Dear Dickson Families,

Welcome to Week 9! We want to begin with a huge thank you to all of our families who attended Parent-Teacher Conferences last week. Taking the time to meet with your child’s teacher, celebrate progress, ask questions, and discuss ways to support continued growth is so important. Your partnership makes one of the biggest differences in your child’s success! ❤️⭐💙

Thank you also to everyone who supported our fundraiser at The Stand last week! The funds raised through our PTA go directly back to supporting activities and opportunities for our Dickson Stars.

🎸 Rock Your School — Wednesday, October 7!

Get ready to ROCK! 🎶 Our annual Rock Your School Day is this Wednesday, October 7, and we can’t wait!

Rock Your School is a worldwide event focused on increasing student engagement and excitement for learning. This year, Dickson is continuing our Music/MVP theme, and we are excited to see the creativity of our Dickson Stars! Students are encouraged to dress as a music star, musician, MVP, or in their favorite music-inspired outfit.

Our teachers have some fun learning experiences planned, and we are looking forward to a day filled with learning, music, school spirit, and lots of smiles! 🎤🎸⭐

🥨 PTA Fundraiser at Wetzel’s Pretzels

This week we have another easy and delicious way to support Dickson! Stop by Wetzel’s Pretzels at The Shoppes from 4:00–6:00 p.m. and support our Dickson PTA.

Then mark your calendar for Wednesday, October 14, from 4:00–6:00 p.m. for our Teacher Scoop Night at Baskin-Robbins! 🍦 

Come see some of your favorite Dickson teachers while enjoying a special treat. More information is included below in the newsletter.

Thank you for supporting these events. Every fundraiser helps PTA continue providing special experiences for our students and families!

🏈 Flag Football Has Kicked Off!

Our Dickson Flag Football season is officially underway! We are excited for our athletes to represent Dickson while developing teamwork, responsibility, sportsmanship, and perseverance.

Families of our players, please review the Flag Football flyer below for the complete practice and game schedule, along with important expectations for the season. Go Dickson Stars! 🏈⭐

📚 Saturday School — October 17

Our first Saturday School is coming up on Saturday, October 17! If your child has had at least one absence, they may be eligible to attend and make up a missed day of school.

Saturday School includes breakfast, lunch, and fun and engaging learning activities. An RSVP is required so we can plan for the appropriate number of teachers and students. Please see the information below in the newsletter for additional details.

🚗 An Important Arrival & Dismissal Safety Reminder

I need everyone's help with something extremely important—the safety of our students and families during arrival and dismissal.

I completely understand that last week's minimum-day schedule made midday pick-up challenging for many working families. However, we have recently seen an increase in U-turns on Roswell, vehicles stopping and asking children to cross the street to meet them, and cars parking in unsafe or illegal areas, including red curbs. These choices create dangerous situations for our students, families, and other drivers.

We also need to address an important concern during morning drop-off. Please do not stop at the entrance of our driveway to let students or adults with students out of the vehicle, even if you are trying to shorten the walk to the TK/Kindergarten area. Vehicles entering the driveway are expecting the car in front of them to continue moving forward, and an unexpected stop creates the potential for a rear-end collision. It also backs traffic onto the street and can cause other drivers to go around stopped vehicles, creating additional unsafe situations.

Please continue pulling forward as directed. If you need to walk your child to the TK/Kindergarten area or another part of campus, please park legally and walk your child safely onto campus. We understand that this may take a few extra minutes some mornings. We would always rather have a student arrive a few minutes late than have a student, family member, or staff member get hurt.

During dismissal, students who are being picked up should remain safely on campus until their adult arrives. Families should use our drive-through pick-up lane or park legally and use the crosswalk to meet their child. Please do not ask your child to leave campus and walk into the surrounding neighborhood to meet your vehicle.

We have had to redirect several students back to campus after finding them waiting or walking unsupervised in the surrounding neighborhood. In addition to the safety concern, we want to be respectful neighbors by not blocking homes, driveways, red curbs, or access to surrounding properties.

