Dunstan Newsletter
September 8th
Thank you WEB Leaders for the inspirational posters around the school
Monday, September 18th
- On/Off Track Letters handed out to students in Advise
Wednesday, September 20th
- Parent Teacher Conferences - 4:30 - 7:30 PM
- Sweet Cow food truck will be available for ice cream purchases (see picture below)
Thursday, September 21th
- Parent Teacher Conferences - 4:30 - 7:30 PM
Friday, September 22th
- NO SCHOOL for Students (PD Day for Teachers)
Wednesday, September 27th
- Warren Tech Field Trip (8th grade)- 9:00-11:00 AM (see information below)
Friday, September 29th
- PE Bike Field Trip to Box of Rock @ GM- 8:00-11:30 AM
Wednesday, October 4th
- 6th Grade On/Off Track Field Trip
Thursday, October 5th
- 7th Grade On/Off Track Field Trip
Friday, October 6th
- 8th Grade On/Off Track Field Trip
Sweet Cow will be available for purchase on Thursday September 20th for families
WEB Leader Activity with our 6th Graders
Attention 8th Grade Parents and Guardians
Dear Awesome 8th Grade Parents!
On Wednesday, September 27th, your student will be taking a tour of Warren Tech High School’s central campus.
Warren Tech is an extension of every Jefferson County high school and offers academic, career and technical training and education in 36 different programs. These programs prepare high school students with academic, career and technical skills for college, employment and potential careers. Culinary Arts, Forensic Science, STEM, Cybersecurity and Automotive Technology are just a few of the amazing programs offered!
Most students at Warren Tech are high school juniors and seniors as students must be 16 in order to attend. Programs range in length from two to four semesters. Credits earned at Warren Tech count toward graduation and qualify as academic credits and electives under the Colorado Commission on Higher Education College admission requirements. Most of Warren Tech’s programs also provide the opportunity for students to earn college credit through the Colorado Community College System.
It is recommended that interested students talk to their counselors early in their high school careers regarding attending Warren Tech. Careful course planning will ensure that students can meet high school graduation requirements and also take advantage of Warren Tech’s opportunities.
8th grade students received their permission slips on Tuesday the 5th during advise, and they are due back to their advise teacher by Thursday, September 14th. If your student accidentally misplaced their permission slip, you can find it here. WT Permission Slip Please just print it, fill it out, and send it back to school with your student. If you are REALLY concerned that it may not find its way out of your student’s locker or backpack, please print, sign and email the slip back to me.
We are looking for approximately 8 parents to accompany us on this trip, and the time commitment will be from 8:45am to 11:30pm. Transportation will be provided on the school bus. If you are interested in spending a couple hours with us to see this amazing school, please contact Jen Baker at jemsmith@jeffco.k12.co.us or 303-982-9219.
Thank you!
Jen Baker
8th Grade Counselor
Click to Pictures Below
Dr. Pennell's Parent Presentation B2S night
Student Expectation Slides Aug 29-31 (During Advise)
Info Shared with Parents by Teachers B2S Night
SSIS-SEL
Parents/Guardians/Families,
The Dunstan community works together to ensure high levels of learning for all. This includes not only being attentive to academic growth, but also recognizing that the social and emotional growth of students is critically important. Current research indicates a direct connection between students’ emotional well-being and their academic performance. We are dedicated to creating academic and social-emotional support linked directly to the assessed needs of our students. We now have the opportunity to systematically screen the social and emotional skills of all our students. We will be using the Social Skills Improvement System™ Social-Emotional Learning Edition Screening/Progress Monitoring Scales (SSIS SEL). to screen students' social-emotional competencies. There are 3 windows throughout the year in which students are screened. The first screening of students will take place during our staff meeting on Monday, October 16th.
SSIS-SEL Information: The SSIS-SEL Edition Screening/Progress Monitoring Scales is a strength-based tool for screening and progress monitoring social and emotional competence. Teachers will be asked to score each student in their class in the eight following areas: self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, relationship skills, responsible decision making, motivation to learn, reading skills, and mathematics skills.
How will the data be used? The screener and scoring information for individual students will remain at Dunstan and all information will be kept confidential. The information acquired through the screener will guide our development of school-wide, small group, and/or individual social-emotional interventions. You will be notified if your child is invited to join a small group or individual intervention.
Need more information? We would be happy to provide a copy of the screener to you. If you have questions or concerns, you are welcome to contact:
Leslie Pruitt (Social Emotional Learning Specialist) at 303-982-9439 or at leslie.pruitt@jeffco.k12.co.us
Prefer your child not be screened? Please respond by sending an email to Leslie Pruitt at leslie.pruitt@jeffco.k12.co.us by October 1st. You do not need to respond if you are okay with your child being screened. If you opt your child out, this will not affect the relationship between the school and you and your child in any way.
Shakespeare in the Parking Lot!!! ---- Thank you Ms. Waterhouse 😀
Events and Opportunities
Beginning Sep 19th
Open to any student in the Green Mountain area needing FREE help in math & Science. Tuesdays 6:30-8:00 pm in the library at Green Mountain High School
QPR for Parents
Click the picture to register
Oktoberfest
Helping Kids Thrive
Summit Jeffco
Date: Saturday, September 23
Time: 9 a.m. - 1:30 p.m.
Location: Green Mountain High School, Lakewood, Colo.
Click the photo to register for this event
Transportation & Construction Girl Day
Executive Function Summit
Enrollment closes Friday, September 15th. Click the picture for more information and registration.
