Dryden Community Schools

Dear Cardinal Families,

This unusually glorious late February and early March weather has the plants in my flowerbeds confused, but each day brings us closer to our actual Spring Break from March 25-April 1. I only hope the true spring weather holds on until then!

Spring also means we are wrapping up the third quarter (which ends on March 22) and are looking for a strong finish to this school year. Staff and students have been working diligently to master concepts and succeed academically. If you have concerns about your student's progress, please visit with teachers at Parent-Teacher Conferences on Thursday, March 7.

Planning ahead? The Dryden Community Schools 2024-2025 Academic Calendar has been approved and can be found at the bottom of this newsletter.

As always, know we are here for you. Please let us know if we can help in any way.

Yours in Education,

Mary Finnigan

Superintendent

Stay updated on our progress with funds from the bond passed in May 2023 by using this checklist! We appreciate your continued support of our students, our schools, and our community.

Dear Cardinal Families,

The countdown to Spring is on! It is the time for renewal, regrowth, rejuvenation, and hope. As we head into the homestretch of the school year, here’s a little glimpse of some things you can expect:

March is Reading Month. All students BK - 6th grade have received a copy of The Terrible Two by Jory John and Mac Barnett so they may participate in our school wide book club- One School, One Book. With their book, they received an information packet detailing the activities for the month including a Build Your Own Cow project. We encourage all families to partner with us and share in the excitement. We hope to see everyone at Family Literacy Night and Kindergarten and Preschool Round Up on March 14th from 5-7 PM. A special thank you to Mrs. Knox, Mrs. Roys, and Mrs. White for their vision and leadership.

April will bring Math Month, Science Day, M-STEP, and Fire Prevention Week. All students BK-6th grade will participate in math activities which include estimation stations, dress up days, and math buddies. Thank you to Mr. Roys for organizing our Math Month activities. Science Day will be April 19th. Mrs. Birkett has lots of exciting science activities planned for our students to experience. As a reminder, all students in grades 3 - 6 will participate in M-STEP testing. Teachers and students have been working all year to prepare for this. More information on M-STEP testing is coming soon. Members of our very own Dryden Township Fire Department will be in to talk with students about fire prevention the week of April 22nd.

May and June will be here before we know it and bring the end of the 2023 - 2024 school year. Kindergarten students are invited to walk with a senior in the Memorial Day Parade on May 27th- one of our sweetest traditions. Field Day and Recognition Night is June 5th. Kindergarten Graduation is scheduled for the evening of June 6th. Sixth Grade Graduation and our last day (half day) of school is June 7th. Cardinal Camp begins on June 11th- look for more details in the near future.

We appreciate your partnership and support and are looking forward to a beautiful Spring. As always, please reach out if you have a question or concern; we are here to help.

Sincerely,

Stacey Abromaitis

Principal

Dryden Elementary

This January kicked off Dryden Elementary's inaugural Chess Club. Over the last couple of months, 20 students in 3rd through 6th grades have met in Mr. Capelli's room after school on Wednesdays. Club members have learned the basics of Chess as well as advanced strategies and game variations. The club format follows the Chess Wizards system for developing skills. The first 8-week session will wrap up before Spring Break with a tournament that will follow official rules. Another 8-week session will begin after Spring Break. The feedback has been tremendous, and the kids have really enjoyed the chance to play in an organized setting!

Dear #proudcardinal Families and Students,

Every school year seems to fly by more and more quickly, and this one is no exception. The third marking period will end on Friday, March 22, and after Spring Break (March 25-April 1), we'll begin the last quarter of the school year.

Before the 2023-2024 school year is complete, the following events (and more!) are on our calendar:

• March 16: Easter Egg Hunt, 11:00 a.m., Dryden High School Gym
• March 17: Winter Music Showcase, 3:00 p.m., Dryden High School Gym
• March 18: Red Cross Blood Drive, Dryden High School Multi-Purpose Room
• April 27: Fine Arts Festival, Dryden High School
• May 1: College Decision Day, Dryden High School Commons Area
• May 6-8: Toronto Trip
• May 11: Junior/Senior Prom, Castle Creek Golf Club, Lum
• May 22: Class of 2024 Awards Night, 6:30 p.m., Dryden High School Gym
• May 23: Class of 2024 Commencement, 6:00 p.m., Dryden High School Gym
• May 29: Grades 9-11 Awards Ceremony, 11:15 a.m., Dryden High School Gym
• May 29: Junior High Awards Ceremony, 1:30 p.m., Dryden High School Gym
• June 5, 6, and 7: Exams (Half Day for 7-12 students)

