Herman E. Dummer Newsletter
May 2024
A Message from our Principal, Mrs. Ford
We are almost to the finish line! It has been a long and weary race but we have persevered. Thank you for your patience, understanding, grit and kindness as we moved along step by step and all too often, minute by minute. The thing with races though is that once you cross that finish line, you begin again. What race will be next and how will we make sure to keep going and finish that one as well? Some races are longer, harder and more painful. Some may be enjoyable, while others are more like sprints and over before we know whether we want them to be or not. We are constantly crossing one finish line to begin again. Each finish line represents a timeline in our lives that makes us who we are and creates the story we pass down through generations. Make your story count. Have fun in the race. Learn something from that time. Help others in the process. Life is just one big race that is meant to be lived, loved, enjoyed and shared. It doesn’t matter who comes in first or last. It matters who you meet along the way, having a positive outlook, lending a hand to others, and that you finish. Thanks for sharing this adventure with us because it is also a part of our journey that we couldn’t have, and wouldn’t have, wanted to do without you!
Student Placement
Please know your child’s educational experience is of utmost importance to us and we take it very seriously. Over the past few years there has been an increase in parent/guardian requests for student placement. Students are placed in classes by a combination of well studied and thought out processes. Classroom placement will be based on the following criteria:
1) Performance Assessments
2) Learning Style
3) Teacher (s) Input
4) Academic Performance
5) Male/Female Balance
6) Social Balance
7) Teacher Compatibility
8) Students Compatibility
9) Special Program Schedules
10) Physical Handicaps
11) Student Personality and Emotional needs
We appreciate your understanding of this matter. Together, as a team, we can accomplish much!
Nurse's Notes
Medication:
Any medication not picked up by the last day of school will be discarded. Medication must be picked up by a parent or guardian. Students will not be allowed to take it home.
Miss Cameron ~ Reading Specialist
How Do I Help My Child Read?
What are some ways parents and guardians can initiate, develop and encourage a love of reading?
You may think you are not qualified to teach your child to read, but you absolutely can support their reading at home. There are some easy, no cost and extremely effective practices that will not only improve your child’s reading and comprehension, but help improve their health as well.
Research has shown that as little as six minutes of being immersed in a book causes your heart rate to slow, your blood pressure to lower and your muscles to relax. Thirty minutes of reading a day can dramatically impact physical symptoms related to stress.
In addition to the physical benefits, reading improves critical thinking and vocabulary knowledge.
Students who read just 20 minutes per day tend to score significantly higher on standardized tests of reading. Not a bad deal.
Listed below are some ideas to help set students, and adults, on the path to falling in love with reading.
Let them read aloud to you. It doesn’t matter if you think the book is too easy. The goal here is for their reading to sound like talking.
Explore different genres. Historical non-fiction, poetry or plays may not seem your child’s cup of tea, but trying a genre different from what your child usually prefers can open doors to exciting new interests.
Make reading part of your regular routine. It may be difficult at first for some to incorporate a regular reading time in the day’s busy schedule, but sooner than you think, reading will become a welcome habit.
Create a “new word” space. Building your child’s vocabulary is a positive step in helping them grow as a reader. Discussing the meaning(s) of new words helps a child to not only improve reading ability, but writing ability as well. Making a space to display new vocabulary with meaning (often multiple meanings) makes it easier to incorporate those words into daily conversation.
Casually discuss what your child is reading. An excellent way to improve comprehension and summarizing skills is to casually talk about what your child has read. Ask what your child thought of something that happened in the story. Predict what will happen next. Have them tell you which characters they do or don’t like and why. Have them share with you connections they make with settings, characters and events from the text. Turning book talk into something informal and personal will help them view reading as fun instead of work.
Graphic novels and comic books are still valuable reading! Many children embrace the idea of comic book style text. That’s alright. It’s still reading and what happens in the text can still be discussed just as effectively as a chapter book or other more traditional texts. The illustrations abundant in these reading materials also offer support. They assist the reader as they practice putting a “movie in their mind”.
Read what your child is reading. When your child sees you are reading the same books as them, it creates a special bond. This can lead to some very insightful discussions. It also informs you about the variety of subject matter available to them. There are some amazing books out there at every grade level.
