Welcome to D-C Middle School
"Together We're Better"
3rd Tri Incentive Activities
At the end of the year our students are given an opportunity to participate in various activities de-signed to reward positive academic performance and good behavior they have maintained during the third trimester. This year 5th grade students will, again, go to the Becker Community Center; 6th grade will go to the Monticello Community Center; and grades 7 and 8 will go to Valleyfair.
Students who have earned a failing grade or who have failed to qualify for the reward trip because they do not meet the behavior criteria will be expected to attend school on the day of the reward trip just as they would any other day. They will spend the day trying to improve their grades and on final projects. Students who do not qualify for this activity will receive a notification letter from our office.
Summer School
Our summer school program is an excellent opportunity for students to spend their June and July mornings improving their math, reading, and science skills. The program is designed to assist any students who could benefit from additional instruction and for students who have failed a course throughout the school year.
Classes for students in grade 5- 6 are taught in multi-grade clusters and focus on math and reading skills. Classes for 7th grade students include remediation in math and reading and a service project. Classes for 8th grade students focus on developing skills and goals neces-sary for high school success. Classes will be held Monday through Thursday from 8:00-11:00 starting June 10 and ending July 18.
If your child has failed a class this year and needs to complete summer school in order to advance to the next grade, you will receive a letter from us. If you would simply like to enroll your child in summer school to take advantage of the additional instruction, we have enrollment forms available in the middle school office. If you have any questions regarding summer school please contact me at 286-4100 ext. 1604.
MS Controlled Access Update
In January of 2013 the Dassel-Cokato School Board and Administration decided to make each building more secure by purchasing controlled access systems which will be installed in the spring of 2013. These systems will require visitors to identify themselves and their purpose for visiting before they are allowed to enter any of the buildings. We greatly appreciate patience and understanding from parents and other visitors as we work hard to keep students and staff safe at school.
The controlled access process has now started at the middle school. Service technicians have been in our school recently preparing to install the system accessories needed that will control access to our buildings. Once we have all the necessary preparations and installations, use of the controlled access system at our school will begin. Once these systems are installed, all visitors (during school hours) will be required to buzz the middle school office staff who will verify visitor identity and reason for the visit to our school. Once visitors have been provided access to our school they are required to stop into the office, sign in, and acquire the proper identification badge to be worn in the school. Visitors will also be escorted to their location and back to the office during their visit with us.
This extra step in welcoming visitors to the district schools and the Dassel-Cokato Middle School is another way we can help keep our students and staff safe. If you have any questions related to the controlled access system, please contact the building principal.
Faculty Follies Raises Over $5000
For Student Scholarships
Over 1,000 people attended Faculty Follies this past weekend, raising money for student scholarships. The 7 p.m. show was sold out, and the 2 p.m. show was enjoyed by over 300 people. Thanks to all who attended and participated!
Immunization Reminder for 6th Grade Parents
Please continue with your efforts in completing your child's immunizations. If you have not yet scheduled an appointment for your child to receive their shots, please do so at this time. Keeping your child on schedule will offer the best chance of immunity from disease. If your child's shots are complete, please drop off the record in our health office.
Remember: your child will not be allowed to start 7th grade without the required shots (see letter mailed to 6th graders).
If you have already turned in documentation of these immunizations, thank you! Any questions about the required immunizations, call Annette Bohnsack, School Nurse at 286- 4204.
District Calling System
The district calling system is a tool our school and the district uses to deliver important information to many of our parents in a short amount of time (ie. late starts and school closings). If you would like to receive such calls or change which phone(s) you would like to receive calls, please contact Kim or Holly at the office and they will be more than happy to assist you.
Emailing Absence Notes
Most of you are well aware of our policy requiring a note or a phone call to excuse an absence for your child. However, we also encourage you to excuse absences with an email message. Simply send a message to either Holly Erickson or Kim Johnson with an explanation for the absence. When your child returns to school, he or she will still need to check in with the office before returning to any classes.
DCMS Students Using Moodle
If you have a 7th or 8th grade student, you may have heard the term Moodle being used in conversations about what is happening in class. Moodle is a learning management system (LMS) which is quickly becoming integral to many middle and high school classrooms.
Learning management systems like Moodle are online, virtual classrooms where students log into a secure website to access course materials, assignments and activities. Because it is web-based, it is accessible to students anytime and anywhere they have access to a computer and internet connection. This is very useful for students who are absent, forgot to bring an assignment home or simply want to review materials from class.
Students can access a teacher’s Moodle course from any page on the D-C school website. Under the students tab at the top of each page is a link to Moodle. After clicking this link, students can log into the site using their normal network username and password. Once logged in, students will be able to visit any Moodle course for which they have been enrolled.
There are two main types of materials posted in a typical Moodle course: resources and activities. Resources most commonly include learning materials for students. These may be links to worksheets and websites, or they may include teacher-created web pages filled with text, images, links and videos. Because materials are online and created by teachers, they can be frequently updated and include only content relevant to each course and curriculum. The practice of posting course materials on Moodle pages is becoming increasingly popular with teachers throughout the district.
Moodle also allows teachers to post a wide variety of interactive activities to their classroom pages. These may include links for students to turn in assignments digitally by uploading them to their Moodle course. They could also include opportunities for students to work collaboratively through discussion forums, classroom chats, and wikis. Teachers can also post online polls and instantly scored tests which are powerful tools for fostering classroom discussion and checking for understanding.
Overall, Moodle has become a way to connect with students both during the school day as well as after hours by providing online access to important course materials and activities.
Brian Franklin, Principal
Phone: 320.286.4100 ext. 1600
Fax: 320.286.4176
Suite 1500
4852 Reardon Ave. S.W.
Cokato, MN 55321