Post on 19-May-2018
Dumbarton Middle School 300 Dumbarton Road, Baltimore, MD 21212
410-887-3176 410-583-7020 fax
A National Blue Ribbon School of Excellence
Sue Harris, Principal February, 2015 Liz Heil, Assistant Principal
Cheryl Scott, Assistant Principal
Jen Burch, Assistant Principal
From the Principal’s Desk…. Great things are happening at Dumbarton! Last week we were informed that we
were chosen to be a BCPS “Lighthouse” middle school for 2015-2016 school year.
Specifically, we will be pioneering new BCPS initiatives such as a curriculum
conversion, personalized and blended learning and increased use of technology in
the classroom. Schools were identified through a process that measured staff and
principal commitment and ultimately included the review of school applications that
were submitted to a special committee. Last week I visited Rodger’s Forge
Elementary school to thank the fifth graders for writing letters of interest to the
BCPS Lighthouse school committee. Rodger’s Forge has been a Lighthouse
elementary school so our incoming fifth graders know well the advantages of this
program. I also visited our two other feeder elementary schools where all students
attend Dumbarton: Stoneleigh and West Towson. Our incoming sixth grade
students were very excited to hear that they will benefit from the use of 1:1 digital
devices while our continuing students will have more access to technology in our
building as well. As we receive more information on this program we will share it
with our entire school community.
We are also continuing our commitment to a growth mindset. Last year as a staff
we began reading Mindsets in the Classroom, by Mary Cay Ricci. A year ago this
month the author met with our leadership team which led
to the formation of a teacher-led Mindset committee.
This committee has led initiatives such as quarterly goal
setting for students that will take place again this week.
Later this month, Mrs. Ricci will be visiting DMS
classrooms to celebrate our success and continue to coach
us on embedding a growth mindset in our school culture. As
we embark on the new learning inherent in becoming a
Lighthouse school we will continue to strive to maintain
that positive mindset. We are also appreciative that a
group of PTA Executive Board parents have also been engaged in a monthly book
study utilizing this text.
The BCPS stakeholder survey has been launched. We ask that you take time to
complete the survey which is available on-line through the end of the month. You
can access it via the BCPS website. Here is further information from BCPS about
the survey: “As in last year’s survey, the 2015 version is confidential and takes
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about five minutes to addresses a number of topics including academic rigor, school
culture, safety and technology. Participants may complete the survey using their
smart phones, tablets, or computers. In addition, parents who have students in
more than one school are encouraged to take the survey specific to each school
their children attend. Parents can choose to take the survey at their children’s
schools rather than at home or at a public library. In addition to English, this year’s
survey is also available in Spanish, Chinese, Vietnamese, Urdu, Arabic, Nepali,
Yoruba, Russian, French, Tagalog, Uzbek, Amharic, Korean and Gujarati. When a
participant starts the survey, the website checks the language in the browser
setting and displays the survey in that language if the translation is available. In
addition, those who take the survey identifying themselves as parents/guardians
and community members can choose their preferred language at the top right of
every survey page.” Dumbarton and BCPS use your feedback submitted through this
survey to inform our decisions, procedures and educational practices. Please help
us to improve our school and our school system by completing the survey.
We are also excited to announce that Ms. Katie Meyer, our French teacher and
sponsor of our Kindness Club, DMS Cheerleaders and co-advisor of our Student
Council has been nominated by the DMS administrative team to be the Dumbarton
Teacher of the Year. This is a great honor for Ms. Meyer and we wish her all the
best as she competes for BCPS Teacher of the Year this spring. We value her
dedication and continue to be awestruck with the quality of her instructional
program which results in a deep level of engagement for her students. We are very
proud of Ms. Meyer!
Second quarter report cards will come home this week. Thank you for your
continued dedication to supporting your child’s education. Your interest and
encouragement makes all the difference in student motivation and their ultimate
determination to succeed. Email continues to be the best way to confer with
teachers or to arrange for conferences. Staff email addresses are readily available
on our school website. Furthermore, BCPS One is a great way to stay informed of
your child’s progress. If you have any questions about your BCPS One account,
please contact Mrs. Burch, Assistant Principal at jburch2@bcps.org.
Stay safe and warm this February!
