DMS Eagle News (12/3/23)

Eagle Families,

As we roll towards the end of 2023 we have quite a few thing coming up over the next few weeks. This Friday DMS will begin our annual Food Drive for Second Harvest. Our goal is 25k (we exceeded it last year) and we hope to do so again. More info will be in the student announcements starting Thursday.

The DMS Band, Color Guard and Cheer participated in the Los Altos Festival of Lights Parade last Sunday. See the parade broadcast video below if you missed it. See a few other videos HERE and HERE. They also performed yesterday in the Los Gatos Children's Holiday Parade. See pics below.

HSC has another Dine Out fundraiser - this time it's this Wednesday, Dec 6th, at Chipotle from 4-8pm. See the flyer (ENGLISH | SPANISH) for more info. You can order online using code VGNMED2 or show the flyer in store.

DMS will be holding 2 Enrollment Tours (these are for non-USD families. We will hold our 5th grade parent night in the spring for USD families). If you know of non-USD families who are thinking of attending DMS and want to know more, let them know. The dates are Dec 13 and Jan 18 - both from 9-10am. There will be a short presentation and then a tour of campus. Sign up link is HERE.

At DMS, we continue our SEL curriculum of Second Step during our Thursday advisory periods. Each grade has begun the 2nd unit of 'Recognizing Bullying and Harassment'. 6th graders will be looking at such topics as types of bullying, recognizing and responding to it and how to be an 'upstander'. 7th grade will be examining topics centered around harassment - both sexual and gender based. 8th grade will be looking at the social and environmental factors that contribute to bullying. Remember you can visit the Parent Resources of the Second Step program:

• Second Step's Information for Families - HERE. You can learn more about social-emotional learning, why it’s important, what your child is learning through the program, and view sample lessons.
• ParenTeen Connect - HERE. This is a free resource for parents that provides expert advice and practical tools for dealing with real parent-teen issues that cause conflict in their lives—including screen time, independence, responsibility, and communication.

I know many of your students have wearable devices (Apple Watches, etc...). Please make sure you are NOT communicating with them during school hours (without staff permission). If there is an emergency that requires you to reach your student, please contact the front office - we can reach your student quickly and get them in touch with you. A great practice is to set your student's Apple Watch on 'Schooltime' mode - see how HERE.

Happening Soon:

• Turkey Trot (rescheduled) - Dec 5th, 3rd/4th period
• DMS Food Drive begins Dec 8th (ends 12/19)

On the Horizon:

• USD Board Meeting is Dec 11th at 6pm.
• DMS Band Winter Concerts are on Dec 12th and 14th.
• Winter Break begins Dec 21st with students returning on Jan 4th.

As your child looks to transition to high school next year, please take a look at the important information from Campbell Union HS District linked below. It's important to know that EVERY incoming family (even if you live in their boundary) will have to provide address verification. Please check the info below for your specific situation and more information.

Information sheet - English | Spanish

CUHSD Incoming Families Website

• Please make sure you always check in through the front office if you wish to visit DMS during our campus hours (8:10-3:05). We want to make sure everyone on campus has gone through the proper procedures. Thanks.
• Our website announcements can be found HERE. Information on clubs/activities can often be found in these announcements so you will want to bookmark this. Your student has access (under their USD account) to the morning announcements - which has even more information.
  
• Our students social and emotional well being is important to us. If students are suffering and need help we are here for them. In addition to the DMS staff, they can reach out in other ways. See this info flyer HERE.
• Our DMS School Compact is located HERE.
• Wonder what's for snack and lunch? You can check out the menus for DMS HERE.
• Is your student having a conflict with others that needs mediated? DMS has an EMT (Eagles Mediation Team) that may help. Students can complete an EMT form (located in ClassLink) and get help from fellow Eagles who have been trained in peer conflict mediation. More serious conflicts can be mediated by staff.

Join the Union School District Team!

• Become a Substitute (Teaching, Instructional Assistant, Office, and Food Service positions available). Apply today: Teaching Positions | Other Positions

• Get a full or part time position (Teaching, Instructional Assistant, Office, Food Service, and Extended Care positions). Apply today on EdJoin.

• Become a noon duty aide. Contact your school front office for more information.

The Union School District is proud to continue our partnership with We Tip. WeTip is designed to serve as a resource for students who experienced or observed school-related bullying, racism, harassment, vandalism or other inappropriate behaviors. Once a report is filed, WeTip will contact our Student Services in our Learning and Innovation Department with the specifics of the incident, and Student Services will work with the administration, counselors, and other school staff.

