Tiffany Schmidt, a Doylestown-based author with six published novels (and more to come), shared with Dock students recently about the process of writing a book. Schmidt spent a lot of time talking about the process of writing (and rewriting), the inspiration and research required to write a book, the working relationship between writer, editor, and publisher. She answered questions about book contracts and how she gets paid, the importance of the cover (and whether she has any input into cover and other illustrations), and more. You can learn more about Tiffany at her website, TiffanySchmidt.com

 

Mr. Andrew Zetts’ 7th and 8th grade Service Learning students travelled to Salford Mennonite Church’s community garden today to help with some fall garden cleanup. 

Dock's 6th graders have also been engaged in a wide variety of service learning projects so far this year. Watch the video below (thank you Mr. Jason Sprunger!) to learn more!

6th Grade Service Learning

Dock has lined up an amazing schedule of fun activities for its 2019 Homecoming & Family Weekend! There will be something fun or educational for every age:

10:00 AM – Dock Disc Golf Open – meet at Field House

11:00 AM  – Color Fun Run (5K – walk or run) – Varsity Baseball Field Register to run!

12:00 NOON – Lunch (Stadium area – field house)

12:30 – 3:00 PM – Admissions Open House and Tours (Longacre Commons)

12:30 PM – Franklin Institute Chemistry Road Show (Library)

1:00 – 3:00 PM – STEM Fest (Rosenberger Academic Center/RAC lawn) RSVP for this FREE event!

Electrical Circuits, Environmental Science, Bubbleology, Robotics and drone demonstrations, hands-on chemistry, 3D Printer demonstrations, K'NEX/LEGO Stations, and more 

3:00 - 5:00 PM – 3v3 Round Robin Basketball Tournament (Longacre Gym) Register your team

Most of these events are FREE and are open to the public.

Learn more

Guidance Office: October News

Mennonite College Day

Monday, October 7 is Mennonite College Day. Representatives from the Mennonite colleges will be on campus to spend the day with Dock students. Students are encouraged to stop by their tables throughout the day or during lunch to interact with the college representatives. To learn more about their schools, please check them out online or plan to visit them soon.

College                      E-mail addresses            Websites                         Phone numbers

Bluffton University  admissions@bluffton.edu     http://www.bluffton.edu/    1-800-488-3257

Eastern Mennonite Univ.   admiss@emu.edu     http://www.emu.edu/         1-800-368-2665

Goshen College     admissions@goshen.edu     http://www.goshen.edu/    1-800-348-7422

Hesston College    admissions@hesston.edu     http://www.hesston.edu/   1-800-995-2757

Bethel College      admissions@bethelks.edu     http://www.bethelks.edu/   1-800-522-1887

College Information Night

Dock is hosting a College Information Night on Sunday, October 6 from 7:00-8:30 pm in the Rosenberger Academic Center, Room 102. Admission counselors from our Mennonite colleges will give valuable information on topics such as: the admission process, scholarship opportunities, benefits of attending a Christian school, service opportunities, and studying abroad. Following the presentation, there will be a time for you to meet individually with the representatives from Bluffton College, Eastern Mennonite University, Goshen College, and Hesston College. Refreshments will be provided. If you plan to attend, please RSVP to the Guidance Office at 215-362-2675, ext. 601 or jlswartley@dock.org.

College representatives

Over the next several months, approximately 20-25 college representatives will visit Dock. Daily announcements will inform students which schools are visiting, and a flyer is posted on the kiosk outside the Guidance Office. College representatives will have information available in the cafeteria foyer during the lunch period.

Fall College Fairs

The National Christian College Fair will be held Tuesday, October 22 from 10:30 to 12:30 at Plumstead Christian School. Juniors interested in attending the fair please sign up in the Guidance Office by Tuesday, October 15. If we get enough interest, we will be taking a sprinter to the fair. There is limited seating so those who sign up first will go. See Mrs. Leaman if you have any questions! More information about the fair is available at http://myblueprintstory.com/christian-college-fairs/ or call 888-423-2477. For more college fair options, see the list posted on the kiosk outside the Guidance Office.

College Visitation

Seniors and juniors are permitted three excused college visits per year. It is important to bring in a parental note before the visit. Students are expected to contact their teachers and be responsible for academic work missed while on their trip.

Eastern Mennonite University (EMU) is sponsoring a free bus visit to EMU November 14-16 for juniors and seniors. There will be opportunity to stay in the dorms, observe classes, meet professors, tour the campus, and more! Stop by the Guidance Office for more information.