Teens Group
School Meals
What Meal Service Will Look Like in the 2023-24 School Year
- Students will go through the line and eat in the cafeteria.
- Students will scan their District ID card; middle and high school students’ name badge will serve as their ID card. Elementary students will be provided ID cards at their school.
- Menus will be posted on School Café, as well as in the schools.
- On School Café, you may also place restrictions on your student's account regarding what and/or how frequently they may purchase a la carte items.
- Contact Erika Edwards, Director of Operations, Food and Nutrition Services at 303-982-6678 with questions about meal service.
Social Emotional Learning at Dunstan
Hello!
This week, all grade levels have officially started their Second Step lessons during Advise. I was lucky enough to be able to facilitate the first Second Step lesson in Mr. Vu's 8th grade Advise, which was lovely.
- For 6th grade students:
- In this week’s lesson, your child learned about the brain’s ability to grow and change when they practice challenging things. Having a growth mindset supports your child’s success in school and in life.
- Tell your child about a time you had to learn something new. Explain whether it was hard to learn and how you learned it. Ask your child if there’s anything they would like to learn to do this year.
- For 7th grade students:
- In this week’s lesson, your child learned that intelligence is not fixed; their brain actually makes new connections and their skills and abilities develop when they practice difficult things.
- Tell your child about a time you had to learn something challenging and explain how you persisted in learning it. Ask your child if there’s anything they would like to learn to do this year.
- For 8th grade students:
- This week’s lesson showed your child how Second Step® Middle School can help them navigate physical, social, and emotional changes in adolescence.
- Have a conversation with your child about what you felt was the most difficult part of being an adolescent. Ask your child about any changes they’ve noticed in friends and what they think about these changes.
As always, if you have any questions or concerns about Social Emotional Learning at Dunstan, please don't hesitate to reach out.
Leslie Pruitt, Social Emotional Learning Specialist
leslie.pruitt@jeffco.k12.co.us
303-982-9439
Click the Picture to Access Past Editions of Dunstan's Patriot Post
The Patriot Post is Dunstan's online newspaper established in the 2022/23 school year. Mr. Orthun facilitates the creation of each edition through his Media Literacy elective. The Post is back again this year, and will be better than ever. Clicking the picture will take you to past editions and we encourage you to check them out. Thank you all so much and we hope you enjoy our future editions!
Watch D.O.G.S. and M.O.M.S.
Welcome back Dunstan students! AND....
Watch D.O.G.S. (Dads of Great Students) and M.O.M.S. (Moms of Marvelous Students)!!!
DADS, MOMS, any parents, guardians, family members - are all welcome and encouraged to sign up and participate.
Sign up to volunteer between 11:00 am - 1:15 pm to cover lunch and recess. Monday - Friday.
If you want to help cover the crosswalk before or after school also, just add that in the comment section of the sign-up genius.
PS - more dates will be added to fill out the school year.
The Watch D.O.G.S. program was established nearly 25 years ago. A program to help get fathers and father figures into our children's schools. Moms and mother figures have always been allowed, but the focus has been to purpose fathers and father-figures, not traditionally found on school campuses as much as the moms and female counterparts. Last year, in 2022, the national Watch DOGS program wanting to continue to engage fathers and father figures and add our M.O.M.S.
My name is Steve Clayton. Please feel free to email if you have any questions about our program. WatchDOGS is a national program that has been in our local schools for over a decade. You can email Steve at: dunstanwatchdogs@gmail.com
From the Dunstan PTA
Thank you to everyone that came out to the Dunstan DineBack at 5280 Burger Bar. We were able to raise $300 for the school. Please save the date for the next DineBack at Guapo Taco on 9/27. More details to come in the next newsletter.
Support Our Staff During Fall Conference with a Meal
At 4pm on Wednesday, September 20, we will have a build your own sandwich bar with fixings and sides for the staff. Click here help out by signing up to either help or contribute.
Treats for Teachers and Staff Sign-up
Hello Dunstan Middle School Families! Let's show our appreciation for our amazing teachers and staff by keeping their break room stocked this year. Please review the available slots below and contact Dunstan PTA (ptadunstan@gmail.com) if you have any questions. Treats can be dropped off to the front office during open hours.
Here is the link to sign up.
Save the Date
The first PTA meeting will be held on September 13th from 5:30p-6:30p. Please join to find out what is in store for the upcoming school year. More details on how to attend will be sent out via email the week of the meeting.
The Dunstan PTA Needs Your Support!
Here are some easy ways to help support the Dunstan PTA:
1) Click on the following link to join the Dunstan PTA.
https://dunstanmiddle.memberhub.com/store?limit=21&live=true&category=Memberships
2) Deliver an envelope to Dunstan Middle School front desk with $20 cash or check written out to Dunstan MS PTA. Include your name/email/phone # and write Attn: Dunstan PTA on front of envelope
3) Make a general donation online here: https://www.coloradogives.org/organization/DunstanMiddleSchoolPTA
4) Through Zelle to "Dunstan PTA" and email address: treasurerDunstanPTA@gmail.com
5) Connect your King Soopers Loyalty card to Dunstan Middle School: https://www.kingsoopers.com/i/community/community-rewards
6) Collect "Box Tops" on selected groceries and drop them off at the front desk for the PTA to submit.
All of donations go directly towards purchases for the school, teachers, staff, and students ONLY