DCMS Antlers are S.H.A.R.P.
S.afe H.elpful A.spiring R.esponsible P.ositive
Nov. 18-24
MMN
If you are not familiar with Deer Creek Middle School or Monday Morning News, this is a newsletter that provides information to parents about what is taking place at the Middle School. It is a great communication tool for us and a great way for you to know how you can be involved in your child’s school. Attachments are noted with quotations Example: “name of attachment”. This will be sent out in email every Monday. If you know of someone who is not receiving the newsletter, please have them contact the office to get signed up.
TEACHER APPRECIATION
Every year we like to send our teachers home for Christmas Break with a little party on the last day before the break. During the party, we like to give away gifts either through a drawing or other type of game. We are looking for gifts for the party this year. In the past, we have received gift cards, decorations/crafts, free oil changes, spa treatments, teeth whitening, and other gifts from local businesses. If you or you know of a business that would be interested in donating a gift for this party, we would appreciate your checking with them. This can be a good form of advertising for the business as well. I have attached a letter that can be used when you ask for donations “Donation Letter 2013”. We can pick items up if we need to. Please email me if you have any questions or if you would like to donate a gift. This allows us to acknowledge teachers, custodians, and other support staff during the party. Thank you.
WINTER BREAK AND FINALS
We want to remind everyone that our last day of school before winter break will be December 20th. We will have semester finals from December 16th to the 20th. The schedule is listed below. These are very important tests that count 10% of the students overall grade. It is important that your child is at school on all these days for tests.
Monday, December 16th- Math Day 1
Tuesday, December 17th- Math Day 2
Wednesday, December 18th- Comp/Lit
Thursday, December 19th- Science
Friday, December 20th- Geography/History
PSG SCHOOL DANCE
PSG 2018 sponsored dance is on Friday, December 13th from 6-8 pm. It will be located in the school cafeteria. We would appreciate any donations of Pop, Gatorade, or Candy to sell at the dance. We will be checking dress code at the door, so please make sure you are within the guidelines before you arrive. The cost is $5 to enter and we will be selling concessions as well.
CHICK-FIL-A for Lunch
Chick-Fil-A will be sold on Dec. 4th and Dec 18th for lunch. The charge will be $3.50 per sandwich and students must have cash or money on their account in order to purchase. We are glad to have this back for our students.
DCMS TEACHER OF THE YEAR
We would like to congratulate Mr. Jeter for being voted as our MS Teacher of the Year this year. Mr. Jeter has been a great member of our staff for 5 years and is very deserving of this recognition. He will represent the rest of our great teachers very well as our Teacher of the Year.
ANTLER PRIDE BAKE SALE
The Antler Pride bake sale is Thursday and Friday, December 12th and 13th, starting before school until 3:00 both days. We will not be able to sell during lunch either day. We need your help!! We need donations of homemade baked goods. Anything from puppy chow, spicy pretzels, cookies and brownies to cinnamon rolls would be GREAT! All food items will be $1.00 so the sandwich size bags are best for filling. We need all items delivered to school by Wednesday, December 11th.
Also, we still have lots of time slots available to volunteer. Please email me (aprince83@hotmail.com) if you are available and have not already signed up on SignUp Genius.
If you do not already have recipes, below are recipes for Puppy Chow and Spicy Pretzels, which are our two most popular items. All homemade items are very much appreciated. Thank you.
Puppy Chow
9 cups Rice Chex, Corn Chex or Chocolate Chex cereal (or combination)
1-cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
½ cup peanut butter
¼ cup butter or margarine
1 tsp. vanilla
1 ½ cups powdered sugar
1. Into large bowl, measure cereal and set aside.
2. In 1-quart microwavable bowl, microwave chocolate chips, peanut butter and butter uncovered on high 1 minute; stir. Microwave about 30 seconds longer or until mixture can be stirred smooth. Stir in vanilla. Pour mixture over cereal, stirring evenly until coated. Pour into 2-gallon re-sealable food storage plastic bag.
