Aug. 27     Grade 6 Orientation 5:30-7:00 pm

Aug. 31     All students return to class

Sept. 1      PTSA meeting 6:00 pm

Sept. 7      Labor Day-schools closed

Sept. 10    Back-to-School Night 6:30 pm

Sept. 28    Yom Kippur-schools closed

Students will be returning on Monday, August 31st.  They should be prepared for school from the first day.  School supplies that all students should have are listed in this newsletter.  Check the address label of this newsletter for your child’s homeroom number and bus stop number (for bus riders).  Homeroom teachers and room numbers are listed in this newsletter.  Complete student schedules will be distributed in homeroom on the first day.

A special visitation night has been planned for incoming sixth grade students on Thursday, August 27th.  This will be an informal affair and will take place between 5:30 and 7:00 PM.  See the special note below.

Sincerely,

                  John Foley

Grade 6 Orientation

On Thursday, August 27, all sixth grade parents and students are invited for an orientation from 5:30– 7:00 pm in the cafeteria. Students will receive their schedules, meet teachers, tour the building, and purchase gym uniforms. Mark your calendars!!

Back-to-School

Night

Back-to-School Night will be held on Thursday, September 10 starting at 6:30 pm in the DMS auditorium.  This will give you an opportunity to meet your child’s team of teachers, attend the fall PTSA meeting, and purchase gym uniforms ($25.00).

Where to go….

This year’s buses will continue to use the Performing Arts Wing parking lot where bus riders will enter through the music wing.  Sixth and eighth grade walkers will continue to enter  through the cafeteria entrance.  Seventh grade walkers will use the front entrance. 

The following daily schedule will be followed:

7:50 a.m.    Cafeteria opens for breakfast students           

8:05 a.m.    Students enter; go quickly to lockers

8:15 a.m.    First mod begins

2:45 p.m.    Students are dismissed

Monday, August 31, 2009

On Monday, August 31, 2009, walkers will report to the cafeteria entrance (6^th and 8^th grades) and front entrance (7^th grade) while bus riders enter through the side music wing doors. Walkers who eat breakfast will enter by the cafeteria doors; bus riders will walk through the music wing hallway and courtyard to the cafeteria. Students who eat breakfast need to finish eating at 8:10 a.m.  ALL students will report directly to their first period after breakfast.  CLASS BEGINS AT 8:15 a.m.

See the enclosed Bus Stop Chart (page 4 of this newsletter) to find your assigned bus stop location.  Please notify the school office of any discrepancies.  Find the Section (Homeroom) number on the top line of the mailing label.  Match it with the room number and teacher below.  Report to that teacher for Section (Homeroom).

Section (Homeroom) Number by Teacher

Summer Reading Project  2008(Optional)

· Increase reading comprehension, fluency, and vocabulary.

· Decrease summer reading learning loss.

· Perform better in the fall.

· Get a “head start” on the 2008-09 Black-Eyed Susan program.

Read a novel from the 2008-09 Black-Eyed Susan Book List.

Then, complete one of the activities below:

Option A:  NEWSPAPER ARTICLE

Pretend you are a writer for a newspaper.  Report on the major event of your novel.  Include the who, what, when, where, why, and how.  Also, include quotes from at least three characters that you “interview” for the article.  Don’t forget a catchy headline.

Option B:  T-Shirt

Make a T-shirt advertising the novel you read.  Include the title, author, a two-sentence summary, and an image or design related to the book.  Your T-shirt should be neat, attractive to the eye, and edited for spelling and other mistakes.

Grading

This assignment is worth 50 extra credit points in your language arts or Language! class.  You will also be invited to an ice cream social hosted by the principal!!

Turn your project in to your homeroom teacher.  Do not forget to write your name and grade level on your project.  This is due by September 26.

Recommended Summer Reading Program

A very important packet of information was sent home in June which detailed our recommended summer reading program.  If you did not receive this information, refer to the optional assignment above.  It is very important that you work with your child to “keep the fire burning” as you encourage reading this summer.  Our summer reading program strongly suggests that students read from the Black-Eyed Susan list.  All assignments will be collected by September 26.  Student participation will be celebrated during the first quarter.

Black-Eyed Susan Book List: 2008-2009

Grades 4 - 6

Berlin, Eric              The Puzzling World of Winston Breen

Clements, Andrew           No Talking

Dahlberg, Maurine           The Story of Jonas

DeFelice, Cynthia            The Ghost of Poplar Point

Graff, Lisa               The Thing About Georgie: a novel

Hahn, Mary Downing Witch Catcher

Hicks, Betty Out of Order

McKissack, Patricia A Friendship For Today

O’Conner, Barbara How to Steal a Dog

Pitchford, Dean Big One-Oh

Grades 6 - 9

Auch, M.J. One-Handed Catch

Carter, Ally I’d Tell You I Love you, But Then I’d Have to Kill You

Key, Watt Alabama Moon

Kostic, Conor Epic

Lord, Cynthia Rules

Pfeffer, Susan Beth Life As We Knew It

Salisbury, Graham Night of the Howling Dogs

Shafer, Audrey The Mailbox

Smith, Roland Peak

Wells, Rosemary Red Moon at Sharpsburg

High School

Ferguson, Alane The Christopher Killer

Flinn, Alex Diva

Harmon, Michael Skate

Hartinger, Brent Grand & Humble

Hautman, Pete Rash

McCormick, Patricia Sold

McKernan, Victoria Shackelton’s Stowaway

Bus Stops 2009-10

The following procedures have been established for the safe and orderly pick-up of elementary school students by their older siblings.  To begin:
1. Fill out the form on the bottom of this letter.

