MARCH

                                           2010 NEWSLETTER

 UP COMING EVENT SCHEDULE

                        March  2,3,4,5             ISTEP

                        2                      Booster Meeting                                                        4:00pm

                        2                      School Board Meeting                                               6:30pm

                        4                      Skill Bowl Meet at DMS vs Wes Del                         4:00pm

                        5                      Student Council Dance                                               5:00-7:00pm

                        9                      Skill Bowl Meet at Northside                                     4:00pm                                   

                        10                    Skill Bowl Meet at Selma                                           4:00pm                                    

                        12&13             Swinging Sounds Beauty and the Beast                     7:00pm

                        14                    Daylight Savings Time Begins

                        15                    Spring Pictures

                        15                    Corporation Musical @ Emens                                   6:30pm                                   

                        16                    School Board Meeting                                                6:30pm

                        16                    Skill Bowl Meet at Northside- County                        4:00pm

                        19-26               Spring Break/No School

                        31                    Track Practice Begins - physical must be on file        3:15-5:00pm  

PARENTS/GUARDIANS:

Spring ISTEP will begin first round of testing on March 2^nd thru March 5^th.  The 6^th and 7^th grade students will test all 4 days and the 8^th grade will only test 3 days.  Please be sure your son/daughter gets plenty of rest throughout the week and encourage them to do their very best.  Studies show eating breakfast will assist in mental preparation.  We strongly encourage you to make doctor/dental appointments around the testing schedule to avoid your student making the tests up which will also get them behind in the classroom.  The testing will be administered during the mornings of each day.

DAYLIGHT SAVINGS TIME

Just a reminder to set your clocks ahead on an hour on March 14^th, due to Day Light Savings Time.  It is very important to make this change!

7TH GRADE FIELD TRIP—May 7, 2010

The 7th graders will soon be receiving an information letter about their May 8 field trip to Chicago.  The cost of the field trip is $60, which covers cost of transportation and admission into the Museum of Science and Industry and Shedd Aquarium.  Money will be collected the week of March 8-12.  Please do not send money to the office.  All money should be given to the appropriate science teacher.

SPELLING BEE

The 2010 Spelling Bee was held February 3 during first period.  Seventh grade student Brayton Conley, last year’s winner, was also victorious this year.  The runner-up was eighth grade student Jalen Robinson.  Brayton will compete in the Regional Spelling Bee February 27 at the Cornerstone Center for the Arts.  Good luck Brayton!

BEAUTY and the BEAST JR. HITS DMS STAGE!

Just a reminder that Swinging Sounds will be performing another musical this year!  That’s right! Beauty and the Beast, Jr. will be performed on the DMS stage on Friday, March 12, and Saturday, March 13, at 7:00pm sharp! Admission is $5 for adults and $3 for children 10 and under. This is a small price to pay to enjoy a “tale as old as time!”

    BAND/CHOIR NEWS

On Monday, March 15, 2010, the band and choir students will be performing in the annual Corporation Concert at Emens Auditorium at Ball State University. This concert will also include the high school and elementary music departments. The concert will begin at 6:30pm and detailed information about call times will be sent home with students near the concert date. Since this is not on Ball State’s Spring Break as it has been in the past, campus will be much busier than usual. They are requesting that we park in the Emens and McKinley parking structures. Car pooling is strongly recommended to aid in the parking situation.

BAND SOLO/ ENSEMBLE

 All of the band students who performed at Solo and Ensemble Festival on January 30th, earned a Gold Medal for their performance from their judges. This is something that rarely happens. Please congratulate the students on their hard work!

CIRCLE THE STATE WITH SONG

On Saturday, February 27, 2010, several Delta Middle School choir students traveled to Anderson to participate in the Circle the State with Song regional choral festival.  This select group of students spent several months learning their music at home and at school and then had the opportunity to join other students from schools all over east central Indiana as they spent Saturday morning and afternoon practicing with two dynamic guest conductors.  The day culminated in an afternoon performance for friends and family that was enjoyed by all!  Congratulations to all of the participants for their hard work, great attitudes, and excellent performances—we are so proud to have you represent Delta Middle School.

