This Week at Dutchman Creek!

Week of 10/14/2024

Spring 2024 Max Scorers on SCReady!

From the Desk of Principal Moton

Dear parents, students, and school community:

We had a VERY strong week last week and a very busy one ahead of us!

We wrap up Hispanic Heritage Month on October 15 while we continue to recognize Breast Cancer Awareness Month, Emotional Wellness Month, and National School Principals Month! I invite you to support Gator athletics this week as the volleyball teams wrap up their regular season on Wednesday at Castle Heights before going into postseason play, beginning with the 7th graders on the road to Clover or Oakridge on Thursday and the 8th grade postseason tournament held at Oakridge on Saturday. Also on Wednesday, our 7th grade football team travels to Saluda Trail while the 8th grade team travels to Oakridge. Rock Hill Schools will host a Multilingual Learners College Awareness event at Dutchman Creek on Wednesday from 4:30-7 pm. Thursday is also big night for The Creek as we host the community for our annual Literacy Family Fun Night! There will be fun, food, and fellowship galore! Check out the information in this week's newsletter for details! This Monday is a professional development day for staff, so students, we will see you on Tuesday!

We have a huge week ahead of us, so reach out if you have any questions, concerns, or needs! Let's have a #RockSolid week at The Creek! GO GATORS!

Yours in service,

Principal Clayton B. Moton

Developmental Responsiveness and Social Equity
As a National School to Watch, we understand the value of developmental responsiveness and social equity!

Gator Nation Celebrations!

DCMS Literacy Family Fun Night!

Our Dutchman Creek Literacy Night is here! Please join us for a fun night with the Family on Thursday, October 17, 2024 at 5:00p.m! Plan to enjoy dinner with several food trucks on site, and meet author K.A Holt, of our school's One Book One School we read as a school family this year as you shop our Scholastic Book fair!

There will be activities throughout the school on each grade level hallway, games in the atrium, and fun for the entire family. Students who participate and complete the bingo card have a chance to earn a dress down day!

ML/ESOL College Awareness Night!

ST-ARTS Program 2025

ST-ARTS stands for “Special Talents in the ARTS”. It is comprised of a summer workshop from June 2-20 from 9:00 a.m. until 3:30 p.m. at Winthrop University.

Students currently in grades 6-8 are eligible to audition in music (voice or instrumental), dance, drama, and visual art. ST-ARTS is hosted by Winthrop University. Feel free to visit the ST-ARTS website for more information for parents and students about the ST-ARTS program. While transportation is provided to the auditions if needed, transportation to the summer program is the responsibility of the parent. It is important for parents to stay informed on the expectations for students in the ST-ARTS program. Please review the ST-ARTS Handbook. You can also find Rock Hill Schools information about ST-ARTS by visiting the Rock Hill Schools district website. Students who auditioned and were accepted previously and are still in middle school are eligible to attend. If your child attended ST-ARTS last year, you will receive an email asking you to confirm that your child intends to participate again in this year's ST-ARTS program. Please review the dates carefully. This program has limited participation. If you cannot commit to the full program dates, please allow another student the opportunity to participate.

Thank you for supporting StuCo Spirit Night!

Proceeds go to support Student Council activities for the students, staff, and Dutchman Creek greater community!

Academic Excellence
Evidence of Engagement is Everywhere!

As a National School to Watch, we demonstrate Academic Excellence!

Community-Based Instruction!

Our Unique Pathways 1 students gain hands-on learning experiences throughout our community!

🚨NEW Episode of The Gator Nation Podcast!🚨

To close out Hispanic Heritage Month, the GNP sits down with ML/ESOL Teacher Dr. Valeria Vanstrien!

https://youtu.be/0Dg9k19RzDM?feature=shared

ALL EPISODES: Subscribe and share! 👇

~🎥YouTube: https://bit.ly/45ygyET

~🎙️Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3KYVkYy

~🎙️Apple: https://apple.co/45P1RwK

~🎙️Google: https://bit.ly/45sgSoJ

~🎙️Amazon: http://bit.ly/AmzGNP247

Thank you Dr. Vanstrien for sharing your knowledge and resources for MLL students with our NTI-Cohort.

DCMS Choir!

Sharpening Our Saws!

As the ONLY middle school to qualify to lead the work, Dutchman Creek is the model school to help the school build Multi-tiered Systems of Support for best practices to develop appropriate student behaviors for success at school!

