T.W. Kelly Dirigo Middle School

Signups start online at 6:00 a.m. on Wednesday (10/25) for TWKDMS Parent Teacher Conferences held on 11/2, 4:00-7:00 p.m., and 11/8, 3:00-6:00. Sessions will be scheduled on a first-come-first-served basis. The link will not work on a cell phone until it goes live Wednesday morning. Attached is a QR code to the signup website, also viewable at: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/TWKDMS2023

Do you (or someone you know) have unstable housing? Is your housing unstable? Check out this video for critical information about how your local school can help! https://youtu.be/Pm07O7aEGUs?si=xI55ncfCakhhBk0E

This is Spirit Week at DMS! Monday is Amazing Monday: Dress up as a superhero Tuesday is Twin/Triplet Tuesday: Dress up as your friend(s). Wednesday - Wacky Hair Wednesday: The wackier, the better. Thursday - Throwback Thursday: 6th Grade = 60s, 7th Grade= 70s, 8th Grade = 80s Friday - Cougar Colors (6th Grade- Blue) (7th Grade- White) (8th Grade- Black)

The dates for TWKDMS Parent Teacher Conferences will be Thursday, November 2, from 4:00 p.m. until 7:00 p.m., and Wednesday, November 8, from 3:00 p.m. until 6:00 p.m. Conferences are by appointment only, scheduled on a first-come first-served basis using software called SignUp Genius (more on that below). Both evenings are in-person. In addition to conferences, the Scholastic Book Fair at TWKDMS will have evening hours on November 2nd for those interested. Sign-ups for conferences will start at 6:00 a.m. on Wednesday, October 25, 2023, and close at 12:00 p.m. on Wednesday, November 1, 2023. The link for online signups will be posted here. Parents and guardians can also call the school right up until noon on Wednesday, November 1, 2023, and we will complete the online form for you to schedule a conference. The following is an explanation for those who might be interested: We have tried lots of different ways to schedule conferences, and we have found that nothing is perfect. Due to numbers, middle school conferences are different from the elementary model. All 6th-grade teachers have all 6th-grade students, so there are not enough spots for all parents to see all teachers for all kids. The fairest way to manage this is to have first-come first-served signups. If there is a situation where a teacher has all "spots" filled and you want a meeting with them, please call the school and the teacher will make arrangements to connect with you at another time. This is also true with 7th and 8th grade teachers, as most of those teachers have around 100 students that they work with. There was a time when we tried having all parents only meet with homeroom advisors following a signup process with spots-for-all more like the elementary school, but the feedback was that parents/guardians wanted the freedom to speak with teachers more than homeroom advisors. As I said, we will open the online signups at 6:00 a.m. on Wednesday. Go Cougars!

Student Council's Dance tomorrow from 6:30-9:00. Students must be eligible to attend. It is Halloween-themed, but costumes are not required. Any costume must be totally school-appropriate and obviously no weapon-looking costume items will be allowed. Students must be in school (and not tardy) to attend a dance unless a field trip form or a doctor's note accompanies the excused absence. Go Cougars!

Due to the extreme heat, our Fall Athletic meeting at 5:00 PM, and our Open House at 5:30 PM, there will be NO DMS practices for soccer, field hockey, or cross-country running today.

Good Morning! We are currently experiencing an outage for our Phone provider, so our incoming phone lines are not working. If you need to get a message to us, you can email the following people: Central Office: tcox@rsu56.org Dirigo High School: acalden@rsu56.org Dirigo Middle School: lsanborn@rsu56.org Dirigo Elementary School: paverill@rsu56.org

Meeting Reminder: The Annual RSU 56 Budget Meeting is on Tuesday, May 23, 2023, at 6:30 pm. The budget documents can be found on our website at the following address: https://www.rsu56.org/page/budget-23-24

Good Morning from RSU 56. Due to many roads being flooded and the water still rising, we will be having a remote school day in RSU 56 today, May 1, 2023. We apologize for the late notice.

Good Morning from RSU 56. We will have a 1 hour delay today, May 1st 2023, due to the rain storm and water on some roads.

RSU56 Board Meeting 4/25/2023 https://www.youtube.com/live/OkI9fQFq9gg?feature=share

RSU 56 Civil Rights Committee Meeting Upcoming - April 13, 2023, in the Middle School Art Room from 5:00-6:30

Good Morning from RSU 56. Due to the icy conditions this morning RSU 56 will have a 1 hour delay today, April 6, 2023.

Come join us for the Drama production: Lady Pirates of the Caribbean When: April 6 & 7 at 6PM Where: Dirigo High School SCC Cost: Adults $7, Students and Seniors $3

Job Posting - District Wide * (Anticipated) Bus Driver/Custodian (8 hours/day) Paid with ESSER funds through September 30, 2024 * Bus Driver (bus 8 MMCC run)/Custodian (8 hours/day)

The Maine Connectivity Authority is developing a statewide Broadband Action Plan for Maine. The plan will identify priorities for investment in broadband infrastructure and digital equity to advance our goal of ensuring that everyone in Maine can benefit from access to affordable, reliable, high-speed internet. To develop that plan, we are collecting feedback from Maine people, communities, businesses, and organizations to identify areas of need and their priorities for this generational investment in high-speed internet access. Please take the Maine Broadband Survey! https://survey123.arcgis.com/share/613d40daec844226a139850afb3ef6ef

The RSU 56 School Board meeting scheduled for tonight, Tuesday, March 14, 2023 will be postponed to next Tuesday, March 21, 2023.

Good Morning from RSU 56. Due to the incoming storm, RSU 56 will have a remote learning day, today, March 14, 2023. Have a great day!

Substitute Workshop at Region 9 -

Changes are coming to MaineCare Continuous coverage requirements expire at the end of March 2023. Maine will need to conduct a full determination of eligibility for all persons receiving MaineCare benefits. What you should do now: Update your address – if you’ve moved, let MaineCare know your updated address, so they can contact you about your renewal. Make sure they also have your current email and phone number to reach you when it’s time for renewal. You can call 1-855-797-4357, option 1 to update your information through an automated system, or visit MyMaineConnection.gov. What you can do later this year: Complete your renewal form. MaineCare will send you a renewal form by mail or e-notice that you need to complete. This form will arrive between April 2023 and March 2024. To make sure you do not miss it, be on the lookout for the envelope with a blue block with the renewal information and instructions. If you signed up for e-notices, you will get a message in your account when it is time for your renewal. When you get your renewal form, fill it out and return it right away to avoid a gap in coverage. If it’s Blue, it’s time to renew!