The Downing Dispatch: Weekly Update

Monday, Sept. 28th:

🤠Stuff the Pantry Food Drive: Hat Day - Bring in 15pts. of Food Items🤠

• 7th Grade Volleyball vs. Lakeview at Downing: D1-5:30, D2-6:30, D3-7:30
• 7th Grade Football vs. Briarhill at Marcus HS: D1-5:30, D2-7:00

Tuesday, Sept. 29th:

🎫Stuff the Pantry Food Drive: Late Hmwk Pass for Math - Bring in 10pts. of Food Items🎫

• 8th Grade Football vs. Briarhill at Marcus HS: D1-5:30, D2- 7:00

Stuff the Pantry Food Drive: Pajama Day - Bring in 15pts. of Food Items

• Kindness Club Meeting in Library (members only): 7:45 - 8:15

🎫Stuff the Pantry Food Drive: Raffle Tickets - Every 10pts. of Food Items = 1 Raffle Ticket🎫

• 8th Grade TECC Tours
• 8th Grade Volleyball at Lakeview MS: D1-5:30, D2-6:30

Friday, Oct. 2nd

👕Stuff the Pantry Food Drive: Points Earned Goes to 6th Period Advisory World Cup Class👕

• 8th Grade Band Night at MHS: 7:00 - 10:00

Mrs. Mary Ashmore: Our School Nurse is always on the go! Whether its distributing medications to students, providing care to students that are feeling under the weather, or tending to injuries of our young athletes, Mrs. Ashmore provides everyone top-notch service and care!

Ms. Alyssa Gardiner: Ms. Gardiner's year has started with getting to know several new faces in her Academic LIfe Skills class and in a very short amount of time, she has developed strong close relationships with all of her students! She is at Downing early and stays late in order to make sure everything is ready for her students and their next day of learning. Most of her students our new to Downing this year and changing schools is always hard and stressful but because of Ms. Gardiners hard work and dedication, those students have been happy and thriving here at Downing! Thank you Mrs. Gardiner!

• 7th Grade Division 1 soundly beat Lamar Middle School this past Monday (36-0). Great job boys
• 8th Grade Division 1 played an exciting game against Lamar with non-stop back and forth scoring between the two teams. With Lamar pulling ahead in the last seconds of the game! The Diamondbacks played well and battled to the very end.
• 8th Grade Divsion 2 took care of business and brought home a win, beating Griffin Middle School (14-6)

• 8th Grade Girls Division I and II swept Shadow Ridge Middle School this past week! Continuing their impressive record with only 1 district loss - keep it up lady diamondbacks!

Next week we will be collecting food for the annual Stuff the Pantry Food Drive. This will also be our first big house competition of the year we will also have daily incentives and rewards for students to bring in food! More details to follow later in the week!

Just a friendly reminder about morning drop-off. We must keep the bus loop free of vehicles during morning arrival, between 7:40 - 8:05. Buses begin arriving shortly after the building opens and need to have a clear area to drop off students safely and quickly so they may leave and start their next route for the high schools. We also want to keep the bus loop as distraction free as possible, so drivers do not have to worry about vehicles passing on the left side or students getting out of cars on the left-side and crossing in front of the bus.

If you are dropping off an athlete after 7:40, you will need to drop them off at the south-side of the building with the other students. Thank you for your help in keeping our students safe.

With the local forecasters predicting heavy rain over the next few days, we wanted to share our plans for morning drop off and afternoon pickup so that our students can stay dry!

Morning Arrival

• Front Entrance - is business as usual, students can get dropped off near the main entrance and quickly walk up to the front doors
• North Side Lot and Fine Arts - will also be business as usual, student will get dropped off by the breezeway or fine arts entrance and walk into the building.
• South Side Lot - Instead of walking down the sidewalk and entering the school at the breezeway, students will be allowed to enter door #4 and walk down the 1200 hallway to the cafeteria. Please DO NOT use the bus loop if it is past 7:40. We will have someone stationed at Door #4 to assist your students getting out of their car and entering the building. Please see the photo below for more information.

Afternoon Pick Up

We will inform students of the following:

• Bus riders whose bus has arrived in the loop will go straight to their bus after dismissal, all other students will report to the cafeteria and wait for their bus to arrive.
• Car Riders whose parents are waiting in the parking lot will be allowed to leave the building at dismissal and walk to their parent's/guardian's car. Car riders still waiting for their parents will also report to the cafeteria and wait for their parents or guardians to text them, letting students know they've arrived.

All teachers are required to provide tutoring at least 2 times a week. Please refer to the schedule below to determine when your child can see a specific teacher. If you have specific questions about tutoring times please contact your child's teachers. This schedule will be updated regularly.

The new bell schedule is below. Remember that the arrival and dismissal times for all LISD middle schools have changed this year. Doors will open at 7:40 am and students will be dismissed at 3:40 pm. Instructional time will be from 8:15 am to 3:40 pm.

Why Should I Join the PTA?

PTA membership and dues support your child by funding essential educational and curriculum needs; advocating on behalf of children and educators at the local, state and national levels, and building an inclusive school community for all families.

Join PTA for your child because increasing our membership, even by one, makes it possible to provide important educational resources, speak up on important issues and create a stronger school community. Click on the graphic at the right to join!

October 5:

• 7th Grade LLELA Field Trip - Day 1
• 7th Grade Football at MHS

• 7th Grade LLELA Field Trip - Day 2
• Choir Cluster Concert Rehearsal at Lewisville First Baptist Church
• 8th Grade Football at MHS
• Choir Cluster Concert at Lewisville First Baptist Church

• Fall Picture Retakes
• Orchestra Fall Concert in Gym

• End of the 1st Nine Weeks Grading Period
• 8th Grade Volleyball at Downing

• Staff Professional Learning and Workday - No School for Students

• Fall Break - No School for Students and Staff

• 7th Grade Football at Shadow Ridge MS

October 14:

• 7th Grade Volleyball - District Tournament - Day 1: Time and Place TBD
• 8th Grade Football at Shadow Ridge MS

October 15

• 8th Grade PSAT Testing Day
• 8th Grade Volleyball District Tournament - Day 1: Time and Place TBD
• Choir Region Masterclass at MHS

October 16:

• Orchestra: Mock Regional Auditions

• Choir - All Region Auditions
• Band - All District Auditions

To view more a more comprehensive calendar of events please click here for the Downing Calendar.

Visit LISD.net/Calendar for additional information on district-wide events. To download the 2024-2025 Academic Calendar, click HERE.

Please consider sharing your appreciation with a District Recognize Someone Card during the upcoming year! You can even have your students participate!

Want to share how a Downing or LISD staff member has gone above and beyond! Click here for the district Recognize Someone form. These submissions are printed and then shared at staff meetings to celebrate each other!