DON JUAN AVILA MIDDLE SCHOOL
DJAMS NEWS
Principal: Chris Carter
April 2, 2009
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Dear Parents,
Our staff wishes you a very relaxing spring break next week. Students will be off school April 6-10. We will look forward to the first day of the fourth quarter upon our return on Monday, April 13.
ACADEMIC PENTATHLON
It was an exciting Saturday as DJAMS 8th and 7th grade Academic Pentathlon teams battled it out with teams from around the county to see who’s smarter. We’ll know the results in a few short weeks, when they announce the winners and hand out medals at the Awards Ceremony on April 21. Good luck to our team members: 8th graders – Darren Cheah, Patrick Cruz, Merak Melikian-Hatounian, Flo Pankam, William Rhee, Sajan Shah, Alec Sheedy, Ryan Song, and Alex Tarkoff; 7th graders – Nick Blackmore, Ryan Bresnan, Alec Cwener, Kieran Ishimaru, McKenna Jarrell, Bryce Keeler, Jasmine Lee, Kelly Lee, Jake Pollard, Andrew Tran, and Carina Yao.
ATTENTION PARENTS OF AAA/GATE STUDENTS
If your child was enrolled this year in an AAA/GATE class (Grades 3-8) or accelerated, Advance Placement (AP), or International Baccalaureate (IB) course (Grades 9-12), you are invited to participate in an online survey regarding the AAA/GATE program at our school.
The survey will be conducted during April 1-15, 2009. In May, I will meet with our principal, AAA/GATE teachers, and AAA/GATE parent advisors to review our school’s survey results and discuss ways to improve our school’s AAA/GATE program.
To participate in the survey, please visit the new CUSD AAA/GATE website at http://gate.schoolloop.com. Please click on the Parent Resources tab and then click on the Online GATE Program Survey link. If you have more than one child in the AAA/GATE program, please complete a survey for each of your AAA/GATE children.
Sincerely,
Tracy Alexander
AAA/GATE Coordinator
CHESS TOURNAMENT
The annual DJAMS chess tournament has finally come to a close. Congratulations to the following place winners:
6th grade tournament – 3rd place, Eugene Lee; 2nd place, Ji-Hong Sohn; 1st place, Soma Szeier.
7th/8th grade tournament – 3rd place, Trevor Murphy; 2nd place, Darren Cheah; 1st place, Erik Garcia.
MARCH TABNESS
Congratulations to the following homerooms for donating the most tabs for March Tabness. They truly assisted families in need through the Ronald McDonald House. Third Place: Mrs. Balogh; Second Place: Mrs. Riddle; First Place: Mr. Ortiz. Great job to all students and staff members who have been collecting tabs!
INCOMING 6TH GRADE PARENT NIGHT AT DJAMS (Parents Only Please)
Parents of incoming 6th graders are invited to attend our Incoming 6th Grade Parent Night on Wednesday, April 22, 6:30-7:30 p.m. in the MPR. AAA/GATE Parent Meeting will be held from 6:00-6:30 before the main presentation.
DJAMS TO VISIT ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS
Academic Advisors will visit 5th graders at the following elementary schools to distribute registration materials and give a brief presentation:
Canyon Vista
9 a.m., Thursday, April 16
Oak Grove
12:35 p.m., Monday, April 13
Wood Canyon
9:30 a.m., Thursday, April 16
Don Juan Avila
12:35 p.m., Friday, April 17
SOUTH COAST YMCA
Do you have a child entering the 6th grade next year? Would you like your child to be in a fun filled and rewarding program? Would you like your child to participate in art activities, sports games and meet new friends? All this could happen at one of our middle school programs! We offer fun and exciting activities at Aliso Viejo Middle School, Don Juan Avila Middle School and Niguel Hills Middle School. Our buildings are right on campus. For information please call the YMCA Main Office at 949-495-9622 or e-mail Lori Rodriguez at lrodriguez@ymcaoc.net
ALISO NIGUEL HIGH SCHOOL WALK-IN SESSIONS
8th grade parents will have the opportunity to meet one on one with an ANHS academic advisor to ask all questions and discuss necessary steps to create an easy transition into high school. No appointments necessary.
Where: ANHS Library
Time: 4:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Dates: Mondays, April 20, May 4, May 18, June 1, and June 15
SCHOOL HEALTH AND SAFETY EXPO AND OPEN HOUSE
You are cordially invited to an expo in violence prevention, student health and safety and intervention which will be held on Wednesday, April 15, from 7:30 p.m. – 9:00 p.m. at the CUSD District Office (address below). Tours of the District Office facility will be given this evening as well.
The expo is a showcase of the programs and services provided through the collaboration between CUSD, the Orange County District Attorney’s Office, Orange County Sheriff’s Department, and other community organizations.
Come and learn how this multi-agency approach is benefiting our schools and students. Exhibits will include: CUSD Emergency Operations Center, Drug Use is Life Abuse, Dana Hills High School Intervention, School Mobile Assessment Resource Team (SMART), School Resource Officers and a showcase of items collected, Tobacco Prevention, Gang Reduction Intervention and Prevention (GRIP), CUSD Foundation, Safety and Services, Web-based Safety Plans, and Is Your Teen at Risk, to name a few. Over 40 exhibitors will be on hand.
Many CUSD students have directly benefited from the services provided through this collaborative partnership.
For more information, please contact Julie Hatchel, jhatchel@capousd.org. CUSD is located at 33122 Valle Rd., San Juan Capistrano.
ONGOING WEIGHT TRAINING CLASS
It’s never too late for students to join Mr. Binley’s weight training session. Classes are held from 3:40 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays, in our DJAMS Weight Room. This class is designed for all 7th and 8th graders interested in beginning weight training. On-line class registration is available now through Capistrano Community Education, at: www.capousd.org/adult or call 489-7202. Feel free to contact Mr. Binley if you have any questions regarding the class.
DATES TO REMEMBER
April 3 End of Third Quarter
April 6-10 Spring Recess – No School
April 22 Incoming 6th Grade Parent Night, 6:30 p.m., DJAMS MPR
April 27 Applications for Bronco Pride Awards Due
May 14 PTSA Meeting, 2:30 p.m., Library
May 20 Open House, 6:30 p.m.
May 25 Memorial Day, Legal Holiday
May 25 SRLA Team Runs the L.A. Marathon
June 18 Last Day of School
