Dicken Family Newsletter

Dear Families,

Happy New Year!! Here's to a fantastic 2024!

Upcoming Dates

• Monday, January 15 - No School - MLK Jr. Day

• Tuesday, January 30 - Winter Walk! (Inclement Weather Back Up Date: Thursday, February 1)
  

• Wednesday, January 31 - Early Release, 1:00 Dismissal

Appreciation

Many thanks to Abby Rosenbaum for launching our after school "Green Team" as well as our noon hour composting program. Abby has dedicated so much time and passion to these efforts and our student helpers are equally excited about the impact they are making! Thank you, Abby!!

AAPS Enrollment for 2024-25 Open

Enrollment for the 2024-25 school year opened on Monday, January 8th. The first application window for AAPS In-District Transfer and the ONLY application window for the Community High Lottery and Ann Arbor Open Lottery is Monday, January 8, 2024, to Wednesday, February 14, 2024. This first AAPS In-District Transfer Window only applies to those seeking a placement other than their geographically assigned school for the fall of 2024 at the following levels: Young-Fives, Grades 9 & 10, and Grade 11 for IB. Enrollment is open for new families to apply to their neighborhood school for next year as well. More information about enrollment can be found here.

***If you have a child who will be enrolling in our Young 5s program, please apply during this enrollment period. Spaces can fill up quickly. This includes families who live in Dicken’s attendance area. You MUST apply during this window as well. More information on Young 5s and Kindergarten can be found here.

The Character Effect

This week classes learned all about "Curiosity". See below for an at-home idea.

~~~

All the Best,

Heather

Message from the PTO President

Happy Friday Dolphins,

Happy New Year! What a great way to kick off the new year on Monday night with our National Championship winning University of Michigan football team! Go Blue! I hope all your Dolphins enjoyed cheering on the Wolverines this season. There is a parade tomorrow afternoon through campus at 4pm if you would like to participate in the festivities. Fans should plan to line South University Drive outside the President’s House west to the Student Union and south down State Street to Schembechler Hall.

With the new year, there are also lots of exciting things happening at Dicken in the coming weeks. Today, Mrs. Posey's class held their annual MLK Jr. Day Play - congrats to all of the 2nd graders who worked so hard to have a wonderful performance! The Winter Walk is also just a couple weeks away, so make sure the evening of January 30th is on your calendar!

Here are a few ways that the Dicken PTO has used the funds we've raised this year to help our school this week:

• We refreshed the teacher supply closet by purchasing tissues and Clorox wipes.
• We purchased healthy snacks for the office for students who need a snack during the day and also the staff lounge so that our Dicken teachers and staff have enough caffeine and snacks to get through the day!
  
  

If you have any questions about these initiatives or have ideas for other funding opportunities please do not hesitate to reach out!

Have a great long weekend and we will see you on Tuesday,

Hallie

—Hallie Jewell, Dicken PTO President

dickenptopresident@gmail.com

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

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.

Click here for the Zoom link.

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.

With over 30 trillion cells in the human body, there are more cells inside you right now than there are stars in the Milky Way galaxy. You may be standing still, but inside your body—your cells are moving.

Join us for an interactive day to learn how cells move—on the inside. Meet U-M scientists and learn about their research. Can you move like a cell does? What do trains have to do with cellular locomotion? Learn what makes up a protein, get crafty with origami, and attend a screening of “Movement under the Microscope,” a cell-ebratory performance featuring U-M students.

Made possible with support from the National Science Foundation.

Appropriate for ages 5 through adult.

The 2023 - 2024 Dicken Directory is here!

Cleaning this winter break? SAVE your books for Spring Dicken Used Book Swap/Sale. More information to come after break, but please keep any great reads to share. Both children and adult books will be welcome!

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!