Friday, November 20, 2015

Attitude of Gratitude

With Thanksgiving right around the corner, I am feeling very thankful for the "attitude of gratitude" that is part of our school culture on Thanksgiving and every day.

Our Student Council dubbed today Tie Dye Day! 
I am thankful for the fun-loving school spirit of our students and staff at Dryden.

I am thankful for the safety patrols who continue to be positive role models for our students and help everyone to be safe. 

I am thankful for our LMC Director, Mrs. O'Kelly, and Dryden PTA for bringing author/illustrator Ethan Long to Dryden this past Thursday. 

I am thankful for author/illustrator Ethan Long sharing his artistic talents and thought processes behind the entertaining books he creates.

 I am thankful for our School Resource Officer for helping to keep our community safe and for teaching us safety tips for when we are around strangers, and how to get help when we experience bully behavior. 

I am thankful for Mayor Hayes' visit to Dryden to teach our students about local government and all the different aspects of his important job. 

I am thankful for our art teacher, Mrs. Fuglestad, and all the students who worked together to create this beautiful Lego mural. This mural reminds us that Dryden is a place where caring, respect, trustworthiness, citizenship, responsibility and fairness are at the heart of all we do at school. 

I am thankful for our climbing wall at Dryden! One of my goals is to climb all the way across the wall without falling. It's humbling to see the young children so quickly amble their way across. For me, it takes careful motor-planning, as my coordination and agility is not up to their level. This is a big challenge for me! Yet, the encouragement, high-fives and hugs from the children keep me motivated. I'm constantly learning from our students and am always so inspired by them. Each week, I get a little stronger, and a little closer to reaching my goal. 

Truly, I am so thankful for EVERY student, staff member and parent of Dryden. Each person makes our school feel like a community, a team, a family where caring, fun and learning thrive. 
Happy Thanksgiving!












Friday, November 13, 2015

Honoring our Veterans

Veterans Day at Dryden was a very special day to remember, honor and thank those who have served in the military. Students, staff and families came together to thank our local veterans for keeping us safe and protecting our freedom.



The morning began with a special breakfast for the veterans and their families. A special assembly followed. The Girl and Cub Scouts led a formal opening flag ceremony and led the school in the Pledge of Allegiance.  




It was an honor to have over 40 Veterans come to our school. Their service in the military spanned over 70 years, from the early 1940’s to the present. Dryden students and staff introduced the special guests they brought to school so that we all could learn a little about each veteran’s role.



Being in school on this national holiday gave us a valuable opportunity to learn about Veterans Day and pay tribute to all that Veterans have done for us. Miss Wilson and students created a lovely video that captured how our students were able to learn about Veterans Day and share their appreciation as we prepared for this special day.


As we learned about Veterans Day at Dryden, each grade prepared something special to express their appreciation. Kindergarten and first grade students decorated placemats. Second and third grade students created banners. Fourth grade students painted the seals of each military branch: army, navy, air force, marines and coast guard. Fifth grade students wrote and illustrated a special poem, which was printed on a special bookmark and placed in goody bags that they made.



At Dryden, we often wrap up our assemblies by singing a song. For this assembly our music teacher, Mr. Deptula, led us all in singing “This Land is Your Land”. This song really helped us appreciate that we get to live, work and play in a such a beautiful country where we have the freedom to share, explore and enjoy all that life has to offer.


The assembly ended with a closing flag ceremony and a mini-parade in the hallway.


After the assembly, many veterans visited classrooms for interviews and opportunities for students to share their appreciation.


It was a very meaningful day for all! There are many people to thank for making Veterans Day special at Dryden:
  • The Dryden Staff Veterans Day Committee
  • The Dryden PTA
  • The Girl and Cub Scouts of Dryden Elementary School
  • All Dryden Staff and Students
  • All of our VETERANS and their Families



Friday, November 6, 2015

T.H.I.N.K.

It looks like Echo, our dolphin mascot, wants us to "T.H.I.N.K." and demonstrate good digital citizenship at Dryden! 



This is the poster that Echo is holding along with a giant iPad. Before using the Internet, we constantly encourage our students to "THINK" using the acronym above. 

There are many technological tools and resources available that enhance our learning in so many wonderful ways. We have access to a wealth of information in multimedia formats. There are unlimited opportunities for creative expression, communication and collaboration with people all over the world. 


It's important for our children to make safe, responsible and caring choices in all aspects of their lives, including when using the Internet.  


We thank our Technology Facilitator, Mrs. Breaux, for her leadership in ensuring good digital citizenship at Dryden!