Dock Mennonite Academy Superintendent Dr. Conrad Swartzentruber has written a letter to Dock students and their families, the sixth in a series of communications the school has shared over the course of the summer. The August 10, 2020 Superintendent's Letter includes updated information about the 2020-21 school year, including:

• a link to the school's updated and board-approved Health and Safety Plan
• a link to a waiver protecting our students, parents and school community
• an updated FAQ about the school's reopening plan

We urge Dock parents to read this information carefully!

Read the full text of the letter here

Photo: Dock Mennonite Academy Superintendent Dr. Conrad Swartzentruber and his assistant, Mrs. Cathy Schmidt. 

Don't miss THE social event of the summer: Yearbook Night! Be the first to see the 2020 Schul Andenken on Thursday, August 6, at 7:00 p.m. on the Detweiler House porch. It's a great time to reconnect with friends...all grades are welcome! While this event is being held outside, students are expected to wear a mask. We look forward to seeing you!

Dock Mennonite Academy's Pandemic Team hosted a Zoom presentation for parents this morning to more fully describe the school's plan to reopen this fall with both on-campus and remote learning options, as well as the rationale for their direction. They also provided some insight as to how these options might be experienced by students at both campuses. Parents were encouraged to ask questions through the Chat feature on Zoom. The presentation was recorded for those not able to join at that time. The archive recording of that presentation, as well as the Powerpoint used, are available at the link below.

Read about Dock's reopening plan for the fall

"I just want to take a moment to say thank you. It is obvious that Dock has spent time and prepared a plan that takes into account the many different thoughts, opinions, concerns, and frustrations of all families during this pandemic. While it is impossible to please everyone, it is clear the two options you have outlined have the biggest probability of satisfying the majority of your families. Providing two options is so refreshing and I realize this will be much extra work for your staff and teachers...thank you! This will be our oldest child's first year at the school, and we could not be more pleased with our choice of Dock!" ~ Dock Elementary Family

"I am very confident with the decisions that were made by administration, the board and the pandemic team. There are two options—on-campus learning or remote learning for Early Childhood through 12th grade. Thank you Dock administrators, teachers and board members for spending your summer planning for the fall. I know many families from other schools are concerned about the options available to them. Dock has a large facility with a smaller number of students, so safety, academics, and social interactions will not be compromised!"    ~ Dock high school parent

Dock Mennonite Academy Superintendent Dr. Conrad Swartzentruber has written a letter to Dock students and their families, the fifth in a series of communications the school is sharing over the course of the summer. The July 27, 2020 Superintendent's Letter includes some exciting news about the 2020-21 school year, including

• a link to the school's Health and Safety Plan
• details about our on-campus and learn-at-home options for the fall
• announcement of a Zoom meeting for parents to learn more about their fall options
• the opportunity to register your child for one of the fall options

We urge Dock parents to read this information carefully!

Read the full text of the letter here

The Summer 2020 issue of Dock's Lamplighter magazine is now available. It includes coverage of:

• Dock's online learning experience during the second half of the 2019-20 school year
• Stories of Dock alum serving on the front lines of the Covid-19 pandemic
• Arts Day 2020
• A story about Dock grad Jenny Chen ('20) giving back to her home community in China
• Plus Alumni News and more!

In addition, the online version of Lamplighter includes extra content related to our alumni:

• Erik Kratz ('98) Zooming with Dock students and reflecting on a 20-year major league baseball career
• Food truck operator and aspiring cafe owner Janine Powis ('11)
• Halle Putera ('16) rocking her senior year at Franklin & Marshall

Access the digital version of the Summer 2020 Lamplighter

Dock Mennonite Academy Superintendent Dr. Conrad Swartzentruber has written a letter to Dock students and their families, the fourth in a series of communications the school expects to share over the course of the summer. The July 22, 2020 Superintendent's Letter includes some exciting news about the 2020-21 school year, including on-campus and learn-at-home options.

Read the full text of the letter here

Most of us exist in a two-dimensional world, but Dock student Alex Brown thinks in 3D.

When his family decided to ride out the pandemic in Florida, the 8th grader completed a project he had started in his Genius Hour class before Dock went to online learning. Alex created miniature burrowing owls using his 3D printer and used them to raise $150, which he donated to a Florida non-profit trying to protect the endangered species.

"I think they're the cutest things ever," Alex told the Cape Coral Daily Breeze. "I realize their population is in danger, so I decided I needed to try and help them financially by donating to the Cape Coral Friends of Wildlife." CCFW said Alex's donation provided seed money for its new "Adopt an Owl" fundraising program.

Alex came to appreciate the owls by observing them in a burrow near his home in Cape Coral. He decided to make them the subject of his Genius Hour project, and researched the owls extensively. Printing the owls in miniature proved to be a challenge, as Alex had to make adjustments to a horned owl template. For example, horned owls have large ears, or "tufts," while burrowing owls do not. After some trial and error, Alex was able to print the owl he wanted, and he gave them to family and friends in return for a donation. Along with the plastic owl, he provided a brochure with information about the creatures, and how donations could make a difference in preserving their habitat.

Genius Hour is part of Dock's Middle School project-based learning curriculum, where students are encouraged to pursue learning about things they are passionate about, and work at issues where they want to see change. We're proud of you for using what you learned to make a difference, Alex!

Read about Alex in the Cape Coral Daily Breeze

Learn more or make a donation to CCFW's Adopt an Owl program

Dock Mennonite Academy Superintendent Dr. Conrad Swartzentruber has written a letter to Dock students and their families, the third in a series of communications the school expects to share over the course of the summer. The July 8, 2020 Superintendent's Letter includes more detail on Dock's plans for the coming 2020-21 school year, including the possibility of both on-campus and learn-at-home options.

Read the full text of the letter here

Dock Mennonite Academy has announced significant enhancements to its STEM curriculum (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) that will provide students with the skills and knowledge to help them succeed in our increasingly digital society, economy, and culture. These enhancements, which essentially double the STEM curriculum at each campus, will prepare students for emerging career opportunities in STEM-related fields.

Key components of the expanded STEM curriculum include new Computer Science courses in coding, computer systems and networks, database systems, programming languages, artificial intelligence, cybersecurity and software engineering, well as the development of a STEM lab at the Grades 9-12 Campus to provide increased hands-on learning in robots, circuits, and 3D printing. Significant enhancements are also taking place at the EC-Grade 8 Campus, particularly in the Middle School STEM curriculum.

You can read all the details about these exciting new curriculum developments in the attached article.

Dock's STEM Initiative

Dock Mennonite Academy Superintendent Dr. Conrad Swartzentruber has written a letter to Dock students and their families, the first of a series of communications the school expects to share over the course of the summer. The June 26, 2020 Superintendent's Letter includes more detail on Dock's plans for the coming 2020-21 school year.

Read the full text of the letter here