The Weekly Update #1
August 5, 2024
Saturday, August 24, 2024
Week 4 Updates
PRINCIPAL's MESSAGE
Hello Dickson Families!
This week we had a great turn out at Back to School Night! It brought me joy to watch students lead their families to their classrooms to hear about all the learning they will participate in this year! Our teachers work hard to create a welcoming environment and develop lessons with their grade level teachers to ensure our students have the best instruction with differentiated opportunities for all students to succeed.
Students are expected to arrive to school well before the 7:50 a.m. bell. We will kindly be escorting students to the office for a late pass starting at 7:50 a.m. Students should arrive to school no later than 7:45 a.m. so they are with their class to start instruction at 7:50 a.m.
Breakfast with supervision is from 7:10-7:40 am. Walking club with supervision starts at 7:30 am every morning.
Friday we had our first Picnic Palooza! This was just one of many events to come this year. We look forward to creating events that give parents/guardians the opportunity to spend unique opportunities with their student on campus during school hours and other events that involve family, friends, and community outside of school hours.
Dickson was featured on the @chinovalleyusd instagram page:
I look forward to a great year of learning, growing, and fun for students, families, and staff!
Sincerely,
Renae McCain
Proud Principal at Dickson Elementary
Principal Renae McCain
Assistant Principal Joanne King
School Site Council
School Site Council is responsible for planning, monitoring, and reviewing the K-8 School Based Coordinated Program. Members of the School Site Council help review and analyze new curricula, school policies, budgets, and areas of school-wide effectiveness. Serving on the council is an interesting and rewarding way for you to participate in the education of our students.
We are looking for parents interested in serving as Dickson School Site Council members. The commitment is for a two-year term with mandatory training. If you are interested in becoming a member, please fill out the Google Form below no later than Friday, August 23, 2024. Please call the office if you have any questions for Mrs. McCain.
2024-2025 SSC Meetings
2:45-3:45 p.m. | Room 30
- 8/24/24 to 8/28/24 SSC Member Interest Submissions
- 8/29/24 to 9/2/24 SSC Member Voting
- 9/3/24 SSC Members Announced
- 10/1/24 SSC & Title I Training at Chino Valley Adult Center | 9:30- 11:30 am (Mandatory, but if you need another day/time please let Mrs. McCain know.)
- 11/5/24 SSC Meeting #1
- 2/11/25 SSC Meeting #2
- 3/11/25 SSC Meeting #3
- 4/22/25 SSC Meeting #4
- 5/22/25 SSC Meeting #5 to Review SPSA & Signatures
ENGLISH LEARNER ADVISORY COMMITTEE (ELAC)
Dickson English Learner Parent Information Night
When: Wednesday, August 28, 2024 | 5:30 pm - 6:30 pm
Where: Dickson Elementary - Room 30
What & Why:
Understand what ELD is and why your child is in the EL program
Understand what supports with receive daily
Understand the reclassification criteria
Discuss purpose and roles of ELAC & DELAC
Nominate 5 ELAC members and 1 DELAC representative
Know who to contact for support | Uniform Complaint Procedures (UPC)
Dickson 's English Learner Advisory Committee (ELAC) Interest
What is the English Learner Advisory Committee (ELAC)? ELAC has the ongoing responsibility to learn, discuss, and advise Dickson's School Site Council on ideas that would support English Learning students and our family community.
We are looking for 5 parents or community members who are interested in serving as members of the Dickson English Learner Advisory Committee. Serving on the committee is an interesting and rewarding way for you to participate in the education of our students and to advocate for English Learner needs. All Dickson families are welcome to attend any ELAC meetings and events, but we do need at least 5 elected members to participate on ELAC.
English Learner Advisory Committee - ELAC
4 Meeting Dates: TBD | Time: 8:00 9:00 a.m.
Where: Dickson Room 30 | Translation Available
Topics that will be covered: (Mrs. King & Mrs. McCain will provide all the training and support.)
Training and training materials to assist members in carrying out their responsibilities
Ways to make parents aware of the importance of regular school attendance
Advise the principal and staff in the development of a site plan for English Learners (submit to SSC) for consideration of inclusion in the School Plan for Student Achievement (SPSA)
Assist in the Development of a School-Wide Needs Assessment
Elect 1 DELAC Representative
Education Code 52176(b):
All schools with twenty-one (21) or more English Learner (EL) students, not including Reclassified Fluent English Proficient (RFEP) students, are required to establish an English Learner Advisory Committee (ELAC).
