Good Evening DHMS Families!

I hope everyone is enjoying their week and adjusting well to a "back to school" schedule. 🍎

Today we held a moment of silence in honor of September 11th. The students also participated in a Citizenship lesson where they learned more about this day in history. 💙

Just a reminder that tomorrow, Thursday 9.12.24, is Back to School Night from 5PM-7PM. Parents and guardians will report to their students CITIZENSHIP class to start the night, so please ask your child what room they are in for CITIZENSHIP. I will remind the students of this tomorrow as well! 🎒

Tomorrow is also a 1:30 early dismissal for ALL students. Teachers will be participating in professional development. It is NOT an asynchronous Thursday, meaning that students DO NOT need to complete work or check in for attendance when they get home! 🙂

Save the Date: Our Fall School Pictures will be held on Friday, September 20, 2024! Wear your best SMILE! Ordering information is posted below and a paper ordering form will come home with your student TOMORROW!

Thank you to everyone that attended our first Home and School Meeting last Wednesday. Our next meeting will take place on Wednesday, October 2, 2024 at 7:00 PM in the Drexel Hill Middle School Library. I will also offer a virtual option to attend using Zoom.

The Children's Health Insurance Program — or CHIP — is Pennsylvania's program to provide health coverage to uninsured children and teens who are not eligible for or enrolled in Medical Assistance. Regardless of the reasons your children might not have health insurance, CHIP may be able to help you.

For more information on CHIP, please visit this link and see the attached flyer: https://www.dhs.pa.gov/CHIP/Pages/CHIP.aspx.

Upper Darby School District Dining - Upper Darby School District Dining (schooldish.com)

Each year, the Upper Darby School District staff gather in-person or virtually to enthusiastically kickoff the new school year, united in their commitment to providing Opportunity, promoting Unity, and showcasing Excellence.

• UDSD Family Handbook
• HAC Parent Handbook
• 24-25 UDSD Year at a Glance Calendar
• 24-25 Summary of Calendar
• DHMS Bell Schedules
• DHMS Family and Student Handbook
• UDSD Middle School Code of Character
• UDSD Online Learning Manual
• Upper Darby School District Website
  
• HAC Access Link
• DHMS FAQ and Contact Information
• HAC Support email - parentportal@upperdarbysd.org (Please use the email above if you are in need of support related to Home Access Center)
  

• There is no student drop off allowed on State Road as it is a major safety concern.
• No cars will be allowed to enter the bus loop from 7:45 AM-9:00 AM.
• The bus loop will close at 2:45 PM and will re-open at 4:00 PM.
• All vehicle drop off and pick up will occur in the back teacher parking lot.
• Walkers need to be off campus as soon as possible.

• Once a student is out of the building they can not re-enter the building. If a student is a busser and leaves the building, they are not permitted to re-enter the building.
• Early Dismissals will not be honored past 2:50 PM. Please plan accordingly.

As you know from our weekly messages this summer, there has been a change to Policy 237, Electronic Communication Devices. As we stated throughout the summer, we are asking all elementary and middle school students to prepare for these changes by practicing restraint as it pertains to cell phone use.

Last week, we asked you to not use your cell phones for five hours and this week, we are asking you to practice that restraint for six hours. We appreciate your time and effort with this change.

As presented and shared in the Spring of 2023, the UDSD Middle Schools have made changes to student rostering and the building schedule. Please review the presentation in its entirety linked HERE

A brief summary of the changes is listed below:

• Each grade will consist of two heterogeneous Learning Communities per grade (named Purple and Gold)

• An A/B day schedule has been established for electives, excluding full year electives, which means that students will rotate their electives every day.

• DHMS will have an early dismissal every Thursday at 1:30 PM for teacher/staff planning time.

• Time is included for professional development as outlined on the district calendar

• Students will complete asynchronous work on non-professional development Thursday afternoons and will be required to answer an attendance question in their first period course. This attendance question will be collected through the use of a Google Form, which will be found on the Period 1 Schoology page. Parents will be communicated with if the attendance question is not completed for that day.

• Detailed information about assigned asynchronous requirements will be provided from the grade level learning community teachers.

• A complete outline for the year and when asynchronous work will be assigned can be found on our school website and linked here.

Student photos will be taken at the start of the school year. These photos will be used to create Student Identification Cards (Student ID’s). Student ID’s are so IMPORTANT! They will be used to enter the school building daily and if your student is a bus rider, they will need to swipe their ID to get on the bus in both the morning and the afternoon. Student ID’s are also necessary for participation in after school activities.

For the 24-25 school year, the building will not allow deliveries from outside locations such as Uber Eats or GrubHub. If a student receives a delivery, it will remain in the Main Office until dismissal and students will be asked to retrieve the delivery on their own.

