Dumbarton Middle School 300 Dumbarton Road, Baltimore, MD 21212

410-887-3176 410-583-7020 fax

A National Blue Ribbon School of Excellence

Sue Harris, Principal February, 2015 Liz Heil, Assistant Principal

Cheryl Scott, Assistant Principal

Jen Burch, Assistant Principal

From the Principal’s Desk…. Great things are happening at Dumbarton! Last week we were informed that we

were chosen to be a BCPS “Lighthouse” middle school for 2015-2016 school year.

Specifically, we will be pioneering new BCPS initiatives such as a curriculum

conversion, personalized and blended learning and increased use of technology in

the classroom. Schools were identified through a process that measured staff and

principal commitment and ultimately included the review of school applications that

were submitted to a special committee. Last week I visited Rodger’s Forge

Elementary school to thank the fifth graders for writing letters of interest to the

BCPS Lighthouse school committee. Rodger’s Forge has been a Lighthouse

elementary school so our incoming fifth graders know well the advantages of this

program. I also visited our two other feeder elementary schools where all students

attend Dumbarton: Stoneleigh and West Towson. Our incoming sixth grade

students were very excited to hear that they will benefit from the use of 1:1 digital

devices while our continuing students will have more access to technology in our

building as well. As we receive more information on this program we will share it

with our entire school community.

We are also continuing our commitment to a growth mindset. Last year as a staff

we began reading Mindsets in the Classroom, by Mary Cay Ricci. A year ago this

month the author met with our leadership team which led

to the formation of a teacher-led Mindset committee.

This committee has led initiatives such as quarterly goal

setting for students that will take place again this week.

Later this month, Mrs. Ricci will be visiting DMS

classrooms to celebrate our success and continue to coach

us on embedding a growth mindset in our school culture. As

we embark on the new learning inherent in becoming a

Lighthouse school we will continue to strive to maintain

that positive mindset. We are also appreciative that a

group of PTA Executive Board parents have also been engaged in a monthly book

study utilizing this text.

The BCPS stakeholder survey has been launched. We ask that you take time to

complete the survey which is available on-line through the end of the month. You

can access it via the BCPS website. Here is further information from BCPS about

the survey: “As in last year’s survey, the 2015 version is confidential and takes

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about five minutes to addresses a number of topics including academic rigor, school

culture, safety and technology. Participants may complete the survey using their

smart phones, tablets, or computers. In addition, parents who have students in

more than one school are encouraged to take the survey specific to each school

their children attend. Parents can choose to take the survey at their children’s

schools rather than at home or at a public library. In addition to English, this year’s

survey is also available in Spanish, Chinese, Vietnamese, Urdu, Arabic, Nepali,

Yoruba, Russian, French, Tagalog, Uzbek, Amharic, Korean and Gujarati. When a

participant starts the survey, the website checks the language in the browser

setting and displays the survey in that language if the translation is available. In

addition, those who take the survey identifying themselves as parents/guardians

and community members can choose their preferred language at the top right of

every survey page.” Dumbarton and BCPS use your feedback submitted through this

survey to inform our decisions, procedures and educational practices. Please help

us to improve our school and our school system by completing the survey.

We are also excited to announce that Ms. Katie Meyer, our French teacher and

sponsor of our Kindness Club, DMS Cheerleaders and co-advisor of our Student

Council has been nominated by the DMS administrative team to be the Dumbarton

Teacher of the Year. This is a great honor for Ms. Meyer and we wish her all the

best as she competes for BCPS Teacher of the Year this spring. We value her

dedication and continue to be awestruck with the quality of her instructional

program which results in a deep level of engagement for her students. We are very

proud of Ms. Meyer!

Second quarter report cards will come home this week. Thank you for your

continued dedication to supporting your child’s education. Your interest and

encouragement makes all the difference in student motivation and their ultimate

determination to succeed. Email continues to be the best way to confer with

teachers or to arrange for conferences. Staff email addresses are readily available

on our school website. Furthermore, BCPS One is a great way to stay informed of

your child’s progress. If you have any questions about your BCPS One account,

please contact Mrs. Burch, Assistant Principal at jburch2@bcps.org.

Stay safe and warm this February!

