DUNDALK MIDDLE SCHOOL

 

Newsletter

January 19, 2008

 

 

 

  Text Box: January 19, 2008      

 

³Calendar ³

 

Jan. 21      Martin Luther King’s Birthday-Schools Closed

Jan. 25      Second Marking Period Ends

Jan. 28      Assessment Day- Schools Closed

Feb. 11      Report Cards Distributed

Feb. 12      Primary Election Day– Schools Closed

Feb. 18      Presidents’ Day- Schools Closed

Feb. 20      Public Forum at Dundalk Middle

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  Text Box:   ³Calendar ³ Jan. 21      Martin Luther King’s Birthday-Schools Closed Jan. 25      Second Marking Period Ends Jan. 28      Assessment Day- Schools Closed Feb. 11      Report Cards Distributed Feb. 12      Primary Election Day– Schools Closed Feb. 18      Presidents’ Day- Schools Closed Feb. 20      Public Forum at Dundalk Middle                       

                                                          

   

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Text Box:  Principal’s Message Dear Parents:                   Happy New Year! It is important to stress to students that they must continue to work hard right until the end of the school year. We have a number of important assessments coming up for which students must be present and prepared. These include:  ·      SREB Math Reading, Science – 60 selected 8th grade students (February) ·      Ongoing Short Cycle and Benchmarks Exams in all courses ·       Maryland State Assessments (MSA) – All students (April) ·       High School Assessments – Algebra (June) ·       Final Exams – All students (June) At mid-winter, it is appropriate to remind parents of several important procedures. Please review the following with your child: ·     Attendance – For the second semester, the 8th grade will be held accountable using the high school attendance policy. Letters have been sent home to parents on this change. For the second semester, 6th and 7th grades will continue to use the current policy which states that “students missing as much as 20% of the class time within each grading period (about 8 days) are subject to a failing classwork grade.”  Classwork accounts for a minimum of 50% of the student’s grade. ·      Lockers – All students should have lockers with locks. Students should not store their items in other students’ lockers.   ·     Cell Phones – Many students have cell phones and have started using them during the school day. These phones must be turned off and stored in lockers during school hours. Cell phones are not allowed to be worn on belts or as jewelry.  School Board Policy is that cell phones will be confiscated if the student is using it during the school day. Confiscated cell phones will be stored in the school safe and may be picked up by parents. DMS extends a big thank you to all of the parents who have supported the school’s initiatives to improve our students’ attitudes about themselves and their community. Please continue to work with your child to improve the way in which he/she communicates with peers and adults in the community.  We are working hard to create a respectful community of good citizens.                                                                                                                             For our children, TS      

 

Students of the Month

Grade 6

Zachary Williams

Wanya Carter

Brenda Headspeth

Delmy Ramos

Grade 7

Spencer Schuch

Simone Hunter

Tayshon Scott-Pack

Samantha Banaszewski

Grade 8

Dominique Center

Brooke Williams

James Logan

Varmuyah Kromah

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  Text Box: Students of the Month Grade 6 Zachary Williams Wanya Carter Brenda Headspeth Delmy Ramos Grade 7 Spencer Schuch Simone Hunter Tayshon Scott-Pack Samantha Banaszewski Grade 8 Dominique Center Brooke Williams James Logan Varmuyah Kromah                          

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bowl-A-Thon

The 8th grade classes will participate in the BCPS Bowl-A-Thon to benefit The Children's Cancer Foundation on Jan. 25, 2008.  The event will begin at 9  AM and last for three hours at the AMF bowling lanes located at Eastpoint Mall.  Support our eighth graders as they try to earn money for cancer research and prizes from Target Department Store for their fundraising efforts.

 

From the School Nurse

There has been a large increase in the number of students having asthma episodes or episodes of breathing difficulties this winter.  I believe this increase is due to the constantly changing weather and also due to winter viruses such as the flu and a virus that has been causing bronchitis and pneumonia.  If your child complains of trouble breathing please call your child’s pediatrician or take your child for a visit to the pediatrician.  Then please let me know about your child’s illness so that I can monitor him/her in school. 

