Second Quarter Volume 13 Issue 2 

Spotlight on Dexter Graduates Dexter graduates have the strong foundation to succeed in a wide variety of ca-

reers. Ryan Derrick, son of Jimmy and Maxine Derrick, graduated from Dexter High School in 1991. While in high school, Ryan excelled in many areas from academics to athletics. He was salutatorian of his class, attended Boys State and was State Champion and National Runner-up in the Business Professional Organization (BPA) in Employment Skills; Job Interview. Honored as Dexter’s Greatest Demon as a jun-ior and senior, Ryan was All-State both years in basketball and football. He played in the North/South All-Star game in both sports following his senior year.

Ryan went to college at Harding University in Searcy, Arkansas on a football scholarship and pursued a pre-med degree, graduating with a BA in Biology. He was offered a teaching and coaching job at Harding Academy in Memphis, Tennessee and went on to work at Harding Academy as Teacher, Coach, Junior High Athletic Direc-tor and Assistant Admissions Director. Ryan just completed his seventh season as head football coach. Having won two thirds of his games, with his first win in 2013 he will become the “winningest football coach” in Harding Academy history. Coach Derrick’s teams have earned six playoff appearances and were named 2008 State Runners-up. Ryan was honored as Division II A-West Coach of the Year 2008 and 2011, Liberty Bowl All-Star Game Coach 2008 and 2009 and Under Armour All-American Bowl Coach in 2009. He recently oversaw and assisted in the design of one of the premiere high school weight training facilities in the nation.

When asked what being “from Dexter” has meant to him, Ryan replied, “Lady Bird Johnson said, ‘Children are likely to live up to what you believe of them.’ Dexter, NM was that source of belief for me. My family and my community placed a confi-dence in me that has carried me throughout my life. I often reflect on the upbringing I was provided by a family, a community, and a school that was rooted in doing the right things for those around them and for those that belonged to them. The miles certainly have separated, but I will always have a special place in my heart for that special community that provided so much for me. GOD BLESS DEXTER, NM!” 

Find them on the Dexter Schools      

website  www.dexterdemons.org 

Ryan Derrick with his wife Kelley, 9 year old daughter Rylee and 2 year old son Kolton. Many young Dexter basketball

players first met Kelley when she helped with the Derrick family’s annual basketball camp.

Ryan’s high school coach, Gerald Burns, traveled with Ryan’s father Jimmy

Derrick, former Dexter coach, teacher, principal and superintendent to see a game this season. Ryan said it was a very special

treat for him, his family, and his team!

THANKS FOR YOUR CONTINUED SUPPORT! The $3 million Library Bond B to fund academic library acquisitions statewide

passed on November 6th. It provided over $90,000 for public and school libraries in Chaves County; Dexter will receive a portion of that funding for our libraries.

The facility is highlighted on the Legend Fitness website on their showcase page. http://www.legendfitness.com/clientele_showcase/procollegehigh_school/harding_academy.aspx

 

Volume 13 Issue 2 

From the  Principal’s Office 

Dexter High School has completed a successful first se‐mester.  Our stu‐dents have shown progress in reading and math according 

to the short cycle MAP assessment, comparing August and December re‐sults.  Teachers have worked in their Cross Curricular Teams, with assistance from our academic coach, to develop and implement innova ve wri ng as‐signments in all academic and career 

and technical educa on areas.  DHS stu‐dents also had great success in their dual enrollment college courses this first semester.  Ninety‐five percent of 256 courses taken were successfully com‐pleted.    During the second semester we will con nue to offer a large number of dual enrollment courses as well as improve instruc onal delivery in all classes, through the work of our “Teacher Teams.”  The students and staff of Dex‐ter High School are to be commended for a job well done during the first se‐mester and we look forward to an equally successful second semester. 

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Employability Skills Class Mr. Bowles 

  In October, 2012, Mr. Robert Garne  visited the Employability Skills classes to give several presenta ons concerning the importance of being pre‐pared to get a job and to grow as an employee.  Mr. Garne  shared with the students his exper se as a business own‐er.  For several semesters, Mr. Garne  has helped the Dexter High School soph‐omores to learn about the importance of having a high degree of character which ensures them a successful career. His insights have made las ng impressions on the students.  

Mr. Garne  shared his wit and wisdom to the classes. “If you arrive on me, you’re late! Be courteous and po‐

lite. Remember, give the employer more than he or she is paying you. Be honest. You need to stand on your own two feet. YOU be the one to take care of what is to be done. There’s always the need to clean or organize in business. Raise the bar for yourself by improving yourself. Integrity is to do the job, learn from your mistakes, go on, and persevere. It ALL comes down to how you apply yourself.” Mr. Garne  praised the Dexter Schools for teaching students the importance of personal responsibility. He said, “The ‘Power of ‘I’” is training you to complete 

what is expected of you.”  Students were given the oppor‐

tunity to present their viewpoints con‐cerning the ups‐and‐downs of seeking employment, Mr. Garne  impressed upon the students to keep seeking their goals and to never give up. He shared, “When a prospec ve job has no open‐ings, don’t take it personally. [Your job] will come. When leaving a job interview, be sure to thank the interviewer for the interview and shake his or her hand.” A er the presenta ons were over, stu‐dents were sure to shake Mr. Garne ’s hand to thank him .   

