DMS Panther Report
Newsletter for Parents, Students, Teachers & the Community
Week of Oct. 27-Nov. 2
Discovery Middle School
Email: mbarkley@madisoncity.k12.al.us
Website: http://dms.madisoncity.k12.al.us/
Location: 1304 Hughes Road, Madison, AL, United States
Phone: 256-837-3735
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/discoverymspanthers?ref=hl
Twitter: @mbarkleyDMS
DMS Administration Team
Principal: Melanie J. Barkley mbarkley@madisoncity.k12.al.us
Asst. Principal: Ryan Foy rlfoy@madisoncity.k12.al.us
Asst. Principal: Kevin Wilson kwilson@madisoncity.k12.al.us
Counselor: Kelle Moody kmoody@madisoncity.k12.al.us
This Week's Schedule Rotation
D WEEK is our schedule rotation for Oct. 27-31
HAPPENING AT DMS THIS WEEK
DMS Cyber Security Awareness Week 10/27 - 10/31
DMS is excited to host the Cyber Security Awareness Week.
- Each morning, students will have a trivia question they will have a chance to answer and win prizes.
- Students will watch a short video each day on various topics related to cyber security.
- We will culminate the week with an a school wide assembly on "Protecting yourself from Cyber Crimes" Friday at 9am. We will have Ben McGee, an expert in Cyber Security and Kerry Straub, FBI Special Agent.
We will also have guest speakers in the STEM classes throughout the week.
- Monday, Jennifer VanderWier - with F1 Solutions "Preparing for a Career in Technology"
- Tuesday, Troy McCartney - with F1 Solutions " Social Engineering"
- Wednesday. Kerry Straub - with the FBI bomb detonation robots "How Technology and Robotics Play a Role in Bomb Disposal"
Monday, Oct. 27
- Lego Robotics - Team Robo Sapians (Coach Garrison) practice from 5:30-7 at STEM Academy Bldg
- Math Team (7th/8th) Optional Practice in Mrs. Goldston's Room from 3:15 until 5pm.
Tuesday, Oct. 28
- Fellowship of Christian Athletes will meet at 7:15am in the library **Mark Witt will be speaking, He is an amazing speaker. Everyone is welcome. **
- Cyber Security Club will be 3:30-4:30pm in the STEM Academy (Behind the school).
- DMS Fruit Sales are due.
- DMS Basketball Tip Off Tournament begins at DMS. See Bracket Information Links Below.
Wednesday, Oct. 29
- First Priority Meets in Coach Brewers Room at 7:30am
- Art Club at 3:15pm in Mrs. Spiegel's Room.
- Lego Robotics - Team Lucid Dreamers (Coach Horowitz) practice from 5:30-7 at STEM Academy Bldg.
Thursday, Oct. 30
Spanish Club will meet before school at 7:30am or 3:15pm in Mrs. Davis's Room. Students may choose a time that is convenient for them.
Band Spirit Night at Moe's SW Grill. 4pm-9pm
Friday, Oct. 31 - HALF DAY FOR STUDENTS
Friday, Oct. 31
- Breakfast Book Club will meet in the Library at 7:40am. Any student interested in joining should see Mrs. King or Mrs. Harlow for a pass.
- Chess Team will practice from 5:30-6:30pm at the Madison City Central Office
- Lego Robotics - Team Robo Sapians (Coach Garrison) practice from 5:30-7 at STEM Academy Bldg
- Lego Robotics - Team Lucid Dreamers (Coach Horowitz) practice from 5:30-7 at STEM Academy Bldg.
- DMS Band Disney Trip Deposit Due to Mr. Murray
Saturday, Nov. 1
DMS Basketball Tip Off Tournament
Tournament will be played Oct. 28, Nov. 3 and Nov. 4.
Games will be played at DMS and LMS.
DMS Needs YOUR HELP in Supporting St. Jude Children's Research Hospital
DMS will be joining Madison City Schools to help raise money to support St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital! A challenge has been made by Mr. Golliver at LMS and my competitive side has kicked in and I have accepted this challenge!!! (He thinks they can raise more money for St. Jude than Discovery!) We would like to raise at least $2,500 to help the children of St. Jude and beat Liberty!
