Dakota Minute

Next week is a short week with no school on Monday, October 13th, Thursday, October 16th, and Friday, October 17th. Even with the short week, we look forward to seeing our students during the two days of classes.

As the quarter concludes, please check the Parent Portal for any missing assignments or retake opportunities, as grades will be posted there at the end of the quarter.

Gratefully,

Aaron Hyer

Mankato Area Public Schools uses a variety of digital tools to support student learning. Technology vendors and software is utilized to support work as we help all students develop the skills necessary to succeed in an ever-changing world.

We have an inventory of our curriculum, testing, and assessment tools posted on our district website at bit.ly/4835DET (or directly to our Learn Platform page bit.ly/3R9xvRB). This list is maintained and communicated annually to all families at the start of the school year.

Please reach out to your building principal for additional questions regarding the use of the specific digital tools in classrooms. Please reach out to MAPS technology department regarding data, privacy, and vendor inquiries of the specific digital tools.

Sincerely,

Aaron Hyer, DMMS Principal

Angie Potts, Director of Educational Technology

We will have an assembly in honor of Veterans Day on Tuesday, November 11th.

There will be an altered schedule to allow for this gatering. If you have your or a family member is Active Duty or a Veteran and would like to attend, you are more than welcome to join. We have minimal seating!

New this year: If you or a family member are a Veteran or Active Duty member and would like a picture included in our program, please share it with Jamie in our Main Office, along with name, rank and tour/years of service.

We ask that families enter door 8 (cafeteria side). The assembly is from 9:20am-10:00am.

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.

• 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.

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

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.

• 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 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!

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

• the date
• A Day/ B Day
• and other information such as sports, etc.

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!

• 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