Cardinal Call
Dodge City Middle School
January 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
School will resume on Wednesday, January 5 2022
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)
Deck the Halls Door Decoration Contest!
This year STUCO hosted our school wide DECK THE HALLS competition!
The winning hall would receive a non-uniform on December 16th for the most out done Christmas spirit of decking the halls. Advisory classes were able to pick a theme or several mixes of Christmas décor. The best advisory part of the deck the halls that goes the most out will receive a Pizza party. Voted on by Admin!
Our students and teachers did such an amazing job of showing holiday spirit that our Admin couldn't just pick one! Admin pick one classroom from each hallway and decided to give all the students two days of non-uniform days!
Congratulations to all the winners of this years Deck the Halls Competition!
100's Hallway
200's Hallway
300's Hallway
400's Hallway
500's Hallway
600's Hallway
Nurse's Corner
Childhood Nutrition Facts from the CDC
Healthy eating in childhood and adolescence is important for proper growth and development and to prevent various health conditions. The Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2020–2025 https://www.dietaryguidelines.gov/ recommend that people aged 2 years or older follow a healthy eating pattern that includes the following:
- A variety of fruits and vegetables.
- Whole grains.
- Fat-free and low-fat dairy products.
- A variety of protein foods.
- Oils
These guidelines also recommend that individuals limit calories from solid fats (major sources of saturated and trans fatty acids) and added sugars, and reduce sodium intake. Unfortunately, most children and adolescents do not follow the recommendations set forth in the Dietary Guidelines for Americans.
Benefits of Healthy Eating
Healthy eating can help individuals achieve and maintain a healthy body weight, consume important nutrients, and reduce the risk of developing health conditions such as:
- High blood pressure.
- Heart disease.
- Type 2 diabetes.
- Cancer.
- Osteoporosis.
- Iron deficiency.
- Dental caries (cavities)
Diet and Academic Performance
- Schools are in a unique position to provide students with opportunities to learn about and practice healthy eating behaviors.
- Eating a healthy breakfast is associated with improved cognitive function (especially memory), reduced absenteeism, and improved mood.
- Adequate hydration may also improve cognitive function in children and adolescents, which is important for learning.
Eating Behaviors of Young People
- Between 2001 and 2010, consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages among children and adolescents decreased, but still accounts for 10% of total caloric intake.
- Between 2003 and 2010, total fruit intake and whole fruit intake among children and adolescents increased. However, most youth still do not meet fruit and vegetable recommendations.
- Empty calories from added sugars and solid fats contribute to 40% of daily calories for children and adolescents age 2–18 years—affecting the overall quality of their diets. Approximately half of these empty calories come from six sources: soda, fruit drinks, dairy desserts, grain desserts, pizza, and whole milk. Most youth do not consume the recommended amount of total water.
BAM! Dining Decisions App
You can Download the Dining Decisions game, a free app, to your iPad, iPhone, or Android and see how healthy you can make your food plate!
Kendra, our food expert, will help you make smart food choices to stay powered up. Dining Decisions places you in control of your food plate. Decide which foods give you more energy and powerful muscles and which ones are better to eat only sometimes.
Tips from the Counselors
Mid-Year Blues?
How to stay motivated in School!
How do we motivate our middle school students and keep them engaged in learning? Middle school students are motivated by the feeling of having choices, of belonging, and of success. As students strive to be viewed as “mature,” they welcome the opportunity to make their own choices. Running a dictatorship will get you nowhere fast. They need to know their voice is heard. Celebrate their achievements and give them choice and voice. All people, regardless of their age, appreciate praise and acknowledgement for their efforts. Positive reinforcement goes a long way because the more successful students feel, the more effort they will put into succeeding!
Trail Blazers
Trailblazers researched and presented their holiday traditions and decorated the hallways according to the customs of their home country. (Pictured below)
Spartans
Here are your Student of the Month and Citizenship winners for the Spartan team for the Month of November and December. Winners were given a non-uniform day and a medal!
