Bobcat Bulletin

Hello Bobcats!

I hope that everyone is having a wonderful weekend and staying warm! I had to move all of my newly planted herbs, tomatoes, peppers, and plants inside thanks to this "bipolar weather"!

We had another phenomenal week last week! Our Choir kiddos attended the Epic Waters Musical Festival last Monday, and they brought home FIVE trophies... the most in DMS Choir history!!! Each Choir brought home Superior Sweepstakes ratings, and the 6th Grade Boys won the "Best in Class" award!!! The Bobcat Honor Band and Symphonic Band competed at the UIL Concert & Sight-Reading Contest, and they, too, received Superior Sweepstakes ratings!!! And, to top off the week, the DMS One Act Play Ensemble won 2nd Place at their UIL Competition on Friday!!! The Top Performer Honor was awarded to Charlie McAdams. Temperance Pate was named to the Allstar Cast. Honorable Mention went to Jackson Steed and Lucy Cantu. Best Overall Tech Achievement was awarded to Nathaniel Tanguma, Phillip Kebeng, Rhema Feemster, Jordyn Benson, and Luke Coffman, and Rhema Feemster was also named Outstanding Technician. Congratulations to these AMAZING fine arts groups, and to Directors Webb, Seppeler, Sorem, Eguia, Johnson, & Caudle!!!🐾💙

Our STAAR Marathon begins this week, so please do your best to ensure your students eat a healthy breakfast, pack plenty of snacks and water, and make it to campus early on STAAR days. We will NOT be allowing visitors on campus on STAAR days, so please do not plan to eat lunch with your students those days. There is a STAAR calendar below for your reference. Additionally, we respectfully request that you reschedule any appointments so that your students can be present for STAAR. If you have any STAAR related questions, please reach out to Assistant Principal Michele Hamilton at michele.hamilton@midlothianisd.org.

This week will be super busy! Lots of great information to share! Make it a great week, and Go Bobcats! 🐾💙

~Mrs. Ricks

Assistant Principal Appreciation Week!!!

Please show Ms. Hamilton & Ms. Webster some love 🐾💙 this week!!!

Sunday, April 6th: 🎂 Ms. Soto's Birthday 🎂; 🎂 Mr. Collier's Birthday 🎂

Monday, April 7th: Open; Family Challenge: review the CKH Perseverance Newsletter during a sit-down family dinner tonight!

Tuesday, April 8th: Meet of Champions @ Lumpkins Stadium... Good luck track athletes!!!

Wednesday, April 9th: Golf Parent Information Meeting @ DMS Cafeteria 5:30 p.m.; Wrestling Meet @ MHHS @ 4:30 p.m.

Thursday, April 10th:🎂 Dr. Wood's Birthday 🎂; 7th & 8th Grade ELAR STAAR; Golf Tryouts @ Thorntree Golf Course @ 5:00 p.m.; 7th Grade EF Tours/Washington D.C. Planning Meeting @ DMS Cafeteria @ 6:00 p.m.

Friday, April 11th: Ivey Photography on Campus for Group Photos; Hats off to Student Teacher Meghan Looney... wear a hat to support her... she is officially a graduate!!! 🐾💙

Saturday, April 12th: Sports Physicals... review IMPORTANT information below!!!

Looking ahead: 4/13 🎂 Mr. O'Leary's Birthday 🎂; 4/14 PTO Meeting @ DMS Cafeteria @ 6:00 p.m.

DMS wants to honor our educators who go above and beyond to provide students with an exceptional learning experience. Using this Google Form, please nominate a staff member who models and encourages the Capturing Kids Hearts (CKH) tenets of empathy, self-direction, teamwork, courage, perseverance, and integrity. Please take a moment to recognize anything big or small they've done to make a positive difference at DMS.

If your child is a candidate to apply for the National Junior Honor Society, they have received an email (school Outlook email address) from our NJHS sponsor. Please assist them in reading through all the guidelines to apply.

For a student to become a candidate for NJHS membership in their 8th-grade year at DMS, they must maintain an average of 92 in their core classes from W1 - W4 during their 7th-grade year. (Three extra points are added to any honors class average.) MISD Administration sends the list of students who qualify to our DMS NJHS sponsor who has contacted those students.