Through WeTip, the anonymity of the person reporting is maintained. Students and parents are also encouraged to contact school staff directly to report inappropriate behaviors because this typically provides us with more detailed and helpful information. A We Tip report can be submitted via the We Tip hotline (844) 408-0580 or online using this link.

You'll be hearing a lot about SOAR this year. What is it? It represents our DMS school wide expectations. Safety, Ownership, Acceptance and Respect. Our first week of school your Eagles learned what those look like in various areas of the campus (restrooms, blacktop, lunch area, hallways, etc...) and our goal is for all students to exhibit those expectations. Students may receive our Eagle tickets for doing so. Those can be used to enter our weekly drawings for DMS swag and a pizza party. Throughout the year, we will highlight aspects of these expectations in the newsletter so you can partner with us as we strive to SOAR.

USD is committed to the well-being of our students, staff, and families to create a safe and healthy learning environment. In support of our ongoing commitment, USD has partnered with Care Solace to provide an additional layer of care for our community.

Care Solace helps individuals find mental health care providers and substance use treatment centers. Their Care Companion™ team is available 24 hours per day, 7 days per week, and 365 days per year to quickly connect you to carefully verified providers in your community.

Students, staff, and families may access Care Solace services in two ways:

• Call (888) 515-0595 at any time. Support is available in 200+ languages. A dedicated Care Companion™ will help you every step of the way to research options, secure appointments, and follow up to make sure it is a good fit.
• For an anonymous search, answer a few questions to get matched with an extensive list of care providers at www.caresolace.com/unionsd.

Care Solace is now available for use at no cost to you. They will connect you with providers accepting all medical insurances including Medicaid, Medicare, and sliding scale options for those without insurance. All information entered on the Care Solace tool is completely confidential and securely stored.

Please note, this service is an optional resource available by choice and is not mandatory to use. Care Solace is not an emergency response service or mental health services provider. In the event of a life-threatening emergency, please call 9-1-1 or the National Suicide Hotline 1-800-273-8255. If you are interested in counseling-related services for your child, yourself, or another family member, please contact Care Solace for valuable assistance. This is a complimentary resource provided by Union School District.

We wanted to let you know attendance will be a top priority. When children miss school days, they miss out the opportunity to learn from their teachers. The more children miss, the harder it is for them to keep up with those who attend school regularly. While some absences are unavoidable for health reasons or other important family matters, but we also know that even when children have missed school for good reasons, too many absences can cause them to fall behind.

Let’s work together to make sure that your child does no fall behind in school this school year. Please ensure that your children attends school every day and also arrives on time so they benefit as much as possible from what is taught in the classroom. Here are a few practical tips to help support regular attendance:

• Make sure your children keep a regular bedtime,

• Lay out clothes and pack backpacks the night before.

• Establish a morning routine.

• Ensure your children go to school every day unless they are truly sick (e.g child has a fever, is throwing up or has diarrhea versus a minor stomach ache or runny nose.)

• Avoid scheduling vacations or doctor’s appointments when school is in session.

• Talk to teachers and counselors for advice if your children feel anxious about going to school.

• Develop back up plans for getting to school if something comes up. Call on a family member, neighbor, or another parent to take your child to school.

Please watch this short video on the importance of attendance.

Pandemic Electronic Benefit Transfer (P-EBT) is a federal initiative designed to provide food assistance to students who have been impacted by the pandemic and are missing out on meals that would have been provided at school. This program aims to replace those meals with a monetary benefit that can be used to purchase food.

P-EBT benefits are being distributed to all students who attended Union School District last year. The California Department of Education has determined eligibility for P-EBT cards based on the District's status, rather than the individual status of each student. Beginning this month, P-EBT cards containing a benefit amount of $120 have been mailed to student's home mailing address. These cards function like debit cards and can be used at locations where CalFresh Food benefits are accepted.

Families who determine the P-EBT benefits are not necessary can drop off their cards at a collection box which will be made available in the front office area at each school. The District is working with the California Department of Education on redistributing returned P-EBT cards to students who are in need of these benefits.

Don't forget to visit the HSC website so you can donate. Donations go towards many academic and extra-curricular program funding at DMS. There are also opportunities to volunteer.

DSM HSC Website

Have you visited the DMS Store yet? If not, you're missing out. It's the easiest way to purchase your student's PE clothes, lock and planner. It's also a great way to show your Eagle pride by purchasing DMS apparel. Finally, you can place your athletic donations from there as well.

DMS Store Website

Email: boggss@unionsd.org
Website: https://dartmouth.unionsd.org
Location: 5575 Dartmouth Drive, San Jose, CA, USA
Phone: 408-264-1122
Twitter: @DartmouthMS