March Dragon Digest

Dear DeSana Families,

March is packed with many exciting activities and ways for us to connect with our Dragons and our DeSana families. Please be sure to read through all the items in our newsletter posted below.

As a reminder, the fourth quarter begins on Monday, March 11th, and marks the last 9 weeks of the school year. Our schedule rotates each quarter and the time your child has their core academic classes will shift too. Students who are not enrolled in band or chorus will also have new Connections classes.

On Thursday, March 14th, we will have an early release day and Friday, March 15th, is a student holiday and staff workday. Teachers may contact families to request a conference for students demonstrating deficiencies in readiness for the next grade level. If you do not receive a conference request for your child, they are currently at or above expected levels of progress for this point in the year. You may request to have a conference with your child’s teachers at any time during the school year.

Finally, I wanted to be sure that the Solar Eclipse that takes place on Monday, April 8th, is on your calendar, especially since this event takes place on the Monday after Spring Break. While more details are posted below, we will be taking time out of our school day to observe the solar eclipse beginning just before 3:00pm. We will send out multiple reminders about our eclipse plan and safety precautions prior to Spring Break. Please note that we will not allow students to check out between 2:45pm and 3:20pm and our entrances will be closed during this small window. This will ensure the safety of our students and staff as they observe the solar eclipse in areas outside of our building.

Sincerely,

Principal Sargent

• February 28th - March 6th: Spring Book Fair
• March 1st - March 31st: Women's History Month
• March 4th: Monday Morning with Muffins at the Book Fair (8:00am-12:00pm in the MLC)
• March 6th: Local School Council (LSC) Meeting
• March 8th: Last Day of Quarter 3
• March 11th: Quarter 4 Begins; Read-a-thon Begins
• March 13th: Spring Pep Rally
• March 14th: Early Release Day
• March 15th: Student Holiday/Staff Development Day
• March 18th: Coffee & Conversations with Mr. Sargent @ 9:10am (sign up information below)
• March 21st: Rising 6th Grade Parent Night in the gym at 6:30pm
• March 22nd: Last day to pick up Lost & Found items before donation pickup on Monday, 3/25
• March 22nd: Coffee & Conversations with Mr. Sargent @ 1:00pm (sign up information below)
• March 27th: Coffee & Conversations with Mr. Sargent @ 5:00pm (sign up information below)
• March 28th: Rising 7th & 8th Grade Parent Night in the gym @6:30pm
• March 28th: Science Fair
• April 1st - 5th: Spring Break
• April 8th: Solar Eclipse

This past month, our Student Government Association hosted our first Valentine's Day Social. We had nearly 300 student participants, and students enjoyed dancing, playing games, and socializing with friends for a couple hours after school on a Friday evening. Thank you to all who helped make this happen, as it was a great opportunity for our students to connect!

Additionally, our PE coaches hosted the second annual DeSanavivor in February. This is a great experience for students as they participate in physical and mental challenges and earn points in teams as they compete over a two-day period. Our students reported that they enjoyed the event and would love to have more activities like this each quarter. Thank you to our coaches for putting great effort into creating this positive learning experience for our students!

Finally, we were thrilled to celebrate our School Resource Officer, Deputy Stephen Lavin, for National SRO Appreciation Day. Our staff played games featuring him, wrote notes of appreciation, and wore buttons with his photo as very small tokens of appreciation for all he does to keep our school safe. Thank you, Deputy Lavin!

Parents and Guardians,

We value your insights and input as essential members of our school community. In an effort to enhance communication and collaboration, we would like to invite you to participate in a Focus Group Discussion (Coffee & Conversations) with our principal.

These sessions will provide an opportunity to engage in open dialogue about crucial aspects of our school, including safety measures, educational strategies, discipline approaches, and avenues for increased parental involvement.

Dates:

• 3/18/24 at 9:10 am
• 3/22/24 at 1:00 pm
• 3/27 at 5:00 pm

Location: DeSana Middle - Front Office Conference Room

Your perspectives are invaluable, and we believe that your input will contribute significantly to shaping the future of our school. Your presence will help us better understand the diverse needs of our community and work together to create a safe, nurturing, and enriching environment for our students. If you are available to attend, please RSVP signing up with the links below to ensure that we can accommodate everyone comfortably. We are grateful for those who participated in the fall sessions, and we would love to hear new voices this spring.

