Cardinal Call
Dodge City Middle School
February 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
Updates to our USD443 COVID Quarantine Guidelines
Our operation plan provides an overview of safety protocols for students, families, and staff during the school year.
January 19, 2022 – Parents:
- Regularly monitor your child for symptoms of COVID.
- Fever
- Chills
- Muscle Pain
- Headache
- Sore Throat
- Diarrhea
- Cough
- Shortness of Breath or Difficulty Breathing
- If your child has symptoms, consider having your child tested with a diagnostic test.
- Do not send your child to school if they are sick, if they have tested and are waiting for results or if they have tested positive.
- Notify your school if your child is sick.
- Notify your school if your child has tested and is waiting for results.
- Notify your school if your child has tested positive.
- Notify your school if your child id a close contact or household contact of someone who has tested positive.
Updated COVID Quarantine Guidelines based on recommendations from the CDC, KDHE and Ford County Health Department. If you have any questions, please call the Ford County Health Department.
Positive Test
- 5 days at home + 5 days with a mask
- If you have no symptoms and are fever free for 24 hours without fever-reducing medications, you can leave your house.
- Continue to wear a mask for an additional 5 days
Vaccinated Close Contact OR Household Contact
- Wear a mask around others for 10 days
- If you develop symptoms, get tested and stay home
Unvaccinated Close Contact OR Household Contact
- Stay home for 5 days + 5 days with a mask
- If you develop symptoms, get tested and stay home
Tips from the Counselors
What is Self-Esteem?
Self-esteem means feeling good about yourself.
People with self-esteem:
- feel liked and accepted
- are proud of what they do
- believe in themselves
People with low self-esteem:
- feel bad about themselves
- are hard on themselves
- think they are not good enough
Where Does Self-Esteem Come From?
Parents, teachers, and others. The people in our lives can affect how we feel about ourselves. When they focus on what's good about us, we feel good about ourselves. When they are patient when we make mistakes, we learn to accept ourselves. When we have friends and get along, we feel liked.
But if adults scold more than they praise, it's hard to feel good about yourself. Bullying and mean teasing by siblings or peers can hurt self-esteem, too. Harsh words can stick, and become part of how you think about yourself. Luckily, it doesn't have to stay that way.
The voice in your own head. The things you say to yourself play a big part in how you feel about yourself. Thinking, "I'm such a loser" or "I'll never make friends," hurts your self-esteem.
There are other ways to think about the same things. "I didn't win this time — but maybe next time." "Maybe I can make some friends." That voice is more hopeful. It helps you feel OK. And it could turn out to be true.
Sometimes, the voice in our head is based on harsh words others have said. Or on bad times we have faced. Sometimes, the voice is just us being hard on ourselves. But we can change the voice in our own head. We can learn to think better of ourselves.
Learning to do things. We feel good when we learn to read, add, draw, or build. Play a sport, play music, write an essay, ride a bike. Set the table, wash the car. Help a friend, walk the dog. Each thing you learn and do is a chance to feel good about yourself. Step back and look what you can do. Let yourself feel happy with it.
But sometimes we're too hard on ourselves. We don't accept that what we do is good enough. If we think, "It's not really any good," "It's not perfect," or "I can't do it well enough," we miss the chance to build self-esteem.
What If My Self-Esteem Is Low?
You can do things to feel better about yourself. It's never too late. Here are some tips to raise your self-esteem:
- Be with people who treat you well. Some people act in ways that tear you down. Others lift you up by what they say and do. Learn to tell the difference. Choose friends who help you feel OK about yourself. Find people you can be yourself with. Be that type of friend for others.
- Say helpful things to yourself. Tune in to the voice in your head. Is it too critical? Are you too hard on yourself? For a few days, write down some of the things you say to yourself. Look over your list. Are these things you'd say to a good friend? If not, rewrite them in a way that's true, fair, and kind. Read your new phrases often. Do it until it's more of a habit to think that way.
- Accept what's not perfect. It's always good to do the best you can. But when you think you need to be perfect, you can't feel good about anything less. Accept your best. Let yourself feel good about that. Ask for help if you can't get past a need to be perfect.
- Set goals and work toward them. If you want to feel good about yourself, do things that are good for you. Maybe you want to eat a healthier diet, get more fit, or study better. Make a goal. Then make a plan for how to do it. Stick with your plan. Track your progress. Be proud of what you've done so far. Say to yourself, "I've been following my plan to work out every day for 45 minutes. I feel good about it. I know I can keep it up."
