Parent Guide

Picking Up Students and Dropping Off

At 7:30 A.M. the front doors will open for the students. Students choosing not to eat breakfast must wait in the auditorium until dismissed to class.
Students attending the before school study will enter through the doors just North of the main entrance doors. The supervisor will open these doors from 6:55 – 7:00 A.M. only to those students on the list. At 7:00 A.M. these doors will be locked.
The school day ends at 3:15 P.M. All students will dismiss through the front doors or an outside door closest to their 8th period classroom. Please check with your child/children to find a suitable location for pick up at the end of school.
Bus students in grades 7&8 are to dismiss through the 100’s hallway exit door to their assigned buses. Bus students in grade 6 are to dismiss through the North Gym and exit through the 400 hallway exit door to their assigned buses. If your child/children are not to ride the bus, you are to call the office before 2:30 P.M.
Students attending the after school study must report to the designated classroom by 3:25 P.M. Students will need to make arrangements to be picked up by 4:15 P.M.
Students not participating in an after school activity should be picked up by 4:30 P.M. If your child/children are not picked up by 4:30 P.M. and attempts have been made to call all phone numbers on file for your child/children, they will be turned over to the police as a “child in need of care”. If you are going to be late, please call the school so we can help you make arrangements for your child/children.
Students participating in before or after school activities will be supervised by participating coaches or teachers. Time will differ from the schedule above and students will be notified of these times by the participating coaches or teachers.

Daily Schedule (School Hours)

7:30 A.M. ...................Doors Open for Breakfast.
8:05 A.M. ..................Classes Begin – Students need to be in their classrooms.
3:15 P.M. ..................End of the School Day.
3:25 – 4:15 P.M. ......After School Study

Dodge City Middle School Student Handbook 2017 - 2018

Below is a digital copy of the 2017 - 2018 Board of Education approved Middle Schools' student handbook. The middle school student handbook has been published in a pdf. format. At the end of each school year a student handbook committee is formed made up of students, parent and faculty members to review and make recommendations for approval of the middle school student handbook. The handbook is also reviewed by the Board of Education every year before it becomes available to the public. We urge parents and students to read it carefully, to become familiar with it, and to comply with the rules and regulations set forth in it. The board of education also reserves the right to modify its handbook policies and procedures periodically.

STUDENT HANDBOOK PDF FORMAT SPANISH

STUDENT HANDBOOK PDF FORMAT ENGLISH

Manual Estudiantil de Middle School en Español pdf

Middle School Student Handbook English pdf

Manual Estudiantil de DCMS en Español pdf

DCMS Student Handbook pdf English

USD 443 does not discriminate on the basis of age, race, color, sex, gender, sexual orientation, physical or emotional disability or handicap, marital status, religion, national origin, ethnicity or veteran’s status.

Teacher Professional Qualification

If you have questions regarding the professional qualifications of your child’s teacher(s) or paraprofessional, please contact the Dodge City Public Schools’ Human Resources Office, 1000 Second Avenue, Dodge City, Kansas 67801, in writing. Please include the name(s) of the teacher(s) for whom you are requesting information. The Human Resources Office will provide the information in writing within two weeks of receiving your request. Letters are sent out to parents semi annually if their student(s) is taught for four consecutive weeks by a teacher that does not meet the definition of “Highly Qualified”.

If you have questions regarding your student(s) state assessment scores, please contact the school principal where your child is attending school.

Access to the district/school STATE report cards can be viewed on this website by going to Schools and viewing the Kansas Department of Education Report Card on the upper left side of the screen. http://www.usd443.org

Contacting Your Team

It is very important that we work together positively for the education of your child. Make sure your child’s team is aware of anything that may distract from or help with the education of your child. The following are examples of things that would be helpful to the team: If you know how your child learns best, please share this with the teacher;

Visually (Seeing it), Auditory (Hearing it), Kinesthetic (Feeling it), Physically (Getting up and doing it)
Is your child on medication? If so, what is their schedule?
Is your child an early bird or a night owl?
What sparks your child’s enthusiasm?
What do they get excited about?
Are they in any sports?

