Dumbarton Middle SchoolWork Hard. Be Kind. Show Pride.

Good afternoon DMS families,

Tomorrow we welcome students back to school. We hope your spring break was a good one. We were so proud of our Lions on April 1 as we celebrated our 3rd Roar Rally of the year as well as the completion of our American Heart Challenge and our community career fair. Thank you to all who helped as sponsors and presenters. Students cheered on friends who showed growth on STAR testing, won the Olympic attendance challenge, or won the push-up challenges. Your student(s) may have come home with some giveaways, a gold medal, or new DMS swag! 

Now, we begin marking period 4, our final marking period of the year. During the month of April, students can participate in our April incentive program, which offers staff-sponsored prizes and opportunities for students who turn in tickets. Students may earn tickets for a variety of positive work habits and contributions to learning.

• We are so proud of our students for actively giving back to our community. Two of our students have helped to facilitate a sports equipment drive supporting the organization, Leveling the Playing Field. See below for more information:

Sports Equipment Collection Drive! ⚾️🏈

Dumbarton Middle School is proud to support Leveling the Playing Field with a community collection drive!

Dates: April 13 – May 8
Where to Drop Off: Dumbarton Middle School Main Office

We’re asking families and students to donate new or gently used sports equipment to help ensure all kids have access to play.

Every item makes a difference!

Think: balls, gloves, bats, cleats, rackets, pads, and more!

Let’s come together as a community and help give every child a chance to get in the game!

• At school this week, we take a few minutes to review and reinforce important practices and procedures that help to make school a safe place focused on learning. We appreciate parent support as we remind students of safe behaviors in the classrooms, cafeteria, hallways and buses. Failure to follow school rules can and will result in consequences aligned to the BCPS code of conduct and student handbook.
• Students will also be participating in the Maryland State Survey this week. Teachers and students in grades 5-11 have the opportunity to take this survey which collects important information about relationships, engagement, the school environment, and safety. Results are shared with us, and this is a component of our MD state report card and contributes to our star rating. For more information about this survey, you can visit: https://marylandpublicschools.org/about/pages/dcaa/datacollections/marylandschoolsurvey.aspx
• The Clean Green 15 Litter Challenge is in the home stretch! Cleanups through Monday, April 30, will count towards this school year’s competition to win environmental project grants, while fostering a conservation ethic in students. Find details about this exceptional program on the BCPS website’s Clean Green 15 web page - we have been top winners the last few years and would love to continue our streak! 

In the next few weeks, we will be communicating regarding field trips, testing, events and reminders. Please don't hesitate to reach out to teachers or staff members with questions or ideas. We appreciate your support as we prepare for this final marking period of the year.

Work Hard. Be kind. Show pride.

Mandy Shanks

Principal, Dumbarton Middle School