Did you know Dock is now serving breakfast at the Grades 9-12 Campus? Chef Bill and his kitchen crew are whipping up made-to-order pancakes, omelets, breakfast sandwiches, baked goods, fresh fruit, yogurt, coffee, hot chocolate, cappuccino, and much more. It's a great way to start your day!

Breakfast is served Monday through Friday from 6:50 to 7:40 a.m. Take a look at the breakfast slideshow (below), and if you're not in line for breakfast next week....well, you're a stronger person than me.

p.s. Yes, those are chocolate chip pancakes.

p.s.s. Breakfast is coming to the EC-Grade 8 Campus too, but only once a month for now. Plan to join us for breakfast in Souderton on Thursday, September 19! 

Breakfast photos

Parents, grandparents, family and friends joined our 2nd & 3rd grade students today for our Family Lunch in the cafeteria. Some bought lunch while others brought lunch, but the best thing on the menu today was great company and conversation together in our Dock school community.

More photos

Guidance Office: September News

2019-20 Guidance Counselors

For the 2019-2020 school year, Mrs. Lori Leaman (ldleaman@dock.org) will be the guidance counselor for grades 9 and 11 and Mr. Ken Kabakjian (kkabakjian@dock.org,) will be the counselor for grades 10 and 12. The counselors invite you to email or call them if you have questions or concerns. 

Schedule Changes

All schedule changes for the year should have been completed by Wednesday, September 4. Changes made after this date will need approval of parents, teachers, and guidance counselor.  

Testing Information

Juniors and Sophomores: The PSAT is scheduled for Wednesday, October 16.  All juniors will report to the cafeteria at 7:45 a.m. to take this exam. This is the first step in entering the scholarship programs conducted by the National Merit Scholarship Corporation. Guidance will distribute the PSAT booklets when they become available.

The Guidance Office also invites sophomores to take the PSAT. However, there is a $20 fee for sophomores. Sophomores can register in the Guidance Office on or before Friday, September 27. A check needs to be made out to Dock Mennonite Academy when a student registers. Mr. Kabakjian will be visiting sophomore classes to give the students information.  Sophomores do not qualify for scholarships, but it is good practice for their junior year. All students taking this exam will need two #2 pencils and an approved calculator.

Seniors: Mr. Kabakjian will be visiting senior English classes in September to go over the college application process.

SAT Information

Test Date                      Registration Deadline

October 5, 2019                    September 6, 2019

November 2, 2019                October 3, 2019

December 7, 2019                November 8, 2019

March 14, 2020                    February 14, 2020

May 2, 2020                         April 3, 2020

June 6, 2020                        May 8, 2020

The easiest way to register for the SAT is online at www.Collegeboard.com. Students should set up an account with College Board. This will give them access to many tools that are available to support SAT preparation and the college search. There are also helps for parents. This is a recommended site for college bound students and their parents.

AP Test Registration Changes

Beginning this school year, 2019-2020, Collegeboard has instituted a new online registration and ordering system. All students enrolled in an AP course will now register for their AP test through a Collegeboard account that they set up. Once they create the account they will have access to other AP learning resources as well as being able to register for the test. 

All students in an AP class starting before November 15^th will need to register online prior to October 4^th and make payment to the guidance office.  A check payment of $95 for each AP test can be dropped off to Mrs. Swartley in the guidance office.  Students taking a spring semester AP class starting after November 15^th will have until February 28^th to register and pay. 

 

Student Support Team (SST)

For the 2019-20 school year, the Student Support Team (SST) will be: Mr. Gehman, Mrs. Bergey, Dr. Silvermoon, Faculty; Caleb Benner, Campus Pastor; Mrs. Leaman,11^th and 9^th grade Guidance Counselor, Mr. Kabakjian 12^th and 10^th grade Guidance Counselor; and Mr. Wiens, Principal.

Parents or students, are you aware of a student that is struggling with an issue? Are you concerned about a behavior of a specific group or individual student attending Dock? You may bring your concern to SST. Speak to any of the members listed above or write out your concern and bring it to the Guidance Office. It may be done anonymously, if you prefer. 

Academic Support Service Offered

The Montgomery County Intermediate Unit, in conjunction with the Guidance Office, offers academic support services at Dock. Students experiencing difficulties may be referred to the MCIU reading specialist for temporary, focused instruction in reading comprehension, organizational skills, and writing. The sessions will help students improve basic academic skills and bridge the gap between their skills and grade-level material.

The service is available to all students on an as-needed basis. For more information, please contact Lori Leaman in the Guidance Office at 215-362-2675, ext. 601.

Save the Date!