Just in case you missed the Dual Credit information session on March 31st, here is a link to the presentation. As a reminder MISD Enrollment Process is due by April 30th. If you have any questions regarding dual credit, please contact MHS Counselor Tonya Colman at tonya.colman@midlothianisd.org.

Athletic physical dates for the 2025-26 school year have been set. Physicals are required for all 7th-12th grade students involved in athletics, dance, cheer, ROTC, and the high school marching band. Incoming 6th graders are not required to have a physical.

Physical Dates:

• April 12th at Methodist Clinic Midlothian
• May 3rd at MHS Cafeteria

Please review this newsletter for all of the details!

Please encourage your students to stop by the front office or Admin Suite if they are missing items. We have tons of lost and found items that will be donated to Manna House on April 17th. Feel free to stop by the school and check for your child's missing belongings if you like.

Don't delay! Order your shirt today! We will be wearing them on May 14th, Field Day!!! https://kolbylanedesigns.com/collections/dieterich-8th-grade

Student safety is our top priority! Please review the campus traffic map below regarding parent pick-up and drop-off. The "Buses Only" box indicates the bus lane...parents are NOT allowed to drop-off or pick-up in the rear of the school or front parking lot (SPED buses only). The blue line indicates the parent drop-off/pick-up traffic pattern. There are two lanes for drop-off/pick-up. If you are in the right lane (building side), your student will need to exit/enter the vehicle on the right side of the vehicle. If you are in the left lane (parking lot side), your student will need to exit/enter the vehicle on the left side of the vehicle. When in line, please pull forward as close to the front crosswalk as possible instead of stopping and waiting for your student to find you... this keeps the traffic moving smoothly. Please encourage your child to always use the crosswalks when crossing the street or parking lot. There is a new crosswalk near the Somercrest neighborhood. If your student needs to cross the street to get home, please bring this new crosswalk to his/her attention. Please do NOT encourage your child to meet you where any of the X's are marked on the map, and please do not stop on the street to pick up your student. Additionally, please avoid making u-turns while in our school zone. We appreciate your support in ensuring our Bobcats are safe and the traffic flow is followed appropriately.

Please remind your kiddos to wash their hands frequently, drink plenty of water, and get plenty of rest in an effort to mitigate illnesses.

Just a few attendance reminders:

• Absence notes should be emailed to lisa.wood@midlothianisd.org within 24 hours of the absence.
• When you email the school, please include the student's first name, last name, and ID#. Student nicknames can cause confusion with attendance coding.
• If you feel that there is an error for a particular class period, please email the teacher directly first. For example, if your student was tardy and the teacher accidentally marked your student absent, please email the teacher so the teacher can submit an absence correction form.
• Please remember that we have approximately 1,000 students on campus, so it may take 1-2 business days for the update to show in Skyward. We appreciate your patience and understanding.

All Texas school districts are required by law to distribute information to parents and guardians about the safe storage of firearms. House Bill 3, Section 19 added Section 37.222 to the Texas Education Code, which requires the Texas School Safety Center, in collaboration with the Texas Department of Public Safety, to provide information and resources to school districts for the purpose of disseminating the information to parents. The Texas DPS launched a Keep ‘Em Safe Texas website that provides safety resources, materials, and tips for practicing safe gun storage to prevent accidents and keep children safe. Remember, a gun should be stored unloaded in a safe or locked container, with ammunition stored elsewhere. You can learn more and find additional resources from the Texas Department of Public Safety at https://safegunstoragetexas.com.

MISD prioritizes the safety and security of our staff and students. We ask our MISD visitors to help us in the effort to keep kids as safe as possible. MISD appreciates your patience as we follow these procedures. To learn more about campus security and visitor guidelines, visit https://bit.ly/3QqqQzl.

Website: https://dms.midlothianisd.org/
Location: Dieterich Middle School, 2881 Ledgestone Lane, Midlothian, TX 76065
Phone: (469) 856 - 5800

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/dieterichMS/
Instagram: @dms.bobcats
X: @Principal_Ricks