or Siblings
WHEN: Deadline to submit artwork is April 23, 2021, but orders will be filled as they are placed, so the sooner you order, the sooner you'll get your items.
Original Works is a company that takes our children's art and reproduces it on a wide variety of items. They donate a generous portion (33%) of the cost of the items to Dicken. This is the only fundraiser that specifically supports our art programming at Dicken.
In year's past, Ms. Erickson, our esteemed art teacher, led students in each grade to complete specific artwork for this project. This year, children will make art at home and send a digital copy of the art to Original Works and you can order online. Please let me know if you have any questions or need help ordering. Janine Hutchinson 734-913-9418 or jmhutch@umich.edu
Original Works Flyer - English
Original Works Flyer - Spanish
Have an item for the blast? Email it to dolphinsblast@gmail.com. Blast items kindly requested by 5 p.m. Friday.