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Dakota Minute

Dakota Minute
Dakota Minute

Principal Update Principal Update

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We are terribly saddened by the tragic news of the passing of one of our students, Autumn Paulson, earlier this week. Our thoughts are with their family, and we know this loss is deeply felt across our entire community. While we navigate this grief, I have been truly impressed and heartened by the incredible empathy and compassion our community have shown for one another during this difficult time, demonstrating the strong community spirit and DMMS PRIDE we value. Please know that our counseling team and support staff are available for any student needing someone to talk to, and we encourage you to contact us if your student needs support at this time.


Gratefully,

Aaron Hyer

6th Grade Respect Visit-October 7th & 9th 6th Grade Respect Visit-October 7th & 9th

DMMS 6th Grade Families,


Throughout the month of October, 6th Grade classrooms within the Mankato Area Public School district will be participating in a Promoting Respect Workshop facilitated by the Greater Mankato Diversity Council (GMDC). Your student’s lesson will be on either Tuesday, October 7th or Thursday, October 9th.


GMDC’s Promoting Respect Workshops have been implemented in public and private schools for the last 20 years. We’re excited to have 6-12th grade sessions this year for the first time since 2020! GMDC is a non-profit organization dedicated to creating an inclusive and welcoming community through education and celebration.


Please see THIS letter for further details.

7th Grade Field Trip- October 9th 7th Grade Field Trip- October 9th

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7th Grade Families! Please be on the lookout for information from your student's trails in regards to this field trip.


The sea is calling! Join this swashbuckling adventure in which gold-hungry pirates and not-so-noblemen are repeatedly outwitted by one clever boy. Sail the open seas, explore a remote island, and search for buried treasure alongside young Jim as he navigates overheard schemes and ever-shifting alliances. Is Long John Silver an unlikely friend, or a treacherous villain? In between sword fights and rounds of live music, you can decide for yourself!

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Lost and Found Lost and Found

We have lots of lost and found! Please check our lost and found bins outside the office and in any grade level lost and found. If items are not claimed by October 15th (before MEA), they will be donated.

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DMMS Middle School After School DMMS Middle School After School

Stay after school and spend time with friends who have similar interests. Middle School After School is a club program. We have clubs ranging from Art Club, Drama Kids, Knowledge Bowl and Dungeons & Dragons to name only a few. Clubs open on Monday, September 29 (after school). Sign up!

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Project Success Project Success

Welcome back Dakota Meadows Families!


Project Success has our first opportunities of the year coming up for students later this month!

Mankato students in grades 6-9 can register for up to 4 FREE tickets to our upcoming theater experiences!


Two Gents

by Ten Thousand Things

Location: Dakota Meadows Middle School

Time: 6:30 pm

Based on Shakespeare’s Two Gentlemen of Verona, two best friends—one who resists love and one who falls headfirst into it—separate to find their way in life. On their journeys, each is struck by cupid’s arrow, but as friendship and love soon cross, it’s up to the “objects” of their affections to set things right. In this reimagined Shakespearean comedy, lovers, servants, suitors, and outlaws all collide in an identity-swapping, rip-roaring, clown-around comedy with a feminist heart.

Link to register: https://projectsuccess.jotform.com/team/mankato/two-gents-9262025


Oklahoma!

Location: Ted Paul Theatre, Minnesota State University, Mankato

Time: 7:30 pm

Rodgers & Hammerstein’s first collaboration remains, in many ways, their most innovative, setting the standards and rules of modern musical theatre. In a Western territory just after the turn of the 20th century, a high-spirited rivalry between local farmers and cowboys provides a colorful background for Curly, a charming cowboy, and Laurey, a feisty farm girl, to play out their love story. Their romantic journey, as bumpy as a surrey ride down a country road, contrasts with the comic exploits of brazen Ado Annie and hapless Will Parker in a musical adventure embracing hope, determination and the promise of a new land.

Link to register: https://projectsuccess.jotform.com/team/mankato/oklahoma-9302025


Anne of Green Gables

Location: Merely Players Community Theatre: 110 Fulton St. Mankato, MN

Time: 7:00 pm

Based on L.M. Montgomery's timeless classic, Anne of Green Gables – The Musical™, which has been recognized by Guinness World Records as the world's longest-running annual musical theatre production, follows the rise of Anne Shirley, a feisty, red-haired orphan who arrives unexpectedly in the small farming community of Avonlea and soon captures the hearts and minds of her newfound family and neighbors.


CLICK HERE to register!


We are so excited to see you all again soon!

