MS Spirit Week 2019!

Middle School Spirit Week is next week! We hope you will show your spirit by being creative with what is in your closet, not your wallet! Although dressing up is not mandatory, it is encouraged and fun too. Spirit Week is going to be amazing!

 

On Friday, January 25th, the last day of Spirit Week, we will be having our Annual Student vs. Faculty Basketball Game during the school day.  If your child would like to participate in the game, he or she can buy raffle tickets after school in the Student Council store until Wednesday, January 23rd.  The raffle tickets are 25 cents each and all proceeds will be donated to charity. If your child would just like to participate in the halftime or quarterly events, but not the game, they can buy raffle tickets on Thursday, January 24th after school at the Student Council store.  These tickets will be drawn during the game.

 

Also, next Friday 1/25 is the Middle School Night at the Cav Dome in Kirby Gym at 6pm!  Please join us to watch the DA basketball teams battle against Ravenscroft. The varsity girls team will play at 6:15pm and the varsity boys team will play at 7:45pm. Pizza and snacks will be on sale from the concession stand and during halftime of the boys game.

 

Here is a rundown of the Spirit Week dress up days:

Tuesday 1/22 – PAJAMA DAY!

Wear your favorite (school appropriate) PJs – don’t forget your accessories as well such as robes, slippers, or stuffed animals.

 

Wednesday 1/23 – OPPOSITE DAY!

Dress opposite for the day! Turn your clothes inside out or backwards. Like to match? It is a day for mismatched outfits! Dress older or younger than you are. Have fun!

 

Thursday 1/24 – MONOCHROME DAY!

Dress in different shades of all one color.

 

Friday 1/24 – BLACKOUT AND SPIRIT WEEK T-SHIRT DAY!!!

Wear this year’s student designed spirit week t-shirt!

(T-shirts will be distributed to advisories before Friday.)

 

If you have any questions, you can direct them to any of the Student Council advisors.

Student Council Election 18-19

If you are are interested in running Student Council for the 2018-2019 school year, this is the blog post for you! The directions, documents, and videos that follow will provide you with the essential information you will need during the process of running for a position on Student Council.

Questions? Come see Ms. Aitken (room 413), Mrs. Morris (room 411), or Ms. Mack (room 213).

IMPORTANT DATES:

  • Tues 8/28 – All students interested in running for SC meet in the Board Room during lunch for an informational session (bring non-microwavable lunch and your iPad) – THIS IS MANDATORY FOR ALL STUDENTS INTERESTED
  • Fri 9/7 by 3:02pm – All paperwork and your VoiceThread must be completed and turned in to Ms. Aitken (room 413), Mrs. Morris (room 411), or Ms. Mack (room 213).
  • Wed 9/11 to Fri 9/14 – Campaigning (5 posters for Grade Level Reps) – see packet for more information about posters.
  • Fri 9/14 at 11:09am – SPECIAL SCHEDULE – 5th and 6th graders will watch their grade level representative VoiceThread videos with their advisory. 7th and 8th graders will watch grade level representative speeches live during a grade level assembly. Students will then submit their votes for candidates before the end of tutorial.
  • Fri. evening 9/14 – The results of the election will be emailed to the candidates.
  • Mon 9/17 – Election results will be announced during morning announcements.
  • Mon 9/17 by 3:30 pm – All posters must all be removed.

ELECTION PACKET

The red link below will get you to a digital copy of the Fall SC Election Packet. Extra printed copies can be picked up from the classrooms of Ms. Aitken (room 413), Mrs. Morris (room 411), and Ms. Mack (room 213). Be sure to READ THE ENTIRE PACKET! 

  • Failure to follow any of these election guidelines may result in losing the privilege to run for this year’s Student Council.
  • THE RED TEXT BELOW IS A LINK TO A PDF OF THE ELECTION PACKET.
  • FALL SC ELECTION PACKET 18-19

VOICETHREAD

The VoiceThread for the Fall Student Council Election can be found below. This is where you will record your video comment about why you think you would make a good candidate for Student Council.

