Inspired by Awesomeness

Dryden's 5th Grade Service Project is underway! The fifth grade students were inspired by reading the book Wonder by R.J. Polacio, and now they are having a fundraiser to send a child and their family to the Childrens' Craniofacial Association's Starfish Camp Retreat and Educational Symposium. With the help of PTA and their teachers, the fifth grade students have been involved with every aspect of this service project. We are so proud of their efforts!

 

  

Spring has not been quite so sure that it wants to come to the Chicago area this year. However, we were fortunate to experience one beautiful, sunny spring morning on our Walk to School Day this past Wednesday! It was so great to see students, staff and families enjoying a healthy, fun walk to school together! What a great way to kick off the school day!

Personalized Learning is a time that many of our students look forward to at school. This is when they can explore and research their personal interests and curiosities and see where their learning takes them. Students are learning to become self-directed learners while their teachers support them in the areas of goal-setting, documentation, reflection and questioning. Recently, I spent some time in a second grade class. It was fascinating to see students closely reading complex texts and creating their own sketch notes and charts to document their learning. Tornadoes, minerals, cooking and Egyptian gods were just a few of the unique areas of interests of these students. 

Thank you, Dryden PTA, for always supporting our students' love of reading! They always look forward to choosing their own book during the months of their birthdays!

Congratulations to Riley and Hanna! They are two former Dryden Dolphins who are recipients of the Arlington Heights Council of PTAs Scholarships this year. Careers as teachers are part of their future plans, and they attribute this to being inspired by their teachers at Dryden and South Middle School. We are so fortunate to have such caring, dedicated teachers who inspire their students in so many wonderful ways. 

 Equally inspriring is our assistant principal, Mrs. Beane! This past week was National Assistant Principal Appreciation Week. We want Mrs. Beane to know that we appreciate all of the hard work she puts in to helping us learn and grow! She is AWESOME!

Do you know what else is awesome? CRAZY HAIR Day at Dryden! We always get a kick out of all the funny and creative ways our students like to fix their hair for this school spirit day.