Cardinal Call
Dodge City Middle School
May Newsletter
Email: dcms@443mail.org
Website: https://usd443.org/DCMS
Location: Dodge City Middle School, 6th Avenue, Dodge City, KS, USA
Phone: (620) 471-2100
Facebook: facebook.com/dodgecitymiddleschool
Twitter: @DodgeCityMiddle
School Hours
Class Hours: 8:00am - 3:15pm
Office Hours: 7:30am - 4:30pm
Late Start Office Hours: 7:30am - 4:30pm
Late Start Class Hours: 9:30am – 3:15pm
Principal's News!
Please don't hesitate to reach out to any of us principals with any questions.
Go Cardinals!
DCMS Principals
Mrs. Wells - Head Principal (7th Grade Principal)
Mrs. Bogner - Assistant Principal (8th Grade Principal)
Mr. Still - Assistant Principal/Athletic Director (6th Grade Principal)
Nurse's Corner
Turning 12 years old means that it is time for a booster of the Tdap (tetanus, diphtheria, and pertussis) and Meningococcal vaccines. If your student does not have these vaccines on the record at school, a letter will be sent to remind you that they are due. To receive the vaccines, you can call your doctor’s office to make an appointment, or walk in (no appointment necessary) at Ford County Health Department, 507 Avenue L. Their hours are Monday, Wednesday, Thursday 8:00 am - 5:00 pm, Tuesday 8:00 am - 6:00 pm, and Friday 8:00 am - 4:00 pm. For any questions, you can call them at 620-227-4545.
If there are any vaccines to catch up on that were missed, this is a good time to receive those also. You may be given the option of additional vaccines for this age group that are recommended but not required, including HPV (human papilloma virus), Influenza, and COVID-19.
Please let me know if you need a copy of your child’s vaccine record from school or if you have any questions.
Thank you so much,
Angie Koehn BSN, RN
DCMS School Nurse
Recommended Immunizations for Children from 7 Through 18 Years Old (cdc.gov)
Tips from the Counselors
Top Ten Test-Taking Tips for Students
Here are the top ten tips to success!
1. Have a Positive Attitude
Approach the big test as you'd approach a giant jigsaw puzzle. It might be tough, but you can do it! A positive attitude goes a long way toward success.2. Make a Plan
The week before the test, ask your teacher what the test is going to cover. Is it from the textbook only? Class notes? Can you use your calculator? If you've been absent, talk to friends about material you may have missed. Make a list of the most important topics to be covered and use that as a guide when you study. Circle items that you know will require extra time. Be sure to plan extra time to study the most challenging topics.
3. The Night Before
Cramming doesn't work. If you've followed a study plan, the night before the test you should do a quick review and get to bed early. Remember, your brain and body need sleep to function well, so don't stay up late!
4. The Morning of the Test
Did you know that you think better when you have a full stomach? So don't skip breakfast the morning of the test. Get to school early and do a ten-minute power study right before the test, so your brain is turned on and tuned up.
5. Test Time
Before the test begins, make sure you have everything you'll need - scratch paper, extra pencils, your calculator (if you're allowed to use it). Understand how the test is scored: Do you lose points for incorrect answers? Or is it better to make guesses when you're not sure of the answer? Read the instructions! You want to make sure you are marking answers correctly.
6. Manage Your Time
Scan through the test quickly before starting. Answering the easy questions first can be a time saver and a confidence builder. Plus, it saves more time in the end for you to focus on the hard stuff.
7. I'm Stuck!
Those tricky problems can knock you off balance. Don't get worried or frustrated. Reread the question to make sure you understand it, and then try to solve it the best way you know how. If you're still stuck, circle it and move on. You can come back to it later. What if you have no idea about the answer? Review your options and make the best guess you can, but only if you don't lose points for wrong answers.
