Bear Essentials
08/30/2019
Read-A-Thon Updates
Our Read-A-Thon is off to a great start! So far our students have raised $7,117 and read over 200,000 minutes! Our goal this year is to raise $16,000 and to read 500,000 minutes school-wide! We've got a long way to go to reach these goals but we know our bears can do it!
Parents, you can help us by creating your child's Read-A-Thon page, and inviting family and friends to support your reader(s)! If you need help locating your child's secret code, please email your child's teacher.
This weekend, we are challenging students once again. Each student that gets $50 in sponsors by Tuesday, 9/3 will get a free book when the bookmobile comes out on Book Character day this October!
We've also added a few challenges for our teacher so they can get in on the competition. Teachers who have 100% of their students create their R-A-T page and invite family and friends to support them will receive a Starbucks gift card! In addition, the teacher who's class raises the most money school-wide will win $100 to spend in his/her classroom!
Be sure to log your minutes over the long weekend, and tune in to Facebook Live for our second edition of Bedtime with the Bears on Tuesday at 7:00PM. This week's guest reader is Dr. Jaime Fooks, she is our Assistant Principal for grades K-2, and she is looking forward to reading to all of our bears!
See below for all the details about our Read-A-Thon!
**************************************************************************
There are three parts to our Read-A-Thon: Reading, tracking your minutes on your Read-A-Thon Adventure Page, and raising money for our awesome school! All money raised will go toward additional technology in the classroom and for more campus beautification projects, like the mural in our media center!
Reading:
Students can begin reading Friday, August 23rd through Friday, September 6th. All time spent reading counts (in school and at home). ALL READING COUNTS! Students can read independently, with a friend, to a sibling, listen to a parent/sibling read, host a reading playdate, or even Skype with a relative! Every kind of reading is Read-A-Thon reading!
Tracking Minutes:
Parents, we need you to help your child track their reading minutes outside of school. Tracking minutes is a quick and easy process and can all be done online through your child's Read-A-Thon Adventure page. Parents, we will need your help with activating your child’s Read-A-Thon page. Teachers will send home a flyer with instructions on how to log into the website with your child's secret code. Lost your flyer? No worries, just email your teacher and he/she can help get you that information.
Sponsors:
Students are encouraged to ask family members and friends for their support by sponsoring their participation in our Read-A-Thon. Invitations can be sent through your child's online Read-A-Thon Adventure page through a variety of tools (Facebook, text, email, Twitter, printables, etc.). Sponsors will not make pledges but rather a flat donation.
Weekend Challenge:
Each student that gets $50 in sponsors by Tuesday, 9/3 will get a free book when the bookmobile comes out on Book Character day this October!
Prizes and Awards:
While we all know that reading is a reward in and of itself, we also know that it's a ton of fun to participate in a little friendly competition and earn prizes! There are several different ways to earn prizes:
Set up your Read-A-Thon Adventure page = free prize
School-wide goal = Book Character Day!
If each student reads 100 minutes during our Read-A-Thon, we will hold a school-wide Book Character Dress Up Day on October 31st!
Personal prizes - 15% of funds raised = RAT Bucks
Students can shop in the Read-A-Thon online prize store. (Items will be shipped to the school after our Read-A-Thon closes.)
Classroom Winners = Free Book on Bookmobile
Top Reader in each class (most minutes) = Free Book on Bookmobile
Top Sponsorship in each class (most $ raised) = Free Book on Bookmobile
Grade Level Winners = Snow Cone Party!
Class on grade level with most minutes read gets a Snow Cone Party!
Class on grade level with most money raised gets a Snow Cone Party!
School Wide Winners = Kindle Fire Tablet
(2 winners per grade level)
Student in grade level with most minutes read gets a Kindle Fire
Student in grade level with most money raised gets a Kindle Fire
Grand Prize - Read-A-Thon Champion = Google Chromebook!
