Dicken Family Newsletter
5.27.22
Principal's Corner
Upcoming Dates
- Monday, May 30 - No School - Memorial Day
- Wednesday, June 1 - All School Rodney Page Performance (see below)
- Thursday, June 2 - 6:00 - 8:00 Ice Cream Social
- Monday, June 6 - Field Day (During school day)
- Tuesday, June 7 - 5:30 - 7:00 5th Grade Promotion
Appreciation
Thank you to all who were able to come out for the Dicken Auction last weekend and/or participate by bidding at home! Many thanks to our auction co-chairs, Libby Crawforth and Hallie Jewell, for putting together such a fantastic event. Huge thanks also to the many many parents who volunteered for this event. There were hours of behind the scenes work to make this event possible; from securing items donated from local businesses, facilitating class art projects for the auction, setting up the online bidding site, setting up and cleaning up on the night of the event, the list goes on! It was a beautiful evening to gather together as a community and we are grateful for everyone's support.
Student Chromebook Return
Students in young 5s through fifth grade will be returning their AAPS issued Chromebook before the end of the school-year unless they are attending an AAPS sponsored summer program this summer. Students participating in AAPS sponsored summer learning programs should keep their devices and chargers.
We will collect devices from students in young fives through 3rd grade on Thursday, June 2. We will collect devices from 4th/5th grade students on Wednesday, June 8. Please be sure to send your child’s device and their charger on their assigned pick up day.
Free and Reduced Meal Program
The federal free lunch program is ending in June. It is very important for families to apply for Free and Reduced Lunch (FRL) for any students participating in AAPS summer programming and again in the fall.
Please find the important message from the district below with a link for further information, including the application process:
For the past two years school districts across the United States, including the Ann Arbor Public Schools, have been fortunate to be able to provide free meals to all students under the COVID-19 pandemic initiatives. While there is still some debate if this free meal program will continue we need to be prepared for this program to end, as announced, at the end of June, 2022.
If your student plans to attend AAPS summer school, a free and reduced meal application must be on file for this current school year or if you have not yet applied for you can apply now for free or reduced summer school meals. Once approved for summer your student will receive free or reduced meals for the first 30 days of school in the fall but a new application will need to be submitted for the 2022-2023 school year.
Please click here for the full message and application process.
AAPS Summer Programming
AAPS is thrilled to share that we are continuing expanded summer programming to provide our students and families with access to quality instruction, excellent teachers, and engaging learning experiences for summer 2022.
On the AAPS Summer School website, families will find a listing of all available programs with descriptions, dates, academic focus, principal contact information, and enrollment procedures. Click on 'Elementary Programs' for open enrollment opportunities for all students in AAPS.
A2VE Summer Success Program for K-4 Students
Interested in a flexible summer learning opportunity for your child? The A2 Virtual Elementary Summer Success Program is flexible and self-paced. This program will focus on maintaining and extending literacy and math skills by providing targeted lessons to meet individual interests and needs of students.
Students will independently access lesson materials in order to complete 4 to 5 lessons in math and literacy each week. The lessons are self-guided and interactive.
The program will run from July 5, 2022 through July 29, 2022.
Registration is open through May 31, 2022.
Check out the A2VE Summer Success webpage for additional details. You are also welcome to email us at a2velementary@a2schools.org with any questions.
New Student Enrollment for Fall 2022
Our office staff will collect new student paperwork when the office reopens in August. Please call the main office with any questions: 994-1928
Rodney Page Performance Reminder
On June 1 we will host two outdoor performances with local performer Rodney Page. Families are welcome to attend as the event is outdoors on the blacktop in the back of the school. The Y5 - 2nd grade performance will take place at 1:00 and the 3rd - 5th grade performance will take place at 2:00. We hope to see you there!
Heather
Message from the PTO President
Thank you for a fun and successful auction last Sunday! We are still tallying and will announce the final amount raised next week.
Quick reminder that we have two more events that need volunteers: the Ice Cream Social and the Dicken Field Day. See info below.
Additionally, we are still seeking input for how the PTO operates and how well we have met your needs this year. We know this was a unique hybrid year, and we really value your feedback as we wrap up our time as a PTO and begin to make plans for next fall.
Please click here to take our quick survey.