Sincerely,
Susan E Harris
Principal
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Nurses Notes
To our current 6th grade parents:
7th Grade Immunization Requirements
All 7th grade students are required to provide proof of having received a dose of meningococcal vaccine
(also called Menactra and Menveo) and a booster dose of Tdap (also called Boostrix and Adacel.) These
vaccines are in addition to the vaccines required for kindergarten. Most children receive these vaccines
at age 10 or 11.
Parents of current 6th graders are urged to
Check with their child’s health care provider to see if the child has received these vaccines.
Schedule an appointment for the child to receive these vaccines BEFORE August 26, 2015.
Provide written verification of the immunizations to the school nurse this school year if possible
for your child’s health file.
More information about these vaccines is available at the Office of Health Services website
http://www.bcps.org/offices/sss/health/ or call Mrs. Miedusiewski at 410-321-0496.
Newsworthy from the Assistant Principals
8th Grade Spirit T-Shirts
8th Grade spirit t-shirts are on sale! The t-shirts, designed by 8th grade student, Nate Bowman, and
selected by student vote, are burgundy with a picture of a lion and the letters DMS on the front and the
numbers 20 and 15 on each sleeve. The back of the t-shirt will have the signatures of all of the 8th
grade students. T-shirts cost $9.00 for sizes small to X-large, and $10.50 for XX-large.
8th Grade Panoramic Picture
On Friday, January 30, 2015 during first period, a panoramic picture was taken of the entire 8th grade
class. The cost of this keepsake was $15.00 for the traditional picture and $20.00 for a laminated
picture. Fees for the picture were collected by prepayment or on picture day by the Lifetouch
photographer.
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MAP Testing
The testing window for 6th, 7th, and 8th grade winter MAP testing began on January 8, 2015 and will be
open until February 13, 2015. All students will participate in testing which is being administered through
health and technology classes.
MAP assessments are system wide growth measures that are aligned with Common Core Standards.
MAP testing provides individual student data that will help to determine college and career readiness,
the need for intervention, and grade-level performance.
MAP assessments are computerized tests that are customized based on student responses; therefore,
no two tests are the same. MAP tests measure student academic progress at identified intervals during
the school year. The data from MAP assessments is used to help teachers plan for instruction and
individualize learning activities to meet student needs.
Student Score Sheets for MAP testing will be provided.
ACCESS for ELLS
ACCESS for ELLs (Assessing Comprehension and Communication in English State-to-State for English
Language Learners) is a secure large-scale English language proficiency assessment given to Kindergarten
through 12th graders who have been identified as English language learners (ELLs). It is given annually in
WIDA Consortium member states to monitor students' progress in acquiring academic English.
ACCESS for ELLs is a standards-based, criterion referenced English language proficiency test designed
to measure English language learners' social and academic proficiency in English. It assesses social and
instructional English as well as the language associated with language arts, mathematics, science, and
social studies within the school context across the four language domains.
The window for ACCESS for ELLs testing opened on January 12, 2015 and will be open until February 27,
2015. English language learners are being tested through ESOL classes.
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BCPS expands Lighthouse Schools instructional digital
conversion to middle schools TOWSON, MD. – Seven Baltimore County middle schools were named Thursday to become the county’s
first “Lighthouse” middle schools, joining with 10 elementary schools that this year have piloted the
school system’s instructional digital conversion.
The conversion, which is part of a multi-year effort called S.T.A.T. (Students and Teachers Accessing
Tomorrow) to create 21st century learning environments in every classroom in the county, is centered on
shifting teaching and learning through the integration of technology. Lighthouse schools are those that
have been tasked with pioneering staff development, curriculum conversion, personalized and blended
learning, and the use of 1:1 digital devices for each student.
The new BCPS Lighthouse schools are:
Cockeysville Middle
Dumbarton Middle
Pikesville Middle
Ridgely Middle
Sparrows Point Middle
Stemmers Run Middle
Windsor Mill Middle
On Thursday, a caravan of BCPS administrators spent half the day visiting each of the selected schools
and surprising principals and teachers as they revealed the news. When principals interrupted the day to
share the news with students and staff over school intercoms, cheers from cafeterias and classrooms
could be heard.