Daubert established 6 career clusters involving 7 different career pathways for our students to choose from.  In addi‐on, we have the flexibility to branch off 

the available pathways to individually customize a pathway for a student if so desired.   The 6 career clusters include:  Health Sciences, Automo ve Technolo‐gy, Agriculture, Visual Arts/Graphic De‐sign, STEM (science, technology, engi‐neering, & math), and Business.  These career clusters encompass the following 7 career pathways:  EMT Basic/Intermediate/Paramedic, Nursing, Auto Mechanics, General Agriculture, Graphic Designer, Engineer, and Accoun ng/Bookkeeping.  Each pathway has its own curriculum, which includes exis ng high school classes and dual‐enrollment col‐lege classes (the student gets high school and college credit).  The majority of the college‐level classes are through ENMU‐Roswell, where the students have op ons that include being bussed to the Roswell campus during the day for a face‐to‐face class, taking classes with high school teachers who are ad‐junct professors for the university, and taking online classes through the univer‐sity and spending one class period dur‐ing the day in the computer lab.     More informa on will be forthcom‐ing in the next bulle n!  

Blayne Rochelle, Mark Coronado, Rick Collins and all veterans— Thank you for your service to our great country. 

PREPARING STUDENTS FOR THE FUTURE!! 

  Did you know that Dexter High School is a leader in the State of New Mexico when it comes to preparing students for College and/or a Career a er high school?  That is due primarily to Rissie Daubert’s efforts in establish‐ing Career Clusters and Career Path‐ways which allow for individually‐customized Programs‐of‐Study that will get them on a pathway to success in college, in a career, or both! By signing up partners in the community and in local colleges and universi es and us‐ing the great variety of teacher re‐sources at Dexter High School, Mrs. 

 

Volume 13 Issue 2 

 

The Dexter High School National Honor Society Inducts new members

This year there were seventeen Dexter students inducted into the National Honor Soci-ety. The induction ceremony was held on Octo-ber 24, 2012, at six o’clock in the High School Library. Students were motivated by guest speaker Dustin Devenport who is a former Dexter High School National Honor Society member and was Salutatorian of the class of 2005. Dinner following the induction ceremony was provided by Dexter Schools for the induc-tees and honored guests. Congratulations to Krystal Granado, Myr-ka Duran, Jessica Lupercio, Bailey Turner, Alexis Hernandez, Ross Sterrett, Ana Rodri-guez, Joseline Hernandez, Luis Villa, Jaden Amaro, Aaron Dumars, Dominic Castro, Alfon-so Ramos, Danielle Gamboa, Alexis Perez, Joshua Beaver, and Audrey Clark. You make Dexter High School and our community proud.

The Na onal Honor Society hosted a “Toys for Tots” drive and would like to express their apprecia on for all those who contributed to this worthy cause. 

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DexterBluePrideBand�There are approximately 12 stu‐dents who compete in our band pro‐gram and travel numerous hours for football games and compe ons. Susan Schmidt is our Band Director and she has very strong parent volunteers:  Lucie Hall and Irma Dutchover. 

PRIDE ASSEMBLY On November 20, Dexter High School held a Pride Assembly.  Many parents a ended to watch their students receive well‐deserved awards for honor roll, roll of excellence, perfect a endance, Na‐onal Honor Society and FFA achieve‐

ment.   Prior to the assembly, students who had no “I’s” enjoyed a dance, X‐box games, and freestyle basketball. 

SMART THINKING Mr. Gomez from ENMU GEAR‐UP came to all Language Arts classes and gave his presenta on on Smart Thinking, a web‐based one‐on‐one tutoring opportunity for students. 

FFA NEWS Since their return from Na onal Con‐ven on in October, the Dexter FFA  has 

Junior High Team: 3rd Place Creed, Dayton Harris; Darcie Regalado; 4th Place Creed, Madison Bogle; Kali Crandall; Marlou Blankvoort and Jacob Sanders 

Greenhand Team Quiz Team, 4th Place: Trevor Sanders, Dominic Lomeli, Mario Contreras, Lucas Castro. 

been busy.  In early November, Dexter hosted the Chapter Officer Leadership Training (COLT).  This leadership event was led by the District V officers, which included two members from Dexter. Mason Moore is the District V Presi‐dent, State Vice President, and Tanner Thompson is the District V Treasurer.  Also during the month of November, the FFA Chapter teamed up with Stu‐dent Council to host a canned food drive.  A er collec ng the cans, they took them to Loaves and Fishes Food Pantry in Hagerman.  They helped sort cans and stock the shelves as well.  In December, Junior high and greenhand members traveled to Hobbs for the Dis‐trict Creed and Quiz contest.  In Junior High Creed, Dayton Harris placed 3rd and Madison Bogle placed 4th.  In Greenhand Creed, Trevor Sanders placed 2nd.  The Quiz team placed 4th and the members were Li le Bull Cas‐tro, Dominic Lomeli, Trevor Sanders, and Mario Contreras.  Li le Bull placed 4th individually.  All in all, they have had a busy few months and will con nue their busy schedule as judging season begins. 

