DHES News and Notes
April 29, 2022
Educating every child for confidence today and contribution tomorrow.
A Message From the Principal
DHES Families,
It is that time of year where we begin making plans for the next school year. If your child(ren) will not be returning to the Dieringer School District next fall, please be sure to let us know so we can help with your transition to a new school system. It is also time to register for kindergarten. If you have a child who will be 5 by August 31, be sure to let us know as soon as possible so we can include them in our kindergarten planning and the events and activities that occur between now and school starting next year. In addition, we want to know about families who are moving into the district or transferring from another school. If you know anyone who is moving in or planning to return, encourage them to contact us as well.
Our 4th and 5th grade students begin their Smarter Balanced assessments next week! On testing days, it's especially important to make sure that your child gets a good night's sleep and starts the day with a healthy breakfast. If your child has their Chromebook at home, make sure it is charged and ready to go. Encourage your students to do their best, but not be stressed. We are proud of all of our students!
May 4th is the next spirit day: Star Wars Day (May the Fourth be with you). Kids and staff can dress in their best Star Wars gear. We just ask that light sabers and ray guns, even when set to stun :), not attend with the student.
The final nomination window for identification of Highly Capable students opens on June 1 and closes on June 10th. See below for details.
Have a wonderful evening and weekend!
Sincerely,
Kevin Anderson, Principal
DHES
State Assessment Schedule for 4th and 5th Grade
DHES students in 4th and 5th grade will take the Smarter Balanced ELA and Math assessments in May, and 5th graders will also take the Washington Comprehensive Assessment of Science. Please review this letter for more information. Specific dates for each grade are linked in the letter and also available in this newsletter. Please try to plan any appointments around those days, and have your child in school unless they are truly sick.
Calendar of Upcoming Events
May 3 5th Grade ELA SBA
May 4 Vision and Hearing Screening
May 5 4th Grade ELA SBA
May 6 Child Find 12-3PM
May 9 5th Grade ELA SBA
May 10 5th Grade ELA SBA
May 11 4th Grade ELA SBA
May 12 4th Grade ELA SBA
May 13 Tacoma Rainier Game First Pitch @7:05PM
May 17 5th Grade Science WCAS
May 19 5th Grade Math SBA
May 23 Unity Day
May 24 5th Grade Math SBA
May 25 4th Grade Math SBA
May 26 4th Grade Math SBA
Vision and Hearing Screening
We are happy to announce that we are once again able to conduct vision and hearing screening which is planned for Wednesday, May 4th at Dieringer Heights Elementary! This is a screening and does not take the place of a professional vision or hearing examination. Please call your student’s school if you have any questions.
Highly Capable Assessment Window
There will be one more Highly Capable assessment opportunity this spring. The nomination window will be open from June 1st - June 10th.The links for parents are on the district website and will "go live" during the open window. All forms are completed electronically.
Will Your Child Turn 5 by August 31?
A child who will be five years old on or before August 31 is eligible to enroll in kindergarten for the next school year.
Enrollment for the 2022-23 school year is now open. Click on this link to access registration information.
Updates to Covid Communication
Since updated Department of Health guidance no longer requires contact tracing, we will send out a letter via email when students shared a space with someone who is Covid positive and may have been exposed. This will, in most cases, be a classroom space. See the link below for an example of the notification letter:
Updated Department of Health Covid Information
How to Order Your Free Covid Test
Did you know that you can order free Covid home tests from the federal government and from Washington State? Here are the websites to order free tests for your family:
Federal Government: https://www.covidtests.gov/
Washington State: https://sayyescovidhometest.org/
Covid Testing for Students with Symptoms-Updated
We can accept either a negative PCR test or negative antigen/home test for students with symptoms. If your child has just one of the following symptoms which resolves within 24 hours (stuffy nose, runny nose, headache, fatigue, sore throat, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea) your child may return to school without a test. However if your student’s single symptom lasts >24 hours, they have two or more of these symptoms, or one of the following symptoms (fever of 100.4 or greater, chills, shortness of breath/difficulty breathing, muscle or body aches, new loss of taste or smell, cough), they will need a negative Covid test to return to school, and symptoms must have significantly improved (including no fever for 24 hours without taking fever-reducing medication). Please call the school and email a copy of your student’s negative test results to your school’s nurse or health technician. (Your child may not need testing if symptoms are from a documented, chronic health condition. Please check with your school’s nurse or health technician).
*If your student has tested positive for Covid in the past 90 days, please use the rapid antigen test option, as a PCR test may show positive for up to three months.
If your student develops any of the above symptoms while at school, rapid antigen testing may be available. A parent will be notified first, and a Test to Stay/Testing Permission form must be completed. If the test is negative, students are still required to go home and may return when symptoms have significantly Improved and no fever for 24 hours without taking fever reducing medication, per Department of Health guidance.
May Menus
Substitute Teachers and Paras Needed
Call Jade Hughes (253-862-2537) or stop by the District Office for more information. Applications can be found on our website under Employment!
**If you have a 4 year degree, you are eligible to be a substitute teacher!
Need Tech Support?
Remember to:
- Make sure to shutdown and restart your device nightly
- Keep your device charged nightly
- Keep your device and charger cord stored in a safe place
Check out our Parent & Student Tech Help Website to access several how-to help guides for the programs we use.
Contact Us
Website: https://dhes.dieringer.wednet.edu/
Location: Dieringer Heights Elementary, 34th Street East, Lake Tapps, WA, USA
Phone: 253-826-4937
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/dhescougs
Twitter: @dhescougs