Dingman
Delaware
Middle School
DDMS
“Where the Best
Get Better”
Dingman-Delaware
Middle School
December 9, 2011
UPCOMING
“I do the very best I know how to, the very
best I can, and I mean I keep on doing so
EVENTS
until the end.” Abraham Lincoln
Dear Parents and Guardians,
Progress Reports
Go Home
12-14-11
7th & 8th Grade
Chorus Concert
7pm
12-20-11
Holiday Assembly
Early Dismissal
11:15am
12-23-11
Winter Athletic
Events
Dec. –Feb.
As we proceed through the Holiday Season it is common to see that your son or daughter
is obtaining much more difficult material in school. Our teachers are constantly challenging their
students to perform tasks that push students to master skills not yet obtained. As administrators
and parents it is our job to help our sons and daughters understand that it is not necessarily how
well we do but rather how hard we work. We must remember that as some of our children try to
attain a particular grade on an assignment that it is not the grade attained, but the work ethic of the
student that is the true character builder. Instilling in our children a strong work ethic early in adolescents will enable them to strive to do their best in all aspect of life. Together we can teach our
children to do their very best each and every day.
Brian McCarthy
Assistant Principal
Dingman Delaware Middle School
Reminders and Updates:
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.
Please come to the
library as soon as
possible!
DINGMAN-DELAWARE MIDDLE SCHOOL – MR. JAMES MITCHELL
On November 4 and 5, 2011, the Dingman-Delaware Middle School Drama Club presented the fun
-filled musical “Tom Sawyer’s Adventures” for the senior citizens and general public. The seventy
or so students who performed in the show and were part of the set crew did an outstanding job.
The show was enjoyed by all. From the response given by the crowds each night, the play was a
great success.
The Dingman-Delaware Middle School hosted the nineteenth annual “Senior Citizen Dinner Theatre” on Friday, November 4, 2011. Over two hundred and thirty senior citizens enjoyed a complete
Chicken Cordon Bleu dinner with dessert, refreshments, and door prizes. Many students from
Dingman-Delaware Middle School helped in setting up, escorting, and waiting tables throughout
the evening. The evening ended with the seniors attending our drama production. The night was
a great success!
On Thursday, November 10, 2011, the Dingman-Delaware Middle School Parent/Teacher Association sponsored an assembly entitled, “Dare to Move.” The program challenged students to have
the courage to stand up to those bullying others and to say “NO” to smoking, drugs, and alcohol.
The Dingman-Delaware Middle School honored our students’ grandparents and greatgrandparents on the morning of Wednesday, November 23, 2011. Students invited their grandparents to be our guests for a brief social in the cafeteria provided by our Parent/Teacher Association
and participate in our classes throughout the building. Students were asked to introduce their
grandparents to their class and invite grandparents to observe, share a story, or participate in the
day’s lesson.
The Dingman-Delaware Middle School hosted a band/orchestra winter concert on December 6th at
7pm. All who attended greatly enjoyed the concert. We would like to congratulate all who participated on their wonderful performance.
Thank you to the PTA for sponsoring “Dare to Move” an anti-bullying program; both students and teachers alike
commented on how motivating this presentation was. We would also like to thank the PTA for our school store.
Please know how grateful the students are for what you do!
Tutoring
Tutoring at the Dingman-Delaware Middle School is up and running. Tutoring will be held every Tuesday &
Thursday after school until 4:30. All students must take the 4:30 late bus home or have a ride pick them up
promptly at 4:30. In order to attend tutoring, a signed permission slip is required. Permission slips can be
found in the Guidance Office. The schedule is:
Tuesday
Math & Science with Mrs. Defrancesco in room D8
French & Spanish with Mrs. Strocchia in room G4
Thursday
Language Arts & Social Studies with Mr.Cooley in room G8
Mr. Skibber’s tutoring in room G3
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 on the following
Thursdays: January 5, 12, 19, 26 and February 2, 9. The bus will leave DDMS at 3:00 pm and return to the school approximately 9:00 pm.
Ski & Snowboard:
Lift Only
$115.00
Lift & Rental (Ski or Snowboard)
$160.00
Lift & (5) Lessons (Ski or Snowboard)
$155.00
Lift & Rental & (5) Lessons
$190.00
Lift & (3) Lessons
$139.00
Lift, Rental & (3) Lessons
$184.00
CARRERA Ski and Snowboard Helmets are available for $62.00.
Remember to sign-up with Mrs. Comunale in the Guidance Office and take an information packet. All enrollment and payment will be done directly with Shawnee. There will also be a $10.00 bus transportation fee for each student per trip collected the day of the trip. If the student
misses a trip, one voucher will be given. If you would like further information please contact Mrs. Comunale in the Guidance Office at 296-3152
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What’s Happening in the Classroom??
Mrs. DeFrancesco’s 8th grade math classes have been hard at work learning about proportions
and percents. To gain some practical experience with proportions, each student was asked to
contribute a recipe of interest to our class cookbook. Some contributed secret family recipes;
others chose a recipe of their interest from cookbooks, magazines, product packaging, or websites. Students used proportions to alter the recipe for both a lower amount of servings and a
greater amount of servings.