ANNUAL UPDATE The Annual class began the year with an added advisor:  Ms. Casady, who is working with Mr. Presco  this year.  She will be advising the jour‐nalism area of the yearbook.  Annual has been recently equipped with brand new computers along with a printer.  With be er equipment, they are hoping to improve the process of cre‐a ng the yearbook.  As a new addi on to the  yearbook, student opinion sec ons will be in‐cluded this year.  The yearbook recently created a Facebook page that can be found on Facebook at Dexter Annual.  The 2012‐2013 Yearbook can be pre‐purchased at a discounted price of $50 through December 31 at www.yearbookforever.com, or contact year‐book advisors or staff. 

 

Volume 13 Issue 2 

What is the Literacy Design Collabora ve? 

  Teachers at Dexter High School are going to school, too. With the imple‐menta on of the Common Core State Standards for New Mexico schools, Dex‐ter is proac vely learning how to in‐struct and apply the standards in their classrooms. One major adjustment that all teachers are making at the high school is the implementa on of literacy standards into every content area. So what does this mean for your child?  

To provide consistency in the edu‐ca on of our children 

To be college and career‐ready   The Literacy Design Collabora‐ve aids teachers in lesson planning, 

instruc on, and rigor all while develop‐ing reading and wri ng skills in your child. The LDC provides a pathway to increase the knowledge and skill of teachers, and alter the rela onship of the student to the teacher and the con‐tent.   As a parent of a student at Dex‐ter High school, you probably have no‐ced that your child is reading and 

wri ng more in every class. The teachers are tackling literacy standards by assign‐ing “wri ng tasks” that combine the reading of complex texts and wri ng informa ve or explanatory essays that apply to their content.  The wri ng tasks 

 

VETERAN’S DAY ASSEMBLY The Dexter National Honor Society Students would like to thank every-one who attended the Veterans Day Assembly which was held on Mon-day, November the 12th

. There were about six hundred students, staff and community members in attendance to honor our current and former service men and women. The guest speakers this year were Major Tyrone Woods and Corporal Frankie Amaro. They presented a heartfelt message to the people in attendance, and reminded us all why we are free, and that free-dom is not really free. We would especially like to thank all the Veter-ans who attended and those who could not for their service and sacri-fice to America and our way of life.

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are guided by a rubric to inform the student about how he/she will be grad‐ed on the essay. The rubric is also used as a communica on tool during student‐teacher conferences.    Dexter High School has joined this collabora ve by distribu ng respon‐sibility for literacy building across the school, and outlining the most essen al skills and knowledge everyone needs to be college and career‐ready. 

 

Leanna Bell, Robin Casady and Chanda 

Crandall hard at work at the LDC 

mee ng. 

Dexter Middle School Teachers: Major Tyrone Woods and Corporal Frankie Amaro with Andrew Clark represen ng his cousin James.  Mr. Woods and Mr. Amaro were the guest speaker at the Veteran’s Day Assembly. 

1943 Graduate of Dexter High School, Oscar (Pete) Kunkel was the 2012 Hall of Fame Inductee.  Student Council Sponsors Susan Schmidt and Lucie Hall presented him with his award.   

OSCAR (PETE) KUNKEL DEXTER HIGH SCHOOL’S

2012 HALL OF FAME INDUCTEE

Oscar (Pete) Kunkel understands the importance of values, property values and values in his own life. As a real estate appraiser, Kun-kel, 87, has helped hundreds of people to buy and sell property for homes, businesses, and commer-cial developments. His reputation for fairness made him one of the most trusted appraisers in Roswell and the surrounding area. Kunkel recently reflected on his career and the journey that brought him from a farmhouse southwest of Dexter to a white-collar office job in Roswell. Born and raised in Dexter, Kunkel spent his youth working on his fami-ly’s farm, helping to grow and har-vest crops of alfalfa and cotton. Kunkel said becoming a skilled appraiser is “a learning process” and it takes time to gain a full under-standing of the many aspects that go into determining the value of property. Kunkel lives in Roswell and has four sons, Bud, Tim, Bob, and Ted. His sons are now located in Ro-swell, Artesia, Washington State and the UAE (United Arab Emir-ates). He has eight grandchildren and his first great-grandchild was born in late November.

 

Volume 13 Issue 2 

DEMON FOOTBALL The Dexter Demons football team completed its season as District Champions with a 7‐5 record.  The Demons defeated Ramah in the first round of playoffs by a 56‐6 score.  Un‐fortunately the Demons came out on the short end of 28‐14 final against the Texico Wolverines.  The Dexter Demon football wants to thank the support of the band, cheer‐leaders, student body, teachers and community of Dexter.  We would also like to thank Ms. Gallaway and Ms. Miles for invi ng us to spend some  me with your students.   

to make the opposing team  red and we do that by speeding the game up. What allows us to do this is the summer we had and the development each kid had shown thus far so we can play more kids in the games this year. Our season goal is real simple; bring a state champion‐ship to Dexter High School!  

