Dear Parents, Faculty, and Students:

We started off this year in full swing with our aim on providing

students with the best academic atmosphere, while also instilling in them

a sense of independence and pride. As I reflect on the first semester I

am first amazed at how fast the time has gone by. While walking through

classes I have observed teachers and students striving to give 100% on

a daily basis in order to encourage and promote success. One of our

main goals here at DDMS is academics, although I am pleased to say

that our teachers and staff also instill our students with a sense of pride

and independence through encouraging students to undertake and

complete challenging tasks. It is vitally important that students

understand the importance of completing tasks to the best of their ability

in a timely fashion; by accomplishing such goals students are able to feel

confident in their abilities. We must remember that by lowering the bar

that we set for today’s youth we put them at a disadvantage, rather by

setting our expectations higher we can promote independence and a

sense of accomplishment. As parents, faculty, and administrators it is our

job to encourage and challenge students to always strive for excellence

in all tasks they undertake while guiding them along the way. We have

the privilege of shaping tomorrow’s future – will you accept this

challenge and work to the best of your ability in providing today’s youth

for tomorrow’s challenges?

Brian McCarthy

Assistant Principal

Dingman-Delaware Middle School

November 8, 2012 D D M S “ W h e r e t h e B e s t G e t B e t t e r ”

Dingman-Delaware Middle School

Dates to Remember:

11-9-12 Senior Citizen Dinner

11-9 & 11-10-12 Little Mermaid, Jr. Play 7:30

11-16-12 Dance 3-5pm

11-20-12 Parent-Teacher Conferences—Dismissal 11:15am

11-21-12 Grandparents’ Day—Dismissal 11:15am

11-22 to 11-26 Fall Recess

Please Be Aware!!

Report Cards— Your Report Card may be

held if you have any fines or

overdue materials. You may

not check out materials or

have use of the library until

your obligations are met. If

this is you—Please see the

librarian as soon as possible!

Delaware Valley School District

MISSION STATEMENT

Delaware Valley School District, the educational leader of our community, strives for

excellence with dedication to diverse educational opportunities. Students of all ages are

challenged to maximize intellectual, emotional, social, and physical potential. Values,

knowledge, and skills are nurtured in partnership with family and community. Learning

takes place in a safe and positive environment that respects individual differences.

Delaware Valley offers a dynamic core curriculum enhanced by the creative use of

technology. Our commitment to life-long learning promotes success in an

ever-changing global society. SLOGAN

Delaware Valley School District – Educating for Life’s Journey

Adopted August, 1998

“You cannot escape the responsibility of tomorrow by evading it today”—Abraham Lincoln

From the Principal’s Desk:

PAGE 2 D IN GMAN -D EL AWAR E MID D L E SCHO O L

As we are about to begin the second marking period, students must continue to strive to improve academically. We want our students to take full advantage of all the offerings our school has

for them to succeed! We offer tutoring during the school day (Periods 4, 5, 6, and 7) for math and reading where students can be pulled out of a study hall to take advantage of this program. After school tutoring has started on Tuesday (Language Arts and Social Studies) and Thursday (Math and Science) until 4:30 PM. Lunch tutoring is also available to our students during certain days of the week. I would also encourage our parents if they have not already, to sign up for “PowerSchool”, which is an online program allowing you to have access to your child’s academic progress,

attendance, and discipline from the comfort of your home at anytime. Parents must first sign up in our guidance office to receive an identification number, along with a password to gain access. Finally, I want to encourage all of our students to consider joining a club, activity, or sports team this year. We want our students to take full advantage of all the offerings our school has for them to succeed! The winter sports (Boys basketball, Girls basketball, Cheerleading and Wrestling) will begin in November. Some of our clubs to sign up for include Junior Students Against Substance Abuse (Jr. SASA),

Anime Club, after school library, ski and snow board club, and pep band. It is our goal at DDMS for our students to receive a well-rounded education both in and out of the classroom! Thank You, James Mitchell

