The Maverick Connection

Greetings Maverick Families,

We have a short but exciting week ahead! Thursday will be our students’ last day of school before Fall Break. We are also looking forward to our Fall Band Concert featuring our 7th and 8th grade musicians and our Advanced Orchestra Concert. We hope our families will join us in supporting our talented Mavericks!

Please note that there has been an update to the instructional calendar. Be sure to review the latest copy below for important dates and upcoming student holidays.

Our AI Program students kicked off their collaboration with Prairie View A&M University’s College of Business last week! Students explored quantum cryptography, problem solving, STEM career opportunities, and real world business applications. We are excited about the experiences this partnership will continue to provide as we prepare our Mavericks to be Future Ready!

Our students also enjoyed their Beat the Bell incentive last week! They spent some time outside enjoying the fresh air, hanging out with friends, and playing basketball with Coach Scott. Please continue reinforcing the importance of getting to class on time. Every instructional minute matters!

Game On: Raising the Standard!

Dr. Alexis Prudhomme

Principal
David Crockett Middle School

The⭐means the item is new this week!

Monday, October 5, 2026 - Advanced Orchestra Concert

Wednesday, October 7, 2026- Fall Band Concert

Friday, October 9, 2026 - No School (Teacher Planning Day)

October 12 - 19, 2026 - No School

Monday, October 26 - 28, 2026 - Basketball Tryouts (6:55 -8:20)

November 23 -27, 2026 - No School

Staying Connected with DCMS:

We want families to know exactly who to contact when questions or concerns arise. Starting with the appropriate staff member allows us to provide the most accurate information and resolve concerns as quickly as possible. If additional support is needed after working with the first point of contact, please follow the communication pathway outlined above.

Our teachers and staff work diligently to respond to parent communication within 48 business hours. Please remember that teachers are providing instruction throughout the school day and typically respond to emails before or after school or during their conference period when they are not in meetings. We appreciate your patience and partnership as we work together to support every Maverick.

Dear 8th Grade Parents and Guardians,

This fall, our 8th-grade students will be taking the PSAT 8/9. This exam is the first step in the College Board’s assessment suite and serves as a valuable, low-stakes baseline for high school readiness.

How Registration Works:
No action is required on your part to register your child. Testing is organized and handled directly through the school, so your student is automatically signed up to participate.

How You Can Prepare Now:
While you do not need to register for the test, we highly recommend creating a College Board account for your child if they do not already have one. Once testing is complete, this account will allow you to:

• 📊 View your child's digital score report and academic insights.
• 🔗 Link their scores to Khan Academy for free, personalized practice tailored to their specific strengths and gaps.
• 📈 Track their academic progress as they move into high school and eventually take the PSAT/NMSQT and SAT.

You can set up your student's profile ahead of time by visiting the College Board Account Creation Page.

Supporting Academic Growth at DCMS:

Our Beginning of the Year NWEA MAP assessments are complete, and our teachers are using the results to identify students’ academic strengths and areas for continued growth. This data helps our teams make instructional decisions, plan intervention and enrichment, and ensure students receive the support or challenge they need.

Parents can expect to receive information about their child’s MAP performance in the coming weeks. We encourage you to review the results with your child, talk about areas of strength and growth, and help them set goals for the year. As we prepare for our Middle of the Year assessments, we want every Maverick to understand that academic growth is the goal. With strong instruction, student ownership, and continued partnership with our families, we are Raising the Standard at DCMS!

Partnering for Academic Success:

Student success is a team effort, and we appreciate your partnership in helping our Mavericks stay on track throughout the school year. Please do not wait until Progress Reports or Report Cards are issued to check your child’s academic progress. We encourage families to:

• Check grades in Skyward Family Access weekly.
• Encourage students to maintain a grade of 70 or higher in every class.
• Monitor for missing or incomplete assignments and make sure they are submitted.
• Encourage students to attend tutorials when additional support is needed.
• Talk with your child about upcoming quizzes, tests, projects, and assignments.
• Encourage students to ask questions and seek help from their teachers when they do not understand a concept.
• Contact the teacher early when you have concerns about your child’s academic progress.
• Review Progress Reports and Report Cards together and help your child set academic goals.
• Encourage your child to take ownership of their learning and academic performance.

Summer School & Promotion

A final grade below 70 in a core academic course may result in summer school requirements and could place a student at risk for retention. For planning purposes, last year’s summer school tuition rates were:

• $200 per course
• $125 per course for students receiving reduced-price meals
• $100 per course for students receiving free meals

Please note that 2026–2027 summer school rates have not yet been released and may increase. Students are also typically limited to a maximum of two summer school courses.

Our goal is to identify concerns early, provide support, and work together so every Maverick experiences academic growth and success. Academic Excellence. Academic Growth. Raising the Standard!

We are excited to provide more opportunities to recognize positive behavior and celebrate our Mavericks throughout the year! Families who would like to support our student rewards and PBIS celebrations may purchase an item from our DCMS Amazon Wish List. Thank you for helping us create fun and meaningful experiences for our students!

DCMS Amazon Wish List:
https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/C1BG0E1TM63L?ref_=wl_share

The No Fly List promotes safety, accountability, and positive choices. Students involved in fighting, vaping, or a DAEP placement will lose access to campus events and celebrations. The list resets each grading period, giving students the opportunity to earn those privileges back.

Our goal is not simply to punish. It is to teach, reinforce positive behavior, and give students something positive to work toward. More pep rallies, celebrations, social events, and student incentives are coming!

