Dunstan Newsletter
March 1st
February - School Values Award Recognition
Letter from the Principal
March 1, 2024
Hello Wonderful Parents and Guardians,
We have had a good week at Dunstan! Please see some happy photos of this week’s events that are included below.
On Tuesday we hosted the Central Area Career Fair. This event allowed 7th graders from Bear Creek K-8 and from Creighton MS to visit. Our 7th and 8th grade students were able to interact with 25+ companies that serve our communities. Hopefully your 7th and 8th grade students were able to convey some of their interactions with representatives from these companies.
Our Spanish students took a field trip to the Denver Art Museum. Thank you to the many parent chaperones who helped! It is always surprising to hear from the students how many of them had not been to the museum. I am grateful we are able to weave content with trips to various organization in the Denver area!
On Wednesday Mr. Starkey, who is a Robotics, Computer Programming, and Patriot TV Teacher, took a group of students to tour the Channel 7 News station in Denver. Please see the photos below. Broadcasting is a class that begins at Dunstan and, for those who enjoy this work, can continue at the high school with the class.
This week included preparation for our 6th graders to attend Outdoor Lab School in the next few weeks! We are proud of our kids and are excited for them to enjoy this adventure!
Eighth graders handed in their registrations for high school to the counselors from Green Mountain High School. If you are the parent of an 8th grader who is attending GMHS and have not seen or discussed the registration process, please email Ms. Baker; jennifer.baker2@jeffco.k12.co.
Next Wednesday we are taking our annual 8th grade trip to GMHS to see their musical. This trip is a long-standing tradition in the Green Mountain Area. Additionally, Mr. Shelleard and I have added some parent meetings (1 during the day and 1 in the evening) for parents to access us and ask questions about the 8th to 9th grade transition. Most recently we hosted an Electives Fair here at Dunstan for our 8th graders to interact with the electives teachers at GMHS so they could make thoughtful class selections when filling out their registrations forms for next school year. Mr. Shellard and I are continuing to try to strengthen and smooth the 8th to 9th grade transition as it is a significant one for students and families.
This week, we worked with a small group of 8th graders who had a vape pen and dab pen at school. Parents, I am asking you to have open conversations with your students about this. In this case, several students were together in the same bathroom stall in an 8th grade hallway bathroom. Just like when you attended school, there is no reason why more than one student needs to be in the same bathroom stall together. Please also communicate with your students that possession of a dab pen can often generate a ticket from our School Resource Officer as one part of the consequences. Tickets are issued at the discretion of Officer Kennadee Bleak, our SRO or another Lakewood Police Officer. Please encourage your students to report any concerning behavior such as this to the office.
As the leader of Dunstan, I believe in openly communicating with you about what is going well and what is challenging in our school community. Running an effective school, especially a larger school, requires partnership between the students, staff, and parents. We very much recognize and value this partnership and know the communication that results from this helps address concerns and uphold expectations for how we treat and work with each other.
As always, please feel free to reach out to me with any questions.
In partnership,
Jen Pennell
Pictures from the Career Fair hosted at DMS
Important Upcoming Dates
Tuesday, March 5
- Course Request Cards handed out to 6th and 7th grade students for the 24/25 school year.
Tuesday, March 5
- Outdoor Lab Groups 1 & 2
- Musical Class Field Trip to Arvada West HS 9:30-2:00 PM
Wednesday, March 6
- Outdoor Lab Groups 1 & 2
- PTA Meeting 5:30-6:30 PM (in-person and virtual)
- GMHS Musical Field Trip (8th Grade and Musical/Theatre classes)
Thursday, March 7
- Outdoor Lab Groups 1 & 2
Friday, March 8
- Outdoor Lab Groups 1 & 2
- 7th Grade 24/25 Course Cards Due
Monday, March 11
- On/Off Track Letters go out
Tuesday, March 12
- Outdoor Lab Group 3
- DMS Orchestra Concert @ 6:00 PM (GMHS Auditorium)
Wednesday, March 13
- Outdoor Lab Group 3
Thursday, March 14
- Outdoor Lab Group 3
Friday, March 15
- Outdoor Lab Group 3
- Symphonic Band Field Trip, CBA Festival, Englewood HS
- 6th Grade 24/25 Course Cards Due
Monday, March 18 - Friday March 22
- NO SCHOOL (SPRING BREAK)
Monday, March 25
- NO SCHOOL FOR STUDENTS (Professional Learning Day for staff and paraprofessionals)
Tuesday, March 26
- On/Off Track letters go out
Friday, March 29
- Spring Assembly
Day Without Hate is on April 25, 2024
T-Shirt Order forms are DUE BY March 8th
#WHYYOUMATTER Project
This year, our Dunstan community is focusing on creating a community and culture of belonging. This includes prioritizing initiatives and activities that foster a sense of belonging for both our students and staff. Out of this desire for everyone in our Dunstan community to feel like they belong, members of our staff who feel very passionately about this started the #WHYYOUMATTER project.