The schools were identified through a process that began earlier in the school year when middle school
principals were asked if they were interested in participating in the second year of the pilot. Once
interest was determined, school instructional staff members were surveyed about their level of
commitment. Schools with high levels of staff interest and commitment were asked to complete
applications, which were reviewed and approved by a special committee.
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Geography Bee Winner
On January 14 in room 116, the 40 top geographers at Dumbarton
Middle School met to compete for the title of Geography Bee
Champion. Eight students qualified to participate in the final
Championship Round: Lucie P., Julia B., Mason M., Kenny S., Enoch C.,
Sebastian Q., Joshua C. and Andrew F.
To win the coveted title of Geography Bee Champion, our eight competitors had to know the answers to
three questions including:
the setting for Jack London’s classic novel The Call of the Wild;
that Arendelle in the Disney movie Frozen was inspired by the Norwegian countryside;
and that National Geographic Explorer Shivani Bhalla works with warriors in the Samburu
community to protect lions in east Africa.
All three questions were college-level geography, but amazingly, one Geography Bee contestant got all
three questions correct. Congratulations to our new Geography Bee champion Enoch C. Enoch also won
the Geography Bee two years ago as a 4th grader.
Thanks again to all of our class champions and good luck to Enoch as he takes a written test to see if he
qualifies to participate in the state Geography Bee.
Parents of 6th Graders!! We are looking for a PTA President for next
year. This is an easy, fun way to be involved with your child's middle
school experience.
Contact Amy Kline amykline@att.net if you are interested. Thank you!
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PTSA
Happy February! The PTA has been busy behind the scenes in January planning fun activities to
nurture our school environment. We will have two Lion's Den activities this month! Black Light
Night has been rescheduled for February 6 and Movie Night will be held February 20. Have
your child listen to morning announcements for ticket sales and other information on how to
vote for the movie. We are also planning a parent information session about Mindset to coincide
with parent conference afternoon on March 4 from 3-5 p.m. Stay tuned for more details. We
also have voted to secure funds for a new art display board for our lobby as well as a new
scoreboard for the gym. We are excited to support the Kindness Club with kindness bowls and
tattoos and to support a special closet with school supplies that the faculty Kindness Committee
is sponsoring.
Thank you as always for your input and support!!
Warm Regards,
Amy Kline
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DUMBARTON MIDDLE SCHOOL
CALENDAR OF EVENTS
2014-2015
February
4 Grade 7 Winter Concert 7:00 PM
5 Reports Cards Distributed
6 PTA Sponsored Assembly: Campfel Productions – 2 shows in AM
PTSA Black Night Dance 7:00 P.M.
9 PTSA Executive Board Meeting 6:00 PM
12 & 13 Schools Play 7:00-9:00
13 Schools Close 3 Hours Early: Half-Day System-wide Professional
Development
16 President’s Day: Schools Closed
20 PTSA Event- Movie Night 7:00 PM
March
2 Interims Distributed 4 Parent Conference Day 3:00 - 5:00 PM
9 PTSA Executive Board Meeting 6:00 PM
20 SGA “Spring Fling” Dance 7:00 PM
April
1 Third Marking Period Ends – Easter Holiday/Spring Break Begins for Students at the End of the Day
3-12 Spring/Easter Break – Schools Closed
13 PTSA Executive Board Meeting 6:00 PM
22 Grade 5 Parent Orientation 6:30 – 8:30 PM
23 Report Card Distribution
24 PTSA Event
May
8 Grade 8 Farewell Dance 7:00PM
11 PTSA Executive Board Meeting 6:00 PM
18 Grade 6 Spring Concert 7:00 PM
Interims Distributed
20 Grade 7 Spring Concert 7:00 PM
22 Grade 8 End of Year Event
25 Memorial Day: Schools Closed
27 Grade 8 Concert 7:00 PM
June
1 Honors Spring Concert 7:00 PM 3 National Junior Honor Society Induction Ceremony
17 Grade 8 Awards Assembly 7:00 – 8:30 PM
18 Schools close 3 hours early
19 Last Day of School: Schools Close 3 Hours Early
Farewell Assembly 9:00 – 10:30
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Dear Parents and Students,
Don’t miss the opportunity to purchase this important keepsake of the school year. The 2014-2015 DMS
yearbook is in FULL COLOR and is packed full of the memories you never want to forget. You can even have
your child’s name imprinted on their yearbook cover.
