9:00-9:15 am: Parents & students meet in the gym.
9:15-11:00 am: Students are dismissed for the tour of the building and to meet the teachers. Parents will remain in the gym for a question and answer session. What is Pride Camp? This camp is offered to all incoming 6th graders. During this time, students will meet Dowell MS administrators, teachers and staff. They will tour the building and we will answer any concerns that students or parents might have. Dowell spirit wear will be available for purchase by cash or check during Pride Camp!
New MISD Policy for Entering All SchoolsMcKinney ISD has implemented a new policy for ALL visitors entering MISD campuses starting immediately.
After pressing the button visitors are required to state their full name, students name and the purpose of their visit. Photo ID must also be held up to the camera so the front office can see who is at the door prior to being let into the building. If a photo ID is not shown access to the building will not be permitted. This process is required for everyone regardless of the reason for the visit. ALL visitors dropping of lunches, homework, athletic wear, etc. are required to adhere to the same policy. 
Announcing Pride Time
We are proud to announce a new program coming to Dowell Middle School! Starting January 16th we will incorporate a 25 minute time period from 10:30 - 10:55 a.m. every Tuesday and Thursday called Pride Time*. During Pride Time students could be doing a variety of different things from classroom intervention and extension activities to working with their elective teachers to using our brand new MakerSpace or Creation Den. We are very excited about the opportunities that this will afford our students including closing achievement gaps, content enrichment, creative expression and more.
As we start this process, we know that there may be some changes along the way to best meet the needs of our students and we appreciate your flexibility during this time. We look forward to this exciting new opportunity for our students and cannot wait to see the great achievements they make as a result. *Please note that the school bell schedule will be slightly altered on these days. 
Winter IllnessesWe would like to remind all parents of the importance of keeping sick children home. When a child comes to school ill, he/she can spread illness by coughing, touching his/her nose/mouth and then touching objects that other students come in contact with.
Remember that fever is not the only sign of true illness and that fever is usually a late sign of an illness, or an illness that is progressing. If your child is out sick remember to always send in a note from the Doctor or a parent note. MISD Health policies are in place to help insure a healthy school where students can learn and grow. Please take a moment to review the exclusions that are listed below. Guidelines for Returning to School after an Illness In order to minimize the number of children that are ill, we ask you to please consider the following guidelines when making your decision to let your child attend school or return to school after an illness. A student with any of the following symptoms must be excluded from school until such time as the student is free from symptoms.
Hand Washing Hand washing is one of the easiest and best ways to prevent the spread of disease. Direct contamination of your mucus membranes (eyes, nose and/or mouth) is how many infectious diseases enter your body. So let's work together to decrease the risk of contracting and spreading illnesses by following these three simple rules:
Be as nice to yourself as you are to others! Canvas LMS for Middle Schools 2017-18
Canvas is an easy-to-use, cloud-based learning management system (LMS) that connects all the digital tools and resources teachers and students use into one simple place.
Read more about it on parent_login_to_canvas_lms_.pdf School Report Card
Linked below you will find a copy of the State of Texas 2016–17 School Report Card for Ruth Dowell Middle School. This is a report required by the Texas Legislature and prepared by the Texas Education Agency. The report provides information concerning student performance on the State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness (STAAR®), as well as information on student enrollment, class size averages, and financial expenditures. A more complete report about Ruth Dowell Middle School, the Texas Academic Performance Report (TAPR), is also available.
School Report Card (SRC) SRC Definitions Texas Academic Performance Report (TAPR) http://www.mckinneyisd.net/about-misd/campus-directory/ 
2015 - 2016 TEA Accountability Ratings for Dowell Middle School
Drop-off and Pick-up Procedures
Box Tops for Education
Google Apps for Education
McKinney ISD is partnering with Google to become a Google district. Our teachers will start using Google apps and collaboration tools to enhance our student learning experience. Additional Information.
Student Login Instructions Tardy PolicyOur goal at Dowell Middle School is to maximize learning time. One of the ways we do this is by establishing a standard of students' arrival in the classroom. When a student arrives late to class, we call this "tardy”.
This year we are using a new communication tool, which will email a parent each time the student is tardy to a class. The tardy count resets each quarter. Policy : · First Unexcused Tardy is a warning · Second Unexcused Tardy is a 30 minute after-school detention · Third Unexcused Tardy is a hour after-school detention · Fourth Unexcused Tardy is a two hour after-school detention · Five or more Unexcused Tardies per quarter, are a three hour after-school detention each occurrence * All detentions are served on Thursday afternoons Helpful Links
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