Grandparent’s Day

Wednesday, November 21, 2012

The Dingman-Delaware Middle School would like to honor our student’s grandparent(s). In order to do so, we would like our students to invite their grandparent(s) to be our guests on the morning of November 21, 2012. The day will begin with a brief social in our school cafeteria at 8:00AM. Our PTA will provide coffee, tea, juice, and a breakfast treat. At roughly 9:00 AM, stu-dents whose grandparents are in attendance will meet their grandparent(s) in the cafeteria and escort them to their class. At that time, we would like our students to introduce their grandparents to their class and invite their grandparent(s) to share a hobby they have or stories about what school was like when they attended school. This will last until 10:08 AM, the end of the class period. At this time, with your permission and the signed permission slip at the bottom of this page, your son/daughter will be permitted to leave school early with their grandparent(s). Dismissal time for all other students on this day will be at 11:15 AM.

We hope you will participate in an event that we are all very excited about and have made an

annual tradition at DDMS.

Student’s Name __________________________________ Grade_________

Attending Grandparent(s) Name(s) __________________________________

__________________________________

__________________________________

__________________________________

_____ I give my child, ________________________, permission to leave school with (Child’s Name)

their grandparent, ____________________________,at 10:08 on Wednesday, November 21, 2012.

(Grandparent Name)

____________________________________ , _______________ (Parent Signature) (Date)

(PLEASE RETURN THE BOTTOM PORTION OF THIS FORM

BY FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 16, 2012)

PAGE 4

What’s Going on at DDMS??

D IN GMAN -D EL AWAR E MID D L E SCHO O L

The Dingman-Delaware Middle School will proudly present its 20th annual complimentary

dinner theatre for the senior citizens of the Delaware Valley School District on Friday

November 9, 2012 at 5pm in the DDMS Cafeteria. This complimentary Dinner will be

followed by a 7:30pm performance of “The Little Mermaid, Jr.” presented by the DDMS

Drama Club.

This is a Must-See for

all of the

DVSD Community!!!

Senior Citizen Dinner Menu

Italian Baked Meatballs over Pasta

Salad

Italian Garlic Bread

Black & White Forest Cake

Coffee: Regular & Decaf

Tea: Regular & Decaf

Soda & Water

Many hours of preparation have gone into making this evening a special one for each

and every one of you. We hope you can join us and that you enjoy your visit!!

- On Behalf of the Dingman-Delaware Middle School Family

Performance of The Little Mermaid, Jr.

November 9th and 10th 2012

Doors will Open at 7:15pm

Performance will begin at 7:30pm

Admission: $5.00 for Adults

$3.00 for students

For Dinner Reservations or

Further Information

Please Call 570-296-3143

The Dingman-Delaware Middle

School is located at

1365 Route 739 in

Dingmans Ferry, PA.

D IN GMAN -D EL AWAR E MID D L E SCHO O L PAGE 5

What’s going on at DDMS? ART CLUB NEWS As troops from 55th Heavy Brigade Combat Team prepare for deployment to Kuwait many local schools and

business show their support in helping these soldiers and their family members brace for the upcoming

separation. One school in particular is Dingman-Delaware Middle School in Dingmans Ferry, PA. The art club,

under the direction of Ms. Lisa Sakoutis, has been working after school on a special treat for the soldiers. The

students have been using their creative talents to decorate paper lunch bags. These bags will be filled with snack

foods for the soldiers to enjoy as they depart from their duty stations in upcoming weeks.

Other Recent Art Projects Include: The art club students are also busy making centerpieces for the upcoming

SENIOR CITIZEN DINNER THEATER. For the production of the Little Mermaid, Jr we are working hard at making clay sculptures

of the coral reef. We are also involved in making an anti—bullying mural

PAGE 6 D IN GMAN -D EL AWAR E MID D L E SCHO O L

DDMS Water Lab Adventure Wyland Clean Water Mobile Lab arrived from California and visited

Dingman-Delaware Middle School (DDMS).

On Wednesday, September 19, 2012, the seventh-grade science

classes at DDMS took part in an exciting hands-on/minds-on mobile

laboratory with a variety of simulations dealing with water

conservation and aquatic life.

D IN GMAN -D EL AWAR E MID D L E SCHO O L PAGE 7

DDMS Spirit Week!! Students enjoyed a week of school spirit during the third week of

September to kick off an eventful fun-filled school year.

