October 2024 Dragon Digest

Dear DeSana Families,

As one of the most diverse schools in Forsyth County, DeSana is proud to continue to recognize our diversity by celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month. We are excited to share with our students the different cultural celebrations and hope you will partner with us in spotlighting DeSana’s greatest strength which is our diversity!

Along with celebrations, change also comes in October. We will be transitioning from Quarter 1 to Quarter 2 beginning October 14th. Students will receive new schedules during Connect (homeroom) on Monday, October 14th and begin their new Connections classes on this day unless they are enrolled in a semester or yearlong connections course. The daily schedule will also rotate during this time. Please click here to review our rotating schedule. While your child's Connections classes may have changed, their core academic classes and teachers will remain the same. The only difference is the time of day that their core academic classes occur. As a reminder, Connect & Thrive as well as third period do not change or rotate.

I also wanted to remind you all that Friday, October 18th is an Asynchronous Digital Learning Day and Parent-Teacher Conference Day for students in K-8th grade. This is not a student holiday and students are expected to complete all assignments assigned to them. It is recommended that students follow their normal schedule. Asynchronous means that students should access their Canvas page as usual and complete assignments as requested by their classroom teachers. Teachers will not be available to assist students because they will be hosting concurrent conferences with our families during the school day. If students have questions, they can message their teachers through Canvas, however, teachers may or may not be able to respond.

In addition, DeSansa will host Parent-Teacher-Student Conferences on Friday, October 18th so that families can communicate with their child’s teachers regarding their academic progress. Teachers may also offer conference times on other days rather than just October 18th. While conferences are not required, we want to honor all requests for a conference. Also, as a reminder, Monday, October 21st is a student holiday. Please continue to utilize the Parent Portal to monitor your child’s grades. If you have not signed up for Parent Portal, please follow these steps to gain access.

In order to keep up with the latest activities occurring at DeSana, we encourage you to check our website, as well as our social media. We look forward to continuing the home and school partnership in order to provide our Dragons with multiple opportunities to get connected with their academics, peers, and community.

Principal Keith Sargent

• October 2nd - Football vs. PGMS @ Denmark
• October 7th-9th - 7th Grade JA Trip
  
• October 8th - 8th Grade Fall Band Concert @ 6:00pm
• October 8th - Football vs. SFMS @ Denmark
• October 10th - 7th Grade Fall Band Concert @ 6:00pm
• October 11th - Q1 Ends
• October 14th - Q2 Begins
• October 14th - Out of district window opens
• October 14th - Chorus Concert @7:00 at Denmark
• October 18th - Online Learning Day
• October 21st - Student Holiday
• October 28th - Career Exploration & Pathway Discovery Fair (8th Grade)
• October 30th - Fall Picture Retake

We will have our first scheduled online learning day of the school year on October 18th. In middle school, all online learning days are asynchronous, meaning all teachers will post an assignment on Canvas for students to complete, and there are no live sessions for students to attend. The asynchronous lessons should take students between 20-30 minutes to complete, and all lessons will be available by 9:00 am on the 18th. Students will have a lesson for each of their classes (7 total). Teachers will be holding parent conferences throughout the day and may or may not be available to answer students' questions during the school day.

We recommend if you have not already done so, to pair a parent Canvas account with your child’s Canvas account. This allows you to view all your child’s courses. Here are the directions to do that:

• Canvas Observer Account – English
• Canvas Observer Account – Spanish

These are a few reminders for online learning days that you can share with your child:

• Limit distractions as much as possible when completing a lesson (try not to check your phone, avoid internet browsing, etc.)
• If you share a device with a sibling, remember to completely log out of Classlink when you are done.
• The Google Chrome internet browser usually offers the best experience with the applications we use.
• If something does not load correctly, first restart your device and try accessing it again.
• You can complete assignments from a phone, but for the best experience, you will want to download the Canvas Student App

If you have any questions related to the online learning day, please reach out to ehubbard@forsyth.k12.ga.us

For the month of October, our focus for Digital Citizenship is Cyberbullying. During students’ Monday Connect class, teachers will be delivering a lesson related to the topic. If your child uses any form of social media, gaming platforms, YouTube, or online forums, it is important for them to recognize cyberbullying and how to respond if they or someone they know becomes a victim of cyberbullying. We encourage students to be “upstanders” rather than bystanders, meaning they show kindness to the person being bullied and help them feel supported, while also reach out to a parent or other trusted adult to get help for the victim.

These are some ways you can help your child protect themselves online when it comes to cyberbullying:

• If your child uses social media or online gaming platforms, make sure that they have their account set to private.
• Check what apps they have installed on their devices and make sure they only have apps that you have allowed them to download.
• The age minimum for most social media platforms is 13 years old. Make sure they are not using apps that have an age requirement that they do not meet.
• Remind your child not to accept friend/follow requests from people they do not know.
• Remind your child to think before they post or comment online. Is this something they would say face-to-face? Is this kind? If it is not, it should not go online.

If you would like more information on this topic, DeSana has tentatively scheduled a Cyber Safety Night in conjunction with Forsyth County Sheriff’s Office for November 20th. More information to come!

