Middle School Newsletter
March 2024
A Message from Principal Alisa Johnson
Students and staff at the Dassel-Cokato Middle School were very busy in February and March!
* Students continue to strive for academic excellence in preparation for their MCA's in April and May.
*DCMS students celebrated Minne-SNOW-ta week with dress up days.
*Sixth grade students had a great time on their environmental field trip at Baker Park!
*Our MathCounts team participated in the regional and state competition!
*Students and staff celebrated good behavior and academics with a successful Activity Day.
March will continue to be a busy month. Thanks for continuing to support your child/children by checking in on their grades and assignments in CAMPUS. If you need assistance with that, please don’t hesitate to contact the middle school office.
Alisa Johnson
Middle School Principal
320-286-4100 ext. 1604
IMPORTANT EVENTS
No School!!
March 25-29 Spring Break
To view the complete 23-24 school year calendar Click Below
Testing Season
At DCMS, students take two important assessments, Fastbidge and Minnesota Comprehensive Assessments (MCA); which are used to determine their math and reading proficiency levels. Locally, we use the results of both tests to diagnose students’ individual learning needs in order to provide appropriate targeted instruction. The Minnesota Department of Education uses the results of the MCA’s to assess our school’s instructional performance as compared to other schools in the state. (If you are interested in seeing how we compare to state schools, you can check our school report card at: http://education.state.mn.us/MDEAnalytics/Data.jsp)
We appreciate when you emphasize to your children the importance of investing their best efforts when taking these tests. The results also help us create lessons that meet the needs of our students that are matched with the Minnesota State Standards. If you would like more information about either of these two assessments, please do not hesitate to contact Mrs. Anna Reedy or Mrs. Alisa Johnson.
DCMS Student Council raising funds for Make-A-Wish Foundation
In partnership with the Minnesota Association of Student Councils and Honor Societies, DCMS Student Council is proudly fundraising for Make-A-Wish.
More than 4,000 children will be diagnosed with a critical illness this holiday season. Join us by making a gift to our fundraiser today, so that we can give these kids the hope and joy they urgently need with a wish.
When a wish is granted, a child replaces fear with confidence, sadness with joy and anxiety with hope. The majority of wish kids go on to beat their critical illnesses, and research shows that a wish can help children build the physical and emotional strength they need to fight – giving them a better chance of surviving and thriving.
Click HERE to donate today! Thanks for your support!
~Unified Week~
Spread the Word to End the R-Word
Buy a shirt to spread awareness and take a stand!
Cost: $10 each
For: students & staff
*Get them before school or during lunch at the concession stand!
Monday 3/18
Jersey Day
Wear a Jersey
Tuesday 3/19
Monochrome Day
Dress all in one color
Wednesday 3/20
Superhero Day
Dress up as a superhero
Thursday 3/21
World Down Syndrome Day
Rock your socks/Wear fun sock
Friday 3/22
Wear "Words Matter" T-shirt or Yellow Shirt
New Quarter Coming Soon
3rd Quarter ends March 22nd
4th Quarter starts April 1st
Please check Campus/ Parent Portal for third quarter grades.
Contact the MS Office (320-286-4100 ext. 1600) to reset password or need additional help.
Parent Conferences
Mark your calendars for our next parent conferences which will take place on April 18th, 2024.
You are always welcome to call the school to speak with any of our staff members or email them if you have questions regarding your child’s progress in a class. And we always appreciate you taking the time to learn more about your child’s progress and supporting them in their educational experiences here at DCMS during conferences. Conference nights are simply our attempt to meet with a large number of parents at one time. You may also stay updated with your child’s progress in each class on Campus.
From the Desk of the School Nurse
A Reminder to 6th Grade Parents:
Please continue with your efforts in completing your child’s immunizations. If you have not yet scheduled an appointment for your child to receive their shots, please do so at this time. Keeping your child on schedule will offer the best chance of immunity from disease. If your child’s shots are complete, please drop off the record in the health office.
REMEMBER: Your child WILL NOT be allowed to start 7th grade without the required shots or documentation of conscientious objection.
Required 7th Grade Immunizations:
Tdap (tetanus, diphtheria, pertussis) - 1 shot needed at age 11 or older.