All parents with students attending the school in which the ELAC is established are eligible and should be encouraged to participate in the ELAC.
Spirit Wear Winners from Week 3
Primary Grade Winners
Upper Grade Winners
Spirit Wear Order Forms are Located in the Office
Attendance | Grade Level WINNERS from Week 3
Classes that beat the 96.5% goal each week will have the opportunity to choose an items from a prize cart or earn a treat!
Students that have perfect attendance for the week are put into a raffle for an additional prize! Winners are announced during Monday Morning assemblies.
We had two grade levels last week that beat our attendance goal of 96.5%, but the following classes beat the goal as a class:
Lira (97.77%), Ollano (98.18%), Veenstra (96.52%)
Biddle (98.46%), Kertesz (99.27%), Alvo (97.97%), McConnell (97.79%)
Reminders and TIPS
TIPS:
Have students put out their clothes, backpacks, and lunches out each night ready for the morning. If all school items are prepared the night before it makes the morning so much smoother so all students arrive on time. If students arrive after the 7:50 a.m. bell, an adult is expected to sign their child in. Any student that arrives after the 7:50 a.m. bell will be marked tardy by either the teacher or the office no matter what door/gate they enter. We welcome students with open arms no matter what time they arrive, but we want to ensure they have every minute of instruction!
REMINDERS:
- Breakfast is available from 7:10 - 7:40 every morning. If a bus is late, breakfast is still available to the students that rode the bus that day.
- Food sharing is not allowed for multiple reasons, but most importantly for safety, including allergies. Sending healthy snacks and food helps student focus and have optimal performance.
- All devices: (cell phones, smart watches, iPads..) must be off and out of sight while on school campus. If your child needs to contact you, they can ask their teacher or the office for assistance. If you need to contact your child, you may leave a message in the office and it will be provided during a break.
- Dress Code: The weather is very warm, so please review our dress code policy to be sure your child is wearing approved school appropriate clothing. (Frequent topics: Clothing is expected to covered shoulders to mid-thigh with no skin or undergarments showing. Shoes must be worn with back straps on at all times. Make-up is not allowed.)
- Lost & Found: Please write your child's name on everything they bring to school. Their lunch pails, water bottles, jackets, sweaters, etc... Many items get misplaced and staff has to put unlabeled items in the lost and found, often going unclaimed.
UPCOMING EVENTS
AUGUST
August: PTA Membership Drive
August 26: Music Begins
August 28: GATE Parent Night | 5:00 - 5:30 p.m.
August 28: English Learners Parent Information Night | 5:30 - 6:30 p.m. | Translation available
SEPTEMBER
September: PTA Membership Drive
September 2: NO SCHOOL | Labor Day
September 4: Monthly Awards (UPDATED TIMES)
- TK & K at 8:10-8:40 am
- 1st & 2nd at 8:45-9:15 am
- 3rd & 4th at 9:25-9:55 am
- 5th & 6th at 10:00-10:30 am
September 4: PTA Wetzel Pretzel & Urban Tacos Fundraiser Night | 5:00 - 7:00 p.m.
September 6: PTA Grandparents Day Celebration | 6:30 - 7:30 a.m.
September 11: Patriot Day | School still in session | Flag at Half-Staff
September 11: PTA Meeting | 2:30 - 3:30 p.m.
September 11: PTA Andy's Dine-In Night (tentative)
September 16: Mrs. McCain off campus for a meeting | 8:00 a.m. - 11:00 a.m.
September 16: Mrs. McCain off campus for a meeting | 1:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m.
September 23 - 27: MINIMUM DAYS for PARENT TEACHER CONFERENCES | By appointment
September 24: Lockdown Drill | 8:30 - 8:45 a.m.
September 24: District Suicide Prevention Awareness Forum | 6:30 - 7:30 p.m. | Chino Hills High School
September 26: Make-up Day for FALL PICTURES | Dress your best!
September 27: Mrs. McCain off campus for a meeting | 8:00 a.m. - 9:00 a.m.
September 27: Rock Your School (Details to come)
September 28: SATURDAY SCHOOL by Invitation
September 30: Mrs. King off campus for a meeting | 9 a.m. - 11 a.m.
September 30: PTA - Membership Drive Competition Ends (winning class announced on Oct 4th)
OCTOBER
October 2: PTA Baskin Robbins Fundraiser Night | 5:00 - 7:00 p.m.
October 4: Membership Day! Announce Winning Classes!
October 18: TRUNK-OR-TREAT | 5:00 - 7:00 p.m.
