Dryden Community Schools

Dear Cardinal Families,

The holidays are approaching, and it will be a somber one for our Oxford neighbors. The devastating tragedy that occurred on November 30 has impacted all of us, and we extend our deepest sympathy and support to the students, families, and community.

We believe it is important to take a moment to share some important information about student safety and ways in which our parents and community can help. First, let me say that there have been no threats toward our schools. However, given the tragedy in Oxford and the threats and rumors at other local schools, it is conceivable that a real or rumored threat may occur in our area in the near future.

We are asking that our parents and guardians please review the following safety precautions with their students:

• Please talk with your student about recognizing suspicious behavior and reporting it IMMEDIATELY to an adult at the school, a parent/guardian, and/or law enforcement.

• Students should not start rumors about school violence as a joke, to scare a friend, or for any reason. Dryden Community Schools takes providing an environment that is safe and conducive to learning very seriously.
• Please help to diffuse this current situation by asking your student to NOT forward rumors on social media. Please make it clear to your student that posting threats of any kind, even in jest, is unacceptable and will result in disciplinary consequences with the school and local law enforcement. We will prosecute to the fullest extent of the law any threat directed at any student, staff member, or school.
• It is possible that the rumors and threats that are happening at other local schools will cause anger, anxiety, or fear among our students. We encourage you to be aware of any behavior changes in your child that may be attributed to this. Any parent/guardian that has a concern regarding their student’s behavior should contact their student’s teacher, counselor, and/or school office.

Additionally, if your child is too anxious or upset to attend school in person, we are making synchronous learning available to all students in grades K-12. Please just contact the front office to let them know and have your child log in to their class(es) online. The links to Google Meet and Zoom will be posted in your child’s Google Classroom.

The safety of our students, staff, and school is our highest priority. Dryden Community Schools will continue to be proactive regarding the safety and well-being of all of our people, and we will look into any rumors or threats should they arise. Please be assured that we have excellent security measures in place at both of our buildings and we work very closely with the Dryden Township Police Department and Fire Department to ensure the safety of our students and staff.

As always, if your or your child sees or hears anything that makes you feel uncomfortable, please contact our school, the Dryden Township Police Department, or OK2SAY at 855.565.2729. The rule of thumb is- if you see something, say something. Student safety is extremely important to us, and we want you and your child to feel safe. If you have additional concerns, please do not hesitate to reach out to me at 810.448.4042 or mfinnigan@drydenschools.org.

When you gather with those closest to you this holiday season, hug them a little longer, laugh with them a little louder, and love them a lot more.

Yours in Education,

Mary Finnigan

Superintendent

If you like to talk about books, Mrs. Knox would like to meet you! Our new part-time Dryden Media Specialist has lived in Dryden since 1996, and her three children are #proudcardinal graduates. After spending 30 years in education (19 as a classroom teacher and 11 as a media specialist) with Midland Public Schools and Rochester Community Schools, Mrs. Knox says, "Working for Dryden Community Schools allows me to support the community in which I live in another way, and I am thrilled to be back in a library media center." In her spare time, she enjoys reading, sports, backyard campfires, boating, and jet skiing.

As one of our 4th grade teachers, Mrs. Medley brings four years of experience in education with her and is looking forward to creating a caring community in her classroom and building relationships with her new coworkers. She and her husband have lived in Dryden for three years and love the community. Her newborn son, George, will be attending school with her after winter break. Mrs. Medley says, "I am a really caring person and love to help out. I love teaching and how I am able to have a positive impact on those around me." Welcome to our family, Mrs. Medley!

Cardinal Club is open from 6:00 AM - 6:00 PM Monday through Friday. Please contact Mrs. Fuerst for more information or to enroll your child (810)796-2201, ext. 4085 or kfuerst@drydenschools.org

Dear Cardinal Families,

In many ways, it is hard to believe that December is upon us. As I reflect on this time, I am grateful for so much: our amazing students and families, a staff that is second to none, our close-knit community, family, friends, and being home in the district I love!