Meningococcal - 1 shot required beginning at 7th grade.
If you have already turned in documentation of these immunizations, thank you! Any questions about the required immunizations, call or email Jenny Heidecker, LSN at 320-286-4100 ext. 1804 or jenny.heidecker@dc.k12.mn.us.
Additionally, If your child becomes ill with the influenza or stomach flu, remember that he or she should stay home, and should be fever-free (temp <100) for 24 hours without fever reducing medication before returning to school. Also, they should also remain home for 24 hours from the last episode of emesis (vomiting) or diarrhea before returning to school. If you have any questions, please reach out to the school nurse, Deb Ryan 320-286-4100 ex. 1605
For the most up to date information on COVID 19 recommendations for isolating, please visit the CDC website. Recommendations set forth by the Center for Disease Control for isolating. There is no longer a requirement to report positive cases to the school. Families with questions should contact their primary healthcare provider.
Free COVID - 19 tests are still available for students, staff, and families. These can be picked up at any of the schools. Please contact the school you are interested in getting the test from, and arrange for pick up. Again, please reference the CDC Website for recommendations regarding COVID-19.
Jenny Heidecker, LSN RN
District Nurse
320-286-4100 ex. 1804
Is your child missing anything?
Lost and Found is getting full again,
We have A LOT of very nice clothing which has been misplaced around the school. Our Lost and Found table which is located by the MS commons is overflowing! While we have mentioned to the students to check for lost items, they keep stacking up.
Also- smaller items or items of value are kept in the MS office. Please have your child check with the front office if they are missing phones, air pods, glasses, necklaces, rings, wallets etc.
Lunch with your child?
Although your children are getting older, they still enjoy spending time with you! Please know you are always invited to join your child for lunch. You can bring in food for you and your child or you can purchase a school hot lunch ticket in the middle school office. You can also find the lunch menu in this newsletter for the month! Here are the middle school lunch times:
8th grade: 10:45 - 11:15
6th grade: 11:15 - 11:45
5th grade: 11:45 - 12:15
7th grade: 12:15 - 12:45
Student of the Month
Every month, teachers evaluate students and make selections based on the following criteria:
1. Respectful of others and self,
2. Takes care of school and self,
3. Listens and follows directions,
4. Puts forth best effort,
5. Cooperative and helpful to classmates,
6. Punctual,
7. Participates regularly in class,
8. Daily assignments are complete
Congrats February Students of the Month!
February Students of the Month
Back row (Left to Right): 8th Grade: Noah Popelka, Jackson Nyquist, Whitney Rocheleau, Bentlee Bakke
Next row (Left to Right): 7th Grade: Cullen Wieweck, Evan Grack, Elin Baso, Paige Linder
Next row (Left to Right): 6th Grade: Bentley Kotila, Jason Roberts, Joelle Schauer, Brianna Foley (not pictured)
Front row (Left to Right): 5th Grade: Hannah Foley, Elora Mattson, Connor Peterson, Logan Niemala
Charger Robotics
Charger Robotics was in Duluth earlier this month. They had 3 practice matches followed by qualification matches the following day.
Charger robotics played very well in the qualification matches and at the end of qualifications were rated as the highest robot statistically. However, they struggled to get wins in those matches and lost due to some of their own faults as well as alliance members errors. At the end of qualification rounds they were ranked at 12. That is not where they thought they would be after qualifications as they were one of the best robots there and put them in a very difficult position for the draft. They were drafted onto the 3rd alliance by Cloquet and had to accept their invitation to join the alliance. If they were ranked a bit higher they could have declined and captained their own alliance which is what they would have preferred. They still did great with them winning their first match with one of the highest scores of the day. In their 2nd match Babbitt's robot did not work for most of the match and they lost. These games are not really possible to win 2vs3 so it was a tough loss as they really had no chance when they did not work. The tournament is double elimination so they still had another match and once again Babbitt's robot did not work for the majority of the match. It was a tough way to lose. The team still had a ton of success and had a top robot in the competition which could play the game very effectively. Chargers took 5th place and won the creativity award. They are going to go to another practice competition in Becker in a couple weeks to hopefully prepare for state. They will find out if they qualify for state as the other regional competitions occur over the next month or so. Thank you for the support of Charger Robotics.