Seniors: College Application Process:

It is the season for you to request your high school transcript for college. Mr. Kabakjian visited your English Class and went over the process, and now he encourages you to come and see him directly for additional support. Last year as a junior, college options were explored. Today, you should be organizing your priority list. The Guidance Office is open and looking forward to helping you in the college application process. It is important that you sign a release form for the transcript to be sent to your college choice. If you are using Common Application, contact your teachers to request letters of recommendation and to make sure you are using their correct email address. Mr. Kabakjian's email address for Common App is kdkabakjian@dock.org.

Juniors: Plan Your Education

While all four years in high school are important, the most pivotal year for academic and career decisions is a student's junior year.  During their junior year, students take a more comprehensive look at their future beyond high school.  Juniors and their parents are welcome to make an appointment to talk with Mrs. Leaman about college and career options. Listed below are several websites to think about career options.

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 Reminder

All students in an AP class starting before November 15^th who want to take an exam will need to register online and make payment of $95 per test to the Guidance Office by October 4^th. Contact Mr. Kabakjian if you have any questions.

Dock hosted Mennonite College Day on Monday, October 7. Representatives from four of the Mennonite colleges were on campus to spend the day with Dock students. The college reps led chapel, where they played a game show with students designed to inform them about the academic and co-curricular opportunities at each school. Students were then invited to visit with the reps at tables set up outside the cafeteria and in Rosenberger Commons throughout the day.

Participating college reps included Meg Short from Bluffton University, Maddie McGuigan from Eastern Mennonite University, Steph Swartzendruber from Goshen College, and Kathryn Roth from Hesston College. To learn more about their schools, please check them out online at the links below, or better yet, plan a visit. Remember, Dock's Guidance Office is a great source for college planning information of all kinds.

See the Mennonite College Day action in Rosenberger Commons

College                      E-mail address             Website                             Phone number

Bluffton University  admissions@bluffton.edu     http://www.bluffton.edu/    1-800-488-3257

Eastern Mennonite Univ.   admiss@emu.edu      http://www.emu.edu/         1-800-368-2665

Goshen College     admissions@goshen.edu       http://www.goshen.edu/     1-800-348-7422

Hesston College    admissions@hesston.edu      http://www.hesston.edu/    1-800-995-2757

Bethel College      admissions@bethelks.edu     http://www.bethelks.edu/    1-800-522-1887

Dock is hosting a College Information Night on Sunday, October 6 from 7:00-8:30 pm in the Rosenberger Academic Center, Room 102. Admission counselors from our Mennonite colleges will give valuable information on topics such as: the admission process, scholarship opportunities, benefits of attending a Christian school, service opportunities, and studying abroad. Following the presentation, there will be a time for you to meet individually with the representatives from Bluffton College, Eastern Mennonite University, Goshen College, and Hesston College. Refreshments will be provided. Please RSVP to the Guidance Office at 215-362-2675, ext. 601 or jlswartley@dock.org.

Dock students joined with their peers from around the region and across the country this morning to pray for their school, the nation, and our world. 

See You at the Pole™ is a global day of student prayer that began in 1990 as a grass roots movement with 10 students praying at their school. Twenty years later, millions of students gather to pray on their campuses on the fourth Wednesday in September. While many students rally at their school's flagpole, at Dock the event is known as See You at the Courtyard or Prayer at the Pillars. As a school with roots in the Mennonite faith tradition, Dock believes that the church is "God's holy nation," called to give allegiance to to God alone.

Read more in The Window

More photos

 

Mrs. Trish Landis' first grade students got to enjoy a camping adventure this week—without even leaving the classroom! Mrs. Landis "set the stage to engage" her students in all things camping-related—reading by flashlight, pitching tents, eating smores and other camp snacks, and even a "real" campfire! What a fun day for these students!

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Discover students are studying energy this quarter in science. In pairs, students are designing and building roller coasters. These models will be used to look at the different amounts of potential energy stored in a system, to calculate the potential and kinetic energy of a marble, and to determine the average speed of a rolling marble.

Each roller coaster must be between 30 and 100 centimeters in height, have a track longer than 150 centimeters, and contain one loop and 6 turns. Each piece of the roller coaster has been given a price value, and students are keeping a log of the pieces they have used. A total price value to create each roller coaster will be presented at the end of the project as well. 

All roller coasters will be available to view at our first Middle School Expo of the year, on Thursday, October 24, at 6:30 pm.

More photos

Plan to attend Back to School Night, which will be held on Thursday, September 19. This is a time for parents to walk in the steps of their student. 

Schedule:

6:30 pm - Refreshments

6:45 pm - Welcome and Announcements

7:00 p m - Dismissal to first period class