Sincerely,
Mrs. Bell~ Yearbook Adviser
Mrs. Denmyer-Prenger~ Yearbook Adviser
Order Now, before it is too late!
New Ordering Procedure This Year:
The ONLY Option : Order Online. Go to yearbooksonsale.com find Dumbarton Middle School to place your order. You can also go to
Dumbarton middle School’s homepage and click on the link
Book Price:
$ 23.00 +tax
EXTRAS: If you would like extras you can add them on the site.
We will close online ordering in April. Order now, don’t get left without a book.
*If you do not get your picture taken by Lifetouch on picture day or picture re-take day in the fall then your picture will not be in the yearbook. If you miss both days please make sure that you see either Mrs. Bell or Mrs.
Denmyer-Prenger
Order your Dumbarton
yearbook today!
[10]
SAIL is part of an expanded partnership between Baltimore
County Public Schools (BCPS) and Baltimore County Public
Libraries (BCPL). Studies show that students who use their
public libraries achieve greater in school. Here’s the first step
towards greater success for Baltimore County’s students.
Your student(s) will be receiving a blue SAIL card application
through Language Arts class. Please complete this library
registration form and don’t forget to sign the form! Have your
child return the form to their Language Arts teacher. A Library representative will collect the
forms from DMS, create the cards, and deliver them back to the school for distribution. If
your child already has a Baltimore County Public Library card, he/she will be issued a new card
as part of this program.
Mrs. Harris finding out DMS was selected as a Lighthouse School for next year.
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Instilling a Growth Mindset:
Cultivating a Growth Mindset at Home
Dumbarton Middle School provides a culture of encouragement fostering continual student growth with the
belief that through effort, motivation and resilience, all students will improve academically and achieve
personal success.
Work harder, get smarter!
The following excerpts are taken from a blog from a Mindset series. The entire written work can be accessed
here: http://afineparent.com/mindset/growth-mindset-introduction.html
The link to the Mindset series is http://afineparent.com/category/mindset
What Every (Great) Parent Should Know About the Mindset of Success by Sumitha Bhandarkar.
How many of you woke up this morning thinking “I wonder
what I can do today to undermine my children, subvert their
effort, turn them off learning and limit their achievement”?
Not one of you, I bet!
Almost universally, what we parents want is — a) for our kids
to grow up to be happy, healthy and well-adjusted in life and b)
to find success in whatever it is they do. And we want to do our
best to help them get there.
Yet, according to Dr. Carol Dweck, psychologist and author of
the book Mindset: The New Psychology of Success, many of
the the techniques we use to “help” our kids, boomerang. Often,
we end up sending our kids the exact opposite message than
what we intend to!
Check out the rest of the article and explore the following topics:
How Our Mindset Impacts Our Life
4 Steps to Cultivate the Growth Mindset
The 2-Minute Action Plan
The Ongoing Action Plan
Hope to see you at the next monthly DMS PTA mindset book study! Bhandarkar, Sumitha. "What Every (Great) Parent Should Know About the Mindset of Success – A Fine
Parent." A Fine Parent. N.p., 03 Mar. 2014. Web. 28 Jan. 2015. <http://afineparent.com/mindset/growth-
mindset-introduction.html>.
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Congratulations to the Dumbarton MathCounts competition team!
Jenna M. Miguel I.
Ian S. Rose R.
They will be competing in the regional MathCounts competition
on Saturday, February 7 at McDonogh High School
We want to wish you all the best!
The BCPS Stakeholder Satisfaction Survey is now available online at
https://bcps.co1.qualtrics.com/SE/?SID=SV_0oj10KVhrdjagXX through February 28.
We need your support to double last year’s historic participation of 40,000 responses.
The survey takes only five minutes to complete, can be accessed by phone, tablet or computer, and is
available in several languages for parents/guardians.
For January 2015
Yathaswee C. Rand K.
Isabella C. Karina K.
Claire B. Rand K.
Margo G. Abby M.
Natalie H. Claire M.
Julia H. Julie R.
Anna H. Elisabeth S.
Cole J. Jessica T.
Ms. Sharbonda would like to congratulate the above students for
working especially hard in Algebra & Geometry.