Back to School Night will be held on Thursday, September 19.  Refreshments will be offered at 6:30 p.m. in the cafeteria. After several Dock updates, parents will be invited to follow your child's daily schedule to meet teachers. Please note: This is an evening for parents only.

The 2019 Touring Choir CDs have arrived! You can pick up a copy at Detweiler House for just $10. Thanks to Carolina Fraser ('19) for the gorgeous cover photo!

Dock Mennonite Academy is pleased to welcome the following new faculty members for the 2019-20 school year:

• Ms. Natalie Slick will teach 3rd grade. Ms. Slick is a recent graduate of Grove City with a B.S. double major in Elementary and Special Education. She is a member of Bridge Community Church in Lansdale.  
• Mrs. Christine Dando will be one of our Kindergarten teachers. Mrs. Dando has an Associate Degree from Hesston College and a B.A. in Elementary Education from Goshen College. Mrs. Dando has teaching experience in schools in Quakertown, Skippack, and most recently in a Catholic school in Philadelphia. She is a member of Blooming Glen Mennonite Church. 
• Mrs. Mysel Gomez-Landis will rejoin our team as part-time Middle School Spanish Teacher. She is a Dock graduate and has a B.S. from Eastern Mennonite University.  Mysel taught for several years at our school previously. She attends Calvary Church of Souderton.
• Mrs. Missy Camilleri will serve as our EC-Grade 8 Librarian. She is a Dock graduate and has a B.A. in Elementary Education with a Reading Concentration from Eastern University. Missy is a member of Deep Run East Mennonite Church. 
• Mrs. Michele Finger will remain in our Learning Support department for the full year with elementary classes. Mrs. Finger served as our Learning Support long-term sub last year. Mrs. Finger brings experience as both an elementary teacher and learning support teacher in several local districts. She has an M.A. in teaching from the College of New Jersey and attends Bridge Community Church. 
• Mrs. Rachael Grim will join our Early Childhood program as the Pre-K teacher. She was a student teacher at Dock in Grade 3 with Mrs. Amy Rodriquez last year. She has certification in Pre-K to Grade 4. She worked most recently at Collegeville Bright Horizons. Rachael holds a B.S. in Elementary Education from Western Governor’s University and attends an Episcopal church in Harleysville.
• Mrs. Sandra Curry will be teaching kindergarten during two kindergarten maternity leaves. Mrs. Curry is a parent of a Dock 9th grader and a graduate of Temple University. She has taught a variety of grades in the Central Bucks School District and directed the preschool education program at her church, Keystone Fellowship. 
• Ms. Maddie Clemens will serve as our high school Social Studies teacher. Maddie is a 2012 Dock graduate and has a B.A. in History from EMU with some additional coursework from Gwynedd Mercy University. She is certified for grades 7-12 in Social Studies. She attends Blooming Glen Mennonite Church.  
• Mrs. Michelle Sensenig joins our team as the High School Choral Director.  Michelle and her family will move into our area from Chestertown, MD. She has a B.S. in Music Education from Messiah College and a Masters of Music in Music Education from Colorado State University. Michelle has several years teaching experience at Belleville Mennonite School (her alma mater) and taught middle school music at Penn View from 2002-2005. Michelle also spent four years with MCC in Indonesia as Music Lecturer at Satya Wacana Christian University. She worked most recently as choir director and pianist at a church in Chestertown.  
• Ms. Emily Rush joins Dock as part-time High School English teacher. Emily has a B.A. in English from Bluffton University and is certified in 7-12 Adolescent Young Adult Language Arts. She is a member of West Swamp Mennonite Church.
• Mr. Andrew Zetts will join the Middle School (7^th/8^th grade) team. Mr. Zetts has been teaching in the Jenkintown School District since 2013. He holds a Master of Arts in History from Villanova University and a Bachelors of Arts from Eastern University.  Mr. Zetts has certification in 7-12 Social Studies. He attends Salford Mennonite Church.

Pictured (l to r, below): Natalie Slick, 3^rd grade; Rachael Grim, Early Childhood; Maddie Clemens ('12), Grades 9-12 Social Studies; Missy Camilleri, EC- Grade 8 Librarian; Mysel Gomez-Landis, Middle School Spanish; Michele Finger, Elementary Learning Support; Michelle Sensenig, Grades 9-12 Music; Emily Rush, Grades 9-12 English; Christine Dando, Kindergarten. Not pictured: Andrew Zetts, Middle School

The launch meeting of the Indian Valley Chamber of Commerce Professional Development Committee (previously the Education Committee) took place recently. The committee is a collaboration between Chamber members and local schools to provide educational opportunities for both members and students. Dock is grateful to the Indian Valley Chamber of Commerce for continuing to build community collaboration and helping to provide educational opportunities for students.

