Douglas Middle School

“The Douglas Public Schools offer diverse learning experiences that meet the academic, social, physical, and emotional needs of all students. We provide a safe, supportive, and challenging learning environment in which students may achieve academic success and personal growth. Decisions are made in the best interest of students.”

Important Dates to Remember

Friday, January 9 - Grade 6 Tiger Bucks Auction
Wednesday, January 14-Winter Music Show 6:30PM
Friday, January 16 - No School, PD Day
Monday, January 19- No School, MLK Jr. Day
Wednesday, January 21-School Committee Meeting 6:30PM @ DHS
Friday, January 23, Quarter 2 Grades close

Friday, January 16, No School-Professional Development Day
Monday, January 19, No School MLK Jr. Day

Please continue to remind your student to charge and bring their Chromebook to school each and every day. This would be a great help to us. Thank you for your assistance.

The administration and staff of Douglas Middle School are working to teach our students about mental health and how to seek help if they are worried about themselves or a friend. Suicide is the second leading cause of death among youth in the U.S., and prevention programs delivered in school settings have been effective at identifying and supporting these students.*

Beginning on January 20, 2026, the eighth-grade students will participate in the "Signs of Suicide" (SOS) Program. This program has been implemented by thousands of schools over the past twenty years. Studies have shown that this program effectively teaches students about depression and suicide while reducing the number of students’ self-reported suicide attempts.

Through the program, students will learn:

That depression is treatable, further encouraging them to seek help
How to identify depression and potential suicide risk in themselves or a friend
To ACT (Acknowledge, Care and Tell a trusted adult) if concerned about themselves or a friend
Who they can turn to at school for help, if they need it

Students will watch age-appropriate video clips, participate in a guided discussion led by the DMS school psychologist and school counselors, and complete a brief depression screening tool. The tool cannot provide a diagnosis of depression, but it does indicate whether a young person should be referred for an evaluation by a mental health professional.

At the end of the class, students will complete an exit slip which asks whether they would like to talk to an adult about themselves or a friend. Ms. Hurley (DMS & DHS School Psychologist) Ms. Avedian (DMS Adjustment Counselor), and Mrs. Markopoulos (DMS School Counselor) will meet with identified students following the training.

All eighth-grade students are scheduled to attend this training. A parent/guardian letter describing the program and a list of resources will be sent home with students on January 9, 2026. These documents have been uploaded to the parent resource section of the Douglas Middle School webpage.

If a parent/guardian does not want their child to participate, they can opt out of this training by notifying Mrs. Hurley at jhurley@douglasps.net. If you have any questions, please contact Mrs. Hurley at 508-476-3332 ext. 2263, Ms. Avedian at ext. 2265, or Mrs. Markopoulos at ext. 2267.

*Clark, K. N. et al. (2022) ‘Evaluating the Signs of Suicide Program: Middle School Students at Risk and Staff Acceptability’, School Psychology Review, 51(3), pp. 354–369. doi: 10.1080/2372966X.2021.1936166.