FOX FEATURE WEEKLY UPDATE
JANUARY 17, 2020
DATES TO REMEMBER!!!
- SCHOOL HOLIDAY
1/21/2020
- PTSA ATTRACTION BOOK FUNDRAISER BEGINS
- C-TEAM BASKETBALL vs MID-CAROLINA @MID-CAROLINA
1/22/2020
1/23/2020
- PTSA SPIRIT NIGHT @ BJ'S 4:30 PM- 7:30 PM
- C-TEAM BASKETBALL vs CHAPIN @CHAPIN
1/24/2020
ID POLICY FOR 2019-2020
IDENTIFICATION BADGES (IDs) With the rise of safety concerns on school campuses, the use of student, staff, and teacher ID badges make it easy to identify and authorize anyone on school grounds. These badges are also used to check materials out from the library, print documents, and pay for food. All High, Middle, and Intermediate students must wear a current picture ID badge when on District Five property. ID cards are printed on both sides with the same information. ID badges must be clearly visible and worn in front above the waist and below the neck on a breakaway lanyard. In a pocket, or under a jacket is NOT clearly visible. The ID badge may not be marked on or altered in any way, except to be punched by a staff member; if it is damaged, a new ID will need to be purchased. A defaced ID is any badge on which the picture, name, ID #, year, barcode or grade level has been changed, altered, or obstructed. For students, the first card is free. However, replacing lost, stolen or damaged cards cost $5.00. The lanyard is $1.00. The replacement fee covers the cost of the materials used in reprinting and replacement lanyards. Students are to surrender their ID badge at the end of the school year, when requested or when they transfer to a different school.
Badge Policy:
● ID’s must be worn at all times.
● ID’s must be visible and worn outside of clothing.
● ID’s must be worn on a breakaway strap.
● ID’s are the property of DFMS and must not be defaced (or badge will be confiscated and the student must purchase new ID).
● Students must not wear an ID badge belonging to another student. ID will be confiscated.
● All students will be issued two free TEMPORARY IDs PER SEMESTER. After that, they will be charged $1 for every temporary issued (not to exceed $6.00).
● Replacement IDs may not be charged. Students must pay for replacement IDs at the time of purchase.
● Failure to properly wear an ID will result in disciplinary action.
● Beginning after Labor Day, any student not wearing an ID after 1st period will receive lunch detention.
● Repeated violations will be treated as persistent disobedience, and students will be assigned school consequences.
2019-2020 TARDY POLICY
Tardiness to class interrupts learning time for the entire class. Students should organize their materials and use their time wisely before school, during lunch, and after school to keep trips to lockers and other stops to a minimum. At the end of each period, all students should move quietly to their next class and be ready for instruction as guided by the teacher.
Consequences for Tardies
1st, 2nd, 3rd Tardy – No consequence
4th, 5th Tardy – Lunch Detention
6th, 7th Tardy – Lunch & Den Detention
8th, 9th Tardy - After School Detention
10th- Discipline Referral
*Tardies are cumulative for all classes and begin fresh each semester. *Students that are more than 10 minutes late to class without a pass will be considered “cutting class.”
DISTRICT DRESS CODE
The dress code for Dutch Fork Middle school is determined largely by school district policy. The school may modify the dress code as long as the changes stay within the district guidelines.
Clothing deemed distracting, revealing, or overly suggestive shall not be permitted.
Dress or accessories that are considered unsafe, dangerous, a health hazard, or disruptive to the learning environment shall not be permitted. Clothing may not display vulgar symbols or language and may not contain alcohol, tobacco, or drug symbols.
Sleeveless shirts should be at least ID badge width across the shoulder with no visible undergarments. Bare midriffs, spaghetti straps, halter/tank tops, see-through shirts/tops/blouses, and biker shorts are not permitted.
Inappropriate tops are not to be worn beneath an overcoat that the student plans to remove.
Pants must be worn at the natural waistline.
Sleepwear or slippers may not be worn.
