Dryden Splash | November 30, 2025

Dear Dryden Families,

We hope you all had a blessed Thanksgiving surrounded by family and friends. As we return from the holiday break, I want to share how truly thankful I am to be part of this amazing community. Your support, kindness, and partnership make Dryden such a special place for our students to learn and grow.

Before Thanksgiving, we had a week filled with joy, talent, and memorable moments. On Tuesday, November 18th, Mrs. Scapillato, our band teacher, led our 5th grade band students in their first concert of the year. Not only did they impress us with classics like Hot Cross Buns and Mary Had a Little Lamb, but they even performed a section of Ode to Joy by Beethoven along with fun favorites like Baby Shark and the theme from Jaws. What a performance!

Then on Thursday, November 20th, we were treated to the 5th Grade Concert! Ms. Weissmann and Mr. Toerner, our wonderful new-to-Dryden music teachers, worked tirelessly with our students to prepare a medley of Beatles songs. Their set included upbeat, feel-good tunes like Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da as well as moving selections like Blackbird and Hey Jude. The Commons was beautifully decorated with Beatles-inspired artwork created in art class with Mrs. Siegel, making the night even more special. It was bittersweet to watch them perform their final musical at Dryden, and when they sang their closing song, there wasn’t a dry eye in the room.

We are incredibly grateful to all of our music teachers, the 5th grade classroom teachers, our technology support team Maria Goldstein and Brian Burke, and our PTA volunteers who helped support the teachers, students, and performances. Your time, energy, and dedication make these special moments possible for our students.

To end the week on a joyful note, Miss Carson’s kindergarten class held their very own Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade on Friday! It was absolutely adorable. Be sure to look below for the video.

We are so thankful for your continued support and hope these moments brought as much joy to your family as they did to ours.

Warmly,

Jessica Martinsen

Students go outside for recess unless the wind chill is below zero or there is precipitation. Please watch the weather forecast and make sure your child is dressed appropriately for playing outside. We ask that if it is 50 degrees or below, that students wear some type of sleeve for recess. When the weather is 32 degrees or below, please be sure to send your child with a coat. Snow pants, boots, gloves and hats are needed to play in the snow during recess. Without these items, students will need to remain on the blacktop on snowy days.

We recommend that you send your child with an extra bag to hold all their winter gear. Reusable bags seem to be a great option and many students are successful with getting all their gear out and back into the bag when recess is over. Please remember to send your child with shoes to change into if they wear their boots to school.

Please label your coats, hats, gloves, boots, and snow pants. Our lost and found is full of unclaimed items. Labeling items can help students find their missing winter gear.

We recommend that you send your child with an extra bag to hold all their winter gear. This helps students keep track of and store their winter gear. It's important that students bring their snow gear home each day so that items can be dried overnight. Also, please send your child with shoes to change into if they wear their boots to school.

Students are expected to wear whatever cold weather gear they have been sent to school with during grade level and lunch recess. Please be sure to share this information with your child. Thank you in advance for helping us make sure that everyone stays warm in these chillier months!

As the season changes and the cold weather quickly approaches, please know that we have a selection of winter gear (coats, hats, gloves, snow boot, snow pants) available for families who request support.

Please reach out to Dryden Social Workers Caroline Elsey or Dana Plous, via their confidential emails or voicemail for more information or to request assistance. Please reach out by December 14, 2024:

celsey@sd25.org dplous@sd25.org

847-506-6548

Please help us reunite lost items with their owners by clearly labeling all of your child’s clothing, lunch boxes, and other personal belongings! Items found at school will be placed in the Lost and Found. Older students may ask their teacher for permission to check for missing belongings, while parents of younger students are welcome to stop by the office between 8:00 AM and 4:00 PM to take a look. On the 30th of each month, any unclaimed items will be donated to a charitable organization. If an item has a name on it, our office staff will give you a call so it can make its way home before donation day. Thank you for helping us by labeling everything—big or small—so nothing stays “lost” for long!

Student safety remains a top priority in District 25. All schools are safe and welcoming for every student and family, with district procedures in place to support students’ safety and learning in the event of any ICE-related incident. The district will continue to share information with families to reinforce our commitment to keeping students safe.

• District Dish (Under Superintendent Message) – September 18 & October 16

• Dr. Kaye’s Letter – January 2025

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.

December

December 5: CogAT reports emailed home to families

December 11: Dec Birthday Books

December 11: PTA Holiday Party

December 16: Stock the Lounge

December 17: 4th Grade Musical

December 19: Winter Wonderland

December 22- January 4: Winter Break

January

January 5: Teacher Institute Day - No Classes for students

January 6: 5th Grade Service Project Begins

January 8: Jan Birthday Books

January 19-January 23: 5th Grade Service Project Collection

January 26: Soup Lunch for Staff

January 26-January 30: Book Fair Week

January 29: Family Reading Night

February

February 3: Book Club

February 5: PTA General Member Meeting

February 10: Book Club

February 12: February Birthday Books

February 12: Crossing Guard Appreciation Day

February 13: Classroom Valentine’s Day Parties

February 16: Spring Parent-Teacher Cinferences

February 17: Book Club

February 20: Family Dance

February 24: Book Club

February 26: 5th Grade Volleyball Night

Link to D25 2025- 2026 Year-At-A-Glance Calendar

The Arlington Heights Council PTA is launching a new Winter Fifth Grade Mixer to help students make new friends and feel confident before Middle School. The event takes place Sunday, January 4 at South Middle School from 2:30pm-4:15pm and includes games, music, crafts, sports, and high fives led by Hi-Five Sports. This is a drop off event. Children are expected to stay the entire length of the event.

South Mixer Registration:

https://ahcpta.givebacks.com/shop/items/e691f494e450df

Please consider supporting the PTA by heading to Noodles and Co. downtown Arlington Heights on Thursday, December 18th from 4-8pm. Be sure to enter the code GIVING25 at checkout online or mention Dryden PTA in person to help our organization earn 25% back.

Parents - join us for some drinks and fun! Prizes will be awarded for best dressed, so get those ugly sweaters ready!

When: Thursday, December 11th 7PM

Where: Eddie's Bar (10 E Northwest Hwy, Arlington Heights)

RSVP Here: https://forms.gle/nFtNn9C57XZtkmk36

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