Sincerely,

Susan E Harris

Principal

[3]

Nurses Notes

To our current 6th grade parents:

7th Grade Immunization Requirements

All 7th grade students are required to provide proof of having received a dose of meningococcal vaccine

(also called Menactra and Menveo) and a booster dose of Tdap (also called Boostrix and Adacel.) These

vaccines are in addition to the vaccines required for kindergarten. Most children receive these vaccines

at age 10 or 11.

Parents of current 6th graders are urged to

Check with their child’s health care provider to see if the child has received these vaccines.

Schedule an appointment for the child to receive these vaccines BEFORE August 26, 2015.

Provide written verification of the immunizations to the school nurse this school year if possible

for your child’s health file.

More information about these vaccines is available at the Office of Health Services website

http://www.bcps.org/offices/sss/health/ or call Mrs. Miedusiewski at 410-321-0496.

Newsworthy from the Assistant Principals

8th Grade Spirit T-Shirts

8th Grade spirit t-shirts are on sale! The t-shirts, designed by 8th grade student, Nate Bowman, and

selected by student vote, are burgundy with a picture of a lion and the letters DMS on the front and the

numbers 20 and 15 on each sleeve. The back of the t-shirt will have the signatures of all of the 8th

grade students. T-shirts cost $9.00 for sizes small to X-large, and $10.50 for XX-large.

8th Grade Panoramic Picture

On Friday, January 30, 2015 during first period, a panoramic picture was taken of the entire 8th grade

class. The cost of this keepsake was $15.00 for the traditional picture and $20.00 for a laminated

picture. Fees for the picture were collected by prepayment or on picture day by the Lifetouch

photographer.

[4]

MAP Testing

The testing window for 6th, 7th, and 8th grade winter MAP testing began on January 8, 2015 and will be

open until February 13, 2015. All students will participate in testing which is being administered through

health and technology classes.

MAP assessments are system wide growth measures that are aligned with Common Core Standards.

MAP testing provides individual student data that will help to determine college and career readiness,

the need for intervention, and grade-level performance.

MAP assessments are computerized tests that are customized based on student responses; therefore,

no two tests are the same. MAP tests measure student academic progress at identified intervals during

the school year. The data from MAP assessments is used to help teachers plan for instruction and

individualize learning activities to meet student needs.

Student Score Sheets for MAP testing will be provided.

ACCESS for ELLS

ACCESS for ELLs (Assessing Comprehension and Communication in English State-to-State for English

Language Learners) is a secure large-scale English language proficiency assessment given to Kindergarten

through 12th graders who have been identified as English language learners (ELLs). It is given annually in

WIDA Consortium member states to monitor students' progress in acquiring academic English.

ACCESS for ELLs is a standards-based, criterion referenced English language proficiency test designed

to measure English language learners' social and academic proficiency in English. It assesses social and

instructional English as well as the language associated with language arts, mathematics, science, and

social studies within the school context across the four language domains.

The window for ACCESS for ELLs testing opened on January 12, 2015 and will be open until February 27,

2015. English language learners are being tested through ESOL classes.

[5]

BCPS expands Lighthouse Schools instructional digital

conversion to middle schools TOWSON, MD. – Seven Baltimore County middle schools were named Thursday to become the county’s

first “Lighthouse” middle schools, joining with 10 elementary schools that this year have piloted the

school system’s instructional digital conversion.

The conversion, which is part of a multi-year effort called S.T.A.T. (Students and Teachers Accessing

Tomorrow) to create 21st century learning environments in every classroom in the county, is centered on

shifting teaching and learning through the integration of technology. Lighthouse schools are those that

have been tasked with pioneering staff development, curriculum conversion, personalized and blended

learning, and the use of 1:1 digital devices for each student.

The new BCPS Lighthouse schools are:

Cockeysville Middle

Dumbarton Middle

Pikesville Middle

Ridgely Middle

Sparrows Point Middle

Stemmers Run Middle

Windsor Mill Middle

On Thursday, a caravan of BCPS administrators spent half the day visiting each of the selected schools

and surprising principals and teachers as they revealed the news. When principals interrupted the day to

share the news with students and staff over school intercoms, cheers from cafeterias and classrooms

could be heard.

