It is that time of year again, and I would like to take this opportunity to

welcome you all back to our DDMS family. We are very excited for the

2013-2014 school year as I hope you and your students are also. As we

kick off this new year I can only imagine the excitement and anxiousness

as your students begin another year of middle school. So many of our

students begin each year with hesitation and fear about what to expect in

the upcoming year: “What will the teachers be like?” “Will I know where I’m going?” “Who am I

going to sit with at lunch?”, etc… In order to help ease these hesitations it is important that we

work together as students, teachers, parents, and administrators for the best interest of our stu-

dents. We, as educators, want to encourage your students to excel academically and socially

while also ensuring that they are establishing a foundation of independence and self-motivation.

By helping our students learn a method of organization, time management, and positive social

interactions we can promote the success of well rounded students who have a sense of self-

confidence and independence as they grow.

Ways we can help -

Encourage students to stay organized for each subject

Encourage students to write down homework and check homework hotline nightly

Encourage students to ask questions when they don’t understand

Encourage students to look out for their peers and provide a helping hand

Encourage them to do their best each and every day—be prepared for class, stay focused,

try your best, and have fun!

Respectfully,

Brian McCarthy

Welcome Back to School...

Monday- Clash Day

Don’t Match!

Tuesday- Twin Day

Dress exactly like someone

Wednesday- Favorite Team Day

Show off your favorite team

Thursday- Dress Up Day

Dress your best for school pictures

Friday- Spirit Day/Pep Rally

Show off your school spirit in your black and white!!!!

Reminders:

Report Cards will be

held unless library

fines are paid

Dingman-Delaware Middle School

D E L A W A R E V A L L E Y S C H O O L D I S R I C T

“Where the Best Get Better”

Dance 3-5pm

Sept. 20, 2013

Spirit Week

Sept. 23-27

Progress Reports

Available on PowerSchool

Sept 26

Picture Day / Dress Up Day

Sept. 26

Student Pep Rally

Sept 27

Columbus Day

Oct. 14

8th Grade Career Day

Oct. 18

End of Marking Period 1

Oct. 29

Important Dates

Next Week …………………..……....Spirit Week

From the nurse:

As cold and flu season arrives, here are some tips to help you and your student stay healthy:

Dress in warm clothing. Wear long-sleeved shirts, sweaters or sweatshirts. Do not wear coats inside; this could cause you to become overheated which in turn might lower your body’s resistance to fight off viruses and bacteria. Drink plenty of fruit juices and water to keep your body well hydrated. Remember to eat a good breakfast, not just a high-sugar food such as a donut or Pop Tart. Get at least nine hours of sleep a night. If you have a cold, don’t spread your germs by coughing and sneezing without covering your mouth and nose. Remember to cough or sneeze into your sleeve or a tissue and dispose of the tissue immediately. Do not drink out of other people’s water bottles or drink bottles. If you want to share your drink with somebody else, pour it into a cup or glass. Try to avoid others who have a cold to prevent picking up their germs. Gargling with warm salt water can help relieve the discomfort or sore throats. Most importantly, wash your hands frequently! Especially before you eat!

If your child is sick, keep them home. They must be fever free and no vomiting for at least 24 hours be-

fore they can come back to school. If your child is home sick please call my office in the morning to inform the school that he/she is home. 296-3148. Thank you for your cooperation.

No More Progress Reports?

If you heard that the District will no longer be sending out Student

Progress Reports, you heard right. Instead of handing out midterm progress reports as has

been done in the past this information will be available online on Powerschool. Powerschool

data shows 35% of parents are no longer waiting for progress reports, rather they have ar-

ranged to receive emails through Powerschool to automatically update them on grades. Anoth-

er 27% opt to check Powerschool on an as needed basis, but 38% of parents have not checked

in at all yet this year. Powerschool is an easy way to monitor your child’s progress and you can

do it at your convenience from any computer, you just need your user name and password.

Your user name and password was sent to you in the mail but if you have lost track of this infor-

mation come in to the school office with photo identification and you can get another copy.

From the Nurse’s Desk:

What?? No More Paper Progress Reports!!!

Page 2 Dingman-Delaware Middle School

If you don’t have access to the

internet please contact our

guidance department for updates.