Student with the most minutes read overall
*Teachers of Grade Level Winning Classrooms get a $25 Target Gift Card!*
*Teacher of the class that raises the most money wins $100 to spend in his/her classroom!*
**Reading minutes logged must have occurred in the two week window starting Friday 8/23 and ending on Friday 9/6**
Bedtime with the Bears!
Thank you to everyone that tuned in this past Tuesday for our first edition of Bedtime with the Bears! The goal of this program is to strengthen our home-school connection while also building community. Tune in to Facebook Live every Tuesday night at 7PM and get to know our staff members as they read their favorite bedtime story. Be sure to like our school's Facebook page (link below) and after each story, remember to log those minutes on your Read-A-Thon page now through September 6th!
This Tuesday's guest reader is Assistant Principal for grades K-2, Dr. Fooks. She is super excited to read to all of our bears!
Deadline to Order Stay PAWSitive Shirts is Tonight at 11:59PM!
Sizes are available in Youth XS through Adult 3X. Cost is $15 (additional charge for 2X & 3X) and orders can be placed via MyPaymentsPlus through Friday 8/30. Shirts will be delivered the second week in September.
Inclement Weather Information
With hurricane season upon us, we would like to take a moment to remind you that Gwinnett County Public Schools’ (GCPS) 2019‐20 school calendar includes two make‐up days to address school days missed due to inclement weather. In addition to these days, GCPS also has the option of using Digital Learning Days to make up days missed due to inclement weather. Should a decision be made to cancel school, students, parents, and staff will be notified of the closing and if the day is a Digital Learning Day.
For more information on how Digital Learning Days will look for students, please see the flyer below or visit the GCPS website.
Attention 1st, 2nd & 5th Grade Parents
Dear Parents,
Your child will be participating in the 2019 administration of the Cognitive Abilities Test (CogAT) which measures students’ verbal, quantitative, and nonverbal reasoning abilities. The results of this test will help assess how well your child is performing and assist with plans to meet your child’s academic needs.
The administration will be delivered as follows:
- Monday, September 9, 2019: Verbal Battery - Sections 1, 2, & 3
- Tuesday, September 10, 2019: Quantitative Battery - Sections 4, 5, & 6
- Wednesday, September 11, 2019: Nonverbal Battery - Sections 7, 8, & 9
- Thursday, September 12 and Friday, September 13, 2019: Make-up Session
Thank you for making sure your child is present and on time each of these days. Our staff wants to provide your child with the best opportunity to be successful. Since the formal testing environment cannot be duplicated in a make-up session, it is to your child’s advantage to be at school during these scheduled test days. Once testing has begun each day, no child will be allowed to enter the classroom tardy.
Although no studying or preparation is necessary for this test, the following recommendations should help your child do his/her best each day:
- Get plenty of rest
- Eat a healthy breakfast
- Be at school on time
- Be prepared (glasses if needed)
Thank you very much for encouraging and supporting your student during testing. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact Sally Simmons at 770-963-6214.
Sincerely,
Sally Simmons
Assistant Principal
Grandparent's Lunch Thursday 9/12 & Friday 9/13
Thursday 9/12: PreK, K, 1st, & 3rd Grades
Friday 9/13: 2nd, 4th & 5th Grades
Lunch visitors will not be allowed for students on the day their grade level does not have grandparents lunch as they will be eating in their classrooms, and have limited seating.
Chick-Fil-A Spirit Night Thursday 9/12
Dyer PTO - Everyone is a Member!
We've also included our PTO's Welcome Message from Curriculum Night below, in case you missed it.
Calling All Shutterbugs! Get Your Work Published in Dyer's Yearbook!
Do you want to surprise your student and have a picture you've taken be featured in the yearbook? Please use the private Dropbox link below to submit candid pictures throughout the year of school events such as the First Day of School, Fall Festival, Holiday Lunches, and PTO events. We want to feature as many students as possible and your help is greatly appreciated!