8. Multiple-Choice Questions
The process of elimination can help you choose the correct answer in a multiple-choice question. Start by crossing off the answers that couldn't be right. Then spend your time focusing on the possible correct choices before selecting your answer.
9. Neatness Counts
If your 4s look like 9s, it could be a problem. Be sure that your writing is legible and that you erase your mistakes. For machine-scored tests, fill in the spaces carefully.
10. I'm Done!
Not so fast - when you complete the last item on the test, remember that you're not done yet. First, check the clock and go back to review your answers, making sure that you didn't make any careless mistakes (such as putting the right answer in the wrong place or skipping a question). Spend the last remaining minutes going over the hardest problems before you turn in your test.
Follow these test tips, and you'll know you did your best - congratulations!
Trail Blazers
Students have learned a new strategy for documenting their learning called “It’s All on the Clipboard”. This strategy helps them organize notes and homework as well as create visuals that help them understand new concepts.
(Picture Below)
Spartans
Pictured Right to Left:
Dayana Villanueva (Social Studies - Tieben), Melanie Hernandez (Martinez- Connect), Camila Cisneros Flores (Math - Dierksen), Elena Borunda (ELA - Ramirez), Karen Ponce (Citizenship Award), Jorge Vasquez (ELA - Barajas), Humberto (Jose) Hernandez (Science - Buckner), Jayden Villa (Bradshaw P.E.), and Alexis Chavez Alarcon (DeLaTorre - Math).
Olympians
Math - Fact Fluency
Dear DCMS families,
This quarter I’d like to provide you and your students with more information about the importance of fact fluency and ways to help them increase and maintain their math skills by practicing basic addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division math facts while having fun!
.
What is fact fluency?
Math fact fluency, or the ability for students to recall basic math facts quickly, accurately, and effortlessly, is an essential component of students’ math knowledge. It would take you ages to write a paper if you had to look up the spelling of each individual word: In the same way, lack of fact fluency can slow down students’ processing of more complex math problems and situations. The importance of fact fluency as a foundation for more difficult math, and even as a predictor of future math success.
How do we build fact fluency?
It is important to realize that Fact fluency is not just memorizing the basic facts. During class, we will focus on building students’ conceptual understanding of the basic math facts, rather than focusing solely on memorization. We will encourage children to focus on looking for patterns and relationships between the facts, building on and connecting to what facts they already know (for example, if students know 5+5=10, then 5+6= one more than ten, or 11or if students know 5x5=25, 5x6 is one more group of 5, or 30). This conceptual framework anchors students’ recall in meaning. In other words, students are making meaningful connections that make remembering the facts easier.
What can we do to help?
Students can practice math facts at home. This extra practice helps the brain transition facts from short-term memory into long-term storage. Practicing can be as easy as quizzing your child in the car on the way to school, or doing flashcards while dinner is cooking. A quick internet search will provide tons of great websites and apps that provide practice opportunities. I have also compiled some games that you can play with regular decks of cards, UNO, SKIP-BO, and Phase 10 cards as well.
Games Down Below
Thank you for your support,
Ms. Zayas
DCMS Math Seminar Teacher
Math Fluency Practice
Games with Cards
Math War Card Games
How to Play
Remove the Jacks, Kings and Queens from a regular deck of cards.
Shuffle the cards.
Pass all cards out til gone.
Players place cards face down in a pile.
At the count of three, all players flip over their first card.
The first person to say the sum, difference, or product of the 2 cards receives both cards and puts them in a separate pile.
If both players say the answer at the same time, the cards are put in the middle of the table.
The next player to win the "flip" gets the cards in the middle of the table in addition to the cards just played.
The winner is the person with the most cards at the end of play.
Other Variations:
1. Each player turns over two cards and adds, subtracts, or multiplies his or her own cards together.
Whoever has the highest product, wins both sets of cards. The winner has the most cards at the end.
2. Do not remove the Joker, Jack, Queen and King in the deck. Instead, assign the following values to them:
Joker = 14 King = 13 Queen = 12 Jack = 11
Play continues as outlined above, or play your favorite version.