Inspiration

Each and every year since the start of the 2006-2007 school year, one of the DDMS Football Coaches makes a point

to find our Guidance Counselor, Mrs. Comunale, the day after new student orientation. The reason for the visit is

just one simple question: Did we have any “Brandon Clemonses” register?

In late August of 2006, the Dingman-Delaware Middle School enrolled a new student by the name of Brandon

Clemons. Brandon was moving to the DV School District from New York, and his size immediately made him a

candidate for playing football. The only problem was that he had never played organized football. With the help of

the coaching staff at DDMS and DVHS, Brandon developed into a standout high school football player. Brandon

received numerous scholarship offers from Division I schools and eventually decided to attend Michigan State

University on a full athletic scholarship. You would think that would be the highlight of this article, but there is a

much better story.

I had the opportunity to meet Brandon during his sophomore year when I became the 9/10 Assistant Principal at

DVHS. I knew nothing about him except that he physically stood out among the other tenth graders and he had a

smile that went from ear to ear. In all my years of education I can honestly say that he was one of the most polite

and happy students I would see on a daily basis. I was shocked to learn that Brandon stayed this positive even

though he had a very difficult situation at home. Most students who have trouble outside of school let that bring

them down, and sometimes it even prevents them from becoming successful. With the help of many friends,

teachers, administrators, and especially his coaches, Brandon utilized the Delaware Valley School District to become

very successful. During his five years in the Delaware Valley School District, Brandon’s personality and work ethic

captured the hearts of many people who still remain in contact with him today. Brandon might not realize this but he

still has a big effect on some of our DDMS students today because when any student enters my office feeling sorry

for themselves due to a difficult situation going on in their life, I point to the picture of Brandon in his M.S. U.

uniform and tell them his story and how he stayed positive and used the school system to change his life. His story

is a great motivator for all students that think they can’t become successful because of adversity that is occurring in

their lives.

I tried my hardest to convince Brandon to attend the University of Notre Dame and play for the Fighting Irish, but he

would just reply with a big smile—“Why would I want to play for a loser, Mr. McCarthy?”. To this day I’m not

sure if Mr. Olsommer put that in his head, but I would just smile back and think that no matter where he ended up, I

would become a huge fan of Brandon Clemons and the school he chose. This Saturday the Michigan State Spartans

will visit Notre Dame University, and Brandon told me that if I came to the game, I had to yell GO GREEN!! GO

WHITE!!! I don’t think that previously I would ever be caught rooting against ND, but for a former DDMS Student

of the Month and a young man who continues to make DV proud, I’d root for whatever team “Big Daddy” was

playing for!

DDTV 2013-14 DDTV is a live student-run broadcast. Every morning, the students announce

important messages throughout the school. Tryouts were held in May 2013 to obtain a

successful team for this school year.

Along with its moderator, Mrs. Cafarella, DDTV is comprised of eight techies

(running the live broadcast) and twenty-one anchors (rotating monthly to deliver the

announcements). The techies are also responsible for snapping photos/taping events of

importance throughout the school year.

The members of DDTV get to school early and report directly to the DDTV room,

where they prepare for that day’s broadcast. DDTV airs at 8:05 daily and runs for

approximately 3-4 minutes. Tryouts for the 2014-15 school year will take place in the

Spring 2014, so if this seems like something of interest to you, please think about

joining us. Returning Anchors: Returning Techies: Lauren Albrecht Tess Balton Destiny Dezenzo Tyler Boulanger Mitchel Maloney Collin Kawan-Hemler Madison Mickles Hassan Keys Bronwen Yoncak Kris Kremsner

Christina Nagrowski Christian Santiago Noah Narducci

NEW MEMBERS: Kayla Bicskei Brittany Brockmann Brianna Chaparro Victoria Curiale Miriam Denhalter Leila Elaro Delaney Etzkorn Lyndsay Floystad Savannah Gonzalez Morgan Harvey Katie Mauro Gabrielle Quagliozzi Aniyah Richardson Scott Segarra Caroline Toomer Anya Yoncak

Page 4

What’s Going on at DDMS?

