Dryden Splash | February 1, 2026
February 1, 2026

Dear Dryden Families,
It has been a wonderful week at Dryden, filled with moments that truly highlight the care, generosity, and strong sense of community that make our school so special.
We are incredibly grateful to our PTA for hosting the Soup-er Bowl Soup Lunch on Monday to show appreciation for our teachers and staff. Families donated more than ten homemade soups and chilis, along with breads, toppings, desserts, and drinks. The spread was delicious, but more importantly, it made our staff feel truly valued and supported. Thank you to our PTA and all the families who contributed to making this such a thoughtful and meaningful gesture.
A huge thank-you to Beth Kovacic, Dryden's LMC director, and our PTA for organizing a fantastic Family Reading Night on Thursday, January 29, along with last week’s Book Fair. We are also incredibly thankful to our teachers who stayed late to read stories and share their love of books with students. The night was extra special with cozy pajamas worn throughout the school, excited readers gathered together, and sweet treats enjoyed in the Commons at the end of the evening. Families wrapped up the night listening to engaging read-alouds of fun books. Between cozy reading moments, excited book shopping, and seeing our school filled with families, it was a wonderful reminder of how powerful (and fun!) literacy can be when shared as a community.
Lastly, thank you to everyone who supported our 5th Grade Service Project. With the help of our PTA and 5th grade teachers, students collected coats, hats, and other winter outerwear to support fellow 5th graders throughout the Chicagoland area. On Friday afternoon, students packed their donations for pickup and celebrated the successful completion of this meaningful project. We are so proud of our 5th graders for showing compassion, leadership, and a commitment to helping others.
Dryden continues to be a place where families, staff, and students work together to support one another, celebrate learning, and give back. Thank you for being such an involved and caring school community. Be sure to scroll down to see photos from all of these wonderful events below!
Warmly,
Jessica Martinsen
A Soup-er Thank You to Our Amazing Staff and PTA!
A Night Full of Books, Families, and Fun!
Packing Up Kindness!
Digital Citizenship Week | February 2 - 6
A Note from the Health Office
Winter air is very dry, causing chapped lips and dry hands. This can be very distracting for students. The health office has vaseline to help, but to limit your students' time outside of class, please remember to put some chapstick in your students' backpacks.
Thank you,
Miranda Rixon
Dryden School Nurse
mrixon@sd25.org
Kindergarten & New Student Pre-Registration NOW Open!
Pre-registration for kindergarten and students in grades 1 - 5 who will be new to Dryden is now open. Information and step-by-step registration guidance will be available on the district website at www.sd25.org/Registration on that date.
If you know of someone with a kindergarten-aged child or new family to the neighborhood, please encourage them to pre-register or give us a call at 847-398-4280. Thank you for helping us to get the word out!
Please note: Registration for current Dryden students will begin in the spring. You will receive an email in late spring with a registration link. There is nothing you need to do at this time.
Lost and Found Items will be donated after Parent-Teacher Conferences on February 16, 2026.
Our Lost and Found is full to the brim of small items like hats, gloves, scarves, water bottles, and more! Additionally, there are 10-15 jackets, coats, and sweatshirts. Unclaimed items will be donated to a charitable organization on February 16, 2026 . If your child is missing any items, please ask them to check the Lost and Found or stop into the school's office or at parent-teacher conferences to check for yourself.
Calendar Sync Update
Due to our recent website platform change, the process for syncing school and district calendars with your personal calendar is now different. The previous calendar sync from our former website will no longer show the most up-to-date information.
To continue receiving accurate event updates, please disconnect or delete the old calendar link and add the new one…it takes just a minute! A short how-to video is linked below to walk you through the steps.
Food & Nutrition Services
Please click on the following links for more information:
- Where can I view the school lunch menu? Click Here
- How does my student order a school lunch? Click Here
- How do I pay for my child’s meals? Click Here
- How do I apply for free & reduced meals? Click Here
For further details on D25 Food & Nutrition Services, please click here.
February
February 2: ProKids all school assembly | Dress Like a Superhero Digital Citizenship Spirit Day
February 3: Book Club | Wear a Hat Digital Citizenship Spirit Day
February 4: Athleisure Digital Citizenship Spirit Day
February 5: PTA General Member Meeting | Silly Socks Digital Citizenship Spirit Day
February 6: Wear Silly Socks Digital Citizenship Spirit Day
February 10: Book Club
February 12: February Birthday Books
February 12: Crossing Guard Appreciation Day
February 12: Culvers Dine Out
February 13: Classroom Valentine’s Day Parties
February 16: Spring Parent-Teacher Conferences and Lunch for Teachers
February 17: Book Club
February 20: Dress as your Favorite Color Spirit Day and Family Dance
February 24: Book Club
February 26: 5th Grade Volleyball Night
Principal's Open Door | Thursday, February 5, 6:30-7:00pm
Please join Mrs. Martinsen for the Principal’s Open Door meeting! This is a wonderful opportunity to connect, ask questions, and talk about topics that matter to you in a relaxed, welcoming setting. She'd love to hear your thoughts and ideas.
