Hello DDMS Families,

Snowmageddon 2025 has come and gone. I hope our students were able to get outside and play a little bit in the "snow". I was able to watch some of our Panthers hit some of the regular sledding hills on Friday night. Us Northerners need to take what we can get.

Please take a look below at a few updates for the week.

Have a wonderful Sunday.

Mr. Hokenberg

mhokenberg@wcpss.net.

@mhokenberg

Each week, I will share a quick video update to help share the information that will be shared that week. Please click on the link below for this week's video updates.

To help families celebrate their child’s academic/extra-extracurricular accomplishments, we are providing families a way to share this information in our “DDMS Good Things” section of our DDMS Updates Newsletter. If you are interested in adding a "Good Thing" about your child or a DDMS staff member, click on the picture to the right to fill out the form. Please complete the form by noon each Thursday for the information to be included in an the upcoming newsletter.

We are excited to be kicking off our 2025 Honor A Teacher season! This year is extra special, as it's the 25th year of the Cary Chamber hosting this program.

We are asking the DDMS community to submit their nomination for a deserving educator that has had an impact on your student's educational journey. Please click on the link HERE or in the Google Form below to make your nomination. A winner will be announced towards the end of February and all entrees will be shared with DDMS staff.

Nomination window closes Monday, February 3 at 5 pm

As we prepare for the transition to high school, we want to share some important dates and opportunities to help you and your student navigate this exciting time.

• High School Registration - Parent Night!: Save the date! Wednesday, February 19th at 6:30 @ Davis Drive Middle School. This will be an event where Davis Drive Middle will share important information about the registration process AND representatives from several of our High Schools will hold breakout room sessions.

• High School Open Houses: These events provide a chance to explore the high school campus, meet staff, and learn about academic programs and extracurricular opportunities. Check this LINK for dates of upcoming events!

Beginning in the 2024-25 school year, our district is rolling out the Say Something Anonymous Reporting System. This system complies with North Carolina General Statute § 115C-105.51, which requires schools to offer a safe and anonymous reporting tool for students.

The Say Something Anonymous Reporting System allows students to confidentially report safety concerns through a mobile website or telephone hotline. It is designed to address issues such as bullying, threats, mental health concerns, and more, ensuring that students have an additional outlet to voice concerns and help keep our school community safe

We will be training our students on the Say Something Anonymous Reporting System in their Healthful Living classes on Monday, 1/13 and Tuesday, 1/14. Please take a moment to review district webpage for more information. Say Something Anonymous Reporting System.

Our annual 24/25 Career Day is fast approaching. This will occur on Thursday, March 13, 2025 from 8:30 AM to 11:00 AM. There will be three time slots. We love when our families can share what they do each day with our students. You can choose to present for all three, or pick and choose what works for your schedule. If you are interested in presenting about your career, please complete the form HERE (or below) to indicate your interest and we will be in touch soon with more details about the event. Thank you in advance for sharing your talents with our students!

Students will complete a reading universal screener and diagnostic assessment three times this year. The Middle of Year assessment will take place on January 14th. There is no action needed by the students. They will come to school and take the assessment. Teachers will use this information gained to help inform their instruction. To find out more information, please click HERE - - > https://tinyurl.com/24zr6ykw

It looks like we made the right call in postponing the Winter Dance to Friday, 1/24. As with all of our dances, tickets will be $10 and will be sold at the door. Families, volunteers are still needed to make the event a success - please sign up online.

Quarter 2 is quickly coming to an end. Students will have the next two weeks to wrap up Quarter 2. Please make sure to talk with your student regarding where they are currently performing and to see if they have any outstanding assignments. It will be important for students to get caught up on all of their work before the end of the Quarter, January 17. Please reach out to your student's teachers directly with any questions that you may have,

Thank you, presenters, for giving your time to our students! Parents, if you would like to get in on the opportunity to share your career with DDMS students, please reach out to our Career Development Coordinator, Jenifer Tharrington, at jtharrington@wcpss.net.

The DDMS school dance originally planned for last Friday, January 10, was postponed. It will be held on Friday, January 24, 6-8 pm. Volunteers are still needed to make the event a success - please sign up online.

Our Basketball teams returned to action last week for their first games following winter break. While the results did not go our way at Mills Park, both teams showed determination and resilience on the court.

This week, the teams are eager to rebound! We will take on Reedy Creek at home on Monday, followed by an away game at East Cary on Thursday. Come out and support our athletes as they work hard and represent Davis Drive Middle School with passion and teamwork.