October 28 - 31: Red Ribbon Week
October 31: MINIMUM DAY
October 31: Literacy Parade
AERIES PARENT PORTAL
DIRECTIONS for CREATING AN AERIES PARENT PORTAL:
It's much easier now to create an Aeries account! All parents need to create the account once you are registered. Instructions to create a Parent Portal on Aeries.
Click Here to login to your Aeries Portal Account
Click HERE for How to Reset Your Password for your Aeries Student or Parent Portal account
With your Aeries Parent Portal account you can view your child's information, including their grades and attendance.
Parent Square is connected to the Aeries Parent Portal and all school related message can be found through Parent Square.
If you need any assistance, you can stop by the office for help. We recommend calling for an appointment to have a guaranteed time for 1:1 support.
Drop Off & Pick Up Procedures
Welcome to Dickson Elementary! We are happy you are with us. The attached documents will give you the basics for dropping off and picking up your student(s). If you have any other questions, feel free to give us a call in the office.
As we support our students in safely getting to and from their vehicles, we extend our heartfelt gratitude to all families and friends for driving safely and respectfully. A special thank you goes to those who pull all the way up along the curb past the blue lines, allowing us to fit more cars and ensuring students can exit and/or enter their vehicle safely past the crosswalk. We also appreciate the adults that park in visitor parking and fully accompany their children across the parking lot crosswalk, helping them reach the cafeteria sidewalk securely. Thank you for your cooperation and commitment to safety!
Please review the arrival and dismissal map and follow the posted signs. Share the expectations with anyone that will be picking up your child from school.
- At all schools, finding places to stop and pick up your child can be inconvenient and frustrating, but our number #1 goal is to keep our students and families safe. Most of the time traffic is flowing easily before 7:45 am and also within 10 minutes after the dismissal bell.
- The best place to pick up your child is to walk to/from your house, park and walk up to the arrival/dismissal area, or drive through the drop-off/pick-up line.
- Please DO NOT stop and park in the middle of any street, at red or yellow curbs along the street, in the parking lot, or in the carpool loop.
- Please be respectful of our neighbors, keeping their mailboxes and driveways accessible.
- Please cross the street at the stop sign with the crossing guard. We have a crossing guard at the stop sign to help keep students and our community safe.
- DO NOT cross in front of traffic and especially do not call your child to run across the street in front of traffic.
*Please notice the updated parking spots are painted to designate staff and visitors now. Please refrain from parking in or blocking staff spots to ensure their ability to park for the day.
¡Bienvenidos a la Primaria Dickson! Estamos felices de que estés con nosotros. Los documentos adjunto le dará los conceptos básicos para dejar y recoger a su(s) estudiante(s). Si tiene alguna otra pregunta, no dude en llamarnos a la oficina.
ATTENDANCE
Attend Today, Achieve Tomorrow
Attendance in school leads to better performance for children when they are adults. As such, CVUSD has a new attendance challenge for the 2024-25 school year. They are challenging schools to attain a 96.5% attendance rate. The school with the highest attendance rate in each feeder group will be awarded a huge trophy at the end of the trimester and earn a school-wide pizza party at the end of the year. Let's work together to earn the trophy and pizza!
School starts every day at 7:50 a.m. To ensure our students make it to class on time, we offer breakfast and supervision beginning at 7:10 a.m. Between 7:10 and 7:40, traffic is very light.
Please make illness the only reason for an absence. When your child misses school, they miss out on important instruction, and it takes a while for them to get caught up. Last year, Dickson's attendance rate was only 93%. Our district and school goal is to meet the 96.5% attendance rate.
This year we will be having weekly grade level and classroom attendance competitions.
Students with absences and tardies will be asked to attend scheduled Saturday School.
Let's work together to make attendance a priority! Please let us know how we can provide support if you are having any difficulties.
PBIS at Dickson
Our schoolwide expectations are:
Be Respectful
Be Responsible
Be Safe
Behavior Discipline Flow Chart
We also work on our character. We follow the pillars of Character Counts.
We invite our parents/guardians to support the learning of character by discussing the following:
Respect - Follow the "Golden Rule": Treat others like the way you would like to be treated.
Responsibility - We take responsibility for our actions.
Trustworthiness - Be a person others can trust. We follow through our promises.
Fairness - We can think of others when making decisions. Treat others with fairness.
Caring - Care for others, and not just about ourselves.
Citizenship - We do the right thing, and follow the rules/expectations. We get involved in our community.
MTSS | MTSS-A (Academic Support) | MTSS-B (Behavior Support)
At Dickson, our students benefit from Tier 1, Tier 2, and Tier 3 support.
