The Dodge Dish

DMS Community,

Thank you to everyone who showed staff appreciation this week. We appreciate all the support and kind messages from the community! DMS staff is grateful for the partnership we have with the greater Farmington community.

As we celebrate our learners and the school year comes to a close, grade levels will be distributing permission slips in the coming weeks for the following end of year celebrations. If any scholarships are necessary for these experiences, please contact the main office.

• 8th Grade - Valleyfair (Wednesday, June 4)
• 7th Grade - Big Air (Wednesday, June 4)
• 6th Grade - Bowlero (Wednesday, June 4)

Additionally, families with learners who currently take iPads home in grades K-11 may now opt to checkout their district issued iPads for the summer months! The updated 2025-26 iPad Loan Agreement, is available online and includes helpful information for iPads checked out for the summer and for the following school year. The RevTrak “iPad Loan Agreement” activitiesare live for each school site allowing parents, guardians, and learners the ability to review and agree to the terms of the 2025-26 iPad Loan Agreement and either opt to ENROLL in, or WAIVE participation in the iPad Protection Plan. The enrollment fee for the optional iPad Protection Plan is $35 for the 2025-26 school year, with no additional fee for the summer months. Additional information can be found below in the newsletter.

Have a great weekend!

Andy Nelson, Principal

For translation of this newsletter please click on the "Translate" button above or on the right hand side of this page.

Para traducir este boletín, haga clic en el botón "Traducir" arriba o en el lado derecho de esta página.

Si aad u turjunto warsidahan fadlan ku dhufo badhanka "Turjumi" ee kore ama dhinaca midig ee boggan.

Để dịch bản tin này, vui lòng nhấp vào nút "Dịch" ở trên hoặc ở phía bên phải của trang này.

Congrats to these learners who have demonstrated community, empathy, and purpose over the last week. We are so proud of all of our learners for demonstrating these core values each day.

The Staff Tiger Stripe this week is Nurse Ochoa. We are so thankful for all she does to support the health needs of our learning community. Thank you for being a calm and warm presence for learners! #DMSpride #weare192

Books - Due Friday, May 23rd

DMS students have done an outstanding job of independently reading this year. DMS students checked out 6,000 reading books this year!

All Media Center books are due Friday, May 23rd. If books turn up after the 23rd, we’ll still take them back!

iPads - Collected June 2nd (if loan agreement hasn’t been filled out)

If you would like your student to have their iPad over the summer, please fill out the iPad Loan Agreement via the RevTrak site before June 2nd.

iPads will be collected June 2nd during the school day if the iPad Loan Agreement hasn’t been filled out.

iPads that are collected June 2nd will be given back to students in September once the iPad Loan Agreement has been filled out.

Are you looking for a way to make a lasting positive contribution to our Farmington Community? Do you have an interest or experience in STEM, coding, computer programming, or design/build? Are you organized and a good facilitator? Do you have experience with kids? Are you understanding and patient? Are you curious, creative, and looking for fun?

DMS is looking for a volunteer co-coach and several mentors for the Dodge Middle School Code Creators Lego Robotic Team's third season. The last two co-coaches “graduated” to the High School team when their kids aged up. Any of the above traits or experiences are helpful, but necessary.

The standout about this team is that, above all, they enjoy each other and working together. The regular season is September - mid-December, longer if we advance to Sections and States. We meet from 3:45 to 5:45 p.m. two days a week.

If this sounds like you or anyone you know who is 18 or older, please email llane@farmington.k12.mn.us

Help this wonderful team grow!

May is recognized as Mental Health Awareness Month—a time to highlight the importance of caring for our mental and emotional well-being. Just as we prioritize physical health, it's essential to nurture our mental health for ourselves and our children. By raising awareness and fostering open conversations, we can help reduce stigma and create supportive environments for all. We encourage you to take a few minutes to watch the Erika’s Lighthouse Family Workshop Video regarding mental health. It provides valuable insights and simple strategies to support your family's mental wellness. Together, let's make mental health a priority!

https://youtu.be/sSY3k31NMBg?si=By6YmlqR-NHBRkQ3

Each year we offer families an opportunity to make getting school supplies easier! Skip the store lines this year and take care of back-to-school shopping from the comfort of home! Boeckman Middle School is partnering with Sprout School Supplies for the third year to offer prepackaged school supply kits for the 2025–26 school year. With just a few clicks, you can make sure your student is ready for the first day of school—saving time, money, and stress along the way.

Sprout kits are tailored to our school’s supply lists, making things easier for families and helping our students start the year with everything they need to be successful. When students show up ready to learn, it helps teachers do what they do best from day one.

