Dryden Splash | December 7, 2025

Dear Dryden Families,

Winter has officially arrived at Dryden, and our students have been having so much fun enjoying the snow! This week brought sledding, snow angels, and lots of smiles on the hill next to our playground. Be sure to take a look at the photos below. You’ll see our Dryden cuties bundled up and loving every minute of their snowy adventures!

A quick reminder about District 25’s winter weather guidelines: students go outside for recess when the actual and/or “feels like” temperature is 0°F or above. Because students spend 30 minutes outdoors during lunch recess, it’s essential that they come to school dressed for the weather. Please help your child stay warm and comfortable by sending them each day with a winter coat, hat, snow pants, snow boots, and gloves. Be sure to label all items in case they get lost!

We love being able to give our students those magical winter experiences they’ll always remember: sledding with friends, playing in fresh snow, and breathing in that crisp winter air. With your help, we can make sure they stay safe, warm, and ready for more snowy fun all season long.

Stay cozy,
Jessica Martinsen

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 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

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

🎵 Save the Date! The 4th Grade Musical is Almost Here! 🎶

Get ready to take a walk through Winter Wonderland! Our talented 4th graders have been hard at work, and we can’t wait to share their performance with you.

Parent & Family Performance: Wednesday, December 17 at 6:30 PM

________________________________________

🌟 Calling All Volunteers!

We need your help to make the 4th Grade Musical a success! Volunteers are needed to assist during the rehearsal and on the day of the performances.

👉 Click here to view available dates and times to sign up: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0A4FADA82CA1FCC61-60067333-4thgrade#/

Questions? Contact us at drydenptachildrensprograms@gmail.com.

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.

We are excited to bring back a favorite Dryden tradition - Winter Wonderland! It's right around the corner on Friday, December 19 and we’d love your help to make this event a magical success. Students can wear their coziest pajamas to school that day and will be invited to the gym with their grade for 50 minutes of FESTIVE FUN! They will enjoy rotations of festive games, a fun craft and more! Volunteers will be helping with set up/clean up, running games, assisting with the craft, and creating Holiday memories for our students - thank you for lending your time!

IMPORTANT: We will take Volunteers on a first come basis - space is limited for both sessions! You will get an email confirming your volunteer role by December 12. To support smooth transitions between classes, we kindly ask that volunteers commit to an entire MORNING and/or AFTERNOON session.

Date: December 19, 2025

Morning Session (8:30 AM - 12:05 PM): Kindergarten, 2nd Grade & 3rd Grade

Afternoon Session (12:15 PM - 3:30 PM): 1st Grade, 4th Grade & 5th Grade

Click Here to Volunteer: Volunteer Sign Up

If you have any questions, please reach out to drydenptachildrensprograms@gmail.com.

Thank you for helping bring Winter Wonderland to life for our students! 🎉❄️

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

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