To gain some practical experience with percent applications we are also creating a holiday wish
list. Each student will have a maximum budget of $150.00 for five different items. Students will
use the Internet to research merchants and prices for each of their wish list items. They then
have to calculate the percent and amount of discount, sales tax, and final cost of each item.
Focus on Fitness
Monthly Notes from the Physical Education Department
The Delaware Valley School District is focusing on increasing fitness activities for all students in Physical Education classes. Activities will focus on improving kid’s cardiovascular endurance, muscular strength and endurance and range of motion. Students at DDMS have and will continue to engage in activities that promote
fitness. Among other activities, our students 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. We appreciate
your support and involvement.
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What’s Happening Around the School??
Page 4
DDTV 2011-12
DDTV is a live student-run broadcast. Every morning, the students announce important
messages throughout the school. Tryouts were held in May 2011 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 approximately 3-4
minutes. Tryouts for the 2012-13 school year will take place in the Spring 2012, so if this
seems like something of interest to you, please think about joining us.
The 2011-12 Members of DDTV
TECHIES
Chris Ahearn
Dylan Arrabito
Clark Eaton
Billy Etzkorn
Darian Dzirko
Anthony Makhnin
Dan Plaxe
Nicole Cafarella, MS
Dingman-Delaware Middle School
Special Education Teacher
ANCHORS
Jacob Ahlstrand
Balinda Arnoul
Nate Hayes
Quinton Horacek
Megan Maloney
Alyssa Mancuso
Heather Miranda
Brittany Mross
Taylor Norman
Vanessa Paolella
Frank Romano
Izzabelle Secular
Lindsey Toomer
Sophia Vario
Lauren Ziolkowski
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Behind the Scenes of
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What’s Happening Around the School??
The DDMS Drama Club’s production of “Tom Sawyer’s Adventures” was a great success! This original
theatrical interpretation was inspired and adapted from the famous novel written by Mark Twain. The semimusical was performed with outstanding energy and enthusiasm by the 65 middle school members of the
cast on Friday, November 5th and Saturday, November 6th . The antics of Tom, played by Kris Tjorhom, and
his pal, Huck Finn, played by Jake Walters, were the highlights of the production along with Becky Thatcher,
played by Alyssa Mancuso, who really showed the boys who was boss. All the students put forth a very impressive effort and the audience was thrilled as they laughed and clapped their way through two acts. Even
the intermission was entertaining when the Pit Band played current songs for the enjoyment of all. The Technical Crew, Stage Crew, Set Crew, and Costumers comprised another 15 students from both the DingmanDelaware Middle School and the Delaware Valley High School. These students worked very hard behind the
scenes building sets and props, arranging lights, and creating special effects. Mr. Ed Dewland and his daughter Amy along with Josh Smith arranged the vocals and assembled the Pit-band. The sound was outstanding!
The entire Cast and Crew did a stupendous job and should be very proud of their accomplishments.
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From the Principal’s Office...
Page 7
November was a very busy and exciting month at the Dingman-Delaware Middle School. I would like to take this time
to acknowledge just a few of the activities that took place and the people who helped make them happen. On November 4, 2011, the Dingman-Delaware Middle School hosted the nineteenth annual senior citizen dinner theater for the
residents of the Delaware Valley School District. Over two hundred and thirty senior citizens enjoyed a complete
Chicken Cordon Bleu dinner prepared by Mrs. Karen Day, the head of our cafeteria, with dessert, refreshments, and
door prizes. Many students from Dingman-Delaware Middle School helped in setting up, escorting, and waiting tables
throughout the evening. In addition, over thirty staff members volunteered their time to make this evening a success.
The evening ended with the senior citizens attending our drama production, “Tom Sawyer Adventures.” The seventy
or so students who performed in the show and were part of the set crew did an outstanding job. The show was enjoyed by all. From the response given by the crowds each night, the play was a great success. Finally, the DingmanDelaware Middle School honored our students’ grandparents and great-grandparents on the morning of Wednesday,
November 23, 2011. Students invited their grandparents to be our guests for a brief social in the cafeteria, provided by
our Parent/Teacher Association, and to participate in our classes throughout the building. Students were asked to introduce their grandparents to their class and invite grandparents to observe, share a story, or participate in the day’s
lesson. We had over one hundred grandparents attend this event with each grandparent receiving an individual photo
with their grandchild, taken by our librarian, Ms. Rachel Liesau. We hope these pictures will be cherished and create
memories for both the grandparents and their grandchildren for many years!
