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Page Updated: 16 November, 2021

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MS Monthly Update: November

Dear Middle School parents,

We are excited to welcome back ALL middle school students on Monday, November 22! Please forgive me for the length of this note, many items need to be communicated to you to be prepared for a smooth transition back to campus.

School Supplies

Students need to bring back the following school supplies:

  • Textbooks, expandable, & agenda
  • Band instrument
  • iPad (with case, chargers, keyboard, and pen)
  • Backpack
  • Water Bottle
  • A pencil case
  • 2 Lead pencils
  • Colored Pencils – a pack of 12 colors
  • Colored Pens – red, green, blue
  • Highlighters (Grade 7 students will need yellow, orange, pink, green, and blue colors)
  • 2 Dry Erase markers
  • Erasers
  • Glue Sticks
  • A pair of scissors
  • A small ruler
  • Headphones/earphones
  • Personal hand sanitizer
  • 1 Large bottle (500ml) hand sanitizer for A block classroom
  • Spare Masks

New Online Learning Expectations & Schedule

The school’s expectation is that all students willing and able to return to campus on Monday do so. The school has been working to ensure that all SOP’s are followed and that students will be safe during the school day while here on campus. That being said, the middle school will still provide an online learning option for students unable to attend in person. Parents not planning to have their child attend school on campus on Monday need to communicate with me the reasoning why we need to continue to provide online learning for their child. This will help teachers as they work to plan and prepare for the upcoming week.

The online learning schedule will change to match the traditional in-person schedule that the middle school is using for students on campus. The online block schedule will no longer be offered.

Uniforms and Expectations

Please check with your child to make sure that their uniforms still fit properly. This includes PE Uniforms. If new uniforms need to be purchased, please make an appointment through the Dalat intranet bulletin announcements. Students will be able to show off their quarantine hairstyles during the first week. However, your child’s hairstyle will need to align with the handbook policy starting November 29.

Pick Up & Drop Off

Campus opens at 8:00 am for drop-off. Middle school students should be dropped off at the upper field gate or in front of harbor hall. For pick-up, grades 5, 6, & 7 will meet at the middle school gate. You will need to have your family’s pick-up placard visible as you enter the upper-field parking lot. Please contact the front desk if you need a car number.

Grade 8 will meet in front of the Harbor building and watch for parents. If you have multiple children, please use the pick-up area for the youngest child.

Safety

  • Everyone coming on campus will have their temperatures taken. Individuals with a temperature of 37.5 or higher will be sent to the nurse.
  • Masks must be worn at all times except when eating or drinking.
  • Students must eat outside of the classroom.
  • Any student or adult that is feeling unwell will be sent home.
  • The classroom will be sanitized regularly.
  • Students will be instructed to sanitize and wash their hands at key times during the day.
  • Social distancing will be observed.

Campus Access

Parent access to campus will now be limited. Before entering campus, parents must register using the Mysejahtera app. There will be a table in front of the main office for parents to drop off student lunches during the day. Parents will not be allowed to drop off lunches in their child’s locker.

Communication

The Middle school office and teachers will be sending out general divisional announcements through the Dalat intranet announcements page. Please check this regularly for updates and reminders of events that will be happening. If you are not already, you can subscribe to the Dalat announcements through the Powerschool Parent Portal.

Also, please be sure to read the Dalat News that goes out via email every Friday. This is where you will find important school-related announcements and information.

Finally, I ask that you provide grace to your child as they work to build up their capacity and transition back to in-person learning. There will be times in the next few weeks that your child may struggle. The middle school staff is here to support our students, whether academically, socially, emotionally, and/or spiritually. Please don’t hesitate to reach out to us for support, should you need any. As always, I thank you for your partnership and commitment to the mission and vision of Dalat.

Next Week- Thanksgiving Holiday

Next week, there will be no school on Thursday and Friday (Nov. 25-26th) due to the Thanksgiving Holiday. We are thankful that students are returning! Enjoy your long weekend.