We will have a “CUTEST PET” and “SILLIEST SELFIE” photo contest. Students AND Teachers are encouraged to enter!!! All you have to do is bring in a photo of your “Cutest Pet” or your “Silliest Selfie” to Mrs. King in the library along with your $5.00 entry fee. All photos should be 5x7 or smaller.
Mrs. King will be accepting photos October 27-31, 2014. All photos will be displayed on the bulletin board in the hallway outside the library. Students will vote on their favorite photo in each category by purchasing “tickets” for $0.25 each or FIVE tickets for $1.00 November3-5, 2014. ALL money raised will be donated to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital!
The WINNER of each category will win a $10 gift card to Monaco Pictures and will have their photo featured in the yearbook!!!
Mrs. Missy King, Media Specialist, and Mrs. Kelle Moody, Counselor, will be running in the St. Jude Memphis Marathon, representing DMS, on December 6, 2014 with the Madison City Schools District Team! Help show your support by donating to St. Jude! No amount is too small!!! Just click the link to make a Tax Deductible Donation and help us help all the children of St. Jude!!! http://heroes.stjude.org/MissyKingDMS
Did you know?
- Many students from Madison City Schools have received treatment from St. Jude and some are receiving treatment NOW...ALL without having to pay a single penny!!! You can check out stories of local Madison City Students that have received or are currently receiving treatment on the “District News” page at www.madisoncity.k12.al.us .
- Families NEVER receive a bill from St. Jude for treatment, travel, housing or food — because all a family should worry about is helping their child live.
- Because the majority of St. Jude funding comes from people like you, St. Jude has the freedom to focus on what matters most – saving kids regardless of their financial situation. (That means your donation, no matter what the size, will help!)
- St. Jude is working to drive the overall survival rate for childhood cancer to 90% by 2020.
St. Jude won't stop until no child dies of cancer, and neither will I. Will you join us and be a Hero, too?
Thank you so much for your help!!!
Missy King
Media Specialist
Discovery Middle School
If you would like to make a donation please click on the link below to help all the children of St. Jude. ☺
UPDATE - Boston, MA 8th Grade TRIP Information
Parents,
If you are interested in your child and/or yourself going on the Boston 2015 EF Tour, please email Mr. Brewer by the end of this week. mbrewer@madisoncity.k12.al.us
He can send you the PowerPoint presentation for more information. The cut-off date fro enrolling is quickly approaching.
The Boston Trip will be from April 13th-17th this year. Registration is available online at the EF Tour website or you may call 1-617-619-2134. Our trip ID# is 1525987XP. This is a great trip for our 8th Graders.
Washington DC 7th Grade TRIP Information
Math Tutoring Available to Students
Math tutoring is offered to any student at the following times during the week.
7th Grade Math
Graham - Tuesday, Wednesday, & Thursday at 7:15-7:55am
Brooks - Monday at 3:15-4:00pm
Baragona - Tuesday and Wednesday at 3:15-4:00pm
Grayson - Thursday at 3:15-4:00pm
8th Grade Math
Garner - Monday at 3:15 -4:00pm
King - Tuesday at 3:15 -4:00pm
Baragona - Wednesday at 3:15-4:00pm
McGuire - Thursday at 3:15-4:00pm
8th Grade Algebra
King - Monday at 3:15 - 4:00pm
Maxwell - Tuesday at 3:15-4:00pm
McGuire - Wednesday at 3:15-4:00pm
ELECTIVE SPOTLIGHT
This week's elective spotlight is Mr. Archer's Survey of Science classes. Last week the students completed an activity that connected a pushbutton circuit to the BASIC Stamp. They worked in groups to write a PBASIC Program that checked the state of the pushbutton and displayed it in the Debug Terminal.
The students had to assemble the circuit board with the correct parts. Then they had to program the pushbuttons to light up either red, yellow or green.
The students had a great time with the project and learned various hands on skills they could use in a future career.