Our students hear these expectations from us every day, and it can be confusing when an adult asks them to do something different. We need our students to receive the same safety message from all of us. Please help us model that following safety expectations is important even when we are running late, the line is long, or it would be more convenient to do something differently.

Thank you for your patience and cooperation. No amount of time saved is worth risking someone's safety. Student safety will always come first at Dickson. ❤️⭐💙

Inland SoCal United Way continues to provide free weekend snack bags for Dickson students! Each participating student will receive a snack bag to take home on Fridays.

A waiver must be completed for each student who would like to receive a snack bag. Space is limited to 150 students, so families are encouraged to complete the waiver soon.

🔗 Waiver links can be found farther below in this newsletter. Paper copies are also available in the Dickson office.

We are grateful for this wonderful partnership and the continued support of our Dickson Stars! ⭐

With gratitude,

Renae McCain

Proud Principal

We are incredibly grateful to Lisa Montijo, former Dickson parent and member of the U Chooz Youth nonprofit organization, for the generous donation of playground, recess, and PE equipment to our Dickson Stars! ❤️🤍💙

Lisa collaborated with the Chino Police Department to help deliver these wonderful donations directly to our school. 🏀⚽🏈

Thank you, Lisa, U Chooz Youth, and Chino PD for supporting our students and helping provide more opportunities for them to play, move, connect, and have fun! ⭐

We appreciate our amazing community partners who continue to show up for our Dickson Stars! ❤️🤍💙

This October, we invite our Dickson Stars to join us in showing support, love, and strength for all those who have been affected by breast cancer. Each Wednesday throughout the month of October, students and staff are encouraged to wear pink to school to honor the fighters, survivors, and those we remember.

Wearing pink is a simple yet powerful way to raise awareness, show solidarity, and remind our community that no one fights alone. Let’s fill our campus with pink every Wednesday and stand together in support of hope, healing, and courage. 💗

Thank you for helping us make a difference — one pink shirt at a time!

On Wednesday, October 7, we will celebrate our annual Rock Your School event!

Rock Your School (RYS) is a worldwide event focused on increasing student engagement by transforming classrooms and making learning extra exciting and memorable. This year, Dickson is continuing our Music/MVP theme, with each grade level bringing the theme to life in its own creative way!

Last year, we saw some amazing grade-level and team collaborations, and we can’t wait to see what fun outfits students come to school in.

We’ll kick off the morning with music, dancing, school spirit, and lots of energy as we welcome our Dickson Stars to campus! 🎤🎸🎶

📸 Rock Your School “Selfies”

Our amazing PTA will also be taking special Rock Your School “selfies” for students who turn in an order form. Please remember that these are individual student pictures only and will not include group or friend pictures. Don’t worry—there will be opportunities for fun friend pictures at other events throughout the year!

We can’t wait to ROCK learning at Dickson! ⭐

We are excited to explore bringing an After-School Color Guard Club with Miss Erin to Dickson!

⭐ 5th & 6th Grade Students: Tentatively save the date for Color Guard Tryouts on Friday, October 16th, after school!

This is a great opportunity to learn something new, build confidence, be part of a team, and have fun! No experience is needed.

For now, we are building interest, so please save the date! More details will be shared soon. ❤️🤍💙

Believe it or not, we are already getting ready for one of our biggest Dickson events of the year! Trunk-or-Treat is scheduled for Friday, October 23, and we are already collecting candy donations.

More information about tickets and how families can sign up to decorate a trunk will be coming as we get closer to the event. Start thinking about those creative trunk ideas! 👻🍬🎃

Don't forget to follow @dicksonstarspta on Instagram to stay up to date on PTA activities, fundraisers, and upcoming events.

Our first Saturday School of the year is coming up on Saturday, October 17, from 8:00 a.m.–12:15 p.m.!