Pictured Right to Left Below:
Edhin Velasquez (Bradshaw P.E.), Yareli Leon (Social Studies - Tieben), Karmello Otero (Science - Buckner),Dashalyn Gonzaga (DeLaTorre - Math), Eduardo Velasquez (ELA - Barajas), Heidy Ortiz (ELA - Ramirez), Davis Perez (Martinez- Connect), Jacob Salvador (Math - Dierksen), and Heidy Perez Veleta (Citizenship Award).
Reminders:
Keep your students in school mode over Christmas Break:
Read 20 minutes every night.
Practice math facts using dice/cards or flashcards.
Olympians
Sixth Grade Student computer responsibility
As students return after Christmas break, we will be raising the expectations for student responsibility for laptops. We have had many students who have lost or misplaced their laptops on a regular basis, often to avoid doing classwork. It makes it difficult to stay current in their classes and participate when the laptop is required for class. We want them to understand that a laptop is a privilege and a big responsibility to have. If they get lost or damaged it is the family's responsibility to pay and we want to avoid that situation for everyone. To help students learn to be responsible for their laptops, we will start a new policy which is outlined below. Please visit with your child about being responsible and taking care of their laptop while they are in school.
Laptop Expectations
- Students will keep track of their own laptops everyday. If they misplace it, they will receive a strike.
- Students are allowed 2 strikes.
- On the third strike they will serve a 30 minute detention with their advisory teacher. The advisory teacher will let parents know of this detention.
- Any time after this losing the laptop will result in 30 minutes detention.
Odyssey
From the Odyssey Team:
- In Social Studies, students will begin studying Kansas History. The course begins with a focus on Kansas geography. Then we will learn about the earliest Kansans.
- In Connect, students did a career scavenger hunt and chose their two top career choices in XELLO. They will be putting all the information into a google slide presentation.
- In Math, students will be learning how to add and subtract integers.
- ELA has been reading stories that deal with life changing situations. We will be starting a new story in January called Thank You, M’am. It is a story written by Langston Hughes in 1958 about a man that wanted a pair of blue suede shoes.
- In science, students finished up their unit 2 about chemical reactions. There were lots of hands-on activities where students mixed chemicals.
Have a great winter break and happy holidays!
Voyagers
Congratulations to the following students who earned student of the quarter: Juana Cipian, Rafael Ojeda III, Daniela Lopez, Sebastian Esparza, Jesiah Padilla, Beckett Schuette, Emely Ramirez, Jazmin Madariaga, Aaron Martinez, Michelle Cisneros, Shannon Bitler, Karim Rodela, and Ashtynn Lapka.
We hope everyone had a great holiday season and looking forward to a great 3rd quarter.
All-Stars
DEFENDERS
Defender Team teachers choose students that have been exhibiting outstanding effort, positive attitude, and respectful behavior. We really appreciate our students of the month and are proud of them for being such great role models.
Pictured below:
Laura Lopez, Mason Phelps, Brianna Ochoa, Louisa DeLira, Miguel Silva, Joseph Trejo, Lane Schwab and Lukas Schwab.
Explores
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.
January Calendar Dates
Events subject to change. Please contact the Dodge City Middle School office with questions at 620-471-2100.
1/03-1/04: NO SHCOOL
1/05/22: Second Semester Begins
1/06/22: Voyagers Student of the Quarter
1/11/22: Winter Sport Pictures @3:30 PM -Aux Gym/Concession Stand
1/17/22: NO SCHOOL
1/17/22: Martin Luther King Day
1/22/22: KMEA Choir Festival @8:00 AM -DCMS
1/27/22: Spartans Student of the Month @Advisory -Main Gym
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.
Red & White Days November 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.
DCMS Athletic Schedule
GIRLS WRESTLING MEETS
1/21/22: @Hays -4:00 PM1/28/22: @Horace Good -3:30 PM
BOYS BASKETBALL GAMES:
1/13/22: vs Kenneth Henderson @4:00 PM
1/18/22: vs Ulysses @4:00 PM
1/20/22: @Seymour Rogers @4:00 PM
1/24/22: @Great Bend @4:00 pm
1/27/22: @Horace Good @4:00 PM
Scholars Bowl Meets:
1/11/22: @Great Bend -4:00 PM
1/20/22: @Eisenhower -4:00 PM
1/25/22: @CMS -4:00 PM
1/27/22: @Scott City -4:00 PM