The Athletic program at Diamond Middle School consists of interscholastic teams in the following sports:

 Dear Diamond Parents.

This letter is being sent to every Diamond household to inform parents of: 1] the sports offerings at our school, 2] what is required prior to participation, and 3] the current user fee schedule.

Fall

Soccer- girls varsity and junior varsity, boys varsity and junior varsity

Field Hockey- varsity and junior varsity [open to both girls and boys]

Cross Country- Varsity coed. sport

Intramural Basketball- recreational after school activity

Winter

Basketball- girls varsity, boys varsity

Intramural activity is conditioning in the fitness center

Spring

Baseball- boys varsity and junior varsity

Softball- girls varsity and junior varsity

Track and Field- varsity coed sport

Intramural floor hockey and volleyball

Clinics- Clinics are typically run by the high school coaching staff with the assistance of high school athletes during the time that exists between the fall and winter season, the winter and spring season, and after the spring season in June. Last year the activities covered by clinics were lacrosse, wrestling, cheerleading, golf, volleyball, tennis and football.

Before any student may participate in any sport at any level, a Middle School Sports Health Information Form and a copy of a current physical examination must be turned in to the school nurse. All exams are good for 1 year from the date of exam.

Varsity sports are very selective. They meet five days a week, and play a challenging interscholastic schedule. Varsity athletes must not only be skilled; they must be committed.

Those not selected to play varsity, or those not willing or able to make the varsity commitment are welcome to compete at the junior varsity level if it is offered in that sport. The JV schedule is also interscholastic and involves some travel.

All team practices and intramural activities run from 3-4:30. Since coaches are required to remain at Diamond until all team members are gone, we must insist that you either give your son/daughter permission to walk, or provide prompt transportation for them on those days. On game days, your son/daughter may not finish until later, and to predict an exact time is impossible. On those days, he/she may phone for transportation, but please make sure someone is there to take the call.

User Fees - Make all checks payable to the Town of Lexington

If the user fees for your children, K-12, equal or exceed $400.00, the good news is that you qualify for the Family Plan. In this case, send a check for $400.00 to Dept. of Athletics, Attn: Fees, LHS, 251 Waltham St., Lexington, MA 02421, with the form attached to this letter.

The only checks that should be mailed to the high school are payment of high school student user fee, or payment of the $400.00 Family Plan.

This is the middle school user fee breakdown:

Varsity- $90.00 per season, fee must be paid before first game [ don't pay this fee until your son/daughter makes the team ]-Payment is usually due before a teams first game. Players should bring check to coach at Diamond.

Junior Varsity- $60.00 per season - Player should bring check to coach at Diamond.

Intramurals- $35.00 per six week session- Limited enrollment- Registration forms will be given out prior to each session- Payment due at time of registration. Checks made out to Town of Lexington go to Mrs.Rolfe.

Clinics- $25.00 per 4 day clinic. Checks made out to Town of Lexington go to Mrs. Rolfe.

Waivers- The user fee may be waived for extenuating financial circumstances. The parent/guardian must submit a written request to the building principal stating the reason for the request.

Finally, it is imperative that students listen to morning announcements since this is the one method of mass communication that reaches all students. Information about sports sign-ups and meetings are made daily for several days prior to the events. Coaches will also strive to get the word out by making announcements in PE classes and in the lunchroom. The chance of the message not reaching the ears of every student is virtually non-existent. You, as parents, and we, who work with middle schoolers every day, know that the final jump that message must make from the ears to the brain is where problems generally occur. For this reason we ask you to reinforce the importance of attending to announcements so a child doesn't miss out on an activity. Detailed information germane to a sport will be promulgated to the students who respond to the announcements, since this is the population to whom that information is relevant. Sports information can also be found on our web site at

http://diamond.lexingtonma.org/physed/index.htm

It is the hope of the entire coaching staff that your son/daughter will find an activity on our sports menu that is exciting to him/her. Sports involvement is a positive and constructive use of after school time, and contributes to school spirit and loyalty. The concepts of teamwork, sportsmanship, and self-improvement reinforced through sports have unquestionable carry-over in life.

If you still have questions, or are unclear on any of this information, call 861-2460 x 6100 and speak to me or anyone else in the PE department, or leave a message and I'll get back to you.

Sincerely,

Debra Rolfe, Diamond Physical Education

For a family plan user fee form, contact Liz Wilson at 781-861-2320x1023