News and events
January 2024
Upcoming Dates
Wednesday, January 3: Students return from winter break
Monday, January 8: PTO Meeting
Monday, January 15: No school, Holiday
Friday, January 19: Book Swap
Thursday, February 8: Conferences
Monday, February 12: Conferences
Tuesday, February 13: Conferences
A message from the principal
Happy 2024!
I hope everyone had a wonderful and restful winter break. We are excited to welcome our students back into the building and are looking forward to some special things we have planned for the coming weeks.
January’s school wide focus is perseverance. Students are learning that perseverance is “pushing yourself through challenges and obstacles.”
Families can learn more about how to support conversations about perseverance with these resources:
Kindergarten Family Connection
Second Grade Family Connection
February Conferences
Save the date for conferences in February. More information will be coming soon. Watch for a special edition of the enews when conference sign-up is open.
Thursday, February 8
Monday, February 12
Tuesday, February 13
January Specialists Highlights
Art
Project Highlight: Third Grade Matisse Rooms
This trimester, third graders are studying the element of art pattern. They learned about French artist Henri Matisse, and studied the many still life paintings he created that featured patterns. They considered how the elements of art could make their artwork look more realistic (form, value, and shape) and created a space inspired by his painting titled Goldfish.
CORE
Students in grades 1 through 5 will begin the Scratch programming unit. We will build on what we learned last year. The students seemed to love coding and are excited to continue. Kindergarten will learn about e-resources and will complete a group research project. They will begin the Scratch coding unit in mid February.
Explorations
Kindergarten students will continue their Marble Run Engineer unit and figure out how to get marbles to go where you want. First graders will continue their study of animals and how they use their body parts. Second grade are wrapping up our materials unit and will complete an assessment to show what they know. We will then begin a new unit where students will learn about how the earth’s surface changes. The third graders will begin a new unit called Weather Warming HQ where they will study weather patterns and how they change during seasons. Fourth graders will wrap up their unit on Spatial Thinking by focusing on Origins of People in Minnesota. Fifth graders are wrapping up their explorer research project and will begin colonization after winter break.
Library
In December, all students in grades K-5 got to explore our various maker space stations. Ask your child which activity they liked best! In January, students in grades K-2 will continue reading our Star of the North nominee books together. Students in grades 3-5 will learn about the different genres of books and will be encouraged to try something new! We will also continue with our digital citizenship lessons. We will focus on how students can be safe, responsible, and respectful while playing or working online.
Music
The end of January will be a special time for Dayton Elementary second graders as we welcome our artist in residence, Mr. James Hersch. Mr. Hersch will be writing songs with each class that will then be performed in our concert on May 2nd. Welcome, Mr. Hersch!
PhyEd
January's focus in PE is on underhand roll and overhand/underhand throw. We will move into volley and dribble. We will practice skills and do activities that support such. Examples include bowling, partner pass, football throw, basketball, volleying, etc.
Dayton Elementary PTO
Goodbye 2023, and hello 2024…
Thank you to everyone who showed up at our Dayton Eagles Marketplace and Dessert Shoppe! This event is one of the biggest events to put on, and is definitely a student favorite! It was so much fun to watch each student shop for others. HUGE shout out to everyone who volunteered their time to help put on such a fun event. We cannot do things like this without you!
The Butter Braid results are in: Dayton Elementary students sold 837 Butter Braids during our fundraiser. This helped us earn $5,022.00 towards our annual PTO budget. Also, a big thank you to those who grabbed dinner and helped make our recent restaurant night fundraiser at Portillo's a success. Your fundraising efforts throughout the year allow us to give so much back to Dayton Elementary. We appreciate each and every one of you!
***The biggest fundraiser of the year is coming! Booster Fun Run Fundraiser kick-off date: Wednesday, February 21, 2024. More information will be sent home as we approach kick-off.***
2023/2024 Dayton PTO Meetings
1/8: 6:00 - 7:15 p.m.
2/12: 6:00 - 7:15 p.m.
No meeting in March
4/8: 6:00 - 7:15 p.m.
5/13: 6:00 - 7:15 p.m.
Childcare will be provided for school age children!
OPEN BOARD POSITIONS:
TREASURER
SECRETARY
EVENTS CO-CHAIR
Volunteer News
December PTO Meeting *Childcare Provided in the gym - Monday, January 8th, 6:00–7:15 p.m.
Enrichment programs
(provided by the Parent Involvement department of dist. #11)
In November we kicked off “K-Skill builders” which provides 10 minutes of 1:1 support with a trained volunteer. Skills include tracing letters, letter names & sounds, sorting and finding letters, reading aloud, counting, and building number recognition. The current volunteer is a retired school teacher herself who dedicates her Thursdays from 11:35 a.m. -1:25 p.m. We appreciate Mrs. L!
