DUNDALK MIDDLE SCHOOL
Newsletter
³ Calendar ³
September
1 PTSA Meeting (6:00 PM)
3 Student Assembly-Balance of Power (1:00 PM)
7 Labor Day—Schools and Offices Closed
10 Back to School Night—Auditorium (6:30 PM)
28 Yom Kippur—Schools and Offices Closed
30 Summer Reading Packets Due
October
2 First Quarter Interims
Fall Picture Day
6 PTSA Meeting
8 Conference Night
14 Picture Make Up Day
16 MSTA Convention—Schools Closed for Students
22 Fall Fiesta
23-30 Red Ribbon Week
31 First Marking Period Ends
Principal’s Corner
It was wonderful to see so many of our sixth graders and their families at our school visitation evening. Eighty-seven families visited, representing 65% of our sixth graders. As classes begin, I have been impressed with the enthusiasm of all of our students and staff. We truly seem to have the attitude that will carry us to improved achievement this year. A positive attitude combined with excellent attendance and student effort (application) will result in overall academic success.
I would like to have as many parents join us for our annual “Back to School Night” on Thursday, September 10. This is your opportunity to meet teachers, hear about our school programs, and show your children that education is important. This modeling is critical to their attitude and success in school.
Included with this newsletter is our “Family Handbook.” Please keep it in a handy place at home. The handbook has information about our school as well as the entire school year calendar of events. Using this as a reference can help you plan and reduce calls to our school about the dates and times of events.
Finally, it is important that you stress the importance of regular school attendance with your child. Students who attend school consistently get better grades, attain higher scores on standardized tests (MSA, HSA, SAT), and develop habits that help them get and keep good jobs. Our goal remains a 96% attendance rate. Last year, our attendance was 93.7%. This was 1% higher than 07-08 but still unacceptable. To be a top-performing school, attendance must improve.
Mr. John
Foley
MARKET DAY
One of the PTA’s fundraising efforts is Market Day. These prepared food products are listed in the Market Day flyer that comes home with your child monthly. DMS receives 10% of the total sales. If you haven’t received one, they are also available on the counter in the school office. If you are computer savvy, you can also set up your own online account by accessing www.marketday.com. Please call Mrs. Bishop at 410-887-7018 if you have questions about the program. The pick-up for Market Day is at Dundalk Elementary School.
Back to School Night
Back to School Night has been scheduled for all grade levels on Thursday, September 10, 2009, at 6:30 pm. This event begins in the auditorium with a short introduction from the administration and the PTSA. Then, parents will have an opportunity to tour the building, to meet our teachers, and to become familiar with the academic expectations of Dundalk Middle School. Not only is this a very special night, but it is an excellent way for parents to demonstrate the importance of education in their child’s life and to experience a typical academic day.
Messages
In an effort to limit the number of interruptions caused by relaying personal information to students and cutting into valuable instructional time, we are asking parents to double check the following with your middle schooler each day:
lunch/lunch money?
gym suit?
absentee/lateness note?
required permission forms?
after-school responsibilities?
knowledge about after-school care and the specific time place a student is to
report after the school day?
other family responsibilities?
The parking lot on the corner of Yorkway and Dunmanway is the “Drop-Off Zone” for those students who arrive by car. In order to have this system work effectively, please be prepared to drop off your child quickly. Take care of signatures, lunch money, etc. before you arrive.
Our School Resource Officer, Officer Willett, will be evaluating the traffic pattern in this parking lot in order to determine if we are using that area in the safest way possible for our students and staff. Look for upcoming information from Mr. Foley and Officer Willet regarding this important area.
BCPS provides bus transportation for students who live more than one mile from the school. Our school bus drivers are dedicated BCPS employees who daily take on the challenge of providing safe transportation to and from school for our children. Many of the Baltimore County Public School buses have been equipped with video cameras. This technology is intended to enhance a safe and orderly environment while transporting students to and from school and school related activities by maximizing appropriate student behavior.
While on the school bus, students are expected to comply with all BCPS transportation regulations, including:
q Follow directions the first time they are given.
q Stay seated, facing forward at all times.
q Keep all parts of your body inside the bus.
q Keep hands, legs, arms, personal property and your voice to yourself.
q No eating, drinking or vulgar language at any time on the bus.
Safety Plans at DMS
Baltimore County Public Schools has required a Safe School Management Plan for each school. The goal of our plan is the safety of your children and the ability to account for all students and staff during an emergency. Our plan includes fire drills, crisis evacuation drills, “severe weather” drills, and lock-down drills.
