Please click here to view DFMS annual report for 2023-2024.

Gavin's Law (H.3583) is legislation that makes sexual extortion, the act of blackmailing someone using sexually explicit images or videos, a felony offense and an aggravated felony if the victim is a minor, vulnerable adult, or if the victim suffers bodily injury or death directly related to the crime.

The bill reads in part, "Local school districts shall collaborate with the State Department of Education, the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division, and the Attorney General’s office, as appropriate, to implement a policy to educate and notify students of the provisions of this act which includes adequate notice to students, parents or guardians, the public, and school personnel of the change in law. The State Department of Education must file a report as to the status of the adoption and implementation of the education policies under this act to the Governor, the President of the Senate, and the Speaker of the House of Representatives, annually by July first of each year."

In November 2023, the School District Five of Lexington & Richland Counties Board of Trustees approved new Board Policy JICFB, “Gavin’s Law Implementation.” Families may find additional information regarding Gavin’s Law on School District Five’s website.

05/13/24 No Events Scheduled

05/14/24 SC READY ELA DAY 2

***Band Concert 7pm. to 8pm.***

05/15/24 No Events Scheduled

05/16/24 SC READY MATH

***Orchestra Concert 7pm to 8pm***

05/17/24 No Events Scheduled

05/21/2024 Spring Chorus Concert ( See flyer below for details)

05/29/2024 Half Day of School: 11:35 dismissal

05/30/2024 Half Day of School: 11:35 dismissal

05/31/2024 Half Day of School : 11:35 dismissal (****Last Day of School****)

08/08/2024 First Day of School for the 2024-2025 School Year

2024-2025 Student Information Updates and Proof of Residence

Each year all students in Lexington/Richland School District Five are required to update their student's information and submit three proofs of residence for the upcoming school year.

The proof of residence must meet the following criteria:

• be dated on or after May 1, 2024
• reflect the student's parent/guardian name and address
• include a current mortgage statement or lease agreement
• include two additional proofs in the form of current utility bills, vehicle tax registration, or voter ID

Please use the link below to complete this process for your student.

Student Information and Registration

**Once you have logged into Final Forms, please make sure you select the blue box, pictured below, which will switch your account to the 2024-2025 school year.**

If you have any questions, please reach out to Mrs. Creel at 803-476-4840 or ccreel@lexrich5.org.

****DFMS now offers extra Academic Support on Thursdays after school. We will now offer Academic Support on Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday. If you have any questions, please reach out to Mr. Sunday at dsunday@lexrich5.org.****

OVER THE COUNTER MEDICATIONS:

If your child needs over the counter medication please fill out the school administration of medication form and return it to the school nurse along with the medication.

***If your child has received this vaccine, please email the nursing assistant, Ms. Anderson at aanderson@lexrich5.org or provide proof of medical/religious exemption or fax to 803-476-4820.

If you have any questions or concerns please email or call the Health Room 803-476-4809.

***With the end of the School Year fast approaching, I wanted to remind all Parents/Guardians to get any Medical excuses or Parent notes you may have, for any unexcused days that are still outstanding, into the Attendance Office.***

I appreciate your help in getting your Students attendance up to date for this School Year.

Our school day begins at 8:15. Students will be marked tardy if they arrive after that time. Students will sign themselves in through the front office.

Students need to be signed out for early dismissal by someone on their approved list. Anyone signing out a student for dismissal must provide a photo ID.

Thank You,

Kelly Lilie

klilie@lexrich5.org

Attendance Clerk

If your student will be walking to an orthodontic appointment at Dr. O'Leary's during the school day, please send an email to klilie@lexrich5.org or have the student bring a note to the front office BEFORE FIRST BLOCK to pick up an early dismissal pass. Due to the number of these appointments, the student will need to be responsible for watching the clock and communicating with their teacher regarding dismissal. They will still need to sign out through the front office.

It is time to begin thinking of SC READY, South Carolina’s College and Career-Ready Assessments. SC READY is a statewide, standardized assessment required for every student in grades 3-8. These tests are not timed and are designed to measure the grade-level standards taught in the subjects of English Language Arts and mathematics in middle school.