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Purchase Dexter Demon t-shirts, hoodies, caps &

more!

www.dexterdemons.org

DEMON BOYS’ BASKETBALL The Demon basketball team is off to a 5‐2 start early on in the season. We are doing well for how short of a  me period we have had with the kids. They just came off the football field from state playoffs and only had a week to prepare for our first game. In the Tatum Tournament we ended up ge ng 3rd place finishing with a 2‐1 record for the tournament. The second tournament was in Tularosa. There was some really good compe on at the tournament as 4 of the top 5 ranked teams in the state were there. We ended up bea ng Tularosa in our second game at the tournament which is a very significant victory. Tularosa is the defending state champions and they beat us three  mes last year. We lost in the championship game to Pecos who is another top ranked team in the state by 7 points. David Lopez is off to a good start 

this season scoring the basketball as he is av‐eraging around 21 points per game, but what makes us so suc‐cessful is the defensive pressure we can apply as a team during the games. We take pride in our defense and ul mately know that is what is going to help us compete for a state championship. We look to be a lot quicker this season as a team. Each game our goal is 

Lady Demon So ball So ball season is right around the cor‐ner. Our Lady Demon so ball team is in offseason workouts, and our roster looks promising. This year Coach Chan‐da Crandall, who is in her 3rd year as head coach, says, “The season is star ng off with posi ve signs. We had a great turn out of interested girls who signed up to play in December. Our offseason workouts are going great and the girls are working hard.” The official start date for the so ball season is Feb. 4th, but the Lady Demons are not wai ng for February to begin ge ng faster, strong‐er, and quicker. “I have 90% of our up‐per classmen in a fitness and condi on‐ing class, and the athletes are pushing themselves in the weight room. As a coach, I stress strength and fitness, and it is a major priority in the Lady Demon So ball program.” The so ball games begin mid‐March, and the girls are dedi‐cated to excellence.  Thank you Dexter for suppor ng us, and we are looking forward to seeing you this year.  

Lady Demon Basketball 

 

Volume 13 Issue 2 

     

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DECEMBER NEWSLETTER ARTICLE – Lesa Dodd Dexter Middle School students and staff have been working extremely hard this semester in the classroom.  I am extremely pleased to announce that at the end of the 1st 9‐weeks, we had the fol‐lowing record percentages of no incompletes: 8th Grade – 74% 7th Grade – 87% 6th Grade – 80%  If you are a parent of a student that did not have any Incompletes at the end of the 1st 9‐weeks, I hope you join me in the excitement and give your 

student a big “pat on the back” for a job well done!!!   If your child had one or more incomplete on their report card, please con nue to encourage your child to complete their assignments at proficiency level and to turn them in when they are due.   Our goal is to con nue to improve these percentages each grading period.  If we all work together, I am confident we can help all students be academically successful.  At the end of the 1st 9‐weeks, we also had our fall parent conferences.  Overall, we had a good turnout: 

8th Grade – 43% 7th Grade – 60% 6th Grade – 58% 

It is our goal to have 100% par cipa on in the spring, so please make plans to a end.  As a reminder, you do not have to wait un l parent conferences to meet with your child’s teachers.  All teachers are available each day from 7:35am‐8:15am.  I encourage you to call the Middle School office to schedule an appoint‐ment.  This year, we celebrated our 2nd Annual Parent Apprecia on Day at Dexter Middle School.  We had a total of 43 parents in a endance.  Throughout the day, parents had the opportunity to a end classes with their child, a end the awards ceremony (161 students received MAP awards), watch the monthly Shoot for $100 contest, or enjoy a great lunch with their child in the cafeteria.  This is a great opportunity for the staff and students at Dexter Middle School to show their apprecia on to our Middle School parents!  We will be comple ng our state mandated SBA tes ng beginning March 19‐April 5.  Please put these dates on your calendars—it is extremely important that your child is in a endance dur‐ing SBA tes ng.  We have a great Middle School – doing well on the SBA test is one way of showing the State of New Mexico how great our students are in their academics!!!  As a reminder, our doors are always open.  If you have ques ons, concerns, or would like to visit with your child’s teachers, please do not hesitate to contact the Middle School office. 

 

Volume 13 Issue 2 

 

   

Page 7 Second Quarter

6th Grade News by Mrs. Ervin This semester, the 6th grade Language Arts classes have  been working hard on our wri ng,  learning main idea, infer‐encing, grammar, comprehension,  vocabulary, and compare and contrast. We are focused on improving both our reading and wri ng skills. This semester, every student was required to read AT LEAST 12 to 13 books. This is all part of our read‐ing curriculum where each student must read 25 books by the end of the year. My students have been doing an awe‐some job of this and I can already see an improvement in their reading and vocabulary skills. Please make sure your child con nues to read over the Christmas break, December 21‐January 7. We have also been working on our wri ng skills by using Smarthinking.com to submit our essays. The students receive feedback from an online tutor. With this program and I can already see improvement in their wri ng skills.  The 6th grade class would like to wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!  Do not forget to READ, READ, READ!!! 

7th Grade News by Mr. Smith The seventh graders have been working on a literature study.  The students have done various projects with the stories that will aid them in remembering the sequence of events, as well as, other parts of the story.  The students are finishing up the semester with a major wri ng project.  This will be their grade for their final exam in Language Arts.  We have had a great semester and are looking forward to an even be er one next semester.  Hope everyone has a great Christmas break.  