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C084DA5AD23A3F9C16-48275709-coffee

We look forward to your participation in this collaborative effort to strengthen our school community!

Each year as part of D3 Day, our school makes a charitable donation to one or more organizations that directly impact our community. This year, we are hosting a schoolwide read-a-thon in an effort to raise funds for an organization of our students' choosing and to continue encouraging our students' reading habits. In the coming days, you will receive a flyer with instructions for registering your student on the Read-a-thon website that will set them up for donations and to log reading minutes.

Participation is optional, but we highly encourage all of our students to participate in some capacity. At each grade level, there will be an opportunity for a Connect & Thrive class to win a pizza party for the most funds raised and to win a donut party for the most minutes read. Additionally, our top fundraising student will get to be Principal for a Day, and our top reader will get to be Media Specialist for a Day! At the conclusion of the read-a-thon, students who raise money will have the chance to vote for which organization our proceeds will be donated to. Local organizations for consideration include The Place, Jesse's House, Fur Kids, and United Way.

Our read-a-thon will begin on March 11th. Students will bring home a flyer next week with information on getting them registered. We hope you will join us in this opportunity to raise funds for a local charity and increase students' reading!

Attention 8th Grade Families: please see the transition timeline from Denmark High School below (or click here).

Our dedicated team of teachers has been diligently working on preparing course recommendations for the upcoming academic year. These recommendations are based on each student's academic performance and individual needs, aiming to provide the best possible educational experience for them. On March 18th, rising 7th and 8th grade students will receive a printed copy of their personalized course recommendations in Connect and Thrive. Included on the recommendation handout will be instructions on how to request a change in course level. The recommended courses are what your student's current teachers feel are the appropriate courses to support their academic growth and success. More guidance will be available on our website beginning March 19th, 2024.

The next solar eclipse will take place on Monday, April 8th, beginning at 1:45pm and will last until 4:20pm. The solar eclipse will peak at 3:04pm and weather permitting, we will plan to allow students to view the solar eclipse with proper solar eclipse glasses. We are providing solar eclipse glasses for all students and staff to ensure safe viewing of this rare occurrence. Solar eclipse glasses will be distributed to all students and staff shortly before we plan to head outside to view the eclipse. We will not distribute solar eclipse glasses to any student or family before this event takes place and your child must be present during school on Monday, April 8th in order to receive his or her solar eclipse glasses. All solar eclipse glasses will be collected after the event. In addition, we will not allow any students to be checked out between 2:45pm and 3:20pm. This will allow us to close down our entrances to vehicle traffic to ensure the safety of both students and staff as they view the eclipse outside of our building. We will send out multiple reminders and the finalized plan prior to Spring Break including safety precautions.

We are excited to share a spring field trip opportunity for our 8 th grade students. On May 20th, we will be taking a group of students on a Welcome to Atlanta field trip where we will visit the following locations:

• Sawnee Mountain
• College Football Hall of Fame
• Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial
• Ebenezer Baptist Church
• Jackson Street Bridge
• Old Fourth Ward

The total cost of this trip will be $175, split into two payments of $87.50. This amount will also include a Chick-fil-a lunch. The first payment will be due on March 15th, and the final payment will be due on April 26th. Payments can be made on School Pay at any time, and the permission form will be sent home with students the week of March 4th.

Our end of the year state testing is coming soon! Please see the dates below to see when your child will be testing. A more detailed schedule with testing times for each day will be posted on our school website in the coming weeks.

Milestones testing will take place from April 22nd - May 10th.

• 6th Grade:
• 4/22 - ELA Section 1
• 4/23 - ELA Sections 2 & 3
• 4/24 - Math
• 8th Grade:
• 4/25 - 8th Grade Math
• 4/26 - Physical Science
• 4/29 - Algebra
• 5/1 - ELA Section 1
• 5/2 - ELA Sections 2 & 3
• 5/3 - Social Studies
• 7th Grade:
• 5/6 - ELA Section 1
• 5/7 - ELA Sections 2 & 3
• 5/8 - Math

For questions related to extended absences and testing, please reach out to your child's grade level administrator. For other testing related questions, you may contact Assistant Principal Peyton Maddox.

