DMMS School Newsletter
October 2019
Mrs. Buckley’s Update
Happy Fall! The school year is flying by! Report cards will be coming home with your child on Friday, Oct. 18th. I hope you have been able to follow your child’s grades using our Parent Portal in PowerSchool. I encourage you to not wait until late October to set up a conference if you have concerns. Please reach out to the grade level counselor, who can support you in finding an ideal time to meet.
We will be having Parent Teacher Conferences on Tuesday, October 22 from 4:00-6:30. We are using an online scheduling system called PickaTime.com. Please visit this link on our website to create an account. You will be able to sign up for conferences starting on October 7. We encourage you to bring your child to participate in the conference as it is important for them to see the partnership between school and home.
Three times a year, our students take an AimswebPLUS reading assessment. This assessment measures progress in vocabulary, reading fluency, and comprehension. If you are able to come to conference night, we will share your child’s fall results with you. If you are unable to come, we will mail you the student summary report. Be sure to compare this initial report to the assessment they will take in the winter and spring, so you can see your child grow as a reader. Please see the Instructional Coach’s section for more information.
Our PEDLE (Personalized Education and Digital Learning Experiences) labs are open and our staff is working as a team to provide challenging, engaging instruction to our students on a daily basis. Please stay tuned on our weekly communications as we will be sharing our school plan for teaming up against drugs during Red Ribbon Week. October is also anti-bullying month so we will be taking the opportunity to incorporate a variety of anti-bullying activities into our daily lessons. Please see the school counselor’s section below for our weekly themes. Finally, we will be celebrating Hispanic Heritage month at our end of the month PBIS event.
Please follow me on twitter @dmmswps as I post often about different events and activities going on at school. If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact me at buckleyj@wps.k12.va.us or 540-667-7171.
Dates to remember:
From Guidance
Happy October! This month is National Bully Prevention Month, and we have a lot going on! Please take a look below:
Monday, October 7th 2019
#BlueUp: Wear the color blue on Monday, October 7th, in recognition of World Day of Bully Prevention.
Anti-bullying activities include STOMP Out Bullying™'s signature campaign World Day of Bullying Prevention™ on the first Monday of every October -- this year on Monday, October 7th. Watch for our public service announcements by featured celebrities!
This is your chance to make bullying prevention heard around the world! You can begin to change the culture by putting an end to Bullying and Cyberbullying!
The Week of October 7th
Make friends with someone you don’t know at school. Be a leader. Take action and don't let anyone at school be in isolation.
The Week of October 14th
STAND UP for Others Week
When you see someone being bullied, be brave and STAND UP for them. Bullies have been known to back off when others stand up for victims. If you don't feel safe get the help of an adult immediately. Be part of the solution -- not the problem!
Students can participate by creating positive messages on post-its and handing them out to students at school
The Week of October 21st
Week of Inclusion
At one point or another, each of us has felt insecure, or stressed out, or alone. It is important to remind our friends and classmates that we are all in it together and we are there to listen and support each other. Use the hashtag #HereForYou on social media to let your classmates know that they have your support and a person to reach out to if they ever need to talk.
The Week of October 28th
Red Ribbon Week: A different theme each day to represent drug awareness! Lead by Student Council.
https://www.stompoutbullying.org/about
DMMS School Counselors
Karen King (ext. 73001) and Josh Miller (ext. 73003)
540-667-7171
“How wonderful it is that nobody need wait a single moment before starting to improve the world.”~ Anne Frank
From Instructional Coaches
We are off to a great start this year! All 7th and 8th grade students have been given a reading universal screener through Aimswebplus. Aimswebplus provides us with detailed reading reports for each student in the areas of vocabulary, reading comprehension, and fluency. This screening tool is nationally normed, and provides students, teachers, and families with a snapshot report of student literacy performance. This screener is given three times annually. This tool uses sets of standard-aligned measures and helps us to uncover learning gaps quickly. Teachers, building-wide, use this information in order to drive classroom instruction and plan for intervention and enrichment opportunities.
Your child’s snapshot report will be explained and given to you during Fall conferences. The snapshot will be sent home with students for any families that are unable to attend conferences. Any questions, please do not hesitate to reach out to your child’s English teacher.
From Technology
Digital Learning Device Agreement papers need to be returned to school ASAP. Students will not be issued a Chromebook until it is returned.
If your student is missing a cord to charge their Chromebook, they can visit the help desk during help desk hours (8:15-9:15 or 1:15-2:15) to pay $20.00 for a new one.
Here is a link to the Chromebook Care video that was shared with students. Additionally, every student has also signed a Digital Citizenship Pledge.
FROM ATHLETICS
Our fall sports continue and will wrap up during October. Our winter sports will start with try-outs at the end of the month. If your son and/or daughter wishes to try-out, sports physicals must be completed by the try-out dates. Please come out and support your Riflemen! All events start at 5 pm.