PAWSitively Exciting News!
During the first two weeks of school (and beyond) students will learn about the behavior expectations in each area of the school from the classrooms, to hallways, cafeteria, buses and so on. We teach these expectations using the acronym PAWS:
- Personal Best
- Act Responsibly
- Work & Play Safely
- Show Respect
Students are acknowledged and praised for exhibiting desired behaviors. In years past, we used a paper ticket economy where students would earn tickets that could be redeemed for prizes and parties. This year, we are shifting to an electronic points based economy. This new PBIS Rewards system will make it easier for all of our staff members to recognize students' positive behavior. While our ticket economy is going paperless, our student rewards (PAWS cart, PAWS Parties, raffles, etc.) will remain the same.
Parents, you can help support this program in a variety of ways:
- Review the DES behavior expectations with your child using our PAWS acronym.
- Donate your time! We will need parent helpers to help students shop on the prize cart, and to assist with PAWS parties throughout the year. New this year! We are seeking a PAWS Parent for each grade level to assist in securing items for prize carts, and helping to plan PAWS parties. (See your child's teacher for more information.)
- Help solicit local businesses for small gifts and/or gift cards for staff rewards.
- Donate prizes for students. Anything from dollar tree/Oriental trading items to gift cards.
- Make a financial contribution of $5 per student (part of Online Orientation fees) to help offset the cost of student prizes/parties & PBIS Rewards Program software.
- Support our PAWS fundraisers and spirit nights throughout the year. We already have two fundraisers up and running, birthday messages on our marquee and Stay PAWSitive t-shirts, see below for more information.
Birthday Wishes in Big Lights!
2019-2020 Free/Reduced Lunch Applications
Students that received free/reduced lunch during the 2018-2019 school year will have a grace period until September 16th to re-apply for the 2019-2020 year.
August Events:
30- Deadline to Order PAWS T-Shirts on MyPaymentsPlus
September Events:
6 - NFL Spirit Wear Day
9 - 12 CogAT Testing
12 - Grandparent's Lunches PK, K, 1 & 3
13 - Grandparent's Lunches 2, 4 & 5
12 - Chick-fil-A Spirit Night
18 - Bruster's Blue Ice Day
19 - School Picture Day
23 - 27 - Iowa Testing
26 - Sonic Spirit Night
Dyer Elementary School
Website: http://www.gwinnett.k12.ga.us/DyerES/home.html
Location: 1707 Hurricane Shoals Road, Dacula, GA, USA
Phone: 770-963-6214
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DyerES/
Attention: 1st, 2nd & 5th Grade Parents!
Dear Parents,
Your child will be participating in the 2019 administration of the Cognitive Abilities Test (CogAT) which measures students’ verbal, quantitative, and nonverbal reasoning abilities. The results of this test will help assess how well your child is performing and assist with plans to meet your child’s academic needs.
The administration will be delivered as follows:
- Monday, September 9, 2019: Verbal Battery - Sections 1, 2, & 3
- Tuesday, September 10, 2019: Quantitative Battery - Sections 4, 5, & 6
- Wednesday, September 11, 2019: Nonverbal Battery - Sections 7, 8, & 9
- Thursday, September 12 and Friday, September 13, 2019: Make-up Session
Thank you for making sure your child is present and on time each of these days. Our staff wants to provide your child with the best opportunity to be successful. Since the formal testing environment cannot be duplicated in a make-up session, it is to your child’s advantage to be at school during these scheduled test days. Once testing has begun each day, no child will be allowed to enter the classroom tardy.
Although no studying or preparation is necessary for this test, the following recommendations should help your child do his/her best each day:
- Get plenty of rest
- Eat a healthy breakfast
- Be at school on time
- Be prepared (glasses if needed)
Thank you very much for encouraging and supporting your student during testing. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact Sally Simmons at 770-963-6214.
Sincerely,
Sally Simmons
Assistant Principal