In the event of an emergency, we want you to have the following information:
§ If a “lock down” or “shelter in place” emergency occurs, no one will be allowed into or out of our building during the emergency. Once the emergency has passed, parents/guardians or designated individuals will be able to sign out children following regular dismissal procedures.
§ If we have evacuated the building, but have remained on school grounds, students will move to the area below the foot bridge behind the school. We will set up a command post, behind the school at the tennis courts on Yorkway.
§ If there is an event that requires us to evacuate our building and move to a temporary location, we will walk to Logan Elementary School. If we need to evacuate the area, school system buses will transport us to Dundalk High School. At the location we move to, a command post will be set up and all students will be released through the established procedure at the command post.
§ BCPS will use the media to inform parents/guardians of where they need to go to pick up their children.
All individuals who are picking up children must have identification! During an emergency parents/guardians may want the school to release children to family members, neighbors or friends other than those listed on the standard emergency card. We are asking every family to complete the “Additional Emergency Release List” form included in this newsletter and have your child return it to his/her homeroom teacher. This form will give us authorization to release your child to any of those individuals you have designated. These authorization forms will be placed in our “emergency tool box” and will be used only in case of emergencies.
The standard emergency card will be kept in the school office and used for day-to-day situations as we have in the past. Please make sure you keep us informed of any changes that need to be made on your child’s emergency card!
Attendance
In order to maintain good scholastic performance, students must attend school regularly. The State of Maryland sets the standards for attendance at 94% for satisfactory (absent no more than 11 days per school year) and 96% for excellent (absent no more than 7 days ). We are striving to raise the DMS attendance from unsatisfactory (93.7%) to excellent (96%).
All absences must be accounted for on the day the student returns. Students are required to present a note to their homeroom teacher upon their return to school. The note must include dates(s) absent, reason for absence, and parent/guardian signature.
If a student is ill and absent for more than 5 days, he/she may be asked to present a doctor’s certificate. Absence notes and certificates are kept on file. Absences without notes (within 5 school days) will be coded as “unlawful.” Vacations should be avoided if possible, and according to BCPS policy, will be coded as “unlawful absences.” As stated in the BCPS Student Handbook, “Students absent for lawful reasons will be allowed to make up missed work whenever possible. This responsibility rests with the student!”
Substitutes Needed
Are you interested in a job that will provide lots of variety and many rewards? If so, consider becoming a Baltimore County substitute teacher. If you would like more information about substituting at Dundalk Middle School, call 410-887-8952. (Note: You will also need to call 410-887-8942 to make an appointment to be fingerprinted, a requirement for all.) Baltimore County substitute teachers.)
Soon, students will be bringing home information about the After-School Activities. The sessions will begin on or about September 15. To participate, students return a permission form signed by a parent/guardian indicating the transportation arrangements. During the session, buses are provided on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday afternoons at 4:00 pm. Each bus makes several stops, allowing us to transport the children to their neighborhoods. (This will not necessarily be the same stop students use for their daily BCPS transportation.)
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
Lunch Information
Information concerning the Baltimore County Public School’s Nutrition Express Meal Card, as well as the prepayment plan, was sent home with each student the first week of school. Additionally, information concerning the free and reduced price meal program was sent home with all students. Many children are eligible to receive breakfast or lunch free or at greatly reduced prices. In order to determine whether or not your child can take advantage of this great cost savings, it is important that ALL families complete the eligibility for each year. Those who were enrolled last year need to complete a new application. Applications must be completed and returned to school by the end of September. Only one form needs to be completed for the entire family. If you have not completed the form yet or you have questions about this program please call our cafeteria manager, Mrs. Ledwell at 410-887-7020.
School Portrait Day
School Portraits will be taken on Friday, October 2
Students will be given a payment envelope 2-3 days prior to picture day. Additional copies will be available in the school office. In the interest of safety, a check or money order is preferred. All students will be photographed for the yearbook and school records. Only those students with payment and a completed order form on picture day will receive a portrait package.
Our school has contracted Lifetouch as the photographer. A variety of portrait packages and several background choices will be offered. Lifetouch can provide additional information to you directly by calling 1-800-445-1189.
School Supplies
As we begin the school year, students come supplied with many new materials. However, pens run out of ink, pencils “get lost,” and paper gets used. Please check your child’s school supplies as part of your regular routine and replace any necessary materials so that your child will be prepared for all classes.