Thank You,
James Mitchell
Principal DDMS
Student Achievements
November Nominees for Student of the Month
Sixth Grade
Shelby Brittain
Skyler Rummel
Samantha Fraulo
Christian Secular
Sophia Festa
Adam Steinberg
Anthony Catalano
Seventh Grade
Hannah Gallagher
Tyler Ann Wiles
Cheyenne Port
Steven Rosati
Izzabelle Secular
Emily Hammond
Christopher Connellis
Tyler-Ann Wiles
Cheyenne Friscia
Emily Seepes
Stefanie O’Grady
Samantha Sodora
Felicia Cattafi
Eighth Grade
Sean Pacella
Luke Bennett
Narry Ouk
Andrew Higgins
Alex Miller
Thomas Spillane
Zachary Cerberville
Marissa Denigris
Jordan Cunningham
Brooke Matis
Ashley Gatto
Abigal Reyes
Joi Palmer
November Students of the Month
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D I N G M A N DE L A W AR E
Teacher Spotlight
This month the Dingman Delaware Middle School would like to highlight
and honor Mrs. DeFrancesco, an 8th grade math teacher. After graduating from Penn State
with a B.S. in Psychology, Mrs. DeFrancesco enlisted in the Army, serving just over nine
years of active duty as a medical technologist and biomedical research assistant. During that
time she received additional credits from George Washington University in Medical Technology. She continued to work in the civilian sector as a med tech before entering the classroom
as a therapeutic staff support/youth advocate for children with disabilities and disadvantaged
teens in Pike County. It was during this period that Mrs. DeFrancesco decided to pursue a
graduate degree in education from East Stroudsburg University, and in my opinion, it was
this decision that has touched many students’ lives. Since coming to Delaware Valley School
District in January 2008, Mrs. DeFrancesco has served in a variety of long-term substitute
positions, most recently working in the Mathematics department at Dingman Delaware Middle School. While here at DDMS Mrs. DeFrancesco has not only enthusiastically encouraged
students to excel in her classroom, but continues to graciously lend her time during lunch to
work with students individually. On any given day, if you were to visit Mrs. DeFrancesco on
her lunch period it would appear as though she is teaching an additional class. Her enthusiasm and dedication are character traits that are greatly admired by many at DDMS. It is
teachers like Mrs. DeFrancesco that make the difference in the lives of your children and for
that Dingman Delaware Middle School would like to say Thank You!
D I N G M A N - D E L A W A R E M I D DL E SC H O O L 2 0 1 1 - 2 0 1 2
Athletics/Extra Curricular Activities
The DDMS wrestling team began practice for the 2011-2012 season on November 19. Twenty-six DDMS students are
currently on the roster. Traditionally, our school has fielded a strong team and this year will be no different. It is also still
not too late to join the team. Our first competition will be an exhibition against DVMS on Thursday, December 8th,
followed by a tournament at Lackawanna Trail High School on Saturday, December 10th. If you are interested in
joining the team, please see Coach Cholish in room D-6.
Steve Cholish
6th Grade Teacher
Dingman-Delaware Middle School
Both our Boys and Girls Basketball Teams have been working hard in preparation for the 2011-2012 season. Our first home games are right around the corner. We hope to see you there!
Boys Basketball vs. Pocono Mt. West at 4pm on 12/12
Girls Basketball vs. East Stroudsburg North at 4pm on 12/13
Sport schedules / events for DDMS and all Delaware Valley Schools are available by using the following link:
http://www.highschoolsports.net/default3.cfm?scm=1&ltc=1&otc=1&ptc=1&school=PA183373837
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Social Work Corner with Mrs. Bruno
Happy Holidays! This is the time of year when we are all supposed to be happy and gearing up for
holiday cheer with family and friends. Although that may be true for some, others see it as downright
stressful. Holiday stress affects many including our middle school children. As we come closer to the
holidays, I thought it would be a good time to look at a few tips to deal with the stress.
Tip#1
Make a List and Check it Twice
Our students often find themselves overwhelmed with assignments, projects, and after school activities that they have all at once. Getting organized by writing things down, prioritizing based on importance and time of getting each thing done is pivotal to succeeding in “getting it all done.” It also allows for students to focus their energy on constructive action and less on stress and worry.
Tip#2
Eat (Healthier) and Exercise (More)
Make the best choices in our school cafeteria as we have healthy options or if you bring your lunch,
choose to bring fruits for snacks or dessert instead of chips and sugary options. Holiday eating can
be a time when we may not make the best choices all the time so consider beginning or re-starting
your exercise regimen. A great start up for exercising can be taking along walk. This simple activity
can relieve stress significantly! Finally, drink plenty of water; avoid anything with a lot of sugar, caffeine and artificial sweeteners. The more we eat whole foods the healthier we can be!
Tip#3
Have Fun (and Relax)
Relieving stress from studying and academic assignments can be done in a fun way. Set aside a certain amount of time for you! For one hour, take a break and read fun magazines or listen to your favorite music or even doodle. The important thing is to take an allotted time to recharge yourself,
keeping your priorities in order and accomplishing your goals.
Tip#4
Get Your ZZZZZs
Finally, it is important to get enough sleep especially the night before tests or presentations. Naps
may also be helpful. Sleep allows for the body and mind to rest and recharge for the next day.
Stress can be decreased if we look at these tips to better manage our time and also be able to enjoy
our day as we become more responsible especially during the middle school years.
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