Dicken Family Newsletter
10.14.22
Principal's Corner
Upcoming Dates
- Thursday, October 20 - Early Release Day, 1:18 Dismissal
- Friday, October 28 - Pumpkin Patch (5 - 7 pm)
- Monday, October 31 - Halloween Parade (1:45 pm)
- Monday, November 14 - Picture Re-Take Day
Lunch Hour Volunteers
We are still in need of a few more parent volunteers for lunch if you have interest in joining us once or twice a week. The days/time we are in most need are Mondays / Thursdays 11:30 - 12:20. Please reach out to Heather if you are interested.
Note from a Dicken Alumn
Greetings Dicken Elementary Community,
This month I will be leading an Eagle Scout Project in the Dicken PLANT garden. This project involves the installation of a new pollinator/butterfly garden. This project will provide an opportunity for students at Dicken Elementary School to use their own campus for outdoor learning around curriculum related to habitat and cycles of life. To learn more about my project and see pictures of my plans, you can visit this link.
I will need help funding this project. On Sunday, Oct 16 I am organizing a returnable cans/bottles drive. If you have returnable bottles/cans that you would like to donate to my fundraising effort, please complete this form. Additionally, direct donations of funds are also welcome- If you would like to donate money to the project, I can receive funds through my Troop. Paypal donations can be made to a2troop1@gmail.com (choose 'send to a friend' option). Please leave in the memo when donating "Lewis Eagle Scout" or checks can be mailed to 4224 Skyline Ct, Ann Arbor, MI 48103.
My fundraising goal of $1,700 for my Eagle Scout project supplies. Thank you for your support.
Sincerely,
Lewis Mascotto
Life Scout, Troop 1B, Ann Arbor
Washtenaw County CDC Covid Level
As of today, September 30, Washtenaw County is in the CDC MEDIUM/YELLOW Community Level.
The Ann Arbor Public Schools Fall 2022 Covid Guidance is available here. The Ann Arbor Public Schools will always remain a mask-friendly environment.
Fall 2022 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
Heather
PTO News
Message from the PTO President
I want to send a huge thank you to everyone who helped make our 10th annual(ish) Dicken Dash happen last week! It took lots of planning, plenty of volunteers that afternoon, a few hundred Dicken Dolphins, loads of area businesses, and all of you who donated and got donations from family and friends, and we had a wonderful event that raised lots of money for our school.
If you're interested in learning about how we use that money, keep an eye on this newsletter, but also feel free to join us at our monthly PTO board meetings. We have one this Thursday at 7pm via Zoom. In addition, lots of great information gets shared in our parent Facebook group before it hits this newsletter. And as always, don't hesitate to email me with any questions or ideas.
—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, October 20 - PTO Board Meeting, 6:30 - 8:00 pm (virtual via Zoom)
Thursday, November 17 - PTO Board Meeting, 6:30 - 8:00 pm (virtual via Zoom)
Thursday, December 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.
Girl Scouts at Dicken
Girl Scouts Heart of Michigan want to help Dicken girls in K through 3rd grade participate in a troop at Dicken! Please join us for an information meeting over Zoom on Wednesday, October 19, 2022 from 7 to 7:30pm. You can register for the event here or see the flyer below for details.
PTO Council Update
Next Monday, Oct 17th, the PTO Council is hosting a Meet the School Board Candidates Forum at 7pm on zoom.
You can find a link to join the meeting on October 17 (or view a recording once it is posted) here:
Pumpkin Patch
Mark your calendars! Our annual Pumpkin Patch event will take place on Friday, October 28th (5-7pm). Please join us for a fun evening of food, games, and prizes!
More event info & order forms will be coming home next week.
If you are interested in being the DJ or organizing the haunted house, please contact Libby (libbycrawforth@gmail.com).
Interested in general set up/booth running/clean up volunteering during the event?
Celebrating what makes us UNIQUE!
October is Disability Employment Awareness Month. As part of our focus on Disability PRIDE, we are sharing these stories of company practices that support workplaces where folks with disabilities can thrive.
- Best Buy supports employees who have autism and spectrum disorders (read more here)
- CVS Health offers the Abilities in Abundance Workforce Initiative (read more here)
- NASA provides internships for students with disabilities (read more here)
- The Employer Assistance and Resource Network on Disability Inclusion (EARN) has additional case studies describing programs and policies leading companies have implemented to ensure people with disabilities are successful in the workplace.
Dicken Dash Recap!
Dash Recap by the numbers: Way to Go Dicken Dashers! What an incredible event we had last Friday. Thank you to all the Students, Teachers, Parents, Families, Friends and Neighbors who all made the event an amazing success. We had a wonderful day of running and everyone agreed, the spirit of the event was an 11 out of 10. Go Dolphins! Total Laps Run: 1,293 - That’s 323.25 miles! Total Raised: Over $35,000!!!! That includes over $28,000 from Dicken families and community on the 99 Pledges platform and over $7,000 from community sponsors! Class with the highest amount of fundraising participation: Mrs. Brogno's Young 5 class had 100% participation! That's amazing!
The Dicken community is amazing and we cannot wait to make use of these funds to ensure our students and teachers have an incredible school year!
Thank you to all of our wonderful community sponsors who supported our fundraising efforts with the Dicken Dash this year:
Champion Sponsor
Green Tree Pediatric
Spirit Sponsors
Ann Arbor Remodeling
Blossom Dentistry & Orthodontics
Carlisle/Wortman Associates
Goethel Engelhardt PLLC
Metro Delivery
Midwest Graphics
Unwind Salon
Race Day Sponsors
Ann Arbor Animal Hospital
Ann Arbor Running Company
Bank of Ann Arbor
Christina Kim, Financial Advisor, Edward Jones Investment
Domino's
Main Street Optometry
McNamara Orthodontics
Varsity Ford
Dolphin Sponsors
Abby Rose Photo
Ann Arbor T-Shirt Company
Betsy Stover Realty
Fit Point Ann Arbor
Orthopedic Rehab Specialists
Play It Again Sports
Side Biscuit
Stieper & Brust Orthodontics
StudioStudio