Student Handbook
During the opening days of school, administrators have begun meeting with all students to review the Baltimore County Public Schools’ Student Handbook. The BCPS Student Handbook contains information on “School/Community Responsibilities,” “Discipline Code,” and “Student’s Rights and Responsibilities.” Values of respect and responsibility were highlighted as administrators reviewed expectations, rules, procedures, and consequences for specific behaviors.
The DMS “Behavior Matrix” clearly sets the expectations for students by stating that “Dundalk Middle School students are SR2.” This statement means:
¨ I am Safe
¨ I am Responsible
¨ I am Respectful
Students had the opportunity to ask questions, and each student signed a form acknowledging receipt of the handbook and sexual harassment forms. Parents/guardians need to review the Baltimore County Public Schools’ Student Handbook and the behavior matrix with their children to help reinforce the expectations that contribute to making Dundalk Middle School a safe and productive learning environment. Additionally, each student is required to return the “Student Handbook Acknowledgement Form,” signed by a parent/guardian.
PTSA’s No-Brainer Fundraising
Use www.Goodsearch.com instead of Google – DMS can get a 1 cent donation EACH time you log on…you will need to identify Dundalk Middle School as your charity. Use this and we get money!!
EVERY SMALL BIT HELPS!!
Giant – You must register every year with ID# 01489...use this and we get money!!
EVERY LITTLE BIT HELPS!!
Target – Red Card ID# 01489…use this and we get money!!
EVERY TINY BIT HELPS!!
Box Tops – Send in the box tops to homerooms for collection…we get money!!!
EVERY PETITE BIT HELPS!!
Office Depot – IS# 70046013 or just mention Dundalk Middle School…We get money!!!
EVERY MICROSCOPIC BIT HELPS!!
Race to Recycle – Turn in you old cell phones to school (PTSA Homeroom boxes)…We get money!!
EVERY TRIVIAL BIT HELPS!!
Every time you shop, ask if the store gives back to schools …and then designate DUNDALK MIDDLE.
REMEMBER EVERY LITTLE BIT HELPS
YOUR CHILD!!!
PBIS—Positive Behavior Interventions Strategies
PBIS is our school-wide behavior intervention program. The purpose of the program is to make students aware of the behaviors we expect of them in school. These are positive behaviors that contribute to a productive, safe school environment for all of our students and faculty. At the beginning of the year during a lesson presented to all homerooms, students had the opportunity to give their input about the types of behaviors that should be followed in all areas of the school—classrooms, lavatories, cafeteria, library. Their contributions were then compiled onto a behavior matrix that is posted throughout the school building as a reminder to students.
There are two pieces of the PBIS program that you will hear about consistently. One piece rewards the behaviors we want students to demonstrate. These positive behaviors are recognized by teachers through the use of our HOOTS. Hoots are quarter sheets of paper that students receive for demonstrating behavior that is appropriate. Teacher and staff members hand them to students for demonstrating the behaviors from our student behavior expectation statement, “Dundalk Middle students are SR2”—safe, responsible, and respectful. HOOTS can be used as “cash” for various incentives. We run the HOOT store at lunch where we sell some school supplies, candy, and small items, like dog tags, backpack carbines, etc. We run dances where students earn admittance through HOOTS. Students will have an opportunity to buy presents for the holidays with our Winter Wonderland HOOTS. Ask your child to see the HOOTS they have earned and to explain the types of behaviors they were demonstrating to earn them.
The second documentation system is called the Team Leader Referral Form and is used by teachers to document chronic problem behaviors in the classroom. Students are referred to the team leader for reflection, conferencing, and possible consequences. Parents are sent a copy of the referral for their signature and communication. In addition, the classroom teacher and or team leader will contact the parent by phone.
CCBC College Gateway Partnership
The College Gateway Partnership is a groundbreaking initiative that will give every eighth grader at DMS the opportunity for a daylong authentic college experience. Groups of 25 students, their teachers, and counselors will be spend the day on each of the three CCBC campuses. Students will be engaged in classes created for them and taught by CCBC faculty and BCPS staff. Our first group will be attending on September 23. For more information about this program, please contact the BCPS Office of Communications at 410-887-5908 or communications@bcps.org.
DMS Physical Education
The Physical Education staff would like to welcome all the students back. As a reminder, all Baltimore County students are required to take physical education and health during the year. Each student is required to have a PE uniform for class and will be assigned their own PE locker. They may either purchase a uniform or return during the 1st week with their uniform from last year. If a uniform needs to be purchased, the cost is $12.50 for the shirt and $12.50 for the shorts.