2. Have your child return it to the office at Dundalk Middle School.

3. A brightly, colored laminated pass will be made for your child.

4. Your child will be called to the office to pick up the pass.

Procedures for middle school students at the elementary school:

· Carry the brightly colored pass with you and be prepared to show it to an adult if asked. Stand by the tree in front of  DES that has the yellow ribbons tied to it.  When the students are dismissed, your elementary child will meet your middle school child by that tree.

· Use appropriate language and behavior. (Remember, middle school students are modeling appropriate behavior for elementary students).

There are a number to concerns that have arisen in the past.  We are asking for your assistance to help eliminate them. Middle school students have a number of friends who walk home with them and do not need to be on DES property in the afternoon.  We offer two solutions to this:

Þ First, only the middle school child will stand on DES property to pick up your younger child while his/her friends wait across the street in the park. 

Þ Second, the middle school child can wait with his/her friends across the street from the school and the crossing guard will help your child safely reach your middle school child.

Þ Also, occasionally  middle school students are disrespectful to the adults who are trying to determine if the middle school child should be at DES.  Have your child carry the pass and get it replaced if it is lost.  By showing it, your child has proof that he/she needs to be there to get a sibling.

Þ Lastly, some middle school students run around and horseplay on DES property.  For the safety of the DES students, especially those in primary grades, we ask that our middle school students do not participate in these behaviors.

Your assistance in helping your middle school child understand his/her responsibilities on DES property is greatly appreciated by the staff at DMS and DES.  We hope these procedures help to keep our students’ departure from school safely.

Request for After-School Pick-Up at Dundalk Elementary School

Name of middle school child: ___________________________________________________________

Name of elementary school child: ________________________________________________________

Parent Name: _______________________________

Parent contact number: _____________________

My children and I have read and agree to follow the procedures for after-school pick-up.

_____________________________________________________________

Parent Signature

Shopping for School Clothes

When shopping for school clothes, make sure your selections are appropriate for a serious learning environment.  Clothing should not be distracting and should not be a safety concern to the instructional program.  Use these rules as a guideline before you purchase articles of clothing.

Students should wear the following items:

¨ Shorts of an appropriate length (shorts must be able to be seen if a shirt is worn outside a waistband)

¨ Shirts/blouses/tops that cover the belt/waistband area

¨ Clothing that is free of inappropriate statements, drawings, icons or those that make a reference to drug/alcohol/or tobacco use

¨ Pants of an appropriate length and style

¨ Sneakers/tennis shoes for physical education

Students may not wear the following items:

¨ Tank tops or one-shouldered tops

¨ Halter tops or dresses with similar tops

¨ Muscle shirts

¨ Hats/scarves

¨ Heavy coats/jackets/pullovers inside the building

¨ Pajamas, slippers or inappropriate footwear

 General Student Supply List

The following student supplies are general items that will be needed by students attending our school for the 2009-2010 school year.  Individual teachers and teams may request additional items for classroom use.  All supplies may be purchased at a store of your choice, hopefully during summer sales.  Our school store will have some supplies that students may purchase during the school year.

Large 3-inch zipper binder with storage pockets

(consider getting two or three while they are on sale as most students will need more than one binder over the course of the year.)

20 tab dividers

Wide-lined loose-leaf paper (5-6 packs)

10 two-pocket folders with clips in the center

4 single subject spiral notebooks for science

1 school supply pouch that attaches to the binder rings

Eraser

10 sharpened pencils (math uses pencils only)

10 blue or black pens

1 red pen (for editing your writing)

2 highlighters

Colored pencils (NO markers of any type)

1 ruler with metric and standard (English) units

1 large box of facial tissues (to be turned in to homeroom)

Students are encouraged to carry their materials to and from school in a book bag (please, no book bags on wheels).  ALL book bags (including string backpacks) are stored in lockers after students enter each day and are not used during the school day.

Gym uniforms will be available ($25 per set) at Back-To-School Night (September 10) or from the school store before or after school.  All students are expected to have a gym uniform after September 14.

PTSA News

  A NOTE FROM THE PRESIDENT

Where has the time gone?  Another school year is upon us.  First, we would like to welcome everyone who is new to Dundalk Middle School as well as all those returning.  It is going to be an exciting year, and we have some great things planned.  In order for the PTSA to provide DMS with the "little extras" that help enhance your child's learning experience, we need you, the parents/guardians, to help in a few areas. 