Middle School Library News: Beth Harris   We had a tremendous turn out for the first Ba le of the Books Mee ng on November 14, 2012. There were 48 students in the Middle School Library showing their interest in reading the books for this compe on. This is the most interest we have ever seen at the Middle School level.   Mrs. Deutsch and Mrs. Harris, the librarians, are very excited to see this many kids willing to put in the  me it takes to prepare for the Ba le of the Books compe on. “It’s exhilara ng!” , commented Mrs. Harris.   Good luck students! We are off to a GREAT start.  For your informa on, the compe on is on April 27, 2013 in Silver City, New Mexico   If you have any ques ons about Ba le of the Books, you can contact us at the school phone number 734‐5434. Amy Deutsch Ext. #326 or Beth Harris Ext. #348 

Congratula ons to the Middle School football 

players for finishing the season undefeated 

with a 7‐0 record. Coach VandenBout and 

Coach Woods are proud of the hard work and 

dedica on that you all have shown in order to 

make this an amazing season. GREAT JOB, 

BOYS!! GO Demons!!  

8th Grade News  by Mrs. Chavarria The students have been busy bees in 8th grade Language Arts this semester.  They have shown great improvement from the beginning of the school year.  They have been working on vocabulary skills, reading comprehension through short stories, and, most recently, poetry, wri ng informa ve es‐says, characteriza on paragraphs, literary elements such as tone, mood, similes, metaphors, and foreshadowing.  They have been learning grammar skills such as learning to use commas correctly, fix run‐on sentences, and using everyday edits to prac ce their proofreading skills and improve their own wri ng.  They go to the library every two weeks to check out new library books and keep up with their AR reading tests, which they are doing well on.  Many of the students are ahead of schedule on their AR tests, which shows their ini a ve to make progress in reading.  The students have also been using Smarthinking to submit their wri ng assignments, and the program has helped the students do be er on their essays.  Overall, many of the students showed improvement on their MAPS reading scores for December, and I am very proud of them and the progress I am seeing as the school year advances.  Great job 8th graders!!!   

 

Volume 13 Issue 2 

     

Page 8 Second Quarter

A Message from Gear Up…. Where is the time going? We are already at the end of the first semester! Many wonderful things are happening at Dexter Mid-dle School. Students have been introduced to an online tutoring program called Smarthinking™ . This can be a tremendous help to stu-dents at school and at home. The students seem to be using the program to help them primarily with writing and math. Most of them have already submitted papers through the online writing

tutor. An emphasis has been placed on writing this semester in every classroom, so this can prove very valuable for students. A training was held on November 20 for all parents. If you missed that opportuni-ty and wish to learn about this program please call Mrs. Daubert at the school. Gear Up has provided a USB jump drive bracelet for every student so that they can save documents that need to be submitted to Smarthinking and or teachers. The students love their bracelets! Several teachers have also received some equipment for their classrooms. Mrs. Aguilar’s classroom has been doing some exciting things with the new Promethium Board. Remember that After School Tutoring is available on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Bussing is available for those students who need transportation home. This is a perfect opportunity for students to complete miss-ing work, finish homework, or just work on increasing reading and math skills. Thanks for continuing to work with your students for academic success.

Congratulations to Rachel Peacock!!! Rachel was involved with the Gear Up Summer Academy this summer. ENMU-Roswell GEAR UP students spent a week on campus to learn a variety of careers and participate in many interactive educational activities, including: DNA extraction, Space Bubble--Science Spectrum Museum, solar and wind power, frog dissection, rocket construction and lift off, ex-periments with Explora® Museum,and online mentoring and tutoring programs. Rachel has won the contest in complet-

ing her online mentoring program in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math). She was presented an award by Mike Gomez, Outreach Coordinator from Gear Up.

 

Volume 13 Issue 2 

     

Page 9 Second Quarter

To Elementary Parents: It is hard to believe that we are half way through this school year. It has been wonderful to get to know each of your children and the great members of the Dexter community. We are starting to see our students make great academic gains and we will continue to push them to reach their highest potential. Please take time to listen to your child read each day. If you would like to help us build your child’s comprehension, ask them questions like, “What was this story about?, Who is the main character?, What is the setting of the story? Etc.” I also encourage you to teach your children about their family history through simple daily activities. Tell them a short story each day, “When I went to school, my favorite teacher was…. Or my favorite class was…My favorite story used to be…..”. When you are making a recipe that reminds you of your childhood, tell your children why and where it came from. Teach them your favorite game! When we get children interested in things, they begin to ask ques-tions. Questions open a road to great learning. We want the relationship between home and school to be a strong one, because we know this will benefit your child. We had 87% attendance at our last parent/teacher conference - in March – let’s shoot for 100%. We welcome you in our school and look forward to a great second semester. If you ever have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to come by the office or call for an appointment. From Kathleen Gallaway / Principal

PreK Program G R O W S …….

Such exciting news! We have received a grant for the New Mexico Pre-K Program (thanks to Mrs. Silva who spent hours researching and writing for the funding). This program is for children who are 4 or 5 years old and will be eligible for Kin-dergarten the following school year. The Pre-K program currently serves 20 chil-dren in two sessions per day. The Pre-K program focuses on providing a develop-mentally appropriate curriculum to children in preparation for their upcoming school career. Mrs. Deanna is the Pre-K teacher. She comes to us with over 20

years of experience in the Early Childhood field. She has made a positive impression on the state Pre-K con-sultant who visits her classroom once per month. Our Dexter Pre-K program has already been recognized as one of the best in the Southeastern part of the state. Mrs. Deanna’s classroom has been nominated to be a “model” for surrounding Pre-K pro-grams to visit and receive onsite training. We look forward to a wonderful school year with young children who are eager to learn and become high achieving Dexter Demons!