Students are responsible for washing the uniforms and returning with those on PE days. Please be sure that the uniform fits and is marked with their names. Since each student purchases their own uniform, we treat these sales as a store would, in other words, if they lose a part of the uniform, the student is required to buy another part of piece, the PE department is NOT responsible for lost uniforms.
The students will be asked to return a signed copy of the grading procedures, 6th and 8th graders will also need to return a signed parent permission slip for health class. We will be offering a wide range of activities for classes, as well as, inter-murals during the spring and fall and intra-mural 8th grade basketball from November through February. Any student wishing to participate in either after school program can see any PE teacher for information….have a great year.
Mr. Ingle
Magnet School Program
Information
September Magnet Program Brochures will be distributed to 8th grade students shortly. These brochures will contain important information about magnet programs, admission criteria, and transportation. They also will contain an application.
Magnet Program Applications will be available at www.bcps.org/offices/omp from September 15, 2008 until Monday, November 30, 2009 at 12:00 pm noon.
The deadline for submitting a Magnet Application for the 2009-2010 school year is Wednesday, November 26, 2008. Applications may be postmarked or hand-delivered to the Office of Magnet Programs. Hand-delivered applications will be accepted until 4:30 pm on November 26, 2008.
Applications are not processed without proof of timely submission (i.e., certified mail receipt). Applications postmarked, hand-delivered, or received without a clear postmark, indicating timely submission, after the November 26, 2008 deadline, are not processed.
Library News
We are proud to announce that Dundalk Middle School has won the Baltimore County Public Library Summer Reading Contest again this year. This is three years in a row that Dundalk Middle has won by having the highest middle school participation percentage based on school enrollment.
Library Resources
Our school library has an online catalog that students may use to search for library books from any internet computer. It will allow students to search for web pages too. Students only need to follow these few steps to log-on:
1. Log onto the internet.
2. Type http://destiny.bcps.org/ in the address bar and press enter on the keyboard.
3. Click on Dundalk Middle School.
4. Click on the catalog tab and have fun searching.
Also, don’t forget to use the online databases Dundalk Middle has paid for when doing research. They can be found at http://www.bcps.org/offices/lis/feebased/index.html. The passwords are listed at http://www.bcps.org/offices/lis/feebased/handout.doc.
Nursing Station
Health and learning go hand-in-hand. If you have any questions about the school health program, please call Ms. Marion Harris, R.N., during school hours at 410-887-7018. Also, any parents interested in volunteering in the health suite may call Ms. Harris. To carry out the health program effectively, please note the following guidelines:
:Notify the nurse when your child is ill or absent for more than three consecutive days.
:Have your child report to the nurse upon returning to school after an extended absence
(more than 3 days).
:Please inform the nurse of any concerns pertaining to the physical or mental health of your child.
+ If your child takes mediation for Attention Deficit at home, please notify the nurse.
:We discourage the administration of medication at school. However, if your physician decides it is necessary for your child to receive a prescription or over-the-counter medication during the school day, a doctor’s written order must be provided to the school nurse. Special forms for this are available in the health suite. The medication is to be sent to school in the original bottle with the current prescription label on the container. Parents can request two containers from the pharmacist, one for home use and another for school. Parents must give written notification from the physician of any change in dosage or time medicine is to be administered, along with a new prescription bottle of medicine, to the school nurse.
:If your child has any reason to be excused from physical education, for more than one week, a written note from the doctor is required. Written release from the doctor is needed for your child to return to physical education.
The student mailing in August contained a “Consent for Discretionary Medications“ form for the 2009-2010 school year. This form has been updated by BCPS and has been sent home again with your student for completion. This new form provides urgent information for the nurse to use in case there is an emergency for your student. Students should turn the new form into homeroom teachers as soon as possible.
BCPS “Bad Checks” Policy
Baltimore County Public Schools has instituted a new policy for all checks written to its schools. Below is the policy as listed in the BCPS School Activity Funds Manual: “Issuers of dishonored checks presented to Baltimore County Public Schools will be given 10 days to submit full payment of the amount of the check plus actual bank charges incurred by BCPS by means of a money order, cashier’s check, or cash. If this payment is not received by the end of 10 days, the issuer will need to submit full payment of the amount of the check plus $35.00. If payment is not received at the end of the 20-day period, BCPS will turn over the dishonored check, and all other available information related to this check, to the State’s Attorney for criminal prosecution. If the dishonored check is turned over to the State’s Attorney for collection, schools will not accept restitution from the check issuer. The funds will be remitted to the school by the State’s Attorney’s Office.”