The schools were identified through a process that began earlier in the school year when middle school

principals were asked if they were interested in participating in the second year of the pilot. Once

interest was determined, school instructional staff members were surveyed about their level of

commitment. Schools with high levels of staff interest and commitment were asked to complete

applications, which were reviewed and approved by a special committee.

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Geography Bee Winner

On January 14 in room 116, the 40 top geographers at Dumbarton

Middle School met to compete for the title of Geography Bee

Champion. Eight students qualified to participate in the final

Championship Round: Lucie P., Julia B., Mason M., Kenny S., Enoch C.,

Sebastian Q., Joshua C. and Andrew F.

To win the coveted title of Geography Bee Champion, our eight competitors had to know the answers to

three questions including:

the setting for Jack London’s classic novel The Call of the Wild;

that Arendelle in the Disney movie Frozen was inspired by the Norwegian countryside;

and that National Geographic Explorer Shivani Bhalla works with warriors in the Samburu

community to protect lions in east Africa.

All three questions were college-level geography, but amazingly, one Geography Bee contestant got all

three questions correct. Congratulations to our new Geography Bee champion Enoch C. Enoch also won

the Geography Bee two years ago as a 4th grader.

Thanks again to all of our class champions and good luck to Enoch as he takes a written test to see if he

qualifies to participate in the state Geography Bee.

Parents of 6th Graders!! We are looking for a PTA President for next

year. This is an easy, fun way to be involved with your child's middle

school experience.

Contact Amy Kline amykline@att.net if you are interested. Thank you!

[7]

PTSA

Happy February! The PTA has been busy behind the scenes in January planning fun activities to

nurture our school environment. We will have two Lion's Den activities this month! Black Light

Night has been rescheduled for February 6 and Movie Night will be held February 20. Have

your child listen to morning announcements for ticket sales and other information on how to

vote for the movie. We are also planning a parent information session about Mindset to coincide

with parent conference afternoon on March 4 from 3-5 p.m. Stay tuned for more details. We

also have voted to secure funds for a new art display board for our lobby as well as a new

scoreboard for the gym. We are excited to support the Kindness Club with kindness bowls and

tattoos and to support a special closet with school supplies that the faculty Kindness Committee

is sponsoring.

Thank you as always for your input and support!!

Warm Regards,

Amy Kline

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DUMBARTON MIDDLE SCHOOL

CALENDAR OF EVENTS

2014-2015

February

4 Grade 7 Winter Concert 7:00 PM

5 Reports Cards Distributed

6 PTA Sponsored Assembly: Campfel Productions – 2 shows in AM

PTSA Black Night Dance 7:00 P.M.

9 PTSA Executive Board Meeting 6:00 PM

12 & 13 Schools Play 7:00-9:00

13 Schools Close 3 Hours Early: Half-Day System-wide Professional

Development

16 President’s Day: Schools Closed

20 PTSA Event- Movie Night 7:00 PM

March

2 Interims Distributed 4 Parent Conference Day 3:00 - 5:00 PM

9 PTSA Executive Board Meeting 6:00 PM

20 SGA “Spring Fling” Dance 7:00 PM

April

1 Third Marking Period Ends – Easter Holiday/Spring Break Begins for Students at the End of the Day

3-12 Spring/Easter Break – Schools Closed

13 PTSA Executive Board Meeting 6:00 PM

22 Grade 5 Parent Orientation 6:30 – 8:30 PM

23 Report Card Distribution

24 PTSA Event

May

8 Grade 8 Farewell Dance 7:00PM

11 PTSA Executive Board Meeting 6:00 PM

18 Grade 6 Spring Concert 7:00 PM

Interims Distributed

20 Grade 7 Spring Concert 7:00 PM

22 Grade 8 End of Year Event

25 Memorial Day: Schools Closed

27 Grade 8 Concert 7:00 PM

June

1 Honors Spring Concert 7:00 PM 3 National Junior Honor Society Induction Ceremony

17 Grade 8 Awards Assembly 7:00 – 8:30 PM

18 Schools close 3 hours early

19 Last Day of School: Schools Close 3 Hours Early

Farewell Assembly 9:00 – 10:30

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Dear Parents and Students,

Don’t miss the opportunity to purchase this important keepsake of the school year. The 2014-2015 DMS

yearbook is in FULL COLOR and is packed full of the memories you never want to forget. You can even have

your child’s name imprinted on their yearbook cover.