Daily Schedule INFORMATION

Hello MS Parents!

Welcome back to school! As you know, we will start this quarter with online schooling. While we are disappointed to transition to online learning again, the Dalat staff are working diligently to make the start of school wonderful. We pray for a return to normal soon.

Please click on this link for a brief welcome video for this school year.

To better prepare you for the first day of school, please note the following:

PICKUP OF MATERIALS

  • The campus will be open Tuesday, August  3  from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm to collect items.
  • Only parents are allowed to come to campus to pick up their student’s supplies. No Students will be allowed.
  • Textbooks and other handouts will be in your student’s locker. Attached to this email is the locker list with students’ locker numbers.  
  • Band instruments will be available in the band room for grades 7 & 8.  Note: Grade 6 will not receive an instrument until we return back to school.

SCHOOL SUPPY LIST

  • A pencil case
  • 2 Lead pencils 
  • Colored Pencils – a pack of 12 colors 
  • Colored Pens – red, green, blue
  • Highlighters  (Grade 7 students will need yellow, orange, pink, green, and blue colors.)
  • 2 Dry Erase markers
  • Erasers
  • Glue Sticks
  • A pair of scissors
  • A small ruler

iPADS

This year, each student will have their school iPad during online learning at home. However, due to the MCO, the iPads have been delayed and may not be ready for the Tuesday check-out. Ms. Miller and her team are working to have these ready as soon as possible. I will send out more information when we have those ready. Hopefully, no later than the second week of school.

Online Learning Schedule

(Also see timetable section below.)

    • Blue-days and Gold-days.
      • Plan on attending these classes at the indicated times. Attendance will be taken.
      • You only need to check into Discourse for the classes that are scheduled to meet on these days. e.g., on a “Blue-day,” you only need to check into A, B, C, and D blocks.
    • Lightning days
      • On these days, all classes have time allocated to meet and assign work.
      • Students must check into Discourse for all classes these days, even if there is no Zoom meeting.
    • Special Classes
      • Art, Bible, Band, PE, Ed Tech, and Connection will only connect with their teachers once a week on Zoom. Please check DisCourse and your teacher’s email to know which day the class meets.
    • Office Hours
      • Teachers will provide office hours to answer any questions over the weekly assignments. Outside of office hours, please allow 24 hours for teachers to respond to your emails.

Daily – Start in DisCourse. Each one of your teachers will post in the announcements for their class the day’s tasks. If you ever wonder what you need to get done on a given day, DisCourse is the place for you to find this information.

    1. There will be a Zoom meeting to begin each class on a “Blue-day” or “Gold day.” Please show up to the meeting promptly as a way of showing respect to your classmates and teacher. Focus your full attention on the class that is currently meeting. Teachers will take attendance.
    2. Teachers will work to try and complete much of the work during their scheduled block to limit the amount of homework they have outside of the assigned class block. 
    3. If you do not turn in an assignment in a timely fashion, you will receive a score of a “0,” and it will be noted missing.  For teachers to accept late work, students will need to complete the late assignment reflection form.
    4. Generally, work will either be due at the beginning of your “class period” or at 10 pm on the due date (your teacher will communicate deadlines to you).

Help is available.

    1. The MS Counselor is available during office hours. Please fill in the following link: Middle School
    2. If you are having technical issues, email helpdesk@dalat.org

Zoom Etiquette

  1. Students need a quiet space without distractions. 

  2. Video is required to be on during Zoom calls. 
    • We understand that there may be times when it is necessary to turn your video off for privacy reasons briefly.
    • The general rule is that your video should be on when you are attending Zoom meetings.
  3. Dress appropriately.
    • Your clothing does not have to be uniform or fancy.
    • Do not wear pajamas
  4. Your Zoom video should be of high quality.
    • Be visible with good lighting.
    • Sit close enough to the camera to fill most of the frame.
    • Position the camera so that it is close to eye level (no-one wants to spend the whole class looking up your nose).
    • Be aware of your background and distractions
    • Be seated with the camera on a stable platform. 
    • Do not use a handheld phone.