Order your Sprout Supply Kit now at sproutsupplies.com using our school code DMS001. The deadline to order is July 8th, 2025.

Would you like to explore STEM in a new way? Then Girls in STEM Night is the place for you! You‘ll learn about STEM/Robotics, make keychains, and an aquarium. See flyer for more information and scan the QR code to sign up for the event.

Families with learners who currently take iPads home in grades K-11 may now opt to checkout their district issued iPads for the summer months! We have been offering the optional summer iPad checkout since 2016. A majority of eligible families and learners last year opted to check out their issued iPads. Using RevTrak to agree to the updated 2025-26 iPad Loan Agreement will ensure that your child is set with their iPad check out for the entire 2025-26 academic year.

The option for Summer iPad checkout supports our efforts to foster open-ended, personalized learning opportunities; curiosity; exploration and continued access to creative tools and resources. It also allows students to continue to have access to technology for summer learning opportunities.

We encourage families with learners currently taking devices home to consider checking out their learner’s district issued iPad for the summer. The optional summer iPad checkout allows learners participating in summer programs continued access to their issued iPad and resources and reduces the number of learners needing to participate in “spring collections” and the “fall checkout” process when schools are back in session. This shortens the amount of time that learners and teachers are without the use of iPads next fall. Those opting for summer iPad checkout will be set until spring 2026.

The updated 2025-26 iPad Loan Agreement, is available online and includes helpful information for iPads checked out for the summer and for the following school year. The RevTrak “iPad Loan Agreement” activitiesare live for each school site allowing parents, guardians, and learners the ability to review and agree to the terms of the 2025-26 iPad Loan Agreement and either opt to ENROLL in, or WAIVE participation in the iPad Protection Plan. The enrollment fee for the optional iPad Protection Plan is $35 for the 2025-26 school year, with no additional fee for the summer months.

Please note that if you have not used RevTrak yet, you will need to create an account and also know your child’s Student ID number to complete the registration process. If you used RevTrak for completing last year’s 2024-25 iPad Loan Agreement, the system has saved your parent and child account information. You will still need to know your learner’s Student ID number and name as listed in our student information system, Infinite Campus. The RevTrak e-Guides and Customer Account guide, along with the RevTrak Frequently Asked Questions provide helpful information for setting up and using the system.

Please see our Frequently Asked Questions for more details on the optional summer iPad checkout, the iPad Protection Plan, and repair procedures. Individual schools will share end-of-year collection information for those not choosing to take advantage of this opportunity.

For families opting to check out their learner’s iPad for the summer, please know that iPad collection dates vary by school. It is therefore strongly recommended to use RevTrak to review and agree to the 2025-26 iPad Loan Agreement, determine if you want to waive or enroll in the iPad Protection Plan, and complete the “checkout” process as soon as possible.

We are looking for family and community volunteers to be present in our youths' lives at Dodge Middle School through Friendly Presence. We are excited to offer this volunteer opportunity and welcome the larger Farmington community into DMS. We are hoping many of you take this opportunity to be involved in our learners’ experience. For more information click here and to indicate interest please complete this google form.

Farmington School District has some great opportunities for you!

Click the link to apply for positions or reach out to the main office if interested.

ISD 192 shares community flyers for local events and activities, especially those run by non-profit, youth-serving organizations within the district, on our website. The community postings and resources can be found here.

Please take some time to visit the DMS Website where you will find an abundance of helpful information to support your middle school student. Dodge Dish is an electronic publication that you will receive via email every week from our principal Mr. Nelson and the Dodge Dish is always available on the DMS website under “Social Media”. It is very helpful to take time to read through this publication to keep updated on upcoming events and happenings.

Download your free app for Campus Parent ​app (parents/guardians) or the Campus Student app (students) from your device's mobile app store for real-time access to grades, attendance, schedules, announcements and more!

If a student will be absent, a parent/guardian must call Dodge Middle School’s attendance line at 651-460-1505 or fill out this form before 10:00 am each day of the absence. If the school does not receive a call from the parent/guardian the day of the absence, an automated phone call will be placed letting you know your student has been marked absent from school.

To request a pre-excused absence, a parent/guardian needs to complete the online “Request to Waive Unexcused Status of Absence” form. This link can also be accessed by visiting the Dodge Middle School webpage under “QUICK LINKS” and “Pre-Arranged Student Absence”.

Email: anelson@farmington.k12.mn.us
Website: https://dms.farmington.k12.mn.us/
Location: Levi P Dodge Middle School, 208th Street West, Farmington, MN, USA
Phone: 651-460-1500
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/dodgetigers
Twitter: @dodgetigers