DMS Teacher Professional Development at Pantherpalooza
October is the first month we have offered our #pantherpalooza sessions. Pantherpalooza is what we call our in-school professional learning opportunities where we offer relevant and applicable educator sessions. All teachers at DMS are encouraged to participate and share a professional learning session as well. Our first #pantherpalooza focused on the impact of small group intervention and small group acceleration in the classroom.
Dr. Coman (our Instructional Partner) facilitated the sessions where we met during the teacher’s planning block. She shared instructional information and tools regarding re-teaching vs. re-engaging, teaching vs. mastery, and the needs of the learner of today.
As a school we have decided to go deep with our small group instruction regarding RtI (response to instruction); and when looking at acceleration to extend learning opportunities. Our learning targets for these sessions included deepening our understanding of small group intervention and acceleration, RtI tiered model of instruction, and supporting each other in our growth as professionals.
PANTHERS IN THE NEWS
Madison Record Article on our DMS UAH Honor Band students.
Madison Record Article on our upcoming Nov. 4 Veteran's Day Program.
WAY TO GO PANTHERS
DMS Math Team Results from Cedar Ridge T'ment
Discovery's math team competed in the math tournament at Cedar Ridge today.
7th grade individual results:
5th place Juanita Monteiro Pai
7th place Shreyas Pant
The 7th grade team placed 2nd among large middle schools. Other 7th grade competitors were Lynne Clark, Skylar Elliott, Michael Guthrie, Constance Hu, Evan Krohn, Erin Kueck, Sherry Lee, Andrew Parsons, Sulekha Ramesh, David Teng, Tom Teper, and Helen Wu.
8th grade individual results:
1st place Corey Tolbert
3rd place David Li
7th place Victoria Lee
10th place Justin Byers
The 8th grade team placed 1st among large middle schools. Other 8th grade competitors were Joshua Byers, Lailah Douthitt, Joy Duan, Angela Kinsey, Matthew Nguyen, Grace Palenapa, Maisy Scully, Aditya Singhal, Chima Ugwuegbulam, and Douglas Zhang.
These kids did a great job!!!
DMS and BJHS Swim Team finishes well at the Quad Meet
Congratulations to the BJ Swim Team on the results of the Quad Meet at Dublin.
Girls:
James Clemens 129
Huntsville 128
Bob Jones 101
Grissom 98
First Place winners for BJHS were:
Devin Campbell 200 IM, Devin Campbell 500 free
Boys:
Bob Jones 154
James Clemens 121.5
Huntsville 107
Grissom 70.5
First Place winners for BJHS were:
200 Medley Relay (Chris Burrows, Andrew Sterns, Andrey Tretyakov, Chris Day)
A.Sterns 200 IM
Derek Sander 50 free
D. Sander 100 free
200 Free Relay (A. Tretyakov, A. Sterns, Christopher Gunner, D. Sander)
A.Sterns 100 breast
400 Free Relay (C. Burrows, Zach Weston, C. Day, D. Sander)
Upcoming Events
DMS Veteran's Day Program - Nov. 4
Discovery Middle School
1304 Hughes Road, Madison
Cordially invites all Veterans, Active Duty and Reservist for
A Day of Honor
Tuesday, November 4th
8:00-9:00am Heroes breakfast
9:00-10:00am Heroes Ceremony
Please RSVP to Anthony Graham by November 1st
256-652-1790
DMS Class Spelling Bees to be Held Tuesday, Nov. 25
DMS will hold all Class Spelling Bees on Tuesday, November 25, 2014 through the Language Arts classes. Each teacher’s block will have a winner!
The School Spelling Bee will be held on Tuesday, December 16, 2014 in the Library. All class/block winners will participate in the School Wide Spelling Bee!
If your child would like to compete in the Class Spelling Bee, please have him/her study the spelling words in the list that corresponds to his/her grade level listed below.
The Spelling Bee is voluntary and participation is not required.
Good Luck and Have Fun Studying!!!
Please note that you need the latest version of the FREE Adobe Reader software to open the PDFs available on this page.
