Welcome Back to School
Back to school time is here! I hope that you all have had an amazing summer filled with memories and rest. The Machost family spent as much time on the lake as we could. My daughter is headed into senior year so we were able to get in a few college tours. My son will be headed back to University of Arkansas sooner than I would like. My husband and I celebrated our 22nd wedding anniversary this summer. Seems like it all goes so fast! We had a great time just hanging out and relaxing, exactly what we needed.
Our DMS team has been busy getting ready to welcome back our Dowell Lions in the coming weeks. We have included lots of information in this first Mighty Roar of the 2022-23 school year. My vision for this coming school year is that Dowell will grow professionally, will grow our students and will grow our community. We have big plans this year and plan to have fun along the way!
We have lots of new faces at Dowell. I can’t wait to introduce you to them. Be sure to check out our social media in the next few weeks as we introduce our new team members. We are still looking for a 6th grade Math teacher, Resource ELAR teacher and a paraprofessional to support our special education students. If you know of anyone, please have them contact me.
A few calendar highlights:
- 6th grade Lion Pride Camp - Thursday, August 4th at 5:00 pm
- Open House - Monday, August 8th at 4:00 pm (6th graders do not need to attend if they went to Pride Camp)
- First day of school - Wednesday, August 10th
We can’t wait to see everyone soon! Enjoy these last few weeks of summer!!
Melanie Machost
Principal
Dowell Middle School
IMPORTANT TECHNOLOGY UPDATES!
MACBOOK DISTRIBUTION
We will distribute laptops to all 6th graders and new students after school begins. Please do not be concerned if your student has not yet been issued a laptop prior to August 24th. DMS teachers will provide “no tech” teaching options until all new students and incoming 6th graders have been issued their Macbook laptops.
The annual fee for the laptop and insurance is $75. There is a reduced fee of $37.50 for students qualifying for free and reduced lunch. The fee will be required to receive a laptop. A parent may set up a payment plan. Once an initial payment is made, the laptop will be distributed.
MACBOOK USAGE AGREEMENT
When you registered your child online, you digitally signed this MacBook Agreement. I understand some people may not fully read those documents during the online registration process. Please read the agreement and speak with your child about it. This document explains the new fee structure for annual insurance and damage incidents.
LAPTOP COVERS
Students carry laptops to and from school every day. A laptop cover is recommended to help protect the device. If you want to order a cover, the model is the MacBook Air, Model A2179.
Registration information for returning students was emailed to parents during the week of June 6th. You should have received an email for each student with a unique snap code (from Power School) that is needed to begin the online registration process for that student. Parents should note that they may not receive snap codes for all of their students at the same time.
If you need your SnapCode, please email koberlender@mckinneyisd.net.
CLICK HERE for more information about returning student registration.
Registration began July 18th for new students to McKinney ISD. Students in grades K–12 who are new to McKinney ISD can register at their campus. Middle school and high school registration is by appointment. Prior to visiting the campus, MISD recommends that parents complete the online registration forms for each new student.
A student is considered a new student if he or she was not registered in a McKinney ISD school on the last day of the prior school year.
CLICK HERE for more information about new student registration.
VIEWING COURSE SCHEDULES
Your child’s schedule will be viewable in the Home Access Center (HAC). If you need help accessing HAC, please email our registrar at: koberlender@mckinneyisd.net
- 6th grade schedules will be printed for you prior to Lion Pride Camp. Your student’s schedule will be provided in your first period class. First period class lists will be posted throughout the building for your convenience.
- ALL schedules are available on August 8th at 8:00 AM.
Anything 7th & 8th graders see before August 8th in HAC is not official.
All schedules are subject to change and official schedules are distributed to students the first day of school. We hope that few, if any, changes will be necessary at that point, but there is always a possibility.
If you have a question about your child’s schedule after August 8th, contact your house counselor via EMAIL. If you need to visit in person, please call and schedule a conference time.
*Sometimes students have to make choices if the schedule does not allow them to take every course they prefer.
Priority is given to academic course level errors or actual schedule errors for schedule changes.
SCHOOL SUPPLY INFORMATION
7th & 8th grade students are asked to bring a notebook and writing utensil on the first day of school. Teachers will give information on what is needed for each class if they didn't pre-purchase supplies last Spring.
FREE & REDUCED STUDENT MEAL INFORMATION
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Congress authorized spending that allowed schools to serve free meals for all students. Those funds are not authorized to continue for the 2022-2023 school year. As a result, McKinney ISD must return to charging for school meals and offering free and reduced-price meals based on student eligibility. Starting on August 1st, we will begin processing applications for meal benefits.
- Paper applications in English and Spanish will be available at all schools and the link for online applications is: http://www.mckinneyisd.schoollunchapp.com/. If filling out the paper version, families can return the form to the school office, school cafeteria (after the first day of school), or to the MISD Food Service Office.
The application will determine a child’s eligibility for free and reduced-price meals and may assist in the determination of eligibility for other state or federal benefits. Only one application needs to be completed per household. Schools will notify the household of the child’s eligibility. The Texas Department of Agriculture (TDA) administers school nutrition programs in Texas and offers an eligibility calculator at www.SquareMeals.org/ProgramEligibility.
Decisions regarding payment for school meals are made at the national-government level, not by the school nutrition team or TDA. For full-price and reduced-price students, funds can be loaded into the student accounts at https://www.MySchoolBucks.com.
Breakfast
Lunch
Elementary full price
$1.25
$2.85
Elementary reduced price
$ .30
$ .40
Secondary full price
$1.25
$3.10
Secondary reduced price
$ .30
$ .40
DOWELL PTO INFORMATION
GET INVOLVED! WE NEED YOU! OUR GOAL IS 100% FAMILY PARTICIPATION! JOIN THE PTO AT ANY LEVEL!
* Lion Level Family PTO Membership $40 (includes free Dowell t-shirt)
* Basic Level Family PTO Membership $20
- ALL MEMBERSHIPS ARE TAX DEDUCTIBLE
- ALL CONTRIBUTIONS GO DIRECTLY TO SUPPORT DOWELL EVENTS
Please visit us online at www.dowellpto.com
THIS IS THE PTO'S MAIN FUNDRAISER- WE NEED YOUR HELP!
