Dicken Family Newsletter
3.3.23
Principal's Corner
Upcoming Dates
- Thursday, March 9 - Fifth Grade Wax Museum - 1:30 - 2:30 MPR
- Friday, March 10 - Spirit Day: Readers are Thinkers - Put on your thinking cap! Wear something on your head today, such as a crown, headband or hat.
- Friday, March 17 - Spirit Day: Readers are Leaders - Dress for your Dream Job / Dress Up Day
- Friday, March 24 - Last Day before Spring Break
- Friday, March 24 - Spirit Day: Readers are Dreamers - Pajama / Favorite Book / Stuffed Animal Day
Monday, March 27 - Friday, March 31 - Spring Break
Monday, April 3 - School Resumes
Appreciation
Many thanks again to our PTO President-Elect, Hallie Jewell, as well as our Hospitality Co-Chairs Monique & Libby for helping to make Round Up look and feel so welcoming for the families. Thank you to our Y5/K Team, office staff, TAs and noon hour staff, as well as our Student Lighthouse Team for making the event such a success. We had a wonderful turnout of 49 potential future Dicken Dolphins and their parents!
AAPS Enrollment Reminder
We are excited to announce that Pre-Enrollments for the 2023-24 school year are now open. Enrollment for neighborhood zoned schools are open for new students to the district for grades Young 5 through 12 and remain open through the 2023-2024 school year.
***Please note that the Ann Arbor Public Schools Young 5s program is an optional opportunity for those students who meet the age criteria for entrance. The Young 5s program is a district-wide program and enrollment is limited to space availability. As such, enrollment is not guaranteed at neighborhood schools. If you’re interested in our Young 5s program for your student, I highly encourage families to enroll now. Space is limited in this program.
AAPS currently has dates for our first two In-District Transfer windows. In-District transfers are required for students who wish to attend a school that is not their neighborhood zoned school. All currently approved School of Choice and Non Resident Child of Employee AAPS students rising into grades 6 and 9 for the 23-24 school year are required to apply for in-district transfer.
In-District Transfer Windows
January 9, 2023 - February 13, 2023
Young 5s
9th & 10th grade at Pioneer and Skyline
9th, 10th, & IB-11th grade at Huron
February 27, 2023 - March 31, 2023
Young 5s
Elementary School
Middle School
K-8 STEAM
9th & 10th grade at Pioneer and Skyline
9th, 10th, & IB-11th grade at Huron
School of Choice along with a potential third In-District transfer window will tentatively open in late Spring 2023. Please watch the AAPS website for more updates to come.
Washtenaw County CDC Covid Level
As of today, Washtenaw County is in the CDC LOW/GREEN Community Level.
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
Happy March is Reading Month! It has been fun seeing our Dicken Dolphin readers so excited about their new books and motivated to log those reading minutes. This is our second of two main fundraisers this year, and will help cover our typical annual expenses for the remainder of the school year.
Additionally, we are excited to announce that the spending proposal was formally approved by the PTO last week! Huge thank you to the spending committee, staff, students, and families for weighing in on how best to spend the extra PTO funds accumulated over the virtual schooling years. We are excited and so grateful to have a plan to use that money toward all our Dolphins!
—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
Upcoming PTO Meeting Dates
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.
There is still time to sign up for WESO!
WESO Season kicks off practices this week, but there is still time to register for a team. If your student is nervous about competing, a practice only alternate spot may be the perfect opportunity for them to try out WESO. Currently we have the following openings and would love to have your child join us!
iCompute (Practices Wednesdays 5-6 at Dicken)
-one fourth grade competition spot
-one fourth grade alternate spot
-one fifth grade competition spot
-one fourth grade alternate spot
Write it Build it (Practices Thursdays 3:48-5:00 at Dicken)
-three fourth grade competition spots
-one fourth grade alternate spot
-two fifth grade competition spots
-one fifth grade alternate spot
Aerodynamics (Practices Thursdays 3:48-5:00 at Dicken)
-one second grade competition spot
-one second grade alternate spot
-one fourth grade competitions spot
-one fourth grade alternate spot
-two fifth grade competition spots
-one fifth grade alternate spot
Feathered Friends (Practices Tuesdays 3:48-5:00 at Dicken)
-one second grade competition spot
-one second grade alternate spot
-one third grade competition spot
-one third grade alternate spot
-one fourth grade alternate spot
-two fifth grade competition spots
-one fifth grade alternate spot
Mystery Architecture (Practices Mondays 3:48-5:00 at Dicken)
-one third grade alternate spot
-one fourth grade alternate spot
-one fifth grade alternate spot
OnTarget (Practices Wednesdays 3:48-5:00 at Dicken)
-one second grade alternate spot
-one fourth grade competition spot
-one fourth grade alternate spot
-three fifth grade competition spots
-one fifth grade alternate spot
Pentathlon (Practices Thursdays 3:48-5:00 at Dicken)
-two fourth grade competition spots
-one fourth grade alternate spot
-one fifth grade competition spot
-one fifth grade alternate spot
Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah (Practices Mondays 5-6 at Dicken)
-one second grade alternate spot
-two third grade competition spots
-one third grade alternate spot
-three fifth grade competition spots
-one fifth grade alternate spot
iRobot (Practices Tuesdays 3:48-5:00 at Dicken
-one second grade alternate spot
Map Reading (Practices Mondays 6:30-7:30 at Dicken)
-one second grade competition spot
-one second grade alternate spot
-one third grade competition spot
-one third grade alternate spot
Read it Build It (Practices Mondays 3:48-5:00 at Dicken)
-one second grade alternate spot
-one third grade alternate spot
Human Machine (Practices Sundays 4:30-5:30 at Pittsfield Library)
-one second grade alternate spot
-two third grade competition spots
one third grade alternate spot
Potions is completely full.
