Dicken Family Newsletter
3.10.23
Upcoming Dates
- Saturday, March 11 - Dicken Read-Aloud at Shuler's Bookstore (See times in PTO section below)
- 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
Friday, April 7 - No School, Students and Staff
Thursday, April 20 - Early Release - 1:18 Dismissal
New Report Card Date
AAPS has delayed winter report cards by one week. Report cards will now be sent home on Friday, March 24.
IDT Reminder
In-District Transfer Window - Round 2
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
March is Reading Month continues through Spring Break! Read below for details.
This week we have heard many teachers are underway planning class field trips with their funds from the spending proposal, and details of those will be shared in the coming weeks as details get finalized. We should have an exciting final few months of the school year!
—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
Compost Project
The compost project aims to reduce food waste in our school and provide nutrient-rich soil for our
garden. Composting requires a combination of carbon-rich (“brown”) materials, nitrogen-rich
(“green”) materials, air, and water. Raw fruit and vegetable scraps are our green material, and we
need lots of it. We will be collecting compost materials at lunch and at snack time in classrooms.
Please encourage your students to compost their peels, cores and uneaten raw fruits and vegetables
(no cooked foods or paper products for this project) instead of tossing them in the trash. We are
also collecting compost containers for the classrooms – any large covered container will work (ice
cream buckets, large-size yogurt tubs, etc.). If you have any, please drop them off in front of the
school.
Garden Happenings
- Our first recess garden club will be Friday, March 24.
- Garden workdays are coming soon. We have work to do on our new solar powered iirrigation system, building beds, and preparing soil for planting.
- Teachers will soon be able to start seeds with students in the classroom.
- Get involved!
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1v59A8uxEAGIqrDs4wdTccXv7Sj6Dap84QF8UcctUB_c/edit
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.
LAST CALL FOR WESO PARTICIPANTS!
We are currently looking to fill the following spots:
Map Reading (Practices Mondays 6:30-7:30 at Dicken)
- 1 third grader
Feathered Friends (Practices Tuesdays 3:48-5:00 at Dicken)
- 1 third grader
- 2 fifth graders
iCompute (Practices Wednesdays 5-6 at Dicken)
- 1 fourth grader
OnTarget (Practices Wednesdays 3:48-5:00 at Dicken)
- 1 fourth grader
Pentathlon (Practices Thursdays 3:48-5:00 at Dicken)
- 1 fourth grader
Aerodynamics (Practices Thursdays 3:48-5:00 at Dicken)
- 1 fourth grader
- 2 fifth graders
Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah (Practices Mondays 5-6 at Dicken)
- 2 fifth graders
Write it Build it (Practices Thursdays 3:48-5:00 at Dicken)
- 2 fifth graders
We also have alternate spots left on most teams if your student is interested in trying out WESO, but not committing to the competition. If your student is interested, please contact Colleen Diedrich at clmaloney3@gmail.com or via text (207-240-5542).
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.
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.
March is Reading Month!
Read-a-thon Fundraiser
Like in the fall with the Dash, the fundraiser will be on the 99Pledges online platform.
We have raised over $4,500 toward our goal of $15,000 and still have 2 weeks to go!! Every class has participated and Mrs. Kairys' class is leading, with 35% participation and raised $675 so far.
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.
Spirit Days:
We will have reading-themed spirit days every Friday in March leading up to Spring Break!
- 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: Join us Saturday, March 11 at Schuler Books!
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.
Dicken teachers & staff will be doing a read aloud at Schulers on Saturday, March 11:
- 1:00pm-1:20pm - Lynne McHale
- 1:30-1:50pm - Jessica Posey
- 2:00pm-2:20pm - Jennifer Brogno
- 2:30pm-2:50pm - Caitlin Concannon
- 3:00pm-3:20pm - Stephanie Harris
- 3:30pm-3:50pm - Heather Halabu
- 4:00-4:20pm - Celia Gargaro
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.
- Skit-Scat Raggedy cat : : Ella Fitzgerald
- Mary Walker Wears the Pants : : the True Story of the Doctor, Reformer, and Civil War Hero
- Red Bird Sings : : the Story of Zitkala-S̈a, Native American Author, Musician, and Activist
Learn more about Women’s History through children’s books.