Our AI and Computational Thinking Program continues to grow! We are excited to partner with Prairie View A&M University’s College of Business to provide special learning experiences for our AI students throughout the fall. Students will explore business focused applications of artificial intelligence and computational thinking while making connections between what they are learning today and future academic and career opportunities. We are excited to continue expanding the Future Ready experiences available to our Mavericks!

We are investing in our educators as we continue growing innovative learning experiences at DCMS! This October, members of the team leading our AI program will participate in professional learning at The Ron Clark Academy. They will explore innovative instructional practices, AI in the classroom, and see the House System in action. Our goal is to bring new ideas and strategies back to DCMS that strengthen student engagement, instruction, and campus culture as we continue preparing our Mavericks to be Future Ready!

The Gifted and Talented (GT) referral window opens on Tuesday, August 11, 2026. Families interested in referring their child for GT testing should complete the referral by Wednesday, September 30. Please review the flyer for the referral link and important deadlines.

The 2026-2027 Bus Route Locator will be available August 5, 2026: http://www.infofinderi.com/ifi/?cid=FBI-2B3JIB4YNDI. Please make sure that your child knows their bus route information including the bus number, pick-up/drop-off time, and stop location.

The Fort Bend ISD Free and Reduced-Price Meals Application is now open for the 2026-27 school year and families can complete the application online at www.schoolcafe.com/fbisd. All FBISD families are encouraged to apply.

Student meals will be available for purchase this school year, but students who qualify may receive breakfast and lunch meals at little or no cost. As a reminder, meal prices will be as followed in the 2026-27 school year:

• Student Breakfast - $2.00
• Elementary Lunch - $2.75
• Secondary Lunch - $3.00

Completing the Free and Reduced-Price Meal application may result in additional benefits for students and families, including reduced fees and tuition for Extended Learning programs, Career and Technical Education (CTE) courses, and athletics programs. Visit the FBISD Child Nutrition webpage to learn about additional benefits. Only one application needs to be completed for each household.

To apply, parents will need to have the following information:

• Names of all household members
• Amount, frequency and source of current income for each household member
• Last four digits of the parent’s or guardian’s social security number
• Signature of an adult household member attesting that the information provided is correct

Families may apply at any time during the school year, should their household circumstances change, including the loss of a job, a decrease in household income or an increase in household size. The District uses the following criteria to determine a family’s eligibility:

• Household income that is at or below the income eligibility levels,
• Households receiving Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) or Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservation (FDPIR), or
• Children who are in foster care, homeless, a runaway, migrant farm worker or displaced by a declared disaster, or enrolled in Head Start.

• Immunizations: All immunizations must be up to date prior to the start of the school year. Please ensure that your child is up to date before August 11, 2026. All required immunizations can be found here.
• FBISD Medication Policy: We are pleased to help oversee any medication administration that must occur during school hours. However, we must comply with Texas State Law, and therefore the following restrictions apply to student medicine management while at school.
• All medications must be brought in by a parent/guardian in the original container. This includes prescription and non-prescription drugs, including cough drops. The child should not be sent to school with medications to bring to the clinic. Students are not allowed to carry their own meds to and from school. Please do not send loose pills in a baggy in your child’s lunch kit or backpack. If your child must take prescription medications at school and at home, please ask your pharmacist to dispense them in two separate, properly labeled containers so that we may keep one at school.
• All medications must be kept in the clinic office. For the protection of all students, medications may not be kept by students, including inhalers and cough drops, unless given written permission by their personal physician.
• All medications must be submitted with written instructions from a parent. All prescription medications also need a signature of a physician. An appropriate medication administration form must be completed by the parent or guardian and should include the child’s full name and amount of medication to be taken, reason for taking the medication, and the time it is to be given. Over-the-counter medications (such as Advil or Tylenol) can only be given according to the label directions for your child’s age and weight unless accompanied by a note from a physician. Any medication needed for more than 15 school days requires a note on file from a physician. Medications needed three times a day should be given at home around school hours ~ check with your child’s physician.
• School personnel will not give any medication unless provided by the parent. We do not house OTC meds that can be given randomly for fevers or pain.
• Medications must be picked up at the end of the school year by an adult. They cannot be sent home with the students or housed over the summer. Any meds left in the clinic at the end of the year will be discarded per district policy.

As you begin shopping for new school clothes, please refer to Fort Bend ISD Student Code of Conduct and refer to the dress code policy as dress code to make sure that clothes adhere to the district policy. FBISD website

House slippers are not permitted at school per the FBISD Student Code of Conduct (page 47). Students wearing house slippers will be asked to change into appropriate shoes.

Please see the picture for an example of the slippers we are seeing on campus. Thank you for helping us keep students safe and ready to learn.

Our athletic seasons are quickly approaching. Students interested in trying out for any sports should ensure they have a completed UIL physical form on file and have completed all the electronic paperwork in RankOne. Please contact Coach McClure (Nicholas.mcclure@fortbendisd.com) or Coach Diallo (Shanta.Diallo@fortbendisd.gov) with any questions.

RankOne Forms

FBISD Physical Form

All students will need a PE uniform to dress out when attending PE . Uniforms can be purchased through RevTrak on the DCMS website. Many students at DCMS purchase two PE uniforms, however there is no limit to the number purchased. There is no need to list sizes during purchase as sizes will be determined at distribution during your child's PE class. Students are encouraged to take uniforms home on Friday to launder and bring back on Monday.

7th Grade Students: Every 7th grade student will take health for one semester, but still needs a PE uniform for the semester of PE. Please order uniform now and do not wait until January.

KickStart Students: You do not need to buy a PE shirt or shorts. Specific attire for KickStart will be communicated to you later.