VoiceThread Reminders:

  • CLICK the link to access the VoiceThread (LINK HAS BEEN REMOVED) and select “Open in VoiceThread” to hear Mr. Schafer’s Directions and to add your video comment for your speech on the slide for the position for which you are running.
  • You will need to record a video comment (up to 30 seconds for 5th & 6th-grade level reps and up to 60 seconds for 7th & 8th grade reps).
  • If you are proposing any changes or making any promises for next year, you must email ALL of the SC advisors to get approval for your idea before submitting your recording.
  • There should not be any props, music, extra people, or special effects in your comment.
  • You should also only use the VoiceThread program. All video comments made with other programs will need to be re-recorded by the due date.
  • Your comments will not go live until Mr. Schaefer approves the comment, which will happen when everyone who is running for the office has finished their recordings.

LINK HAS BEEN REMOVED

VOICETHREAD TROUBLESHOOTING?

If you are having trouble signing into the VoiceThread app, please watch this troubleshooting video below to learn how to log in and how to change settings in VoiceThread. Still having trouble AND have watched the video below? Please see Mr. Schafer (he’s the best!).

Dance Reminders and LoYo Menu!

When: Friday, May 18th from 7:30-10:00 pm
Where: Taylor Hall (students can be picked up and dropped off in the 6th-grade area near Taylor Hall)
Who: The event is open to all 6th, 7th, and 8th-grade students. Students from Durham Nativity School will also be joining us for the event.
What to Wear:
  • Appropriate attire will include dresses, skirts and dressy tops, dressy pant-outfits, nice khakis/slacks/dress shorts, button-down shirts (sports coat and tie optional).
  • Students do NOT have to dress in a Candyland theme or wear any specific colors.
  • Please remember that all school dress code rules apply (jeans are prohibited at this dance).
Cost: Tickets will be sold at the dance for $10 at the door of Taylor Hall.  Students will receive a discount of $1 per every canned food item donated (up to a $3 discount, though more donations are always welcome). The donations can be dropped off at the door when you pay.
Food: YoLo on the Go frozen yogurt food truck will have optional items for purchase. The food truck will be parked near Taylor Hall. There will be lemonade and water provided free of charge in the courtyard. Please remember NO FOOD IS ALLOWED IN TAYLOR HALL!
Questions: If you have any other questions or concerns about the dance in general or the dress code please contact one of the three Student Council advisors: Kim Aitken (kim.aitken@da.org), Julie Morris (julie.morris@da.org), or Melissa Mack (melissa.mack@da.org).

Candyland Dance!

It’s gonna be a sweet night! The Student Council is pleased to announce this year’s end-of-year dance theme as Candyland!

When: Friday, May 18th from 7:30-10:00 pm
Where: Taylor Hall (students can be picked up and dropped off in the 6th-grade area near Taylor Hall)
Who: The event is open to all 6th, 7th, and 8th-grade students. Students from Durham Nativity School will also be joining us for the event.
What to wear:
  • Appropriate attire will include dresses, skirts and dressy tops, dressy pant-outfits, nice khakis/slacks/dress shorts, button-down shirts (sports coat and tie optional). 
  • Students do NOT have to dress in a Candyland theme or wear any specific colors. 
  • Please remember that all school dress code rules apply (jeans are prohibited at this dance). 
Cost: Tickets will be sold at the dance for $10 at the door of Taylor Hall.  Students will receive a discount of $1 per every non-perishable food item donated (up to a $3 discount, though more donations are always welcome). The donations can be dropped off at the door when they pay.
Food: YoLo on the Go frozen yogurt food truck will have optional items for purchase. The food truck will be parked near Taylor Hall. There will be lemonade and water provided free of charge in the courtyard. A menu with prices for YoLo on the Go will be posted on here on the SC Blog closer to the dance! 
Questions: If you have any other questions or concerns about the dance in general or the dress code please contact one of the three Student Council advisors: Kim Aitken (kim.aitken@da.org), Julie Morris (julie.morris@da.org), or Melissa Mack (melissa.mack@da.org). 
 
