Daybreak Middle Newsletter

Hi Dragon families,

Tomorrow, June 5th is our Daybreak On Display open house for both DBP & DBM from 5:00-6:30 PM. This open house is for all DBM students and families to attend. New Heights Church has graciously donated pizza for everyone in the cafeteria. We will have student work and projects on display in every grade level. Our gym will be open for pickle ball. Our band will be playing intermittently out front. Our library is hosting a one night Book Fair. Our Dragon Byte robotics team will be doing a demonstration in the 300 building hallway. Our office will be selling yearbooks ($15 for this year, $5 for the past two school years, & $1 for any other years past). You can purchase yearbooks using cash or check in the DBM office. We ask that families try to attend based on student's last name to avoid overcrowding our parking lot and cafeteria:

• Last name A-L 5:00-5:45 PM
• Last name M-Z 5:45-6:30 PM

We hope to see your family at Daybreak on Display!

June 13th is field day and early release at 11:40 AM for all DBM students. We will also be celebrating our 8th graders as they move on to high school at 6:30 PM in the cafeteria on June 13th. This celebration is open to everyone.

June 14th is the last day of school at DBM with an early release at 11:40 AM. Our last Dragon Store will be on June 14th. We will continue the Dragon Store next year as it's been such a fun experience for all our students. Thank you to the families who have donated to support our Dragon Store this year. We appreciate your support and generosity!

Thank you to all the families and students who supported our last band fundraiser at the concert last week. You raised $303 to support our band program. We are so proud of all that Mr. Brence and our band students have accomplished this year through their many hours of practice. Their hard work paid off as they represented us well at 3 concerts, 2 parades, and several festivals this year.

This has been a fabulous year at DBM! We hope that your family enjoys some time to rest, relax, and recharge this summer. We look forward to seeing you in August!

Go Dragons,

Lesli Collum (Principal)

Angela Sauser (Assistant Principal)

Battle Ground Public Schools will be serving free breakfast and/or lunch for anyone 18 years of age or younger at two locations this summer:

Maple Grove Primary School (610B SW Eaton Blvd.)

• Lunch - Monday-Friday, June 24 through Aug. 16, 11:45 a.m. to 12:24 p.m.

• Breakfast - Monday-Thursday, July 8-18, 8-8:30 a.m. (no Friday breakfast service)

Daybreak Primary (1900 NW 20th Ave.)

• Lunch - Monday-Friday, June 24 through Aug. 16, 11:45 a.m. to 12:45 p.m.

• No breakfast served at this site

The Summer Food Services Program, sponsored by the district and funded primarily through a U.S. Department of Agriculture grant, helps provide nutritious meals during the summer months when children are not in school. Children and teens do not need to attend a Battle Ground school to participate. Meals must be consumed onsite.

• One-hour late start: Wednesday June 5
• June 5 Daybreak On Display open house from 5:00-6:30 PM
• June 13 field day and early release at 11:40 AM
• June 13 8th grade graduation at 6:30 PM
• June 14 is the last day of school with an early release at 11:40 AM

Students are not allowed to have Energy drinks (Monsters, Rockstar's, etc.), Mountain Dew, or Coffee drinks on campus. If you get your student a Starbucks or Dutch Bros drink please have them consume them before they arrive on campus.

Reminder of expectations for all students:

• No gum allowed on campus. Students who are arguing with staff about redirections to follow expectations will receive a defiance referral if they are chewing gum. Gum is being littered across campus which is an ongoing issue.
• No drinks outside the cafeteria except water. Students may bring a juice box or single soda in their lunch to consume in the cafeteria only. Students may not share food or drinks with others.
• Snacks are at teacher discretion. Students are not allowed to eat snacks in the halls or outside. Staff are seeing lots of students who choose not to eat lunch in the cafeteria but who want to snack all day which is a distraction from learning and creating messes in classrooms.

Our staff are aware of the benefits of cell phones as a useful tool, as well as, the distraction they can be to learning and the easy access they present to cyberbullying. With that in mind, we are trying a new cell phone management system at DBM this year allowing for Green, Yellow, and Red cellphone zones. The attached flier explains the DBM Cell Phone Zones for families and students. Please talk with your student about managing their phone appropriately at school. Students should not be texting, videoing, or calling from their phones while at school. Students can come to the office to call parents if needed. If you need to contact your child please call the office at 360-885-6900 and we will relay a message to them for you. While we are all in the habit of sending a quick text, we ask that parents call the office instead of texting their student. Receiving a text in the middle of class distracts students from their learning.