If you’d like to register your student for WESO, please contact Colleen Diedrich via email (clmaloney3@gmail.com) or via text (207-240-5542) or by turning in your WESO registration packet (came home as backpack mail last month) to Ms. Dorris at the Dicken front office. Thank you!
Colleen Diedrich and Alex Harman (Dicken WESO Head Coaches
Ann Arbor PTOC $20 for $30K Fundraiser
Can you help us create a more equitable Ann Arbor? The Ann Arbor Public Schools PTO Council is hosting the first ever district-wide fundraiser to support our lower-resourced Title I elementary schools. We believe that our children’s school experience should not be based on the resources of the families at that school, yet that is the system we have.
Our per student PTO income ranges from $40 per student per year to $238. As we begin our work, we are looking for 1500 individuals to contribute $20 or more to show a commitment to creating a better system for all. The online campaign is focused on boosting Title I elementary schools and helping students at these schools.
PTOs typically supplement gaps in school funding, but because of wealth and resource inequities among public schools in our own community, not all PTOs are able to raise equal amounts of money. For the past several years, The PTO Council has worked with school reps, caretakers, teachers and the district to identify these gaps and create steps for improvements.
We know this is just a drop in the bucket, and that one small fundraiser will not fix inequity. Yet, we must start somewhere. With $32,550 we can assist the PTOs representing 3,000 AAPS children. To participate, families and community members can donate $20 (or more), share the goFundMe on social media, and spread the news about PTO funding discrepancies. Funds raised will be equally distributed to Title 1 elementary schools in the fall. This pilot project is part of our larger PTO equity work.
The PTOC mission is to promote excellence in our schools through communication and advocacy for member PTOs with district administration, with the Board of Education and beyond. Together we facilitate parent involvement, share ideas and innovations and work to advance the quality of our schools.
Thank you for helping us uplift our Title 1 elementary schools while we work together toward more equitable outcomes for all.
March is Reading Month!
March is Reading Month is now underway! All students received a book this week and we've already raised over $1,600 toward our goal of $15,000. This fundraiser will help cover typical annual expenses at the end of the school year, such as class field trips, Field Day, the end of year Ice Cream Social, and more.
Read-a-thon Fundraiser
Like in the fall with the Dash, the fundraiser will be on the 99Pledges online platform. All families received an email on Wednesday with individual fundraising links for their student(s). There is also a main fundraising page where donations can be made to the fundraiser as a whole. For those that are able to contribute to the fundraiser, please know that no amount is too small, as we'd love to get 100% participation and the continued backing and support of all of our Dicken community are both truly appreciated.
Dicken's 2023 READ-A-THON:
Our goal this year is to read 270,000 minutes as a school, which is the average amount of miles that a dolphin swims during its lifetime. Last year we read just over 220,000 minutes, so we think that this is a very achievable goal.
To keep track of all their reading efforts, students, teachers and staff are tracking their minutes with Reading Logs each week.
The March is Reading Month Committee will be updating the display case outside of the office each week to track our progress in reaching our reading goals. All participants (students and staff) who turn in a reading log will be eligible for prizes - gift cards to Schuler Books.
Spirit Days:
We will have reading-themed spirit days every Friday in March leading up to Spring Break!
- Friday, March 10: Readers are THINKERS! Put your thinking cap on! Wear something on your head today, such as a crown, headband, or hat.
- Friday, March 17: Readers are LEADERS! Books show us that we are all unique and strong leaders. Dress for success: Dress for your dream job!
- Friday, March 24: (Last day before spring break): Readers are DREAMERS! Readers never stop dreaming. Wear pajamas and bring your favorite book and stuffed animal. Get cozy today while you read.
Schuler Books Fundraiser:
Once again this year we are hosting a fundraiser with Schuler Books (formerly Nicola's) in the Westgate shopping center. Starting this Sunday (March 5th) through Saturday, March 11th, when community members shop at Schuler's and mention Dicken at checkout, 20% of all designated purchases will go directly to our school.
We hope that "March is Reading Month" is a month filled with fun community building activities and events and that students have a fun reading great new books and supporting our school. Thanks to all of our Dicken families, friends, staff and community for your participation!
Celebrating what makes us UNIQUE!
March is here and we are celebrating Women’s History Month by featuring 3 wonderful authors of children’s books.
1. Kelly Yang
Her Front Desk series is based on her real-life experiences growing up and helping her newly immigrated parents in California.
2. Ibtihaj Muhammad
She holds an Olympic medal for fencing. In The Proudest Blue, she writes about her life growing up in New Jersey and reinforces that children should see themselves in their books and toys.
3. Madeleine L’Engle
Spent many years struggling to have her most famous work, A Wrinkle in Time, published because many thought science fiction was too difficult for children. Her persistence paid off.
Learn more about Women’s History through children’s books.