DMS Eagle News (3/31/24)

Eagle Families,

As we enter the 4th quarter,, the end of the year is almost in sight. It's gone by so quickly, but we have one more quarter to go. Among the great thing happening this past week at DMS were:

• DMS students were able to attend the African American College Readiness Summit at SJSU on March 22nd.
• DMS Jazz Band performed at the USD Health and Wellness Fair last weekend as well.
• Band and Cheer visited Guadalupe, Lietz and Oster to perform and meet our incoming 6th graders.
• Our quarterly DMS Open House for STEM and Art took place last week as well.
• See pics below of all these exciting events.

Other Items:

• Last week there was a technical issue with PowerSchool that resulted in some possible issues with some grades/assignments being deleted on the platform. Please be patient with our teachers as they may have had to re-enter/adjust some grades/assignments as a result of the issue.
• Leigh HS is hosting a 'Parents Night Out' on April 19th for parents of grades 2-6. See the flyer HERE for more info and sign-up link.
• Eligible children will receive a card loaded with $120 for use during the summer period, spanning from June 1st to August 31st. The EBT cards will be mailed directly to the child’s home address. Please note, 2024 Summer EBT has different eligibility requirements from Pandemic EBT. Pandemic EBT provided benefits to all children, but for 2024 Summer EBT children must have individual eligibility through for free or reduced-price meals through meal application, alternative income form, local direct certification, or designation as homeless, migrant, or foster. More information is available here.
• Check out the March Walk n' Roll newsletter: English | Spanish | Vietnamese

• DMS will be hosting the Relay for Life again this year in late April. See the flyer/QR code HERE for more details.

Happening Soon:

• Spring Photos - April 4
• USD Spring Break - April 8-12

On the Horizon:

• USD Board Meeting - April 15
• HSC Meeting - April 16
• DMS Book Fair - April 23-25
• DMS Open House - April 24
• Eagle Retreat - April 26
• Relay for Life - April 26
• DMS Band - Music in the Valley - April 28
• DMS Musical - May 2-5
• DMS Band - Disneyland Trip - May 8-11
• USD Board Meeting - May 13
• HSC Meeting - May 14
• 5th graders visit DMS - May 16
• Incoming 6th Parent Night - May 16
• DMS Band - Pops Concerts - May 21/23
• Hoops for Hope - May 24
• USD Board Meeting - June 3
• 8th Great America Trip - June 3
• 8th Grade Promotion - June 7th
• 8th Grade Celebration - June 7th
• Last Day of School - June 7th

Ordering for our DMS Yearbook has now opened. Make sure to get your order in to insure you have a record of your Eagle's 23-24 school year and all the memories associated with it. The yearbook is hard cover and in full color.

Pricing is $40 and the deadline is ​April 5.

DMS Yearbook Order Link

Listos California has created a disaster readiness hub. This easy to use website provides you with information on how to stay safe in different types of disasters. Disaster Readiness

• Please make sure you always check in through the front office if you wish to visit DMS during our campus hours (8:10-3:05). We want to make sure everyone on campus has gone through the proper procedures. Thanks.
• Your student has access (under their USD account) to the morning announcements - have them log in and show you. You can also check our website for more info HERE.
  
• Our students social and emotional well being is important to us. If students are suffering and need help we are here for them. In addition to the DMS staff, they can reach out in other ways. See this info flyer HERE.
• Our DMS School Compact is located HERE.
• Wonder what's for snack and lunch? You can check out the menus for DMS HERE.
• Is your student having a conflict with others that needs mediated? DMS has an EMT (Eagles Mediation Team) that may help. Students can complete an EMT form (located in ClassLink) and get help from fellow Eagles who have been trained in peer conflict mediation. More serious conflicts can be mediated by staff.

Join the Union School District Team!

• Become a Substitute (Teaching, Instructional Assistant, Office, and Food Service positions available). Apply today: Teaching Positions | Other Positions

• Get a full or part time position (Teaching, Instructional Assistant, Office, Food Service, and Extended Care positions). Apply today on EdJoin.

• Become a noon duty aide. Contact your school front office for more information.

The Union School District is proud to continue our partnership with We Tip. WeTip is designed to serve as a resource for students who experienced or observed school-related bullying, racism, harassment, vandalism or other inappropriate behaviors. Once a report is filed, WeTip will contact our Student Services in our Learning and Innovation Department with the specifics of the incident, and Student Services will work with the administration, counselors, and other school staff.

