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Tuesday, October 27, 2009
Wednesday, October 7, 2009
Student-Involved Conferences
The staff at the middle school would like to invite all parents to join us on October 22nd or 27th for a 15 minute conference among you, your child, and your child's adviser! This special time has been set aside to allow our students to tell their parents all the wonderful things that are happening at our school.
Your child will share some samples of work from his/her classes-- including homework assignments, tests and quizzes. He/She will also share highlights from the year, quirky things that may have happened, and areas where improvement is needed. We consider this time a celebration of learning and we encourage you, as the parent, to listen carefully and ask questions.
In past years we have been proud to say that 100% of our parents had a fall conference. We will shoot for that again this year. Your child is bringing home your conference time; however, if he/she has lost it between the locker and your house---please call the school and we can let you know.
I hope to see you there!
Your child will share some samples of work from his/her classes-- including homework assignments, tests and quizzes. He/She will also share highlights from the year, quirky things that may have happened, and areas where improvement is needed. We consider this time a celebration of learning and we encourage you, as the parent, to listen carefully and ask questions.
In past years we have been proud to say that 100% of our parents had a fall conference. We will shoot for that again this year. Your child is bringing home your conference time; however, if he/she has lost it between the locker and your house---please call the school and we can let you know.
I hope to see you there!
Monday, September 28, 2009
Choking Game
It came to my attention today that we have students in the middle school who get together at parties and sleepovers and play, The Choking Game. This game involves one child restricting oxygen through the use of their hands, arms, ropes or belts. Children get a "high" when the pressure is released and blood rushes back to the brain. The sensations can become extremely addictive. We believe this to be a very serious issue and certainly can be life threatening.
Whether or not you suspect your child of participating in this activity, please engage them in an immediate discussion regarding the life-threatening dangers and consequences. If you would like additional information on this, please visit one of the following websites: www.chokinggame.net or www.stop-the-choking-game.com
Feel free to call me at the school if you have any questions.
Whether or not you suspect your child of participating in this activity, please engage them in an immediate discussion regarding the life-threatening dangers and consequences. If you would like additional information on this, please visit one of the following websites: www.chokinggame.net or www.stop-the-choking-game.com
Feel free to call me at the school if you have any questions.
Thursday, September 24, 2009
Movie Production at DCG MS!
A production company that is making a movie in the Dallas Center area called and asked to rent the middle school this Saturday, Sept. 26th. The movie is entitled Smitty and it should be a G or PG family film. The crew is asking for 80 middle school students and 12 adults to serve as "extras".
It should be a fun experience---Lou Gossett Jr. and Peter Fonda are both actors in the production. Students who were interested picked up a permission form from the office. They will be bringing it home for a signature, and they need to return it tomorrow by 8:30 am.
If we have more than 80 students who return the forms, we will draw names.
Please call me at school if you have questions.
It should be a fun experience---Lou Gossett Jr. and Peter Fonda are both actors in the production. Students who were interested picked up a permission form from the office. They will be bringing it home for a signature, and they need to return it tomorrow by 8:30 am.
If we have more than 80 students who return the forms, we will draw names.
Please call me at school if you have questions.
Monday, September 21, 2009
Homecoming Week!
There are so many great things about our school district, it is hard to pinpoint my favorite; however, one of the most noticeable traits about DC-G (that is often mentioned by visitors) is the amount of school pride in our staff and student body! I remember four years ago when I first visited the middle school, I asked if there was something special going on, because the majority of the children were wearing red and white! The staff said, no---the kids always wear our colors!
I believe this is why Homecoming Week is one of the events I eagerly look forward to each year! Our students are proud of their identity as a Fillie or a Mustang, and they want to voice that pride to all who will listen!
Today the students were to dress up as their favorite celebrity; yet many of them chose instead to wear their athletic uniforms because we have games and a Cross Country meet tonight. During advisory time, students will be busy decorating their classroom doors in Homecoming themes.
We are all looking forward to Friday when we will attend the Homecoming Parade. Many advisory classes are working on the middle school float. Our float motto is "Be the One in the Game of Life" Students are busy building cardboard game pieces and the giant spinner!
Students will be dismissed for the parade at 1:30. (The middle school band will be marching, so they will be dismissed at 12:45.) We will return to the school at 3:00 so that students have time to gather their belongings and load the bus home.
We hope many of you are also able to attend the Homecoming Parade and Football Game. It is such a great way to promote our school spirit and pride! You will definitely hear the middle school students cheering for Dallas Center-Grimes!
I believe this is why Homecoming Week is one of the events I eagerly look forward to each year! Our students are proud of their identity as a Fillie or a Mustang, and they want to voice that pride to all who will listen!