UNO, Skip-Bo, or Phase 10 cards
To play addition
Separate out the number cards from the deck.
Make two different piles of cards
one with numbers 5 and below
The second pile can include all numbers 0-9 or 12.
The pile of numbers 5 and below will be your cards for the “problem” and the pile that includes larger cards, will be the answer pile.
Grab 2 small pieces of paper or a post it notes and a pen.
Make an addition sign on one and an equal sign on the other.
Have the child flip a card from the “problem” pile and place it down.
Next place the addition sign
Then choose another card from the “problem” pile
Then place down the equal sign.
Have the child figure out the addition problem and choose the correct answer from the answer pile of cards.
To play subtraction
Separate out the number cards from the deck.
Make two different piles of cards,
one with numbers 9 or 12 and below, and
The second pile can include all numbers 0-9 or 12.
The pile of numbers 9 or 12 and below will be your cards for the “problem” that will be face down and the other will be the answer pile.
Grab 2 small pieces of paper or a post it notes and a pen.
Make a subtraction sign on one and an equal sign on the other.
Have the child flip a card from the “problem” pile and place it down.
Next place the subtraction sign and then choose another card from the “problem” pile
then place down the equal sign.
Have the child figure out the subtraction problem and choose the correct answer from the answer pile of cards.
“TARGET” NUMBER-
ORDER OF OPERATIONS- MATH CARD GAME -
with 2 decks of cards
WHAT YOU NEED
Two decks of cards ( remove Jack, Queen and King ). Ace equals 1 .
2 or more players
Paper and pen
HOW TO PLAY TARGET NUMBER MATH CARD GAME
Deal five cards to each player.
Flip one card from the top of the deck and place it in the center. This card will be the target number.
The goal of each player is to use the cards in their hand to add, subtract, multiply or divide to reach the target number.
Each player must try to use all five cards, but must use at least 2 cards.
If a player can make the target number, he/she will write the letter “T” from the word “TARGET” on a piece of paper.
For example, if the target number is 5, and the player has a 2, 7, 2, 3, 3, he/she could use one of these equations : “3+2” or “(3+3)/2+2” or “(7+3)/2” or “(7 + 2 + ( 3×2))/3”.
The player must then discard the cards they used along with the target number card.
The player will then replace the cards he used.
A new target number is placed in the center.
The play continues until one of the players has written all the letters of the word “TARGET”.
In May, the Odyssey Team teachers will engage students in learning the following:
Mrs. Lapka’s Math -
- 1. Some students will complete the Kansas State Math Assessment.
- 2. Finish creating a Crossword Puzzle using the 7th Math Vocabulary.
- 3. Students will be completing a Math project utilizing the follow math concepts:
- Scale drawing
- Sales Tax
- Total Cost
- Discount
- Spending $6000, but not over.
- Creating a invoice per store for purchases.
- Maintaining an expense ledger.
- Discover how a budget is effected by sales tax, discounts and quantity.
Mr. Varner’s Science -
After finishing the last unit covering light and sound waves, students in science will be designing and creating a functional roller coaster. The roller coasters will need at least one curve and loop. The marble “passenger” will have to successfully complete the entire roller coaster without falling off.
Ms. Camacho’s Computer -
Digital citizenship, Media Balance, and a typing contest with CMS
Miss Johnston’s Kansas history –
The important impact of the cattle drives, the role of cow towns (such as Dodge City), and the arrival of the railroad in Kansas. We will also examine various reform movements such as Women’s Suffrage and Prohibition.
Mrs. Rodriguez ELA -
Mrs. Rodriguez’s 7th grade ELA classes will be doing a variety of things but the most exciting is the reading of “The Outsiders” By SE Hinton. The Outsiders is a classic in young adult fiction that revolutionized the genre by presenting adolescent characters that were the opposite of everything a teenager, by adult standards, should have been. Despite it being published in 1967 and the huge changes in both society and technology since, it continues to resonate with young adult readers today.
