Dowagiac Union Schools

Enter to Learn, Leave to Serve

DMS Families,

In an effort to provide more time for students to eat breakfast in the morning, we are allowing students to enter DMS at 7:15 AM.

Beginning Monday, October 13th, entrances 1 and 8 will open for students at 7:15 AM. Students may go down for breakfast or wait in the main hallway until 7:30 AM, at which time the double doors to the classrooms will open.

As a result of this change, staff will be supervising students inside the building. This means there will no longer be staff members outside monitoring morning drop-off procedures.

To ensure student safety, please follow established procedures by dropping students off at the curb. Do not pull into the parking lot and allow students to cross the drop-off lane. This practice is extremely dangerous—especially in the darker mornings of fall and winter.

Thank you for your cooperation in helping keep our students safe!

Sincerely,

Mr. Guernsey

Message from our District Nurse:

English:

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1fWPAq8AKsd-wrd8zYB2NxQIpdS8BhzN93gkG72eSUS8/edit?usp=sharing

Versión en español:

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1btqwLEgAiow2mXZBudlUTszP5zF4OTLtbip9PcD2dUo/edit?usp=sharing

Schedule of Events

October 8 - 7th/8th Football Game HOME vs. Buchanan MS ~ 4:30PM

October 10 - Fall Play- Game of Tiaras ~ 7PM (DMS Performing Arts Center)

October 11 - Fall Play - Game of Tiaras ~ 2PM (DMS Performing Arts Center)

October 13 - 7th/8th Volleyball Game AWAY @ Brandywine Middle School ~ 5:30PM

October 15 - 7th/8th Football Game HOME vs. Upton Middle School ~ 4:30PM

October 16 - 7th/8th Volleyball Game HOME vs. Upton Middle School ~ 4:00PM

October 17 - END OF FIRST MARKING PERIOD

October 18 - 7th/8th Volleyball Game AWAY @ Coloma High School ~ 9:00AM

October 20 - School Board Meeting ~ 6PM

October 24 - Activities Night 4-6PM ~ Halloween Theme

Classroom Instruction

🎀 Newsletter Announcement: 🎀

PENNY WARS

We are thrilled to announce that Sodexo (DUS food service provider) is proudly sponsoring a Breast Cancer Walk on October 18th in Grand Rapids! This cause is particularly meaningful to many as it has hit close to home with several, especially within our Sodexo family .

To help support this cause and raise funds creatively, we are organizing penny wars at Dowagiac Middle School. Each grade level will try and raise the most money by competing against other grade levels.

How It Works

Pennies = Positive Points
- Each penny added to a team's jar adds 1 point to their score.
Silver Coins & Dollars = Sabotage
- Nickels (-5 points)
- Dimes (-10 points)
- Quarters (-25 points)
- Dollar bills (-100 points)
  These subtract from the total points of that jar!

This encourages teams to put pennies in their own jars and put silver coins or bills in others' jars to sabotage them.

UHS is also participating in their own contest for the same cause. So help DMS win by collecting more money! It's a friendly competition for a great cause, but there are bragging rights at stake!

We invite all of our students and families to participate in the penny war between Oct. 1 through Oct. 16. Grade level jars will be in the foyer morning and in the cafeteria during lunches.

Students in Mrs. Wilson's 8th grade ELA class completed their first essay assignment! Students have been diligently working on organizing their thoughts using a graphic organizer to draft a five-paragraph essay about their favorite narrative read in September.Throughout this process, students have been focusing on using specific solid reasons and incorporating internal citations from the text to support their arguments. Mrs. Wilson has been guiding them through the writing process, helping them develop their skills in constructing well-supported essays. This process eliminates unnecessary stress and anxiety many individuals get when they are told they need to write.

Mrs. Stanford ~ This week in 6th grade social studies students are learning about world economies by exploring concepts like imports, exports, production, economic systems, and sustainability through discussions, hands-on projects, review games, and a quiz which has helped reinforce key economic vocabulary definitions to help them prepare for future discussions in the school year and outside world. Understanding world economies is vital because it helps them develop critical thinking and decision-making skills, which are essential for navigating their personal lives and interpreting global events. In the future, this knowledge will enable them to make informed personal choices, be responsible and engaged citizens, and be prepared for life in an increasingly interconnected global world.

It has been a busy start to the school year for the students who have Mrs. Winters for Computers A. Students are working in the Digital Literacy unit. The topics that are covered can be immediately used and applied to their daily lives. By the end of the unit, they will have learned about digital etiquette, cyberbullying, troubleshooting, cloud use, how to do better internet searches, finding and using reliable information online, fair use and copyright, digital footprints, and keeping themselves and their information safe while online. Students have also been working on some fundamental coding basics in code.org. They will continue to work through this coding program all semester.

Also, don’t forget that all missing work and corrected assignments for Computers are due at the end of the hour on Wednesday, October 15. Please check PowerSchool to see if your child has any work that is missing and/or needs to be corrected before that date.

Mandatory Notices

Required School Postings: https://www.dowagiacschools.org/page/mandatory-notices

Reminders

On November 4, 2025, voters in Dowagiac Union Schools will consider a Sinking Fund Millage Proposal of 0.5 mill.

Community Events

After School Tutoring

DMS offers after school tutoring sessions for any DMS student that needs/wants extra support. Each session runs from 2:30 - 3:30 PM.

Transportation will not be provided for those staying. Students will need to be picked up or given permission to walk home at the end of each session. Pick-up will be in the front of the school building.

Tutoring Schedule:

ELA: Miss Gil de Lamadrid; Mon & Thur

Math: Miss Bulifant; Only Thursdays

Social Studies: Miss Gabrielle Cook; Wed & Thur

Science: TBA