We are looking for more volunteers to provide this service to Kinders on the following days:
Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, or Friday 11:45 a.m -1:00 p.m. A weekly recurring volunteer is preferred. No experience necessary, training & materials are provided.
Challenge Reading
Do you enjoy a good book? Want to be a part of a book club?
If you answered yes, I encourage you to share your passion with like-minded children at Dayton Elementary. We are kicking off the “Challenge Reading” enrichment program for January - But we need your help. You choose a book from a pre-selected list of age-appropriate chapter books & lead discussion.
Groups meet either before school or after school 1x/week for 4-8 weeks.
If you would like more information please contact Christina Cagle (VSC) Christina.Cagle@ahschools.us or by phone at 763-506-2230
5th Grade Families - Registration for Middle School
The Jackson Middle School music department is excited to invite you to a free concert on January 10, 2024 at 7:00pm in the Jaguar Gym! All incoming 6th grade students are able to choose which music class they will take, and we want to give you the opportunity to hear and see our band, choir, and orchestra students perform. This should help you make an educated decision about which music class to take in 6th grade. The concert will last about 20 minutes and will be followed by a short meet and greet where you can ask questions and talk to some of the 8th grade music students and teachers. Families should park on the East Side of Jackson MS, and enter through Door 4. We hope to see you there!
Middle school registration information will be presented to all 5th graders during the school day on January 9 and January 11. Please keep an eye out for your student's registration worksheet, which should be completed and returned to their elementary school by January 19. If you have any questions about middle school classes, please contact the JMS counseling office at 763-506-5308. More information can also be found at the Jackson Middle School website (https://www.ahschools.us/domain/2501).
Book Swap
Once per month Dayton Elementary has a book swap.
This is a time to bring in a book or two to exchange for something new.
Who: Open to all students of Dayton Elementary
What: Bring in a gently used book or two to exchange for something new to read
When: Friday, Jan. 19, Feb. 16, March 8, April 12, May 31
Time: 9:15 - 9:30 a.m.
*Donations are always welcome, just drop off books in the front vestibule labeled for the book swap.
Parent Education and Family Engagement
Hello Dayton Elementary Families! My name is Stacy Handeland and I am the Parent and Family Educator for your school.
Parenting is not an easy job and we are here to support you. There are many resources through Anoka-Hennepin that address common parenting questions and concerns. Online recordings, Parenting tip sheets and one-on-one support is all available through our website: www.ahschools.us/prektograde3.
Please contact me anytime! stacy.handeland@ahschools.us
Absences and Late Arrivals
Parents and guardians can share online when their student is going to be absent or arriving late through the My Student Information app via A-HConnect or in the ParentVUE mobile app. You can still call the school absence line at 763-506-2206. Our attendance line is a 24-hour automated voice mail system; this is simply a convenient alternative. You only need to report an absence one way.
Report student absences daily prior to 10:00 a.m. to avoid receiving an unverified email and phone call. If no contact is made, the student absence will be considered unexcused.
Change in Dismissal
Call the main office at 763.506.2200 by 3:00 p.m.
Student Release from School
District guidelines require us to verify the ID of anyone picking up a student from school. Only parents or guardians are permitted to leave with students without verbal or written parent permission. It does not matter if they are an emergency contact.
Please call the school office at 763-506-2200 if someone else is picking up your child. All students leaving school during school hours will be signed out at the school office.
*We do not call children down for early dismissal until the parent/guardian arrives. Please plan accordingly for a little wait time.
Student Morning drop-off
Students may enter the building at 9:15 a.m., when the first bell rings. Please do not drop your child(ren) off at school before 9:15 a.m. There is no supervision if students arrive before 9:15 a.m. School begins promptly at 9:30 a.m.
Quick Information
763.506.2204
763.506.2213
763.506.2211
First Student Bus Co.
763.421.5785 First Student Champlin (regular routes to/from Dayton Elementary)
763.421.3199 First Student Anoka (students receiving special education transportation)
Please save these Bus Company numbers for use when the school office is closed. The bus company dispatch can locate and communicate with drivers on bus routes.
FirstView bus app
Anoka-Hennepin families have access to their students’ bus routes through the FirstView bus app. The app monitors regular school bus routes in real-time. And, it’s free for parents/guardians and students.
While Anoka-Hennepin buses have an excellent on-time performance record, inclement weather, traffic delays, and driver shortages may impact routes. The FirstView bus app provides bus arrival times, anticipated length of any delay, an estimated arrival time and if a substitute bus is being used on the route. Email, push and/or text notifications can inform families of such information instantly.
Go to ahschools.us/busapp to learn more or download FirstView from the Apple or Android app stores.
Dayton Elementary participates in the Box Tops for Education, so please scan your receipts. It helps raise money for our school! Click here to learn how.
This e-newsletter is published by Dayton Elementary School, supported by the Anoka-Hennepin communication and public relations department. Questions, comment or concerns about the school e-newsletter? Contact us.