Hello DMS Families,

We hope you enjoyed your Spring Break with your family and friends. We are now moving into the "Home Stretch" of the school year and we are "Gearing Up" for a SUPER ending!

REMINDER: DMS will be hosting a SPRING CRAFT FAIR this Saturday, April 12th (9:00-3:00 pm). There will be over 50 vendors available at the event for you to choose from (e.g. bakers, 3D printing, jewelers, Arts & Crafts, Seasonal Items, etc.). The EASTER BUNNY will also be at DMS for pictures too! We look forward to seeing everyone!

WOW! 215 Students (55%) earned a "B" grade or better in all of their classes during they 3rd Card Marking Period at DMS. These students were treated to special "Honors Breakfast" prior to vacation. We are proud of our student HEROES for putting their best effort forward in the classroom and look forward to what they will accomplish the remainder of the year. Keep up the good work CHIEFTAINS!

ATTENTION EVERYONE: Spring testing is upon us! Over the next several weeks students will be engaged in taking a few of our required annual assessments. Tentatively, 8th grade students will be taking the PSAT8 test next week on Wednesday, April 16th. Students in 6th and 7th grade will follow up by taking the M-STEP in both Math and ELA. We will be administering these 2 tests separately so as to give students time to focus on one curricular area. To help us with testing, we ask that you please remind your child to bring their Chromebook to school (fully charged) each day. Additionally, please encourage your son or daughter to get lots of rest the night before they take their tests so they are ready to "show their best!"

Our Spring Sports Seasons are in "Full Swing" with student-athletes getting ready for their first competitions. Students are participating in track, softball, soccer and baseball. We are looking forward to seeing them on the field showing off their skills. You can access their schedules by visiting our district Athletics Website. Good luck CHIEFTAINS!

FYI-YEARBOOKS are available to purchase for those interested in picking one up. Please see the QR code found below to place your order.

GREAT things are ALWAYS happening at DMS!!

Dr. Wightman

Mrs. Winters’s Computers B students have started coding their own interactive games from scratch this week using JavaScript.  They have been learning the programming language since the start of 2nd semester, and are ending the unit by creating two different games of their own.  The first game will be a side scroller game and the other will be a flyer game.  Students in Mrs. Winters’s Computers A classes are finishing up their Digital Literacy Unit and will be working on their beginning coding activities throughout the rest of the marking period.  

Mrs. Kruger - Earth Science

Mrs. Kruger's 8th grade Earth Science Class created Pirate Survival Maps to demonstrate their knowledge of global wind patterns and the Coriolis Effect. These maps creatively help pirates navigate the high seas by displaying locations and causes of global wind patterns, how the wind patterns affect ocean movement, effects of the Corolis Effect, effects of wind patterns on atmospheric conditions, and most importantly which areas are favorable for ships and which are not-including ocean areas that should be avoided because of lack of winds.

Mrs. Kruger - STEAM

Students in Mrs. Kruger's 7th & 8th grade STEAM class researched and explored various STEAM careers involved in March Madness especially how the roles, qualifications and impact these positions have on the event. Careers included, Sports Management and Administration, Media and Broadcasting, Marketing and Promotions, Event Management and Operations and Technology and Analytics and many more! 

Mrs. Wightman's 6th Grade STEM

Students have completed their roller coasters and presented them to the class. Each group had specific requirements to meet including durability, turns, loops, and height. They followed the scientific process and had to conduct trials to show their coasters were reliable and consistent. Students were also allowed to decorate their creations to show their creativity. After many weeks and a lot of hard work their roller coasters are complete. They had a lot of fun and were challenged along the way, but in the end, they turned out great!

Mr. Jason Turner

Pre-Algebra students this week are going to be focusing on Module 10-1 and 10-2 Volume of a Cylinder and Volume of a Cone. We will be completing notes over both of these lessons and then they will then be completing their assignments. They will also be working on their Aleks learning path throughout the week. They need to pass 10 Aleks lessons per week.

7th Grade Advanced this week are going to be completing some 8th grade material dealing with slope of a line and graphing a line in slope-intercept form. They will be taking notes over 4-2 (8th grade) Slope of a Line and 4-5 (8th grade) Slope Intercept Form. They will be completing their assignments over these two sections of notes. They will also be working on their Aleks learning path throughout the week. They need to pass 10 Aleks lessons per week.

Algebra this week will be completing notes over 10-3 Multiplying Polynomials, 10-4 Special Products, and 10-6 Factoring Polynomials. They will be completing their assignments over all three lessons as well this week. They will also be working on their Aleks learning path throughout the week. They need to pass 10 Aleks lessons per week.

Mrs. Cline - Art

Art 1 is finishing their Cube project. This cube was colored using coffee to give it a more aged appearance. 

Mrs. Cline - Art

Digital Design has been photographing Art 2's abstract sculptures to learn more about natural lighting vs artificial lighting. 

April 12: DMS Craft Show; 9-3PM

April 18: Half Day of School (Good Friday) - Dismissal @ 10:47AM

April 21: Board Meeting (PAC); 6PM

ATTENTION BUS RIDERS: rider families to make sure they are at bus stop pickups and ready to hop on the bus 5-10 early each day so that they drivers and routes can stay on schedule!!!

If you would like to recognize a DMS staff member for a special "Chieftains Shout Out", please use the following link to do so: Staff Shout Out Link

Drop Off Time: 7:25 a.m.

Breakfast: 7:25 a.m.-7:35 a.m.

Building Times: 7:37 a.m.-2:23 p.m.

Half Day Dismissal: 10:47 a.m.

Building Office Phone:269-782-4440

Dowagiac Middle School Website:

https://www.dowagiacschools.org/o/dms

Dowagiac Middle School Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/DowagiacMiddle/

Lunch Menu:

https://dowagiacschools.nutrislice.com/menu

District Website:

https://www.dowagiacschools.org/

District Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/dowagiacschools/