View reading as something you “get to do” and not something you “have to do”. Attitude is a powerful thing and children are amazingly perceptive. Reading should be something both you and your child look forward to…not something you consider a chore. How you view reading will greatly influence how your child views reading.
These are only a small sample of ways to inspire and encourage your child to grow as a reader. Explore other options, or sit down with your child and talk over what motivates them to read and develop your own list.
Monthly Music Notes
This month in music class has been a busy one. Fourth and Fifth grade students had their spring concert on the 11th with the theme of Creature Feature. Both grades did a fantastic job! Directly after the concert, fourth grade students learned about the instruments offered in fifth grade band. They were able to hold each instrument and see how each one works. Additionally, students tried to produce sounds on each instrument by using the school’s mouthpiece test kits. Fifth grade is halfway through a keyboard karate unit which allows students to work at their own pace. There are nine songs in this unit. Students have learned “Mary had a Little Lamb,” “Hop Old Squirrel,” and “Claire de Lune,” just to name a few.
Fifth grade band students had their final concert on Thursday, May 2 and did a fantastic job! Summer music opportunities will take place during the month of June. Papers with signup information will be distributed next week.
PE Notes
During the month of April, we finished up our hockey unit and had a special dance instructor (Mrs. VanDevelde) come and shake things up during class. The students had a blast learning new dances and learning new ways to get exercise.
The school year is coming to an end and that means it's time to prepare for Track and Field day! The dates for this event are May 20th and May 22nd. The students are looking forward to this end-of year event! Most of April and all of May they will be taught about each event that is going to happen for Track and Field day.
Club Challenge
Thank You Volunteers
Dummer staff would like to thank all the volunteers who helped make our year run smoothly. A huge thank you goes out to all the parents/guardians and community members who came in to work with our students, sent needed items for various activities, and/or shared their special interests. Thank you to our Dummer Parent Group who provided fun activities for our students and took care of our staff. Thank you to the subs who filled in when our staff were ill or had other obligations. Last but not least, thank you to all our parents/guardians for working together to help mold our future generation. What a great team we had!
Open House on May 28th from 4-5:30. Come help us celebrate!
Always Looking for Great Ideas & Help
If you or someone has a great idea for our school, such as something you would love to partner with us on, teach, showcase, or whatever it may be, we would love to hear it! Also, there are many opportunities to come and help in our school. We would love to see parents, community members, and families be a part of our every day process. You are all a part of our team and we would LOVE to have you! No teaching experience needed, we promise. :) Please see the link below:
4th Grade Students of the Month ~ March 2024
Back row: Angelo Smith, Jase Lindstrom, Charlotte Pender, Anthony Kramer, Lily Greene
Front row: Ainsley Pennington, Riley Thomas & Odessa Swanson
5th Grade Students of the Month ~ March 2024
Back row: Tanner Behringer, Isaac Sanchez, Mason Russell, Jayleen Ortega, Kayla Kalina
Front row: James Shelton, Alydia Henderson, Abbi Farley & Morgan Hagerty
March Character Counts
Addison Grey & Griffin O'Neil
May Breakfast & Lunch Menu
Important Dates:
5/1: 5th grade DARE Celebration
5/1: 4th grade Walking Club 3-4
5/1: Parent Group Meeting
5/2: 4th Grade to Adams Family Farm
5/2: Homework Club 3-4
5/2: 5/6 Grade Band/Choir Concert 6 pm @ the HS
5/2: Movie Night @ the HS
5/6: Staff Appreciation Week
5/6: FB/Saebrs Testing Starts
5/6: 5th Grade Walking Club 3-4
5/7: FB/Saebrs Testing
5/7: Art Club 3-4
5/7: Club Challenge 3-4
5/8: FB/Saebrs Testing
5/8: 4th Grade Walking Club 3-4
5/9: FB/Saebrs Testing
5/9: Homework Club 3-4
5/9: Art Club 3-4
5/10: FB/Saebrs Testing
5/13: WWW visit to Dummer
5/15: Senior Walk
5/16: PV visit to Dummer
5/16: Homework Club 3-4
5/16: Mentoring
5/16: Ben Sondgeroth Presentation
5/17: Data Day
5/19: H.S Graduation
5/20: 5th Track and Field Day
5/22: 4th Track and Field Day
5/22: Staff Recognition Dinner
5/23: SMS Graduation
5/27: No School
5/28: Lori Prucha's retirement celebration 4-5:30