If something happens throughout the school year that may affect your students learning (a pet/friend/grandparent passes away, etc) please let your child’s team or school counselor know immediately so that they may help your child if they should need someone to talk to throughout the school day.

Middle school can be a confusing time.

Middle school can be a confusing time, for parents as well as for their kids. Your child is becoming more independent yet still needs your support as much as ever. While you may decide to allow your child more autonomy in some areas, be sure to stay actively involved in your child’s school. Research shows that children whose parents are engaged in their education are more likely to achieve academic success. Here are some tips for getting involved in your child’s middle school learning experience.

Get to know the teachers. It’s a good idea to meet each of your child’s teachers. Ask about their expectations. Find out how much time your child should spend on homework each night. Find out whether there will be regularly scheduled tests and if so, when. Ask about the best way to get in touch if you have questions. If the teachers use email, be sure to get their addresses.
Find a niche for yourself at your child’s school. Unlike in the lower grades, middle school classrooms don’t need extra adults on hand. But you can volunteer in other ways. Serve as an adviser for an extracurricular activity such as the school paper, chess club, or science fair. Help out in the computer lab. Being in the school is a great way to get a feel for what goes on there.
Do behind-the-scenes work. If you can’t be in school during the day, ask teachers and other school personnel to pass along some work that you can do on your own. Photocopy homework assignments; collect recyclables for a science or art project; serve on a parent-school advisory council; join your middle school PTO or PTA.
Volunteer to chaperone school dances and drive kids to school sports competitions. You’ll meet other parents, school staff, and your child’s classmates.
Go to school meetings and events. Attending concerts, plays, assemblies, meetings, and other activities is a good way to become familiar with your child’s school community.
Find out about homework assignments and school tests. If your school has a website where teachers list homework assignments, get in the habit of checking it regularly. If not, contact your child’s teachers and ask them to alert you when there’s an important project or test coming up.
Talk to your child about school. Ask specific questions to draw out your child. Ask “How do you think you did on the math test?” “Did Mr. Phipps say anything funny today?” “What games did you play in PE?” More about having a conversation at school.
Give your child a quiet place to study and do homework. Find an area in your home that is free of distraction where your middle schooler can concentrate on homework. Be available to help if your child has a question.
Check your child’s homework, but don’t do it for her. Offer to check math problems, proofread written papers, and look over spelling words. If you find a mistake, point it out to your child and help her figure out the correct answer.
Post a family calendar in a central place. Write down important school dates, including parent meetings, due dates for projects, and tests. Encourage your middle schooler to add to the calendar and to check it daily. See an example of a family calendar.

Article provided by the School Family, Your go-to guide for school success

Parent Resources

Parent Academies: In order to help build working relationships with parents, we have instituted a series of evening academies for parents. These two hour, activity based academies have focused on physical education, fine arts, math and reading.
Our building created and implemented the use of ELL Parent/Student Tutoring opportunities. On each occasion parents and students were invited (based on student need) to attend a tutoring session on a specific evening to support mastery in both math and reading. During each of these sessions, parents and children were given the opportunity to study those state indicators that support student growth specific to student needs.
Business Partners: Our school is seeking a business partner if you are interested please contact us.
PTO and Site Councils: Our PTO is very involved with the school as a fund raising organization and they also produce the school year book for us. We have two site councils, both have parent, community, staff and student members but our second group is specifically designed for our Latino parents to make a comfortable, welcoming forum for discussion.
Career Day: Every two years, our exploratory team sponsors a career day for our entire student body. Members of the business community are invited to come and join us for a day of sharing their expertise in the world of business. Over 40 local businesses are included in this wonderful event. This spring will be our 10th anniversary of Cardinal Career Awareness day.