Sincerely,

Mrs. Bell~ Yearbook Adviser

Mrs. Denmyer-Prenger~ Yearbook Adviser

Order Now, before it is too late!

New Ordering Procedure This Year:

The ONLY Option : Order Online. Go to yearbooksonsale.com find Dumbarton Middle School to place your order. You can also go to

Dumbarton middle School’s homepage and click on the link

Book Price:

$ 23.00 +tax

EXTRAS: If you would like extras you can add them on the site.

We will close online ordering in April. Order now, don’t get left without a book.

*If you do not get your picture taken by Lifetouch on picture day or picture re-take day in the fall then your picture will not be in the yearbook. If you miss both days please make sure that you see either Mrs. Bell or Mrs.

Denmyer-Prenger

Order your Dumbarton

yearbook today!

[10]

SAIL is part of an expanded partnership between Baltimore

County Public Schools (BCPS) and Baltimore County Public

Libraries (BCPL). Studies show that students who use their

public libraries achieve greater in school. Here’s the first step

towards greater success for Baltimore County’s students.

Your student(s) will be receiving a blue SAIL card application

through Language Arts class. Please complete this library

registration form and don’t forget to sign the form! Have your

child return the form to their Language Arts teacher. A Library representative will collect the

forms from DMS, create the cards, and deliver them back to the school for distribution. If

your child already has a Baltimore County Public Library card, he/she will be issued a new card

as part of this program.

Mrs. Harris finding out DMS was selected as a Lighthouse School for next year.

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Instilling a Growth Mindset:

Cultivating a Growth Mindset at Home

Dumbarton Middle School provides a culture of encouragement fostering continual student growth with the

belief that through effort, motivation and resilience, all students will improve academically and achieve

personal success.

Work harder, get smarter!

The following excerpts are taken from a blog from a Mindset series. The entire written work can be accessed

here: http://afineparent.com/mindset/growth-mindset-introduction.html

The link to the Mindset series is http://afineparent.com/category/mindset

What Every (Great) Parent Should Know About the Mindset of Success by Sumitha Bhandarkar.

How many of you woke up this morning thinking “I wonder

what I can do today to undermine my children, subvert their

effort, turn them off learning and limit their achievement”?

Not one of you, I bet!

Almost universally, what we parents want is — a) for our kids

to grow up to be happy, healthy and well-adjusted in life and b)

to find success in whatever it is they do. And we want to do our

best to help them get there.

Yet, according to Dr. Carol Dweck, psychologist and author of

the book Mindset: The New Psychology of Success, many of

the the techniques we use to “help” our kids, boomerang. Often,

we end up sending our kids the exact opposite message than

what we intend to!

Check out the rest of the article and explore the following topics:

How Our Mindset Impacts Our Life

4 Steps to Cultivate the Growth Mindset

The 2-Minute Action Plan

The Ongoing Action Plan

Hope to see you at the next monthly DMS PTA mindset book study! Bhandarkar, Sumitha. "What Every (Great) Parent Should Know About the Mindset of Success – A Fine

Parent." A Fine Parent. N.p., 03 Mar. 2014. Web. 28 Jan. 2015. <http://afineparent.com/mindset/growth-

mindset-introduction.html>.

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Congratulations to the Dumbarton MathCounts competition team!

Jenna M. Miguel I.

Ian S. Rose R.

They will be competing in the regional MathCounts competition

on Saturday, February 7 at McDonogh High School

We want to wish you all the best!

The BCPS Stakeholder Satisfaction Survey is now available online at

https://bcps.co1.qualtrics.com/SE/?SID=SV_0oj10KVhrdjagXX through February 28.

We need your support to double last year’s historic participation of 40,000 responses.

The survey takes only five minutes to complete, can be accessed by phone, tablet or computer, and is

available in several languages for parents/guardians.

For January 2015

Yathaswee C. Rand K.

Isabella C. Karina K.

Claire B. Rand K.

Margo G. Abby M.

Natalie H. Claire M.

Julia H. Julie R.

Anna H. Elisabeth S.

Cole J. Jessica T.

Ms. Sharbonda would like to congratulate the above students for

working especially hard in Algebra & Geometry.