📝 RSVP required

Saturday School is a great opportunity for students to make up one full day of missed school, regardless of the reason for the absence. This includes:

• Excused Absence – An absence for an approved reason, such as illness, a medical appointment, or another reason allowed under attendance guidelines.

• Unexcused Absence – An absence for a reason that does not meet the criteria for an excused absence.

• Unverified Absence – An absence for which the school has not received information confirming the reason.

No matter which type of absence your child has, Saturday School can help make up one missed day of attendance! ❤️🤍💙

Students who attend will be provided breakfast and lunch and will participate in fun and engaging activities with our Dickson staff.

📅 Saturday, October 17

⏰ 8:00 a.m.–12:15 p.m.

🥞 Breakfast provided

🍎 Lunch provided

⭐ Fun & engaging activities

📝 RSVP required

An RSVP is required so we can plan ahead and ensure we have the appropriate teacher-to-student ratio.

Miss Brenda in the office has sent a ParentSquare message directly to families of eligible students. Please check your ParentSquare messages for your invitation and RSVP information.

Not sure if your child is eligible? Please call the Dickson office, and we will be happy to check for you!

We hope your Dickson Star can join us for a fun Saturday while also making up a missed day of school! ⭐

Congratulations again to our 2026–27 Dickson Stars Flag Football Team! We are excited to begin our season and can’t wait to see our Stars represent Dickson with teamwork, effort, sportsmanship, and school pride! 🏈⭐

Practices will be held Mondays from 2:30–3:30 p.m. on the Dickson Field. Games will be held at Walnut Elementary and are scheduled for either 3:30 or 4:10 p.m. Please note that the schedule is subject to change.

Our current game schedule is:

Important Family Reminders: Transportation is not provided for games, so an adult is responsible for transporting their child to Walnut Elementary and remaining for the entire game. An adult must also remain with their child for the entire practice and game. Siblings attending practices or games are expected to stay with their adults, cheer on our team, and remain under active adult supervision.

Being part of a Dickson athletic team is a privilege and an opportunity to represent our school. School behavior can impact a student's ability to participate in practices and games.

Thank you to all of our players, families, and spectators for helping us represent Dickson by being Respectful, Responsible, and Safe on all CVUSD campuses.

At Dickson Elementary, we believe every student deserves to be recognized for their growth, effort, kindness, and achievements. Throughout the school year, we will celebrate our Dickson Stars in many ways, including monthly awards assemblies, classroom recognitions, and daily celebrations during recess, lunch, and throughout the school day. We love catching students making positive choices and demonstrating our STAR expectations: Be Respectful, Be Responsible, and Be Safe.

We also know that our incredible staff members make a lasting difference in the lives of our students and families every day. If a teacher or staff member has made a positive impact on your child or family, we would love to hear about it!

Family ShoutOuts are a wonderful way to recognize the outstanding work of our Dickson team. ShoutOut cards are available in the school office, or you are always welcome to email your kind words directly to Principal McCain or Assistant Principal Sedillo. We love sharing these messages with our staff because your appreciation means so much and helps celebrate the amazing work happening across our campus.

Thank you for partnering with us to recognize and encourage both our students and the dedicated staff who help every Dickson Star shine!

October 5-16: Candy Grams sold afternoon by Student Council

October 7: PTA Wetzel's Pretzels | 4-6 pm

October 9: Popsicle Party for students with a paid PTA membership

Wednesday, October 14: Monthly Awards

October 14: PTA Meeting

October 14: PTA Baskin Robbins - Teacher Scoop Night | 4-6 pm

October 17: Saturday School #1 | RSVP Required

October 23: PTA Trunk or Treat Event

October 26 - 30: Red Ribbon Week

October 28: ELAC Meeting #1 | 8:00-9:00 am

Friday, October 30: Special MINIMUM DAY for optional Parent Teacher Conferences

November 4: PTA Meeting 12:30 p.m.