The DD Preschool is also in full swing. The children have already participated in a

Health Fair, the Special Education Fair Day, visited the Pumpkin Patch of Mr. & Mrs. Krantz, gone on a fall walk

around the school, carved pumpkins, spun a web with yarn, and went Trick or Treating at the Administration

Office, and nearby stores and offices. We are having so much fun learning new things, and developing new

skills that we did not realize that almost half of the year has gone by. Please come and visit us and see the Pre-

schoolers in action.

 

Volume 13 Issue 2 

     

Page 10 Second Quarter

WOW… Kindergarteners have been busy, busy! We began our fall season with our Halloween Parade and Carnival. Teachers and students showed off amazing costumes while celebrating with our school and community at a school-wide carnival. Kindergar-ten had a wonderful time helping with the Cake Walk, the Scooters, the Jail, taking football pictures, and playing all the games. Fall is in the AIR and Kindergarteners were the first to notice! Kindergarten’s Annual Fall Walk proved to be a creative learning experience. Students collected au-tumn leaves while observing the wonders of autumn’s

colorful changes. We dis-played our leaves through autumn art, stories, and activities. Winter is on its way! Kin-dergarteners are preparing for the winter season and its exciting activities and events. In December we

will be learning about the Gingerbread Man and visit-ing our community’s businesses. We will also be read-ing the Polar Express and enjoying activities from the story. Our Kinders are practicing Christmas and win-ter songs preparing for our Christmas Program that is sure to be entertaining and fun for everybody! Santa is on his way to Dex-ter… Kindergarteners are working hard ALL SEASON to be on his NICE list. Keep practic-ing numbers, counting, sounds, letter names,

and READ READ READ!

Second Grade Second grade enjoyed the volleyball girls com-ing into classrooms pri-or to their last home game. We congratulate both them and the foot-ball team on OUT-STANDING seasons! Go Demons! Second grade has also made great gains this first half of the year! Our MAPS scores indicate that we are making progress and we are so pleased. Here are some ways you can help your child continue to grow and be successful: Check homework folders every night. Make sure your child is doing the work in their agenda. Make school a priority. Establish a routine for homework and play. Make sure you set a place in your home where students can be observed doing their homework. There is nothing like the kitchen table or some other central place in your home. Keep an open line of communication with your child’s teach-er. Remember teachers and parents are a team. We will see greater success if we work together!

Fifth graders discuss the

theme, “My World and

Yours” and make connec-

tions by writing and act-

ing out a fictional story

about living in the rain-

forest.

By using masking tape and

toothpicks, fifth grade stu-

dents recognize the value of

communication while build-

ing without speaking .

Fifth grade students engaged

in measurement as they

practice estimating, predict-

ing, and working together.

 

Since 2003, Dexter Elementary students have partici-pated in the annual Veterans Parade held in Roswell, singing the military songs they have learned in music. This year’s windy weather did not stop the patriotic pride our students shared with everyone attending the parade. We want to give special thanks to Dwain Virden and his family who, for the third year in a row, has provided transportation for Dexter’s Elementary students. Many of Dexter’s cheerleaders were there to add their school spirit and lead- ership to our elementary students. Thank you to everyone who helped make this happen!

 

Volume 13 Issue 2 

     

Page 11 Second Quarter

Busy Fourth Grade Fourth Grade has had a great first semester! We completed our first Science Unit on The States of Matter. The students enjoyed mixing and measuring a variety of substances to create solids, liquids and gasses. Second semester we will explore Earth Science. The students will be exploring weather and the Solar System. In Mathematics we have covered multiplication of single and double digits, this will be an ongoing process all year, please review flash cards with your child each night. We have also covered the skill of gathering and recording data to analyze. During the next nine weeks we will explore measure-ment such as area and perimeter ending with fractions and decimals before Spring Break. Reading fluency and compre-hension are always the bases of any good reading pro-gram. These skills are practiced at school daily along with in-troduction of vocabulary in every subject. Parents it doesn’t matter how old your child is, please read with them often and ask questions that are thought provoking. A big thank you to parents and community mem-bers for all you do for us - it benefits the children and their

future. (Pictures Kelsey Storie, Grady Harris & Cassidy Turner—Winners of the 2nd Vocabu-lary Bee!)

Finally as a community service project, we will be collecting change until Spring Break for the Cha Cha Cha Café. In March or April we will visit and discuss what our future interest is in it. (4th Grade listens to Rev. Deutsch on how they can help with the future of the Cha Cha Cha Café and teen cen-ter.

Third Grade Third graders in Mrs. Teno-rio and Mrs. Miranda’s room celebrated the season of fall, and all things spooky, with gross science. The classes participated in six science experiments in-

cluding flexible bones and snot! Students made ob-servations, hypothesized, and mixed and measured to create the gross science experiments. “We loved it!” said Mrs. Mi-randa. “And I think the kids really enjoyed it too!” On another note, the Third Grade Team was excited to re-view MAP and DIBELS scores this week! According to the comparisons of fall, and winter scores our students made significant progress. An example of this would be that 19 of Third Grade Students were not scoring proficient in reading at the beginning of the school year. Now with accommodations in class, interventions with Ms. Knight, and support from home this number has decreased from 19 to 7 students. This means that 12 students made enough reading gains to be considered proficient readers!

