Welcome to a new school year at Dana Middle School. The administration, teachers, and staff are looking forward to working with you as we continue our partnership in educating the whole child. At Dana, one of our primary goals is to challenge each student to reach their full potential through our high-quality instructional program. This year, we hope to build on and enhance the positive relationships we have established with our parents, students and community.
If you have any questions, please visit https://dana.sandiegounified.org/ or contact the school at 858-988-2900. Dana Middle School is closed from July 1st through July 27th, 2025. We will reopen on July 28th, when the administrators and support staff return to campus.
We understand that plans can change. To help us with planning when we return on July 28th, please complete a brief form to confirm the ongoing enrollment of your student in 2025/26. If your plans change after you fill out the form, please resubmit it. This will help us with accurate planning and schedule adjustments to minimize future schedule changes at the “3rd Friday.” Please confirm your enrollment and attendance with us:
Welcome our new Associate Principal
You may be aware that Mr. Brendan Simon, our former Associate Principal, was promoted to Principal at Muirlands Middle School. With that appointment, the Dana Middle School community panel interviewed several candidates and selected Ms. Randee Matuk to be our next Associate Principal. You can read the announcement letter below. We are excited to welcome Ms. Matuk as she transitions from one of the Associate Principals at Point Loma HS to our administrative team at Dana Middle School.
Student Orientation + Student Schedules
You and your student are invited to attend an optional student orientation on Friday, August 8th. Due to facilities schedules and other meetings, we are unable to host a special orientation if you are out of town or unavailable on August 8th. Your child can still access their schedule via Powerschool on Friday, August 8th. We will not be releasing student schedules before orientation day, as many shifts occur in our schedule.
The first day of school is Monday, August 11, 2025. Our school hours are 8:00-2:45 Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday. Thursday is our early release day, and students are released at 12:35. Supervision is available on the blacktop starting at 7:30; students are expected to gather there when they are dropped off or walk to school. Breakfast is available to all students through our Breakfast in the Classroom program. At 7:55, the first bell rings, and students are allowed to enter the building to report to their first-period class. You can find the district school year calendar below.
Back-to-School Packets + Important Documents
This year, we are trying our best to go “paperless” and digital for our “back-to-school” packet. We will send out more details as the school year begins.
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To get you started, please review the Dana MS Student Handbook
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Complete the ASB activities form
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Sign up for a parent portal account if you don’t have one from previous years with the district. There’s more information about this on page 3.
Your student will bring home a “digital” Back to School Packet during the first week of school, containing information to complete for the start of the school year. Please review the documents and complete the required online and paper forms. If you require paper copies of our forms, please contact our front office.
If your address has changed, please provide proof of residency or be an approved Choice student when returning the packet. Proof of residency includes one of the following: SDG&E Service Verification letter or SDG&E Bill, City of San Diego Water Bill, Lease Agreement showing parent/guardian name and residential address, OR Verification of Address form.
Other important dates as we start the year include:
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First Coffee with Principal: Thursday, August 14th from 8:15-9:30 in room 103
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Site Governance Team (SGT): Tuesday, August 26th from 3:00-4:00 in room 103
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Back to School Night: Wednesday, September 3rd from 4:30-6:30
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Friends of Dana and Correia (FODAC- parent foundation): Tuesday, September 9th at 6pm in the Dana Middle School Library
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School Picture Day: Wednesday, September 17th
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School Site Council (SSC): Tuesday, September 23rd from 3:00-4:00 in room 103
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Parent/Teacher Conferences: October 8, 9 and 10
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Non-instructional day: Monday, October 13th
School Site Council (SSC) and Site Governance Team (SGT)
The purpose of the SGT is to serve as an advisory committee to make suggestions that use financial, physical, and human resources to positively impact and improve the educational experiences for all Dana students. The purpose of the SSC is to develop, recommend, approve, and monitor the Single Plan for Student Achievement, SPSA. If you are interested in nominating yourself for either of our essential committees, you can access the nomination forms below:
Sign up for our weekly newsletter
The Dana Administrative Team and the Dana Staff use the district’s Unified Operations Communications platform to communicate important information. If you have opted out before, you may need to “opt in” and the details for that process are here.