Picture Retake Day Picture Retake Day

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"Away for the Day" "Away for the Day"

We believe cell phones/electronics devices can cause distractions to the educational environment and our students deserve to learn in a postive environment that is free from avoidable distractions.

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Attendance Attendance

  • Anytime your student is absent from school or if you plan on your student being absent from school, please call the office and leave your name, student’s name, grade and reason for absence.

    • Verified reasons to excuse your student:

      • Illness

      • Religious Holidays

      • Appointments (Doctor, Dentist, Therapy), Please provide documentation for appointments

      • Vacation (5 Days) (Please notify the office up to one week before so we can help them collect work while they are gone.)

  • The attendance office can be reached by:

    • calling (507)387-5077 Option 1

    • via email at: dmmsattendance@isd77.org

  • If your student is marked absent for a class the system will send an automated courtesy call/email in the evening to remind you to excuse the absence. All absences not excused within the 48 hour time window will remain unexcused.

  • If your student is marked absent and you feel it was made in error, please have them talk directly with their teacher.

Early Releases Early Releases

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Two hour early releases will take place on the following dates:


October 8th. November 12th. December 10th. January 14th. February 11th. March 11th. April 8th. May 13th.


Your student will start their day at the normal time of 8:35 am and be released at 1:25 pm. They will receive lunch prior to the 1:25 pm dismissal when buses leave the building. Students participating in varsity co-curriculars will need to go home, then return to practice at the designated practice time. There will be no middle school co-curricular practices on early release Wednesdays. All students need to ensure they have transportation home by 1:25 pm.

Pick Up and Drop Off Pick Up and Drop Off

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  • As a reminder, please use Door 1 to pick up and drop off your student during the school day. For example, if your student is arriving late or leaving early due to an appointment or an event please pick up at Door 1. Door 1 is locatated in our middle parking lot by the main office. This is where our new secure entrance is located. Students should not be dropped off or picked up at door 1 before and after school unless approved by Principal Hyer or here for a before school event.
  • Please use Door 8 (the cafeteria side parking lot) for pick up and drop off before and after school. We ask that families do not pick up and drop off at Door 1 unless approved by Principal Hyer.
  • Door 20 (our pond side parking lot) is used for buses to pick up and drop off students.

DMMS PTA Update DMMS PTA Update

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DMMS Families,


Our PTA and school community are deeply saddened by the loss of Autumn Paulson. We extend our heartfelt condolences to their family, teachers, and friends. We are here to support the family and faculty in any way they find helpful.


Thank you to everyone who joined us for our first PTA meeting of the year. Parents, Teachers, and Staff shared ideas and their passions for projects, discussed upcoming events, and started planning ways to make this year amazing for our students, families, and staff.

We’d love to see even more of you at our next meeting on October 27 at 6:00 at DMMS—your voice and involvement truly make a difference! If you can't make it in person or are stuck in a car somewhere at an activity, we understand. We are now offering an option to participate virtually.

Please read the attached letter for more information about what the PTA does and how your support helps enrich the lives of our kids and our community.

Together, we can do so much!

DMMS Daily Bulletin DMMS Daily Bulletin

HERE you will find the DMMS Daily Bulletin. This Bulletin is updated daily to show:

  • the date
  • day
  • and other information such as sports, etc.
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We’re Looking for Team-Oriented Paraprofessionals!

At MAPS, we believe every member of our staff plays an important role in helping students succeed. Our paraprofessionals are valued partners who support classrooms, collaborate with teachers, and build strong connections with students. We are currently seeking dedicated individuals who want to be part of a team that makes a difference every day. If you enjoy working with young people and are excited about contributing to a positive school community, we’d love to have you join us! Apply HERE!

Upcoming Important Dates Upcoming Important Dates

  • October 1st- Picture Retake Day
  • October 7th- Panorama Survey & 6th Grade Respect Visit
  • October 8th- Early Release
  • October 9th- 6th Grade Respect Visit & 7th Grade Field Trip
  • October 13th- No School
  • October 16th-17th- No School
  • October 24th- All School Dance
  • October 27th- PTA meeting
  • October 29th- 8th Grade Vision Screening
  • October 31st- End of Quarter 1
  • November 3rd- No School
  • Novemeber 11th- Veterans Day Assembly
  • November 12th- Early Out
  • November 20th & 24- Fall Conferences
  • November 27th & 28th- No School
  • December 1-5th- NWEA Reading
  • December 8-12th- NWEA Math
  • December 10th- Early Out
  • December 15th-19th- NWEA Make Up
  • December 24-31st- No School
  • January 1st- No School
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