April 2026 Newsletter

Please note the following important dates in April and May:

Thursday, April 2 - Monday, April 6: Spring Break - no school for students
Friday, April 10: Volleyball Assembly
Friday, April 10 (7 - 9 PM): Student Council Dance/Fun Night
Monday, April 13: Spring Pictures
Tuesday, April 21 - Thursday, April 23: ELA PSSA Testing
Monday, April 27 - Tuesday, April 28: Math PSSA Testing
Wednesday, April 29 - Thursday, April 30: Science PSSA Testing (8th grade only)
Monday, May 4 (7:00 PM): Choral Concert @ LAHS Auditorium
Tuesday, May 5: 7th Grade field trip to Montour Preserve (during school day)
Thursday, May 7: Art Show Visit @ LAHS (during school day)
Tuesday, May 12 (7:00 PM): Band Concert @ LAHS Auditorium
Wednesday, May 13 (7:00 PM): Orchestra Concert @ LAHS Auditorium
Monday, May 18: 8th Grade Honors Reception @ LAHS
Tuesday, May 19 - Wednesday, May 20: Algebra Keystone Testing
Friday, May 22: Fun Day/Field Day
Monday, May 25: Memorial Day - no school
Wednesday, May 27: DHEMS Awards Assembly
Thursday, May 28: 8th Grade Knoebels Trip
Friday, May 29: Last day of school - 1/2 day for students

Nine of our DHEMS students had the incredible opportunity to attend ChorusFest, held right here in Lewisburg! Students joined peers from 20 schools across the surrounding area for a daylong festival, working together to prepare choral music for an evening concert.

Nineteen of our middle school orchestra members traveled to West Wyoming Valley School District to participate in the Region IV string festival. The students spent the day rehearsing for a concert that same night. Early in the day, students auditioned for seating placements and all first chair spots were occupied by a Lewisburg student!

Mrs. Jarrett’s 8th Grade Clay Club welcomed ceramic artist Angela Mowery of Selinsgrove for a special visit. During their weekly club session, Angela demonstrated her expertise in wheel throwing and shared her knowledge of the pottery process. She brought some of her finished pieces to share as well. Students had the opportunity to observe each step of the process and take their own turn on the pottery wheel to create. Thank you Angela for providing this awesome opportunity for our students!

Help is needed hanging and displaying artwork for the Art Show as well as helping take down the art at the end of the Art Show. Please review the available slots below and click on the button to sign up. Thank you!

https://tinyurl.com/helpartshow

Students in 6th grade social studies and gifted classes have been working to perfect their business ideas for the Dream-Learn-Pitch competition. Students shared their pitches to a panel of judges at DHEMS, with the top two teams advancing to participate in the Husky Dog Pound competition at Bloomsburg University. The top two DHEMS teams that advanced were Uniquely Upcycled, created by Muaz Aboueid, Addy Crebs, and Nora Rummel, and Toys for Teeth, created by Samantha Bernstein, Alexa Hunter, and Maggie Kinney.

Mr. West's and Mrs. Snyder's students competed at the Husky Dog against over 250 middle school and high school teams. 6th graders Addy Crebs, Nora Rummel, and Muaz Aboueid placed 15th in the competition. Their idea, Uniquely Upcycled, gave the Green Dragons their highest finish ever in the competition!

Congratulations to our March students of the month! These students were selected by the faculty for consistently following school expectations of being Respectful, Accountable, Prepared and Safe.

6th Grade: Eden Hockenbroch, CJ Stewart

7th Grade: Evelyn Hosterman, Grey Motto

8th Grade: Jaron Morgan, Samantha Strieby

Related Arts: Ethan Forbes, Porter Durden Spiro

DHEMS has been recognized by the Pennsylvania Positive Behavior Support (PaPBS) Network for its fidelity of implementation of School-Wide Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (SWPBIS). This recognition highlights the school’s dedication to building a safe, inclusive, and supportive environment that prioritizes both academic and social-emotional growth. Implementing SWPBIS is a collaborative effort that involves educators, administrators, families, and students working together to create consistent expectations and positive school culture. The recognition demonstrates that DHEMS is using data-driven decision-making to ensure equitable practices and supports tailored to student needs. By achieving this distinction, Donald H Eichhorn Middle School serves as a model for other schools in the district and across the state striving to improve outcomes for all students. This accomplishment reflects the district’s commitment to reducing exclusionary practices, improving student engagement, and promoting success for every learner.