Hats, head stockings, kerchiefs, bandanas, or bonnets are not allowed at school.
Shorts or skirts must be at least “fingertip length”. This means that all skirts and shorts must be as long as the longest finger-tip when hands are placed at the student’s side along the entire hemline.
Jeans with holes may not have holes that are higher than the student’s longest finger when hands are placed at the student’s side or higher than mid-thigh.
The school will not be responsible for confiscated, unauthorized material brought to school.
YEARBOOKS ARE ON SALE!!!
CLEAR BAG REQUIREMENT
Dear Fox Families,
We hope everyone has had a wonderful start to the school year. We wanted to take an opportunity to send a reminder that any student 8th grade or younger must be accompanied by a parent/guardian and everyone, including students, will be held to the clear bag requirement. Students will be prohibited from bringing in backpacks, athletic bags, Chromebooks and other supplies into the game.
More information about the Clear Bag requirement and other measures School District Five is taking to promote a safe environment can be found by following this link.
FINE ARTS DEPARTMENT
PLEASE SUPPORT OUR DAZZLERS DANCE TEAM
SCHOOL DISTRICT 5 TO ACCEPT APPLICATIONS FOR MAGNET AND CHOICE PROGRAMS
Lexington-Richland School District Five will begin accepting applications for its magnet and other choice programs on Friday, Jan. 10.
The window for submitting a choice application opens on Friday, Jan. 10 at 9 a.m. and closes on Monday, Jan. 27, at 5 p.m. The preferred process is using the online application, which is now available on the district's website and all school websites. Hard copy applications will also be available at School District Five schools and the district office. They must be received at the district office (1020 Dutch Fork Road, Irmo) by Monday, Jan. 27 at 5 p.m.
To complete the application, please visit: https://d5choiceapp.com/login
COUNSELING OFFICE
Students will have the opportunity to shadow professionals in careers of interest to introduce them to the world of work. Students are highly encouraged to participate. Students are responsible for finding their own job shadow opportunities.
1. The Job Shadow application & permission form packet is posted in each grade level Google Classroom under the classwork tab in the topic "Career Information. These forms are due to Counseling Office no later than Tuesday, January 28th at 3:30 pm. Forms MUST be approved by the Career Specialist in order to participate.
2. After the Job Shadow experience, students will need to turn in the Job Host Interview form, a Student Reflection Questions Form and a Thank-You note by Friday, February 7th at 3:30 pm.
This will be an excused absence ONLY with the approval of Career Specialist and with ALL COMPLETED forms (pre & post Shadow experience) turned in on time.
Students are responsible for any missed work/class assignments.
8TH GRADE INDIVIDUAL GRADUATION PLAN
A letter was sent out prior to the Winter Break which included a date and time in which your students' IGP will take place. It is very important that BOTH student and parents/guardians are in attendance for the IGP meeting. This is the first step in the High School preparation process. Should the date or time not work for your schedule, please contact the DFMS Counseling Office at 476-4805 to reschedule as soon as possible.
We look forward to seeing you soon!
HIGH SCHOOL OPEN HOUSE
Center for Advanced Technical Studies
02-04-2020
5:00pm - 7:00pm
Becky Carter:
803-476-8604
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1x2WroLHVGcBzXaZ9KUgBLvj682tQ1Rhe/view?usp=sharing
Irmo High School
01-16-2020
5:30pm-7:00pm
Lauren Prochak: 803-476-3000
https://drive.google.com/file/d/14pUYub116GCuG_dBxRNdhA4qis968Xey/view?usp=sharing
Chapin High School
01-21-2020
6:00pm-7:00pm
803-575-5400
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1DDwJQQfMvkJY9nHy3Stmw4hYDANZQ9qW/view?usp=sharing
Dutch Fork High School (STEM)
12-09-2019
6:00pm-7:00pm
Barry Lindler: 803-476-3300
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1IfbwTrNeMEjoVLbBdysyeFyolJCmQb-G/view?usp=sharing
Spring Hill High School
01-23-2020
6:00pm-7:00pm
Danelle Sorrel: 803-476-8700
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1YgMIGaur91nPsyRyj_my9CKOYA4D1WxG/view?usp=sharing
REGIONAL SCIENCE FAIR
The online Pre-registration for all participating students will start Monday, December 16th, 2019. The following pre-registration website shares more details. https://artsandsciences.sc.edu/cse/ScienceFair/pre-registration-2020
Please discuss this with your science teacher if you are interested.