I am attaching the UDSD Middle School School Supply List. Since our district is one to one with chromebook use, many of our teachers rely on online resources, limiting a "school supply list". However, it's always helpful for students to have extra pencils throughout the year! Also, as a reminder, when school starts in August the temperatures can be very high! We have plenty of water stations throughout the building, but it is super HELPFUL for each student to have a WATER BOTTLE to refill throughout the day!

As part of the Upper Darby School District’s Emergency Preparedness Plan and the Emergency Communications Plan, CrisisGo allows parents to receive emergency school safety alerts from the school district and individual school buildings. District parents can download the CrisisGo app onto their mobile device and to create a free account. Parents will then need to subscribe to the school(s) of choice and to the District group.

Click on the link to learn how to subscribe: UDSD Parents - CrisisGo Subscription Flyer.

We encourage secondary school students to receive up-to-date communication about emergency notifications as well. Students can click on the link to learn how to subscribe: UDSD Students - CrisisGo Subscription Flyer

Please review with your children the safety terminology we will be using in our emergency communications: Lock-In, Lock-Out, Lockdown, Evacuation FAQ for Families. We will review these terms and the emergency preparedness plan with students throughout the school year.

Please note that the District will continue to communicate emergency lockdown alerts and updates through CrisisGo, ParentLink emails and social media (Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram).

There are several ways to stay informed about what is happening at Drexel Hill Middle School and throughout the District.

• Weekly “Wednesday” Electronic Folder (ParentLink) from the Principal

• Weekly information, updates, resources will be shared via email. It is necessary to provide an accurate email address to stay informed. If there are any changes to your email, please update your information in Home Access Center (HAC) or by contacting the Drexel Hill Middle School Main Office if you need assistance. If your information is not up-to-date, you will miss out on important “happenings” and information. Please be sure to review, edit, and update this information at https://www.upperdarbysd.org/HAC

• School Website and Calendar

• Weekly updates, teachers’ webpages, principal’s webpage, and monthly school newsletters can be accessed from the school website.

• Drexel Hill Middle School Calendar

• DISTRICT MASTER CALENDAR

• Home Access Center

• The Upper Darby School District will be using email as its primary means of communication with parents. Parents must ensure that the district has an accurate email address for your family in eSchool, our student information system. Parents can update or add email addresses by logging into the Home Access Center. The Home Access Center will also allow you to access your child’s grades, attendance, and other important information. The link to the Home Access Center can be found on the Upper Darby School District website at www.upperdarbysd.org. If you do not have an email address or access to email, please contact the office.

We feel that it is important to remind our parents and students of the Safe2Say Something program. The Upper Darby School District takes the safety and security of our staff and students very seriously and recognizes that the uncertainties and pressures that students and families have faced the uncertainty of a pandemic has clearly demonstrated that the mental health of students as a priority. The Safe2Say Something system teaches youth and adults how to recognize warning signs and signals, especially within social media, of individuals who may be a threat to themselves or others and say something, using our anonymous reporting system. Safe2Say Something is also a way to anonymously report unsafe, potentially harmful, dangerous, violent or criminal activities in any school in Pennsylvania.

For anyone who is feeling unsure or unsafe, please remember that there is help and it is okay to ask for help.

Find below videos and the District’s webpage outlining the Safe2Say Something PA Program:

Safe2Say Something PA Program

UDSD Safe2Say Something Presentation 2021

https://pa02209738.schoolwires.net/Page/8021

If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact me.

SEPTEMBER

9/12/2024: Early Dismissal @ 1:30 PM - NO ASYNCHRONOUS WORK REQUIRED

9/12/2024: Fall Open House Night @ 5:00 PM-7:00 PM

9/16-9/17/2024: MAP Testing All School: 2 HOUR LATE START SCHEDULE

9/18/2024: MAP Testing Makeup

9/19/2024: Early Dismissal @ 1:30 PM - ASYNCHRONOUS WORK REQUIRED

9/26/2024: Early Dismissal @ 1:30 PM - ASYNCHRONOUS WORK REQUIRED

9/27/2024: Royal’s Spirit Day

The Upper Darby School District Board of Directors is committed to expanding options for parents and community members to receive updates and news related to monthly School Board regular meetings and committee meetings. As part of the school board communication plan, the Board sends monthly updates to the school community. The information included in these briefs is not intended to be complete and does not replace official Board minutes. Official meeting minutes, agendas, reports, and presentations are available at BoardDocs. Also, the Board meetings are live streamed to the District's Official UDSD Board & Board Committee Meetings YouTube Channel. We welcome you to follow the issues the School Board is considering and to attend meetings to stay informed. Check out the School Board Monthly Update for August: https://www.upperdarbysd.org/Page/9468.

Email: jpalladino@upperdarbysd.org
Website: https://www.upperdarbysd.org/dhms#calendar24980/20230727/month
Location: 3001 State Road, Drexel Hill, PA, USA
Phone: 610-8534580