District Support Specialist Queenie Hall provided professional development for teachers in how to use StudySync.

Quality Feedback

Ms. Mozingo uses Jeopardy to assess the understanding of various math skills in her classes!

Our students are working hard to incorporate the habits on a daily basis. This week students are focused on their finding a transition person to help stay positive and proactive and ways in which they can make a positive impact on their own lives!

Learning Standards: Learners will be able to describe the role of a Transition Person in helping to change negative behavior patterns, and how they can act as a Transition Person in service of themselves and others. Learners will be able to describe principle-centered living and how to apply the principles that matter most to them to important life choices.

IMG_2301.mov

Gators Supporting Gators!

Whether it is volunteering to help with after school clubs and competition or cheering wildly in the stands as fans, the faculty and staff understand the importance of supporting our students and each other inside and outside of the classroom! We are unapologetically PROUD to be Dutchman Creek Gators! Gooooooo Gators!!!

Organizational Structures and Processes
Gator Nation PSAs!

As a National School to Watch, we understand the importance of quality Organizational Structures and Processes!

Unity Day!

Join us on October 16th as we wear Orange to send a visible message of building commUNITY through kindness, acceptance and inclusion to prevent bullying!

StuCo Spirit Night

Beta Club

This is the last week of our Socktober campaign!! Join Beta Club as we aim to support our community in need. October 1-18th we will collect new socks, hats and gloves in all sizes to be donated to the Salvation Army & the Men's Shelter here in Rock Hill just in time for the winter months. Donations can be dropped off in the boxes located outside the auditorium in the atrium.

THE DEAN'S LIST

Leading Ladies @the Creek

October Meeting

Friday, October 25

Leading Ladies @the Creek had the opportunity to meet and discuss "Life Balance." We can sometimes take on many tasks causing us to make mistakes or not perform our best. One quality of a leader is knowing when to say no, and choosing to focus on a few things and do them well.

If you are interested in partnering with us, please reach out to Dr. Bacote at tbacote@rhmail.org

Gator Student Lighthouse Team

The Gator Student Lighthouse Team is off to an amazing start. These students assisted with the Student Success Check-In and recognized our custodial staff. They lead the morning announcements in both English and Spanish. There's much more to come!

The Parent Pit-Stop

Quarter 2 Reset

We hope your student has experienced a great Quarter 1 and DCMS. Even if that is not the case, now is a great time to reset. As our students continue to learn about the GREAT GATOR WAYS and The 7 Habits of Leadership through Leader in Me the graphic shown here is a simple tool created to be used at home. It can be a struggle to help middle schoolers take accountability for their actions, but practicing these core areas could prove effective. Share your feedback.

Partner with Us

We thank you for your continued support. Click the Partner with Us hyperlink above to connect and provide feedback.

Paint the Rock!

Order your OFFICIAL Gator Gear!

When you buy OFFICIAL products from our website, the proceeds will go back to kids! Other shops online do not invest back to us! Visit our website (www.rock-hill.k12.sc.us/DCMS) or directly at DCMS Gator Gear Online!

Media Center

10-11-24 Media Center WAAG

Counselor's Corner

8th Grade Students Only

All 8th grade students have the opportunity to visit the Applied Technology Center in Rock Hill on Tuesday, October 29th for a tour of the center in preparation for 8th grade students selecting their high school classes later this winter. The Applied Technology Center offers a variety of career and technical high school courses, designed specifically to prepare students for success in college, technical/specialty school, or the workforce. Permissions slips were sent home last week and must be turned in by Thursday, October 17th. Every student must have a permission slip to attend. We CANNOT accept permission slips after October 17th due to the need to confirm buses. Please turn permission slips into the following teachers:

8-1: Mrs. Williams-Wilson

8-2: Mr. Johnson

8-3: Mrs. Rollings

If you have any questions, please reach out to Mrs. James-SHJames@rhmail.org.

Christina Plantz

6th Grade School Counselor

;CPlantz@rhmail.org

803.985.1718

Tiffany Smith

7th Grade School Counselor

TiffanyS@rhmail.org

803.985.1715

Shandra James

8th Grade School Counselor

SHJames@rhmail.org

903.985.1716

Athletics

Fall Sports Schedules

Got questions about DCMS Athletics? Contact co-Athletic Directors Coach Tawander Armstrong tarmstrong@rhmail.org or Coach Ron Tyson rtyson@rhmail.org!