Students in Mrs. Schoenleber’s eighth grade language arts classes introduced

themselves during the first week of school by making paper “quilt squares” crea-

tively designed with autobiographical details. Each student then presented a

classmate by reading the information on the square. The squares from each class

were assembled into patchwork quilts, which are now displayed on the walls of

the classroom.

Ms. Edmonds' 8th grade art classes have been revamping shading and perspective drawing skills. The 8th grade students are currently studying perspective in Surreal-ism and looking forward to watercolor painting later this week. 6th grade students are diligently designing their sketchbook covers in the style of Indian Mhendi.

What’s Happening in the Classroom??

What is Going on in Art Class?

Page 5 Dingman-Delaware Middle School

The students in Mrs. Yatsonsky's 8th grade art Class created leaf studies using oil pastels on black paper.

The still-life drawings are drawn while they learn and identify various types of leaves.

Page 6

Art Class

New Course for 7th Grade...

The 7th grade student will be taking a new course titled Computer Literacy 7. Mrs. Favaro’s class has been busy completing the first unit. The students are learning to touch type using the Micro Type 5 program. Top typists are Period 1: Janessa Motimer at 50 word per minute and Olivia Leone at 68 words per minute, Period 3 James Rogers at 47 words per minute, Period 4 Brooke Gunderman at 43 words per minute, Period 5 Alexys Serrano at 51 words per minute and Lyndsay Floystand at 68 words per minute, Period 6 Logan Gallagher at 66 words per minute and Shira Michel at 61 words per minute, Period 7 has the fastest typist overall and that student is Shin-Man Moon typing over 100 words per minute. Great Typing Everyone!!!!

Mr. Cholish’s and Mr. Ey’s 6th grade inclusion Science class began the school year by

learning about the scientific method. Student’s in the class performed the “Bubble

Gum Lab”, where students were given three different types of bubble gum. Students

were then required to form a hypothesis and decide what type of gum would blow the

biggest bubble. Students blew their bubbles and recorded their data. Students were

able to check to see if their hypothesis was correct.

What’s Happening in the Classroom??

Page 7 Dingman-Delaware Middle School

Page 8

Order Your Yearbook Now!!!

In Other News … Updated Trophy Case

The 2014 DDMS Yearbook is currently on sale. A formal announcement will accom-

pany student photo order forms that will be sent home next week. Reminder notices

will be mailed to all students during the month of October. We are happy to report

that we have renegotiated the production cost with our publisher, and are announc-

ing that the new reduced cost of the 2014 full color yearbook is $30.00 if it is ordered

by the deadline in January. The exact date will be announced shortly. Orders will be

accepted online at the following address:http://www.yearbookOrderCenter.com

The yearbook can be ordered online by visiting this site and entering our school

order number: 15609, and then place your order. You will see that there are several

packages from which to choose. You may also order by calling

1-866-287-3096. Be sure to have the school order number handy. That

number again is 15609. Don’t miss the chance for your child to have a

copy of the 2014 yearbook at the new lower price!! Order today!

Respectfully,

Philip Patterson

Over the summer our trophy case went through a much needed renovation.

We are now able to display the accomplishments of not only our student athletes,

but our distinguished students who have achieved high scores on PSSAs. Our tro-

phy case now also features daily classroom activities and school news through vid-

eo display. Within our newly remodeled trophy case you will also see a section of

DDMS sports memorabilia from years past. Next time you are in the building be

sure to check it out!

We would like to thank the PTA and Parents who have been working so hard to ensure that

our students and teachers have the best school year! From our school store, book fair,

dances, teacher breakfast, etc… We are so very grateful for all you do for DDMS!!

Thank You!!

DDMS “Where the Best Get Better”

Where’s the Music??

DDMS Sound Waves

The DDMS pep band will once again be providing entertain-

ment for the various sporting events this fall. The DDMS pep

band consists of about 20 students that range from 6-8th

grade. The students also gave the pep band a new name

this year. The DDMS pep band will be known as "The Sound Waves" this

year. The Sound Waves play a variety of repertoire from rock'n roll and

pop classics to famous fight songs. Come out and support the DDMS

sports teams and be entertained by the DDMS Sound Waves!