Dakota Minute

Hello DMMS Families,

It is hard to believe we are soon approaching the halfway mark of the first quarter! Time is truly flying by, and our classrooms and hallways are filled with wonderful energy, learning, and school spirit every single day.

Maverick Hockey Game Trip Success

A huge thank you to our students, staff, and chaperones for making our school-wide trip to the Minnesota State Maverick Men’s Hockey Game such a resounding success! Having our entire school gather at the arena to cheer on the Mavericks was an unforgettable experience. Our students showed incredible enthusiasm and represented Dakota Meadows with great pride and excellent behavior throughout the event. Special thanks to everyone who helped organize and manage the logistics behind the scenes to make this memorable experience possible for our entire school community.

Important Calendar Reminders

Please mark your calendars for the following upcoming dates with no school:

• Monday, October 12th: No School

• Thursday, October 15th & Friday, October 16th: No School

Mid-Quarter Progress

With the mid-quarter mark right around the corner, this is a great opportunity to sit down with your student to check Infinite Campus, review current progress, and catch up on any missing work. Establishing good routines now will set our students up for continued success as we work toward the end of Quarter 1.

Thank you for your ongoing support and partnership in making Dakota Meadows Middle School a fantastic place to learn and grow.

Gratefully,

Principal 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 Classlink page https://public-portal.classlink.com/isd77). 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

Did you know Minnesota has a Permanent School Fund that helps support public schools across the state, including Mankato Area Public Schools?

The fund was established to provide ongoing financial support for public education, with earnings distributed to Minnesota school districts each year based on student enrollment. For MAPS, these dollars help support the educational programs and services our students rely on every day.

Minnesota voters will have an opportunity to consider a constitutional amendment related to the Permanent School Fund on the November ballot. We encourage families to learn more about the proposal and what it means for Minnesota's public schools before voting.

Learn more about the Permanent School Fund Amendment:

https://www.mnpsfamendment.org/

We know that sometimes students don’t feel their best during the school day, and we want to make sure they are cared for and supported when that happens.

As part of our district-wide Attendance Initiative, we are working together to help students attend school consistently while also making sure that absences are recorded accurately and appropriately. One way we can do this is by having a clear process when a student becomes ill during the school day.

If your student is feeling sick, please remind them to check in with the school nurse. The nurse will visit with your student and help determine whether they are well enough to remain at school. If the nurse feels your student needs to go home, they will contact you to arrange for your student to be picked up.

Following this process allows us to make sure your student’s illness-related absence is recorded as excused. If a student leaves school because they are feeling sick without first checking in with the nurse, the absence will be recorded as unexcused.

Thank you for partnering with us and helping your student understand this process. We recognize that every family and every situation is unique, and our goal is to work together to support your student’s health, well-being, and success at school. Your partnership plays an important role in helping students feel supported and connected while building strong attendance habits.

Please see more information HERE in regards to saving time when checking in with your Raptor App.

Please see THIS letter/opt out in regards to our upcoming Panorama Survey that will be administered during advisory on October 22nd.

If you have any questions, please do not hesiate to reach out.

The Dakota Meadows PTA is excited about the year ahead and wants our school community to know that PTA is about much more than fundraising. Our goal is to support students, teachers, and families by helping provide experiences and opportunities that make middle school a great place to learn and grow. This year, we are continuing to support things like field trips, teacher and staff appreciation, student activities, conferences, and school programs while also looking ahead to some bigger projects for our students.

One of our biggest goals is creating an amazing outdoor space at Dakota Meadows. We are exploring ideas for a space that could include swings, play and obstacle features, shaded areas, and opportunities for students to move, socialize, and enjoy the outdoors during the school day. We are researching grants, community partnerships, business sponsorships, and fundraising opportunities to make this vision possible. We are also continuing to listen to students and families about what they would most like to see in the space.

You will also see PTA becoming more visible at school events this year. We are expanding concessions beyond dances to include athletic and other school events, with proceeds supporting PTA programs and projects. We are also looking for a few volunteers for:

• The October Costume Dance on 10/30 in the evening.

• The Book Fair on 11/19 and 11/23 in the late afternoon and evening.

• The Teacher Conference Meals on 11/19 and 11/23. The PTA historically provides staff with meals. Most of them get to school in the morning, teach our kids, and then meet with countless families. They work hard and families appreciate the opportunity to connect with DMMS staff.

• Shout out to the Atomic Star for donating the food for staff on 11/19.If you find yourself at the Atomic Star, thank them for their continued support.

• If you have any ideas for meals (typically an entree, a side, a dessert, and a beverage) for 11/23 or wish to make a donation please use tis link: https://www.givebacks.com/causes/e005c3e2-1841-4059-a3f5-32e338f26581/shop/items/f1f52308ed

We are always looking for families, staff, and community members who are willing to lend a hand—even occasionally.

Finally, one of the easiest ways to support Dakota Meadows PTA is simply to become a member, volunteer when you can, or participate in one of our fundraisers. We want PTA to be something that belongs to the entire Dakota Meadows community—not just a small group of parents. We have a lot of exciting ideas, and we are looking forward to working with students, families, teachers, and staff to make them happen!

Join us for our next meeting on October 19 @ DMMS from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m.

Thank you,

Meghan Maes, President | Melissa Weinacht, Vice President | Ashley Richards, Treasurer | Amy Bennett, Secretary

Please see THIS message from Greater Mankato Diversity Council. They will have presenters coming into Mr. Viker's and Ms. Scharder's classes on October 19th, 20th, and 21st.

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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, lunch menu, special announcements.

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

November 11th. December 9th. January 13th. February 10th. March 10th. April 14th. May 12th.

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.

• 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

• 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.

• Students will be allowed to carry their backpacks during the school day. PBIS lessons during the first few days of school will teach expectations.

• Please see this important page in regards to cell phones at DMMS and our expectations.

• At DMMS we expect that students will not have airpods and if students have cell phones during school, we will follow these school wide expectations.

Please see our 2026-2027 School Year Calendar HERE.

Please make sure to view the student calendar on our district website. This will have our early releases and no school days. In addition, the Google Calendar will have DMMS Specific information.

Please see our MAPS Quick Guide HERE

• October 12th- No School
• October 15th & 16th- No School
• October 19th-21st- 6th Grade Mankato Diversity Council in Social Studies and GTT
• October 29th- Picture Retake Day
• November 11th- Early Out
• November 12th- Last Day of Quarter 1
• November 13th- No School; Teacher PREP Day
• December 9th- Early Out
• December 23rd-January 1st- No School