Here is a quick couple minute video explaining the game https://youtu.be/9keeDyFxzY4?si=6fmEaesUUbXDYEmz
Also a lot of points are tied to autonomous mode when the robot is preprogrammed. Here is an example of one of our current options for autonomous portion of the game. https://youtube.com/shorts/iXmMjctglxc?si=6xWdsQK9jxmBQZE2
Thank you for the support of charger robotics.
Charger Connections Unified Club
About 70 students from our middle and high school Charger Connections Unified Club attended a Unified Tubing field trip sponsored by Special Olympics Minnesota on February 23rd. They joined students from other unified clubs at Powder Ridge for a few hours of tubing, donuts and unified fun!
Donors Choose Donations
What is DonorsChoose?
DonorsChoose is a nonprofit website that engages the public in public schools. Teachers create classroom project requests that are funded by generous citizen donors as well as corporations and foundations that want to support our students and teachers.
Some of DCMS staff and teachers chose to participate in DonorsChoose and got fully funded.
IT dept. fully funded for $368 from the DonorsChoose donations. Catherine Young, fully funded for $464.72 for classroom supplies, pictured below. The 5th grade classrooms submitted a project to receive flexible seating for the classroom, also pictured.
We are so grateful for the donations and are excited to have these in the classrooms!
Help the Middle School RECYCLE!
MathCounts
The following students attended the MathCounts competition at St. Cloud State University on Tuesday, February 6, 2024:
6th Grade: Jackson Blom, 7th Grade: Abby Zimmerman, Landon Larson, Kylan Bakke 8th Grade: Marina Koski, Jazmyn Olson, Oscar Heltunen, Sierra Salmen, Ethan Tormanen, Karla Janckila
Four of our students were part of the team competition. The team competitors included Marina, Jazmyn, Oscar and Jackson. Our team received 2nd place this year. This advances our team to the State Competition, which is held on March 8th and 9th at the Crown Plaza in Plymouth.
In the afternoon the top 16 students compete in what is called the Countdown Round. These students compete against each other in front of about 65 competitors and coaches. Marina Oscar, Jackson and Sierra were all competitors in the Countdown Round.
All of the students represented our school with honor and respect!
Catherine Young
A Chance to get involved
Crash Lounge
Crash Lounge is a program that is open to ALL Middle School Students grades 5th-8th on a drop in basis with signed permission slip. Come once, twice or every week.
What is there to do?
Ping-pong, foosball, air hockey, darts, four square, board games, listen to music, watch movies, read books and magazines, do homework, talk and laugh with friends, open gym and swimming (when available) and much more!
When?
Mondays November through March
November: 6, 13, 20, 27 December: 4, 11, 18 January: 8, 22, 29 February: 5, 12, 26 March: 11, 18
Permission Slips are in the Middle School Office!
Cost: FREE
STARS
The STARS Program is a targeted service program designed to support students who are experiencing academic, social or emotional difficulties which interfere with their ability to be successful in the school setting.
When: Tuesday and Thursday from 3:05-5:00pm.
Permission slips are in the office.
For additional information, please contact Miss Beth at ext. 1606.
Wright County Foster Care Providers Needed
We are in need of child foster homes within Wright County communities.
Our goal is to keep children within their communities and school districts. We currently have no child foster care providers within you school district. If a placement was needed, we would have to utilize a provider outside of your community.
I have been encouraging organizations within your community to help in my efforts to find more foster parents through events and presenting. We need our communities to help as children in foster care are not someone else’s children, they are our community’s children.
There is an average of 115 children, which has been reduced from last year at this time, within the county who are in out of home placement nightly. This number includes relative and nonrelative homes. We have a pressing need for foster parents especially for teens, sibling groups, and emergency on call providers.
If you or someone you know is interested in gathering more information about foster care or becoming a foster care provider, please reach out to Robin Dorf at Wright County Health and Human Services.
Thank you for your time and your support to our program.
Respectfully,
Robin Dorf
Robin Dorf • Case Aide - Child Foster Care Recruitment/Kinship
WRIGHT COUNTY, MINNESOTA: HEALTH & HUMAN SERVICES
direct: (763)684-8414 • fax: (763)682-7701
3650 Braddock Ave NE Suite 2100, Buffalo, MN 55313
www.co.wright.mn.us
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Spring Sports are starting soon!
