Bobcat Bulletin

Hello Bobcats!

I hope that everyone had a relaxing, rejuvenating Spring Break! It's hard to believe that there are only 10 short weeks left in the 24-25 school year!

We had another incredibly successful week prior to the break!

• Our Lady Bobcat Varsity Choir earned SWEEPSTAKES at the UIL Concert & Sight-reading Contest, boasting a clean sweep by receiving the highest rating (1's) from every single judge!!!
• Our Boys Bobcat Tenor Bass Choir earned SWEEPSTAKES at the UIL Concert & Sight-reading Contest, boasting a clean sweep by receiving the highest rating (1's) from every single judge!!!

• Tennis dominated against Corsicana!
• Our track athletes dominated at the MHHS Meet!
• Twenty-nine 8th grade students attended a fun-filled, educational trip to Washington DC!

Can't wait to see all of the successes our Bobcats experience over these last two months of school! Lots of great information to share! Make it a great week, and Go Bobcats! 🐾💙

~Mrs. Ricks

Happy Birthday to 🎂 Ms. Everhart 🎂 (March 10th), 🎂 Mr. Sorem 🎂 (March 11th), 🎂 Ms. Howse 🎂 (March 13th), & 🎂 Ms. Jones 🎂 (March 16th)!!!

Monday, March 17th: Dance Clinic; Virtual PTO Meeting

Tuesday, March 18th: Special Olympics Basketball; TELPAS Make-up Testing; Texas Wildlife Guest Speaker in 7th Science; Dance Clinic;

Wednesday, March 19th: TELPAS Make-up Testing; TSI Testing for 8th graders who registered; Dance Clinic

Thursday, March 20th: PTO Staff Luncheon; Dance Clinic; Track Meet @ DMS

Friday, March 21st: Open

Saturday, March 22nd: Dance Tryouts

Looking ahead: 3/24 MISD Board Meeting; 3/25 Boys Zone Track Meet @ DMS

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.

Prior to Spring Break, Ms. Andrea Tenant, our Head Band Director, announced her resignation from Dieterich Middle School for family reasons. While we are sad to see her go, we fully support her decision—family always comes first. We are incredibly grateful for Ms. Tenant’s dedication and the lasting impact she has had on our band program.

To ensure continuity for our students, Ms. Seppeler has graciously agreed to step in as Interim Head Band Director for the remainder of the school year. We are truly appreciative of her leadership and commitment, especially during this important contest season. With her guidance, we are confident that our students will continue to excel, and the proud traditions of our award-winning band program will remain strong.

We were able to secure an Interim Assistant Band Director prior to Spring Break. Please join me in welcoming Mr. Garrett Sorem to our Bobcat family!

Mr. Sorem is a proud native of Texas with a passion for music and education. He recently completed his student teaching in Birdville ISD and earned a Bachelor of Music degree from Sam Houston State University.

Mr. Sorem began his musical journey at Tarrant County College, where he studied under Dr. Jonathan Watkins and served as the principal tuba player for both the Tarrant County Orchestra and the Wind Ensemble. He was also the inaugural tuba player for Dust Storm WGI Indoor Winds (Winter Guard International). Later, he transferred to Sam Houston State University, studying under Dr. Jerome Stover.

During his time at SHSU, Mr. Sorem performed in a variety of ensembles, including the Symphonic Band, Concert Band, Bearkat Marching Band, Angry Orange Basketball Band, Steel Pan Band, Men’s Choir, and the Tuba Euphonium Ensemble. Through these ensembles, he had the opportunity to travel across the United States, gaining invaluable musical experiences and broadening his perspective on different musical styles.

On the educational side, Mr. Sorem worked with several school districts, including Conroe, Trinity, and New Waverly ISD. He assisted with marching bands and provided individual instruction as a private lesson teacher, helping students grow as musicians.

Mr. Sorem is a member of Texas Music Education Association, Texas Bandmaster Association and the International Tuba Euphonium Association. He is a recent alumni of Tau Beta Sigma - Alpha Omicron Chapter where he served as an active member to serve The Greater Bands.

Mr. Sorem is thrilled to begin his journey at Dieterich Middle School and is eager to connect with the community. He is excited to join the Midlothian ISD family and looks forward to sharing his love of music with his students!

Enrollment for the 2025-26 school year opens April 1

Online Enrollment for the 2025-26 school year will open April 1, 2025 for new students. Families are encouraged to complete the enrollment process by May 30.

Kindergarten Roundup is just around the corner

It’s Time to Play, Explore and Learn at Midlothian ISD! Families with incoming kindergarten students are invited to get to know Midlothian ISD's premier elementary programs, tour your school, meet our teachers and participate in signing day at Kindergarten Roundup that will be held the first week in April.

Kindergarten Roundup Dates:

• 6 p.m. Thursday, April 3
• 10 a.m. Friday, April 4

Roundup will be held at each of our elementary schools.

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

More information will be provided soon.

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