DMS Panther Pulse

DMS Families,

Welcome to this edition of the Panther Pulse! Please read through the DMS updates below. Please check this edition throughout the month as it may continue to be updated throughout the month.

Go Panthers!

Mission: Our community will develop respectful, productive citizens by cultivating positive relationships and modeling our core values of integrity, kindness, and trust.

Vision: Each student performing at grade level in all areas.

August 8 - Schedule Pick-Up Day - 9:00-2:00 PM

August 14 - First Day of School - PLC Day - 3:00 Dismissal

August 20 - Back to School Night - See Information Below

September 2 - Labor Day - No School

September 18 - Picture Day

September 20 - SIP Day - Noon Dismissal

Click the links below to read through Back to School Night presentations for each grade level.

6th Grade

7th Grade

8th Grade

New To Dunlap Middle or curious about what is going on at our school? Attend a DMS PTO meeting. Our meetings provide updates from our Principal as well as needs that are identified and discussed to support our students, staff and school.

DMS PTO meetings are held at DMS in the school library. All of our meetings begin at 5 PM.

September 3

October 1

November 12

December 3

January 7

February 4

March 4

April 1

May 6

Interested in volunteering? Fill out this survey!

Don’t worry the time commitment for middle school PTO is NOT as intense as elementary PTO positions. Our meetings are all after school/work once a month. We have many roles on our board which helps us break up the duties so they are more manageable. Please consider volunteering for a position during the 2024-25 school year. You can find out about any open volunteer spots by attending our September meeting! There is a spot for everyone at our PTO so please join us!

Questions - contact presidentdmspto@gmail.com

Each year new staff members join the DMS Panther family! Please help me in welcoming the following new staff members to DMS:

• Mr. Caleb Waddell - 6th Grade ELA/SS
  
• Mrs. Kelly Seaman - 7th Grade ELA/SS
  
• Ms. Katie Janovetz - 8th Grade SS
• Mrs. Mandy Bruce - 8th Grade Math
• Mr. Shawn Carton - 8th Grade ELA/SS

A district goal for the coming school year will be to improve student attendance. Our attendance practices and policies have been aligned to the Illinois State Board of Education requirements and Illinois School Law. Students will be allowed up to 7 days per semester as excused for illness, mental health, etc... Absences for travel or other reasons not excused by a doctor beyond the 7 days will be considered unexcused. Make-up work and credit for unexcused absences will not be provided and students will receive zeros for this assignments. Please make every effort to avoid extended absences due to travel outside of the scheduled breaks from school. A missed school day is a missed opportunity for student learning. Additional information on the attendance policy is available in the student handbook.

As you enter the DHS/DMS campus please start to form two lines. Those families dropping a student off should stay to the left as you pass Dunlap High School. Once you turn to head toward Dunlap Middle School please get in the right-hand lane for drop offs. The left-hand lane is used for thru traffic.

Do NOT stop in the left-hand lane. All DMS drop-offs should be done in the right-hand lane close to the front door crosswalk.

Also, when picking your child up in the PM all traffic will flow through the DMS parking lot. Students should wait close to the front of the building to be picked up. Please be on the lookout for our students as you drive through our parking lot!

School starts Wednesday, August 14. Please note this is a Wednesday and students will be dismissed at 3:00 PM.

Dismissal for Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays are 3:30 PM.

DMS students receive support in a variety of ways. Each month we will highlight portions of our Multi-Tiered Systems of Support (MTSS) framework and how the components aim to support the needs of the whole child.

This month we highlight the BIST behavior philosophy and the definition of MTSS.

Eighth grade families, if your child is interested in attending the Washington D.C. trip please be sure they are signed up as buses are filling up quickly. Email me at ajohnson@dunlapcusd.net if you need more information. Click links below for information presented last May.

Eighth grade students have received information regarding the 2025 class trip to Washington D.C. The opportunity to visit Washington D.C. has become an exciting trip for many middle school students. Next year’s trip is scheduled for May 29 through June 2, 2025 with an itinerary that may include various historical sites such as Mt. Vernon, Arlington National Cemetery, the U.S. Capital, a host of national monuments and others in the Washington D.C. area. Feel free to review the informational slides and registration form below for those that were not be able attend the informational meeting.

Washington DC Information and Registration Form

Informational PowerPoint from Meeting

Thanks,

Antonio L. Johnson
Principal
Dunlap Middle School

Most families will pick up schedules on August 8. As the PowerSchool Parent Portal opens, you may notice some small changes to your child's schedule (study hall, Panther Pride, room numbers). The information that is online is the most accurate and up to date information. As always, we will help your child adjust to any changes that have been made.

Dunlap Middle School is excited to host our upcoming Back to School Night on Tuesday, August 20, from 6:30-8:20 PM. Back to School Night is for parents only. Please refer to the link here providing the schedule for the evening. We have expanded the Back to School Night schedule to allow all grade level teachers to present together in the commons to explain grade level expectations, Canvas, PowerSchool, Panther Pride, learning labs, and other important information as a grade level team.

In addition, grade level halls will be open with teachers in their classroom for parents to visit and ask specific questions. We hope this accommodates those parents with multiple children at Dunlap Middle School, while also providing the opportunity to follow their child's schedule and ask specific questions as needed. We look forward to meeting all parents during Back to School Night.

Bus schedules should be released by August 12. You can find bus schedules in the PowerSchool Parent Portal (from desktop version). It is best to check the bus schedules a few times leading up to and after the start of the school as pick-up and drop-off times will likely change.

