The Splash
February 7, 2022
Dear Dryden Families,
We hope you were able to enjoy the sunshine this weekend! We have a lot of fun school spirit days to look forward to at Dryden this week for Read Across America Week! We greatly appreciate our school community and PTA's efforts to nurture our students' love of reading. Our students have been enriched by Book Clubs, Book Fair, and One Book One School. And, we have even more reading adventures to look forward to in the coming weeks and months! For this reason, we have decided to postpone our Family Reading Night until later in the spring, when it can be scheduled closer to our author visit by Candace Fleming and other fun upcoming reading-connection experiences. Stay tuned!
Additionally, we want to extend our care and concern for those impacted by the crises in Ukraine. Based on our home language surveys and additional information, there are 20+ Dryden students and staff from and/or with loved ones in Ukraine and bordering countries (Belarus, Bulgaria, Moldova, Poland, Romania and Russia). Additional students are likely aware and may be affected by the current events. Following are some links to tips and resources that you may find helpful from the National Association of School Psychologists:
If any students are particularly troubled, please feel free to reach out to us, our school staff or Dryden Social Worker Miss Sorrentino, so that we can provide additional student support at school.
Thank you,
Akemi Sessler and Cara Giacomin-Ferris
February
28 - Read Across America Week begins
28 - Reading is Better With a Friend! Bring a stuffed reading buddy to read with today.
March
1 - Reading Gives You Superpowers! Wear your superhero cape, shirt or outfit.
1 - Shelter In Place Drill
2 - Read to Succeed - Dress up as your future self. What do you want to be when you grow up?
3 - Fan Favorite - Dress up as your favorite book character.
4 - Snuggle Up with a Good Book - Wear your pajamas and share your favorite bedtime story.
4 - Report cards emailed to parents by Tech25
4 - PTA Stock the Lounge Drop-Off Date
14 - 17 - AHC PTA Pack the Piggies Fun-Raiser
15 - PTA Dine-Out at MOD Pizza
18 - School Spirit Beach Day
21 - 25 - Spring Break
28 - School resumes
April
11 - Yearbook order and personalized page deadline
Way to Go, 5th Grade!
Thank you to all of our 5th graders and PTA for their work on the Love for Lurie service project to benefit patients at the Clinical Research Unit at Lurie's Children's Hospital!
Thank you to all Dolphins who donated toys, art supplies, books and cards for patients at the Clinical Research Unit at Lurie's Each person who donated has a star with their name in the big window at Dryden. Thank you!
Talking With Kids About Easing Mask Rules
As the mask guidance is further eased, here are some tips you may find helpful:
Lunchroom Updates
Beginning Monday, March 7, all students in grades 1 - 5 will resume eating lunch in the commons. This will be a new experience for many of our students, so classroom teachers are bringing students in the lunchroom this week to help students work out seating arrangements and become familiar with lunchroom procedures.
We are maintaining 3 lunch sessions this year so that we can remain within the maximum of 4 students to a bench in the lunchroom. We will continue to allow extra time for eating for those students who need it. Our schedule will continue to be as follows:
FRIDAY FLIPS
At Dryden, we FLIP for good choices! The Dryden staff is on the lookout for students going above and beyond in big and small ways to make a positive impact on their school community. These Dolphin sightings are recognized during the morning announcements on Fridays. The students above were recognized for being caring, responsible and safe. Stay tuned for weekly updates on these awesome Dolphin sightings and Friday Flips!
March Stock the Lounge
Let's show our staff how LUCKY we are to have them here at Dryden Elementary School! Please review the available slots below and click on the button to sign up for the PTA - March Stock the Lounge. Thank you! https://www.signupgenius.com/go/70A054AAEAC2FA4F94-ptamarch
*Pre-packaged items for this Stock the Lounge only, please. Drop off items at 421 E. Orchard St. on or before March 4th.
Book Fair
The kids had a fabulous time shopping the book fair in-person in the LMC last week, but it's not too late to snag a book fair order! Donate a book to a staff member. Or, shop and stock your home library. Shop for your Family: www.abcfairs.com; Shop for a Dryden Staff Member:
https://www.abcfairs.com/dryden-elementary-school-wish-list.
Dryden Dine Out - MOD Pizza
Dryden Dine Out for the month of March is at MOD Pizza (1021 N Elmhurst Rd, Mt Prospect) all day on March 15th. Mention Dryden when ordering in person, or use the code GR213633D when ordering online or through the app.
Yearbook - Order and Personalize Your Pages
If you haven't already purchased a Dryden Yearbook for your child, there's still time! The deadline to order a yearbook and finish the optional custom pages is April 11. Click here to order your child's yearbook thru TreeRing (Dryden Passcode: 1014123635244163). Please email drydenelementaryyearbook@gmail.com if you have any questions. Thank you!
AHC Scholarships Available
The Arlington Heights Council of PTAs, which incorporates all the PTAs in District25, has scholarships available at the High School and Elementary school level. Please see the attached flyers for application information or contact drydenpta@gmail.com with questions. Keep an eye out later this spring for the Pack the Piggies fundraiser which AHC will be running at all D25 schools to help fund these annual scholarships.
Pack the Piggies Fun-raiser!!
Are you ready to Pack the Piggies? The Arlington Heights Council of PTA’s (AHC-PTA) funds $11k worth of scholarships each year. The scholarships are divided into $10k for graduating D214 seniors, and $1k given to D25 elementary students. This March, the AHC-PTA will be initiating our first ever “Pack the Piggies” fun-raiser across the district to help raise funds for the scholarships.
The contest begins March 14 and goes thru March 17. Each school will have a goal of raising $1,000. Students at Dryden will have an extra recess if we reach our goal! Please help us reach this goal by sending in coins, cash, or checks to pack their school’s piggy! Let’s have some fun for a great cause!