MTSS-A | Academic Support
Mr. Monaghan, Dickson's Intervention Teacher, works with small groups of students to provide Tier 2 academic support with curriculum and programs focused on supporting our student's academic foundational skills. Speak to your child's teacher about academic concerns and to schedule a parent teacher conference.
MTSS-B | Behavior Support
Mrs. Ayala, Dickson's Counselor, works with small groups of students to provide Tier 2 and Tier 3 counseling with a curriculum focused on supporting our students' social-emotional health. You can request support if you have concerns regarding your child's social-emotional health.
Request For Support
Click on the picture to access the online Parent Request for Support form.
As of 8/23/24 we have received 14 requests for support for the 2024-25 school year:
8 for social emotional support
2 for academic support
4 for both social emotional and academic support
CHARACTER OF THE MONTH
August/September: Respect
October/November: Responsibility
December/January: Caring
February/March: Trustworthiness
April/May: Citizenship
SPOTLIGHT OF THE WEEK
STUDENT | Kaylee
Shoutout to Kaylee for coming to school every day with a smile on her face! At Back to School Night we wanted a special picture with Mrs. Castro!
STAFF | Mr. Monaghan
Mr. Monaghan has truly been a superhero in the early weeks of school. While assisting classes with diagnostic assessments to help determine intervention groups, he also regularly engages with students during recess and lunch. His above and beyond contributions recently include repairing the health office cart, supporting families during Meet Your Teacher Night, the first day of school, Back to School Night, and Picnic Palooza. We are incredibly fortunate to have Mr. M’s unwavering dedication at Dickson Elementary!
COMMUNITY | Cross Guard
Our School Crossing guards show up rain or shine to keep our students safe when crossing the street. It is a thankless job much of the time but I would like to challenge our community to roll down their window or when walking by to saying like THANK YOU FOR KEEPING OUR KIDS SAFE. I would like to encourage our students to say good morning and good afternoon to make sure our school cross guard feels valued by our school and community.
Meet your 2024-25 PTA Board
Anyone can join PTA at any time! There is no mandatory commitment, participate any way that you are able. Please contact a PTA Board Member or the school office for more information.
Wednesday, PTA Snack Cart
The PTA volunteers generously give their time selling snacks after school on Wednesdays. All proceeds go directly back to our students.
- All students are expected to wait respectfully in line.
- Only students with money may stand in line for a snack. All students without money must exit campus to wait for their ride home.
- Families may not park or wait on the drive through curb for their child to get a snack. Please find a place to park so you do not hold up traffic for families that need to pick up and leave.
- Bus riders MUST go straight to the bus. The bus is on a schedule and is not allowed to wait. We give reminders that all Bus riders must go straight to the bus.
- SOAR students are required to check in with SOAR immediately after school. Soar staff members will walk students with money over to the PTA snack cart.
PTA MEMBERSHIP DRIVE
August 1st - September 30th
PTA Membership Drive is open now and the class competition ends on September 30th. The class with the highest percentage of PTA memberships will win an Ice Cream Party! Any class with 100% PTA memberships will get an Ice Cream Party and their teacher will get a $25 gift card. Winners will be announced on October 4th.
PTA Birthday Marquee
Let's celebrate upcoming birthdays!
SPIRIT WEAR
We wear our Dickson Spirit Wear every Friday! Classes with the highest participation win a prize.
Spirit Wear must be official Dickson Spirit Wear or a full red shirt to count toward the participation.
sʜᴏᴡ ʏᴏᴜʀ ᴅɪᴄᴋsᴏɴ sᴘɪʀɪᴛ ғʀɪᴅᴀʏ ʙʏ ᴡᴇᴀʀɪɴɢ ʏᴏᴜʀ ᴅɪᴄᴋsᴏɴ sʜɪʀᴛ ᴏʀ ᴛʜᴇ ᴄᴏʟᴏʀ ʀᴇᴅ!
ᴅᴏɴ’ᴛ ʜᴀᴠᴇ ᴀ ᴅɪᴄᴋsᴏɴ sʜɪʀᴛ ʏᴇᴛ?
ᴅᴏɴ’ᴛ ᴡᴏʀʀʏ, sᴀʟᴇs ᴀʀᴇ ɴᴏᴡ ᴏᴘᴇɴ!