3. Add powdered sugar. Seal bag; shake until well coated. Spread on waxed paper to cool. Store in airtight container in refrigerator.
Spicy Pretzels
Large tub of pretzels
1½ cups of vegetable oil
1 Tbl lemon pepper
1 Tbl garlic powder
1 Tbl cayenne
1 pkg ranch dressing mix
1. Combine all ingredients except pretzels.
2. Add pretzels and coat. Spoon pretzels out on wax paper to dry.
3. Store in airtight container.
PTO MEETING
Our next PTO meeting is scheduled for December 3rd at 9:00 am in the Office. We hope you can join us. You can see the November meeting minutes attached. “Middle School PTO Meeting November 2013”
ANTLER PRIDE-NEW JACKET FOR THE COLD WEATHER
Perfect for everyday wear, our soft shell jacket has an understated texture that makes it a bit more sophisticated than other soft shells. Super soft and flexible, this jacket delivers pure comfort as well as water and wind protection. The raglan silhouette gives you optimum range of motion, while the angled zippered chest pocket adds visual appeal. DC emblem is located on upper left corner of jacket. See attachment “AP Jackets 2013 Final Order Form” to order.
ANTLER PRIDE
Basketball and Wrestling Seasons are about to begin. This is a great time to order a Superfan shirt if you have not already done so. It will get every student into the game free when they wear it. With so many games, this is definitely worth it. Please see attached “Superfan Tshirt order form 2013 Student”
ANTLER PRIDE WILL BE SELLING DEER CREEK SPIRIT WEAR AND ACCESSORIES ON THE FOLLOWING DATES! COME BY AND SEE US!!
TUESDAY, DECEMBER 2
THURSDAY, JANUARY 23 (ALSO WRESTLING HOME MATCH)
MONDAY, FEBRUARY 3
HOME JV BASKETBALL GAMES....
4:00~7:30PM
TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 19
TUESDAY, JANUARY 14
WE WILL BE LOCATED IN THE LOBBY OF THE GYM....
ONLINE SAFETY RESOURCES
With the increase in frequency that our students are online and involved with social media, it is important for us as educators and parents to stay involved in their online lives. If you are like me, you have probably found that it is very difficult to keep up with all the new apps, games, and social sites. Here are some resources provided by the State Department of Education specifically focused on empowering us to meet this challenge. I hope you find this helpful as you work with your children to keep them safe in their online interactions. http://www.ok.gov/sde/internet-safety
GRADE LEVEL INCENTIVES
Students and Parents, We want to let you know that we will be having grade level incentives to reward those students throughout the year who make good choices in school. Below is some information about the upcoming incentives for each grade. The criteria to attend the incentives is also attached “Grade Level Incentive Requirements” and includes…
Ø No more than 3 marks
Ø No “ISS” or “OSS”
Ø No more than 4 Tardies
Ø No D’s or F’s
8th Grade Incentive-Trip to Quail Springs Baptist Church Recreation Facility on December 11. Pizza will be provided for lunch.
STUDENT TEST SCORES-PICKUP
We have the current 7th and 8th grade student test scores from last year in the main office. These can be picked up at any time during normal office hours. This will provide information about how your child tested in the Spring of last year.
MIDDLE YEARS NEWSLETTER FOR PARENTS
Middle Years is a newsletter with great articles and information about how to be a successful student and parent during middle school. It is a very quick read and has great information. I would like to thank our PTO for sponsoring this newsletter for our school. See attachment “Middle Years December 2013” for the new edition
DC LICENSE PLATES
Please see the Press Release attached regarding the new Deer Creek School District Specialty License Plates. We are excited about this opportunity for our community and patrons. “Deer Creek Public Schools-Foundation Press Release” The sale of 1 plate equates $20.00 being returned to the Foundation each year. When the Foundation awards grants each spring the formula used equates to $15.00 per student at last year’s student population level. At that level the purchase of 1 plate provides enough funding for 1 student each year. 3 plate purchases would help us fund 4 students. Please note how important this initiative will be with keeping up with district growth and allowing the Foundation to do more for you and your schools into the future! A picture is also attached “Final Plate Sign”
DCMS LEADERSHIP
If your child is interested in becoming a member of the leadership team, all they have to do is come to the meetings. The leadership group helps plan and organize events at school and acts as a representative of the school during transition and events. If you have questions about the leadership team, please contact Andrea Carpenter at carpentera@deercreek.k12.ok.us
ATTENDANCE
Parents, I would like to remind you that your child must be in attendance 89% of the school year to be eligible for promotion into the next grade level. This equates to no more than 20 absences. If your child misses for an extended period of time for emergence or illness, please provide a doctor’s note for documentation. We have begun sending out generic emails to parents about absences if your child has missed a certain amount of days. We will continue to send these out throughout the year regardless of the reason for the absences(excused or unexcused). These emails are simply a reminder throughout the year.