Admission is $6 to all home events and can be paid by three ways - cash at the gate, credit card at the gate, or through GoFans. Students may stay after school for home events and will be released when an announcement is made. More information about purchasing tickets can be found HERE.

Looking ahead, Spring Sports Tryouts will be here before we know it! Please ensure your student has an current sports physical uploaded to DragonFly. A quick reminder: sports physicals are valid for 395 days. Stay tuned for more details about spring sports and upcoming interest meetings in the weeks ahead! If you have any questions, please reach out to Mr. Jaggers.

Stay up-to-date with the latest athletic news by following our social media accounts or reaching out to me directly.

Social Media Handles
X: @DDMS_Athletics
Instagram: @DDMSAthletics

We have been pretty fortunate with Carpool so far this school year. We know that carpool can only run smoothly with everyone doing their part. I have linked HERE the standard AM and PM Carpool procedures. We have not made any changes to the way things work. Just a few things worth pointing out. During AM carpool, DDMS does not supervise the carpool lane before 7:45am. If you are going to drop your child off early, please be careful and mindful of those around you. Please watch the cars that are parked and waiting for the 7:45am bell to release their students. Never drop your student off in the parking lot, on the side of the building, or in the bus parking lot. After 7:45am, there is no passing of cars in the carpool lane. Wait behind the car in front of you and exit campus (RIGHT TURN ONLY) in a single file line. During PM carpool, please only pickup your child once there is a sidewalk to your right. Encourage your student to keep an eye out for your car. We will do the same.

For your student to have a successful school year, It is important for us to see your student each and every day, for the full day. While we certainly recognize illness, travel, and family responsibilities may result in a few missed days each year, it is important to minimize these missed days as much as possible. In addition, being late to school or leaving school early on a regular basis has a negative impact on your student's ability to be successful in the classes that they are missing. Please make every effort to have your child in school, for the entire day as often as possible. Click HERE to access the Student/Family Handbook with all attendance policy information.

Just a friendly reminder of the Davis Drive Middle School Grading Policy. Most importantly. we want to continue to stress the importance to our students that Effort Drives Excellence! While we do not worry about the overall outcome at the end of the quarter, we do stress the importance of the student's effort on a daily basis. This focus allows ours students to be present during the process and helps them to understand why daily/weekly assignments are o important. Please take a moment to review our grading policy with your student and to stress the importance of the educational journey.

We are fortunate that the students of Davis Drive Middle make great choices on a regular basis. With that said, we also recognize that we surround ourselves with over 1,000 middle schoolers on a regular basis. By nature, bad decisions come with the age group. As the school year progresses, we see an increase in students making poor decisions around the topics listed below. Please take a moment to review these with your student. I have linked our Student/Family Handbook HERE to support your conversation.

• Social Media Policy: Teaching and monitoring appropriate social media use is the responsibility of the parent/guardian. While we take opportunities in school to set expectations for appropriate use of social media, it is not the responsibility of Davis Drive to monitor student social media activity. Students should not create, send, or post messages on social media outlets that are derogatory and/or sexual in nature towards others. Davis Drive will address situations that occur during school hours and on Wake County student accounts; however, we are limited in our ability to address situations that occur off-campus, in students’ homes. Please set your expectations for social media with your child and continuously monitor their behavior online.

• Cell Phone Policy: At school, the use of cell phones comes with specific expectations. Unless otherwise permitted, cell phones should not be used at school. Not following the expectations listed below may result in school-based consequences and/or the loss of privileges to bring a cell phone to school:

  • Students are prohibited from using cellphones in school unless permitted by staff.

  • Students are prohibited from touching or using other students’ cell phones.

  • Students may be permitted (as determined by administration) to use their cell phones during lunch.

  
  

• Honor Code Policy: Academic honesty is essential to excellence in education and is directly related to the Board's educational objectives to promote integrity and self-discipline in students. As all schoolwork is a measure of student performance, academic honesty facilitates an accurate measurement of student learning.

  Each student, parent, family, and staff member has a responsibility to promote a culture that respects and fosters integrity and honesty. Academic integrity and honesty require that all stakeholders share responsibility for the fulfillment of this policy. In fulfilling these responsibilities:

  • students will collaborate with their peers to foster a culture of academic integrity; refrain from participating, either directly or indirectly, in any form of cheating or plagiarism; and adhere to the honor code;

  • parents and family will actively support the honor code by encouraging their child(ren) to foster and uphold a culture of academic integrity;

  • staff will establish and annually teach expectations regarding academic integrity and honesty; and promote the honor code.
    

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