Middle School News

Feb. 14: National Wear Red Day

January 30, 2012

In honor of raising awareness about heart disease in women, Feb. 14 has been named National Wear Red Day. All DCS staff are encouraged to don a red piece of clothing or accessory on Tuesday, Feb. 14 as they help raise funds for the American Heart Association. Donations can be made at the ES to Erin Goodwin or at the MS/HS to Ana Vallardares.

K-8 Science Fair student registration due March 5

January 24, 2012

It's that time of year again for students to start thinking about creating science projects for the annual K-8 Science Fair. If your child is interested in entering the Science Fair, please download the registration form which is due Monday, March 5. This year's Science Fair is Saturday, April 22 from 1 to 4 p.m. at DES.

2012 yearbooks on sale until Jan. 27, order now!

January 14, 2012

MS/HS yearbooks are on sale! A full-color edition of the 2012 Dusquanox is $45. All orders are due by Friday, Jan. 27. Orders must be placed in January. There will be no yearbooks available in June. Order forms can be picked up during lunch periods. The yearbook staff will collect full and partial payments during lunch periods as well. Stop by and see a yearbook staff member for more information.

Informational letter to parents

January 4, 2012

A letter to parents was sent home with students' second quarter interim reports. This letter contains information about upcoming events, important dates (January Regents schedule) and more. If you didn't get a chance to read this letter, please download it here.

Spelling Bee winner Wyeth McKinley goes on to Capital Region Bee

December 5, 2011

Congratulations to sixth grade student Wyeth McKinley who took first place in the Duanesburg Spelling Bee. [MORE]

Duanesburg Middle School named a School in Need of Improvement

December 5, 2011

In November, the New York State Education Department released its annual accountability status of schools and districts under Title I. According to the report, Duanesburg Middle School has been designated as a School in Need of Improvement (SINI). The SINI designation means that the school did not make Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) on New York State standardized tests in one student subgroup for two consecutive years. In this case, Duanesburg MS students with disabilities subgroup did not achieve AYP in English Language Arts for both the 2010 and 2011 assessment cycle. Duanesburg High School and Elementary School are currently listed in good standing. [MORE]

Peanut allergy letter to parents

November 28, 2011

Recently, the DCS health office sent a peanut allergy-related letter home to parents. Food allergies among children are on the rise in the United States and DCS takes this news seriously. Please take a moment to read the letter and talk with your children about food/peanut allergies and help them understand how to take precautions when a friend or classmates has food allergies. [LETTER TO PARENTS]

Duanesburg Day, March 3

November 28, 2011

A Community of Helping Hands is the theme of this year's Duanesburg Day celebration being held Saturday, March 3 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on the MS/HS campus. In honor of the theme, attendees are kindly asked to bring a non-perishable food item to be donated to local food pantries. Duanesburg Day is a community celebration to recognize local heritage and culture of the past, present and future. We hope you can attend! If you'd like to participate as a local antique dealer, artisan, crafter or community group, please download the registration form [FORM] and the participation letter [LETTER] for more information.

Sixth-graders give a whole new meaning to the phrase "acting out in class"

November 2, 2011

Trying out a new twist on teaching vocabulary words, ELA teacher Lisa DiBella decided to fully engage her sixth-grade students by having them act out their vocabulary words. [READ MORE]

Sixth grade students "excel" in math

October 26, 2011

Sixth-grade student Rya Apolito and her math class put down their pencils and calculators and moved over to the computers for a lesson on spreadsheets. The math students learned how to use excel--a software program that is useful for math--to create a spreadsheet, enter formulas, navigate, change text and much more. In the picture, Apolito is showing two images she imported into her excel spreadsheet.

New budget season, new tax levy cap legislation

October 24, 2011

As the Duanesburg School District gears up for the development of its 2012-13 school budget, district leaders and the Board of Education want to be sure taxpayers are aware of a dramatic change in the budget development process—the state’s new tax levy cap legislation. [READ MORE]

Flu guide for parents

September  19, 2011

The New York State Department of Health has released its flu guide for parents for the 2011-2012 school year. [DOWNLOAD GUIDE] Keep your children safe; make sure they are vaccinated every fall or winter. For more information, please visit: http://www.health.ny.gov/diseases/communicable/influenza/seasonal/

Middle School Principal is blogging

September  8, 2011

In an effort to become even more connected to parents and students, Middle School Principal Penny Hardenstine has started a blog. Check it out at http://hardenstine.blogspot.com

Duanesburg is on Facebook! "Like us"

September, 1  2011

Duanesburg Central Schools is now a member of Facebook. "Like us" to get up to the minute posts about what is happening in our schools, view photos and more! Just go to www. facebook.com/duanesburgschools

Have you visited our college-related web pages?

If you haven't already checked out the district's college-related web pages, what are you waiting for? There's so much information for you and your parents. [CHECK IT OUT]

ANNOUNCEMENTS & REMINDERS:   

• November 2011 Letter to Parents (included in report cards) [DOWNLOAD PDF]
• Sight for Students provides free vision exams and glasses to low-income, uninsured children. [LEARN MORE]
• Rules for lunch class visits [DOWNLOAD PDF]
• 2011-12 School Calendar available [DOWNLOAD PDF]
• Don't forget to visit the district's Photo Gallery. To see pictures of school events.
• Do you or your family need health insurance? Get more information about the Healthy Capital District Initiative [HERE].
• Stay on track next school year by calling the homework hotline at 895-5350, ext. 5, and listen to daily recordings of homework assignments for sixth- through eighth-graders.