Dakota Minute

Dakota Meadows Middle School construction is fast approaching! Soon you will see some changes to the exterior of our building in preparation for our building’s upgrades. Fences will be seen near Door 1 and near the drop off and pick up area by Door 8.

This area near Door 8 where we have our drop off and pick up will be heavily affected for how our pick up and drop off process works. The construction area will decrease the size of our parking lot temporarily. Families will no longer be able park in the middle of the parking lot. All traffic will flow continuously from entering the parking lot near Caswell Park to exiting the parking lot near the cafeteria. This change will take place in late March or early April. More information will come on this topic in the near future.

Gratefully,

Principal Hyer

Please see THIS Student Social Emotional Screener Opt Out Letter. Students will be taking this in advisory class on Monday, March 11th. If you have not submitted an opt out request or would like to see the screener ahead of time, please do so before this date.

To view the questions ahead of time, this must be done in the DMMS Office. Digital copies cannot be shared and photos are not able to be taken.

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us at (507)387-5077 or at dmms@isd77.org.

The Minnesota Department of Revenue offers two valuable tax benefits for parents who purchase school supplies for their K-12 students: the K-12 Education Credit and Subtraction. These benefits can reduce parents’ taxes to increase their refund, but are only available for those who keep their receipts. Purchases for most school supplies, field trips, and musical instruments for school band are eligible.

Most Minnesota parents qualify for the K-12 subtraction, which reduces their taxable income. Parents under certain income limits may also qualify for the K-12 credit, which can refund up to 75% of their costs – even for parents who do not owe any taxes. Visit MN Department of Revenue website for details.

This week in advisory we played a game to work on problem-solving skills working as a team.

As your middle schooler to play the game with you!!

Spring Conferences for DMMS will be Thursday, February 29th and Monday, March 4th. Families will be able to sign up with any teacher, it does not have to be your student(s) advisory teacher.

Parents/caregivers will need to sign up for a 10 minutes conference time with any teacher they would like to meet using THIS LINK. Please consider signing up for 2 conferences so that each family has an opportunity to schedule a conference. We will send out another email letting families know they can sign up for more if they like.

Two hour early releases will take place on the following dates:

March 13th, 2024. April 17th, 2024. May 15th, 2024.

There are no middle school practices on early release days. ALL DMMS student athletes should be picked up or use bus transportation home on these days.There is also no activity bus to Mankato West on Early release days. Student Athletes that participate at the high school level may have practices as normal but will have to provide their own transportation or contact their coach.

• The PTA is arranging meals for the DMMS staff during spring conferences, 2/29 and 3/4. Support in funding and serving these meals would be greatly appreciated.

• • Donations to help fund the conference meals can be made here:

  • • https://dmms.memberhub.com/store/items/945681

  • Sign up to Serve Meals here:

  • • https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0A4FA5AA2FA3FC1-48017092-serve

• We are excited to announce that the Scholastic Book Fair is back by popular demand and will be held during our spring conferences. If you're looking for an easy way to get involved, consider helping with the bookfair! Volunteers are needed to man the fair and help with purchases.

• • Sign up to help with the bookfair here:

  • • https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0A4FA5AA2FA3FC1-48017092-serve

With Much Appreciation,

The goal of Hope Squad is to "prevent suicide through public awareness and education, reduce stigma, and serve as a resource to those touched by suicide."

Each of us is unique, and that includes how we experience mental health. It's crucial to understand and respect everyone's journey. By having open and honest conversations, and offering support, we can create a community where everyone feels valued and included. Encouraging one another's mental well-being is important. By standing by one another, we give our friends comfort and reassurance that they're not alone, which has the potential to significantly impact someone's life.

Please see this Wellness Today Newsletter discussing the importance of Diversity and Mental Health

Visit hopesquad.com for more information and resources!

Archery for Teens Grades 7-12, Tuesdays starting March 5

Intro to Hand & Machine Sewing Grades 3-8, Thursdays starting April 4

West Boys Bball Camp Grades 6-8, Sundays starting April 7

Red Cross Advanced Babysitter Training Ages 11+, Wednesday April 10

Adult & Child Intro to Ceramics Grades 3-9 + adult, Tuesdays starting April 16

Please make sure to view the student calendar on our district website. This will have our early releases and no school days. In addition, the Google Calendar will have DMMS Specific information.

• February 29th- Spring Conferences
  
• March 4th- Spring Conferences
  
• March 4th- Band/Orchestra Concert
• March 5th- String Fest 2024
  
• March 8th- No School
  
• March 11th- SEL Survey in Advisory Class
• March 13th- Early Release
  
• March 18th- DMMS Connects and PTA Meeting
  
• March 22nd- Last Day of 3rd Quarter
  
• March 25th- No School/Teacher PREP Day
  
• March 26th-29th- No School
  
• April 2nd-4th- MCA Reading Testing
• April 10th- No School, Eid
• April 15th- 19th -Math MCA Testing
• April 15th- DMMS Connects and PTA Meeting
• April 17th- Early Release
• April 30-May 2nd- MCA Science Testing