Mrs. Northrup's first graders made Hal-loween windsocks to measure the direction the wind blows.

FIRST GRADE ACTIVITIES

First grade students had fun making their pumpkin into a jack-o-lantern! All of the first graders had a fun-filled day at the fair in Roswell. And of course they are learning to read with fluency! 97% of first graders improved their reading scores from the fall to the winter MAP—congratulations!

CHARACTER COUNTS in DEXTER

Congratulations to Emily Delga-do, Jayci Ervin and Jazmin More-no who were recognized at the Chavez County Character Counts Awards Celebration in October. Jayci’s and Emily’s art, and Jazmin’s essay beat out entries from all across the valley! We are proud of you!

 

Volume 13 Issue 2 

     

Page 12 Second Quarter

From my desk to yours….Diane Sandoval Did You Know?

About Safer Schools Parents Reaching Out connects with families, schools and communities in New Mexico.

America’s schools are among the safest places to be on a day-to-day basis, due to the strong commitment of educators, parents and communities to their children. But, as we have witnessed, the violence that occurs in our neighborhoods and communities has found its way through the schoolhouse doors. However, if we understand (1) what leads to violence and (2) the types of support that research has shown are effective in preventing violence, we can make our schools safe. These problems can only be addressed when everyone-- at school, at home and in our communities—works together.

Characteristics of a safe school:

Create ways for students to share their concerns and make them feel safe expressing their feelings. Peers are most likely to know about potential violence in advance.

Listen and Believe students and parents who express concerns.

Focus on individual strengths. All children can achieve and learn and be appreciated for their individual differences.

Involve families in meaningful ways. Students whose families are involved in their growth both in and out of school are more likely to experience success and less likely to become involved in antisocial activities. Develop strong links to the com-munity.

Close ties must be made to families, support services, police and church groups.

Develop positive relationships between students and staff: Students look to adults for guidance, support and direction.

Discuss safety issues openly. Involve both parents and students.

Treat students with equal respect. No discrimination toward ethnicity, gender, race, social class, religion, disability, national-ly, sexual orientation or physical appearance.

Have referrals in place for neglected or abused children. Referrals must reflect federal and state guidelines. Offer before and after school programs for children, i.e. counseling, tutoring, mentoring, cultural arts, community service, access to comput-ers and help with homework.

Promote good citizenship and character, i.e. in working with civic and moral values, parents should be the primary moral educators and the schools should work in partnership with them.

Identify potentially dangerous problems. Collect information and progress toward solutions; share knowledge with students, families and community.

Support students making the transition to adult life and the workplace, i.e. community service opportunities, work-study programs and internships to foster a sense of hope and security.

A continuation of this important issue will be in our next newsletter!

 

Volume 13 Issue 2 

Mary Leininger, K12 Programs and Tech-nology Director

Parent Home Work Tips

Create a Schedule

Create a regular schedule, allowing

for adequate study and free time. Most kids are most productive earlier in the evening and not too close to bedtime, but others need a little after-school play break and dinner, or at least an energizing snack, before hit-ting the books. The most important thing is to establish a routine that works for your child. Make Homework Time Tech-Free Limit TV time. And cell phone time. And laptop time. Unless your child needs to use the computer for her homework assignment or her phone to consult with a classmate (hint: confirm that claim is true!) make your child surrender her technology to you during homework time. It's a really hard line to draw and enforce, especially with tech-obsessed tweens and teens — but the better she focus-es, the sooner she'll complete her work and be free to text and tweet away.

   

Page 13 Second Quarter

New Mexico Statewide Assessment Program Components Spring 2013 

Name of Assessment  Acronym  Who Takes It  Content Covered  Test Window Dates 

ACCESS for ELLs (English Language Profi‐ciency Assessment) 

ACCESS for ELLs 

Students who are not yet proficient in English (English Language Learners—ELLS) in Grades K‐12 

English language Profi‐ciency modali es:  Lis‐tening, Reading, Wri ng, and Speaking 

1/14/13 to 2/22/13 

New Mexico Standards Based Assessment/High School Gradua on As‐sessment 

SBA and SBA/HSGA 

All New Mexico stu‐dents in grades 3‐8 (SBA) and H2  (High School year 2 typically Sophomores)H3 (High School year 3 typically Juniors) (SBA/HSGA) 

Reading, Math (grades 3‐8 and H2‐H3), Wri ng (grades 3, 5 and 8) and Science (grades 4, 7 and H3) 

3/18/13 to 4/5/13 

Concurso de ortografia en Español

GRados 4-8 Miércoles, 13 de febrero 2013

1:00 P.M. MILLER AUDItorio

Consulte a su maestro(a) o http://www.dexterdemons.org/Page/1444

Para mas informacion

SPANISH SPELLING BEE GRADES 4-8

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 2013 1:00 P.M.