Questions?

The transition can be challenging for some students. The MS Counselor is available during office hours. Please fill in the following link: Middle School

As always, my virtual door is open. Please email me (Tressa White, MS Principal) with any questions or concerns.

Important schedules

A couple of reminders:

  • Attendance– Attendance in Zoom is required.
  • DISCourse announcements- Please have your student check the daily announcement in DISCourse- this will provide them any new information, assignments & Zoom links.
  • Time Management– Please encourage your student to complete their coursework in the designated time block. Teachers are working hard to keep the workload manageable for the school day, so they have the evenings for play and family time.
  • Digital Citizenship– This quarter, we are focusing on citizenship. Online learning provides an opportunity for students to grow and develop digital citizenship.
    • Leave a positive digital footprint
    • Treating others with respect and avoiding inappropriate behavior
    • Be nice online (and encourage others to be nice, too).
  • Help Desk– If you have any tech-related questions, please email HelpDesk@dalat.org.
  • Other Support- The MS Counselor is available during office hours. Please fill in the following link: Middle School

Below are the important schedules.

Tressa White

middle school principal

Supporting Your Middle School Student Online

Middle School wants to support you and your child as much as we can during this MCO.

Every so often it is good to take inventory of how we are learning—of looking at the things that were done well and areas that there is room to grow.

Here are 3 simple areas to examine:

Schedule & Routine

It can be easy for students to lose track of time when they are learning outside of the school setting. Check in on your child’s schedule for school time, physical activity, and time for fun too. Was your child able to step away from the computer for a while and stimulate their brain in a different way? Was it easy to stick to the schedule and routine? What challenges did they face? What is working well for them?

Participation, Preparedness & Assignments

Is your child getting to the zoom meetings on time with all the materials they will need? Did they hand in their work on time? Encourage your child to get the most of this experience by making his/her voice heard by participating in class discussions and enhancing their self-management skills by keeping on track with assignments and staying organized.

Support System

Does your child have a ready support system? Check in with your child to see what is going well and what you could do to support them. Look for other families and check in with each other. Offer help and maybe even create an online study group!

Thank you for supporting your child in this online learning season.

If you find that your child is not adjusting to this transition to online learning well–I can help. If you believe your child needs individual or small group support, please do not hesitate to reach out to me through email or here: Middle School Counseling and Online Learning Help Desk

Let us face our current challenges together. I look forward to hearing from you.

Ms. Muvumba

middle school counselor

Online Resilience and Gratitude

Generally defined, resilience is the ability to bounce back quickly from obstacles and spring back to one’s original form.

Practically speaking, these are a few keys to becoming more resilient:

Flexible Thinking

The ability to create alternative solutions, thoughts and ideas is key to maintaining psychological strength. A person with growth mindset thrives on challenges as a facilitator for learning. A flexible student sees a change in a schedule, lightening days, using zoom as a platform for learning and other online tools as a means for growth.

Task-oriented

Students who are task-oriented rise to academic challenges. This is vital to online learning. Resilient students identify what assignments, projects and tasks need to be done and rise to the challenge

Positive vs Negative Thinking

Resilient individuals manage to cultivate positive emotions more than negative ones. They view life optimistically and are hopeful about the future. This individual chooses to count their blessings versus focusing on their losses.

Right now, appreciation and gratitude have never been so important. Giving thanks is a recognition of value that can strengthen relationships and emotional well-being. As we end this week going into Thanksgiving weekend here are a few tips to encourage thanksgiving:

  • Write down “three good things”—identify three things that have gone well for you or your family and identify the cause.
  • Write thank-you notes to others.
  • Think about people who have inspired you and what about them was most significant.

If you believe your child needs individual or small group support, please do not hesitate to reach out to me through email or here: Middle School Counseling and Online Learning Help Desk

Ms. Muvumba

middle school counselor