We send a weekly newsletter to families on Fridays and use the UOC system to communicate any critical incidents. Please verify that your email address in PowerSchool is entered correctly. Parents can access PowerSchool by following this link: https://powerschool.sandi.net/public/. Our district may have the parent portal down at some point during this summer and it will become active again before the school year begins.
PowerSchool Parent Portal accounts transfer from one school to another as your child matriculates. In an effort to be environmentally friendly, we rarely send home paper flyers.
IMPORTANT: Families with a Parent Portal account from another school do NOT need to create a new account. Parents who do NOT have an existing Parent Portal account can create one by following the “Create an Account” directions found on this job-aid: https://tinyurl.com/pcjobaid. You will need the following information when creating an account: Student Name, Access ID, and Access Password. This information will be electronically distributed to parents in August.
Dana MS Student Affairs
Our Dana MS Student Handbook can be found on our website, and a direct link is here:
Dana has two counselors on staff to assist students and parents. Sabrina Cox, the 5th grade counselor, can be reached at [email protected]. Yvette Toma, the 6th grade counselor, can be reached at [email protected]. Ms. Matuk, the school’s Associate Principal can be reached at [email protected].
Our main office is open every day from 7:00 to 3:00. If your child must be absent from school, please call 858-988-2900 and report the absence. You can also report absences this year through our google form:
Reporting absences after 8:15 a.m. may result in an automated absence call to your phone. If you would like to communicate with a staff member, please check our website for email addresses. Email is the most efficient method of communication.
Revised Independent Study Policy Implementation
Also, our Dana MS SGT revised Dana’s Independent Study Policy. Student attendance is essential to student success and learning during the school year. We recognize that families often have planned (e.g., vacations, holidays, sports events, etc.) or unplanned absences (e.g., illness, bereavement, etc.), and we want to support our students with their school work while providing them with the opportunities to take part in the planned or unplanned activities that occur. Students can complete an independent study (IS) if their absence (planned or unplanned) is three days or more, but only up to 15 days a school year.
To learn more, you can read the policy, and you can complete the contract via our google form:
Expectations
At Dana Middle School, we ask students and staff to work every day to “show up as their best selves.” We believe in challenging our students to create a foundation for academic success. We believe failure is an opportunity for growth, and we expect our students to learn from their mistakes. We recognize that parents play a crucial role in their children's success. Please contact your student’s teachers if you want information about your student’s progress. You can find their names, photos, and contact information on our staff website at: https://sites.google.com/sandi.net/dana-staff/home Your student will receive a class syllabus outlining specific course expectations during the first few weeks of school.
Traffic/Parking
We anticipate that in the first few days of school, there will be a higher volume of traffic than usual. Please plan your commute by allowing sufficient time to drop off your student(s). Please adhere to the signage and personnel directing traffic. Plan and identify a location near the campus to pick your student up after school. Select an area in the immediate vicinity or wait 5-10 minutes for the traffic to clear. Here is a video that our students created last year describing traffic and expectations at our school:
Walking/Biking/Skating to School
Students who walk or bike to school must cross streets only at marked crosswalks and practice good safety habits. Bike racks are located to the west of our auditorium. Students are encouraged to secure their bikes and skateboards with a bike lock. Students who ride their bikes or skateboards must wear a helmet. Please discuss with your child the potential hazards associated with traveling to school from a traffic perspective.
View Your Child’s Academic Performance via Powerschool
You can look at your child’s assignments and test grades online. Dana families use PowerSchool to stay informed about their child’s progress in Math, Language Arts, Social Studies, and Science. This tool is only useful if you use it. See above for directions for logging into PowerSchool. See page 3 for directions.
We are looking forward to another exciting and productive year. As your child transitions from elementary to middle school, it does not mean they no longer need you. Remember, your involvement in your child’s education is a key factor in their success.
I look forward to welcoming our students back to Dana on August 11th.
In community,
John Bosselman
Principal
[email protected]