 

 Mathematics

What’s math got to do with it?  Well…Everything! Mathematics is an important skill that students use everyday.  It begins in the classroom and extends to their everyday lives.  On the MSA, students are asked to show their knowledge in seven areas of mathematics:

1. * Algebra, Patterns and Functions

2. * Geometry

3. * Measurement

4. * Statistics

5. * * Probability

6. * Number Relations and Computations

7. * Problems Solving

Questions may be in one of three formats.  Selected response questions (SRs) ask students to find an answer or analyze information from four given responses.  Grid-in responses involves students working out a problem and recording their answer in a box.  Brief and extended constructed responses (BCRs and ECRs) require students explain and justify their answer.  When completing a BCR or ECR, students may explain using numbers or words or both.

What can you do to help?

ü      Encourage your child to stay for coach class with their math teacher

ü      Check to make sure homework is completed each night

ü      Ask your child to walk you through their thinking on homework assignments

ü      Work with your child to show all steps when completing math work

 ü        Contact your child’s math teacher for specific areas that you can work on with your child to prepare for the MSA.

                           Mrs. Potter, Mathematics Department Chair

 

 Math Night

If  you missed Math Night, you missed an awesome event!  Over 225 parents and students were working hard on all sorts of great math activities. Ms. Potter and her troops , did an awesome job of organizing and conducting a great community event. They even had the Parent Mobile here to give out helpful information. Everyone got math prizes! 

A very big thanks and well done to everyone who had a hand in making this numeracy awareness event a success!

 

 

Parent /Guardian IDs a Must at DMS

Be aware that anyone who enters the school building to pick up a student should be prepared to show a photo ID.  The person’s name must be listed on the emergency card for that student in order for the student to be released.  Parents/guardians should stop by the school office and update cards if changes are required.

 

Contact a Teacher

We have had several requests for faculty email addresses.  These addresses are located on the Dundalk Middle School website. Go to http://www.dundalkms.bcps.org .  You will see a menu. Click on email a teacher.

 

Language Arts/ Reading News

Congratulations to the following 8th grade Language Arts students, whose essays were selected to be entered into the 2007-2008 Optimist International Essay Contest.  These students wrote 400-500 words on the topic, “Today’s Choices Shape my Future”.  Some students will be selected to attend an awards dinner, and will have an opportunity to win cash prizes and scholarships. 

These young authors should be proud of their work:

Elizabeth Warfield

James Logan

Brooke Robinson

Michaela Hyde

Walter Leary

Heather Mullins

Arabia Williams

 

 

Strive for 25

Please ask your student about Strive for 25.  Encourage them to read and record what they are reading, both in and out of classes.  Read with them when you can!  Students are able  to win privileges and prizes just for recording what they read. 

 

MSA Reading

MSA is right around the corner.  How can your student best prepare?  All of our teachers have been preparing your students all year by delivering good instruction!  On the day of testing, students may be asked to do some of the following:

· * Define vocabulary words based on context clues

· * * Identify character traits in reading passages

· * Identify and explain figurative language in poetry and fiction (similes, metaphors, symbols, etc.)

· * Determine mood and tone of reading passages

· * Determine theme

* Identify main idea and supporting details

SR items (selected response) ask students to choose the best answer of four choices.  Students need to use good test-taking strategies to eliminate possible distracters.  BCRs (brief constructed responses) ask students to justify their responses using details from the text.  It is crucial for students to explain WHY and HOW they know the answer to the question asked. 

If you would like to know more about what skills and strategies your student is mastering, and/or with what skills they need more practice, please contact your child’s Language Arts/ Reading teacher. 

 

Today, a reader.  Tomorrow, a leader - Margaret Fuller

    Mrs. Shanks, Language Arts Department  Chair

 

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