As we approach the weekend, we wanted to take a moment to reflect on the significance of several of this weekend's events. First and foremost, tonight at sundown many families will be observing Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year. May this special time be filled with joy, reflection, and renewal for you and your loved ones.

Additionally, we kick off Hispanic Heritage Month, a time to celebrate and honor the rich and diverse contributions of Hispanic and Latin communities to our nation's culture and history. We encourage everyone to embrace this opportunity to learn and appreciate the beauty of these vibrant cultures.

Lastly, as we approach Constitution Day, let us remember the importance of our foundational document and the principles it upholds. It is a reminder of the values that unite us as a nation and the responsibility we share in preserving our democracy.

Wishing you all a meaningful weekend!

Fondly,

Dr. Kecia Nesmith, Principal and Curriculum Supervisor

Dr. Kristie Burk, Coordinator for Online & Blended Learning

• 9/14 - Spread the Word to End the Word Football game 7:00 pm
  

• 9/17 - Constitution Day

• 9/18 - Aimsweb Plus Testing Begins for Grades K-8

• 9/18 - 9/22 - DCA Sprit Week

• 9/19 - 9/21 - CDT Testing for Grades 7 & 8 @ Trestle Admin Building

• 9/21 - Culture Fest 5:00-8:00 pm @ MC6GC

• 9/25 - No School - Yom Kippur

• 9/27 - Night of Remembrance 6 pm @ DHSW

• 9/30 - DEHS Homecoming Dance @ 7:00 pm

• 10/3 - DCA Gathering at Springton Manor Farm

• 10/7 - DHSW Homecoming Dance @ 7:00 pm

• 10/24 - STEM Application Essay for LMS Students @ 2:40 pm

• 10/26 - STEM Application Essay for DMS Students@ 2:40 pm

Students in grades 6-8 will take Aimsweb Plus assessments for ELA and Math beginning on Monday, September 18th in the ELA and Math classes.

Aimsweb Plus data is used to determine areas of strength and weakness with regard to reading and math skills. Each Aimsweb Plus test results in a single score, usually the number of correct responses within a brief time limit. We will use this data to determine the need for additional support in these areas.

All students must take these assessments on Zoom with their teachers, if enrolled in an online ELA or Math class, including students who have a Personalized Learning Plan. Please work with your child's teacher to ensure your child is prepared for the assessments.

DCA students in grades 7 and 8 will take the Classroom Diagnostic Tools (CDT) assessments in -person at the Trestle Place Admin Building on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday next week. Families are asked to make arrangements for their child to come at least two of the three days to take the Math and ELA tests. These assessments provide pertinent information about how students are performing toward the grade-level standards including areas of strength and opportunity. Parents can remain or drop off and pick up at the start and end times. Please confirm with your child’s homeroom teachers which days you intend for your child to come to take the assessments. If you are unable to bring your child, please contact your child's homeroom teacher to try to make other arrangements.

Tuesday, 9/19 - 12:30 pm - 2:30 pm

Wednesday, 9/20 - 12:30 pm - 2:30 pm

Thursday, 9/21 - 9:30 am - 12:30 pm

Students will need to bring their DASD-Issued device and headphones. They may bring a light snack as well.

In September and October, Marsh Creek students will be will be traveling to Paradise Farm Camp, a local educational facility. Students, teachers and administrators will participate in hands-on, outdoor, learning and team building experiences. The program is designed to facilitate team-building, resiliency and environmental awareness. Getting to know one another as a team and in small groups by working through different team challenges improves the all too important skills of cooperation, communication, and trust.

If you would like your sixth grader to participate in this trip, please contact Dr. Barr at mbarr@dasd.org as soon as possible.

All DCA students are welcome to join clubs at their respective home buildings. For a list of clubs available, go to the student's home school's webpage, click on "resources" and then "activities."

Did you know that you can sign up to receive two Schoology email digests of your child's activity in Schoology daily or weekly? You can receive

1. The Parent Email Digest - This email will give you the child's current grade for each course, overdue submissions, student posts and updates, and recent submissions.
2. The Overdue Notifications Email - This email will be sent once for each time that the student fails to submit an item by the due date.

Please sign up for one or both of these email digests today!

Don't have a Schoology Parent account? Visit our Technology page on our website for detailed instructions.

Some important reminders about logging attendance:

1. Students only need to log attendance on the days they have a DCA class scheduled in Infinite Campus.
2. STEM students need to remember that we are on a 6-day cycle and not a 12-day cycle.
3. Students can login any time between 5 am and 11 pm.
4. To log attendance, students must complete the following steps:

• Log into Infinite Campus as a student and click on "attendance."
• Make sure you are on the DCA calendar and not your home building calendar.
• Click the blue check-in box until they're all gone.

For high school students who are unable to attend their teachers' scheduled office hours, we have a virtual Drop-in Help Center on C and E days throughout the day. Please check your Schoology calendar for days and times!

A science, social studies, English and math teacher will be available during the drop in center times to provide assistance.

Thank you to all the families who joined us for Back-to-School Night last Wednesday. If you missed the event, please watch the recordings below.

Back-to-School Night 6th-8th grade

Back-to-School Night 9th-12th grade

Also, the cyber teachers have created Back-to-School videos to introduce themselves and to give course overviews. Please take a moment to view them!

Click the images below to learn more and register!

Downingtown Fall Festival scheduled for Sunday, September 24th , could use volunteers to assist with clean-up from 4-6 p.m.! Please contact dtownchamber@gmail.com if you can help your community!

Junior & Senior Girls!! Volunteers are needed for the Girls Exploring Tomorrow’s Technology (GETT) Expo to be held on Saturday, October 28th, 2023, at the Greater Philadelphia Expo Center from noon to 5 p.m. This is an awesome opportunity to connect with women in STEM careers! Contact Leigh Craig at lcraig@ccedcpa.com if you are interested.

Grad Project Opportunity -- or Resume Builder -- for students interested in education, writing, or journalism! Windsor Christian Academy needs a student “theme reader” to assist with grading student papers. The position will be mostly remote, but will require some in person meetings and scheduling pick up/drop off of assignments. If you are interested, please contact Stephanie Willenbrock at swillenbrock@windsorca.org.

All DCA students are considered students in their home buildings even if they are full-time DCA. Please check your child's school below for upcoming events and activities in which they can participate!

Students in grades K-5 DCA/BVA should receive communication about coming into their home school building to take the Aimsweb Plus math and reading benchmark tests within the next two weeks.

Aimsweb Plus data is used to determine areas of strength and weakness with regard to reading and math skills. Each Aimsweb Plus test results in a single score, usually the number of correct responses within a brief time limit. We will use this data to determine the need for additional support in these areas.

It is pertinent that families make arrangements to have students take assessments so that we can ensure the necessary supports for learning. Please reach out to your home school administration with questions.

Please visit our DCA website at dc.dasd.org for more information.

Backpack Resources

K-5 Brandywine Virtual Academy website - https://www.cciu.org/bva

Email: cyberacademy@dasd.org
Website: dc.dasd.org
Location: 540 Trestle Place, Downingtown, PA, USA
Phone: 610-269-8460
Facebook: http://facebook.com/dca
Twitter: @dasd_dca