Through WeTip, the anonymity of the person reporting is maintained. Students and parents are also encouraged to contact school staff directly to report inappropriate behaviors because this typically provides us with more detailed and helpful information. A We Tip report can be submitted via the We Tip hotline (844) 408-0580 or online using this link.

You'll be hearing a lot about SOAR this year. What is it? It represents our DMS school wide expectations. Safety, Ownership, Acceptance and Respect. Our first week of school your Eagles learned what those look like in various areas of the campus (restrooms, blacktop, lunch area, hallways, etc...) and our goal is for all students to exhibit those expectations. Students may receive our Eagle tickets for doing so. Those can be used to enter our weekly drawings for DMS swag and a pizza party. Throughout the year, we will highlight aspects of these expectations in the newsletter so you can partner with us as we strive to SOAR.

USD is committed to the well-being of our students, staff, and families to create a safe and healthy learning environment. In support of our ongoing commitment, USD has partnered with Care Solace to provide an additional layer of care for our community.

Care Solace helps individuals find mental health care providers and substance use treatment centers. Their Care Companion™ team is available 24 hours per day, 7 days per week, and 365 days per year to quickly connect you to carefully verified providers in your community.

Students, staff, and families may access Care Solace services in two ways:

• Call (888) 515-0595 at any time. Support is available in 200+ languages. A dedicated Care Companion™ will help you every step of the way to research options, secure appointments, and follow up to make sure it is a good fit.
• For an anonymous search, answer a few questions to get matched with an extensive list of care providers at www.caresolace.com/unionsd.

Care Solace is now available for use at no cost to you. They will connect you with providers accepting all medical insurances including Medicaid, Medicare, and sliding scale options for those without insurance. All information entered on the Care Solace tool is completely confidential and securely stored.

Please note, this service is an optional resource available by choice and is not mandatory to use. Care Solace is not an emergency response service or mental health services provider. In the event of a life-threatening emergency, please call 9-1-1 or the National Suicide Hotline 1-800-273-8255. If you are interested in counseling-related services for your child, yourself, or another family member, please contact Care Solace for valuable assistance. This is a complimentary resource provided by Union School District.

We wanted to let you know attendance will be a top priority. When children miss school days, they miss out the opportunity to learn from their teachers. The more children miss, the harder it is for them to keep up with those who attend school regularly. While some absences are unavoidable for health reasons or other important family matters, but we also know that even when children have missed school for good reasons, too many absences can cause them to fall behind.

Let’s work together to make sure that your child does no fall behind in school this school year. Please ensure that your children attends school every day and also arrives on time so they benefit as much as possible from what is taught in the classroom. Here are a few practical tips to help support regular attendance:

• Make sure your children keep a regular bedtime,

• Lay out clothes and pack backpacks the night before.

• Establish a morning routine.

• Ensure your children go to school every day unless they are truly sick (e.g child has a fever, is throwing up or has diarrhea versus a minor stomach ache or runny nose.)

• Avoid scheduling vacations or doctor’s appointments when school is in session.

• Talk to teachers and counselors for advice if your children feel anxious about going to school.

• Develop back up plans for getting to school if something comes up. Call on a family member, neighbor, or another parent to take your child to school.

Please watch this short video on the importance of attendance.

Pandemic Electronic Benefit Transfer (P-EBT) is a federal initiative designed to provide food assistance to students who have been impacted by the pandemic and are missing out on meals that would have been provided at school. This program aims to replace those meals with a monetary benefit that can be used to purchase food.

P-EBT benefits are being distributed to all students who attended Union School District last year. The California Department of Education has determined eligibility for P-EBT cards based on the District's status, rather than the individual status of each student. Beginning this month, P-EBT cards containing a benefit amount of $120 have been mailed to student's home mailing address. These cards function like debit cards and can be used at locations where CalFresh Food benefits are accepted.

Families who determine the P-EBT benefits are not necessary can drop off their cards at a collection box which will be made available in the front office area at each school. The District is working with the California Department of Education on redistributing returned P-EBT cards to students who are in need of these benefits.

Don't forget to visit the HSC website so you can donate. Donations go towards many academic and extra-curricular program funding at DMS. There are also opportunities to volunteer.

DSM HSC Website

Have you visited the DMS Store yet? If not, you're missing out. It's the easiest way to purchase your student's PE clothes, lock and planner. It's also a great way to show your Eagle pride by purchasing DMS apparel. Finally, you can place your athletic donations from there as well.

DMS Store Website

Email: boggss@unionsd.org
Website: https://dartmouth.unionsd.org
Location: 5575 Dartmouth Drive, San Jose, CA, USA
Phone: 408-264-1122
Twitter: @DartmouthMS