The Bear Essentials
August 8, 2025
September 18, 2026
🍂What a Night! Thank You, Bear Families!🍂
Last night's Fall Festival was unforgettable! Thank you to all the Bear families who joined us and filled the evening with so much joy and school spirit.
An extra-special thank you to our phenomenal PTO, who worked tirelessly behind the scenes to pull off such a wonderful event. We truly couldn't have done it without your leadership and heart!
To our incredible staff, parent volunteers, donors, and attendees, thank you for giving your time and support to make our community shine bright. We are so lucky to have such dedicated families and teachers supporting our school!
🎶4th & 5th Grade Chorus Club Sign-Ups Are Open!🎶
Mr. York is excited to welcome 4th and 5th grade students to Dyer’s 2026-2027 Chorus Club! If your student loves to sing and wants to build their music skills, this is a great opportunity to get involved and perform.
Here is what parents need to know for this year:
Morning Rehearsals: Rehearsals have moved to Thursday mornings. Drop-off is at 7:15 AM in the bus loop on rehearsal days.
Rehearsal Schedule: First rehearsal is Thursday, 10/22/26. You can download and view the full Printable Rehearsal Schedule here.
Club Dues: The club dues for this school year are $35 per student. This will also cover the cost of your student's Chorus Club shirt. These dues will be added to your MyPaymentsPlus portal after sign-ups have closed and the roster is finalized.
Performances: All 4th and 5th grade members will perform at Cultural Heritage Night on 1/28 at 6:00 PM (attendance required). There are additional rehearsals and performances for 5th grade Chorus members in the Spring, including an opportunity to sing with the middle- and high-schoolers in the Mountain View Cluster concert!
Ready to join? Please complete the Chorus Club Permission Form by Friday, 10/2/26. Submitting this electronic form serves as your child's official transportation permission for all listed rehearsal dates.
Mr. York is looking forward to making music together this year!
📚Readers Rally Book Club: 4th & 5th Grade Interest Form📚
Dyer Elementary is excited to announce the launch of our Readers Rally Book Club! This program offers 4th and 5th-grade students a fantastic opportunity to expand their literacy skills and explore diverse literature while building critical thinking, collaboration, and comprehension. Participants will be selected based on student interest and teacher recommendations.
Selected students are expected to attend meetings from 3:15 PM to 4:00 PM on the following dates:
September: 9/30
October: 10/7, 10/21
November: 11/4, 11/11, 11/18
December: 12/2, 12/9
If your child is interested, please complete the Readers Rally Interest Form by Friday 9/18!
🎨✨Golden Bear Gallery: Artist Spotlight✨🎨
Mrs. Jaeger is thrilled to introduce a new tradition in the art room this year: the Golden Bear Award! For every new art project, she will select one student who demonstrates exceptional understanding and application of their art media. The winning artist receives a certificate, and their masterpiece will be framed and displayed in the Golden Bear Art Gallery right outside the art room.
Our First Winner! A huge congratulations to kindergarten student Santiago! Kindergarten recently explored the vibrant style of local artist Reggie Laurent, studying line, shape, and pattern using construction paper, crayons, and oil pastels. Santiago did an incredible job bringing these concepts to life.
Congratulations, Santiago, on being the very first Golden Bear Award recipient!
🐻Building Character with BEARS Bucks & PBIS Rewards!🐻
At Dyer Elementary, we believe in celebrating positive behavior every single day! Through our PBIS Rewards program, we actively teach and encourage our BEARS expectations—helping our students grow to be Brave, Engaged, Accountable, Respectful, and Safe.
When staff catch students showing these great traits, students earn digital BEARS Bucks right in the PBIS Rewards app. Kids can save up and spend their hard-earned bucks in a few fun ways:
Classroom Prize Carts: Quick, fun rewards right in their own classrooms.
The Trading Post: Our school-wide store where students can buy entries into monthly raffles or tickets to exclusive school events!
What’s Happening This Month:
Monthly Raffle (10 Bucks/entry): Popcorn Party with the Principals! One lucky winner per grade level will win a popcorn party for their entire class.
Monthly Event (50 Bucks): Donuts with Officer JP! Students can redeem 50 bucks to enjoy a sweet treat and hang out with our favorite SRO and his friends.
Ask your child how many BEARS Bucks they’ve earned this week and what they are saving up for! Thank you for partnering with us to keep our school community safe, positive, and engaging.
Social Emotional Learning - Family Connection
Celebrate Birthdays at Dyer & Support Our School!
Make your student's birthday extra special while helping fund our PBIS Rewards! Both students and staff earn BEAR Bucks for positive behavior and going above and beyond. Students use their BEAR Bucks to enter monthly events like Bear of the Month breakfasts, The Jingle Jog, and Spooktacular specials, or to buy raffle tickets for fun class parties like Crumbl Cookies and Uber Treats. Staff redeem their BEAR Bucks for well-deserved treats from our teacher snack and drink carts!
Here are two easy ways to celebrate on campus:
1. Birthday Wishes in Big Lights! ($10) Display a "Happy Birthday" message featuring your child’s first name and last initial on the school marquee for three full days (their birthday, plus the day before and after).
Summer Birthdays: Celebrated during their birthday week or the last week of school!
How to Order: Place your request on MyPaymentsPlus.com under the School Events tab. Please allow 3 business days for processing.
2. Birthday ICEEs for the Class ($30) Treat your child’s entire homeroom to ICEEs! It saves you a trip to the store, and they are free from most common allergens so every classmate can join the fun.
Distribution: Handed out during lunch on your child’s birthday (or the nearest school day if it falls on a Friday or weekend).
How to Order: Purchase in advance on MyPaymentsPlus.com under School Events. Please allow 3 business days for processing.
For full guidelines on campus celebrations, please review the Dyer Elementary Student/Parent Supplemental Handbook.
Cafeteria Information
Meal Prices
Students: $1.75 Breakfast (PK–12) | $2.50 Lunch (Elementary)
Adults: $2.50 Breakfast | $4.75 Lunch
Student Accounts: Please remember to keep your child's meal account funded throughout the year using MyPaymentsPlus.
Free & Reduced Meal Applications & Extra Benefits
Applications for the new school year are now open, click here to apply. Remember, families must reapply each school year to keep benefits active!
Even if you aren't sure if your family qualifies, we strongly encourage everyone to apply. Approved applications do more than just provide healthy breakfast and lunch—they also help families save on school course fees, standardized testing (like the SAT/ACT), and internet programs. Plus, every approved application helps our school secure vital funding for classroom resources!
Parent Lunch Visits
We look forward to welcoming parents for lunch starting after Labor Day once our students have settled into their daily routines. Please see our Lunch Visitor Schedule below. We look forward to welcoming you after 9/7!
School Menus & Cafeteria Info
Check out monthly menus, nutritional details, and payment options on our Cafeteria Webpage.
Play2Learn - Birth - 5 Early Learning Program at Dyer!
Dyer Elementary School offers a free BIRTH TO FIVE program for you and your child! Class takes place 90 minutes each week from August - May!
- Learn how to find the teachable moments in everyday activities
- Learn how to engage with your child in play
- Learn how to continue the learning at home or anywhere
- Learn about your child’s educational milestones
- Learn how to get your child READY FOR SCHOOL
If you would like to participate in our Play2Learn program, or simply want more information, please complete this electronic interest form. Once completed, a member of our Early Learning team will reach out to you with more information about the Play2Learn program.