Important Reminders
Drop off's and Pick-up's at the Middle School
The middle and high school complex parking lot is a very busy place from 7:45 – 8:00 AM and from 3:00 – 3:15 PM and we need your help! Please drop your child/children off at the curb rather than in the bypass lane as you wait at the crosswalk. If you need to enter the school, please locate in a parking spot rather than at the curbside. There are many students that ride with their older brothers and sisters that walk through that area too. Please keep an extra eye out for these students as well. We realize there are many cars in a small area but with a little extra time and patience everyone can be safe!
Reminder that the speed limit through the parking lot is 10 MPH.
Attendance
Your child's education is important to all of us at DCMS. The best way to provide your child education is for them to be in school. Attendance Matters! However, if your child is not feeling well, has an appointment or other reasons that they will not be in school, please notify us at DCMS one of the following ways:
- Submit a absent request on the Parent Portal (Click"Enter Attendance in Campus/Parent Portal" above to learn how)
- Call the DCMS office: 320-286-1600
- Email the MS attendance at: ms-attendance@dc.k12.mn.us
- Send a note with your child to turn in at the front office.
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Transportation Changes
The DC Middle School Office must be notified of any changes to your student’s schedule before 2:00pm. This refers to changes in riding the bus, walking home, being picked up, appointments, etc. Office staff needs adequate time to notify the teacher and student before the end of the day.
REMINDER: Due to the fact that most of our busses are filled to capacity, and due to safety reasons, we are unable to allow bus passes for students to go on buses other than the ones they are assigned.
Also, Please do NOT email your child’s teacher with schedule changes Please contact the office at:
320-286-4100 ext.1600
March Lunch Menu
To parents:
The Food Services Department is working hard to roll out new recipes for lunch this year and is looking for student feedback in response. Students will be sent a short survey about once a month to collect their opinions about new features and learn more about their food preferences. These surveys can be completed during downtime when school work is finished. The Food Service staff works hard to create a positive food experience for our students and these surveys will help us move forward with meaning.
Thanks so much
Aimee Haag
Farm to School Coordinator
March Tech Tips
Help your student(s) keep their private information safe when they are online. This is important at school and home. Check out 4 helpful tips here.
-Integrate-
We integrate technology skills into the district's PreK-12 curriculum and instruction so that students are able to use a computer by the time they are out of elementary school and are technologically literate by the time they leave the middle school. At the high school, we expand on this learning and ensure that students are able to apply appropriate technology as needed to meet educational, career, and personal goals upon graduation.
-Equip-
We equip and train all staff with the technological tools and skills required to improve and enhance the quality of their work. We are fully Google integrated and have wireless access in every room. We continue to add devices and opportunities every year and now support over 3000 devices district-wide.
-Provide-
Using Infinite Campus, advisory committees, as well as our website and social media presence, we provide the district communities with a vehicle for communication and parental involvement. Internally we have teams of teachers, administrators, and IT staff that get together and improve upon the technology offering and expand on our use of emerging technology. On top of this, we have a technology steering committee that oversees the vision and direction of technology district-wide.
Dassel-Cokato Schools believe technology should enhance instruction and student learning experiences
Every classroom is equipped with either a PC computer and an interactive display or a Chromebook that includes a PC computer. Every child has access to a computer via classroom sets, shared carts and at the MS and HS, full one-to-one (one computer to each child). Students are introduced to digital media and programming at an early age and we expand on that learning every year up to graduation.
- All students grades K-12 have computers available for use in the classroom.
- Grade 5 students have their own computer assigned to them and keep their device here at school.
- Grades 6-8 each have their own computer assigned and are offered the opportunity to take them home.
Our Vision
The Dassel-Cokato Middle School program is designed to meet the special needs of middle level students. The program strives to be transitional in nature, providing students with a “bridge” between the self-contained classroom of elementary school and the departmentalized curriculum of high school
Email: communications@dc.k12.mn.us
Location: 4852 Reardon Ave SW, Cokato, MN 55321, USA
Phone: (320) 286-4100