HOME OF THE
DILLON WILDCATS!
1803 Joan Drive
Dillon, S.C. 29536
(843)774-1212 phone
(843)841-3616 fax
Mr. Rodney Cook, Principal
Dear DMS Family,
The spring semester is off to a great start!
The second half of the school year is always very busy with a whole host of
activities, including parent night, state testing, chorus and band concerts,
and student incentives (and a whole bunch more!). The pace in the classroom is
also very quick this semester, so please encourage your students to stay on top
of their assignments and responsibilities so they do not fall behind.
We are very proud of our
students’ hard work and diligence during our final round of MAP testing. This information allows us to see how much
our students have grown since the fall and assists in placement for next school
year.
All Dillon
District Four schools will be closed April 15-19 for Spring Break. We hope our
staff, students, and families take this time to refresh and recharge before we
head into the end-of-the year sprint.
When we return from break, we will have a couple of weeks before we
begin our state assessments. In terms of testing, our sixth through eighth
grade students will once again take the SC READY state assessment in ELA and
math. Our sixth and eighth grade students will take the SCPASS state assessment
in science and our seventh grade students will take the SCPASS state assessment
in social studies.
Encourage your child to give his/her personal best on the tests. Students should be at school daily and on
time. Research has shown that students
score better when they take the test with their peers. Help us help your child be as successful as
his/her potential. The testing schedule is as follows:
SC READY
(Gr. 3-8)
ELA (Writing &
Reading)
May 14- ELA Session 1
May 15- ELA Session 2
Mathematics
May 16- Math
SC PASS
(Grades 4-8)
Science
May 21 (Grades 6
& 8)
Social Studies
May 22 (Grade 7)
We look forward to a strong end to a great school year. While there is still much to accomplish, we are confident DMS will continue to thrive, knowing that the success of our students would not be possible without the dedication and care of a supportive staff and community.
Thank you for being committed to excellence!
If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact your child’s teacher or administration directly at 843-774-1212. Please watch the DMS website for school information, updates and events. Thank you for all of your support!
Sincerely,
Mr. Rodney Cook, Principal
Dr. Walter Jackson, Assistant Principal
Dr. Michael McRae, Assistant Principal
DILLON MIDDLE SCHOOL
MISSION AND BELIEFS
Mission Statement:
The mission of Dillon Middle School is to involve students, parents, faculty, and community in the promotion of lifelong learning, by providing a meaningful, innovative educational experience, while requiring a respectful and safe atmosphere, so that as productive members of society learners may achieve their maximum potential.
Statement of Beliefs:
We believe that:
- All individuals have value
- Everyone can contribute
- Respect for each other is necessary for learning
- The family is the foundation of society
- Learning is a life-long process
- Individuals are accountable for their actions
- Individuals have the potential to achieve success through effort
**Important Dates to Remember**
May 7................................Progress Reports
May 9................................Parent Night 6:00
May 27..............................Memorial Day
June 5...............................Half Day for Students
June 6...............................Half Day for Students
Last Day of School
TEACHER WEB PAGES
Title I Newsletters for 2018-2019
(Click on the English or Spanish link to read.)
DILLON MIDDLE SCHOOL HAPPENINGS
Dillon Middle
School Junior Beta Club Attends Annual Convention
Dillon Middle School’s Junior Beta Club
had a very successful trip to the 26th annual Junior Beta Club
convention held January 17-18 in Myrtle Beach.
Dillon Middle School’s chapter participated in competitions at the state
convention and returned home with two awards.
The
DMS Junior Beta Club won second place in Group Performance. Myah McNeil, Logan Grice, Assata Thompson, and
Te’Lasia Samuel wowed the audience with their moving rendition of Leonard
Cohen’s “Hallelujah” Thursday night and again Friday morning for the finalist
competition. The entire club was ecstatic for the singers when the officials
announced the finalists, Dillon Middle School’s name included. In their Friday performance, the singers
were surprised when virtually the entire audience responded via waving their
cell phone flashlights toward the stage. Myah McNeil said it made her feel more
relaxed and less nervous while they sang.
The
Junior Beta Club also received a third place win in the Technology event. The
students/particpants were Jonathan Rodriguez and Da’Naisha Phillips. They prepared a digital presentation
highlighting the DMS Beta Club and its achievements, as well as the
characteristics of Beta members which include: Achievement; Leadership;
Service; and Character. The two-person
team experienced technical difficulties when trying to pull up their presentation. However, they made the best of the situation
and presented anyway. The Dillon Middle
School Beta Club is very proud of its win despite the difficulties.
Dillon Middle School Receives Excellent Rating
on SC State Report
Card
The South Carolina Department of Education released the new state report cards on November 29, 2018. The report card provided an overall performance rating for each school. The rating measures new state and federal accountability standards. The new online report cards reflect data elements and student performance information from the 2017–2018 school year. In South Carolina, the performance ratings are based on meeting the Profile of the South Carolina Graduate.
Dillon Middle School is pleased to announce that we earned an Excellent rating on the overall school performance as compared to all public schools in South Carolina. This is a major accomplishment. This rating is the result of every individual on our campus and the commitment we share in providing our students and school community the very best. As a learning community, we are continually looking to improve Dillon Middle School. We are proud of the work of all staff members at Dillon Middle School who rigorously analyze and identify areas of improvement to prepare students to be college and career ready.
Dillon Middle School celebrated their EXCELLENT rating by providing all stakeholders with a steak dinner and a DMS pullover as a token of appreciation for their dedication to our learning community. Our students celebrated their success and hard work with a pizza party.
We are unbelievably proud of our faculty, staff, students, families, and community members who collectively are invested in the positive success of our school and helping us achieve an EXCELLENT rating on the SC Department of Education - State Report Card!
Jacqueline Smith Named Dillon Middle School
Teacher of the Year
Ms. Jacqueline Smith has been selected as Teacher of the Year at Dillon Middle School.
Ms. Smith earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Elementary Education from Johnson C. Smith University. She continued her educational journey by acquiring a Master of Education degree from Cambridge College and obtained her Educational Specialist degree in Curriculum and Instruction. Ms. Smith continued to further her educational experiences and earned an add-on endorsement to her certificate in Gifted and Talented. Ms. Smith has twenty-six years of teaching experience and is currently a seventh-grade English Language Arts teacher at Dillon Middle School.
Ms. Smith devotes a lot of time helping students after school and cheering for those involved in extracurricular activities. She is affiliated with several professional organizations and believes in the equality of education for all children. Because she believes learning is life-long, she spends her summers attending workshops to improve student learning. Ms. Smith states, “It is truly and honor and a privilege to be chosen by my colleagues as Teacher of the Year.”
Dillon Middle School is proud to have Ms. Smith represent our school as Teacher of the Year for the 2018-2019 school year.
If you have any questions or concerns regarding your child's health, please call or email our school nurse, Mrs. Terrie Hamer at 843-774-1212 or [email protected].
Dillon Middle School is grateful to have support from the following businesses and community-based organizations:
First Citizens Bank
Harbor Freight
The Schafer Foundation