Students may arrive on campus as early as 7:45 AM when breakfast opens in the Cafeteria. Students who walk or ride a scooter or bike may enter and exit campus from the back gates on 21st Place or 22nd Ave, or from the front sidewalks off of 20th Ave in front of DBP or off of 239th St. Students must walk their bike or carry their scooter/wheelies/skates once they arrive on campus (including being in front of DBP). All scooters, skateboards, and bikes must be parked in the bike and scooter racks at DBM. Students may not leave their bikes or scooters at DBP. Parents who are dropping off or picking up students before or after school must use the Daybreak Primary parking lot. The Daybreak Middle parking lot is for staff parking and buses only. Daybreak is a combined closed campus during DBM and DBP school hours. Students must leave campus immediately after dismissal at 2:40 PM unless they are participating in a supervised activity like sports. DBM students may come back to campus at 3:40 PM to pick up their Primary siblings but can't wait on campus.

Students may not arrive on campus until 8:45 AM on late start Wednesdays unless they attend the Right at School Program. On Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday we have campus supervision beginning at 7:45 AM and on late start Wednesdays our campus supervision begins at 8:45 AM.

The first bell rings at 8:00 AM and the tardy bell rings at 8:10 AM. Any students arriving after 8:10 AM will need to check in at the office and get a pass to go to class. Wednesday late start days the first bell is at 9:00 AM and the tardy bells rings at 9:10 AM. It's vital that students are on time and ready to begin their school day by 8:10 AM each day.

If your student is absent or tardy there are three options to excuse an absence: 1. Log into Skyward, look under attendance tab, and click on the absence request link. 2. Parents can call our absence line by calling 360-885-6942. 3. Parents may also email dbmoffice@battlegroundps.org to excuse an absence.

Pre-arranged absence forms may be picked up in the office if parents are scheduling an absence. We ask that families avoid vacations or lengthy absences during the school year whenever possible.

At Daybreak Middle we follow the BGPS district policy on Harassment, Intimidation and Bullying (Policy 3207). Students will be participating in a review of the following policy on the first few days of school:

The district is committed to a safe and civil educational environment for all students, employees, parents/legal guardians, volunteers and patrons, who are free from harassment, intimidation or bullying. “Harassment, intimidation or bullying” means any intentional written messages or image — including those that are electronically transmitted —verbal, or physical act, including but not limited to one shown to be motivated by (race, color, religion, ancestry, national origin, gender, sexual orientation including gender expression or identity, mental or physical disability), or other distinguishing characteristics, when an act:

A. Physically harms a student or damages the student’s property.

B. Has the effect of substantially interfering with a student’s education.

C. Is so severe, persistent, or pervasive that it creates an intimidating or threatening educational environment; or

D. Has the effect of substantially disrupting the orderly operation of the school.

Nothing in this section requires the affected student to actually possess a characteristic that is a basis for the harassment, intimidation, or bullying.

“Other distinguishing characteristics” can include but are not limited to: physical appearance, clothing or other apparel, socioeconomic status and weight.

“Intentional acts” refers to the individual’s choice to engage in the act rather than the ultimate impact of the action(s).

Behaviors/Expressions

This policy recognizes that 'harassment,' 'intimidation,' and 'bullying' are separate but related behaviors. Each must be addressed appropriately. The accompanying procedure differentiates the three behaviors, however, this differentiation should not be considered part of the legal definition of these behaviors.

Harassment, intimidation or bullying can take many forms including, but not limited to, slurs, rumors, jokes, innuendos, demeaning comments, drawings, cartoons, pranks, gestures, physical attacks, threats, or other written, oral, physical or electronically transmitted messages or images.

This policy is not intended to prohibit expression of religious, philosophical, or political views, provided that the expression does not substantially disrupt the educational environment. Many behaviors that do not rise to the level of harassment, intimidation or bullying may still be prohibited by other district policies or building, classroom or program rules.

Prevention

The district will provide students with strategies aimed at preventing harassment, intimidation and bullying. In its efforts to train students, the district will seek partnerships with families, law enforcement and other community agencies.

Interventions

Interventions are designed to remediate the impact on the targeted student(s) and others impacted by the violation, to change the behavior of the perpetrator, and to restore a positive school climate.

The district will consider the frequency of incidents, developmental age of the student, and severity of the conduct in determining intervention strategies. Interventions will range from counseling, correcting behavior and discipline, to law enforcement referrals.

Schedule changes will be in effect for the end of this school year due to weather-related closures in January. The last day of school for students in south schools will be Friday, June 14. The last day of school for students in most north schools will be Monday, June 17. Get the details

The 2024-25 academic calendar (Русский) (Español) has been updated since it was first released. Here are some of the key dates:

• First day of school: Tuesday, Aug. 27

• Kindergarten Smart Start begins: Tuesday, Sept. 3

• Thanksgiving break: Nov. 27-29

• Winter break: Dec. 23, 2024, through Jan. 3, 2025

• Spring break: Monday, March 31, through Friday, April 4

• In-service dates (no student attendance): Oct. 11, Nov. 6, Jan. 29

• Last day of school: Tuesday, June 10 (assuming no added days for weather-related closures)
  

Children attending Battle Ground Public Schools may be eligible to receive $120 each this summer as part of a new Summer Electronic Benefit Transfer program known as SUN Bucks. Students may be automatically eligible for SUN Bucks if they previously qualified for free or reduced-price meal benefit through the district. You may also submit a new application through the end of the school year.