Today the students were to dress up as their favorite celebrity; yet many of them chose instead to wear their athletic uniforms because we have games and a Cross Country meet tonight. During advisory time, students will be busy decorating their classroom doors in Homecoming themes.
We are all looking forward to Friday when we will attend the Homecoming Parade. Many advisory classes are working on the middle school float. Our float motto is "Be the One in the Game of Life" Students are busy building cardboard game pieces and the giant spinner!
Students will be dismissed for the parade at 1:30. (The middle school band will be marching, so they will be dismissed at 12:45.) We will return to the school at 3:00 so that students have time to gather their belongings and load the bus home.
We hope many of you are also able to attend the Homecoming Parade and Football Game. It is such a great way to promote our school spirit and pride! You will definitely hear the middle school students cheering for Dallas Center-Grimes!
Friday, September 11, 2009
Tuesday, September 8, 2009
DM Register: Sept. 5
Record number of Iowa schools fail to meet federal targets
This was the headline of Saturday's paper. I knew it was coming, but that doesn't dull the sting of seeing it in print! It didn't take long for me to skim the list of schools and find DCG Middle School--math in the dead center---ouch!
Since then, I have followed the reader's comments which range from a list of "reasons" for making the list to a bashing of public education. To my surprise, I haven't heard from any DC-G patrons yet, but I would like to take the time to explain how our middle school made the list, and the efforts we are taking to remove ourselves ASAP!
DCG Middle School was placed on the SINA list (Schools in Need of Assistance) in the area of special education math (it was interesting that the paper didn't list the special education part). This means that our special education population did not make enough growth on the ITBS (Iowa Test of Basic Skills) to reach proficiency. In Iowa, "Proficiency" means the 40th percentile or above.
The majority of our special education students currently score between the 1st and the 15th percentile on ITBS. In fact, one of the indicators that qualifies a child for special education is a low ITBS score. If our students DID score in the 40th percentile or above, the teachers would be calling a meeting with the parents to discuss if the child should be discontinued from the special education program.
So now what? Our staff is dedicated to working as hard as possible to give the special education students the math skills they need to be successful in life. Since the beginning of the year, we have met regularly to form an action plan and begin implementation. One of the biggest changes this year is that we have added a Math Intervention Class entitled, M and M---Math and Maintenance. Students attend this extra math tutoring session once every three days. The class sizes are small (6-8 students) and the program is 42 minutes of intense math tutoring. We are using a research-based program that was recommended by several area schools. It is called iSucceed by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Additionally, we have added tutoring for general education students, increased the frequency of our progress monitoring, and concentrated on instructional strategies that have been proven successful. The staff at DCG Middle School is focused on providing the best math instruction available. We are confident that we can improve scores enough to remove our school's name from "the list", but more importantly help ALL our children succeed in today's globally economic world. We need the support of all parents and community to help us reach this goal. If you have questions, comments or ideas, we welcome your input!
This was the headline of Saturday's paper. I knew it was coming, but that doesn't dull the sting of seeing it in print! It didn't take long for me to skim the list of schools and find DCG Middle School--math in the dead center---ouch!
Since then, I have followed the reader's comments which range from a list of "reasons" for making the list to a bashing of public education. To my surprise, I haven't heard from any DC-G patrons yet, but I would like to take the time to explain how our middle school made the list, and the efforts we are taking to remove ourselves ASAP!
DCG Middle School was placed on the SINA list (Schools in Need of Assistance) in the area of special education math (it was interesting that the paper didn't list the special education part). This means that our special education population did not make enough growth on the ITBS (Iowa Test of Basic Skills) to reach proficiency. In Iowa, "Proficiency" means the 40th percentile or above.
The majority of our special education students currently score between the 1st and the 15th percentile on ITBS. In fact, one of the indicators that qualifies a child for special education is a low ITBS score. If our students DID score in the 40th percentile or above, the teachers would be calling a meeting with the parents to discuss if the child should be discontinued from the special education program.
So now what? Our staff is dedicated to working as hard as possible to give the special education students the math skills they need to be successful in life. Since the beginning of the year, we have met regularly to form an action plan and begin implementation. One of the biggest changes this year is that we have added a Math Intervention Class entitled, M and M---Math and Maintenance. Students attend this extra math tutoring session once every three days. The class sizes are small (6-8 students) and the program is 42 minutes of intense math tutoring. We are using a research-based program that was recommended by several area schools. It is called iSucceed by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Additionally, we have added tutoring for general education students, increased the frequency of our progress monitoring, and concentrated on instructional strategies that have been proven successful. The staff at DCG Middle School is focused on providing the best math instruction available. We are confident that we can improve scores enough to remove our school's name from "the list", but more importantly help ALL our children succeed in today's globally economic world. We need the support of all parents and community to help us reach this goal. If you have questions, comments or ideas, we welcome your input!
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