All-Stars
The all-stars are proud to announce the following students as our April Student of the Month: Bryant Medina, Hugo Montes-Vazquez, Santos Velazquez, Sebastian Holguin Arriaga, Jaslen Sedano, Arianna Solis, Amanda Bouthavong, and Denisse Almaraz-Martinez.
(Pictured Below)
DEFENDERS
Study Hall
The Defender Team will be offering before/after school study hall each Wednesday and Thursday. The morning session will be from 7:25-7:55 and the afternoon session will be from 3:20-3:50. This is a great opportunity for your child to receive help and/or get caught up on their work. We will also be sending out information via talking points.
Explores
EXITO
Uniform Policy
Uniform apparel may be purchased at DCMS, the DCMS online store, The Locker Room, Embroid Me, and V&M Stitch.
Top Apparel
- Polos, Sweatshirts, Hoodies, Spirit/Organizational Shirts, 1/4 zip & full zip are allowed– Red, White, Gray, and Black are the only colors allowed
- Solid/Plain Colored Top Apparel without any logos are allowed
- Top Apparel with a brand name logo (Nike, Adidas, Champion) must have the DCMS or Cardinal Logo as well.
- Polos can be long or short sleeved, and must have a collar.
- Long sleeved crewneck or pullover hoodie sweatshirt may be worn and worn right side out. All undershirts or camisoles must be a solid color. Undershirts and camisoles may not have lettering or logos visible through the polo.
Bottom Apparel
- Pants, Shorts, Skirts, or Jumpers
- Khaki in color or Blue Jean
- Shorts may not be longer than the lower part of the kneecap but not shorter than fingertip length with arms at the side
- Skirts and jumpers may be longer than the kneecap, but not shorter than fingertip length with arms at the side.
- All clothing must be hemmed. No slits, holes, or fraying are allowed in the legs of pants, shorts, skirts/jumpers. No second layer of clothing may be worn underneath to mask holes in outer garment.
Handbooks
Security Procedures
We are asking for your assistance to ensure that our security procedures during the school day are effective. As many of you know, our school has a security camera, intercom, and buzzer at the front entrance for use during the school day. To help us assist you when you would like to enter the school:
1. Please press the buzzer to speak with someone in the office
2. You will be asked to give your name and reason for visiting
3. Office staff will then be able to buzz you inside
4. All visitors must immediately register in the office
In addition, we are asking you to not let any visitors in the door as you enter (and they come up behind you) or as you exit the building.
The teachers and staff are committed to student safety and security and we would like to thank you for your assistance in helping keep the students at DCMS safe.
May Calendar Dates
Events subject to change. Please contact the Dodge City Middle School office with questions at 620-471-2100.
5/2-5/19/22:
5/2-5/6/22: Teacher/Staff Appreciation Week
5/2-5/4/22: Cardinal Jam Auditions @3:20-4:00 PM
5/3/22: STUCO Beautification Day @12-3:00 PM
5/4/22: EXITO Field Trip to Cosmosphere @All Day
5/6/22: IT/STUCO Movie Day
5/6/22: National Nurses Day
5/9/22: "A Night of a Thousand Strings" Orchestra Concert @Civic Center -7:00 PM
5/9-5/10/22: Dental Screening @Makerspace -All Day
5/9/22: BOE Meeting @6:00 PM -Administration Building
5/10/22: EXITO Field Trip to DCHS -All Day
5/11/22: 90 MINUTE LATE START
5/12/22: HS Cross Country Meeting @Auditorium during Advisory
5/13/22: STUCO Election
5/13-5/23/22: Cardinal Jam Rehearsal @Auditorium -3:20-4:00 PM
5/17/22: 7th & 8th Grade Spring Choir Concert @DCMS -7:00 PM
5/19/22: Student of the Quarter @Auditorium -9:15 AM
5/20/22: Recycling Field Trip -1:00-3:00 PM
5/23/22: 6th Grade Band Concert @DCMS -6:30 PM
5/23/22: 7th & 8th Grade Band Concert @DCMS -7:45 PM
5/24/22: CARDINAL JAM
5/24/22: LAST DAY OF SCHOOL
View the Dodge City Middle School calendar by clicking here.