The #WHYYOUMATTER project (https://www.whyyoumatter.org/) is designed to create a positive school environment where all students are seen, heard, and loved. At Dunstan, our team of staff and students are organizing the a photo project in which EVERY person in our school (approximately 1000 people) takes a black and white photo holding a hand-written, self-created, beautiful affirmation of why they matter.
We will be helping each member of our Dunstan family look inside, find their purpose, really examine their positive attributes, see the characteristics that make them unique, and realize why the world is a better place because they are in it. The goal is to hang the photos around the school leading up to Day Without Hate in April 2024. The photographs will not be distributed online or displayed anywhere else except the hallways of Dunstan Middle School.
Need more information? If you have questions or concerns, contact Leslie Pruitt (Social Emotional Learning Specialist) at 303-982-9439 or at leslie.pruitt@jeffco.k12.co.us
Prefer your child not have their photograph taken?
Please respond by email to Leslie Pruitt at leslie.pruitt@jeffco.k12.co.us by Friday, March 8th. You do not need to respond if you are okay with your child having their photograph taken and displayed in the hallways at Dunstan Middle School.
Registration Special
Course Registration for 2024-2025 School Year
Hello families of current 6th and 7th graders! Counselors are excited to announce that we are beginning course registration for next school year!
On Monday, March 4th students will be given their course registration cards in advise classes. This is the form that students use to request their elective classes for next school year. Current 6th graders will receive a purple card to request classes for 7th grade, and current 7th graders will receive a blue card to request classes for 8th grade. Course registration cards are due back to students’ advise teachers by Friday, March 15th. Counselors do our very best to place students into elective classes they request, however, there are times when class sizes, scheduling conflicts, or other issues do not allow this.
We ask that you review your child’s elective requests with them and sign the course card prior to turning it in. Students are asked to number their elective requests 1-6 in order of preference in any combination from the semester and full-year options. Please note that students get two elective classes per semester, and if a full-year class is selected, it takes one elective slot per semester. Course descriptions are on the back of the card, and include prerequisite information if that applies to a class.
In addition to electives, schedules will have an advise class and four core content classes: Math, Science, Social Studies/History, and English Language Arts (ELA). Information regarding Honors applications and Accelerated placement will be provided on a separate sheet from the course card as well as in the Honors Newsletter, which will be sent out Friday, March 1st.
Please contact your child’s school counselor with registration questions:
Leslie Walker, current 6th graders leslie.walker@jeffco.k12.co.us 303-982-0502
Ryan Cole, current 7th graders ryan.cole@jeffco.k12.co.us 303-982-6123
CMAS Testing Information (UPDATED)
Dunstan CMAS dates and times have been set. It is important for students to attend at these times so that they do not miss additional class time at a later date to make up the section(s) they miss. Please try to schedule appointments around these dates and times. Thank you for your support!
With the exception of 8th grade science, students will take one section of CMAS each day and will be attending several regular classes as well. Class schedules have been balanced so that the time spent in each class over these testing days is as equal as possible.
Please note that there was an error in the dates listed in the last newsletter. The last date should be Wednesday, April 17; it was incorrectly noted as Thursday. Sorry for any confusion this has caused. Please contact Megan Devitt-Haggstrom with any questions have about CMAS testing: 303-982-9817 / mhaggstr@jeffco.k12.co.us.