SCHOOL SAFETY

In light of recent events, I want to assure you that school safety is a top priority. Here are some of the things that we do to keep children as safe as possible in school:

• All exterior doors are locked at all times. Entry and exit doors are supervised by adults at the beginning and end of each day and routinely checked.

• Pick-up and drop-off routines are in place.

• Security cameras are inside and outside of the building.

• We routinely practice what to do in case of emergencies.

• We work to build and maintain relationships with students.

• We have renewed our association with OK2SAY and have posters, decals, and stickers posted around the building.

• We have a strong partnership with local law enforcement and have officers who routinely visit the school and patrol campus.

We will continue to improve our efforts and keep current on our safety protocols and procedures.

SNOWY/COLD WEATHER

Please be sure to send your child to school with appropriate winter clothing. Whenever it is safe to do so, we will be going outside to get fresh air and play during recess.

Appropriate winter clothing includes: winter coat, hat, mittens/gloves, boots, snow pants, and perhaps a scarf. Materials that are water-resistant are best, especially for hats and gloves/mittens.

We strongly recommend that EVERY piece of winter gear has your child’s name in or on it.

If you need assistance, please contact your child’s teacher or the main office; we can help!

NEW STAFF

We would like to welcome Mrs. Knox and Mrs. Medley to our staff!

Mrs. Knox is our media specialist. We are excited to offer library as a special to all students each week. If you would like to participate in the Giving Tree Wish List to update our library collection, please use this link: https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/22G774EVMNA4J?ref_=wl_share

Mrs. Medley joined us in fourth grade right before Thanksgiving break. Everyone has made the transition and settled in. We are fortunate to have the opportunity to offer smaller class sizes for the fourth grade this year and are excited for the children and families.

CONTACT INFORMATION

Please make sure that you update the main office with any changes in your contact information. If you are receiving some of our notifications but not others, you may want to check spam/social/promotion folders and blocked settings. You can always verify that the information the school has is accurate by contacting the main office. We do our best to keep families as informed as possible but are limited to the information we have on file.

COVID-19

Please keep your child home if they are not feeling well or if they or anyone else in the household is exhibiting symptoms or tests positive. Students who test positive or live in a household with anyone who tests positive MUST not be at school for 14 days. Negative tests are not a pathway to return to school. We are continuing our cleaning protocols to minimize the spread. If you have questions or concerns, please contact the main office, we will help answer questions as best we can.

JOB OPPORTUNITIES

We have several employment opportunities. Please contact the main office if you are interested in any of the following positions:

• Aides- building, special education, and early childhood

• Supervision- crossing, recess, and lunch substitutes

• School Social Worker/Counselor

• Custodial help

• Substitute teachers

Thank you for your continued support and encouragement. As the holidays approach and all the year through, I wish you the best!

Sincerely,

Stacey Abromaitis

Principal

Dryden Elementary

Are you looking for the perfect teacher gift for the upcoming holidays? Do you want to honor your student in a special way?

Please consider purchasing a new book or two for our library media center's Wish List to recognize your student or student's teacher. The Wish List link can be found below. Select a book from the Wish List, make your payment, and the book will ship directly to Dryden Elementary School.

Special nameplates can be added to the inside cover of the purchased book upon request. If you wish to add this specialized recognition, please email Mrs. Knox at dknox@drydenschools.org after you have made your purchase.

Each time a book is purchased from the Wish List, we will add an ornament to our Giving Tree in the media center. Let's fill the tree with ornaments and update our collection with some new reading material!!

Dear #proudcardinal Families and Students,

I wish you nothing but memorable holiday moments with your family this season.

Our first semester is winding down. After winter break, there is only one full week of school before exams on January 12, 13, and 14. These are half days of school, with dismissal at 10:35 a.m. High school students should expect a final exam or project in their courses; there are no final exams in junior high courses.

We continue to offer synchronous learning for students. Please remember these expectations:

• To the extent possible, students will notify teachers by 7:00 a.m. via email that they will attend synchronously.

• Students must be up and ready to learn when class begins.

• Students must participate in class, including turning on cameras, speaking via microphone when asked to do so, typing thoughts into the chat, and contributing to class discussions.

