Dear Dwyer Families,
One thing is for certain being a principal at a middle school: you never get bored! This week brought rain, wind, a school board presentation, the Great CA Shakeout, athletic events, and the wonderful opportunity to spend time in many of our classrooms.
First, I want to extend a warm thank you to everyone for your incredible generosity during our APEX Fundraiser. Together, our community raised a total of $38,383.33 for Dwyer! Please pass along our sincere gratitude to all the family and friends who supported our school!
Parent-Teacher Conferences NEXT WEEK!
Next week we head into conference week. If your student received a progress report with a grade of “C” or lower, please reach out to schedule a time to meet with their teacher. Working together as a team is the best way to ensure we are fully supporting your child's learning and growth.
Start-of-Year Progress & Attendance
I also wanted to share a few preliminary numbers reflecting our start to the school year. Here is a look at how we compare to this time last year:
Last Year (9/2/25 – 10/14/25)
Enrollment: 888 – 892 students
Absences: 947 total
Tardies: 1,230 total
This Year (9/1/26 – 10/14/26)
Enrollment: 823 – 835 students (-57 students)
Absences: 885 total (62 fewer absences)
Tardies: 1,694 total (464 more tardies)
It is wonderful to see our overall absences trending downward—thank you for prioritizing regular school attendance!
Partnering on Punctuality
The area where I would love for us to join forces as a school community is with tardies. Having served on secondary school campuses for over 20 years, I know that Period 1 accounts for the vast majority of daily tardies. In talking with students over the years, we find it usually comes down to a small window of just 3 to 5 minutes.
While 3 to 5 minutes might seem small on a single day, compounded over the school year, it adds up to a significant amount of lost instructional time. Prompt arrivals also help ensure our classrooms stay focused and calm right from the opening bell.
We are fully committed to doing our part on campus to support positive habits and manage passing periods throughout the day. To help us tackle Period 1, we would love your partnership in two key ways:
- Have a quick chat with your student about the importance of being in their seat on time for every period.
- Adjust morning routines by just 3 to 5 minutes (if needed) to build in a little extra cushion for arrival.
Thank you for your ongoing support, encouragement, and dedication to our students. I truly believe that when home and school work together, there is nothing our community cannot achieve!
Have a fantastic weekend, and as always—Go Jr. Oilers!
Respectfully,
Mr. Okamoto