- Focus on what goes well. Are you so used to talking about problems that they're all you see? It's easy to get caught up in what's wrong. But unless you balance it with what's good, it just makes you feel bad. Next time, catch yourself when you complain about yourself or your day. Find something that went well instead.
- Give and help. Giving is one the best ways to build self-esteem. Tutor a classmate, help clean up your neighborhood, walk for a good cause. Help out at home or at school. Make it a habit to be kind and fair. Do things that make you proud of the kind of person you are. When you do things that make a difference (even a small one) your self-esteem will grow.
Trail Blazers
The Trailblazers acquire and use new vocabulary by using tools that help them connect English to their native language.
Pictured below are some tools students created!
Spartans
Olympians
Odyssey
From the Odyssey Team:
- In the month of February, Odyssey teachers will once again host parents/guardians at the second DCMS Parent/Teacher Conference of the 2021-2022 school year. The conferences will be held on February 9 and 10. As a result of conferences, there will be no school on Friday, the 11th.
- Students will learn many new things in February. Mr. Varner, Odyssey science teacher, will instruct students in how to design and create a rollercoaster that will actually function. The roller coasters are required to have working loops and curves.
- In Ms. Johnston’s social studies class Odyssey students will learn about two trails that crossed Kansas in the 19th century, the Santa Fe Trail and the Oregon-California Trail. Students will enjoy playing the vintage video game, “The Oregon Trail”. Next, they will begin looking at events that occurred during the Kansas Territorial period, 1854-1861.
- In Mrs. Moore’s ELA class students are going to be starting unit 4 in February, it is dealing with people and the planet.
- In Mrs. Lapka’s math class students will be evaluating expressions that involve all four operations, addition, subtraction, multiplication and division. Toward the end of February students will be given an introduction to Linear Equations involving variables and coefficients.
- Mrs. Rodriguez’ ELA classes will be starting unit 4 in our MyPerspective curriculum. Unit 4 is called “People and the Planet” and our essential question- What effects do people have on the environment?- will be the focus of this unit.
- The Connect teacher for both seventh grade teams is Ms. Camacho. She has announced that the “Connect” class will soon be renamed to “Computer Applications”. In February she will guide students in creating and updating their Xello portfolios. Students will present their creation to their parent/guardian at the February conference. Xello is an engaging, online program that helps K-12 students define their future goals and transform their aspirations into actionable plans for success. The program puts students at the center of their college and career planning experience. Students document their journey as they build self-knowledge, explore post-secondary options, create plans, and continually reassess as they take in new knowledge, skills and experiences.
- In Mrs. Rich’s ELA class the focus will be on learning to write complete sentences using expressive language and complete thoughts. In her math class they will create a math game.
Voyagers
We are so proud of how hard our students worked over the first 2 semesters. Many kids earned the school’s academic awards.
*7th grade has implemented a new hall pass for all students.
Each student will only be allowed to leave the classroom 3 times a day.
All-Stars
Student of The Month: January
The All-Star team is proud to announce the following students as Student of the Month for January: Demetrio Jorge, David Castillo, Yeniel Acosta, Sergio Juarez, Imaan Hassan, Samantha Harmon, Annette Young, and Ramona Cali. (pictured below)
DEFENDERS
The Defenders Team would like to congratulate the following students (pictured below) who received the Academic award and the Cardinal award!
Great job and keep it up!!
1st Quarter 3.8-4.0
2nd Quarter 3.0-3.49
2nd Quarter 3.5-3.79
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.
February Calendar Dates
Events subject to change. Please contact the Dodge City Middle School office with questions at 620-471-2100.
2/9/22: Parent Teacher Conferences @3:30-6:00 PM
2/10/22: Parent Teacher Conferences @12:30-7:30 PM
2/10-2/11/22: NO SCHOOL
2/14/22: Valentines Day
2/21/22: NO SCHOOL -Presidents Day
2/23/22: 90 Minute Late Start
Solo/Small Ensemble Concert @DCMS -Time:TBD
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
GIRLS WRESTLING MEETS
2/5/22: DCMS @10:00 AM
2/12/22: @Eisenhower @10:00 AM
2/19/22: @Hays @10:00 AM
2/25/22: @Hays @1:00 PM
BOYS BASKETBALL GAMES:
2/3/22: @Eisenhower @4:00 PM
2/7/22: vs Hays @4:00 PM
2/17/22: vs Great Bend @4:00 PM
2/24/22: @Comanche @4:00 PM
Scholars Bowl Meets:
2/1/22: @Comanche @4:00 PM
2/8/22: @Kelpley @4:00 PM
2/15/22: @Hays @4:00 PM
Red & White Days February 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.