We would like to take a moment to highlight our Dragon Dads. New this year, our Dragon Dads will be helping with car rider and bus duty twice each month. If you would like to volunteer to assist with our Dragon Dads please reach out to Graciela Rosario - f34093@forsyth.k12.ga.us

It may be hard to believe, but it is time to begin thinking about your child’s transition to high school! There are many events and activities related to transition that will take place over the next few months, so please continue checking this newsletter, our website, and our socials for updates. First, please see the chart below for information regarding High School Pathway Nights. These programs are open to families across the district to come learn about various pathways in case they want to submit an out of district request. School specific details would be available through each school’s website and social media as the event nears.

Additionally, please be aware that the Out of District Window opens on October 14th, 2024 and will close on November 29th, 2024. If your child is interested in attending a high school other than Denmark because of one of the pathways they offer, you will need to fill out this request during the timeline. All information regarding Our of District requests can be found at this link.

We would also like to make you aware of an opportunity called Coffee and Conversation on October 24th at DeSana Middle School. This event will take place in our cafeteria from 9:15-10:15am, and it is an opportunity for 8th grade parents/guardians to meet with counselors from Denmark High School to talk about the transition to high school. We would love for you to join us!

Lastly 8th graders will have a field trip opportunity on Monday, October 28th for the annual Forsyth County Schools Career Exploration & Pathway Discovery Fair at the Lanier Tech Conference Center. Buses will depart DeSana at 12:55pm and students will be able to explore the fair from 1:15-2:00pm. The fair will also be open from 4:30-6:00pm that day for all families to attend if they choose. Please be on the lookout for a messenger next week with more details about the trip, including a permission form.

You are welcome to drop off items for your child that they may need or have forgotten, but please be mindful of the following:

• It is against school procedures for parents to bring fast food to the cafeteria for students to eat.
• Make sure your child's name is clearly displayed on the item.
• The front office will not call your student down from class to come get the item.
• Items dropped off for students must be left on the table outside the check-in window.
• The front office is not responsible for any items left on the table.

Thank you!

We politely ask students not to dress up in costume at school for Halloween. Additionally, help our custodians and staff by leaving any candy at home.

We will allow and encourage students to dress in pajama pants the day after Halloween 11/1.

Thank you!

What’s New, Applying for Clubs, and More…

The MLC has its own website, linked in the Student Canvas Course. You can also access the website HERE. Please note that some files/forms may be inaccessible when not accessed through a Forsyth County account.

MLC Lunch Bunch

This is NEW and students may apply to join HERE. We will choose our books together and then discuss over lunch in the MLC! Students from each grade will be invited and the conversations will ebb and flow along with lunch seating times and grade changes! Students will be expected to source a copy of the chosen book(s) and read on their own time, ready to discuss!

Before School Activities

As always, the MLC is open before school from 8:15 am. Students should get a pass from the teacher on duty and come and join in the fun - or just socialize or read!

• Monday - MakerSpace

• Tuesday - Trivia - fun competition with basic trivia. Students can roll in and join the fun at any time!

• Wednesday - Board Game Day

• Thursday - Relax & Chill

• Friday - Fun Friday - rotating between Karaoke, Just Dance, Lego Challenges, and more!

Those who just want to sit and hang out with friends are always welcome too, but should remember that no food may be eaten in the MLC 🙂

Fall Book Fair

October 24 - October 31

We will be using Bedford Falls once again and can’t wait for our big event! Parent volunteers will be requested for heavy volume time to support helping students and keeping shelves tidy! If interested, please complete this form, and I will be in touch once we know which days will be high traffic.

We will have dress up days again - your students should watch for posters and listen to announcements for the daily theme. We will also post on social media.

Thank you for always supporting our big fundraiser!

Yearbook!

Don’t miss out on celebrating a great school year with us! Order your Yearbook before they run out!

To order, go to YearbookOrderCenter.com and input our school order number of 25646.

Help us to make your student a star in the Yearbook! Drop your photos into ESHare and make sure we share your great moments! Please give us ALL the information you can about who is in the photo and what is happening!

We are collecting pictures of Traveling Dragons and Dragons and the Arts, and are always grateful for any pictures taken at any school events!

Advertisements are guaranteed placement in the book if sent in by the deadline of October 16. This year we have FOUR categories of ad options 🙂

1. 8th grade ads - celebrating graduating middle school!

2. 7th grade ads - celebrating the journey

3. 6th grade ads - celebrating the start of middle school - you are only new once!

4. Business ads - sharing your business with all of our Yearbook readers

How to create/purchase an ad - please remember that this is separate from the cost of the book.

Please direct any questions to Bridget Bryson at bbryson@forsyth.k12.ga.us

Thank you for supporting Yearbook!

Each year we host a Veterans Day breakfast honoring family, friends, or staff members who are veterans. If you would like to honor someone you know by inviting them to the breakfast (11/11 at 8:00 am in the Media & Learning Center), please share this survey with them or respond on their behalf so that we can send an official invitation.

DeSana MS Veterans Day Breakfast Survey

We also need PHOTOS of your family members who were in the military - any military - to share for our Gallery of Honor. Please also share the information - who they are, your relationship, branch of service and highest rank. Please bring them to the front office and make sure that your name and contact information is clearly marked. If possible, please send special pictures in a frame so that we can ensure that they are well-protected; we promise to take good care of them! You may also email digital photos to Bridget Bryson at bbryson@forsyth.k12.ga.us to be printed in color.

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.