School Spir-it!!

PAGE 8 D IN GMAN -D EL AWAR E MID D L E SCHO O L

What’s Happening around the school?

DDTV 2012-13

DDTV is a live student-run broadcast. Every morning, the students announce

important messages throughout the school. Tryouts were held in the Spring of 2012

to obtain a successful team for the current school year.

Along with the DDTV moderator, Mrs. Cafarella, it is comprised of seven techies

(running the live broadcast) and fifteen anchors (rotating monthly to deliver the

announcements). The techies are also responsible for snapping photos/taping events

of importance throughout the school year. The techies have already taped several

events to date including: The Pep Rally, Mr. Smith’s rocket launch, Homeroom

Pledges, & a Band/Orchestra concert.

The members of DDTV get to school early and report directly to the DDTV room,

where they prepare for that day’s broadcast. DDTV airs at 8:06 daily and runs for ap-

proximately 3-4 minutes.

Returning Members: Balinda Arnoul

Tess Balton Tyler Boulanger

Angelique Dzirko Collin Kawan-Hemler

Hassan Keys Kristopher Kremsner

Megan Maloney Heather Miranda

Brittany Mross Christina Nagrowski

Vanessa Paolella Garrett Sacken

Christian Santiago

New Members: Lauren Albrecht Destiny Dezenzo Mitchell Maloney Madison Mickles

John Natiello Bronwen Yoncak

D.D.T.V.

2012-2013

STAFF

PTA Sponsored Guest speaker…

D IN GMAN -D EL AWAR E MID D L E SCHO O L PAGE 9

D.A.R.E

Since its inception in fall of 2010 the drug abuse resistant education program under the title KEEPING IT

REAL has been successfully implemented here at DDMS. Under the instruction of the D.A.R.E program and

my twenty one years experience in the New York City Police Department as a transit police officer involved in

the school outreach program in New York City, here I cover a few topics that are very important to the seventh

grade age group. In Keeping it Real, the acronym R.E.A.L which stands for Refuse, Explain, Avoid, and Leave

is strategic behaviors that instructs the students how to deal with any situation in a assertive and respectful

way with other people their age and adults, including the different ways to say no to drugs. There are 10

lessons which also include internet safety and prescription drug safety. At the end of the lessons student

receive a certificate and T shirt with the Keeping it Real logo. So far I covered

four seventh grade classes in the first semester with two more to go and two on

the second semester. I look forward to completing the program this school year

and continue serving the students, staff and parents as your D.A.R.E Officer, and

also as your School Police Officer to protect and serve.

S.P.O Ivan Santiago

Who? Cary Trivanovich

When? November 6, 2012

Why? To help students understand why and how to “Choose Character

Over Bullying”

Cary’s performance and presentation are presented in a positive manner with an informal big‐brother attitude, designed to affect hearts about the

sensitivity and well‐being of others. Cary relates the painful consequences of physical, social, and online "cyber" bullying. Cary effectively exposes the self‐centered attitude of bullying, and the desire for some bullies to be

somebody, defining for the audience why kids bully while subliminally

exposing the immaturity of it. He encourages the bullied, giving them helpful and practical advice. He encourages protecting the bullied and reporting

bullying when being a witness to it.

PAGE 10 D IN GMAN -D EL AWAR E MID D L E SCHO O L

Cary Trivanovich

Our PTA was gracious enough to sponsor Cary Trivanovich and his “Choose Character Over Bullying”

performance/message to the Middle School on Tuesday, November 6th. Mr. Trivanovich is billed as

“America’s Leader in Anti-Bullying Assemblies”. He is a performer, conference speaker, theatre director and

humorist, noted for his pantomime. When I asked Mr. Trivanovich if he had to take lessons to learn his

pantomime or if he was self taught, he explained that he not only developed his own unique style of comical

pantomime but it was actually a contradiction to customary pantomime. He began performing a one man show

around the age of 17 and actually sold out high schools, middle schools, and banquets all before graduating

high school. Mr. Trivanovich actually travels all around the United States wowing students and has performed

at the American Theatre Association's National Convention in Los Angeles and at the prestigious Theatre

Vanguard in Hollywood, where he was hailed as a "remarkably prodigious talent" and "perfect cartoons" by LA

theatre critics.

