The Splash
February 7, 2022
Happy Super Bowl Sunday! Happy Valentine's Day! We hope you are enjoying the Super Bowl festivities! We're looking forward to celebrating Valentine's Day and expressing our appreciation for our classmates and teachers at Dryden. We also look forward to reviewing student progress and learning goals for the remainder of the school year during Parent Teacher Conferences this Thursday and Friday.
THANK YOU for your continued patience, support and understanding last week as we tried our best to quickly adjust and help our students adjust to changes last week. The Dryden Staff continues to go above and beyond in their efforts to foster a positive and caring learning community. Parents and staff are such important models for our students. The respect and empathy our students demonstrate towards one another at school are a reflection of the words and actions they see and hear from the adults in their lives. We appreciate the time you take to talk with your children at home to instill a sense of care and kindness towards others.
Here's to another great Dolphin week!
Sincerely,
Akemi Sessler & Cara Giacomin-Ferris
February
14 - Classroom Valentine Parties
14 - 18 - PTA Book Fair
16 - Random Acts of Kindness Day
17 & 18 - Parent Teacher Conferences, No School for Students
21 - 25 - Love for Lurie, Fifth Service Project
21 - One Book One School begins
24 - Board of Education Meeting, 7:00pm
25 - End of 2nd Trimester
Thank You, PTA, for an AWESOME Assembly!
The positive and uplifting messages from Gincy Hartin in his "It's Cool To Be Kind" assembly were a wonderful way to wrap up our week at Dryden this past Friday. We sang, we danced, and students shared their hopes and wishes for a kind and caring community where all are welcome and appreciated. As Gincy reminded us, "It's important to be kind because you never really know what someone may be going through on the inside." We thank the PTA for bringing Gincy to Dryden!
School Spirit Days
We are excited to share some upcoming school spirit days with you. Please mark your calendars:
Wednesday, February 16 - Random Acts of Kindness Day
Rainbows are a symbol of kindness so Dolphins are invited to wear rainbow colors, your favorite bright color or shirts with “Be Kind” messages.
February 28 - March 4 - Read Across America Week
Monday, February 28 - Reading is better with a friend! Bring a stuffed reading buddy to read with to school.
Tuesday, March 1 - Reading Gives You Superpowers! Wear your superhero shirt, cape or outfit
Wednesday, March 2 - Read to Succeed! Dress up as your future self. What do you want to be when you grow up?
Thursday, March 3 - Fan Favorite! Dress up as a book character.
Friday, March 4 - Snuggle up with a good book! Wear your pajamas and share your favorite bedtime book.
Friday, March 21 - Beach Day
We’ll celebrate the beginning of spring break at school by wearing sunhats, sunglasses and tropical colors and patterns.
One Book One School, February 21 - March 18
We are excited to announce our One Book, One School Event: Cleo Edison Oliver, Playground Millionaire by Sundee Frasier! Cleo is an authentic and current story of family, entrepreneurship, and fun, with an engaging heroine you will never forget.
Thanks to a generous grant from the ABC25 Foundation written by LMC Director Beth Kovacic, every Dryden family will receive a copy of this book to read together at home between February 21 and March 18. Books will be distributed to youngest and only students from each family on Wednesday, February 16. The reading schedule will be included with the book. It can also be found at DrydenLMC.weebly.com on the Cleo tab. Additionally, you can find ideas for home discussion and activities, and the welcome video created by the author, Sundee Frasier especially for Dryden on the Cleo tab. Everyone at school – teachers, staff and administrators will be reading and following along together with you – and we will explore the book in school with discussions and grade level activities related to the story. A live, virtual author visit with Sundee Frazier during the school will culminate our reading adventure. We look forward to the connection the One Book One School experience will bring to our whole school community!
Illinois 5Essentials Survey | Now Open!
Student Survey (Grades 4 - 8 only)
The Illinois 5Essentials Survey will be administered to 4th and 5th grade students at Dryden between February 21 and March 10. For a copy of the questions, click here. If you do not want your child to participate, fill out the information at the bottom of this form (linked here) and have your child return this sheet to their teacher.
Parent Survey
It’s that time of year again and we want your input! Please participate in the Illinois 5Essentials Parent Survey, as a part of the Illinois 5Essentials Survey administration. The survey responses will never be connected to the identity of you or your child as school reports will only present aggregated information of how parents responded as a whole. In order for the survey report to be generated we need at least 20 percent of our parents to take the survey. Please CLICK HERE to take the parent survey. It is open now through March 11.
If you have any questions about the survey, please contact 5Essentials Customer Support at 1-866-440-1874 or 5essentials@uchicago.edu.
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!
Summer U 2022
June 8-July 1, 2022 at South Middle School *Dates subject to change pending review of winter weather emergency days. Registration will begin on March 7, 2022 at 9am and end on April 29, 2022. Please visit www.sd25.org/summeru for a full list of courses and times. If you have any questions about Summer U, please email summeru@sd25.org for assistance.
Kindergarten & New Student Registration
Please note: Registration for current Dryden students will begin in the spring. You will receive an email in late spring with a registration link. There is nothing you need to do at this time.
PTA Book Fair Returns to the LMC this Week!
Students will browse and shop with their classes February 14 - 16. The LMC will be open during Parent-Teacher Conferences on February 17 and 18. Parents and students are encouraged to stop by and enter for a chance to win a $50 giveaway from the PTA! You can also shop online anytime. Books will be delivered to the school. (Be sure to add books to your cart and fill out the required fields at checkout, including School Name, City, Student Name and Teacher Name.) There are still some volunteer slots available. To volunteer, click here: https://signup.com/go/vBTPSBs.
Finally, you can also help the teachers stock their classroom libraries at the following link or by purchasing in person at the book fair: https://www.abcfairs.com/dryden-elementary-school-wish-list
Contact Alina Laurie with any questions (alinalaurie@gmail.com)
5th Grade Service Project: Love for Lurie, February 21 - 25
This year's 5th Grade Service Project is called LOVE for LURIE. The 5th graders are helping the Dryden community send our love and care to the children at Lurie’s Clinical Research Unit. CRU is a specialized department where kids work with researchers to find new and better medical treatments. Please join us in supporting these brave kids by sending new art/craft supplies, books, games, stuffies or toys to Dryden the week of February 21-25. We will collect all items and bring them to the kids at CRU to let them know we are thinking of them and sending love their way!
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.