Calendar Subscription
Subscribing to the DCMS calendar pulls the events from this calendar and displays them in your Outlook, Gmail, Yahoo Mail, Hotmail, iPhone, iPad, Android, or other device. You will need to click here in order to subscribe.
DCMS Athletic Schedule
Track Meets
5/3/22: @Great Bend -1:00 PM
5/10/22: @Horace Good - 10:00 AM
SOCCER GAMES
5/2/22: @Comanche -4:00 PM
5/5/22: MSWAC
- Boys @DC -4:00 PM
- Girls @Liberal -4:00 PM
5/7/22: MSWAC
- Boys @DC -12:00 PM
- Girls @Liberal -10:00 AM
Red & White Days May Calendar
Key: Red filled boxes = red day
White filled boxes = white day
Gray filled boxes = no school
6th Grade Team Red Day/White Day Schedule
Spartans (Red Day = P.E.) (White Day = Connect)
Olympians (Red Day = Connect) (White Day = P.E.)
7th Grade Team Red Day/White Day Schedule
Odyssey (Red Day = P.E.) (White Day = Connect)
Voyagers (Red Day = Connect) (White Day = P.E.)
8th Grade Team Red Day/White Day Schedule
All Stars (Red Day = P.E.) (White Day = Connect)
Defenders (Red Day= Connect) (White Day = P.E.)
Skyward Family Access
Please communicate with the Dodge City Middle School Office Staff 620-471-2100 if you have any changes in any contact information and we will get this updated in Skyward.
Laptop - Protocol & Student Responsibilities
Student Laptop Protocol
● The Laptop is school property that you are being allowed to use. Any action that violates existing Board policy or public law will be reported to proper authorities.
● If the student is using an app or website inappropriately, it may result in consequences or loss of privileges.
● Student laptop will be filtered through the district’s technology department.
● School staff members have the right to check any material stored on a student’s laptop.
Student Responsibilities - Laptop Care
The student will:
● use their laptop in a responsible and ethical manner,
● be responsible for keeping their laptop in good working order,
● report any laptop damage to their advisory teacher,
● use only a soft cloth to clean the screen, no cleaners of any kind,
● not have any writing or stickers on the laptop.
● leave laptops at school in a charging station and plugged in.
Student Responsibilities - Laptop Usage
The student will:
● use laptop only when directed by the teacher.
● use earbuds only when permission has been given by a teacher.
● only play music if permission has been given by the teacher
● not access games unless directed by a teacher.
● not take photos or videos unless it is being used in a project assigned by a teacher,
● not use any social media sites during school,
● not take their laptop into the restrooms, locker rooms, or into the cafeteria,
● use the school approved passwords and screensavers.
● keep the originally installed apps on the laptop in usable condition and be easily accessible at all times
● be responsible for making sure their laptop is charged and ready for the next day. Students will pick up their device each morning from their advisory
Hardware Charges
● Hotspot Cord Replacement - $15.00
● Hotspot Replacement - $135.00
● iPad Replacement - $100.00
● Laptop Charge Cords Replacement - $40.00
● Laptop Charge Port Replacement - $40.00
● Laptop Keyboard Replacement - $10.00
● Laptop Lost/Stolen/Broken - $800.00
● Laptop Screen Replacement - $240.00
● Laptop Sleeve Replacement - $14.00
COVID-19
Masks will be optional for all students and staff. Sanitizing stations will be available in high traffic areas.
Please click here for any updated information.