Mid-Quarter Progress Reports

While all grades are live in Canvas, we will also publish official progress reports and report cards through FACTS (RenWeb). Your student's progress report will be emailed to you on September 13th. This is a snapshot in time to indicate the progress of your student.

We want our students to be well-rounded with a diverse and healthy mix of rigorous academic and extracurricular activities. However, participation in extracurricular activities is a privilege. With this in mind, any student who has an F in any class at the progress report or report card date will be deemed ineligible to participate in any MDCA extracurricular competitions/performances until they have achieved a passing grade in all of their classes. Students are still allowed and expected to practice. Once a student has brought their grade up to passing, they will need to see Ms. Leto, our Dean of Academics, for confirmation of the passing grade and to be reinstated to actively participate in any of their extracurricular activities. Teachers can not reinstate student eligibility. Please check for any grade discrepancies on your progress report and notify your teacher immediately. Ms. Leto will pull grades on Monday, September 16 and notify the student, parent, head coach, sponsor, and director if the student is deemed ineligible due to a failing grade.

If your student is struggling with their classes, encourage them to do the following:

- - Speak to their teacher and communicate specifically their areas of concern
  - Take advantage of the Tuesday/Thursday morning help sessions with their teachers (@ 7:45 am)
  - Utilize the reassessment process (all graded assessments can be reassessed!)
  - Visit the Academic Success Center during study hall, PE, or weightlifting for extra help preparing for assessments
  - Begin preparing for assessments several days in advance
  - Utilize TrekAI to help generate practice assessments, flashcards, etc. to study

Dress Code Reminders from our Dean of Students

Dear MDCA Parents and Guardians,

As we navigate the start of a new school year, I wanted to take a moment to remind everyone about our school's dress code policy. As an institution focused on creating a positive and focused learning environment, we believe maintaining consistent dress code standards is an important part of this effort.

Please take a moment to review these key guidelines:

- - All shorts and skorts must fall no more than 3 inches above the knee.
  - Shorts and skorts can be purchased from any vendor. See descriptions and examples of acceptable bottom wear here.
  - On Friday Spirit Days, acceptable upper body attire includes daily wear polos, sports jerseys, and school spirit t-shirts purchased from the MDCA store.
  - Pants with frays or holes are permitted as long as skin above the knee is not exposed.
  - Athletic shorts, leggings worn as bottoms, and pajama pants are not considered appropriate school attire.
  - All outerwear should be MDCA branded; seniors may wear their “Class of 2025” outerwear
  - Pants should be worn at the natural waistline.

The complete guidelines for student dress can be found beginning on p. 29 of our Parent and Student Handbook.

Beginning September 23, students who are not in dress code will call their parents from the office to request that you bring them a change of clothes that conforms to our policy or be assigned a detention for altering the length of their shorts/skirts. Repeated infractions will result in larger consequences.

I appreciate your partnership in ensuring your child adheres to these guidelines. A unified dress code helps foster a respectful, distraction-free learning environment for all students. Those who continue to disregard the policy will receive necessary behavioral consequences.

Thank you for your cooperation and support. I look forward to a wonderful and productive school year.

Sincerely,

Michele Baker, Dean of Students

Special Spirit Days

We have a "Special Spirit Day" on Friday, September 13th. It is a GREEN OUT, so wear as much green as possible. This special spirit day is in memory of Nathan Hayes, the son of Coach Steven Hayes. Let's show our love for our Bulldog family and the Hayes family and go all out for this special spirit day! This first special spirit day happens to fall on a Friday, but no matter what day of the week a Special Spirit Day happens, here are the guidelines:

Acceptable attire for "Special Spirit Days"

- - Outerwear and shirts that match the day's theme
  - Jeans, athletic pants, or other acceptable types of pants/shorts normally allowed on Fridays
  - Shoes and slides normally allowed on Fridays
  - Hats that match the day's theme
  - If using face paint or hair coloring, it must not cover the entire face or all hair (accents only)

NOT Acceptable attire for "Special Spirit Days"

- - Pajama pants, athletic shorts, tights, leggings, shirts without sleeves, or crop tops

NOTE: Students who are not dressed in the day's theme must follow the normal dress code (Depends on the day of the week: Uniforms on Mon-Thurs and MDCA Spirit Attire on Fri)

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Standardized Testing for Grades 6-11

Standardized testing will occur throughout the school year to track student growth using measures outside of daily classroom lessons and assessments. This year students in grades 6-11th grade will be taking either iReady or a PSAT/SAT to track their yearly academic growth.

iReady is taken twice a year by 6th-8th grade students in December and April. i-Ready is an adaptive assessment that adjusts the assessment questions and prompts to suit your student’s needs. Each item a student sees is individualized based on their answer to the previous question. For example, a series of correct answers will result in slightly more challenging questions, while a series of incorrect answers will yield slightly less challenging questions. The purpose of this is not to give your student a score or grade, but instead to determine your student’s academic growth and how best to support your student’s learning.

The PSAT 8/9 will be taken by 8th and 9th grade students one time each school year in March. The PSAT 8/9 is designed to track your student's academic progress from year to year. It will help you and your student understand your student's strengths and what skills they’ll need to practice so they can continue to improve. It is also a predictor of how your student is progressing for future SAT scores for college admissions and scholarships.

The SAT will be taken by all 10th and 11th grade students in March this year. SAT scores show student strengths and readiness to complete college-level work. The SAT scores will be college-reportable and can be used to qualify for dual enrollment programs, scholarships, and college admissions.

Students can practice for the PSAT and SAT here.

Important Upcoming Dates:

- Q1 Progress Reports - Fri, Sep 13
- College and Career Fair - Thurs, Oct 3
- Homecoming - Fri, Oct 4
- Bulldog Bash grades 9-12 - Sat, Oct 5
- End of Q1 - Thurs, Oct 10
- No School - Fri, Oct 11
- Teacher Workday/Student Holiday - Mon, Oct 14

Other Info and Upcoming Events:

Click Here to see past Bulldog News Updates