Want to know what's going on at DMS? Click here to access our daily announcements! This is a great way to stay informed on our daily announcements.

We are required by the State of Illinois to engage in multiple mandatory safety drills. These drills are reviewed and practiced with our students in developmentally appropriate ways. If you would like to request that your child be opted out of these drills, please contact Mr. Johnson (ajohnson@dunlapcusd.net). Drills are scheduled for the following dates:

Fire Drills:

• August 20, 2024

• September 3, 2024

• September 12, 2024 with the Dunlap Fire Department present

Law Enforcement Drill:

• August 22, 2024
• August 26, 2024 with School Resource Officers present

Severe Weather Drill

• September 19, 2024

• March 10, 2025

Bus Evacuation Drill:

• TBD

All 6th grade and new students MUST have a physical on file in order to start on the first day of school. Board of Education Policy 7:100 states that parents shall present proof of Health Examinations and Immunizations before the start of the school year in order for their child to start school. Students will not be able to attend the first day of school without these required forms in the office.

6th Grade Immunizations in addition to a physical:

• 1 dose of Meningococcal Meningitis given on or after 11th birthday
• 3 doses of Hepatitis B
• 1 dose of Tdap
• Dental Exams dated after 11/15/2023 (due May 15, 2025)

Medication Policy

A medication form must be completed for all over the counter and prescription medications. You can obtain this form by emailing Mrs. Laura Lee at llee@dunlapcusd.net

· All prescription medications require a physician’s signature on the medication form.

· All medications must be in the original bottle or package.

· We are only able to dispense bandages, ice and Vaseline for dry lips without a completed medication form and parental supply.

-Students that require emergency medication due to allergies or asthma will require an updated allergy or asthma care plan. These are available in the school office.

Dear Dunlap CUSD #323 Parents and Guardians:

Welcome Back! The new school year is fast approaching and the Dunlap Food Service

department is busy preparing for our students to arrive. Please take a moment to review some

important information that will assist you in a successfully navigating the food service program.

Below are the prices of school meals for the 2024-25 school year:

School lunch prices for school year 2024-25

Grades K-5 - $2.65

Grades 6-8 - $2.85

Grades 9-12 - $3.05

Reduced Price Lunch - $0.40

Milk - $0.50 per carton

Free/Reduced Applications Available August 1, 2024. Apply online using MySchoolApps. Use the

link below.

https://www.dunlapcusd.net/cms/one.aspx?pageId=3071539

Special Note: If approved for Free or Reduced meal benefits and your student needs a milk for

their lunch brought from home, the student will need to purchase at .50 cents. Milk is only

provided with the school meal.

Adding Money to Lunch Accounts: Middle school students can add money as they go through the lunch line using cash or check.

Preferred Payment for all schools, MySchoolbucks.com. See link below.

*Please be advised, (All Schools) if you deposit money on your child’s account after 9:30 am

using myschoolbucks.com, there’s a good chance the deposit will not post to your child’s

lunch account until after 12:00pm.

https://www.dunlapcusd.net/cms/one.aspx?pageId=3071539

The DMS school day starts at 8:20 AM. School is dismissed at 3:30 PM on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and 3:00 PM on Wednesday for PLCs. Our bells schedule can be found on our website by clicking here.

Eighth grade students registered for French (Pre-AP) 1 or Geometry 1 (Honors) at DHS during first hour should get dropped off or get off the bus at DHS each morning. After the class is over, a bus will be at the front door to transport students to DMS for 2nd hour class. Again, this is only for 8th grade students in French (Pre-AP) 1 and Algebra 1 during 1st hour.

French (Pre-AP) 1 - report to room S5

Geometry (Honors) 1 - report to room N2

Dunlap High School staff will be available upon your child's arrival to help students find their classroom.

Click here to access information about signing up for a PowerSchool parent account.

Click here to access information about signing up for a Canvas parent account.

It is important to notify the office ahead of time if your child will be leaving early on a particular day. This will help us have your child ready for you when you arrive. You may simply send your child in with a note, email school secretaries (gtucker@dunlapcusd.net and/or rkortemeier@dunlapcusd.net), and/or call the school with the information.

It is best to do so first thing in the morning or the previous day so that a pass can be written for your child. If you have your child bring in a note, please have them bring it to the office upon arrival that day.

In an effort to maintain the safest environment possible for our children, security measures have been implemented in all buildings throughout the district. All school doors, including the front entrance, will be locked during school hours. Visitors to the school will need to press the buzzer located to the left of the main entrance and wait to be let in by office staff.

Upon entering the building, visitors will be asked to present a US government issued ID such as a Driver’s License, which can either be scanned or manually entered into our electronic sign in system. Once entry is approved, a badge will be issued that identifies the visitor, the date, and the purpose of his/her visit. Upon exiting the school, visitors will be asked to give their visitors badge to the office staff when checking out.

School supply lists are available here. Please use the dropdown buttons for each grade level.

The District has a 1:1 Technology website that will help answer questions regarding Canvas FAQ, Chromebook care and Google/Chromebook FAQ.

If you are experiencing any issues with your Chromebook, and cannot find the answers to your questions, please contact the Dunlap IT help desk at helpdesk@dunlapstudents.net.

Classroom teachers and the office may not be able to support any issues with technology aside from general login instructions for district platforms.

Email: ajohnson@dunlapcusd.net
Website: https://dms.dunlapcusd.net/
Location: 5200 West Cedar Hills Drive, Dunlap, IL, USA
Phone: 309-243-7778
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DunlapMiddleSchool/
Twitter: @DMSPanthers