ANTLER SHARP Students (Sponsored by Deer Creek Chamber of Commerce) http://news.deercreekchamber.com/2012/09/deer-creek-middle-school-news/
As a part of our DCMS Antlers are SHARP theme this year. I would like to tell you about the SHARP students incentive. Any student that is seen making positive choices or doing great things that fit our theme, may receive a slip of paper with their name on it. They will then bring it to one of the principals, so we can thank them for making DCMS great. That slip of paper will then go into a daily drawing for prizes. Their name will stay in the drawing until they win or until the end of the year. We would like to thank the Deer Creek Chamber of Commerce for sponsoring this program by providing gift cards as one of the potential prizes.
These are the Antler Sharp Students for the week of November 18th.
Matt Loftis
Addie Maze
Kamdyn Van Dorn
Carter Noble
Sam Pipkin
Trevor Coffman
Sofia Ferguson
Mac McDaniel
Grayson Schimmels
Morgan Williams
Congratulations to last week’s winners!!!!
MAZZIO’S STUDENT OF THE MONTH
Will we be recognizing many students every month as the Students of the Month. This is an award given by each team of teachers and elective teachers every month. Mazzio’s donates a pizza party to these students. We would like to thank Mazzio’s for partnering with us on this great program and rewarding our students with a pizza party. We would also like to thank the PTO hospitality for providing the dessert. Students pictures will be displayed in the main lobby every month as well. We will announce the recipients at the end of every month. Mazzio’s is located on Santa Fe and Danforth. Support this sponsor by calling direct at - 341-6012.
NOVEMBER STUDENTS
Dylan Russell
Tyra Everage
Jakob Chapa
Macy Cates
Joshua Sinor
Hannah Koenig
Tyler Williams
Allison Dragoo
William Cotterall
Kylee Osburn
Braydon Moore
Briggs Morgan
Remy Towey
Emily Planter
November Arts Students of the Month
Kendall Sowerby
Roseli Tadajewski
Rawan Farhan
April Walden
Hannah Harberson
Reese Dawkins
Paten Morton
Mikayla Sweet
Reagan Cooper
Luke Anthony
October Readers of the Month
7th grade – Hannah Koenig and Holden Clayton
8th grade – Trev Coffman and Ayesha Sajid
October BoxTops winners (They will each receive a Sonic gift card. Please keep your Box Tops coming to the library!)
Jacob Venezia
Jacob Loflin
Congratulations to our October “Student-Athletes” of the Month! This recognizes athletes who perform well in the classroom and on the field.
STEVEN CLARK KADEN MARSHALL MATHEW SINOR NATALIE BARTON HANNAH GIGSTAD SYDNEY MANNING EMILY HOTT LEE DAVIS
DCMS SCHOOL GRADE
DCMS is pleased to have received a grade of 92, A- from the Oklahoma State Department of Education. This grade is only one indicator of the many accomplishments that take place daily in our classrooms. We will continue to expand on our areas of strength and look for areas to improve. We thank and commend the teachers, staff, parents and students.
DOUGHNUTS FOR SALE
The library will be selling doughnuts every Thursday morning beginning at 7 a.m. in the gym concession stand. Help support the library by buying a chocolate, glazed, or maple doughnut for $1.