TECHNOLOGY CORNER
Help Kids Balance Their Media Lives
From phones and tablets to streaming movies and YouTube, tech and media are everywhere. Kids love easy access to TV shows, games, and information. Parents and caregivers love that kids can stay in contact while they explore their independence. But it's easy to overdo it when the phone never stops pinging and the next episode plays automatically. Families can keep media and tech use in check by following a few simple practices.
Check out these 5 tips
Create screen-free times and zones.
Help tweens and teens take breaks from tech by limiting screen time in bedrooms, during study time, or at the dinner table. Consider carving out regular family time when screens are either put away or enjoyed together.
Explore built-in digital well-being tools.
Together with your kids, check out the features on their devices and in their apps that can help them use tech more intentionally. Consider turning off autoplay functions, limiting notifications from certain apps, using settings that turn off devices at a certain time each night, and more.
Model the behavior you want to see.
Tweens and teens learn more from watching adult behavior than listening to lectures. Consider how you use your devices and other media, and make changes if your use doesn't follow your expectations for your kids.
Help kids identify healthy behaviors.
Ask kids to notice their feelings, both physical and emotional, during screen and non-screen activities. Does their heart rate increase when their phone vibrates? Does their self-esteem dip after viewing a friend's Instagram feed? Do they feel good when they get positive feedback on a post? Encourage kids to keep the constructive activities and let go of the rest.
Understand how tech companies make money.
Along with your tween and teen, research how digital devices, social media platforms, and apps and games get paid. Do they sell ads? Do they sell kids' data? Discuss why companies might want kids to spend more time on their platforms and what tricks they use to keep their attention.
© Common Sense Media 2018.
PTSA CORNER
Help support our PTSA by coming out to our Spirit Night at BJ’s Restaurant Brewhouse on January 23, 2020, from 4:30-7:30 PM. We will resume 20% of all proceeds collected during this timeframe. You must show the flyer attached to this newsletter.
Attractions Book Fundraiser will begin on January 21, 2020. Books are $20.00 each.
Turning Groceries into Education! Remember to register Dutch Fork Middle School as your “Preferred School” with your Publix Rewards – it’s an easy way to earn money for our school! If you don’t already have a Publix account, sign up at Publix.com and choose Dutch Fork Middle School as your partner school in your account settings. Enter your phone number every time you check out and you will be earning money for our school! More information at Publix.com/Partners https://corporate.publix.com/community/corporate-campaigns/publix-partners
The days of clipping Box Tops to send into the school are over!! The new Box Tops app scans your store receipt, finds participating products and instantly adds Box Tops to your school’s earning online. No clipping required!! Get the Box Top mobile app today by downloading it on Apple Store or get it on Google Play and start earning money for our school! Once you download the app it will walk you through a quick process of setting it up for Dutch Fork Middle School and you will be set to start scanning!! It’s that easy!! Please send in any clipped Box Tops with your student in an envelope marked “Box Tops”.
Remember to LIKE our Dutch Fork Middle School PTSA page – here is the link: https://www.facebook.com/Dutch-Fork-Middle-School-PTSA-815163968540842/
As always – thank you for your continued support!
DUTCH FORK MIDDLE SCHOOL
Website: http://lexrich5.org/dfms
Location: 1528 Old Tamah Road, Irmo, SC, USA
Phone: (803) 476-4800
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Dutch-Fork-Middle-School-549147891811317/