Dicken Family Newsletter
12.16.22
Principal's Corner
Upcoming Dates
Thursday, December 22 - Pajama Day Spirit Day! / Last day before Winter break
Friday, December 23 - Friday, January 6, 2023 - Winter Break
Monday, January 9 - School Resumes
Friday, January 13, 9:30 - Principal's Coffee - Staff Lounge
Monday, January 16 - No School, MLK Jr. Day
Thursday, January 19 - Dicken PTO Meeting, 6:30 - 8:00 (Zoom)
Tuesday, January 31 - Early Release Day, Dismissal at 1:18 PM
AAPS District Health Advisory
This week a few schools in the district needed to close for 1-2 days due to the number of staff and student illnesses. Please see the AAPS Health Advisory sent by Dr. Swift earlier this week to ensure we all stay as safe and healthy as possible. Thank you for doing your part!!
Water Bottle Use
During the pandemic, all the water fountains at Dicken were converted to bottle filling stations. We keep a supply of paper cups on hand, but we prefer kids to have water bottles as this is less disruptive and more environmentally friendly. Please remember to send one with your child every day. We have a few extra on hand if your family is in need, please reach out to the front office. Thank you!
Reminder - AAPS Environmental Sustainability Framework
Beginning in January 2023, the AAPS will eliminate the use of Styrofoam lunch trays at all elementary schools; and complete the elimination of all Styrofoam materials in cafeteria/food and nutrition services across all locations in the AAPS by the start of the 2023/24 school year. This is announcement is part of the first-ever AAPS Environmental Sustainability Framework. The framework was presented to the Board of Education on November 30, 2022. Currently, it is open for feedback from the entire community and will be voted on before the end of this calendar year.
This is a unique opportunity for teachers, students, and community members to have a say in the environmental future of AAPS and our world. Please
review the plan and participate in the ThoughtExchange conversation about the plan by December 11th.
Please use the following links if you'd like to participate:
Sponsor a Snowman Request
Thank you to everyone who has been able to support our Sponsor a Snowman program. We would appreciate any gifts that have not been sent in yet to be brought by Monday, December 19. This will allow us time to organize and distribute before the break. Please contact Mrs. Dorris with any questions. 994-1928 / dicken@a2schools.org. Thank you!
Washtenaw County CDC Covid Level
As of today, Washtenaw County is in the CDC MEDIUM/YELLOW Community Level.
The Ann Arbor Public Schools Fall 2022 Covid Guidance is available here. The Ann Arbor Public Schools will always remain a mask-friendly environment.
Fall 2022 Guidance on masking in AAPS schools:
Masks are strongly recommended indoors when CDC Community Level is ‘HIGH’- RED
Masks are encouraged indoors when CDC Community Level is ‘MEDIUM’ - Yellow
Masks are welcomed indoors when CDC Community Level is ‘LOW’ - Green
All the best,
Heather
PTO News
Message from the PTO President
Thank you for a great fall and early winter season! To simplify your life this month, the PTO and Dicken staff have reduced the traditional December spirit week down to just one key day: PJ day! Feel free to send your Dolphin(s) to school next Thursday in PJs or other super comfy clothes.
Lastly, please see the note below: today is last call for the final spending survey!
See you in January,
—Jenifer Miller, Dicken PTO President
Click here for the Dicken Elementary Parents Facebook group.
Find information about events, meeting minutes, and more on the PTO website at www.dickenpto.com
Dicken Directory is Here!
Please click here to access the Dicken Directory for class lists and family contact info.
Upcoming PTO Dates
Thursday, January 19 - PTO Board Meeting, 6:30 - 8:00 pm (virtual via Zoom)
Thursday, February 16 - PTO Board Meeting, 6:30 - 8:00 pm (virtual via Zoom)
Thursday, March 16 - PTO Board Meeting, 6:30 - 8:00 pm (virtual via Zoom)
Thursday, April 20 - PTO Board Meeting, 6:30 - 8:00 pm (virtual via Zoom)
Thursday, May 18 - PTO Board Meeting, 6:30 - 8:00 pm (virtual via Zoom)
Thursday, June 15 - PTO Board Meeting, 6:30 - 8:00 pm (virtual via Zoom)
To see all Dicken school & PTO events in one place, click here for our PTO Google Calendar.
Another helpful link: the AAPS School Calendar.
Reminder: We want to hear from you!
he Spending Committee has carefully reviewed the results from the initial survey and created a final survey that is being distributed to the entire Dicken Community (staff, students, and parents/guardians). Today is the last day to complete this survey and it will close at 11:59pm. If you haven't completed it, please take a few minutes to fill out this short survey.
If you have any questions, please contact Agustina Fragner: agustina.fragner@gmail.com.
WESO SEASON IS COMING!
Every year Dicken Elementary Students participate in the Washtenaw Elementary Science Olympics. This year the competition will be held on Saturday May 13, 2023 at Huron High School.
To register a team, we need a Key Volunteer!
The Key Volunteer will perform a volunteer task for the WESO board. This task can be anything from parking cars at the WESO tournament, making name tags for volunteers, being an event supervisor, guiding students from one event to another, helping organize the WESO silent auction, helping organize competition day concessions, etc. Basically each school is required to provide one volunteer to the WESO board to help plan and put on the competition.
Any parent who volunteers to be Dicken’s Key Volunteer will not be required to give any volunteer hours to the Dicken Team and your child will be guaranteed a spot on a WESO competition team.
Please contact Colleen Diedrich (clmaloney3@gmail.com; (207) 240-5542) if you are interested in being our Key Volunteer.
Thank you!
Colleen Diedrich and Alex Harmon (Dicken Head Coaches)
Dicken Garden Compost Project
We’re going to make our own compost! We have a new compost tumbler and we’re hoping to fill it with good stuff that will turn into better stuff for our plants in the spring. We’re providing compostable bags to collect fruit and vegetable scraps in classrooms, and you can bring in materials from home. We are using only raw fruit and vegetables, eggshells and coffee grounds. Help us make this experiment a success! Contact Anne Erickson amcerickson@gmail.com.