Wednesday, November 11: NO SCHOOL - Veterans Day

November 13: PTA Friendsgiving at Tropical Mexico (RSVP Required)

Wednesday, November 18: Trimester 1 Awards

November 18: PTA Selling Coffee during Trimester Awards

November 23 - 27: NO SCHOOL - Thanksgiving Break

December 2: PTA Meeting 12:30 p.m.

December 4: PTA Holiday Shop Preview

December 5: Saturday School #2 | RSVP Required

December 7 - 9: PTA Holiday Shop - Shopping for classes

Wednesday, December 9: PTA Winter Wonderland

Thursday, December 17: Special MINIMUM DAY for optional Parent Teacher Conferences

December 18 - January 5: NO SCHOOL - Winter Break

Wednesday, January 6: 1st Day Back to School in 2027!

Wednesday, January 6: Monthly Awards

Friday, January 15: Special MINIMUM DAY for optional Parent Teacher Conferences

Monday, January 18: NO SCHOOL - MLK Jr. Day

January 27: ELAC Meeting #2 | 8:00-9:00 am

January 30: Saturday School #3 | RSVP Required

Wednesday, February 3 Monthly Awards

Monday, February 8: NO SCHOOL - Monday, Washington's Birthday

February 15: NO SCHOOL - Presidents' Day

February 17: ELAC Meeting #3 | 8:00-9:00 am

Wednesday, March 3: Trimester 2 Awards

March 6: Saturday School #4 | RSVP Required

Tuesday, March 9: CVUSD Choir Showcase - DON LUGO FEEDER (DICKSON)

March 22 - 29: NO SCHOOL - Spring Break

Tuesday, March 30: 1st Day back to school

Wednesday, April 7: Monthly Awards

Friday, April 16: Special MINIMUM DAY for optional Parent Teacher Conferences

Tuesday, April 27: CVUSD Band Showcase - Don Lugo Feeder (DICKSON)

April 28:  ELAC Meeting #4 | 8:00-9:00 am

Tuesday, May 25: Don Lugo HS Graduation

Wednesday, May 26: 6th Grade Promotion 8:15-9:15 a.m.

Thursday, May 27: Special MINIMUM DAY for optional Parent Teacher Conferences

Thursday, May 27: Last Day of School

Dickson's Intervention Teacher, Ms. Gonzalez, works with small groups of students to provide Tier 3 academic support with curriculum and programs focused on supporting our student's academic foundational skills. Speak to your child's teacher about academic concerns and to schedule a parent teacher conference.

Dickson's Counselor, Jacquline Sanchez, works with small groups of students to provide Tier 2 and Tier 3 counseling with a curriculum focused on supporting our students' social-emotional health. You can request support if you have concerns regarding your child's social-emotional health.

MTSS-B contact information: Jacqueline_Sanchez@chino.k12.ca.us or (909) 591-2653 x4711.

We also have additional counseling services:

Positive Action for Life Success (PALS) program (skills based group)

Chino Human Services (Individual School Based Counseling)

Behavior Health Counseling (Therapeutic Individual Counseling)

We are excited to share that Inland SoCal United Way has selected Dickson Elementary again to participate in an incredible program called United Way Community Classes! This program is designed to ensure every student receives the nourishment, supplies, and support needed to thrive — both in and out of the classroom.

Through this partnership, families will have access to helpful resources such as weekend food packs, school supplies, and additional support for their children. Our Dickson teachers and staff are proud to be actively involved in supporting this wonderful opportunity for our students and community.

To participate and benefit from this program, families must complete a waiver. Once enrolled, students will receive food packs to take home every Friday.

👉 Click the Red Links below to view and print the waivers in English and Spanish.

If you need help completing the form, please contact our school office — we are happy to assist you. Paper waivers are also available upon request.

Together, we can ensure every Dickson student has the tools and resources they need to succeed!

The HOPE Program (website) is committed to serving all students and families of Chino Valley Unified School District by providing support and connections to community resources. HOPE brings together several programs to support our community's families and students regardless of household income, age, and/or legal status. HOPE provides support services for:

Bilingual Case Managers at Family Resource Centers are available to help with:  

If you would like a Case Manager contact you to discuss options, please visit or call the office and we would be happy to put a referral in for you. 

