DMS Panther Post
December 2019 Edition
Principal's Corner
Panther Families,
It is hard to believe that we are just a few days away from the end of this semester! We have many exciting activities to look forward to in these upcoming days. I was blown away by the amazing performance of Trial of the Wicked Witch that our advanced theater class put on at Bob Jones High School. It was a great production and I am very proud of all of the students for a job well done! Our band and chorus will have upcoming holiday concerts that will be just as amazing. I hope you will plan to attend.
I had the great fortune to have been invited to the Friendsgiving held in the Exceptional Learning Center. Students, parents and faculty had an afternoon of food, fun and fellowship including games and dancing. What a great time!
DMS students will be taking exams to finish the semester. A link to the fall exam schedule can be found in the upcoming events section below and also on the DMS webpage. It is very important that your student is present to take exams on the dates they are scheduled. Students will not be allowed to take exams early. Any student that misses their final exam must call the office to schedule a time to take a make-up exam on Thursday, January 2 or Friday, January 3, 2020.
Many students bring cell phones and other electronic devices to school daily. Please remind them of the importance of keeping up with these items, especially Airpods. They are easy to lose and determining ownership when they are lost is difficult when they all look alike. We do our best to help students retrieve lost/stolen items, but we are limited even in our best efforts.
It is my hope that you will enjoy the gift of family and friends during the upcoming holiday break. As always, thank you for your continued support of the students, faculty and staff of Discovery!
With Panther Pride,
Kim Stewart
Discovery Middle School: A place for innovation, excellence and discovery.
Upcoming Events
12/5: DMS Bands Winter Concert
12/12: DMS Choral Concert
12/13: DMS Theatre production of "A Christmas Carol"
12/18- 12/20: Semester Exams
12/20: Half Day of School - Dismissal at 11:45 a.m.
12/23-1/6: Winter Break - No School
Exam Schedule
It is very important that your student is present to take exams on the dates they are scheduled. Students will not be allowed to take exams early. Any student that misses their final exam must call the office to schedule a time to take a make-up exam on Thursday, January 2 or Friday, January 3, 2020.
DMS Cheer
Way to go ladies!
DMS Bands Winter Concert
The Discovery Middle School Band will have their Winter Concert on December 5th! Our concert will be at Bob Jones and will feature all of our band classes.
DMS Band Concert: Dec. 5th, 2019
Time/Place: 6:30pm at BJHS (Zompa Auditorium)
Featured classes: Cadet Beginner Band, Intermediate Concert Band, Advanced Symphonic Band, and Jazz Band
DMS Choral Concert
Come out and support our talented young people!
DMS Drama
Join Discovery Drama for an evening of theatre at A Christmas Carol: A Holiday Ghost Story.
Where? DMS Cafeteria
When? December 13
What? A Christmas Carol theatre production.
Time? 7:00 p.m.
Come out and support Discovery Drama; they are going to put on a fantastic show!
December DMS Basketball Schedule
Come out and support the DMS Panther Basketball Teams!
Game Schedule:
- 12/ 2 (Away) @ Athens
- 12/ 5 (Home) Liberty
- 12/ 9 (Away) @ Monrovia
- 12/ 12 (Away) @ Liberty
- 12/ 16 (Away) @ Meridianville
- 12/17 – 12/20 Girls Christmas Tourney (Away) @ Guntersville
- 12/ 19 (Home) Athens
Library News
Library Fundraiser: The Discovery Middle School Library Media Center will host a Barnes and Noble Book Fair from Monday, December 2 until Friday, December 13. You must present a voucher when you make a purchase at the Huntsville store. You can also make purchases online; you can find directions on the back of each voucher.
A percentage of the sales will be given back to our school. You can receive more information and pick up your vouchers from Mrs. Miller or Ms. Harlow in the library. Thank you for your support!
