September 2024 Newsletter

Please note the following important dates in September and early October:

• Monday, September 2: Labor Day holiday - no school
• Wednesday, September 4 @ 6:30 PM: 7th/8th Grade Back to School Night
  
• Friday, September 20 (7 PM - 9 PM): Student Council Dance/Fun Night
• Tuesday, October 7 - Friday, October 11: Book Fair at DHEMS

The DHEMS team is excited to welcome our students back! Our first few days back have come with many mixed emotions, but our students are doing great. In classrooms, teachers and students engaged in activities to get to know one another. Key routines were introduced and practiced. There were plenty of smiles as everyone got acquainted throughout DHEMS!

Our students were also introduced to our positive behavior support program, where they learned about school-wide expectations for various settings such as classrooms, the cafeteria, the bus, and hallways. They now understand how to be Respectful, Accountable, Prepared, and Safe (RAPS) in all areas of our school. To celebrate their hard work, we wrapped up the week with a fun-filled event. Students and staff participated in some lively games that were a bit wild! A big thank you to everyone who took part!

A friendly reminder that students participating in extracurricular activities, such as sports, Fall Play, etc., should pay activity fees by visiting https://www.lasd.us/district/business_office/online_payments. Activity fees help us fund new and existing extracurricular opportunities and our exploratory clubs!

If you have not yet completed your annual student updates online (contact information, health updates, sign-off agreement for parent/student handbook), please do so as soon as possible. Directions to complete these forms online were mailed in a letter over the summer. If you have not completed the forms and do not have the letter, please contact the DHEMS main office.

Please remember to email msattendance@dragon.k12.pa.us or call the attendance line at (570) 522-3336 if your child was absent or will be absent from school. Please leave your name, your child's name and grade, and the reason for the absence. Any absences without an excuse will become illegal absences, so it is important to return calls, emails, or letters regarding student absences so that they can be excused! Please refer to the DHEMS student handbook for more information on attendance procedures.

Parents are able to create "observer" accounts to view teachers' Canvas pages. Our technology team has made a guide which can be used to create a parent observer account on Canvas. If you have already created an account, your account should still work and you do not need to do this again. The guide can be accessed by clicking the following link: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1HCmiEimO73QqCN1tsGyD6mwd1c-ek0-uQkATDe7jINU/edit?usp=sharing

Please see the attached flyer for information on CHIP.

Our first DHEMS Dance/Fun Night will be held on Friday, September 20 from 7:00 PM - 9:00 PM. There is a $3 entrance fee, and students may also bring money for snacks and drinks. Parents, please help us promote a safe and enjoyable environment by reviewing the following information with your child:

• Students should arrive no earlier than 6:55 PM, and be picked up promptly at 9:00 PM. Please arrange with your child where you will be picking them up. This helps avoid confusion and helps our chaperones to get home at a decent time!
• Students must remain inside for the entirety of the dance. Students are not permitted to leave the dance early.
• Our cell phone policy is in effect during the dance. Students' cell phones should be turned off and are not permitted to be used during the dance.
• Students should not bring backpacks or bags to the dance.
  

Tentative dates for our future dances are as follows:

• Friday, December 6
• February dance hosted by PSA (date to be announced)
• Friday, April 11
  

Our students were given the opportunity to sign up for our three ensembles - band, chorus, and orchestra - last week. As a reminder, ensembles are graded courses at the middle school. Students may add or drop ensembles until the end of the third cycle (Tuesday, September 17). After this, the next add/drop period will not be until the end of the second marking period. If your child wants to join or drop their ensemble, please email our school counselors or have the student speak to the counselors. Students will not be permitted to add or drop after September 17. For more information on ensembles, please refer to the DHEMS student handbook.

If your child has a severe allergy requiring the use of an antihistamine and/or epipen, has asthma and needs to use an inhaler at school, or needs to take a prescribed medication during the school day, please contact Mrs. Smouse at smouse_h@dragon.k12.pa.us with any questions/concerns and to get the paperwork and medications turned in. All prescribed medications need to be brought in original containers by a parent/guardian. Students cannot bring medications to school.

We are excited to welcome our new professional and support staff members at DHEMS this year! Our new staff members have jumped right into their roles in the middle school, and we appreciate their hard work and commitment to our students.

• Kaileigh Duttry: Office Clerical Aide
• Kate Hess: Food Service
  
• Mary Jo Heyman: Certified Instructional Aide
  
• Miya Lucero: Personal Care Aide
• Anna Neuhard: ELA Teacher
• Briana Olszewski: Autistic Support Teacher
  
• Elise Snyder: Gifted Education Teacher
  

DHEMS is participating in the Weis4School program, where you can earn money for DHEMS simply by linking your club card to the middle school. Please click here and follow the steps to link your club card to DHEMS. Please note: we are listed as D H Eichhorn Middle School (we will not show up if you search Donald...). You can also type 87592 and DHEMS will show up as an option. Thank you for your support!

Click here to access previous newsletters:

• August 2024
  

Website: dhems.lasd.us
Location: 2057 Washington Avenue, Lewisburg, PA, USA
Phone: 570-522-3213
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DonaldEichhornMS/