ғɪʟʟ ᴏᴜᴛ ʏᴏᴜʀ ᴏʀᴅᴇʀ ғᴏʀᴍ ɪɴ ᴛʜᴇ ᴏғғɪᴄᴇ ᴀɴᴅ ᴡᴇ ᴄᴀɴ ɢᴇᴛ sᴘɪʀɪᴛ ᴡᴇᴀʀ ᴅᴇʟɪᴠᴇʀᴇᴅ ᴛᴏ ʏᴏᴜʀ ᴄʜɪʟᴅ’s ᴄʟᴀss ᴀsᴀᴘ! ʀᴇᴍᴇᴍʙᴇʀ ᴄᴀsʜ ᴏɴʟʏ!
*************
¡ʀᴇᴄᴜᴇʀᴅᴀ ᴍᴏsᴛʀᴀʀ ᴛᴜ ᴅɪᴄᴋsᴏɴ sᴘɪʀɪᴛ ᴍᴀɴ̃ᴀɴᴀ ʏ ᴛᴏᴅᴏs ʟᴏs ᴠɪᴇʀɴᴇs ᴜsᴀɴᴅᴏ ᴛᴜ ᴄᴀᴍɪsᴀ ᴅɪᴄᴋsᴏɴ ᴏ ᴇʟ ᴄᴏʟᴏʀ ʀᴏᴊᴏ!
¿ᴛᴏᴅᴀᴠɪ́ᴀ ɴᴏ ᴛɪᴇɴᴇs ᴜɴᴀ ᴄᴀᴍɪsᴀ ᴅᴇ ᴅɪᴄᴋsᴏɴ?
ɴᴏ ᴛᴇ ᴘʀᴇᴏᴄᴜᴘᴇs, ¡ʟᴀs ᴠᴇɴᴛᴀs ʏᴀ ᴇsᴛᴀ́ɴ ᴀʙɪᴇʀᴛᴀs!
¡ʟʟᴇɴᴇ sᴜ ғᴏʀᴍᴜʟᴀʀɪᴏ ᴅᴇ ᴘᴇᴅɪᴅᴏ ᴇɴ ʟᴀ ᴏғɪᴄɪɴᴀ ʏ ᴘᴏᴅᴇᴍᴏs ʀᴇᴄɪʙɪʀ ʀᴏᴘᴀ ᴅᴇ ᴇsᴘɪ́ʀɪᴛᴜ ᴇɴ ʟᴀ ᴄʟᴀsᴇ ᴅᴇ sᴜ ʜɪᴊᴏ ʟᴏ ᴀɴᴛᴇs ᴘᴏsɪʙʟᴇ! ¡ʀᴇᴄᴜᴇʀᴅᴀ sᴏʟᴏ ᴇɴ ᴇғᴇᴄᴛɪᴠᴏ!
@DICKSONSTARSPTA on INSTAGRAM
Feel free to follow PTA on Instagram.
Most current information will be on the Dickson Website or available by calling the office.
6th Grade Activities
6th grade are selling Smencils for $2 before school again starting around 7:20 am until 7:40 am. They are fundraising to reduce the costs of 6th grade activities.
We will send out a reminder when their order arrives to start selling.
Dickson is Hiring Two Playground Supervisors
Dickson is hiring two Playground Supervisors for an 1 1/2 hours a day.
The hours on Mon, Tues, Thurs, and Fri.: 11:15 a.m. - 12:15 p.m.
The hours on Wednesday and every minimum day: 9:50 a.m. - 11:20 a.m.
Please look for the position to fly on EdJoin and apply as soon as it opens. If you have any questions you can ask Mrs. McCain or Mrs. King.
View the position and apply here on EdJoin: Playground Supervisor - Doris Dickson Elementary School - CL24-25-084-I; CL24-25-098-I | Playground Supervisor Job Description
Dickson is Hiring a Dance Teacher
Dickson and Briggs K-8 are hiring a Dance Teacher.
Dickson on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Fridays and at Briggs on Wednesday and Thursdays.
Please look for the position to fly on EdJoin and apply as soon as it opens. If you have any questions you can ask Mrs. McCain or Mrs. King.
View the position and apply here on EdJoin: Dance Teacher - Doris Dickson Elementary School & Lyle S. Briggs Fundamental - 2024/2025 School Year
Doris Dickson Elementary School
Principal: Renae McCain
Email: renae_mccain@chino.k12.ca.us
Assistant Principal: Joanne King
Email: joanne_king@chino.k12.ca.us
Website: https://www.chino.k12.ca.us/Dickson
Location: 3930 Pamela Drive | Chino, CA 91710
Phone Number: (909) 591-2653
School Hours: Bell Schedule | Spanish Bell Schedule