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BLACK SAGA
The Black Saga Competition is an award-winning program founded and directed by Dr. Charles Christian, author of the book Black Saga: The African American Experience.
Meets every Wednesday in room 215 from 2:50-3:50
The Black Saga Competition: What Is It? The Black Saga Competition offers students an opportunity to be engaged in an exciting, fun-filled, authentic learning experience. Students are challenged to learn about the African American experience, an often unexplored but integral part of America’s heritage. The topics, which cover a broad spectrum of contributions by individuals and groups, past and present, incorporate information about American history, geography, economics, and cultural studies. The Black Saga Competition fosters individual student commitment, team work, family involvement, and collaboration on all levels. Although the topics are introduced to the teams at after school Black Saga meetings, most of the studying is completed at home with support from parents and/or community members. After a period of study and practice, the Black Saga teams compete with each other in a quiz show format at the Baltimore County Black Saga Competition and at the Maryland State Black Saga Competition.
Mission Statement The mission of the Black Saga Competition in Baltimore County is to develop cultural awareness, pride, tolerance, and appreciation for the diverse contributions of African Americans in America.
Goals • To improve academic achievement of
participating students through development of study skills, a commitment to excellence, and the incorporation of diverse cultural topics and learning styles.
• To enhance the knowledge of the African American Experience in all participating groups: team members, other students, coordinators, faculty, parents, and community.
• To extend and enrich the social studies curriculum by utilizing varied resources related to the African American Experience.
• To increase student, parent, and community involvement.
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TOWSON HIGH SCHOOL MUSIC BOOSTERS FEBRUARY 20, 2015 BASKET BINGO FUNDRAISER
Doors open at 6pm Bingo at 7pm Tall Cedars of Lebanon, 2501 Putty Hill Avenue, Parkville
Single ticket: $20 (Early bird discount: $15 if paid by February 6, 2015)
Table for 10: $150 (Early bird discount: $135 if paid by February 6, 2015) Each ticket buys a night of great company, live music (beginning at 6:15) and an 18-game packet of bingo cards! Bingo winners receive Longaberger baskets filled with valuable items! Only one basket winner per bingo game. If two or more people have BINGO, the winner will be chosen via tie-breaker. Food, drinks and raffle tickets will be available for purchase! Towson High Music Boosters helps fund student participation in all of the music programs at Towson High School. Please complete the form below and mail your payment. Tickets will be mailed to you or will be available for pick up at the will-call table (front desk) at the event. Questions? thsmusicboosters@gmail.com.
TICKET ORDER FORM February 20, 2015 Basket Bingo at Tall Cedars of Lebanon,
Parkville Enclosed is my payment to THS Music Boosters in the amount of $________for: ___ (#) single ticket(s) @ $20 each (or $15/ea if paid by 2/6/2015) ___ (#) table(s) for 10 @ $150/table (or $135/table if paid by 2/6/15) Name & email:
___________________________________________________________
Mailing address:
__________________________________________________________ Please mail this completed form and your check to: THS Music Boosters, 69 Cedar Ave., Towson, MD 21286 Attn: Bingo. All tickets are while supplies last and are non-refundable. All sales final. Thank you for your support!
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APPLY FOR AA ART FOR 2015-2016! It’s not too early to start thinking about applying for AA Art (Advanced Academic Art – Formerly “GT” Art) for next year! Unlike other content areas, the AA Art application process and portfolio review is undertaken by the DMS Art department. The AA Art portfolio process begins with an informative meeting at 3:00 on Wednesday, February 18th, 2015. It will be held after school in Mr. Citrano’s room (Room 119). THIS MEETING IS EXTREMELY IMPORTANT AND ALL APPLICANTS MUST ATTEND. It is crucial that all interested students clear time from their schedule (about 30 minutes) as there is much to discuss. We will demystify the entire portfolio process and we will address any and all questions students may have. Parents need not attend. BCPS portfolio requirements will be given to each student to take home and review. Again, we’ll provide the application, explain the process, highlight the type/quality of work expected, provide a due date for portfolios, and answer all questions at the meeting. We’re looking forward to seeing the room packed with young artists! Spread the word! Best, Luke Jones Art Teacher/ Department Chair Dumbarton Middle School Ljones16@bcps.org
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At DMS, Our pride is Our future!