Mr. Trivanovich explained to Mr. Mitchell and me that he did not want to be introduced by anyone to

start his performance and asked that we trust him with that. We certainly found out why—he was able to

captivate the entire auditorium within seconds of introducing himself with his voice and more importantly with

his unique talent. The students were watching in amazement as he pretended to pull himself across the stage

on an imaginary rope and pretended he was getting pulled back by someone else. They roared with laughter

when he pretended he let go of the rope and sent the imaginary person flying backwards off-stage. Within less

than two minutes he had gained their undivided attention with his comic pantomime routine and he would

continue to use his talent as his ticket to deliver an outstanding message about character, bullying and even

their own existence.

Mr. Trivanovich performed many different pantomime routines which had students falling out of their

seats laughing and these included the old time sheriff in a slow motion gun fight, moon walking across the front

of the stage, the pantomime walk, changing faces by slapping his hand across his face and finally balancing a

dollar bill on the tip of his nose while rotating in a circle! He definitely proved that he was a different and

unique person. He shocked the students to silence by telling them that because he was different growing up he

was “bullied” by other students and even ate lunch by himself at times. It was amazing to watch the faces of the

students in the audience and see them intently listening to his message and at the same time understanding his

message. He then went full circle and informed them that time is the great equalizer and he is proof of that—he

now uses the same talent that made him “different” in middle school to become successful today. I’m sure the

students were wondering how this cool guy was bullied or not cool in middle school.

Mr. Trivanovich left the students talking all day long not only about his comic pantomime but about his

“Choose Character Over Bullying” message which he conveyed through the use of his unique talent!

The DDMS Family would like to offer a special Thank You to the PTA!!

Say NO to Bullying!!

PAGE 11

Hello all! I wanted to remind you all to please make sure you have become familiar

with our new and revised bullying policy. The policy needs to be accessible in your classroom as it states on page 2 section 5.Since October is Bullying Prevention Month, I think we need to acknowledge it by

promoting the positives in our school. JRSASA will be providing a sign up poster to pledge to be Drug and

Bully Free, the PTA will be sponsoring an assembly which will include bullying in November. Teachers are always encouraged to refer students for good behavior. These students meet with the principals who will give the student(s) School T-shirts, bumper stickers and more importantly,

positive attention. We also have Good Deed Citations that we are encouraged to give all year round to promote positive behavior and good

citizenship. By doing these things we are promoting the DV5 and also continue to

build a caring school environment. If any other club is promoting anything( re:bullying) for the month, please

let me know and I will include it for all to see. We, at DDMS, always promote the best in our students and this month is an opportunity for us

to showcase it! This has been a public service announcement from your school social

worker.

Have a great day! Vivian

D IN GMAN -D EL AWAR E MID D L E SCHO O L

PAGE 12 D IN GMAN -D EL AWAR E MID D L E SCHO O L

Career Day at DDMS—October 19, 2012 Our Annual Career Day consisted of several voluntary guest speakers taking time

out of their busy schedules to inform our DDMS students about their profession, while

allowing students the opportunity to ask questions and informing them of the importance

of academics for their future. We are very grateful for to all of the parents and

community members who volunteered to participate in this day.

We hope you will join us again next year!

PAGE 13

D IN GMAN -D EL AWAR E MID D L E SCHO O L

Student Achievements

Criteria for Nominating Students of the Month

Works to his/her level of ability

Maintains constant attention throughout your lessons

Projects, homework, and notebooks should be organized and handed in on a timely basis

Be in regular attendance

Obeys rules of your classroom and of the school

Becomes involved in areas outside of regular class

Shows evidence of a positive attitude towards teachers, fellow students, and the school

Volunteers to help out or join student activities or projects (Student Council, PTA, teams, organizations, etc.)