PSSA and Keystone testing is right around the corner! All middle school students will take the ELA and Math PSSA. Only 8th grade students will take the science PSSA. Students in certain 7th and 8th grade math classes will take the Keystone Algebra exam. Dates for testing are as follows:

April 21 - April 23: ELA testing
April 27 - April 28: Mathematics testing
April 29 - April 30: Science testing (8th grade only)

May 19 - May 20: Keystone Algebra testing

As we prepare for state testing, please review the attached parent letters from the Pennsylvania Department of Education. The FAQ contains helpful information regarding the assessments, and the electronic device letter is provided as well.

Please encourage your child to come to school set up for success by getting a good night's rest and eating breakfast. As a reminder, breakfast in the cafeteria is free for all students every day. Students are welcome to eat breakfast here!

All testing will be completed online this year, with the exception of students who have paper/pencil testing as an accommodation in their IEPs. All students will leave their Chromebooks at school the evenings before testing so that they can be charged.

As a reminder, educational travel requests cannot be permitted during state testing windows. Please ensure educational travel is planned outside of state testing windows.

If a student is absent and misses a section of the PSSA or Keystone, they will make up that section as soon as possible upon their return. This could occur on another testing day in the afternoon, or on Fridays of testing weeks when no test is scheduled.

If you have any questions about PSSA or Keystone testing, please reach out to Mr. Sokalzuk.

Electronic Device Parent Letter

Spanish PSSA Parent FAQs

Spanish Electronic Device Parent Letter

Spanish Keystone Parent FAQs

Download

182.5 KB

We encourage staff and students to join us in our Spirit Week beginning on Tuesday, April 7, leading to our Volleyball Assembly on Friday, April 10. Please see the attached flyer for the daily themes.

Spring Picture Day is coming on Monday, April 13! You can place your order on mylifetouch.com using your Picture Day ID: EVT6NGCMT. Order before midnight on Picture Day to get FREE shipping! Your child can also bring their completed flyer with cash or check on Monday, April 13. Orders after Picture Day must be placed online only on mylifetouch.com.

Only students that pre-ordered Spring photos will be photographed on Picture Day. If your student did not pre-order spring pictures, or come to school with the completed flyer and payment, they will not be photographed. All orders must be placed by Monday, April 13.

On Wednesday, April 1, our students and staff participated in an assembly, titled Stronger Than You Think, sponsored and facilitated by our DHEMS PSA. The assembly featured keynote speaker Kevin Bittenbender, a veteran who lost the lower portion of his leg due to complications from injuries sustained while serving in Afghanistan. Today, Kevin is a world-class para-athlete who competes in para-skeleton, a sport in which the athlete travels face down an ice-covered track at speeds up to 80 miles per hour. We also heard from two Bucknell student-athletes, Freddie Lapworth and Caroline McCaffrey, who have also had to overcome major obstacles to progress toward meeting their goals. Our students walked away with themes of resiliency, supporting one another, and never giving up on a goal. A special thank you to PSA members Wendy Wright, Jen Bayer, and Tali MacArthur who were instrumental in making this assembly happen!

Click here to see the Daily Item article about the assembly.

Click here to see the Standard Journal article about the assembly.

Sun Area Technical Institute is once again offering summer programming in many of their programs. The programs engage students in four days of learning about careers of interest and completing hands-on activities to further their interest and skills in the program of choice. Please see the attached flyer for more information. Please see the second attachment for important information regarding changes to the registration process. Early registration is now open! Spots fill quickly, so register as soon as possible if you are interested.

The 8th grade Geometry class recently participated in a Trigonometry lab. They built their own inclinometers out of paper towel tubes to measure angles of elevation and depression to estimate the height of different objects outside the school. Professor Favero from Bucknell’s engineering department visited the class. He talked about how he uses math and physics in his job as a civil engineer. He explained some of his work at Bucknell with soil samples and his work with geotechnical engineering. He also demonstrated how to use surveying equipment which students were able to compare to our homemade inclinometers.

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!

Click here to access previous newsletters:

Donald H. Eichhorn Middle School

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

Important Dates Important Dates

What's New at DHEMS? What's New at DHEMS?

Help Requested - LASD Art Show Help Requested - LASD Art Show

Husky Dog Pound Husky Dog Pound

March Students of the Month March Students of the Month

PaPBS Recognition PaPBS Recognition

PSSA/Keystone Testing Reminder PSSA/Keystone Testing Reminder

Spirit Week at DHEMS Spirit Week at DHEMS

Spring Picture Day Spring Picture Day

Stronger Than You Think Assembly Stronger Than You Think Assembly

SunTech Summer Camp SunTech Summer Camp

Trigonometry Lab Trigonometry Lab

Weis4School Weis4School

Previous Newsletters Previous Newsletters

Donald H. Eichhorn Middle School