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Entering Stage 1 & New Updates

Good morning Seahawk Nation,

Now that the State Board of Education has voted to allow sports to return to play beginning on September 28th, DMA has activated our Return to Play/In-Person Instruction Policy. Beginning September 28th, DMA will enter Stage 1 of our plan which will allow fall athletes back on campus for practice. We will be sharing all six stages of the plan with you on Monday, September 28th. In the interim, we will continue with our online instruction format. We are now in week four of the school year and have given ample time for all of our cadets to adjust to the schedule, become familiar with Class Link, and know where to look for upcoming assignments and how to submit work. At this point, other than an internet or a connectivity issue, all of our cadets should be all systems go. In the case your cadet needs assistance, please have them reach out to the school. We can walk them through their schedule, help them locate assignments, or explain how to submit work. Essentially, we can help with everything they need to be successful academically in the virtual world, all you need to do is ask!

Here are some updates for the week:

    • In the last couple of weeks, we have had several of our cadets test positive for Covid-19 (unrelated to anything DMA). If in fact your cadet tests positive for Covid-19, please contact the school nurse, Paige Dolan immediately. We will ask you for a copy of the letter stating a positive result and it will be on record for excused absences if your cadet cannot complete their schoolwork due to the virus. Following the isolation period, we will ask you to verify a negative result so we can have your cadet return either virtually or in person, depending on what stage DMA is in when the virus occurred. If you have any questions, please contact our school nurse at paige.dolan@dma.k12.de.us
    • Thank you to the approximately 300 families who logged on to the Return to Play Zoom call last Friday evening. As we stated on the call, the return to in-person instruction begins with you! We are all excited about athletics returning to DMA as it is a major part of our identity, but we must take a safe and disciplined approach to our return. Be the ultimate team player and look out for one another!
    • A message from our PTA President Cindy Ferry: Thank you to those who have joined our PTA! If you have not yet joined or renewed your annual membership, please visit dmapta.net and click on the PTA Annual Membership tab. Through these challenging times, the PTA continues to work with the administration and staff to support our cadets. With your membership, the PTA will be ready when we return to school with the many activities and events that help make DMA an exceptional high school! Our first PTA meeting is scheduled for Thursday, October 1st at 6:30 pm via ZOOM. To confirm your attendance and receive the meeting link, please click here. Hope you can join us and as always, any time, energy, or suggestions you have to offer would be greatly appreciated!
    • MATH LEAGUE RETURNS FOR ANOTHER GREAT SEASON Is your cadet interested in challenging math content, making new friends, boosting confidence in problem-solving, and learning how to make the most use out of their graphing calculators? We are excited to announce the start of the 2020-2021 Math League season! Any cadet interested in joining the team this year may sign up by e-mailing brett.townsend@dma.k12.de.us to obtain more information. Practices will be every Monday from 3:00-4:00 via Zoom sessions, beginning September 21st. For now, it is BYOS (Bring Your Own Snack) to the practices.
    • A message from Yearbook: As our year is off to an exciting start, and the news of fall sports adds to that excitement, what better way to be able to look back on all the amazing things that will happen this year than with the purchase of your 2020-2021 DMA Yearbook: The Porthole! Head to https://www.yearbookordercenter.com and enter order #16925 to purchase yours today. This includes the ever-popular ‘Senior Baby Ads’, sold for a limited time through November 1st. This year, you also have the chance to send us your photos throughout the school year by downloading the HJeShare app from the app store on your cellular device or going to www.hjeshare.com, and entering the school code: seahawks21 (this is case sensitive.) Send us your photos to help us build a yearbook as unforgettable as this year will surely be!

We wanted to say thank you for the support we have been receiving on how DMA is dealing with Covid-19 and the burden it has put on all of us. To me, it seems as if most of our families get it and understand the difficult position not only DMA finds itself in, but all schools across the country. In the same breath, we also have received the emails of, “Enough already, open the doors and let the kids in”. Please know there is absolutely nothing more we would like to do than, “Just open the doors and let the kids in”, but we know it has to be done in a manner that is safe, consistent, and follows the guidance that oversees our educational system. We know some schools have opened for in-person instruction, but every school’s situation is different based on size, staffing, and a host of other criteria that makes every situation unique. Eckhart Tolle a spiritual leader and best-selling author once said, “If uncertainty is unacceptable to you, it turns into fear. If it is perfectly acceptable, it turns into increased aliveness, alertness, and creativity.”

Stay together, stay strong, and stay confident!

Kind regards,
Anthony Pullella

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