Congratulations to the Competition Cheerleading Team! They placed 5^th at the Iowa Cheerleading Championships on November 5^th and did a fantastic job!

Congratulations to sophomore Emily Moore, who dives for the Johnston/Urbandale Swim Team. She placed 23^rd out of 36 participants in the State Diving Tournament over the weekend of November 6^th in Marshalltown!

The Word on Elementary Guidance. The Elementary Guidance Counselor is trying to get the word out about Elementary guidance. Do you know what the guidance counselor does? Amy Wilson is our Elementary Guidance Counselor. She comes in contact with every student in K-6^th grade throughout the year. Many of you know her, and your children may speak often of her. Other children may never share about their interactions with the guidance counselor. We have recently updated the Elementary webpage to include a section specifically for the guidance and counseling program. Please take a moment to check it out (www.dmcs.org). You'll find out a little about the different roles that she fills at the school and her hours and contact information. Additionally, to learn more about her, you may check out her profile under the teacher pages of the website. Just look for "A_Wilson". Guidance is also listed under the academics tab. You can find more about topics covered in the curriculum with the grade level information. Amy is available during the day, but call for an appointment if you need to talk to her - to assure she will be here due to her part-time schedule.

MANY THANKS TO YOU!!!  The Parent Teacher Fellowship Magazine sale broke all previous records this year!  The magazine sales total for this year is right around $48,500!  That is more than $6,000 over what we sold last year! WOW!!  DMCS students are awesome!!  As promised, each student who sold at least ONE magazine is invited to attend the BMX Bike Show on Monday, December 5th at 10:00 a.m.  Students who qualify will be escorted to the school gym to watch this exciting event! Again, THANK YOU for participating in this event to bless PTF and our school!

"Operation Christmas Child brings joy and hope to children in desperate situations worldwide through simple, gift-filled shoe boxes. Yet the impact of OCC goes far beyond smiles and laughter. These simple gifts become gospel opportunities, opening hurting hearts to experience the transforming power of Jesus Christ." God has done a mighty work through this ministry, and we are excited to be able to collect prepared shoebox gifts from DMC students. Students/parents who choose to complete a shoebox should bring their filled and ready-to-go boxes to school on November 16^th. (Secondary drop-off is November 15^th, and brochures are available in the Secondary Office.) On the day of this chapel, students will bring their shoeboxes to the front of the Multi-Purpose Room, where the boxes will be prayed over and then delivered to the state collection center located in Urbandale. In order to make the task more convenient, red and green OCC boxes are available to take, free of charge, in the office. Questions? Contact Laura Oswald at 681-6157 or laura.oswald@tlpropertiesllc.com.

Volunteers are needed to set up our "well-used, yet beautiful" Christmas tree. Can you help put up the tree in the Multi-Purpose Room on Monday, November 28^th, or soon thereafter? This beautiful "Festival Trees" tree was donated to the school several years ago. The tree is permanently decorated and only needs to be moved from storage to the MPR display location. Please contact Peggy Lettow at 252-2496 or plettow@dmcs.org, if you can help.

Visiting Nurse Services of Iowa will be offering flu shots at DMC for all ages on Monday, November 14^th from 230-4:00 p.m. in the Elementary Teachers Workroom.  Vaccinations are open to all ages.  For children ages 4 -17 years old a parent or guardian must be present.  The cost is $22 per flu shot, cash/check accepted.  There will NOT be nasal flu mist available.   Any questions, please contact Robin Fynaardt, school nurse at 252-2488. 

Mrs. Kostek has received information regarding the Iowa National Guard Officers Auxiliary Scholarship. If you are a child/stepchild of an Iowa National Guard member - either currently serving, retired, or a deceased retiree - you are eligible for scholarship application. Stop in the Secondary Guidance Office for your application.

Upcoming Chapels:

November 16 -

Elementary - Operation Christmas Child Shoebox Turn-in (8:45-9:10 a.m.)

Secondary - Guy Puthoff, Destiny Bible Church in Indianola, Chapel Speaker (11:14 a.m.-12:01 p.m.)

Everyone is welcome at Chapel!

Calling all veterans and current service people in the Guard or active military service! We have changed our annual Veteran's Day Chapel to Wednesday, November 30th to accommodate a special speaker. Please invite grandparents and parents to don their uniforms or caps to be honored by the DMC community. Chapel is scheduled for 8:45 a.m. in the Multi-Purpose Room. The more, the merrier! Let's properly honor the men and women who have protected our freedoms!

Come one, come all to the 5^th Annual Veterans Event tonight, November 11^th, at 7:00 p.m. at Grace Church, 4200 E. 25^th Street in Des Moines. The evening will honor those who have fought to maintain our rights and preserve our liberties both at home and abroad. Special tribute will be given to those who continue the battle today and to first responders in commemoration of the 10-year anniversary of September 11, 2001.