Dear 6th Grade Parents and Guardians,
I hope your child has enjoyed the start of school! It has been a busy, exciting week, and there is more to come. The class is in great form, and their teachers and I are delighted to be enjoying these opening days in their company. I have the sense most students are enjoying all the new discoveries, but we also know this can be an overwhelming time for young folks. Please feel free to reach out to me, your child’s advisor, or Mrs. Levitan if you have any concerns or want to share about your child’s experience. Tuesday evening is a great time to bring questions. I look forward to meeting with you all then — and especially to your getting together as grade-level parents. This is a great opportunity to touch base with each other, welcome new acquaintances, and spend a little time with the parents of the classmates your child is collaborating with every day.
Dates of Interest
- September 12th, PARENT ORIENTATION, 7pm. — Check your email for an invitation from the middle school office sent earlier this week.
- September 12th, Club Selection — During advisory, students will learn about the fall clubs that will meet during activities periods (Tues. & Thurs. 2:40-3:25.) Students will submit their requests to join clubs via a google form, and clubs start meeting the 14th. Students interested in joining a sports team will meet with coaches during activities period on the 14th.
- September 18th, after school, Fall Sports and Try-Outs Start — If your child is interested, they should check their email and fill out the form sent by our athletic director today. Weekly practice/try-outs schedules are posted on the athletics page of the school website.
- September 18th, Picture Day — All students are photographed for the yearbook and ID cards. If you would like copies of your child’s ID photo “head shot”, send in a check and this form with your child on Picture Day.
- September 21st, Back To School Night — Look for an email invitation soon. Starts 6:00 pm.
- September 25th, Yom Kippur — No School
- September 28th-29th, Overnight Trip — Team-Building at YMCA Camp Mason. More information will be shared at Tuesday’s Fall Parent Orientation.
Around the Dinner Table…
- Sports and Clubs — Middle School is a great time to try something new! You may want to encourage your child to go out for a sport, even if just to see what it is like. Getting involved in clubs can create opportunities to make new friends (clubs include 6th, 7th and 8th graders all together) and discover new interests as well as build upon current passions.
- The Homework Planner — Students received their D-E paper planner in advisory today! They will be encouraged to use it in every class that assigns homework as well as for planning ahead to finish projects and long-term assignments. You may want to help your child fill in the page about after-school commitments to help them with their time management.
Reminders
- Students should check email nightly –– A preseason sign up for sports was sent to them recently, and teachers also communicate important, timely details via email.
- Attendance — Mrs. Jones is our attendance coordinator for middle school. You can reach her at MSattendance@d-e.org or 201-227-3301. Please let her know if your child will be dropped off late, picked up early or unexpectedly absent. If you are planning an absence in advance, please copy her on your e-mail to me.
- MS Office/Day-Of Communications — Our office manager is Ms. Cebulski. You can reach her at 201-227-3230 or cebuld@d-e.org. She can help you get a message to your child should you have an unexpected, time-sensitive communication. While easy and tempting to do, please do NOT contact your child by text message during the school day. We will be working with students on how to manage their personal tech so it is not managing them, and asking them to keep phones and apple watches off and stowed during the day is part of that project. You can help by communicating urgent messages through the school rather than via cell, and/ or making it clear to your child that any texts you send are OK to look at after dismissal at 3:25. The teachers and I spend the day engaged with students and so often do not get to email and phone messages right away, so Ms. Cebulski also can help with other time-sensitive questions. When we go on field trips, I keep in touch with her, so she has information about our progress throughout the trip as well.
- Other contact information is listed on the website and on this Quick Reference List
Have a happy weekend,
Tasha Urtbanowski
