DMMS School Newsletter
March 2019
Mrs. Buckley’s Update
I hope the last winter storm is behind us! We are looking forward to spring. March is a very busy month for us as we have several exciting events going on at school. Third quarter report cards will be mailed home on March 20. We are continuing to monitor our students’ academic achievement, and, as always, if you have concerns please do not hesitate to contact the teacher, the school counselor, or an administrator.
Parent Conferences will be held on March 21 from 4 - 6:30. You can find the pickatime address for DMMS at this link. The website won’t be available to access until March 11 at 8 am. We understand that the slots fill up quickly. We encourage you to reach out to our school counselors, Karen King, 8th grade counselor, at kingk@wps.k12.va.us, and Chris Ail, 7th grade counselor, at ailc@wps.k12.va.us, as we are always willing to accommodate parent conferences at any time throughout the school year. If you have any technical difficulties with the pickatime website, please contact Jessie Summers at summers@wps.k12.va.us.
Our students will take the 8th grade writing SOL this month. They have worked hard to prepare for this and we want to encourage them to do their very best work. Students will take the test on March 26 and 27. It is very important that students are present for these tests. Additionally, having a good night’s rest and eating breakfast is helpful to their ability to concentrate. Please see the instructional coaching part of this newsletter for test taking tips and strategies.
Please note that on March 14, 15, and 29 there will not be school for students. Thank you for all that you do in partnering with us to make this a collaborative educational experience for your child. Please follow me on twitter @dmmswps as I post often about different events and activities going on at our 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:
March 4 : Civics mock trial
March 13: End of 3rd Quarter
March 14: Teacher Workday, no school for students
March 15: No School
March 20: 3rd Quarter grades will be mailed home
March 21: Parent Conferences 4 - 6:30 pm
March 26 & 27: 8th Grade Writing SOL
March 29: Teacher Professional Development Day, no school for students
From Guidance
It’s official this month (March 20th) that Spring is finally here! Don’t forget to turn your clocks forward at 2:00 am on March 10th. March 13th marks the end of the 3rd quarter. One more to go!
Spring typically brings with it a sense of excitement! Sometimes springtime daydreaming can cause grades to slip a bit. Encourage your student to keep track of their grades on PowerSchool, and work hard this marking period to end the year on a strong academic note.
As your student matures, and school work becomes more difficult, encourage him or her to develop good study habits. Here is a link to a helpful PowerPoint on the Cornell Note-Taking method: https://slideplayer.com/slide/6523413/
End of the year SOL testing is right around the corner, and may be stressful for some students. Now is the time to combat test anxiety with great study skills and time management strategies. Check out these tips from Jim Wright at Interventioncentral.org .
https://www.interventioncentral.org/sites/default/files/pdfs/pdfs_interventions/testtips.pdf
From Instructional Coaches
MyOn continues to be a valuable resource for our students. As of February 25, the seventh and eighth grade students at Daniel Morgan have read more than 8,000 digital books! The students have spent a total of 1,600 hours dedicated to texts. Some popular topics include realistic fiction chapter books, graphic non-fiction novels, informational texts from World War II, and ghost stories.
Standardized Test Taking Tips for PARENTS
Be sure your child gets a good night’s sleep the night before the test.
Be sure your child eats a good breakfast the day of the test.
Make the morning of the test a pleasant one.
Get your child to school on time on the day of the test.
Remind your child that the test is important.
Reassure your child that s/he does not need to answer all the questions correctly to do well.
Remind your child to listen carefully to the instructions from the teacher.
Encourage your read the directions and each question carefully.
Explain to your child the importance of using time wisely.
Encourage your child to stay focused.
From Technology-Google Classroom
Learning How to Communicate Online
Students use many different online vehicles to communicate with their peers. Interaction may happen through social media apps, voice chatting through gaming programs, or in an online chat group. It is important that we help them learn how to communicate in safe and healthy ways. Have a discussion with your student and share with them these four tips for a more positive experience while online.
Give them the right words and lead by example when writing to others using similar online media outlets
Learn about their world-teens communications styles differ greatly from our adult world in regard to vocabulary and meanings of words.
Empathize with the pressure they feel in regard to oversharing.
Develop their instincts-help students go with their gut when they feel something isn’t right or even creepy.
From Athletics
It’s crazy to think that we only have a quarter of the school year to go. We have had many great athletic achievements so far this year and are looking forward to seeing how our track and volleyball teams will do. The boys basketball teams wrapped up their season in January, and showed a lot of growth throughout the season. Our wrestling team, brought home the NVJL championship once again this year! Their hard work has definitely paid off! Individual champions were Logan Westfall, Garrett Stickley, Simon Bishop, Edgardo Sanchez, Kingsley Menifee, Rodd’ney Davenport, Justin Cruz Diaz, and Emerson Membreno-Gomez. Congratulations!
Our volleyball teams are off to a great start and will wrap up their season on March 22nd, when we host the NVJL Championship. We hope to see you at a match this season!
Our final sport is set to begin at the end of the month. Track and Field practices will begin on Monday, March 25th and will run daily 3:30-5:00. Any student wishing to join track will need to be sure to have a VHSL sports physical on file for this school year. We will have an informational meeting for students during school this month.
March Events:
Saturday, March 2nd @ 8:45 - Volleyball Tournament @ Sherando High School
Monday, March 4th @ 5:00 - Volleyball @ Home vs. James Wood
Tuesday, March 5th @ 5:00 - Volleyball @ Home vs. Skyline
Thursday, March 7th @ 5:00 - Volleyball @ Frederick County
Monday, March 11th @ 5:00 - Volleyball @ Aylor
Tuesday, March 12th @ 5:00 - Volleyball @ Johnson-Williams
Wednesday, March 13th @ 5:00 - Volleyball @ Home vs. Aylor
Tuesday, March 19th @ 5:00 - Volleyball @ Warren County
Wednesday, March 20th @ 5:00 - Volleyball @ Admiral Byrd
Friday, March 22nd @ 5:00 - Volleyball - NVJL Championship @ DMMS
Monday, March 25th @ 3:30 - Track Practices Begin
From the Nurse
Just a reminder to please be mindful of the spread of germs and practice good hand washing techniques and always cover your cough! The flu season isn’t over yet! It’s still not too late to be thinking about getting a flu vaccine.
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! We have almost finished administering the WIDA assessment for all the English Learners who receive services. They are taking the test in four sections for each language domain (Listening, Reading, Speaking and Writing). The results of this assessment will give us information on how to help best our students to master the English language. Once we get the scores in the spring, we will mail a report home. Everything will be explained in detail, but if you have any questions remember you can always talk to us.
March 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 March. 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
For Valentine’s Day, PTO provided a light breakfast for all the DMIS and DMMS staff.
What’s Next
March 21st- Enjoy a family dinner after your teacher conferences at Roy Rogers for our next spirit night. Please mention you are with Daniel Morgan.
April 30th- dessert night at Sweet Frog’s.
May - date TBD for CiCi’s pizza.
If you would like to help out with Teacher Appreciation Week, please send us an email.
Fundraising
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.
For all our staff, Paisano’s is offering 20% off your total orders when you show your current WPS school id!
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