We hope you will attend and join us in our delightful journey through Candyland- it’ll be a sublime night!
Candyland Dance Flyer

Spirit Week T-Shirt Design Contest

The Student Council and Parent Council are sponsoring the 7th Annual Durham Academy Spirit Week T-shirt contest. Please consider submitting a design to celebrate DA Middle School spirit. Your design may be chosen to decorate the t-shirts given to all Middle School students during Spirit Week. Here are some details about the contest.

  • Your submission must include the Durham Academy name or Logo and the year 2018 somewhere in the design.
  • You may choose to include a front pocket design, a back design, or both.
  • Your design may be created by hand or on a computer.
  • Hand drawn submissions must be drawn in a black fine-point Sharpie. No colors or ultra-fine lines in the original submission.
  • Computer generated submissions must be black & white, original designs, and may not include images from the internet. Please obey copyright rules.
  • You may attach a second draft with a suggested color scheme (not required). The front pocket is limited to 1 color and the back can have up to two colors. Please understand that we may need to change the colors at the printers.

Design submissions are due on Monday 12/4 at 8:00 AM to Ms. Morris (411), Ms. Aitken (413), or Ms. Mack (213).

Click the RED LINK below for a COPY OF THE T-SHIRT DESIGN PACKET!

Spirit Week T-Shirt Contest 2018-uwyjtk

7th & 8th Grade Dance Survey

SC is getting ready to start planning our Middle School Dances! This fall, winter, and spring the dances will be open to 7th and 8th graders. This time, the student body has a say in the attire! We would like to know if the 7th and 8th graders would like to have a casual dance at some point this year. This could mean jeans, a flannel or a t-shirt, and YOU get to decide. You will also get a chance to make suggestions about what theme you think would be fun for the middle school dances! Submit your answers in the survey below and please have it completed by Thursday, October 5th by 3:30pm. Thank you!

What A Great Year…

Wow! It has been an amazing, fun-filled year! Make sure to find an eighth grader and wish them well through their journey in the upper school! Thank you Katherine for all you did for the student council and the blog this year… We’ll miss you next year! Happy summer to all middle school students and faculty! Here’s a quick recap of the first little bit of our 2016-2017 year…

In the beginning, we had a Spirit Week t-shirt contest, and ended up with an awesome shirt designed by MacKenna M., Camille M., and Alex H. Spirit Week was an awesome week this year… On Monday, (January 23), it was Sports Day… Dress up as your favorite athlete, or wear your favorite team colors! Then Tuesday (January 24) was Crazy Day. It was an awesome day to see your friends–and teachers!!– dressed in crazy goofy clothes! Wednesday (January 25) was Time warp day… People were dressed like themselves or their parents from years ago, and others in futuristic clothing–some even as dinosaurs! Thursday (January 26) was Pajama Day, one of everyone’s favorites! Wake up, brush your teeth, eat some breakfast, and grab your backpack… You don’t even have to get dressed! 🙂 The last day of Spirit Week everyone wore their 2017 Spirit Week shirts. We gathered together during the day to watch the Student-Faculty Basketball Game. That night was middle school night at the Cav Dome…We played out rival Ravenscroft and had sumo wrestling at half time, and a competition between advisories… The advisory with the most attendees got a pizza party! Then, we had the Middle School Winter Dance for 7th and 8th graders. The Winter Wonderland Dance was full of fun and the delicious food truck– Sweet Traditions.

End of Year Dance – What a Night

Last Friday, May 19th was the end of year dance at Durham Academy for the 6th, 7th, and 8th-grade students. It was a fun night with Davis M. from the Upper School being an awesome DJ for the event!  Special thanks to Locopop and Crepes-Veronique for bringing their food trucks as well. Check out the video below for some highlights! 

Thanks to Mrs. Morris, Ms. Aitken, and Ms. Mack for the photos.

The song is “Something Just Like This” by The Chainsmokers and Coldplay.

End of Year Dance 2017 from DA MS Student Council on Vimeo.

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