The meeting will be followed by the PTA’s second meeting of the year from 7:00–8:00 p.m. Both events are for adults only and are held in the school's library. We hope you can join us. We’d love to see you there!
Pack the Piggies Fundraiser!
Are you ready to Pack the Piggy, Dryden? The Arlington Heights Council of PTA’s (AHC-PTA) funds $15k annually in scholarships for former D25 graduating seniors in D214. This year, the AHC-PTA will be running it’s 5th “Pack the Piggies” fundraiser across the district to raise money for these scholarships.
The contest begins Monday, February 2 and goes through Friday, February 6, which gives us 5 days to pack our piggy to reach our goal! Each district school’s goal is to raise $1 per student. Our school's goal is $451. If we reach our school & district goals, Dryden will celebrate with a fun celebration - stay tuned for details! To help reach our goal, students can bring in coins, cash, or checks (made out to the AHC-PTA) and pack our piggy in the main hallway!
Let’s have some fun for a great cause starting Monday, February 2!
PTA Sponsored Assembly - The Pro-Kids Show!
On Monday 2/2, Dryden students will gather for an exciting assembly - The Pro-Kids Show will use a combination of magic, comedy, song, dance and ventriloquism to relay messages of character building, respect, responsibility, and more. The Dryden PTA is excited to bring this fun assembly to our Dryden Dolphins!
Join Us for the Dryden PTA General Meeting on 2/05!
Book Fair - Thank You & Last Call!
Thank you to all the families that purchased from this year's Book Fair! Your support goes a long way in helping to fund so many of the PTA's book-related programs.
For those that did not yet have the chance to shop - this is the last call for Book Fair! Place an online order between now and Friday, February 6. The books will be delivered to your child at school for no charge.
Shop here: https://www.abcfairs.com/
At checkout, click the checkmark for "Send to school for student pick-up"
Select "School Pick-up"
Enter School Name and Student Name
Contact tlslynch@gmail.com or marcychambers99@gmail.com with any questions!
Thank you very much!
Glow & Snow Bash: Register & Volunteer!
Winter blues got you down? Get ready to GLOW in the SNOW! Join us for a night of music, dancing, and fun family-friendly activities. Dryden’s Glow & Snow Bash will be held on Friday, February 20th from 7:00 - 9:00 pm.
This FREE event is open to all Dryden students and their families so register below and let’s GLOW crazy! This is not a drop-off event, parent/caregiver supervision is required.
Please click the following link to register and consider volunteering to help the PTA make this night a success!
Family Dance Registration & Volunteer Sign Up:
https://forms.gle/fkMSDBF9uFHmBwzq6
We will have plenty of space for every family to participate but please sign up promptly so we can plan accordingly. Looking forward to seeing you all!
SAVE THE DATE: 5th Grade Volleyball night! 2/26 @ 7pm!
5th Graders are invited to join us on Thursday, February 26, 2026 from 7pm-8:30pm in the Dryden gym for an evening of volleyball fun!
Registration is required via the sign-up link that will be emailed out on Sunday, February 8th at 7pm. The registration deadline is Thursday, February 19th. More details on the event will be sent after students are registered!
Contact Jennifer Garcia, jennifergar1980@gmail.com or Mindy Turner, Melinda.turner880@gmail.com with questions.
Dryden Windy City Bulls Outing - March 8!
Join Dryden families and friends for a day of fun at the Windy City Bulls basketball game on Sunday, March 8th. Doors open at 12pm, game starts at 1pm.
The deadline to order tickets is February 8th at 10:59pm Central.
ORDER TICKETS HERE:
BLACK HISTORY MONTH
Every February, the U.S. honors the contributions and sacrifices of African Americans who have helped shape the nation. Black History Month celebrates the rich cultural heritage, triumphs and adversities that are a part of our country's history.
PRESIDENTS DAY- FEB 16
A federal holiday for honoring all the past and present presidents who have served as president of the United States of America.
Celebrated on the third Monday in February, date changes year to year.
LUNAR NEW YEAR- FEB 17
Lunar New Year is the beginning of a calendar year based on moon cycles. Also known as: Chinese Chunjie, Vietnamese Tet, Korean Solnal, Tibetan Losar, or Spring Festival, typically celebrated in Asian countries that begins with the first new moon of the lunar calendar and ends on the first full moon of the lunar calendar, 15 days later.
*Dates change year to year
RAMADAN (Begins FEB 17)
Ramadan is a holy month of fasting, introspection and prayer for Muslims. During Ramadan, Muslims do not eat or drink from dawn to sunset, they break their daily fasts by sharing meals with family and friends. The end of Ramadan is celebrated with a three-day festival known as Eid al-Fitr.
*You can exchange Ramadan greetings by saying “Ramadan Kareem,” which translates into “Have a generous Ramadan,” or “Ramadan Mubarak,” which translates into “Happy Ramadan.”