HERMAN E. DUMMER NEWSLETTER
December 2022
PRINCIPAL'S MESSAGE
We’ve always heard that time flies and it’s gone before we know it. The older I become, this resonates more and more with me. Lately, we’ve all been fighting sickness at school and at our homes. We are all tired and are just basically trying to keep our heads above the water while time continues to tick away. I know you are feeling this as well as we all collectively say, “It’s December already!” It’s ok to give ourselves permission to rest and enjoy the moments before they are gone. As much as we like to think we are superhuman, we cannot do it all, so breathe easy knowing we all did the best we could with what we had at that moment in time. Don’t just do life but ENJOY life! Make each moment count as time ticks away bringing us more opportunities to appreciate what is to come and then we can think back fondly of the time spent in the past. Make each moment count with each tick of the clock leaving no regrets behind. Stay well, stay safe, and may you enjoy your family and friends during this holiday season! Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all!
NURSE NEWS
Healthy Sleep for the HOLIDAYZZZZ
Make the most of the season by staying well-rested with these science-based sleep tips:
Kids 12 and under need at least 9 hours of sleep each night.
Try to keep a consistent sleep schedule by having your family go to bed and get up at the same times every day, even on holiday breaks or when learning remotely.
Avoid caffeine and avoid large meals right before bed.
If you want to nap over the holiday break, aim for a 20-minute nap, which experts say is the best time length to wake up feeling refreshed and ready to go.
We sleep better when the room is between 60 and 67 degrees Fahrenheit (65-70 degrees for babies and toddlers).
Make sure to stay active over the holidays, as physical activity during the day can facilitate better sleep at night.
Turn all screens off at least an hour before bedtime.
FANTASTIC 4TH GRADE
It is hard to believe we are already in our second trimester! We really enjoyed having the chance to meet with all the families at conferences. Please continue to check in with your student(s) each day to see what they are working on and that they are getting their work turned in on time!
In Reading, we are on to the second half of the second unit, which focuses on Native American tribes and cultures! At the end of the unit, the students will be writing an opinion essay about which type of tribe they would want to be a part of and why. We will continue to practice the reading skills that were introduced in the first trimester such as main idea, text structure, and summarizing, as well as learn some new skills, like drawing inferences from and summarizing informational text.
In Math, we are wrapping up division and will be moving right into factors and multiples to prepare for fractions. Doing Reflex every day is very important! When they know their multiplication facts, math is a lot easier!
In Social Studies, we are beginning our unit on Illinois. In science, we are wrapping up our unit on Earth’s Features and Processes and we will be moving on to our unit on Energy and Electricity!
FABULOUS 5TH GRADE
Thanksgiving is gone and now we look to winter and all that brings with it. Fifth grade is looking forward to celebrating in our classrooms and having some fun.
In Math we will be finishing working on division and moving on to working with fractions. Please keep reviewing multiplication and division with your student at home as you are able. Those skills will keep reappearing throughout the year.
We will be continuing our theme of Finding Courage in reading. We have read some great stories about the underground railroad and women’s suffrage as well as Harriet Tubman and Cesar Chavez. Continuing with that theme, our next stories are called: Real Life Superheroes, Angel Island, and The Great Migration. We will continue to work on vocabulary, comprehension, and theme. Students will be working on opinion writing and informational writing.
We thank everyone for their support from home and hope you all enjoy the holidays!
MONTHLY MUSIC NOTES
During our short month of November, new activities were introduced to fourth grade while fifth graders expanded upon them from last year. Both grades started reading the treble music staff and played games to reinforce their musical literacy. We also briefly played Tone Chimes; an instrument similar to a hand bell. Using teamwork, all classes started playing “Trepak” from “The Nutcracker” ballet. After Thanksgiving break, students will learn the melody and harmony parts on tone chimes to “Carol of the Bells,” “Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairies,” and a couple more holiday tunes. Band Lessons will resume after break following the current Tuesday-Friday schedule along with their first performance at the high school on Sunday, December 11th at 3pm.
HOLIDAY BAND CONCERT 2022
Hello Music Families!
We are extremely excited to present our annual Holiday Concert for you on Sunday, December 11th at 3:00pm. The event will be held at the Sandwich High School gym.
Our younger grade levels have an unprecedented number of students involved. Due to the large size of our student ensembles, number of expected attendees and size of our gym, we are asking families to get free tickets so we can more accurately prepare for the number of guests attending.
There is no cost for the concert, but this will help us plan on how many seats to plan for.
Get your FREE tickets here https://sandwicharts.ludus.com/index.php
Thank you for your support of music education at Sandwich 430!
LAMBDA STATE FOUNDATION
LEARNING CENTER/LUNCH TIME VOLUNTEER HELP
We would love your help! Students learn in many different ways and from many different
people. We would love you to come help at Dummer. There are many different opportunities
for you to help make a difference in our students’ lives. Some areas would be a classroom
helper where the teacher may have you work with a group of students (Don’t worry, we don’t
expect you to teach), help in our Learning Center interacting with students playing games
and/or reading, recess or lunch just interacting and having fun with our students, participating
in our Dummer Parent Group, or sharing a skill, talent, or occupation with our students. We
have a wealth of resources right outside of our Dummer doors – YOU – and we would love it if
you would like to be a part of something that makes a positive change in our students’ lives. If
this is something you would like to pursue, please fill out a Sandwich CUSD #430 Volunteer
packet and contact the Dummer office at (815)786-8498. We look forward to having you!
SIGNUP FORM
DUMMER FAMILY GAME NIGHT
CHARACTER COUNTS CLUB
ART CLUB
SANDWICH SPIRIT WEAR LINK
Chili Cookoff Fundraiser
4TH GRADE STUDENT OF THE MONTH FOR OCTOBER
Front row: Chase Lobdell, Connor Whitecotton, Zoey Cole, Kolbie Ervin
5TH GRADE STUDENT OF THE MONTH FOR OCTOBER
Front row: Rowan Tuftee, Alec McElroy, Anahi Arreola
OCTOBER CHARACTER COUNTS
Leo Kish, Makenzie Bell, Mila Giesler
DECEMBER BREAKFAST & LUNCH MENUS
Important Dates
December 2nd: RaiseRight Orders Due
December 2nd: Classes 4-2 & 4-7 to Hoover
December 9th: 11:10 Dismissal - School ImprovementDecember 11th: Holiday Band Concert 3:00 p.m. @ SHS Gym
December 13th: 7:00 p.m. School Board Meeting
December 14th: 6:30 p.m. Dummer Parent Group
December 14th: Candy Grams Forms Due
December 16th: Character Counts Forms Due
December 19th: Physics Guy Presentation for Dummer Students
December 21st: 1:10 Dismissal - All Schools
December 22nd: Winter Break Begins
December 25th: Merry Christmas
January 1st: Happy New Year
January 4th: Teacher Institute - No Students
January 5th: School Resumes