• Students must remain in camera view during class.

• If students do not answer when asked to speak, they will be marked absent from class.

• Students must have reliable technology, including an internet connection, camera, microphone, and a way to submit completed work. Chromebooks will be issued to students.

• Athletes must attend classes in person on game days and post-game days.

• State assessments must be completed in the school building.

Wishing you a happy and healthy holiday,

Mary Finnigan

Dryden Junior/Senior High School Principal

In education, dual enrollment (DE) involves students being enrolled in two separate, academically related institutions. Generally, it refers to high school students taking college courses. The state of Michigan allows students in grades 9 through 12 to enroll in post-secondary courses. Students can take up to 10 college courses while in high school. Contact Mrs. Fleming for additional information, if interested (kfleming@drydenschools.org).

Students enrolled in the Dryden Early College Academy have the opportunity to continue their education at one of six post-secondary institutions: Baker College, Ferris State University, Oakland University, Macomb Community College, Mott Community College, or the University of Michigan-Flint.

Kimberly Fleming

Counselor

Dryden Junior/Senior High School

Senior Ethan Knuth recently completed Dryden's contribution to the Paint the Plow program.

Look for it on the road soon!

With quickly changing temperatures, the Fall Sports Season has come to a close.

Our Cross Country team competed at the League Meet on Monday, October 18th in Kingston. We had five runners finish in the top 15. Both teams competed at Regionals on Saturday, October 30th at Wagener Park. While only one runner qualified for States, finishing in the top 15, most of our runners had personal records (PR) ending a great season. The State meet was held on Saturday, November 6th at Michigan International Speedway. Congratulations to Aiden Fitchett for running a PR and finishing 36th in the state!

NCTL All League:

First Team: Aiden Fitchett

Honorable Mention: Audrey Napolitano

Tri-City Times All Area:

Boys: First Team: Aiden Fitchett

Honorable Mention: Noah Hall

Girls: First Team: Audrey Napolitano

Second Team: Lily Finnigan

Our Volleyball team won its third consecutive League Championship! Our Lady Cardinals played in the District Semi-finals at Mayville against Genesee Christian on Monday, November 1st. Although they did not win, we are still proud of their accomplishments this season.

NCTL All League:

First Team: Becca Weiss and Addie Tresnak

Second Team: Avery Grondin

Honorable Mention: Lauren Abromaits, Skylar Graham, and Jenna Peters

Tri-City Times All Area:

First Team: Becca Weiss and Addie Tresnak

Second Team: Lauren Abromaitis, Jenna Peters, Avery Grondin, Emma Raue, and Skylar Graham

Coach of the Year: Jill Grusnick

Our Co-op Football team played great this season finishing strong with a win over Southwestern Academy.

Tri-City Times All Area:

Second Team: Jacob Burgess

Our Winter Sports Season is underway. We will have the following activities:

• High School: Girls Basketball, Boys Basketball, Sideline Cheer, Bowling
• Junior High: Girls Basketball (Nov/Dec), Boys Basketball (Jan/Feb)

Please remember to check the Dryden Athletics page for the up to date schedule:

https://www.drydenschools.org/page/athletics

Just a reminder that all student-athletes must have a 2021 physical on file in the office in order to participate.

https://www.mhsaa.com/portals/0/Documents/health%20safety/physical2page.pdf

If you have any questions about athletics, please visit our page:

https://www.drydenschools.org/page/athletics

As always, Go Cardinals!

Ms. Loraine Brinker

Assistant Principal/Athletic Director

#PROUDCardinal

December 13, 2021

January 10, 2022

February 14, 2022

March 14, 2022

April 11, 2022

May 9, 2022

June 13, 2022

All meetings begin at 7:00 p.m.,

will be held in the Dryden High School Library,

and are open to the public.

Email: MFinnigan@drydenschools.org
Website: www.drydenschools.org
Location: 3866 Rochester Road, Dryden, MI, USA
Phone: 8107962266
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/drydencommunityschools
Twitter: @drydencommunityschools