Project Wisdom Morning Announcements
Project Wisdom is a collection of thought-provoking messages that are being broadcast over the PA system every day. These messages will help our school focus on character values, reminding students and staff to be respectful, trustworthy, courteous, and caring human beings. They encourage us to think about the choices we make and the consequences of those choices. The messages contain wisdom from cultures, races, and religions from around the globe—and individuals from all walks of life. Please start a conversation with your child about the topics they hear in these announcements.
If your child should need to be dismissed from school during the school day, the emergency cards you completed are an important verification document we use. Students will not be dismissed to leave with anyone other than the parent, guardian, or individual listed on the front of the emergency card (unless that person is identified in a note, which is signed by the parent/guardian). Additionally, the school requires a photo ID of any individual picking up students.
BULLYING
Bullying is a national concern as well as a local one. Dundalk Middle School is intent on being proactive in addressing bullying. Listed below are supports for students who feel they are being bullied:
¨ School counselors
¨ Peer mediation
¨ Speaking to teachers
¨ Student “What Happened” forms
¨ Bullying Forms
Please encourage your child to seek support from the school counselor or any adult in the school, if he or she feels bullied. Please also feel free to call the school counselor or any school administrator for information and support. We are proud of our students and the work they are doing in the classroom. We do not want the behavior of a few students to interfere with the learning of others.
Bay Life Services School-Based Mental Health Program
Bay Life Services is a school based therapy program currently offering services in Dundalk Middle School. We work with children with various emotional and/or behavioral difficulties through individual and family therapy. Our program is designed so that a licensed child and adolescent therapist (Trina Bennett LCSW-C) will meet with your child at the school during school hours. However, we provide some evening hours at our office to accommodate working parents so that they can participate in their child’s treatment. We also have a psychiatrist available at our office for parents who wish to have their children evaluated for possible medication needs.
If your child struggles with anger outbursts, anxiety, hyperactivity, sadness, the grief of a loved one, trouble adjusting to family changes, etc, and you would like them to receive counseling, please contact our central intake office at 443-777-7878. When you call, please have your child’s insurance card ready. We accept medical assistance as well as several private insurances.
Bay Life brochures are available in the school’s guidance department
Green School
Dundalk Middle School was awarded the status of Green School in May of 2006. Green Schools have a general, school-wide focus on the environment around us. At Dundalk Middle our Green School activities include can, paper, and computer ink cartridge recycling, environmental clean-ups, horseshoe crab raise and release program, school yard habitat restoration, storm drain stenciling and the environmental field trip to Merritt Park. With our proximity to the water as well as the revitalization of the Dundalk area, it is important to have our students, faculty and community become actively involved in environmental issues.
In 2008, DMS received a grant from the Chesapeake Bay Foundation which has funded the creation of schoolyard habitat/outdoor classroom project . Native trees and plants are in plentiful supply in the school’s courtyard. Parents are always encouraged to stop by and take a look at what our students and teachers have created ! Science teacher, Ms. Knight heads up the Green School Club at Dundalk Middle School.
Cell Phones in School
Baltimore County Public School policy allows students to bring cell phones to school. However, the policy clearly states that they need to be “turned off and kept in a locker, book bag, or purse during school hours.” Furthermore, policy states that cell phones may not be used during the instructional hours. All of this is included in the BCPS Student Handbook on page 10. We will continue to enforce this policy and we are asking parents to review the rules with their children. Any students using cell phones during the school day (making/receiving calls, text messaging, etc.) will have their phones confiscated. Parents will be asked to retrieve the phone from an administrator. Reoccurrences will be subject to the disciplinary process that includes suspension for repeat offenders. Parents are strongly encouraged to contact students through the school office during the day and not call/text students on their phones. We support the right of students to have cell phones, but need to ask that students follow board policy regarding cell phone possession and use.
Attendance and Grades
On January 13, the Board of Education of Baltimore County approved a revision to the school attendance policy number 5120. This policy has always connected attendance and absenteeism to quarterly grades for high school students. This policy now will apply to all students and we will be implementing it during the fourth marking period. This means that students who have more than 5 unlawful (unexcused) absences in a parking period can automatically fail the quarter. In addition, students who miss 20% (10 days) for lawful or unlawful reasons may also receive failing grades. Baltimore County believes that attendance is an important component of success in school. Parents need to send notes in to school explaining each absence. Failure to provide a note will have the child’s attendance coded as unlawful (unexcused). This could impact your child’s quarter grade.