GRADE CHECKS
We encourage you to constantly check your child’s progress in their classes. We wanted you to know that you will see a T1 and an S1 grade listed. The T1 grade is only for athletics classes even though it shows up for every class. You should only look at the S1 grade for all other classes to see how your child is doing in those classes. Please contact the teacher or office if you have any questions about your child’s grades. We want every child to be successful, and we know how important it is to have parents working with teachers to make this happen. Click on this link to access the parent portal. http://powerschool.deercreek.k12.ok.us/public/home.html
DOES YOUR CHILD NEED TUTORING?
DCMS will be offering tutoring on Mondays through Thursdays from 2:30-3:30 every week we are in school. Students who go to tutoring will need to have transportation at 3:30. Tutoring will be in room A-10. Students do not need to let us know they are coming in advance, but we ask that they stay in tutoring until their ride arrives. We hope this will help our parents and students get the help they need.
FRIEND MAIL
Research shows that reporting bullying is one of the most difficult things for kids to do. We have created a program that focuses on anonymous reporting and positive encouragement. This is called FRIEND MAIL. This is an in school mail system that will enable students to send notes of encouragement to each other or their teachers. Teachers and parents may also use Friend Mail to send notes to their children as well. In addition to positive notes, students may help a friend by placing notes that report incidents of bullying. This makes it more anonymous because no one will know the reason a student is putting a note into the Friend Mailbox. Please know that all letters/notes will be screened by an adult before it is delivered.
BOX TOPS
Remember to collect and bring all your box tops to the media center in sets of 50 labeled with the student’s name. Each set of 50 will earn the student a spot in our monthly drawing for a special reward. This is a great way for us to purchase new books for our library. Please see two attachments regarding box top vendors.
DISTRICT OPPORTUNITIES
In order to better inform parents about opportunities that are available across the district, we have a new link that will share all of this information with you. Please check this link to find out if there is something your child would be interested in that is not sponsored specifically by DCMS. Click on the link for more information about each event.
Deer Creek Optimist- Football, Basketball, & Wrestling Upward Flag Football TOPSoccer- Soccer Program & Support for students with disabilities
Please visit http://www.deercreekschools.org/parents/opportunities_for_students to see available CAMPS,
CLINICS, and many OTHER OPPORTUNITIES that are available to your student.
For ATHLETIC and CHEER OPPORTUNITIES please visit http://www.deercreekschools.org/parents/deer_creek_optimist_club
to see what all Deer Creek Optimist has available for ALL AGES.
OPENING THE PAAC VS. PIEDMONT
DCHS JV and Varsity Basketball begins Tuesday night, Dec. 3rd. We are very excited about our opening night in the PAAC. Piedmont comes to town and we are hoping for a large school and community crowd!! Will you please help us today and tomorrow to get the word out and encourage our students and community to attend this inaugural evening in the PAAC.
Also, The OKC Thunder Drummers will be in attendance for entertainment. They have a great percussion show prepared and are helping us make the PAAC loud and proud for our athletes. Will you please make this announcement to the students today and tomorrow during announcements or put in your parent newsletters, etc. They will play before the varsity girls game and at half times of the varsity girls and boys.
Thanks for helping us PACK the PAAC!! BEAT PIEDMONT!!!!!!!!!
JV Girls 3:45, JV Boys 5:00, Varsity Girls 6:30, Varsity Boys 8:00
Thanks so much! Karla O'Hara
President, Booster Club
RECEIVING MONDAY MORNING NEWS?
If you are not receiving MMN and would like to, please send us the email address that you would like us to send it to. We also have forms in the office that you can fill out to receive it. We will try to get this in as soon as we receive the information. If you still are not receiving the emails, please let us know immediately. We are sorry for any delays in receiving the newsletter. If you are receiving this email in error or if you would like to stop receiving the newsletter, please email us that information as well.
Reuben Bellows
Principal
Deer Creek Middle School
bellowsr@deercreek.k12.ok.us
Phone: 405-348-4830 ext. 3634