September Nominees for Student of the Month

Sixth Grade Seventh Grade Eighth Grade

Derek Gonzalo Jordan Glenn Mia Joseph

Gia Cicileo Matthew Schaeffer Cody Roushinko

Kenneth Goenaga-Hussey Chloe Tenney Christopher Connellis

Trevor Oamil Katie Brophy Valentina Stigler

Melissa Kelleher Dylan Kelly Sydney Boone

Christian Secular Harlan Muttee Kristen Kelleher

Nico Forlenza Julia Steele Gozde Celik

Olivia Zinn Shannon Perrin Nicole Early

Xavier Pick Tyler Boulinger Randi LaCagnina

Brittany Brockman Hannah Gallagher

Julia Thompson

PAGE 14 D IN GMAN -D EL AWAR E MID D L E SCHO O L

Sixth Grade Seventh Grade Eighth Grade

Julia Thompson Jordan Glenn Madison Dorr

Alex Garcia Jared Odynsky Balinda Arnoul

Matt Brynes Jaylin Pochis Elizabeth Christian

Kyle Prundl Matthew Schaefer Randi LaCagnina

Christian Secular Harlan Muttee Emma Bobo

Melissa Kelleher Andrew Pinedo Lizabeth Muys

Alexandra Szpakowicz Zoe Ellson

Nico Forlenza

Xavier Pick

Gabriella Jaray

October Nominees for Student of the Month

And the Winners for October Student of the Month are…

Christian Secular 6th Grade

Jordan Glenn 7th Grade

Lizabeth Muys 8th Grade

Pictures to follow—Stay Tuned!

PAGE 15 D IN GMAN -D EL AWAR E MID D L E SCHO O L

Extracurricular Activities Offered to DDMS Students …

Join the 4-H community! 4-H is the largest youth-serving organization in the world! It is all about

people sharing, doing and learning. Members can choose projects that fit their interest with hands-

on learning.

Horsemanship club: for those with or without a horse of their own

History & Citizenship: for those who would like to know more about local history and shake

their family tree

Teen Scene: for those who want to make a difference in community service, self-discovery

and leadership.

4-H encourages independence and friendships, a sense of belonging and opportunities to master

life’s challenges. Visit us on facebook at pikecountypa4-H, or visit Penn State Extension in Pike

County, 514 Broad St, Milford PA, 570-296-3400, pikeext@psu.edu, http://extension.psu.edu/

pike.

Ski and Snowboard Club Fall is here and the snow is on the way! The Dingman Delaware Middle School is happy to

announce the Ski and Snowboard Club is back this year. The club will travel to Shawnee

Mountain 6 times throughout the winter season.

The tentative dates are January 10, 17, 24, 31 and February 7 & 12. The bus will leave DDMS

at 3:00 pm and return to the school approximately 9:00 pm.

Reminders:

1. All personal skis or snowboards must be brought to the school by parents as they

WILL NOT be allowed on the school bus in the morning—

equipment will be kept in Mr. Comunale’s room, E6.

2. There will also be a $10.00 bus transportation fee for each student per

trip collected the day of the trip.

New this Year!—we will be using EZ Club Management System. This

will allow you to enroll and pay for your child directly with Shawnee—

the website is http://www.shawneemt.com.

Please contact Mr. Robert Skibber with any questions—voicemail ext. 7230

PAGE 16 D IN GMAN -D EL AWAR E MID D L E SCHO O L

Fitness Education and Athletics at DDMS

Notes from the Physical Education Department

The Dingman-Delaware Middle School is continuing to focus on increasing the number of fitness activities for all students in Physical Education classes. Activities will focus on improving our student’s cardiovascular endurance, muscular strength, muscular endurance and range of motion. Students at DDMS have and will continue to engage in activities that promote physical fitness. Among other activities, our students will perform a weekly fitness run and engage in daily pushups and range of motion activities. Our school district is actively seeking improved fitness for our students. We ask our parents to encourage their children to give their best effort everyday and to come to class prepared for activity. As always, we appreciate your support and involvement.

As our Fall Sports Seasons are coming to a close and our Winter Seasons are gearing up

for competition we would like to take a second to say Thank You to our Student Athletes

and Parents for your time and dedication.

“Ability is what you're capable of doing. Motivation determines what you do.

Attitude determines how well you do it.” - Lou Holtz