If you haven’t registered to get sports updates through the remind system, please contact your coach to get the information.
Any questions or concerns please contact me at anytime dorseyb@wps.k12.va.us.
October Events:
1st - Football @ Aylor (5pm)
2nd - Cross Country (Johnson-Williams and Warren Co.) 5 pm
3rd - Girls Basketball vs. Frederick Co (5 pm)
3rd - Football (B-Team Scrimmage) at Frederick Co (5 pm)
7th - Girls Basketball @ James Wood (5 pm)
8th - Football @ Admiral Byrd (5 pm)
9th - Cross Country @ Frederick Co. (5 pm)
14th - Girls Basketball @ Warren Co. (5 pm)
14th - Football vs. Frederick Co. (@JHHS) 5 pm
16th - NVJL SemiFinals
17th - NVJL Finals @ Skyline
23rd - Wrestling/Boys Basketball Try-outs Start
From the Nurse
This past month I screened all 7th grade students for hearing and vision. If your child had any defect of hearing or vision you will be notified in writing with that specific defect.
If you have any questions or concerns regarding your child PLEASE feel free to contact me. I’m here to assist in any way that I possibly can.
I have listed below some resources with helpful information regarding the flu and colds, and information on when to keep your child at home when they are not feeling well.
Resources Regarding Colds, Flu, and Hand Washing
Infuenza: The Disease- from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
How to tell the difference between a cold and flu
Health Matters: Flu- from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases
Why is hand washing so important?
Why do I need to wash my hands?
Also just a friendly reminder:If your child is vomiting the night before school and/or has a temperature of 100 or above they should remain home the next school day and not return to school until they are afebrile without the use of medication to control the fever.
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Also, I will be sending letters or calling the parents of students that were listed in Power School that had Medical Alerts stating that he or she had asthma, a food allergy, or a seizure disorder, and the clinic does NOT have an inhaler and/or an Epi-pen or emergency medication. If it states in Power School that your child has a food allergy, asthma, or any other disorder that requires medical attention the clinic MUST have those medications on site. If not, it needs to be made clear whether the clinic needs an inhaler or Epi-pen, or any other emergency medication.
You may contact me at kuykendall@wps.k12.va.us , or call me at 540-667-7171, #72000.
We as nurses are constantly asking ourselves how we can make a difference. School Nurses make a difference everyday.
From ESOL
Greetings from the ESOL Department! In these first nine weeks of school, our English learners have been working hard in all content areas, and their teachers are always making sure that they make progress every day.
October is Parent-Teacher Conferences month! This is always a great opportunity to talk to your child’s teacher and ask questions about your child’s progress. To schedule a time slot for a conference, you can call Ms. Nohemy Zamitiz at (540) 662-7171, ext. 75154 to request one. There will be interpreters available. If you are going to need one, let Ms. Zamitiz know.
We will continue with the ESOL Club in October. Many students have been staying after school for homework help and/or to complete academic assignments. ESOL club meets on Mondays through Thursdays from 3:30pm to 4:30pm, and students can ride the after-school bus home at 4:30pm.
If you have any questions, you can contact Dr. Glatzel at (540) 667-7173, ext. 75233, or by email at glatzel@wps.k12.va.us
FROM PTO
News
We are already into the second month of the school year. Our parent-teacher conferences will be Tuesday, October 22nd. Please look out for the PTO email for help/donation during parent-teacher conference dinner (there will be sign-up). We will be selling magnets at the conference. A new spirit wear design and order form soon to follow. Please bring cash or check. We are working hard to organize events for this year. Please look out for updates on social media. We had our sceond spirit night at Panera. Thank you so much for your support!
What’s Next -
Spirit Nights: Oct. 24th at TGI Friday 5pm-9pm
Nov. 11th at Chipotle 4pm-8pm
Nov. 21st at Easely Created
Nov. 22nd will be Poka Dot Pot at DM campus from 6pm-8pm
Fundraising
Our spirit nights
Spirit wear/school magnets
Shenandhoha orthodints will donate to DMPTO for any new patients. So please mention that you are from Daniel Morgan.
Please consider a direct donation with a check payable to the DM PTO. The DM Campus students and staff appreciates your support.
The main goal for PTO is to generate enough funding to support field trip funding for the DM campus.
We would love to hear from you. Please email us at dmpto@wps.k12.va.us to get involved or to just get your email contact added to the database.
If everyone volunteers just a little, a lot can be done. It is so important for your child’s educational experience to see parents and loved ones engaged, interested, and involved. We need YOU!
Check us out on Facebook & Twitter @DanielMorganPTO as we post upcoming school and community events
Daniel Morgan Middle School
48 S. Purcell St.
Winchester, VA 22601