MILLER AUDITORIUM See your classroom teacher or

http://www.dexterdemons.org/Page/1444 for more information

 

 

 

Volume 13 Issue 2 

     

Page 14 Second Quarter Brand New Books, Hot Dogs, Camp Fire, A Beautiful Evening...7th Annual Reading Roundup

COMMUNITY SPONSORS VOLUNTEERS & CONTRIBUTERS

Albertsons Coats Pump & Supply Daubert Oil & Gas

Dexter Lumber & Hardware Grimm’s Farm & Auto Repair

Lawrence Brothers Leaco

Marshall Financial Services Pabst Family

Pecos Valley Dairy Sales PVT

Roswell Feed & Livestock Roswell Quick Lube Yates Petroleum Stephen Deutsch

Crystal Mascarenas Deona Santos June Bible Beth Harris

Benedict Family Bogle Family

Boswell Family Chambers Family Garnett Family

Hagelstein Family Harris Family

Thompson Family Vaughn Family Wagner Family

High School Heroes

Rounding up a new book, a new skill and new friends (old and young.)

DHS students helped with every aspect of the 2012 Reading Roundup! From set-up to serving

hotdogs and face painting to clean-up, Dexter’s high school students proved to be

True Blue community servants! We could not have done it with out them!!!

Wow! How blessed are we to live in a community that comes together for the benefit of our students. Having never experienced the “Reading Round-Up”,

I was thrilled with the community participation. The boys and girls had so much

fun branding and designing paper, roping dummy steers, bobbing for apples, roasting

hot dogs over a campfire, and making s’mores . The highlight of course, was

choosing a book. I did not quite realize how special these books were to students until the

next day. I was approached by a fourth grader, grinning from ear to ear, holding out a book for me to see. I looked at it and told him I liked it and that I was proud he was carrying it around so he would always have something to read. He looked at me and said, “But Ms. Gallaway, you don’t understand, this isn’t a

library book. This is my book and I got to put my name in it and I get to keep it. I got it last

night!” It is only through the generosity of our sponsors that we get to support ALL of the

students in our building, and their siblings who attend, with a free book! THANK YOU to all of you who support reading in our community. - K. Gallaway

 

Volume 13 Issue 2 

     

Page 15 Second Quarter

For those of you who do not know….. the reading theme for this school is “Reading, the Ultimate Super Power!” We believe that readers are leaders and that the more our students read, the better they will do in school. Each 9-weeks our students are challenged to reach a reading goal. They are awarded points for each book they read, if they are able to demonstrate 85% comprehension on what they have read. Students who reach their goal are rewarded. In the past, we have of-fered small extrinsic awards that students could “purchase” at a store based on points. This year we have really looked for ways to reward our students through building intrinsic rewards and the love for reading.

Just before the end of the first nine weeks, our students got to see the new activity bus, and realized that they may have to wait years before riding on it. We decided to motivate students to reach their goal by giving them a ride on the new activity bus! Students who achieved their goal were picked up at the school and were driven to Lake Van. We took the scenic view around and sang the fight song as we approached the pavilion. Once there, thanks to the Southwest Dairy Museum, students enjoyed an ice cream sandwich and some play time. Our kids had a blast and made a wonderful memory, rather than purchasing a small trinket that would disappear quickly over time. This nine weeks the Pres-byterian Church offered to provide a location for students who made their goal to celebrate. Just before the break, students were bussed to the church and rotated through three different areas. Each student watched “An Ice Age Christmas” on two big screens, enjoyed a cup of hot chocolate with whipped cream added to the top, and then played a variety of games, from ping-pong, to air hockey, to dancing! Again, memories were made, and the kids had a wonderful time.

Please keep encouraging your students to read each night. Even a short 20 minutes an evening can make a HUGE difference in their academics. We appreciate our parents and all of their help!

READ! READ! READ! 

 

 

 

POSTAL  PATRON 

Non-Profit

Org.

U.S. Postage

Paid

Permit No. 3

 100 North Lincoln

P.O. Box 159

Dexter, New Mexico 88230

Phone: 575-734-5420

Fax: 575-734-5454

Web: www.dexterdemons.org

MILLER AUDITORIUM RENOVATIONS Dexter should be excited about the renovations accomplished in Miller Auditori-

um! The auditorium, dedicated to Fred Miller who guided many Dexter students in memorable drama productions, is used by both the school and community. The last updates to the auditorium were made in 2006 when a new sound system was in-stalled and in 2009 with new stage curtains. This fall the seating has been refur-bished, seating for the handicapped has been added, lighting has been upgraded, the stage area now has stairs that are accessible and safe, restrooms have been com-pletely remodeled, as well as changes made to the outside of the building to prevent water from seeping inside. Everyone in the district has worked to ensure that all funds go directly to the classroom. The funds used for this renovation project could not be used for teachers’ salaries or direct classroom expenses. Local bond funds were used for the much needed renovation. Operational funds are used for basic needs such as salaries, supplies, utilities or student travel and no operational funding was used in this project.

It is “UDDERLY AMAZING”  HOW THE  

SOUTHWEST DAIRY FARMERS  SUPPORT DEXTER SCHOOLS! OVER AND OVER AGAIN  THEY HAVE PROVIDED  

REWARDS AND INCENTIVES  TO HELP DES STUDENTS  

CELEBRATE THEIR  ACADEMIC SUCCESS! 

Their support is  

“Moooo‐velous”