The current digital landscape is ever-changing, so it is always helpful to discuss responsible use of technology with your child, such as their digital footprint, online safety, and a screen time habits. Please visit our district website to find parent resources that may help. You can also access digital citizenship tools for families by clicking here.

Congratulations to the following students who placed in the Lanier Technology Competition!

• Kaveesh K. earned 3rd place in video production
• Jagnnath P. earned 2nd place in robotics
• Samarth S. earned 1st place in project programming
• Advay S. earned 1st place in project programming
• Parisha G. & Neha R. earned 1st place in animation
• Rosemary E. & Matthew E. earned 1st place in productivity design

Great job, students! This competition is open to all Forsyth County Schools and several surrounding school districts. Best of luck to the students who earned 1st place, as they have the opportunity to advance to the state competition in March.

Dragon Academy is a great way for students to get additional help after school and make up missed assignments. Please reach out to your child's classroom teacher(s) to inquire about future Dragon Academy dates.

Life is always busy in the Media and Learning Center!

📚 Black History Month Door Decorating Winners

• Ms. Richardson (Connections Hallway)

• Ms. Asp (6th Grade Hallway)

• Ms. Bright (7th Grade Hallway)

• Ms. Wach (8th Grade Hallway)

📚Missing Books!

• We are missing a lot of books! Please help your student to check backpack and bedroom to help us out. You are not charged a book until marked as ‘lost’, but students can check their account by visiting Destiny and looking in their Back Office.

📚SORA by Overdrive

• Please remember that we now have SORA, a wonderful online book resource that students can access on Classlink or on the app on their own device

• SORA is also connected directly to Libby - students add Forsyth Public Libraries as a library to their account - giving them access to thousands of books!

Reading Updates School Year August - February

• Number of Books Checked Out in the MLC: 36,580 books

• Number of Books Checked Out in SORA (January & February only)

• Top Five Homerooms:

1. Ms. Masson

2. Ms. Yarber

3. Ms. McClelland

4. Ms. Lowie

5. Ms. Noyes

• Top 5 Student Readers:

1. Luther D.

2. Sehrish H.

3. Anirudh A.

4. Bianca C.

5. Arav J.

Thank you for Supporting the MLC!

Dragon Lore supplies are running out! Purchase your 23-24 memory

To order: https://www.yearbookordercenter.com/job/25646

Most of the pages have been submitted and are complete! Your Yearbook Staff are hoping that this will be a Yearbook truly representing all students and staff at DeSana!

Next year’s staff have started their training and can’t wait to brainstorm the next year’s theme and content!

Attention all 6th grade families! Please begin making plans with your physician to ensure that your child's immunizations are up to date before the beginning of their 7th grade year. Current 6th graders are required to have been vaccinated with Tdap and meningococcal vaccines before the 24-25 school year. We wanted to communicate this information early and often to our 6th grade families to avoid any disruption at the beginning of next school year.

All parents/guardians of 6th grade students are responsible for ensuring that their students’ immunizations are updated prior to attending middle school next year (24-25)

• Rising 7th grade students are required to have been vaccinated with Tdap and meningococcal vaccines.

• Remember that your child will NOT be able to attend school next year until an updated immunization form (3231) is on file.

• Please check with the school nurse or your physician if you are not sure that your child’s immunizations are current.

Recommended vaccinations according to the CDC:
English version
Spanish version

Thank you to our amazing PTO for taking care of our teachers on Valentine's Day and providing some delicious treats for staff!

PTO MEMBERSHIPS

Please sign up to join our PTO! We have only about 8% of our families represented on the PTO and we would appreciate more support. We have some great schoolwide initiatives being developed to give back to DeSana Middle School students, which is not possible without the support of parents, families and our community. PTO Memberships are only $35 per family and you can register here

Need to contact us? Email your PTO Board at desanadragonspto@gmail.com!