Students will be testing on:
- Tuesday, April 2 - 1:00-3:55 - Reading CMAS, Part 1
Wednesday, April 3 - 1:00-3:55 - Reading CMAS, Part 2
Thursday, April 4 - 1:00-3:55 - Reading CMAS, Part 3
Wednesday, April 10 - Science CMAS - Only 8th graders will attend on this date.
There will be no classes for 6th/7th grade students on Wednesday, April 10.
Thursday, April 11 - 8:55-11:30 - Math CMAS, Part 1
Tuesday, April 16 - 8:55-11:30 - Math CMAS, Part 2
Wednesday, April 17 - 8:55-11:30 - Math CMAS, Part 3
Channel 7 Field Trip
Events and Opportunities
Caddie Opportunity
Rockin Rams Climbing Club
Cayson Pearson Fun Run/Walk
Green Mountain Fundraiser
Hutchinson's 50th Birthday Dance Party Event
Join Scouts
Grub Club Food Drive Ends March 8th
Social Emotional Learning
This week, our 7th and 8th grade students participated in Jeffco's Central Area career fair hosted at Dunstan. We had approximately 25 different vendors, who provided students with more information and some freebies (if your student came home with a pink construction hat, this is where it came from). In Advise classes, students debriefed the career fair and took turns sharing out what they learned. 6th graders spent their time this week in Advise getting prepared for Outdoor Lab, since they leave next week!
In our front office, you might notice a new addition---the Kynd Kiosk (see picture below). Kynd Kits are provided through Project Helping. Kynd Kits are volunteer projects in a box that are free and available for our students to use. We are so excited to spread our community value of kindness to others 😀.
Leslie Pruitt, Social Emotional Learning Specialist
leslie.pruitt@jeffco.k12.co.us
303-982-9439
Patriot Post
NEWEST EDITION DROPPED 2/14
The Patriot Post is Dunstan's online newspaper created by Mr. Orthun's Media Literacy elective class.
Watch D.O.G.S and M.O.M.S.
Sign up to volunteer between 11:00 am - 1:15 pm to cover lunch and recess. Monday - Friday. If you also want to help cover the crosswalk before or after school, add that in the comment section.
The Watch D.O.G.S. program was established to help get parental figures into our children's schools.
Community Resources
View GMHS 23-24 Major Events Calendar
Learn about what's going on at the high school.
Foothills Foodies is a community resource located at Foothills Elementary that offers free food, clothing and services to families in need.
They are always looking for volunteers and donations. Sign up to volunteer or reach out to katje.steenrod@jeffco.k12.co.us with questions.
Dunstan PTA News
Join the PTA Board!
We are looking for volunteers to fill important roles on the Dunstan PTA next school year:
- President
- Vice President
- Secretary/Newsletter
- Reflections
- Social Media
Learn how these PTA roles support our community at https://sites.google.com/view/dunstanpta/about-us
Grub Club 2024
Jeffco PTA is partnering with the Jeffco Action Center now through March 8, 2024 to help our students have access to food.
Each articulation area is assigned specific items to collect - the Green Mountain Articulation is encouraged to donate fruit snacks or make a contribution to help fill a box for a student in need.
King Soopers Community Rewards
In the 4th quarter of 2023, Dunstan PTA earned $500.52 from the King Soopers Community Rewards program. Linking your King Soopers card to the Dunstan PTA is an easy way to support our school - at no cost to you!
Simply log in to Community Rewards and search for us: https://bit.ly/2R6y1mk.
Sign Up to Bring Treats for Teachers and Staff
As you're doing your grocery shopping, why not grab a box of granola bars, a bag of individually wrapped candy, a case of fizzy water, or a variety pack of small chip bags to help fuel our hard working teachers?
Sign up to help stock the teacher's lounge at https://bit.ly/PTAteachersnacks
Dunstan Spirit Wear
Outfit the whole family in Dunstan Patriot T-shirts or sweatshirts! Use this form to place your order.
Email treasurerdunstanPTA@gmail.com with any questions.