Parent-teacher conferences will be on Thursday, March 7 from 5:00-8:00 p.m.; please take this opportunity to meet with teachers and monitor your student's academic progress. There will be an Early College & Dual Enrollment Meeting at 7:00 pm on March 7 as well. Students and their families in grades 8-11 are invited to attend and learn about the fantastic opportunity to earn college credits and get a jump on a post-secondary education.

Please reach out if we can help in any way.

Sincerely,

Mary Finnigan

Dryden High School Principal

State testing, which includes the M-STEP, PSAT 8/9, PSAT 10, and Michigan Merit Exam (MME), is currently scheduled to begin the week of April 7.

The testing schedule will be shared with parents prior to Spring Break.

Kimberly Fleming

Counselor

Dryden Junior/Senior High School

In education, dual enrollment (DE) involves students being enrolled in two separate, academically related institutions. Generally, it refers to high school students taking college courses. The state of Michigan allows students in grades 9 through 12 to enroll in post-secondary courses. Students can take up to 10 college courses while in high school. Contact Mrs. Fleming for additional information, if interested (kfleming@drydenschools.org).

Students enrolled in the Dryden Early College Academy have the opportunity to continue their education at one of six post-secondary institutions: Baker College, Ferris State University, Oakland University, Macomb Community College, Mott Community College, or the University of Michigan-Flint.

At this time, we are offering the choice of fully in-person or fully online learning for students in grades 7-12 at Dryden High School. Families interested in the fully online Dryden Virtual Academy should contact the office at (810)796-2266.

Our Winter Sports Season is coming to a close. For those that are not able to attend any events in person, watch your Cardinals on the NFHS Network. (https://www.nfhsnetwork.com/)

The MHSAA State Tournaments have started. The Bowling Regional took place on February 23rd and 24th. Our Girls team finished 2nd on Friday and Lily Finnigan finished 2nd on Saturday qualifying for states at Northway Lanes in Muskegon. The team had a high game of 729 and Lily finished with a 1017. Great job this season!

The Boys Basketball team won the NCTL Championship this year! Their District took place at Waterford Our Lady of the Lakes. Our Cardinals lost a tough game on Wednesday, 2/29 to Everest Collegiate. Congratulations this season and we look forward to next season!

The Girls Basketball District begins this week at Oakland Christian. Our Lady Cardinals will play on Wednesday, 3/6, against Oakland Christian at 7 p.m. The District FInal will be held on Friday, March 8th at 7 p.m.

All tickets for the State Tournament will be pre-sale ONLY through GoFan with no tickets available at the door. Please follow the link to purchase your tickets. (https://gofan.co/app/school/MI9945)

All HIGH SCHOOL spring sports will start on March 11!

The following sports are available this spring:

• Baseball (High School & Junior High)
• Golf
• Girls Soccer (co-op w/Imlay City)
• Softball
• Track & Field (High School & Junior High)

Our JUNIOR HIGH spring sports will start after break on Tuesday, April 2nd.

For any student who wants to participate in our Spring Sports Season, please make sure you have either a current physical. This can be picked up in the office or found at the following links.

Physical - https://www.mhsaa.com/portals/0/Documents/health%20safety/physical2page.pdf

The schedule can be found on our school website or at this link:

https://www.drydenschools.org/page/athletics

Thank you for your continued support, and we look forward to seeing you outside!

As always, Go Cardinals!

Ms. Loraine Brinker

Assistant Principal/Athletic Director

#PROUDCardinal!

March 11

April 8

May 13

June 10

All meetings begin at 7:00 p.m., will be held in the Dryden High School Library, and are open to the public.

Email: MFinnigan@drydenschools.org
Website: www.drydenschools.org
Location: 3866 Rochester Road, Dryden, MI, USA
Phone: 8107962266
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/drydencommunityschools