From the Principal
It has been a positive start to the school year at Dunn School! I have had an opportunity to visit all of the third and fourth grade classrooms to unpack the Patriot Code of Cooperation. Each team shared examples of how they model Patriot behavior each day. In my visits throughout the building, students are engaged and ready to learn. Students and staff have done a nice job of transitioning back into the routine and school and have now settled in for the year.
As we go through the year, I would encourage parents to communicate with their child’s teacher about their student’s academic progress and any other items that might need to be discussed. Our parent/teacher conferences will be the week of October 15th, with the common nights being Wednesday October 16th and Thursday October 17th. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact the main office at 657-5050 or your child’s teacher directly. We look forward to spending time with all Dunn School families.
A reminder of a couple of things if you are dropping your student off in the morning: Students may arrive at 8:15. Before 8:15 we do not have any adult supervision for students. Please use the parking lot entrance up the hill rather than across from the Pineland entrance as buses will be using that entrance. Finally, if your student arrives after 8:35 you MUST walk them in the building to sign them in. Please do not just drop them in the parking lot. Your assistance in making the morning smoother will be appreciated.
Free & Reduced Meal Applications
I’m writing to let you know how important it is to fill out a school meal application form. Some parents are concerned about listing income amounts and social security numbers on the application. Any personal information you provide will not be shared:
- Free and reduced-price meal applications are confidential. Your information will only be used to determine your child’s eligibility for the school meal programs. We cannot share your information without your written permission.
- Students who receive free and reduced-price meals are not identified. No other students, staff, or teachers know who is receiving free or reduced meals and who has paid.
There are two important reasons to fill out this form:
- Your child may receive other school benefits such as discounted testing/exam fees.
- The number of applicants that are returned and approved can affect how much funding our school gets to help students meet academic benchmarks, including materials like books and computers.
It is important that these applications are submitted and processed prior to September 30th to receive full funding for our school. Please take a few minutes to fill out and return this form so that your child may qualify for these important benefits.
School Improvement Meetings
As part of our efforts to garner feedback and input from parents we will be holding School Improvement Team meetings each month. Our second meeting will be October 2nd at 3:15. These meetings will have representatives from the staff, as well as myself and any parents who wish to attend. Meetings will focus on how we as a school and learning community can improve in relation to the district vision as outlined by the school board. The information will be used in staff development and implementation of changes within the school, and will be reported to the school board each year. If you have questions regarding these meetings, please do not hesitate to contact me.
Patriot Parents
We Need Volunteers! If you are interested in joining the Patriot Parents and working to provide a variety of enrichment opportunities for Dunn School students please let us know. We are in need of as many people as possible to help us fundraise for our Bryant Pond experiences, movie nights, literacy and STEM nights, and other experiences that make Dunn School such a fun place to learn and grow.
Red Cross Blood Drive
The Dunn School will be hosting a Community Blood Drive with the American Red Cross on October 7th from 2:00 – 7:00 PM. We are looking for volunteers to help greet donors and sit with them at the refreshment table. In addition, if you are interested in donating please visit www.redcrossblood.org and enter 04260 in the search bar to find our drive. We hope you can join us as either a volunteer or donor!
Patriot Parents
Our Patriot Parent reps are Maureen Gilbert (gilbertm@maine.rr.com) and Deb Carson (debcarson@me.com).
From the Music Room
Recorders in Music Class from Mrs. Patterson: As mentioned in the last Dunn Deal, we will be playing recorders in Music class. I am attaching the form again for your convenience. Paper copies are also available in the office. Once I hear back from everyone, I will know how many recorders to order, so your prompt attention to this is appreciated. Thank you to those who have responded. Sincerely, Mrs. Patterson (mpatterson@sad15.org if you have questions)
From the Health Office
Flu vaccines will be offered in our schools soon: October 17 at Dunn, Oct. 16 at Memorial and Russell. An information and sign up sheet is attached, and paper copies are coming home today.
Fluoride varnish sessions are coming soon as well: November 7 and 8 at Dunn, Nov. 15 at Memorial, and Nov. 18 at Russell. Please see the attached form to sign up. Again, paper copies are coming home today.
From the Office
If your child will be late or absent, please contact us at 657-5050 or jsouthard@sad15.org to let us know. If you are bringing your child to school late (arriving at 8:35 or later), please come in to the office to sign in your student.
Dates to Remember
Sept. 25 Early release day: 3rd & 4th grades dismissed at 1:00 PM, no preK classes
Oct. 2 School Improvement Team meeting: 3:15 PM, Dunn conference room
Oct. 11 In-service day: no classes
Oct. 14 Columbus Day holiday: no classes
Oct. 16-17 Common nights for conferences
Oct. 17 Flu vaccines: please see the attached flyer and paper form coming home today
Oct. 22 Picture retake day
Oct. 23 Early release day: 3rd & 4th grades dismissed at 1:00 PM, no preK classes
Nov. 7 & 8 Fluoride varnish sessions: please see the attached flyer and paper form coming home today
updated: 9-20-2019