DMS ART EXHIBIT WINNERS

Twelve Delta Middle School students have be recognized with awards in The Scholastic Art and Writing Awards of Central and Southern Indiana.  This is a remarkable achievement and milestone for these young artists.  A panel of regional artists and art professionals selected their work, from over 1,100 works submitted, as the most exceptional in our 54 county region.

Of the works submitted, 95 Gold Keys were awarded to the most accomplished works. 5 American Visions Nominations were awarded to the most outstanding Gold Key art; this award honors the best in show in any category and age group. Gold Key art will be forwarded to the national level of the Scholastic Art Awards.  National judging occurs in mid-March.

94 Silver Keys were awarded to distinguished works from Central and Southern Indiana.  6 Gold Key and 6 silver Key Photography Portfolio winners were also selected.

Gold Key winners from Delta Middle School are:  Sarah Wright, grade 8, Madison Ashman, grade 8, Bailey Walton grade 8.  Silver Key in Drawing:  Noah Burford, Madison Ashman.  Silver Key in Mixed Media: Samantha Thompson grade 8.  Silver Key in Painting: Dakota Sanders, grade 8.  Honorable mention in Drawing:  Nathan Brown, grade 7, Savannah Rose, grade 7, Matt Emrick, grade 7, and Bailey Walton grade 8.

DMS WRITERS WIN AWARDS

Earlier this month, eighth graders entered the Scholastic Writing Contest through the Ft. Wayne Museum of Art.  It is the first time we have attempted this regional contest (the art department has entered the Scholastic Art Contest for many years).  We sent 125 entries, and 49 received an award!  Of our 49 awards, 24 were Gold Keys (which go on to national competition), 10 were Silver Keys, and 15 were Certificate of Merit awards.  Winning students will receive their awards at a ceremony at the Wayne Center in Ft. Wayne next month.  Their writings will be on display at the Ft. Wayne Museum of Art from Feb. 13 – Apr. 4.  You can learn more about the Scholastic Art and Writing Awards by visiting www.artandwriting.org.

DMS RECYCLING PROGRAM

Our paper recycling program will begin again on Saturday, March 13, 2010. Through recycling we have earned $2362.60 for the Dollars for Scholars scholarship program so far. We thank all of you that have helped us achieve this.  If you save paper and cardboard for the DMS recycling program, please flatten cardboard boxes.  We want to fill the recycling container as full as possible so that we can increase our earnings.  If there is no wasted space, such as large empty boxes, we can get much more in the container.  All types of paper can be recycled.  Metal fasteners, including staples, need to be removed.  Plastic laminated paper and plastic coverings also need to be removed.  The funds from the paper recycling program benefit the Dollars for Scholars scholarship program for Delta students.

We are continuing to collect empty inkjet cartridges and cell phones for our outdoor lab fund.  Please place the empty cartridges in a plastic bag to prevent leaking.  A recycling box is in the cafetorium area in front of Mr. Harman’s office window.  Mrs. Gonser is also collecting these items.

 Thank you for supporting our recycling program.  Contact Mrs. Gonser at 747-0869 with any questions.

INTERNET SAFETY IN THE MEDIA CENTER

Does your student know how to keep himself or herself safe while interacting with others on the Internet?  DMS eighth graders have recently spent six sessions in the media center working their way through the Missing game.   Missing was produced by WebWiseKids and funded by the U.S. Department of Justice.  Mrs. Hunter attended a training session in October where she received materials for conducting Missing with students. 

Students followed a CD program where they noted clues in their detective notebooks while trying to find Zack, a fourteen year old who became involved with an Internet predator.  The first two sessions were completed as a group with students interacting with the program shown on a SMARTBoard.  Sessions 3-6 were completed in groups of 2-3 students working together on a computer.  In session 6, students had to use clues they had collected to try to rescue Zack from the predator. 

