News and events
April 2, 2024
Upcoming Dates
Monday, April 8: PTO meeting
Friday, April 12: Book Swap
Tuesday, April 16: MCA's begin (see schedule below)
Thursday, April 25: Kindergarten Welcome night
Friday, May 10: Dayton Olympics: K-2 morning, 3-5 afternoon (more info to come)
A message from the principal
Greetings Families,
Recently, our students had a great time celebrating our second trimester of learning. Thank you to all our volunteers for helping make these parties and celebrations a success!
It’s hard to believe we only have one trimester left of the 2024-25 school year. We are committed to working hard to ensure our students progress as far as they can this school year. We appreciate all your continued partnership in helping with this, as we know spring can be a busy season in school and outside of school.
During the month of April our students are learning about courage. Character Strong defines courage as “choosing what is helpful, right and kind even when it’s hard or scary.” Learn more about how to support conversations about courage in your home with these resources.
Kindergarten Family Connection
Second Grade Family Connection
Fourth Grade Family Connection
Let’s make it a great month at Dayton!
Jessica Wippler
Minnesota Comprehensive Assessments (MCAs): Grade 3, 4 and 5
Each year students in public schools across the state take the Minnesota Comprehensive Assessments (MCA). Students in grades 3, 4, and 5 will take the MCA in reading and mathematics online. Students in grade 5 will also take an online science test.
The MCA Reading test will be given in school on April 16-17.
The MCA Math test will be given in school on April 23-24.
The fifth grade MCA science test will be given in school on April 30-May 1.
Testing tips
Please make sure your child is in school for these tests as good attendance is a key factor for overall student success. In addition, here are some test-taking tips to keep in mind:
Be sure your child gets plenty of rest (this is important all the time, but especially for test days).
Eat healthy, balanced meals, and have a good breakfast on test day.
Remind your children not to get discouraged if they don’t know an answer.
Students are reminded that a suggested strategy is to select the best choice at that time and go back to review questions at the end of the testing section.
Student Placement forms for 24-25
Every spring, we begin to develop our class lists for next year's classes. Our goal, as always, is to create balanced classes that work well for all students, teachers, and families. If you feel that you have information we should know about your child to help support our placement process, please complete a student placement form no later than May 3rd. This form is available upon request from our school office. Returned forms will be reviewed by school staff and considered in the placement process.
Dayton Elementary Yearbooks
We are excited to share all the fun activities from our 23-24 school year in our Dayton Elementary school yearbook! Look for more information coming soon on the sale of these yearbooks!
April Specialists Highlights
Art
The Northtown Art Show dates have changed–please plan to view the displays from April 2nd-April 11th at the Northtown Mall. The art show will be set up outside of the indoor entrance to the Becker Furniture outlet. If your student has had art selected to be displayed, notifications have been sent out, and they will have their work returned to them after the show concludes. I am so proud of the hard work that has been put into these artworks!
CORE
Kindergarten students are wrapping up their mini unit on coding using
Scratch Jr. and will begin a research project using Pebble Go and Seesaw.
First graders are wrapping up their research report and will return to Scratch coding for several weeks. 2-5 are working on finishing Scratch projects, after which they will begin a “putting it together” unit where they will use all the skills we learned in Core this year.
Explorations
Kindergarteners are enjoying their new unit on weather! During the month of April, they will focus on building an umbrella that will keep them safe from the Sun’s rays. First graders are starting their new unit, Shadow Town, where they will begin learning about what shadows are and how they are made. 2nd graders will be starting a life science unit called A Garden for Life, which includes ecosystems. We look forward to this new unit. Third graders are getting into their Biodome unit, where they will investigate if plants and animals inherit traits from their parents. Our Fourth graders continue their Geographic Investigations unit and will be learning about Human Impact on our Environment and Urban Farming!
Library
The students are loving the makerspace activities this month! We’ve seen some great creativity, collaboration, problem solving, and fun! Students in grades K-2 voted for their favorite nominee for the Star of the North book award that will be announced during the month of April. Our school's winner was Knight Owl by Christopher Denise! Students in grades 3-5 voted for their favorite Maud Hart Lovelace nominated book, and our winner was….Winterborne Home for Vengeance and Valor by James Ponti! The official state winner will be announced in April. In addition, students in grades 3-5 can choose to participate in a March Madness Tournament of Books that will wrap up in early April. Each week, our favorite books will advance to the next round, based on student votes! April is National Poetry Month, so students in all grades will learn something new about poetry. We will also continue lessons in digital citizenship and begin focusing on research resources.