We are excited to announce that for the 2019-20 school year, our middle school will begin a one-to-one Chromebook program! Each student will be assigned one device, labeled with their name, available each day for use at school.   

Chromebooks are essentially internet browsers in a laptop shell that run Google's Chrome operating system and integrate with Google Apps. Our students and teachers have been using Google accounts and many of their collaborative features for several years, via carts of Chromebooks. As the use of these devices has increased, we began to investigate the option of providing one Chromebook per middle school student instead of having roaming carts. 

Benefits of the one-to-one approach:

• Increased access to technology resources on a daily basis, not restricted by cart availability.

• Enhanced ability to integrate learning between various content areas in our PBL model

• No time wasted in finding and relocating carts

• More flexibility in use throughout the school day

• Stronger procedures for teaching responsibility, organization, and accountability for technology use.

• Better security, privacy controls, and maintenance procedures.

Devices will not go home and will be charged at school overnight. The Chromebook model we chose is the ASUS Flip C302CA for its exceptional build quality, multitouch capability, and other features. Click here for more information on the ASUS Chromebook.

 Our teachers and technology staff are working on guidelines and procedures for middle schoolers. Please watch Schoology for more information about our Middle School 1:1 Chromebook program, expectations, and appropriate uses of technology.

We have audition information for Newsies, Dock's fall musical!

August 21, 3:15-5:30 pm, Theater
Come sing through the show and ask questions about getting involved! Audition sides will be available.

September 3 and 4, 3:15-5:30 pm, Theater
Open Audition followed by Parent informational Meeting fro 5:30-6:00 pm. Students and parents should come one of the two days.

September 5, 3:15-5:30 pm, Theater
Call Back Audition

Please note the new show dates this year on consecutive weekends, which will allow more people to attend the show. Show dates are November 15-16 and 22-23, 2019.

Starting with the 2019-2020 Season, the Southeastern Pennsylvania Symphony Orchestra is moving its home to the performing arts center at Dock Mennonite Academy's Early Childhood to Grade 8 Campus at 420 Godshall Road in Souderton. The Southeastern Pennsylvania Symphony Orchestra is the regional professional orchestra for Montgomery and Bucks Counties and surrounding regions and features performances throughout the year of the great masterworks of symphonic music with world-renowned guest artists. For the past decade, the Symphony has performed mainly at Lansdale's Trinity Lutheran Church. 

Audiences for the Orchestra's 2019-20 season will be welcomed to a fully accessible performing arts center with no partial view seating, wonderful acoustics, and a great concert experience. 

"We are thrilled to begin this new partnership with Dock Mennonite Academy, and to bring our audience and music-making to this wonderful hall," said SPSO Music Director Allan R. Scott. The 2019-20 Season is specifically designed to welcome audiences from throughout the region on this new journey with the Symphony. The 48th Season opens on Saturday, September 28 with "A Night in Italy," including memorable opera highlights, Italian film music, and fun Italian songs. The season also includes:

• "Heroic Beethoven & Bruckner's Romantic Symphony" (November 9)
• "Mozart in Paris" (March 7) 
• "Fiesta Latina" (May 9)

Guest soloists include internationally-renowned violinist Robyn Bollinger, acclaimed organist Colin Howland, and several opera stars from throughout the country.

The Southeastern Pennsylvania Orchestra was founded in 1972 as the North Penn Symphony Orchestra. It was created to provide performances of the highest caliber to entertain and educate audiences, and to enhance, enrich, and expand the cultural lives of the residents of the North Penn area. In 2008, the Board of Directors rechristened the orchestra the Southeastern Pennsylvania Symphony Orchestra to reflect its new regional focus, professionalism and vision. 

For more information about SPSO, please follow them on Facebook or visit www.spso.info. 

Dock middle school teachers, along with several 8th grade students, are participating in Genius Camp at the Montgomery County Intermediate Unit this week. One of the highlights so far was a teacher vs. student competition in which each team created an amusement park, complete with lots of rides. Other activities included making brochures with 3D printers, green screens and cameras, as well as sewing shirts and stuffed animals.

The Genius Camp experience brings students and teachers together in a MAKER ENVIRONMENT to take charge of their own ideas and growth with challenging, but fun stations like circuitry and storytelling, robotics, wearable technology and coding. Teachers will leave this week excited to begin implementing maker learning into their classrooms while using questions that encourage students to become independent learners. Students develop the ability to be creative and reflective in their thinking when solving complex problems.

Photo, above: Dock middle school teacher Mrs. Claire Wanamaker ponders a problem-solving exercise with students (clockwise) Julia Rosario, Jonah Kuhn, and Dylan Jernigan during the MCIU's Genius Camp.