This is just a friendly reminder we will be having our Spring Parent Teacher Conferences on Wednesday, March 2nd (4:00-7:00 PM) and Thursday, March 3rd (12:00-3:00 PM). We also wanted to remind you Thursday, March 3rd is a half day of school. Dismissal will be at 10:47
Dowagiac Middle School 8th grade students participated in the 53rd annual America & Me Essay Contest, sponsored by Farm Bureau Insurance. All 8th graders completed essays about their personal Michigan heroes, showing how friends, family and community members have made a positive, lasting difference in their lives. The essays were written in November, and the top essays were then selected by Mrs. Stockwell and DMS staff. Our local Farm Bureau agent, Jeff Neumann, then submitted the essays to Farm Bureau’s Corporate office in Lansing, Michigan, for judging. We appreciate his continued support in sponsoring this writing opportunity.
Our top essayists at DMS this year were:
1st place – Haley H.
2nd place – Mya V.
Haley’s paper will now continue on to the State level, competing against all other first place essayists from across the state, in hopes of winning a $1,000 scholarship.
Congratulations Haley and GOOD LUCK!!
That's not FROSTY! It's Ms. Hollingsworth, our Building Supervisor. We want to thank her for keeping our front and back entry areas clear of snow for everyone! We appreciate you!!
Students from the DMS Spelling Bee Team had the opportunity to participate in the National Qualifying Scripps Spelling Bee contest held at the Mendel Center at Lake Michigan College. Emily H. (8th grade), Austin H. (7th grade) and Hunter S. (6th grade) traveled with their coach, Mrs. Collins, to the competition. Of the 42 students participating, covering 14 school districts in Berrien County, Hunter finished 28th, Emily 17th, and Austin placed 6th overall. We are SO PROUD of each of them and are excited to watch the entire DMS team take the stage at the Cass County Spelling Bee on March 4th. Good work and good luck CHIEFTAINS!
We would like to congratulate one of our Chieftain HEROES, Zabrina S., for being named our January 2022 Student of the Month. Zabrina was nominated by STEM teacher Mrs. Grear! Way to GO lil "Miss Z!!!"
Great job DMS Lady Chieftains for a great show against Buchanan Middle School tonight!
Mrs. Munson's 6th grade SOAR classes and 7th grade Exploratory classes spent some time learning about teamwork. Groups of 4-5 students were given the challenge of lowering a hula hoop to the ground with only 2 fingers each. Sounds simple, right? The students learned they could only be successful if they all communicated and worked together on the task. Great TEAMWORK Chieftains!!
We want to thank everyone for taking part in the DUS annual Band Boosters Spaghetti Dinner/Silent Auction. The proceeds of tonight's event will go towards supporting our fabulous Middle and High School Bands. A special CHIEFTAIN thank you goes out to all of our volunteers as well! Food and music for everyone who attended!
STEM teachers from Berrien, Cass, and Van Buren counties meet once a month to discuss all things STEM related and what projects they are working on in their classrooms. Each month a different teacher from the group hosts a meeting and this month DMS was the host with STEM teacher Sue Grear.
Our 7th and 8th grade Girls Basketball teams played well against arch rival Edwardsburg Middle School last night. The 7th graders were defeated while our 8th graders won. Great job Lady Chieftains!!
Mrs. Stockwell's 8th grade students have conducted research related to the Winter Olympics. Students selected an Olympic event along with athletes competing in Beijing 2022, a former Olympian, or a tradition related to the Olympics. Some of the specific topics students chose were former Olympian Debi Thomas (figure skating), current athlete Maame Biney (short track), Snowboarding, and the meaning of the Olympic rings.
Students in Mrs. Marrs 7th grade Healthy Living class are currently learning the skills and rules of bowling. Students have been working on their technique and how to keep score. Keep knocking those pins down CHIEFTAINS!!
Students in Mrs. Cromer’s 7th Grade ELA classes are working collaboratively with their partners to learn about "Text Structures." Keep up the good effort in the classroom CHIEFTAINS!
We are happy to have Mr. Turner back in the classroom and walking the halls again at DMS!! Currently, his 6th grade Math classes are working on dividing multi digit decimals, whole numbers, mixed numbers and fractions. Keep up the good effort CHIEFTAINS!
Mrs. Grear's STEM students were given the challenge of making a "Candy Grabber" in class. Students learned about the Engineering Design Process and making levers. SWEET!
Mrs. Kruger's 8th grade Earth Science classes created “Water Cycle”
comic strips to demonstrate their understanding of the steps in the water process as it relates to our Earth. Nicely done!!
On February 17, Mr. Buynar's 8th grade U.S. History students will have the opportunity to attend a virtual event hosted by Yale University. At the event, students will have the chance to listen to top college professors and authors discuss the Abolitionist Movement.
We want to recognize the excellent effort made by both our 7th and 8th grade Girls Basketball Teams tonight in their contests against Paw Paw Middle School. Our girls demonstrated great sportsmanship and hard work! Way to represent Lady Chieftains!!
Students in Mrs. Deering's 6th grade ELA classes have been learning to read closely and annotate difficult text. Currently, they are working with partners to annotate and discuss what they are reading.
Attention DMS parents-
Dowagiac Middle School is excited to announce that the Van Buren Cass District Health Department will be offering a great opportunity for our students. On Friday February 25, 2022 the health department dental hygienist will be at DMS offering a program to help stop tooth decay. The SEAL Michigan Dental Sealant Program will be coming to place dental sealants on permanent six-year and twelve-year molars at NO COST!!! If your child has dental insurance it will be billed and any amount not covered by your insurance will be covered by this program. Please check with your dental insurance as many plans do not cover the cost of dental sealants. If your child does not have dental insurance there will be NO cost.
If you are interested in taking advantage of this opportunity please complete the necessary form your child received and send it back to the school as soon as possible and we will take care of everything from there. If your child did not bring home the necessary form, they are located in the main office.
If you have any questions or concerns please feel free to contact our School Nurse, Suzanne Dorman RN, MSN at sdorman@dowagiacschools.org or 269-782-4440 ext. 1129.
We hope that you take advantage of this great opportunity available to our students.