If you previously received pandemic-era summer meals funding, known as P-EBT, you may discard that card and a new one will automatically be sent to you. Additional information is available through the Washington Dept. of Social and Health Services.

If you have a district-issued hotspot, please return it by June 17. Hotspots can be dropped off at the following location only (schools can’t accept them):

CASEE C building

11104 NE 149th St., Brush Prairie, WA 98606

Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Families who need assistance with connectivity may wish to visit one of the area locations that offer free temporary Wi-Fi. Some cellphone providers may allow you to use your mobile device to create a hotspot. Contact your provider to explore this option.

If you have any questions, please contact studenthelp@battlegroundps.org or 360-885-5444.

Battle Ground Public Schools has partnered with Care Solace to support the well-being of students and their immediate family members. Care Solace is a complimentary and confidential care coordination service that can help any student and/or their immediate family members quickly find mental health or substance use treatment options matched to their needs, regardless of insurance or circumstance. If you would like to use Care Solace to help you find a provider:

• Call 888-515-0595 (available 24/7/365 in any language).

• Visit www.caresolace.com/battlegroundps and either search on your own or select “Book appointment” for assistance by video chat, email or phone.

In recognition of the many ways that students achieve academic success, Battle Ground Public Schools plans to expand recognitions at high school graduations starting with the class of 2028 (eighth graders in 2024). Based on input from staff, parents, guardians and students, each Battle Ground high school will recognize the top 5% based on GPA during graduation ceremonies. Although schools will not designate a valedictorian and salutatorian, class rankings will continue to be available as needed for scholarships and other purposes.

To discover more about this change, please visit the district website.

Battle Ground Public Schools regularly adopts new curricula to replace old/outdated materials or materials that are no longer available due to licensing changes. Committees of teachers, administrators and community members review the options. Members of the public were also invited to review the materials and provide comments before board approval (read our curriculum adoption policy).

Starting in the 2024-25 school year, the following subject areas will be using updated materials (following board approval):

Science (grades 6-8 and high school)

Horticulture science (high school)

Social students (high school)

High school Child Development I and II

More information about the approved materials and curriculum review process is available on the district website.

We want to hear about your communication preferences. Please take a few minutes to complete this brief survey. Everyone is welcome to share their thoughts. The results will help us improve our communication in the future. Thank you for your input!

Kindergarten enrollment is now open for the 2024-25 school year. Any child who will be 5 years old by Aug. 31, 2024, is eligible to enroll. Please enroll your child online now so that you can be notified of kindergarten orientation at your school, happening May 21-23.

To learn more about kindergarten in Battle Ground Public Schools, visit our website, or watch this short video.

Do you know an amazing staff member? The new Employee Recognition Awards will highlight staff members who reflect the district’s strategic plan goals. Three nominees will be selected each month and recognized at a board meeting. Everyone is welcome to submit a nomination.

Keeping students safe online is a priority in Battle Ground Public Schools. Recent events have reinforced the need to use caution when interacting online. These include national reports of online groups targeting children and teens. While we are not aware of BGPS students being targeted by these groups, it is important for staff, students and parents/guardians to work together to keep our young people safe.

How you can help students be safe

Please periodically review these tips with your child:

• Students should keep their passwords confidential. They should not share passwords or allow others to use their Chromebook after they sign in.

• Use school email addresses for only school-related communication and activities.

• Be cautious when accepting friend requests; communicating with other people online; and sharing photos, videos, and identifying information on social media and other sites. Review privacy settings to limit who can see this information.

• Monitor what your child is doing online and discuss risks associated with sharing personal content.

• Use GoGuardian Parent to see how your child is using their device. Get information on GoGuardian Parent.

How BGPS keeps students safe

• BGPS supports the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act and insists that websites the district uses adhere to this law.

• The district provides active supervision and filtering of content on all devices in accordance with the Children’s Internet Protection Act.

• The district restricts access to apps that have the potential for abuse or pose cybersecurity risks.

• Student data privacy agreements protect student information in conjunction with the Washington Student Data Privacy Alliance.

• Students learn about digital citizenship and appropriate online behavior, including interacting with other individuals on social networking websites and in chat rooms, and cyberbullying awareness and response.

Learn more and find links to resources.

Услуги по устному и письменному переводу на русский и украинский языки 360-885-5433

Servicios de Traducción e Interpretación en Español 360-885-5431

Please report bullying, intimidation, harassment, threats and safety concerns using our anonymous reporting system. Reporters can remain anonymous. Emergencies should always be reported to 911. Learn more about emergency procedures and safety protocols.