Dock 7th and 8th grade Discover students, are studying life science this year. The students are trying to solve the following question: “How can we redesign/revitalize our campus “Nature Trail” by making it more inviting to both the Dock Community and the local surrounding community?” Dock Director of Advancement Mr. Robert Rutt visited with students in class and shared a bit about the history of the land the EC8 campus sits on and how we arrived at 420 Godshall Rd in Souderton. He discussed the water basin that was built as a requirement from the township. He talked about the trees planted around the property to add barriers to replace those harvested over the years. This week the students are continuing their work by looking for evidence of birds, insects and small animals around the school property. The students are creating slide shows with all the evidence they collect.

See more photos

Mrs. Laura Landes' 3rd grade music students met the brass musical Instrument family today! Dock students loved learning about these bright and bold musical instruments and really enjoyed listening to Grades 9-12 Band Director, Mr. Alan Shughart, play these instruments for them!

See more photos

Organized collectively by the Mennonite Church USA colleges and universities, Virtual Family Night events are replacing the in-person visits admissions counselors typically make to Mennonite high schools during the fall.

However, all high school students are invited to take part in any of the sessions, whether or not they attend a Mennonite high school.

The virtual event will feature representatives from five MCUSA colleges and universities—Bethel College, Bluffton University, Eastern Mennonite University, Goshen College and Hesston College.

Topics will include what sophomores, juniors and seniors should do at each stage of their high school career to be a strong applicant; financial aid information; and how to prepare for college visits. The representatives will also be available to speak privately with families afterward or to schedule a more in-depth visit.

The Virtual Family Night evening session for Dock Mennonite Academy will be held on Saturday, October 5. To register for a session, visit mennoniteeducation.org/mcd.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dock 4-year old Early Childhood students are learning about Creation during their September Faith Formation/Bible time. This week, they took a walk looking for "God's paintbrushes." Students discovered lots of different plants to use for painting and sorted them in groups. Students experimented with the plants they found and created wonderful "process art" works of art—all while enjoying being outside in God's creation.

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Students in Ms. Valerie Metzler’s Agricultural Connections science elective class spent some time in the Dock Woods gardens, helping residents pull out corn to prepare the gardens for the fall and winter. The corn stalks were shredded and turned under the soil to increase the organic matter and nutrient content of the soil. The class also has their own plot in the garden, where they are growing broccoli, lettuce, carrots, peas, and beets! We are excited to see what kind of produce we will get from the garden, and are grateful for the opportunity to participate in the Dock Woods Garden.

Students in Mrs. Jane Mast's AP Biology course completed an extraordinarily timely project as part of their summer academic work to prepare for the 2020-21 school year. Each of her 19 students researched, prepared and recorded a presentation on a pandemic caused by the pathogen of their choice, including origin, statistics about the disease or virus and how it spreads, how it affects humans, and a plan for treatment and/or eradication. The presentations were then viewed by a panel of medical experts, who evaluated them and provided feedback to students. Presentations ranged from Covid-19 to Ebola to Hand, Foot, and Mouth Disease, and others.

"The students did a great job," said Mrs. Mast. "This was great exposure for our students to the larger medical community. I even had one expert say they'd love to hire the two speakers they listened to."

Each medical expert listened to 3-4 presentations and provided detailed feedback, which included some of these excerpts:

"I really enjoyed this presentation. It was clear and quite thorough, specifically her in-depth description of the immunopathogenesis. In particular, she did a wonderful job highlighting the unique aspect of granuloma formation in atypical mycobacterial infection because of poor antibody control, which she discusses around minute 12."

"This young woman followed the instructions for the presentation flawlessly, and addressed every aspect of the Varicella Virus with a variety of well-sourced information. She elaborated on each of the components of the presentation—from the origin and discovery of the virus, to the treatment, economic impact and two case studies. Overall, a very strong presentation, covering all aspects of the virus, with good scientific sources, visuals and an academic tone to her work. Well done!"

"I liked that your plan included having the WHO provide more vaccinations to countries that still have higher incidences of diphtheria, such as in Africa. I wonder what the cost of this would be? What other steps would need to be taken in addition to providing more vaccinations (distribution, education, etc.)?"

"Diphtheria is fortunately so rare in our country now due to vaccines that it is not something I think about often in my differential when seeing patients, so it was nice to hear about. You did a nice job giving the audience information about the transmission, symptoms, and global incidence. I liked that you provided the maps about the change in global incidence over time."

The panel of medical professionals included:

• Morgan Pollock, RN, is a labor and delivery nurse at Lehigh Valley Hospital in Allentown and a certified childbirth educator.
• Dr. Matthew Basiaga, a pediatric rheumatologist and assistant professor of pediatrics at the Mayo Clinic School of Medicine. Dr. Basiaga has a master's degree in epidemiology from the University of Pennsylvania, completed his pediatrics residency at the Penn State College of Medicine, and his fellowship in pediatric rheumatology at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia.
• Cathryn Gunther, who is Vice President of Global Population Health at Merck & Co., where she helps establish innovative population health approaches that create sustained social and business value. She also leads Merck's workforce wellbeing strategy.
• Kate Mancini, RN, who has worked as a chemotherapy certified inpatient oncology nurse at Abington Hospital and Einstein Medical Center. She is now a care manager for Aetna Insurance, providing telephonic support to oncology patients and their families.
• Sarah Stoeckle, PA-C, is a Physician Assistant who has been practicing emergency medicine at Abington Hospital's Emergency Trauma Center for the past 10 years. Previously she was an adjunct professor at Arcadia University's Physician Assistant program, which is also where she received her PA degree. Her undergraduate degree in Biology (with a Chemistry minor) is from Gordon College.
• Dr. Jonathan Stoeckle is a practicing family physician and Associate Director of Population Health for the Lehigh Valley Health Network. He is also a clinical assistant professor at the University of South Florida's Morsani College of Medicine. He received his undergraduate degree in Biology from Gordon College, and his medical degree from Temple University's School of Medicine. Previously he was chief resident at Thomas Jefferson Hospital.

See screen captures from other presentations

 

It has been such a treat to see students back on both of our campuses for these first 11 days of school. The hard work and thorough preparation of our teachers has been a significant factor in a smooth start to the 2020-21 school year, and we are grateful for their efforts.

We are also thankful for our parents, who are diligently screening their children for symptoms before they leave the house, and for our students, who continue to follow our social distancing and mask protocols. We are celebrating a safe start to the school year as well.

Remote learners are connecting well with teachers and classmates, and some are returning to classrooms next week.

Dock Superintendent Dr. Conrad Swartzentruber posted a letter to parents this week, the eighth communication with the Dock community since the end of the 2019-20 school year. You can read the full text of his letter, and view a gallery of photos from our first 11 days of school, at the links below.

Superintendent's Letter: September 3, 2020

Photo Gallery: Dock is off to a great start!

2020-21 Guidance Counselors

For the 2020-2021 school year, Mr. Ken Kabakjian (kdkabakjian@dock.org,) is the counselor for grades 9 and 11 and Mrs. Lori Leaman (ldleaman@dock.org) is 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 Friday, August 28. Changes made after this date will need approval of parents, teachers, and guidance counselor. From time to time, students may need to drop a class they are enrolled in.  Dropping a class they have started will be reflected on their permanent transcript with a WP (Withdraw Passing) or a WF (Withdraw Failing).  Please contact your guidance counselor with any questions.

Student Elections

Student application packets for those wishing to run for Senate or as a Class Officer are available in the Guidance Office.  The application needs to be completed and returned to the designated advisor by September 9.  Elections will be held on September 16. 

Testing Information

Juniors and Sophomores: The PSAT is scheduled for Wednesday, October 14.  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 PSAT booklets when they become available.

The Guidance Office also invites sophomores to take the PSAT; however, there is a $20 fee. Sophomores can register in the Guidance Office on or before Friday, September 25. A check made out to Dock Mennonite Academy is due when the student registers. Mr. Kabakjian will be visiting sophomore classes to give students more information.  Sophomores do not qualify for scholarships, but it is good practice for their junior year.

SAT Information
 

Test Date                              Registration Deadline

September 26, 2020               September 15, 2020 (Late Registration)

October 3, 2020                     September 4, 2020

November 7,2020                  October 7, 2020

December 5, 2020                 November 5, 2020

March 13, 2021                     February 12, 2021

May 8, 2021                          April 8, 2021

June 5, 2021                         May 6, 2021

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.

College Planning

Seniors: Mrs. Leaman visited senior Kingdom Living classes the first week in September to go over the college application process. Information packets are available here.

Mennonite College Day

The Mennonite Colleges and Universities will be visiting us virtually this year! Dock's annual Mennonite College Day is Monday, October 5. A chapel video will provide students with more information about our Mennonite colleges and universities (MCU) and there will be opportunity to register to speak to a representative virtually. Students receive a free t-shirt from the school when they visit! Click here for more information and to register for a virtual visit.

Parents, join MCU admissions representatives for a virtual evening information session at 7:30.

AP Test Registration Changes

College board instituted a new online registration and ordering system. All students enrolled in an AP course will register for their AP test through a College Board 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 2^nd 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 March 5^th to register and pay.

Students who want to take an AP exam without enrolling in an AP class must see Mr. Kabakjian to register for the exam by October 2^nd.

Student Support Team (SST)

For the 2020-21 school year, the Student Support Team (SST) will be: Mr. Gehman, Mrs. Bergey, Dr. Silvermoon, Faculty; Caleb Benner, Campus Pastor; Mrs. Leaman, 10th and 12th grade Guidance Counselor, Mr. kabakjian, 9th and 11th 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 virtually on Thursday, September 17.  More information coming soon!

Dock Mennonite Academy Superintendent Dr. Conrad Swartzentruber has written a letter to Dock students and their families, the eighth in a series of communications the school has shared over the course of the summer. The September 3, 2020 Superintendent's Letter includes a report regarding the successful start of the 2020-21 school year.

Read the full text of the letter here

The cafeterias on both of Dock's campuses will operate a little bit differently this year, with new Covid-19 procedures in place to keep students safe. Below are links to short videos describing the procedures for each campus. These videos are also available on the Dock website, on both the Cafeteria Handbook and Lunch Menu pages. 

EC-Grade 8 Cafeteria Procedures

Grades 9-12 Cafeteria Procedures