—Jenifer Miller, Dicken PTO President
Dicken Elementary parents’ Facebook group
Upcoming Event Dates:
Global Running Day 4k - June 1
Ice Cream Social - June 2
Field Day - June 6
Dicken Auction - What a great evening!
Final Call For Auction Items!
Thank you so much for all of the wonderful participation in last weekend’s Dicken Auction at Bill’s Beer Garden. We had a great turnout and had a successful fundraiser for our school while enjoying a fun adults night out! (Exact fundraising total to be announced next Friday!)
Remember you can check out via the BiddingOwl site if you haven't yet paid for your items. If you won any physical items at the auction and have not picked them up, please contact Hallie Jewell (halliestover@gmail.com) ASAP to arrange a time to get them.
Cinch Bags
If you didn’t make it to the auction last weekend and are interested in these great Dicken Dolphin cinch bags that we had made, we still have plenty available! They are $5 each and are available for first come! Send Hallie Jewell a message if you’d like one! Available for porch pick up in the neighborhood or could be brought to pick up after school.
Global Running Day 4k
The Dicken Running Club is hosting a 4k (2.5mile) race on Wednesday, June 1 in honor of Global Running Day. Any student at Dicken is welcome to register and run - you do not have to be a running club member.
The race course is on sidewalks throughout the Dicken neighborhood and all road crossings and corners are marked and monitored.
Start time is 6:05pm. Timing will be provided by Ann Arbor Running Company and we'll have awards for the top 3 finishers by grade-level.
End of Year Ice Cream Social
We're so excited for the Ice Cream Social on Thursday, June 2nd, 6-8pm and we need all kinds of help to make it awesome. If you (or even your kiddos or neighbors) are able to help, please sign up for a volunteer slot in the SignUpGenius here.
Ray’s Red Hots will be at the event for purchasing food (no tickets, cash/card only; they also have vegetarian options!) and you are welcome to bring your own picnic food as well. There is no rain date so we will have fun whatever the weather!
Dicken Field Day
If you like to have fun outside, then this event is perfect for you! We need a LOT of volunteers to make this a great day for the kids - please sign up - we are still looking for 9 volunteers in the morning and another 9 in the afternoon!
Click here to sign up to volunteer for Field Day.
Call/text/email Niki Barnes if you have any questions: 734-223-3573 or nikib3g@gmail.com
Coming soon! Dicken Free Library
We are excited to soon be hosting our own Little Free Library here at Dicken.
With tons of Free libraries around the neighborhood, we're looking forward to stocking one for our elementary-school students specifically!
If you have gently used elementary-level books at home, please donate! You can drop off at 1433 Catalina - there will be a bin on the front porch.
Dicken Garden – Got 10 minutes?
We could really use your help in the garden. We are in the process of clearing out the beds to
prepare for planting, and still have some work to do on the paths. Tom Bick has joined the
garden prep team, tackling some really overgrown beds to get them ready for planting. Thank
you Tom!
Digging in is easy. The beds are all numbered (we have 24 total!) and those that need work are tagged with instructions. I can attest that a 4x4 bed can be cleared of weeds in less than 10 minutes by two hard-working kids (thank you Mabel Bick and Edie Farley!). Outside the beds, there are rotting stumps that need to be moved to the back of the garden where we will begin disposing of them. Roll a stump onto the blue tarp and be on your way!
Of course, no garden message would be complete without mention of woodchips. The city has begun dropping free woodchips at local parks (Veterans Memorial Park, 2150 Jackson Ave.; Southeast Area Park, 2901 E. Ellsworth Road; Almendinger Park, 655 Pauline Boulevard;
Furstenberg Park, 2626 Fuller Road; and 721 N. Main St. (not a park). These woodchips work
great on our paths because they do not break down in a single season like mulch. You can use the 5-gallon buckets in the garden for transport, and spread them anywhere you see black plastic. Be a bucket-filler today! (Couldn’t resist, sorry.)
In other garden news, we have a quote for a solar pump which is within the budget of our Whole Foods grant. We will be looking for extra hands for installation of the solar panels and
connecting the irrigation system, hopefully this summer. In the meantime we are still using the hoses to water. A sign-up for summer harvesting, weeding and watering will be coming soon.
Finally, let me know if you are interested in planting! We’ll have seedlings next week, and have
some seeds that can be planted now.
Garden Contact: Anne Erickson (Everett, Pearl and Frances)
Join our Facebook group, Dicken Elementary Garden here.