Password for ALL Lists
BeeStudy15
Seventh Grade Classroom Spelling Bee Study List
Eighth Grade Classroom Spelling Bee Study List
Complete Set of Study Words for Grades 1-8 (classroom)
2015 SCHOOL Spelling Bee Study List
http://internal.spellingbee.com/files/spellingbee.com/School%20Spelling%20Bee%20List%202-pagers.pdf
BOB JONES HS EVENTS AND NEWS
BJHS Volleyball
Congratulations to the BJHS Varsity Volleyball Team - They won the Area Tournament and placed 3rd in the Super Regionals last week.
Wednesday, Oct. 29 - BJHS Varsity they play at 11:20am in the State Tournament in Birmingham.
BJHS Football
Congratulations to the BJHS Varsity Football Team - they won their 6th straight Regional Title with the win of Hazel Green last Friday Night.
Bob Jones travels to Austin HS Thursday Night with KICKOFF at 7pm for the last regular season game.
BJHS Cross Country Team
Thursday, Oct. 30 - Sectional Championship @ Palmer Park
BJHS Swim and Dive Team
FOR YOUR INFORMATION
Important Calendars for 2014-15
Menus for October
Link to Lunch Menu for October
Link to Breakfast Menu for October
Winter Sport Schedules for DMS
DMS Fall T'Shirts For Sale
DMS Khaki Long Sleeve $25
BJHS Red Long Sleeve $25
Bobscovery Gray Long Sleeve $25
Come by the front office and see Mrs. Sanders or Mrs. Parker
YEARBOOKS ARE ON SALE NOW
2014-2015 Yearbooks are on sale now. Cost is $45.
Cash or Checks (include Driver's License number and 2 phone numbers) can be turned into Mr. Brewer.
Parents Contact Forms
Parents each year we like to make sure our contact information is update. This year we have tried to make it easier for you by updating online. Please take the time to go to the following link and update your info. This is a private document that will only be seen by your child's teacher and office staff. Thank you for your help.
DMS PTA INFORMATION
PTA Reflections Contest
The Theme this year will be "The World Would be a Better Place if ...”
The National PTA encourages all students to pursue artistic expression through participation in its annual arts “Reflections” program. The Reflections’ theme for this year is “The World Would be a Better Place if ...”. Your child may submit entries in any or all six of the art categories: visual art, literature, film production, musical composition, photography, and dance choreography. Each entry will be judged on interpretation of the theme with special attention paid to creativity and artistic merit. Only NEW pieces of artwork inspired by the national theme, “The World Would be a Better Place if ...”” are acceptable. All entries must be original. Adults should not alter or influence the creative integrity of the child’s work. The top five entries for each category and each age division from our school will go on to compete at the city level. The grade divisions are: Primary Preschool-2, Intermediate 3-5, Middle School 6-8, High School 9-12, Special Artist -ungraded.
PTA Family School Partnership Surveys for National PTA School of Excellance Program
Dear Families,
The Discovery PTA knows that a strong partnership among our families, school leaders, and community is important for the success of our students and school. That’s why we are participating in the National PTA School of Excellence program, which celebrates partnerships between PTA and schools to enrich the educational experience for all students.
We need your help! As part of the process, National PTA requests feedback from families at the beginning and the end of the school year.. Your feedback now will help to generate a customized Roadmap to Excellence, which will provide specific recommendations for improving our family-school partnership and achieving excellence in our school.
Please take a few minutes to complete the following surveys online by October 30th. It should only take 5-10 minutes of your time and would be greatly appreciated!
Family-School Partnership Survey Part 1
https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/ZBHKNX3
Family-School Partnership Survey Part 2
https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/5YC23CY
Thank you for your help!
Brandi Nance
President, Discovery PTA
UPDATE ON BOX TOPS FOR DMS
Great job on bringing in your Box Tops! Keep them coming! Our goal is $1000 and we are already at $684. See: http://www.boxtops4education.com/ for more information. Congratulations to Mr. Smith's First Period Class for bringing in the most Box Tops in the first quarter of the school year! DMS also participates in the Labels for Education program. Visit: http://www.labelsforeducation.com/Earn-Points/Participating-Products for more information.