Dicken Family Newsletter
10.12.23
Principal's Corner
Upcoming Dates
Friday, October 13 - Monday, October 16 - No School, Fall Break
Friday, October 27 - Pumpkin Patch
Tuesday, October 31 - 9:30 All School Halloween Parade
Tuesday, October 31 - 1:00 Early Release Day
Appreciation
Many thanks to Stephen and Kathleen Weinberg for leading Running Club this fall and another successful annual Dicken 5K. We so appreciate all of their energy, positivity and dedication that our entire community benefits from!
The Character Effect
This week classrooms focused on "Mindfulness". This was introduced to classes during the second week of school and this week the students took a deeper dive. Below are some ideas for incorporating mindfulness and modeling positive self talk for our children.
EduStaff Substitute Teacher Positions
As we are headed into the Winter season, which also may be known as cold/flu/COVID season, the Ann Arbor Public Schools (AAPS) is looking for substitute teachers and paraeducators to support our classrooms. If you are a passionate person who enjoys connection with students EduStaff is looking for you. Substitute positions are necessary and meaningful work that enriches the lives of students in our community. If you, your family or friends are interested in making an impact, we encourage you to support the AAPS team as a substitute teacher or paraeducator. Start your application at https://www.edustaff.org/
Noon Hour Supervisors
We are still looking to hire Noon Hour Supervisors! This is a great way to support our school and be part of the community. This position is an hourly pay from 11:00 - 1:30 daily. If you are interested, please apply here. Look for Job #15299.
If you are not interested in working lunch daily, we can always use more parent volunteers. Please fill out the Parent Volunteer Form and email our noon hour coordinator, Jean Kim, if you are interested: kimhy@aaps.k12.mi.us
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All the Best,
Heather
Fall Family Day—Hands-On History: Ancient Technologies, Modern Discoveries
Join the Kelsey Museum of Archeology for our fall Family Day, on Sunday, October 22, 2023, from 12 to 3 PM, as we explore the theme of “Archaeology and Technology” in honor of International Archaeology Day!
PTO News
Message from the PTO President
What a great week for Dicken students! We started off with the first assembly of the year on Monday morning with the Black and Brown Theatre's production of Juan Bobo! I hope your students enjoyed it as much as so mine did!
Today, the Y5 and Kindergarten classes took a field trip to DeBuck's family farm and corn maze where they spent the morning exploring the corn maze, taking wagon rides, playing on giant slides and other festive attractions! The trip was capped off with cider and donuts when they returned to school.
Both the assembly and the field trips were paid for with funds raised by the PTO, and are examples of how we spend the money raised throughout the year to enrich the experience of our Dicken students.
We will be voting on and approving our annual budget at next week's PTO meeting and welcome feedback from the community. Please take a look at this year's proposed budget here and send any feedback or questions to dickenptotreasurer@gmail.com or Dickenptopresident@gmail.com.
Have a great long weekend!
Have a wonderful weekend!
—Hallie Jewell, Dicken PTO President
Want to connect with other parents and caregivers outside of school?
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
All PTO Meetings take place on the third Thursday of each month from 7 - 8:30 pm via Zoom.
All Dicken community members are welcome to attend PTO meetings - please email dickenptopresident@gmail.com for the Zoom link!
Thursday, October 19
Thursday, November 16
Thursday, December 21
Thursday, January 18
Thursday, February 15
Thursday, March 21
Thursday, April 18
Thursday, May 16
Thursday, June 20
To see all Dicken school & PTO events in one place, click here for our PTO Google Calendar.
Another helpful link: the AAPS School Calendar.
Please Add Your Contact Info to the Dicken Directory!
Dicken Pumpkin Patch - Friday, October 27 - Rain or Shine!
Each student will receive an envelope next week containing even more event details (peek the event invite here), ten free tickets and a ticket pre-order form (which can also be downloaded here).
You can expect a variety of favorite activities from years past as well as some fun new surprises. To participate in the pumpkin carving contest, bring your homemade creation to the front steps of the school between 3:45pm and 5:00pm on Friday, October 27th. Please place it on a piece of paper with your contact information or use another method to ensure we can identify your pumpkin’s owner.
The Runnymede loop and lot will be closed directly after school is dismissed on Friday, October 27th. During the event, everyone will have access to indoor bathrooms and water fountains. Food trucks will be on site if you want to purchase dinner but feel free to bring a picnic from home.
To help make this year’s Pumpkin Patch extra special, you can volunteer your time on the Sign Up Genius form here.
Thanks for a Successful Dicken Dash!
The Dicken Dash was a huge success! We crushed our running and fundraising goals! Stay tuned for a full Dash recap next week.
Mabel's Labels Fundraiser!
Support our Fundraiser - Dicken Elementary PTO
Buy Mabel's Labels waterproof, durable labels to help reduce classroom mix-ups and keep your items coming home!
Use code: BTS10 for 10% off your purchase
Search Dicken Elementary PTO (Ann Arbor) on the Mabel's Labels website for a portion of your purchase to go directly toward our school!