Friday Newsletter for 11/3/17

DMS PTO Newsletter for 11/3/17  Spotlight on Fil Prevost, Front Office Secretary by Danielle Bradley This month our spotlight is on a very important person at DMS, secretary Fil Prevost. If you have ever been to the DMS office or called the school, chances are very good that you have seen or spoken to Ms. Prevost. She is usually the first person you see in the office, always greeting everyone with a smile. She is married to a former FCA social studies teacher/ tennis coach and has three children and four grandchildren. She began subbing in the district and switched to full time in 2001. At first she worked at Hartwood Elementary for the morning and then walked over to the middle school for the afternoon. Now she shares her secretarial talents exclusively with DMS. She is the first point of contact for parents and enjoys getting to know them as well as the students. One of her main jobs at DMS is attendance, which is a big job when you consider the large number of students and all of their late arrivals, early dismissals, and school activities. She wants parents to know how important it is to send in notes in these instances. This way she can inform the teachers when a student will not be in class or has to leave at a certain time. Another job she has is getting forgotten lunches and iPads to the students as well when parents bring them to the office. She also helps to coordinate buses for field trips throughout the year. In addition, she assists the principals with anything they need. She is in the office over the summer as well preparing for every new school year. Ms. Prevost works with Ms. Wargo and Ms. Celender to keep the school office up and running.  She truly loves her job and says that the students keep it interesting!   Fall Student Social Tonight Students should only attend the social if they have already purchased a ticket. Students should be dropped off and picked up at the FRONT of the building. Drop off at 6:30pm. Pick-up promptly at 8:30pm. Extra pizza, ice cream, chips & beverages will be sold for $1.00 per item at the event. Raffle Basket Tickets on Sale Starting Monday The baskets will be on display starting Monday, November 6 and will continue to be on display until Saturday, November 18. That's only two weeks, so make sure you take advantage of the chance to win one of the amazing baskets! Tickets will be available for purchase during parent-teacher conferences on November 6 and 7; November 9, 13, 14, 15, 16 and 17 during lunch time at the school store; and during the DMS musical on November 16, 17, and 18 before the show and during intermission. Winners will be drawn during the intermission of the musical on Saturday, November 18. 1 Ticket / $2 3 Tickets / $5 8 Tickets / $10 20 Tickets / $20 Please volunteer to sell raffle tickets on 11/6, 11/7, (at parent teacher conferences), 11/16, 11/17, and/ or 11/18 (at the DMS Musical). There are plenty of choices available. No need to have clearances to sell during these times. We also need volunteers to sell tickets on Monday, 11/13, Wednesday, 11/15, and Friday, 11/17, during lunch time in the school store area. Clearances are needed if you are selling tickets during these times. Thanks in advance! Teacher Luncheon On November 7, parent-teacher conference day, the PTO will provide a catered lunch for the teachers. We need volunteers to help decorate, serve lunch, and clean up afterwards. The need is for 11/7 from 10:00 AM to 1:00 PM. Please sign up here if you can help. Thanks to those of you who volunteered already, but we could use a few more. You don't need clearances for this one!  DMS Fall Musical, Honk, Jr. Come see Honk Jr. the Musical, where you learn that different isn't bad, and that you should never judge a bird by his feathers! Show times are: Thursday, November 16 at 7:00 PM Friday, November 17 at 7:00 PM Saturday, November 18 at 10:00 AM Tickets can be purchased by following this link. Parent Book Club Please join the DMS Parenting Book Group for a discussion of iGen: Why Today’s Super-Connected Kids Are Growing Up Less Rebellious, More Tolerant, Less Happy--and Completely Unprepared for Adulthood--and What That Means for the Rest of Us. The Wall Street Journal reports this book is, “central to understanding this generation’s experience.” For a primer on this recent release, check out this article written by the book’s author, Jean Twenge, in the September 2017 issue of The Atlantic, https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2017/09/hasthesmartphonedestroyedageneration/534198/ We will meet 7:00 PM, Wednesday Nov. 29 at the Giant Eagle Cafe. For more information, to get on the book group’s email list, or if you have questions, check the DMS Facebook page or email lauridane at gmail with questions. Should be a rousing discussion—hope to see you there! Apples for the Students Shop. Scan. Support Our School. This program is a great way for our school to earn funds for our schools' overall educational needs. Is your Giant Eagle Advantage Card® registered? Now’s the time to check. All you need is our school code, 5494, to verify a card or register a new card. You can divide your support among more than one school, so please consider adding DMS if you have not done so already. If you are already signed up, you don't need to do anything else. 1. Visit www.gianteagle.com/AFTS. 2. Log in to your account. 3. Click on the "My School Programs" page 4. Click "Add another school" 5. Enter the school code, 5494. 6. Done! Please encourage your extended family and friends to register too.  Can you Staff the School Store on 11/9 or 11/14? We continue to need volunteers (with clearances) to sign up for a Tuesday or Thursday lunch-time session in the coming weeks and months to run the school store. Currently we need someone (or two) for 11/9, 11/14 and 12/12. In addition to selling tickets for the basket raffle fundraiser, the school store carries many student essentials including locks, pencils, notebooks, gym shirts, and more. Sign up here!

Events Coming Up Friday, 11/3, 6:30 PM - 8:30 PM: Fall Student Social; Drop off at the front door. Sunday, 11/5, 2:00 AM: Daylight Savings Time ends; set your clocks back one hour Monday, 11/6:  Raffle baskets on display and tickets available! Monday, 11/6:  Half day for students Monday, 11/6, 12:30 - 6:30 PM:  Parent Teacher Conferences Monday, 11/6, 7:00 - 7:30 PM:  School Board Meeting, Kerr Elementary Tuesday, 11/7:  No school for students Tuesday, 11/7, 7:30 AM - 4:30 PM: Parent Teacher Conferences Tuesday, 11/7, 10:00 AM - 1:00 PM: PTO provides lunch for teachers Thursday, 11/9: Lifetouch picture retake day Monday, 11/13, 7:00 - 7:30 PM: School Board Meeting, High School LGI Room Tuesday, 11/14, 6:00 PM: District Forum Meeting, High School LGI Room Wednesday, 11/15, 9:00 AM: DMS PTO Meeting, at DMS Thursday, 11/16, 7:00 PM: DMS Fall Musical, Honk Jr. Friday, 11/17, 7:00 PM: DMS Fall Musical, Honk Jr. Saturday, 11/18, 2:00 PM: DMS Fall Musical, Honk Jr. Wednesday, 11/22, 11:30 AM: Early Dismissal Thursday, 11/23 - Monday, 11/27: Thanksgiving break. No school Wednesday, 11/29, 7:00 PM, Giant Eagle Cafe: Parent Book Club  Monday, 12/4, 7:00 - 7:30 PM, High School LGI Room: School Board Meeting Don't forget to set your clocks back!