Candy Canes Anyone? The library is hosting a SWEET fund-raiser! We are selling CANDY CANES for .25 each. All money collected will be used to purchase library supplies and equipment.
REMEMBER...our library is truly the hub of DMS...so, when the library must be closed to accommodate school events, students can return books at the Book Return at the main entrance. They can also conduct searches, renew books and/or reserve books online by going to our school library link and following the directions on that page.
Visit us in the DMS library to "check out" valuable resources available to you!
Parent's Corner
Parenting Tips For Middle Schoolers
A bad grade. A forgotten assignment. A missed bus. Whatever it may be, failure isn’t easy for the middle school student. It’s difficult for parents also. Nevertheless, learning to deal with life’s ups and downs is important. In fact, young people must experience these challenges in order to learn and grow.
Dr. Catherine Steiner-Adair, clinical psychologist and author, has advice. She understands how to guide parents to raise strong, savvy, and resilient children. Steiner-Adair offers three parenting tips for to consider when it comes to middle school:
1. Let Them Deal With It
Many times, parents attempt to shield students from experiencing failure. In fact, kids need to learn to deal with disappointment. If your child does poorly on a test—because they were sick or didn’t properly prepare—then they need to deal with the consequences. When parents fear that one low grade will ruin their child’s future, they may to great lengths to “fix” it. But your children will not learn to be resilient if you constantly take the bumps out of the road. And, you definitely want a child with resilience.
Young people need to learn that the choices they make have consequences. They have to make repeated mistakes. Even though you suffer when your kid is miserable, this is how your child will build character, independence, and maturity.
Even twenty years ago, if a kid got a D on the test, parents would have said, “Study harder next time.” Today, many parents will call the teacher and complain that the test wasn’t fair or ask if their child can get extra credit. However, we are not helping our children by not holding them accountable for their choices.
2. Set Limits
Some parents are afraid of setting limits, and that is very damaging for children. Parents must set limits even though your child may resent you. Sometimes your child will say, “I hate you,” or “You’re the worst parent ever.” You’ll also hear the “Everybody else has a smartphone in sixth grade. Why can’t I?” Without any limits, our children feel like the rules don’t apply to them, that they are entitled, and that they deserve special treatment.
3. Value Hard Work
One of the most important traits a child should develop is a really good work ethic. We want our kids to learn to work hard, and that hard work pays off. When you pave the way for them, you are depriving them of very important social and emotional tools for life.
So how do we do that? Well, we might need to learn some new responses. When we praise, we need to value our child’s effort versus the outcome (the grade, the win, etc.). If your student gets an A, you can say, “Wow, you worked hard and the results show.” If it’s a poor job, you could, say “Wow that grade really seems to be upsetting you.” Or, with empathy you say, “That really stinks, you tried hard and you didn’t get what you wanted.” If they didn’t try hard, you can say, “What choices did you make? Did you try your best? To me, going out with your friends all day Saturday and Sunday doesn’t look like you maximized your study time.”
Research from the field of positive psychology indicates the traits of successful people. They demonstrate self-control and communicate their feelings respectfully. They’ve learned know how to be a team player and have a strong work ethic. Most importantly, they show resilience and perseverance. Successful people know how to completely crash, fall down, and get right back up. They are optimistic and experience joy and gratitude. These are traits we know that kids need in order to succeed. Shielding children from rejection, disappointment, and failure will never teach those essential traits.
* Original article written by Jane Parent as found at
https://yourteenmag.com/teenager-school/teenager-middle-school/tips-for-middle-school-parents
School Messenger
Because the use of Text Messages is regulated by the FCC, you must Opt-In to receive them.
To do so, simply text the letter Y to 67587 from your mobile phone. You should receive a confirmation or further instructions within minutes.
You can Opt-Out at any time by texting STOP to 67587.
Lost & Found
Please encourage your students to check the DMS Lost & Found if they have misplaced any items.
The Lost and Found will be cleared out on the first day of each month and unclaimed items will be donated.