PhyEd
Please remember gym shoes!
We will be working on long handle implements (hockey skills), nutrition, and short handled implements (paddles).
Dayton Elementary PTO
HELLO SPRING…
Thank you to everyone who grabbed Chipotle during our Restaurant night! Proceeds from our fundraisers help make a positive impact on our students and staff at Dayton Elementary, and we cannot do it without you all. Also, a huge shout out to all the parents who helped out in the rooms for the end of TRI parties.
Your PTO is currently working on the last school event before summer! If you have any ideas you would like to contribute, you’re invited to attend our next meeting on April 8. 6:00pm-7:15pm. Childcare is provided for school age children.
We only have two more PTO meetings before the end of the school year! We will be discussing a few different topics. One of the topics being discussed is next year's board positions. So if you’re the one in the friend group that fills out every page in your child’s baby book, the person who documents everything to a “T”, then the Secretary position would be perfect for you! Extra credit if you can follow what’s on T.V. and play candy crush at the same time.
Perhaps you like to put the FUN- in fundraising? Maybe planning events, and watching them come to life brings you joy and fills your cup? We have positions open fundraising and event co-chairs! We will have big plans to raise money for our school, and we need someone who likes to count every penny to help us do it. If you secretly love to categorize expenses and create color-coded pie charts, then our treasurer position could be right for you!
2023/2024 Dayton PTO Meetings
No meeting in March
4/8: 6:00 - 7:15 p.m.
5/13: 6:00 - 7:15 p.m.
(Childcare provided for school age children)
Thank you to those volunteers who helped us this past month with the following activities:
Fun Run
Spring Picture Day
Trimester Parties
We couldn’t do all this without your help!
I am looking for volunteers to help with MCA testing. Testing will take place in the mornings of April 16th, 17th, 23rd and 30th as well as May 1st. Volunteers will monitor the hallways to make sure they are quiet and possibly escort students to and from the restroom during testing. This is a great volunteer opportunity where you can sit and read while you are helping! Shift times are 1-1.25 hours in length. To see what dates and times are still available, please click on the link below:
Dayton Elementary MCA Volunteers
Please watch for more information coming soon about the Dayton Olympics in May!
As always if you have any questions, please feel free to contact me at cindy.dockendorf@ahschools.us or 763-506-6030.
Cindy Dockendorf
"Be Delighted, Be Inspired, Be a Dayton Eagle Volunteer!"
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, April 12, and 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
With warmer weather, kids want to spend more time outside. Whether your child is wanting to ride their bike, go on walks or play with friends, it is important to remind them about safety rules. It is also important as a caregiver to scaffold how to take calculated and informed risks. This includes trying the monkey bars on the playground, looking both ways when crossing the street or learning a new skill that scares them. Here are some strategies and ideas to support your child's risk taking and safety development.
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.
Hello, Dayton Elementary Families! My name is Stacy Handeland, and I am the Parent and Family Educator for your school. Please contact me anytime! stacy.handeland@ahschools.us
Student Arrival
Students may enter the building at 9:15 a.m., when the first bell rings. Please do not drop your child(ren) off before 9:15 a.m. There is no supervision if students arrive before 9:15 a.m. Class begins at 9:30 a.m.
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 messages. If no contact is made, the student absence will be considered unexcused.
Picking up a student early?
Only parents or guardians are permitted to leave early with students without verbal or written parent permission. It does not matter if they are an emergency contact. A valid photo ID must be presented when students are released from school.
Please call the school office at 763-506-2200 if someone else is picking up your child.
Students will not be called down prior to your arrival. Please allow enough time, as sometimes students are not in their classrooms and need to be located. Daily schedule linked here.
Early pickups should happen prior to 3:30 p.m., as the end of the day is very busy in the classroom and office.
Change in Dismissal
Call the office at 763.506.2200 by 3:00 p.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.