To culminate the unit, eighth grade students chose to either create an Internet safety poster or write a reflection paper using information they learned during the Missing sessions

SPRING BREAK SAFE SITTER CLASS

AT BALL MEMORIAL HOSPITAL

March 24 and March 25

Call Access Services at 765-741-1073

to reserve your spot!

Better sitters today…Better parents tomorrow

The best baby sitter is a SAFE SITTER!

SAFE SITTER is a medically accurate instruction class which teaches boys and girls ages 11 through 13 how to prevent and handle behavior problems and emergencies when caring for young children.

            SAFE SITTERS learn:

Behavior management techniques

Basic life-saving techniques

Safety precautions to prevent accidents

How and when to call for help

Tips on basic childcare

             ALL THIS AND IT’S FUN TOO!

SAFE SITTER classes are available through Ball Memorial Hospital.  The $50 fee covers the cost of materials each participant receives.  Scholarships are available.

To register your son, daughter

or your babysitter, call

Ball Memorial Hospital

Access Services at (765) 741-1073

CAREER DAY

Do you have a career in sales, EMT, the military?  Or are you a business owner, teacher, construction worker, etc.?  We are looking for volunteers to speak about their careers to our 8^th graders for Career Day, May 14.  If you are interested in informing students about your career, contact Ms. Titus or Mrs. Jarck.

TWENTY-FIRST CENTURY

SCHOLARS PROGRAM

Enroll your child today for the Twenty-First Century Scholars Program.  Eligible sixth, seventh, and eighth grade students who enroll in the program and fulfill a pledge of good citizenship, will receive a scholarship for up to eight semesters of free tuition at an eligible Indiana public college, university, or technical school. (An equivalent amount will be awarded toward tuition at a private Indiana college.)  There are income eligibility guidelines. The Scholars website is an excellent resource as well: http://www.scholars.in.gov. The application deadline is June 30, following the student’s eighth grade year.   For more information or an application, contact Mr. Jarck or Miss. Titus.

HOMEWORK HOTLINE’S

FREE TUTORING

Students are encouraged to call the Homework Hotline’s free tutoring services for math and science homework help.  The number is 1-877-ASK-ROSE or visit www. AskRose.org.  The service hours are 7:00pm to 10:00pm, Eastern Time, Sunday through Thursday.

LAST DAY OF SCHOOL

As of the date of this publication, due to weather related school cancellations, the last day for Delta Middle School is tentatively set for June 7, 2010.

SCHOOL BOARD MINUTES

Parents, if you are interested in viewing the School Board meeting minutes you may view them by logging onto: www.delcomschools.org.

BOX TOPS, TYSON PROJECT A+, AND

CAMPBELL’S LABELS FOR EDUCATION  

Delta Middle School participates in these national school fundraising programs!  Send Box Tops for Education, Tyson Chicken “Project A+” flaps, and Campbell's Labels for Education to school with your son or daughter.  Collection is now taking place in first period classes.  The first period classes with the most money/points raised (per fundraiser) by March 18 will be rewarded with a pizza or ice cream party!  FYI: Box Tops are worth 10 cents each; Tyson “Project A+” flaps are worth 24 cents each; and the Campbell’s Labels for Education are redeemable for merchandise through their catalog.  National Junior Honor Society coordinates this effort.  Part of the money raised each year will go to the eighth graders for a much needed start to their high school class account.  All students are encouraged to participate.  Encourage friends and family members who do not have school-age children to save labels for our school!  Please contact Mrs. Angela Decker at adecker@delcomschools.org  or Mrs. Jennifer Olfier at jolfier@delcomschools.org  with questions. 

WALK-A-MILE-IN-MY-SHOE EVENT

Our Student Council, with the assistance of staff and students at DMS, raised $369.60 for the Muncie Mission Ministries and the Walk-a-Mile-in-my-Shoe Event which was Saturday, February 6. Great job to the student council members and their sponsors, Julie Titus and Nicole VanDervort.