August Dragon Digest

Welcome back!

It was great to see all of our families during Open House this past Monday! We are excited to welcome our Dragons back to school.

I know that the first few weeks of school can be filled with both excitement and nervousness, especially for our new Dragons. Please know that our staff is prepared to help students transition as smoothly as possible and make this school year the best.

Please be sure to read all the items below and let’s make this a great year!

Sincerely,

Principal Sargent

Noteworthy Dates

August 1st: First Day of School
August 2nd: PBIS Assembly
August 6th: Football Scrimmage vs Little Mill @ Denmark (6:00pm)
August 13th: Football Game vs Otwell @ Denmark HS (6:30pm)
August 20th: Fall Pep Rally
August 20th: Football Game vs Piney Grove @ Denmark HS (6:30pm)
August 24th: JV Football Game vs South Middle @ DeSana (9:00am)
August 29th: Curriculum Night
August 30th: Early Release
September 2nd: Labor Day - Student & Staff Holiday

First Day of School Reminders

8:00am: Doors are open for students being dropped off in the car rider line.

Please do not drop your child off prior to 8:00am.
Parents are not allowed inside the building to escort their child to class.

8:25am: Breakfast is available for purchase.
8:50am: Bell rings for students to report to their Connect teacher (Home Room)

We will have staff on hand to assist students with getting to class.

9:00am: School begins (Connect & Thrive)

We know that students may be late to school for the first few days (due to traffic), and they will not be marked as tardy to school.

11:24 - 12:43 Lunch

Lunch will run a little later the first few days of school.
8th grade lunch: 11:24 - 11:51
7th grade lunch: 11:49 - 12:16
6th grade lunch: 12:14 - 12:41

4:15pm: Dismissal

Buses will be late, and the admin team will remain on campus until all students arrive home. Families can check this document to see when buses leave campus.
Expect delays in the car rider line.

PBIS

This year, we are excited to share with you all that DeSana will be implementing Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS). This means that we are sharing schoolwide expectations with students that will apply to them everywhere in the building and we will intentionally acknowledge students who are meeting our expectations. Please see the matrix below that outlines our expectations, which will be shared with students on the first day of school. Our goal is that all Dragons are respectful, prepared, and safe. Thank you for your support in reinforcing these expectations with your children at home!

Cell Phones

Students can access their cell phones from 8:00am - 8:50am and again at 4:15pm. Students will not be allowed access to their cell phone or earbuds(wireless headphones) between 8:50am and 4:15pm. If there is a need to communicate any information to your child via their cell phone, they should have plenty of time to check their messages beginning at 4:15pm.

If your child is in violation of our Code of Conduct’s policy, their cell phone or earbuds (wireless headphones) can be confiscated. If the behavior continues, we will begin issuing consequences.

Dragon Pack

For $20.00, we will be asking all students to purchase a Dragon Pack. The Dragon Pack will include:

DeSana Cinch Sack
Locker
One ticket for admission to a fall and spring Home Sporting Event
One entry into a Drawing for a Pizza Party with Mr. Sargent (30 students will win)

The Dragon Pack is available for purchase on School Pay

*Cinch sacks will be distributed to students who have purchased the Dragon Pack during Connect & Thrive on the first day of school. Cinch sacks will assist students with minimizing the materials they need to carry around during the school day from class to class. Administrators will continue to follow-up with families who have not purchased the Dragon Pack.

Meal Information

Food and Nutrition is transitioning to MySchoolBucks for the 24-25 school year.

Please click HERE to create a MySchoolBucks account.

Note: Students are not permitted to bring fast food/drinks into our building. Students who bring these items in the morning will be asked to finish them or throw them away before going to class. Fast food should not be delivered to students for lunch, either. Additionally, students should not bring food or drinks from home in glass bottles or containers.

Free & Reduced Lunch

School Supply Lists

Click HERE to access the 2024-2025 school supply list for each grade level.

*Please note that these are suggested supply lists. If you have questions or need assistance, please reach out to the guidance counselor for your child's grade level.

Sarah Coats (6th) sjcoats@forsyth.k12.ga.us

Lori Bryant (7th) lbryant@forsyth.k12.ga.us

Aimee Tarver (8th) f 39466@forsyth.k12.ga.us

Immunization Information

All parents/guardians of 7th grade students are responsible for ensuring that their students’ immunizations are updated prior to attending middle school next year.

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.

If you would like to view the recommended vaccines, according to the CDC, the document is available in English here and in Spanish here.

If you have any questions about immunizations or student medication, please reach out to our school nurse.

Helen Goolsby (Nurse Helen)

f44050@forsyth.k12.g.us

770-667-2591 ext. 491529

CommonLit & Beacon Assessments

During the month of August, ELA and Math teachers in all grade levels will be administering an online assessment (Math: BEACON & ELA: CommonLit). These assessments cover grade level standards, and teachers will use the data to determine student learning needs. BEACON will be given in August and January. CommonLit will be given three times throughout the year (dates & times TBD). This assessment is different from traditional standardized tests in that it is adaptive and responds to the individual student's level, providing more relevant and timely data.

Club Information: Coming Soon!

Our staff members are currently updating this year's club offerings. Once club information is finalized, we will advertise all clubs to students during Connect & Thrive, and we will post the updated club list on our website so families are able to review it.

School Pay

School Pay is a new platform that will be used by Forsyth County Schools to make purchases through the school system for everything other than meals.

Parent Portal

All parents/guardians should have access to Parent Portal through Infinite Campus. This is where you will go to access your child's grades and attendance. This is also the platform we use as our student information system. Please be sure that all information for you and your child is updated before the first day of school. Click here to access Parent Portal. If you do not have an account, please reach out to Lisa Garcia (lgarcia@forsyth.k12.ga.us).

Canvas

This is the learning management system that Forsyth County Schools utilizes. All students have access to Canvas through Classlink, and this is where they will go to access information for each class.

DeSana Middle School Parent Teacher Organization (PTO)

A great way for our families to get involved is by joining the DeSana Parent Teacher Organization (PTO). If you would like more information about how to join or additional opportunities to get involved, please reach out to our PTO using the following email address: desanadragonspto@gmail.com.

August Dragon Digest