This form will be checked regularly during school hours, excluding holidays and breaks, and we will respond as soon as possible. 

If this is a medical/mental health emergency, call 911 immediately! 

Note: Below are resources available should you find yourself or someone else in a situation where immediate mental health services are needed. 

CVTSS is a schoolwide approach that helps students succeed by teaching positive behaviors, building supportive relationships, and creating safe, welcoming learning environments.

Chino Valley Tiered System of Supports (CVTSS) 

To monitor our implementation, we complete school-wide Tiered Fidelity Inventories (TFI) 3 times a year.

Internal TFI = School Team monitor's our implementation

External TFI = School Team with a trained certified evaluator checks our implementation

2026-27 TFI Dates: To Be Determined

Tier 1 & Tier 2/3 Internal TFIs #1 Nov 4, 2026

Tier 1 & Tier 2/3 Internal TFIs #2 February 2, 2027

Tier 1 & Tier 2/3 External TFI  April 27, 2027

Tier 1 Internal TFI #1: Wednesday, October 29, 2025 at 8:30 a.m. | Tier 1 93%

Tier 2/3 Internal TFI #1: Thursday, Nov 6, 2025 at 8:00 a.m. | Tier 2 100% | Tier 3 85%

Tier 1 Internal TFI #2: Monday, February 17, 2026 at 8:30 a.m. | Tier 1 97%

Tier 2/3 Internal TFI #2: Thursday, Feb 17, 2026 at 10:00 a.m. | Tier 2 100% | Tier 3 97%

Tier 1 External TFI: Thursday, April 16, 2025 at 8:35 a.m. | Tier 1 97%

Tier 2/3 External TFI: Thursday, April 16, 2025 at 1:00 p.m. Tier 2 100% | Tier 3 100%

We were awarded with the CVTSS Diamond Award!

The Tier 1 team represents multiple and diverse perspectives to co-create the systems and practices for Tier 1 support. This team is responsible for uncovering strengths and needs by monitoring school and community data, ensuring students receive equitable access to these supports, and evaluating overall effectiveness.

Jacquline Sanchez, MTSS-B Counselor

Renae McCain, Principal

Kristin McConnell, Teacher

Sandra Noon, Parent & Teacher

Alyssa Huh, Teacher

Tier 2 supports refers to the practices and systems that enable targeted interventions for students who are not successful with Tier 1 supports alone. The focus at Tier 2 is supporting students who are at risk for developing more serious unwanted behaviors before they start. Essentially, intervention at this level is more targeted than Tier 1 but less intensive than Tier 3. The Tier 2 team meets regularly to design and refine Tier 2 interventions within the building to meet the needs of their students. The team is responsible for the student referral process related to interventions. The team also provides training to families, school personnel, and students regarding interventions. The Tier 2 Team may include someone to coordinate each Tier 2 intervention, a school administrator, a behavior specialist, and classroom teachers. Schools are also encouraged to consider community and family members.

Tier 3 team membership includes an administrator, a coach/behavior representative, others with basic knowledge of problem solving. Team members should also include personnel who actively provide Tier 3 support in the school. This gives them input on decisions about interventions they provide to students they serve. Including school personnel from different departments ensures an array of perspectives.

Jacquline Sanchez, MTSS-B Counselor

Celina Sedillo, Assistant Principal

Claudia Castro, RSP Teacher

Marilu Foss, School Psychologist

Amanda Dayhoff, Behavior Health Associate

Priscilla Sosa, Behavior Health Counselor

CVTSS was built based on PBIS practices.

California PBIS Vision Statement: California PBIS supports the sustainable development of a safe, equitable, and positive climate and social culture for ALL.

Our schoolwide expectations are:

This video is a great way to review school expectations with your child.

