Dryden Splash | October 5, 2025

On Wednesday, October 1, 2025, the Dryden community came together to celebrate National Walk to School Day. This special day encourages healthy habits, promotes safety awareness, and builds a sense of community by bringing families, students, and staff together on their journey to school. Dryden teachers, Dr. Glass, I met families at various neighborhood corners to walk and bike to school together. It was wonderful to see so many students and their siblings participating; walking, biking, and sharing smiles along the way! A special thank-you goes to our crossing guard, Mr. Poteracki, for keeping everyone safe and helping make the morning run smoothly. Thank you to all the families who joined us in making this event a fun, active, and connected start to the day. Be sure to check out some photos from our morning below!

This week, I had the pleasure of dropping in on some fun and impactful learning taking place in our Library Media Center. Mrs. Goldstein, our Technology Facilitator, and Mrs. Kovacic, our LMC Director, collaborated with Miss Wilson and her 4th-grade students on an engaging hands-on project connected to their study of Earth’s changing surface. Students explored what types of buildings are the most robust during an earthquake by first examining primary sources including maps and photographs of earthquake-affected areas. Then, using Lego WeDo kits, they built earthquake simulators and tested three different structures to see what design features help buildings withstand quakes of varying magnitudes.

It was inspiring to see our students so engaged; asking questions, testing ideas, and working together to make discoveries. Experiences like this reflect what makes learning at Dryden so special: curiosity, creativity, and collaboration at the heart of everything we do. So much learning and fun packed into one lesson! Take a look at the photos below to see our young engineers in action.

Program start date: Monday, October 6, 2025

Thank you for participating in our recent School Breakfast Program survey. We are thrilled to share that, beginning Monday, October 6, 2025, Dryden will offer a school breakfast program. We want to ensure every student has the best possible start to their day through access to our breakfast program.

We encourage all students to take advantage of this convenient, nutritious, and affordable way to begin their school day!

Breakfast Program Details:

Location Enter front doors and breakfast is served in the cafeteria

Serving Time 8:50 am - 9:05 am

Daily Cost Paid: $2.00

Reduced-Price: $.30 or Free: $0.00 (for students that qualify for free or

reduced meal benefits)

Payment: All students have a meal card and breakfast meals will be

charged to their Mealtime account. For more information on how to pay

for school meals, please visit our website.

Menu Click here for School Breakfast Menu

How to Participate Students can simply go to the breakfast cart during the serving time. No

advance sign-up is required!

If your student participates in the CAP program and would like to eat school breakfast in addition or as an alternative to what is offered at CAP, please notify the CAP staff. Students will be dismissed from CAP and allowed to eat school breakfast before the school day starts.

We appreciate the families who have already submitted their child’s required health forms.

However, some submissions are still missing or contain incomplete information. As we approach the State of Illinois REQUIRED EXCLUSION date of October 15th, it is crucial that all necessary forms are provided to avoid any interruption in your child’s education.

Our school nurses have been reaching out to families who need to submit updated information, so please be attentive to any communication via voicemail, email, or backpack mail. For any questions or further assistance, please visit our D25 Health Services page for the school nurse contact information.

Physical/Immunization Record:

• Required for all kindergarten and new students

• The physical must be dated on or after August 21, 2024

• Parents must complete and sign the health history section

• Immunizations Requirements must be met or include a MD approved schedule of administration

• Failure to submit the form and have it reviewed by the School Nurse prior to the OCTOBER 15th deadline will result in your child being EXCLUDED from school

Vision Exam Form:

• Required for all kindergarten and students new to the state of Illinois

• The exam must be completed by a licensed eye doctor and dated on or after August 21, 2024

• The official State of Illinois Eye Examination form is required

Please click here for information on the following:

• Costume guidelines
• Going home for lunch
• Parade route
• Classroom parties
• And more!

We look forward to a safe and fun parade and celebration for our students!

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.

Kindergarten through 3rd grade students will be attending the Land of Smiles assembly during the school day to learn about dental care, healthy eating, and the importance of visiting the dentist. Be sure to ask them for some helpful tips!

We are preparing and looking forward to meeting with you during Parent Teacher Conferences. Parent Teacher Conferences will take place Thursday, October 23, 2025 from 8:20 am to 7:40 pm and Friday, October 24, 2025 from 8:20 am - 11:40 am.

An email was sent home on Wednesday, September 25, 2025 at 7:00 pm to all families with the directions and link to sign up for parent/teacher conferences. Please review your emails or contact the Dryden School office at 847-398-4280 if you missed it and need help to sign up for your conferences.

Today is the day! It’s your last chance to donate to Fund the ‘Phin and help us spread kindness and make waves! With your help we can continue providing the many programs that benefit our students, teachers, staff and families. A HUGE thank you to the many people who have already donated. ❤️🐬

Donate here: https://my.cheddarup.com/c/fund-the-phin-2025

Mark your calendars for Wednesday, October 15th and grab some Lou Malnati’s pizza from 11:00 AM - 11:00 PM at the Elk Grove location to support the Dryden PTA.

Your dining experience will not only satisfy your taste buds but also support Dryden PTA. Lou Malnati's Pizzeria will donate 20% of your orders to Dryden PTA!

Use promo code GIVEBACK25 for all online/app orders!

Dryden PTA is excited to nurture our students’ love for reading by celebrating their Birthdays with a Birthday Book! On Thursday, October 9 during lunch, students with October Birthdays are invited to stop by the Birthday Book table during lunch break, to select their book of choice. We celebrate birthdays monthly, so all students will have a chance to choose a book during their birthday month!

Here is the list of Birthday Book dates for the year:
October 9th - October birthdays
November 13th - November birthdays
December 11th - December birthdays
January 8th - January birthdays
February 12th - February birthdays
March 12th - March birthdays
April 9th - April birthdays
May 14th - May/June/July birthdays

Please meet us out for some football fun to watch the Bears game, meet new people, and see some faces you missed all Summer!

When: Sunday, November 2nd at 12pm (kickoff)

Where: Red Barn in Mt. Prospect.

We'll have a section reserved and everyone can enjoy their full menu and Sunday food and drink specials. Contact: Kathryn (847)361-6742 or Katie (847)702-3123 with questions!

RSVP here: https://forms.gle/8DW9d78Hc6eKjCEr8.

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October commemorates the first Polish settlers as well as the leadership of General Kazimierz Pułaski and Tadeusz Kościuszko who fought in the American Revolution.

We also honor the contributions of Polish-Americans in the areas of arts, sciences, culture and more.

October is National Italian-American Heritage Month. This month was first recognized by the US Congress in October 1989 as a tribute to all Italian-Americans' achievements and contributions to our nation. It is a time to highlight the cultural impact of the Italian-American community.

Yom Kippur is the Jewish holiest day, known as Day of Atonement. The 25-hour period is devoted to prayer, fasting, and repentance.

*Date changes year to year

Columbus Day is a federal holiday in the United States, which officially celebrates the anniversary of Christopher Columbus' arrival in the Americas. Columbus went ashore at Guanahaní, an island in the Bahamas, on October 12, 1492.

On Indigenous Peoples’ Day, we honor America’s first inhabitants and the Tribal Nations that continue to thrive today. It is a day for our nation to celebrate the invaluable contributions and resilience of Indigenous peoples and recognize the communities and cultures throughout our country.

A federal holiday celebrated on the second Monday in October.

A Hindu festival of lights celebrated especially in India. The five-day festival celebrates the victory of light over darkness.

*Date changes year to year