April 24, 2026

Dear Chieftain Families,

I am excited to share that our students have successfully completed this year’s M-STEP and PSAT assessments!

This is a significant accomplishment, and we are incredibly proud of the focus, perseverance, and effort our students demonstrated throughout the testing process. These assessments require not only academic preparation, but also stamina and a positive mindset—qualities our students showed each day.

We also want to thank you for your support at home. Ensuring students were well-rested, prepared, and ready to do their best made a meaningful difference.

For students who still need to complete portions of the M-STEP, make-up testing will take place next week. We will work directly with those students to ensure they have the opportunity to finish their assessments.

Now that testing is largely behind us, we look forward to finishing the school year strong. Our classrooms will continue to be filled with engaging learning experiences, and we are excited to enjoy upcoming activities, events, and opportunities to celebrate student growth.

Please join us in congratulating your child for their hard work and dedication!

Thank you again for your continued partnership and support.

Sincerely,

Greg Guernsey, Principal

Dates: June 8th – June 12th
Time: 9:30 AM – 2:30 PM
Who: Current 6th, 7th, and 8th grade students

Sign-ups are currently open for in county students- Out of county sign-ups start tomorrow. 

Sign-up link: https://site.corsizio.com/portal/68025784d8af7e28a73975c7

Career Camp is designed to give middle school students hands-on exposure to a variety of career pathways while building awareness of the programs available at Van Buren Tech.

Transportation will be provided from Van Buren County local school districts, helping ensure access for students across the county. (Out-of-county students can take advantage of transportation, they just need to go to the closest Van Buren County school).

Ms. Gil's 6th and 7th Math 

This week, students will be participating in state testing. In preparation, we have been reviewing key concepts and skills learned throughout the year to help build confidence and readiness. A focus has also been placed on practicing calculator skills, including when and how to use them effectively during the test. Please encourage your student to get a good night’s rest, eat a healthy breakfast, and come to school ready to do their best!  

6th Grade Social Studies - Mrs. Stanford

Due to M-STEP testing this week our regular curriculum got put on hold and we took the class time we had to examine a few other things. Monday we started the week by reviewing the physical geography of Europe and how people have formed identities through the land and environment they come from. To ensure students are able to make the connection between human identity and the physical environment students were tasked with writing a "Cultural Identity Poem". In this poem students choose a location we discussed such as the Swiss Alps or Mediterranean Sea and make the connection as to how people use and interact with the physical environment around them. In addition we also took time to re-examine the Five Themes of Geography. Students thoroughly re-examined each theme, took notes, and created an informational poster highlighting characteristics of each theme. By reviewing these themes again towards the end of the school year this allows students to have a better understanding of geographical concepts going into 7th grade.

Mr. Ross Tidey - Resource

After testing today Resource students spent some much needed time in the fresh air and sunshine!

Mr. Hunter Schuur - Choir

All choir students have been preparing for their spring concerts, the theme is Pop music and will feature popular songs from the 60s-today. The DMS choirs will be performing at Fine Arts Night on May 7th in the competition gym at Dowagiac Union High School at 7pm. They will have their final spring concert and awards night on Thursday May 14th in the DMS Performing Arts Center at 7pm. All choir concerts are free and open to the public!

Mrs. Andrea Cline - Art

Art students from Art 1, Art 2, and Digital Design participated in the Community Student Art Exhibition at Box Factory in Saint Joseph, MI. I am proud of my students for their hard work and representing DMS very well. The art exhibition is open from April 16- May 3, so there is still time to go view our student artworks. Congratulations to Aryanna Marshall for receiving a Berrien RESA Award for her mask project!