Dicken Family Newsletter
10.1.21
Principal's Corner
Dear Families,
Happy October! One last time, I would like to strongly encourage families who believe they may qualify for the Free & Reduced to please apply, as the deadline is approaching. This could provide our school with additional resources as well as assistance for individual families. Information can be found below. Thank you in advance!
Free & Reduced Lunch Applications
We would like to ask that any families who believe they may be eligible for Free and Reduced lunch to please fill out the application, which is due by October 10.
Although breakfast and lunch are free for all students this year, the applications can help us determine if our school is eligible for any other services or funds. It will also allow families to become prequalified for eligible scholarships with Rec & Ed and for the Pandemic EBT Card. (More information can be found here).
If you are not sure if your family falls within the income guidelines, you can view the eligibility guidance here: Eligibility Guidance.png
We want to make sure we have everyone accounted for and are capturing the needs of our community, especially in the midst of the pandemic.
Again, here is the application. When you get to the portal please click "Guest", then "Application".
COVID 19 Safety Updates
The AAPS COVID-19 Health and Safety Protocols have been updated. Changes include updates to the daily student questionnaire about when to keep a child home from school and when to quarantine. Please check these periodically as the updates occur frequently.
Drop off and Dismissal Procedures
Please review the following guidelines to keep our students safe!
- Parents must stay in the drop off and pick up lines at all times. You may not exit your vehicle to walk students in.
- If you would like to walk your child to the door, please park in the Carol St. lot. Carol St. is one street north of the Runnymede entrance.
- Please do not skip the line to move to an open spot further ahead; This is unsafe for students walking to cars.
- Please pull up as far as possible to help keep the lining moving.
- The Runnymede lot is for buses and staff parking only.
- There is no parking along the curb closest to Runnymede, even if you stay in your vehicle.
Please see the photo below for reference.
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All the best,
Heather
PTO News
The PTO has been working hard to get two major fall activities planned, and we’re so excited to bring families back to Dicken again! Neither of these events can happen without a bunch of volunteer help, so please see the signup links below and let us know if you can help out. Lots of families that are at Dicken this year have never experienced the Dicken Dash or the Pumpkin Patch, so please reach out and ask if you have any questions about how they work. You can always email me or ask in our Dicken parents’ Facebook group.
—Jenifer Miller, Dicken PTO President
PTO website
Upcoming PTO Event Dates:
Dicken Dash: October 22 (12:30 - 3:30 pm)
Pumpkin Patch: October 29 (5 - 7 pm)
ARE YOU READY TO DASH?
We are so excited that after a year without in-person events at Dicken we are able to have the Dicken Dash again on October 22nd! The Dash is typically our largest fundraiser of the year and the PTO uses these funds to help support our Dicken community, curriculum enrichment, teacher grants and professional development and many fun activities that the PTO creates for our students each year. In order to achieve our fundraising goals we need help from all of our Dicken families.
Over the next three weeks, we are asking parents to help their dashers reach out to family and friends to pledge a per-lap or flat amount for their Dash Day fundraising. A $50 minimum goal per dasher is recommended but is by no means required to participate.
This year we have an interactive web platform for students to track their pledges and donations which is the same website that we used for the Read-a-thon last year. An email from 99 Pledges will be sent to you this afternoon with the direct link to your student’s donation page or they can be found at https://app.99pledges.com/fund/dickendash. If you have any questions about the online platform, would like to update your student’s page or fundraising goals, please send an email to dickendash@gmail.com and we will be happy to help.
We have so much more information including the schedule of events and ways you can help out in our Dicken Dash Handbook. Please take a read and save the link for your reference as Dash Day approaches Thank you for supporting our Dicken students in their fundraising efforts this fall. We appreciate all of our families and look forward to a fun and safe Dicken Dash on October 22nd
Pumpkin Patch
Calling All Family & Parent Volunteers!
The Annual Dicken Pumpkin Patch will be held October 29th from 5pm-7pm. We have a fun outdoor evening planned, filled with lots of games and prizes. To make this happen, we are needing parent and family volunteers. No need to worry about missing out on all the fun! The volunteer slots range from 30mins to 60mins. There will be games, concessions, cake walk, a pumpkin carving contest, and a Spooky trail. If you are interested in volunteering, please fill out the volunteer form.