The first area is membership.  Membership dues will continue to be $5.00 per  joining member.  Because dues will not be increased and everything else has, we  need to have more of you join.  Our goal is 100 members.  This should be easy in a school with over 400 students and more than 40 staff members.  For every $5.00 membership, the PTSA gets to keep roughly 35%.  You will agree that's not a lot. We need to use that money to keep us bonded and insured.  The other 65% keeps us in good standing with the national and state PTSA's.

The second way to help is by participating in our fundraisers.  We have a few ongoing fundraisers and two big ones each school year.  At the time of printing, we have not made a final decision for our first big fundraiser, it will kick off shortly after school starts so all merchandise will be received in time for (dare I say) Christmas.  Also, look for more information for a Family Night at Friendly’s and our clothing drive in the spring.

The third area is donating your time.  Time, in many ways, is more valuable than money.  If  you can volunteer at all, PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE, let us know.  We need volunteers throughout the year for things such as, American Education Week, Winter Wonderland,  Market Day, the Clothing Drive and the Eighth Grade Farewell, just to name a few. 

Just send a note, an e-mail to JErickson83@comcast.net, or call me personally at 410 285 5609.  All we need is your name, a contact number, and when you can offer your time.

Lastly, if you are a business owner, or just don't want to sell anything, consider making a monetary donation or a business donation.  Either can be used as incentives or prizes and are always welcome.

It is with these selfless contributions and hard work that we are able to offer so much to our children...our future.

Maxine Erickson

President 2008-09

This year the PTSA meetings will be held the first Tuesday of each month at 6:00 p.m. in the DMS conference room.  Here you be able to voice your opinions, ideas, and concerns.  Help plan and implement fund raisers.  Assist in school wide programs and events.  You will hear, first hand, from administrators and discuss the programs and developments that impact the children as well as the school building itself.  We would love to have others join the already dedicated parents running the PTSA.

Also, you may want to consider becoming a board member or a committee chairperson.  Several spots are available and require minimum time, even for working parents. Our next meeting will be Tuesday, September 1, 2009.  See you there!!

Here are a few easy ways to support DMS while you are shopping.  These businesses below are once again offering credit to the school(s) you designate. 

Please remember these programs require you to re-enroll/re-designate EACH YEAR. 

Please, sign up ASAP so that the dollars you spend, will continue (or Start) to support DMS.

* GIANT FOODS-Register your bonus card and use it every time you shop. All you need to do is go to customer service at any Giant Foods Store or on-line at www.giantfood.com.  Designate DMS by using code #01489.

* SUPER FRESH-Register your Club Fresh card, designate DMS and then use it every time you shop.

* SAFEWAY-Register your Safeway Club Card on-line at www.escrip.com.  Use group ID#6602981. Then use your card every time you shop.  Also, Safeway runs special promotions that give the school an extra coupon for purchases, so be on the lookout.

* TARGET-Register your Target Visa Card to make contributions to DMS.

* OFFICE DEPOT-Each time you shop, tell them you want to credit your purchase benefit to DMS.

* ONECAUSE.COM-support DMS when you shop online at hundreds of well-known merchants.  Click on join to create an account and then shop at hundreds of your favorite stores.

Also, we will be collecting Box Tops.  Send them in with your child to drop off in the designated box.

MARKET DAY

For those who are familiar with Market Day, you'll be happy to learn it will be returning.  For those who are not, Market Day is a monthly fundraising effort. 

Each month, Market Day fliers will come home with your child.  If you do not receive one, they will also be available on the counter in the school office. 

In it you will find prepared foods;  everything from breakfast  to desserts.  Servings vary from one portion to family-sized.  Everything is quite good and reasonably priced.  Dundalk Middle School will receive 10% of all sales.  Pick up is held once a month at Dundalk Elementary School.  If you are computer savvy, you may want to set up your own on-line account at: www.marketday.com.  There you will find clearance items and internet only specials. 

We are looking for two people to volunteer at the pickups.  At least two representatives from Dundalk Middle school are required to help with pickups in order for Dundalk Middle school to receive a credit.  It is only one Thursday evening a month.  Please consider.  All hands are welcome!!!

If interested please contact Michelle Bosley at  410 288 4909. 

Before School

The school day officially begins at 8:15 AM and students are required to be in homeroom by that time.  DMS opens its doors for students at 8:05 AM.  Students eating breakfast should arrive by 7:50 AM and enter through the cafeteria entrance.  We have made arrangements for teacher supervision of students who arrive between 7:50 AM and 8:05 AM.  Students should not arrive prior to 7:50 AM unless they have made arrangements to work with a teacher.  Students arriving before 8:05 AM are expected to wait outside (unless it is raining).  Students should act responsibly and dress appropriately for the weather.  If it is cold, students should wear a coat and possibly even a hat and gloves. 

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