Dike-Newell School Newsletter

November 25th - November 29th - NO PREK

November 25th - 1/2 day for student - Parent/Teacher Conferences

November 26th - 1/2 day for students

November 27th - 29th - Thanksgiving Holiday - NO SCHOOL

December 23rd - December 31st - NO SCHOOL for Winter Holiday Break

January 1st - New Year's Day! NO SCHOOL

January 2nd & 3rd - No PreK

January 20th - Martin Luther King Jr. Day - NO SCHOOL

We are wrapping up the first trimester, and I have to say what a great first part of the year we have had! Dike-Newell school is tracking a few pieces of data this year as part of our work (something we do every year) and I wanted to share a brief snapshot with you.

We track attendance of students, for both truancy and chronic absenteeism. This has been a very tricky data point for several years now! It's a challenge to ask families to keep sick children home, while still pushing for strong attendance, but that's the balance we need to find. In the 2022-2023 school year, 36% of students at DNS were chronically absent (missing 10% or more of the school year.) Last year, we brought this down to 21%, and this year so far with our October 15 data only 4% of students were chronically absent. Truancy as well is on the decline, with 3% of students truant in 22-23, 1% in 23-24, and so far this year 0% of students. This is exciting, thank you families for working hard on this with us!

We are also tracking literacy gains as a measure of academic improvement for the school as a whole. Through one of our measures, known as DIBLES, 58% of students in 22-23 were at or above expectations for literacy skills. In 23-24 the percentage at or above expectations rose to 67% of students, and while we won't have the data for this measure until the end of the year, our end of first trimester scores are looking very strong!

Finally, our third goal is tracking student behavior. We work hard on teaching and recognizing appropriate and expected behaviors, but we are in a building of 200 children! Mistakes and poor choices sometimes happen, but with a positive, proactive approach we expect to see fewer and fewer instances of problematic behaviors. In 2022-23, there were 286 office discipline referrals. In 23-24, we reduced that to 146 by focusing on strengthening our PBIS (Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports) practices and engaging in Tier I and II supports for kids. This year, so far, we have less than 30 office behavior referrals.

One of the most exciting things as the building principal is to see positive change on not just the individual level, but for the entire school as a whole. The Dike-Newell team is working really hard on these three goals, and it's exciting to see that work paying off!

Maine CDC Launches Immunization Record App

You can now access your vaccine records using a secure app on your phone, through a partnership between the Maine CDC and Docket. Use Docket whenever you need to share immunization records, such as during school registration or childcare registration.

Those without access to a smartphone or mobile device may use the Docket website to verify their identity and access their immunization records. Hard copies of immunization records may still be requested via a health care provider's office. To learn more about Docket, please visit the Maine Immunization Program's website.

The DNS Coin Challenge is in full swing! Which grade will win the stuffy sleepover (only stuffies will be spending the night at school, not students)? These coins will help us provide teachers and students with fun resources and experiences throughout the school year. Thank you for your support!

Keep an eye on our FACEBOOK PAGE for all PTA related events.

Are you interested in being on a list of eligible volunteers? Visit the RSU1 website to learn more and to sign up: https://www.rsu1.org/page/volunteer-information. At site preference, scroll down to select DNS and be sure to click Submit after the form is complete and signed. Please allow one week prior to a field trip or event for processing.

Email: kwalker@rsu1.org
Website: https://dns.rsu1.org/o/dike-newell-school
Location: 800 High Street, Bath, ME 04530
Phone: (207)443-8285