News from Dudley Middle School

This week, Mr. Tucker and I completed our “tour” of the school, speaking to all students about our expectations and what we believe it will take to make this a great school year. We all want to be happy and successful in our lives. But we can’t get there without some hard work and discipline.

I told the students that our staff at DMS are experts at what we do, and that we can help them greatly if they are willing to do the right things. I was very honest with them in letting them know that sometimes, we may have to be tough on them. That is because we care.

I explained my philosophy that love looks like a lot of different things. Love may be a parent hugging their child; it may be Taylor Swift giving a shout out to Travis Kelce from the stage…

…but it also may be a parent, teacher or principal not allowing them to do things that get them off track in their lives. Sometimes, holding kids to high expectations is a form of love, too.

Mr. Tucker reviewed some school rules around cell phones (turned off and in the lockers), hallway, cafeteria and bus behavior, respect for adults and one another, etc. The teachers had a chance to pitch in, we answered many questions and left with every question about our expectations answered.

After meeting the students these first few weeks, I feel confident that we can make this the best school anywhere. But it won’t be perfect, and there will be bumps in the road. That’s when we need to work together.

I do not view this home-school relationship as YOU vs. US. We are on the same team, all of us playing vital parts in the development of your child. Because of that, never hesitate to reach out if you have any questions or concerns.

Important Contact Information:

1. Academic / classroom related questions – contact the teacher first.

2. Behavioral, emotional, etc. – contact guidance or adjustment counselors:

Guidance:

*Grades 5 and 7 – Mr. Aucoin (saucoin@dcrsd.org)

*Grades 6 and 8 – Mrs. Incutto (lincutto@dcrsd.org)

*Adjustment Counselors – Mrs. Galloni (dgalloni@dcrsd.org) and Ms. Dowen (mdowen@dcrsd.org)

3. Safety/security/Other – contact Mr. Tucker, Mrs. Martin (if related to special education) or me.

4. Help with the School Brains Parent Portal - Mrs. Rodrigues (arodrigues@dcrsd.org) or Mrs. Zieminski (dzieminski@dcrsd.org)

We are all partners in this, and I promise you we care. So, for the benefit of the students, when in doubt, contact us. Doing so will get us to a solution as quickly as possible.

All my best wishes for a great school year for all of your children.

September 10 - Safety Quest Team 5-1

September 11 - Safety Quest Team 5-3

September 12 - Safety Quest Team 5-2

September 19 - Meet the Teacher Night - 5:30-7:00

September 27 - Early Dismissal for Students / Staff Training

October 10 - Early Dismissal for Students / Parent Conferences (More info to follow)

October 14 - No School

Cell Phones - Should be turned off and stored in lockers during the school day. If you need to be in contact with your child, please call the main office at (508) 943-2224.

Dismissing Students - If a student is sick or injured, the nurse will contact the family and initiate the dismissal process. If your child texts or calls you to ask you to come pick him/her up, please contact us at the school so we can figure out what's going on. We really need families to adhere to this for the safety of the students.

Ear Phones / Buds - Should be stored in lockers for the day.

Water - Students are allowed to carry water bottles during the day, and DMS is equipped with state-of-the-art filling stations. We expect our students to handle water in a responsible manner (IE: No water fights - I know it's tempting!). Water should never become a distraction in class.

Hats / Hoods - In recent years, hats became allowable at DMS. I don't love that, but since it is in the Handbook, hats are allowed. Hoods should not be worn in the building.

The Dudley PTO is running a Krispy Kreme fundraiser this month. This is what I call a win-win situation. The donuts are other-worldly delicious, and the proceeds go to the best cause of all - the children of Dudley.

Flyers were sent home last week. For more information on this and all the good work of the PTO:

https://dudleymapto.digitalpto.com/

As we prepare to enter more and more politically charged waters in the next several months, I wanted to reach out to state, as emphatically as I can, that Dudley Middle School is at all times politically neutral.

While our school is made up of individual humans who all have their own beliefs and opinions on politics, religion, etc., we are professional educators who are trained to remain neutral in our position as representatives of the school and the town. We know how important our position is in the lives of our students, and we therefore know that we cannot engage in discussions or actions meant to support one side or the other.

As you may be able to tell, being a public school educator is very difficult these days. We have to educate kids and engage them in discussion while being careful never to offend anyone on any basis, including politics. That is an overwhelmingly difficult thing to do for a bunch of people who, like you, me and everybody else, are well-meaning, but imperfect humans.

In the end, I assure you that as a public school and major part of this community, we operate in a politically neutral manner. If anything your child tells you leads you to believe otherwise, please reach out to me, and we can discuss it.

Thank you so much for giving us your trust on this matter that is dividing so many other communities. Because our kids deserve the best possible place to grow up, we cannot let it divide ours.

DMS is looking for 3-4 parents/guardians to join our School Council. The School Council meets monthly during after school hours to work toward school improvements of all kinds.

Please send an email to Deb Zieminski (dzieminski@dcrsd.org) if you would like to be considered for School Council. If we have more people interested than we have spots available, we will hold an election during Meet the Teacher Night on September 19.