Feb. 3, 2023 Friday Message

Good afternoon families!

Please see the updates below:

• Dragonfly Dash is March 17, 2023, at the Middle School Track. Start Fundraising now! All students are already loaded into the online system. View the Event page here to see how to access your student's personal fundraising page; view this video. More information and to purchase Dragonfly Dash Shirts can be found on the PTA website. www.ddmespta.com

• DDMES PTA Virtual PTA MEMBER MEETING Minutes and information click here

• New School Shirts On Sale 1/26 through 2/18 Click Here to Shop Now  The images displayed for purchase will not reflect the actual placement of the logos. Varied screen sizes will ensure the best fit based on product size. * Stay tuned for details from the PTA on merchandise dissemination once the items are delivered. Please allow 2-3 weeks for the items to arrive once the sale has been completed. ***Sizes are listed under the dropdown menu of shirts selected; some sizes and colors may be limited.

• DDMES YEARBOOKS are on sale now till May 17, 2023. Purchase yours today. Visit the Online Link to order. 

• DDMES Spirit Nights | March 2nd - Papa Johns - April 26th - McDonalds 11-7pm - May 19th - Flavors Ice Cream 3-9pm

​​​​​​​Positivity Positivity Trait for the week of 2/6/23: Cheering Others’ Successes

This week our school community will be focusing on the Other People Mindset of Cheering Others’ Successes. This means when other people succeed, I am happy for them and cheer them on.

Being happy for other people when they succeed isn’t always everyone’s initial reaction. Often, it’s easy to become jealous or envious of others’ victories -- or even to experience schadenfreude, which is deriving pleasure from witnessing (or learning about) another person’s misfortune. People who have these reactions to the success or misfortune of others are colloquially known as “haters.” It’s important to note that these are natural emotions and in small doses can be helpful in allowing us to see what we care about -- and motivate us to pursue those goals.

But making a commitment towards cheering on other people’s successes can be a great way to improve our own health, happiness, and relationships. People can take active steps to be more genuinely happy for the achievements of others. Ways to do this include; telling others about the success of your modest friend; noticing when your reaction to a sibling’s success is envy or jealousy -- and asking yourself why that is; reminding yourself that appreciating the excellence in another is a character strength; asking your successful teammates and classmates what they do to prepare for games or tests.

Being supportive of people who succeed is good for our mental, physical, and emotional well-being and when people cheer each other on it begins a reciprocal process that forges stronger relationships. Those relationships are the foundation for a strong culture in teams, schools, and businesses.

To practice and encourage the character strength of perspective with your child, please visit the Positivity Project’s P2 for Families (password: P2), where together you will watch a video, read a quote, and talk about the answers to three questions.

Enjoy your weekend! ~Dr. Sykes