Please take a few minutes to review the following information:

Testing Dates:

April 23, 2024: SC READY Field Test (Writing)

May 9th, 2024: ELA Writing

May 14, 2024: ELA Reading

May 16, 2024: Math**

**The calculator section and non-calculator section are administered on the same day.**

Important Reminders for Test Day:

1. Please ensure that your student(s) are here at school on time, on testing days. It is extremely important that your student is here on time to ensure that they do not miss any testing instructions, and time to take the test.

2. Make sure that your student gets a good night sleep the night before testing, and eats a good breakfast the morning of.

3. Doctors appointments and other out-of-school functions should not be scheduled during testing days. We will not be able to interrupt a testing session for an early dismissal once testing has started. Test sessions must begin and end on the same day.

4. Students may not be in possession of any electronic device(s) during the test administration that can be used for communicating, recording, timing, creating images, or storing images. These devices include, but are not limited to, cell phones, tablets, smart watches, cameras, and so on.

5. SC READY tests are not timed and are administered in an online format.

6. Test sessions must begin and end on the same day.

7. Resources regarding testing such as brochures, sample items, sample score reports, score report user’s guide, and additional information, are being sent home with quarter 3 report cards and can also be found using the links below.

https://ed.sc.gov/tests/assessment-information/student-and-parent-resources/ https://ed.sc.gov/tests/middle/sc-ready/

Dress Code:

As the weather warms up please remember to wear clothing that meets dress code.

Shorts should completely cover essential areas.

Pants/shorts should not sag.

Shirts should cover the midriff (no bare bellies).

No visible undergarments.

Car Line:

PLEASE pull to the end of the car rider line before stopping to let your student exit or enter the car.

Practice quick loading and unloading.

Encourage your child to watch for the car.

Safety Notes:

If you walk to school for nearby neighborhoods, please remember to obey traffic laws. Do not throw items at passing cars or play near the roads.

IDs: Please remind your student to wear their school-issued ID every day. Please make sure the ID has the current grade level, school year, name, and bar code. The picture should also be visible (IE: stickers over the face). This helps us quickly identify who belongs on our campus during the school day.

Parent Visitors: If you are planning on visiting the school during our instructional day, please bring your identification to begin the check-in process. In addition, be prepared to walk through our weapons detector system as part of our check-in procedures.

Dress Code:

Please remember to dress appropriately for the weather:

No Blankets

No Hoods

No Bonnets

No Midriff Exposed

No Underwear Exposed

No Slippers

***PLEASE SEE THE LINK TO THE STUDENT HANDBOOK BELOW***

Hi Fox Families! It's that time of year when we start collecting all overdue library books and fines for lost or damaged books. Your student (and hopefully you as well) will get an email every Monday morning if there's an overdue book or fine on their account. Please encourage your student to read this notice carefully and return any books and/or pay any fines that are listed. All library books, overdue or not, are due by Friday, May 17th. Any books not returned by then will be marked lost and the replacement cost will be added to your student's account. If you have any questions about your student's library account, please contact Lisa Wilkins at lwilkins@lexrich5.org. Thanks so much for your help!

Students, please remember to check your school email account DAILY. Important technology, library, and other school information is delivered through your email, so it is important that you get in the habit of checking it every day.

Volleyball spring practice will start Monday May 13th from 4-5:30pm in the high school arena for rising 8&9th graders. Make sure your physical forms are new and up to date on Planet HS to attend.

FCA will meet on Wednesday, May 15 at 7:45 in the morning in room 406 on the Purple Hall. We will be having a time of fellowship through snacks and cards, devotion, prayer. This will be our last meeting of the school year. Officers for next year will be recognized, as present, and introduced. If you have playing cards or card games, bring them to the meeting! We look forward to seeing you next week.

Check out what's new and exciting with DFMS's PTO.

We have a new and fun site to get all your information about our PTO here :

https://dfms.ptboard.com

PTO is looking for VOLUNTEERS to cover DUTY FREE LUNCH! Please click the link to sign up! https://dfms.ptboard.com/sgnvw

-- We are still accepting parent/family donations!

Free lunch account/payment

Transportation Form

Physical Form

Volunteer Application

Student Quick Pay

Student Handbook

Feedback Link

#FOXPRIDE #FOXTRIBE

Website: http://lexrich5.org/dfms
Location: 1528 Old Tamah Road, Irmo, SC, USA
Phone: (803) 476-4800
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Dutch-Fork-Middle-School-549147891811317/
Twitter: @DutchForkMS