To help keep California and our school beautiful, Dickson students and staff are educated on the importance of reducing food waste, recycling, and saving energy. Dickson participates in sorting our food and trashing during breakfast and lunch.

If you would like to learn more about saving energy at home, please see the tips sheet below.

The Chino Valley Unified School District is excited to engage with families using Aeries Communications powered by ParentSquare (voicemail, email and text message)! ParentSquare is designed to keep parents informed and facilitate participation between school and home. It provides a safe way for school principals, teachers, staff, and parents to:

Communications are all in one convenient location!

Parents and Guardians are able to access posts using:

To activate your ParentSquare account, enter your Aeries Parent Portal, tap on Communications, and confirm the data you see there.

We want to take a moment to express our deep gratitude to our incredible PTA Board and the many volunteers who support our school community. Often, the hard work and dedication of our parent and staff volunteers go unrecognized, and we want to shine a light on the amazing contributions they make.

Every member of our PTA, including the board members, is a volunteer, and we encourage more families to get involved. The more volunteers we have, the more wonderful events we can bring to the Dickson community.

As Bill Richardson wisely said, "We cannot accomplish all that we need to do without working together." Let's continue to work hand in hand to create memorable experiences for our children and families!

The Dickson PTA plays a vital role in planning, organizing, and executing a variety of enriching activities for our students and families, including:

The PTA volunteers generously give their time selling snacks after school on Wednesdays. All proceeds go directly back to our students.

PTA continues to accepts PTA Memberships throughout the year. Every membership makes a difference and supports students directly.

Every class that has 100% PTA Memberships will earn an Ice Cream Party! Families are welcome to donate and/or sponsor memberships for their child’s class as well.

If you pay for anything via Zelle, make sure you type your student’s name, teacher and reason for payment to ensure PTA aligns your payment correctly. Payments with no memo/note may go into overall donations.

Did you know that eating at participating local restaurants can help support our Dickson Stars? 

⭐ Families and friends can download the Think-n-Local app, visit participating restaurants, and upload your receipt after your purchase. A portion of eligible purchases will be donated back to Dickson Elementary—at no additional cost to you! It’s an easy way to support our school while enjoying meals with family and friends. Every receipt adds up, so don’t forget to snap a picture and upload it in the app. If you prefer, you can send receipts to school and our PTA will upload the receipts for you!

Thank you for helping turn your everyday purchases into support for our students! ❤️⭐💙

We kindly ask for your help in ensuring a safe environment during drop-off and pick-up times. Please adhere to all traffic laws, posted signs, and staff instructions. Every individual's cooperation is essential in creating a safer environment. While I understand that many adults may be in a hurry, it is imperative that we prioritize safety above all else.

By working together and following these safety practices, we can enhance student safety and improve traffic flow.

Thank you for your attention and cooperation. The drop-off and pick-up procedures are available below and on the Dickson Website.

We appreciate families who:

Thank you for your continued commitment to safety! Please review the arrival and dismissal map and share these guidelines with anyone picking up your child.

If you have any questions, feel free to call the office.

To sign out your student(s) out of SOAR, please park on Roswell Ave. or in the Doris Dickson parking lot and walk to the side gate. This gate is located on the left side of the school on Roswell between the cafeteria and the tennis courts.

When you arrive, please call the SOAR site phone number (909) 536-6420, and a staff member will meet you at the side gate to sign out your student(s). Staff will no longer walk students to the front of the school to exit. Please be sure to share this information with all approved individuals on your student's emergency contact list.

For questions regarding the new Dickson SOAR sign-out procedures, please contact Tricia Huffman by calling (909) 628-1202 ext. 8990 or by emailing tricia_huffman@chino.k12.ca.us.

Thank you.

Tricia Huffman

_____________________________________________________

Si tiene preguntas sobre los nuevos procedimientos de cierre de sesión de Dickson SOAR, comuníquese con Tricia Huffman llamando al 909-628-1202 ext. 8990 o enviando un correo electrónico a: tricia_huffman@chino.k12.ca.us.

Tricia Huffman