[15]

BLACK SAGA

The Black Saga Competition is an award-winning program founded and directed by Dr. Charles Christian, author of the book Black Saga: The African American Experience.

Meets every Wednesday in room 215 from 2:50-3:50

The Black Saga Competition: What Is It? The Black Saga Competition offers students an opportunity to be engaged in an exciting, fun-filled, authentic learning experience. Students are challenged to learn about the African American experience, an often unexplored but integral part of America’s heritage. The topics, which cover a broad spectrum of contributions by individuals and groups, past and present, incorporate information about American history, geography, economics, and cultural studies. The Black Saga Competition fosters individual student commitment, team work, family involvement, and collaboration on all levels. Although the topics are introduced to the teams at after school Black Saga meetings, most of the studying is completed at home with support from parents and/or community members. After a period of study and practice, the Black Saga teams compete with each other in a quiz show format at the Baltimore County Black Saga Competition and at the Maryland State Black Saga Competition.

Mission Statement The mission of the Black Saga Competition in Baltimore County is to develop cultural awareness, pride, tolerance, and appreciation for the diverse contributions of African Americans in America.

Goals • To improve academic achievement of

participating students through development of study skills, a commitment to excellence, and the incorporation of diverse cultural topics and learning styles.

• To enhance the knowledge of the African American Experience in all participating groups: team members, other students, coordinators, faculty, parents, and community.

• To extend and enrich the social studies curriculum by utilizing varied resources related to the African American Experience.

• To increase student, parent, and community involvement.

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TOWSON HIGH SCHOOL MUSIC BOOSTERS FEBRUARY 20, 2015 BASKET BINGO FUNDRAISER

Doors open at 6pm Bingo at 7pm Tall Cedars of Lebanon, 2501 Putty Hill Avenue, Parkville

Single ticket: $20 (Early bird discount: $15 if paid by February 6, 2015)

Table for 10: $150 (Early bird discount: $135 if paid by February 6, 2015) Each ticket buys a night of great company, live music (beginning at 6:15) and an 18-game packet of bingo cards! Bingo winners receive Longaberger baskets filled with valuable items! Only one basket winner per bingo game. If two or more people have BINGO, the winner will be chosen via tie-breaker. Food, drinks and raffle tickets will be available for purchase! Towson High Music Boosters helps fund student participation in all of the music programs at Towson High School. Please complete the form below and mail your payment. Tickets will be mailed to you or will be available for pick up at the will-call table (front desk) at the event. Questions? thsmusicboosters@gmail.com.

TICKET ORDER FORM February 20, 2015 Basket Bingo at Tall Cedars of Lebanon,

Parkville Enclosed is my payment to THS Music Boosters in the amount of $________for: ___ (#) single ticket(s) @ $20 each (or $15/ea if paid by 2/6/2015) ___ (#) table(s) for 10 @ $150/table (or $135/table if paid by 2/6/15) Name & email:

___________________________________________________________

Mailing address:

__________________________________________________________ Please mail this completed form and your check to: THS Music Boosters, 69 Cedar Ave., Towson, MD 21286 Attn: Bingo. All tickets are while supplies last and are non-refundable. All sales final. Thank you for your support!

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APPLY FOR AA ART FOR 2015-2016! It’s not too early to start thinking about applying for AA Art (Advanced Academic Art – Formerly “GT” Art) for next year! Unlike other content areas, the AA Art application process and portfolio review is undertaken by the DMS Art department. The AA Art portfolio process begins with an informative meeting at 3:00 on Wednesday, February 18th, 2015. It will be held after school in Mr. Citrano’s room (Room 119). THIS MEETING IS EXTREMELY IMPORTANT AND ALL APPLICANTS MUST ATTEND. It is crucial that all interested students clear time from their schedule (about 30 minutes) as there is much to discuss. We will demystify the entire portfolio process and we will address any and all questions students may have. Parents need not attend. BCPS portfolio requirements will be given to each student to take home and review. Again, we’ll provide the application, explain the process, highlight the type/quality of work expected, provide a due date for portfolios, and answer all questions at the meeting. We’re looking forward to seeing the room packed with young artists! Spread the word! Best, Luke Jones Art Teacher/ Department Chair Dumbarton Middle School Ljones16@bcps.org

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At DMS, Our pride is Our future!