August 2026 Newsletter

We hope all of our students and families are having wonderful summer experiences! This newsletter is being sent to provide DHEMS updates, and share important dates for the coming school year.

• Wednesday, August 19 @ 6:30 PM: 6th Grade Orientation in DHEMS Gymnasium
• Monday, August 24 @ 10:00 AM: New Student Orientation (for 7th/8th grade students new to the district) in DHEMS Library
• Tuesday, August 25: First Day of School for Students!
• Wednesday, September 2 @ 6:30 PM: 7th/8th Grade Back to School Night in DHEMS Gymnasium
• Monday, September 7: No School - Labor Day Holiday
• Wednesday, September 16: Picture Day

Please note new morning arrival times as these have changed for the 2026-2027 school year:

7:25 AM - doors open; breakfast begins

7:45 AM - first bell; students to lockers and homeroom

7:50 AM - homeroom late bell

2:40 PM - dismissal bell

Fall Sports Meeting

All High School and Middle School fall sports will meet August 4 at 7:00 PM in the High School Auditorium for a brief informational meeting with Mr. Wetzel, LASD Athletic Director, before meeting with coaches and teammates in breakout sessions. We encourage you to attend so you can meet the team and coaches as well as get important practice and game information for the season.

All students must have a completed sports physical turned into the athletic office before they can begin participation in practice or games.

A few other important dates to note:

• Fall sport registration closes August 6
• Fall sport preseason starts August 17

Please contact Mrs. Kate Rute, Athletic Department Administrative Assistant, if you have any questions: 570-522-3233 or rute_k@dragon.k12.pa.us

To better align the middle school and high school's grading practices, DHEMS will be following an adjusted grading scale starting with the 2026-2027. For more detail on grading practices, please refer to the DHEMS Handbook.

Grading Scale:

A = 90.0 - 100

B = 80.0 - 89.99

C = 70.0 - 79.99

D = 60.0 - 69.99

F = 59.99 and below

Distinguished Honor Roll = GPA 96.0% and above

Honor Roll = GPA 90.0% - 95.99%

Per state requirements, incoming 7th grade students must have Tdap and meningococcal (MCV) immunizations prior to the start of the school year. Please reach out to our school nurse, Mrs. Heather Smouse, at smouse_h@dragon.k12.pa.us with any questions. Immunization records can be mailed to or dropped off at the DHEMS office, emailed directly to Mrs. Smouse, or faxed to the middle school at 570-522-3331.

Orientation for incoming 7th and 8th graders who are new to the district will be held on Monday, August 24 at 10:00 AM in the DHEMS Library. Students and their parents are invited to meet our school counselors. Our counselors will have a short presentation and provide a tour of our school. If you are the parent of a new 7th or 8th grader and are interested in attending, please email Mr. Kevin Mowrey, DHEMS School Counselor, at mowrey_k@dragon.k12.pa.us.

Please note: incoming 6th graders, whether new to the district or just new to DHEMS, should attend 6th grade orientation on Wednesday, August 19 only. The August 24 event is reserved for 7th and 8th graders who are new to the district. Thank you!

The dates for 6th Grade Orientation and 7th/8th Grade Back to School Night have been set! Please mark your calendars for the following dates:

• 6th grade Orientation: Wednesday, August 19 @ 6:30 PM
• 7th/8th grade Back to School Night: Wednesday, September 2 @ 6:30 PM

Families will have the opportunity to meet and greet their children's teachers and see the building. Members of our student services team will also be available to meet students and families, and answer questions. We are excited to have representatives from our DHEMS PSA prepared to share information about their important mission!

PowerSchool parent letters will be mailed home at the beginning of August. After completing the required online parent updates, our administrative assistant will review the information and approve each update (this can take up to three business days after you submit the parent update - please do not call unless you cannot access the portal four or more days after submitting the updates). After the updates are approved, you will be able to access the PowerSchool Parent Portal to review your child's schedule and transportation information.

Please note: all information in the PowerSchool parent portal, including schedules and transportation information, is tentative and subject to change. Please expect tweaks to schedules throughout August and into the first week of school as we make adjustments due to new enrollments and balancing of sections. We will provide your child's official schedule at Orientation and/or the first day of school. A special thanks to our school counselors, Mr. Mowrey and Mrs. Ulrich, who have worked hard to schedule students for the upcoming school year!

We have many projects occurring at DHEMS! If you have been past the middle school this summer, you have seen the work being done on the roof, including new paint to ensure our building matches our school colors! All exterior trim was also painted to match the roof. The fitness lab project just started, and we anticipate that being complete during the first semester of the school year. Toward the start of the school year, landscaping will be updated in the front of the middle school.

Inside the building, there are lots of changes. The hallways and lockers were painted, making us look like the "Green Dragons" instead of the "Red Dragons". Some offices are getting new flooring, and there have been various technology and facility upgrades in classrooms as well. The work to ensure our building looks and functions well for another 60 years continues!

As always, our custodial and maintenance staff have been working hard to ensure the building is ready to go for our students. Their task has been challenging with multiple projects to work around, but they have done a fabulous job and classrooms are looking great!

Grade level teams have created supply lists for the upcoming school year. It is helpful if students come to school with these items ready to go. Please contact the school principal, school counselors, or a classroom teacher if you have trouble obtaining these materials for any reason, including lack of availability or financial hardship.

Additionally, students in music and FACS classes are encouraged to bring a two-pocket folder for each class and earbuds. Students in gifted class should have a 1 inch 3-ring binder and 3 binder tab dividers with pockets.

Please consider supporting our DHEMS PSA during the upcoming school year through chaperoning, donations, or supporting important fundraisers! Our PSA is involved with school dances/fun nights (including hosting a dance in February), Fun Day/Field Day, the 8th grade Knoebels trip, book fairs, teacher appreciation, and much more! This would not be possible without hard-working parent volunteers and the financial support of our community. PSA representatives will be at 6th grade Orientation and 7th/8th grade Back to School night providing information on how you can get involved and also asking for small donations to support the group in their efforts to enhance opportunities for our students and staff. They will also be hosting fundraisers during the school year, so keep an eye out for those! You can reach our DHEMS PSA through email (dhemslewisburg@gmail.com) or through Facebook (Lewisburg Middle School PSA). Thank you to our PSA members for all of your hard work!

Our students will once again be given school-issued Chromebooks for educational use. Technology protection plans will be offered to all families for the current school year. These plans cover the cost of accidental damages beyond typical wear and tear. Please click here to purchase or waive the technology protection plan for the coming school year. More information on one-to-one computing, including the district acceptable use policy, can be found here.

DHEMS will not be holding early laptop distribution this year. All Chromebooks will be given to students on the first day of school. All required forms, such as the user agreement, will be included in the PowerSchool annual updates this year.

DHEMS is participating in the Weis4School program, where you can earn money for DHEMS simply by linking your club card to the middle school. Please click here and follow the steps to link your club card to DHEMS. Please note: we are listed as D H Eichhorn Middle School (we will not show up if you search Donald...). You can also type 87592 and DHEMS will show up as an option. Thank you for your support!

Website: dhems.lasd.us
Location: 2057 Washington Ave., Lewisburg, PA 17837
Phone: 570-522-3213
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DonaldEichhornMS/