February Dragon Digest

Dear DeSana Families,

As we wrap up the month of January, our Dragons have hit the ground running and the semester is off to a great start! We have lots of great things happening at DeSana during the month of February including celebrating Black History month. As you know, one of our biggest strengths is our diversity and this month we will be highlighting leading black figures from the past and present. In addition, our Media & Learning Center will be hosting a Black History month Door Decorating contest, which we will post highlights of to our social media accounts.

We are also excited to host our first Valentine's Social for all grade levels on Friday, February 9th from 4:30pm - 6:00pm brought to you by our Student Government Association (SGA). I am extremely proud of our SGA for being the catalyst behind this event!

We look forward to another great month at DeSana Middle School!

Sincerely,

Principal Sargent

• February 1st: Black History Month Begins
• February 3rd: Forsyth County Schools Job Fair @ South Forsyth High School
• February 6th-10th: National School Counseling Week
• February 7th: New Student and Club Picture Day
• February 9th: Valentine's Social 4:30pm - 6:30pm
• February 15th: National School Resource Officers Day
• February 16th - 20th: Student Holiday
• February 22nd: Cyber Safety Night at Demark High School
• February 27th: Spring Book Fair Begins

This past month, we were excited to meet with Dr. Bearden to share how we continue working to foster a safe, connected, and thriving learning community for ALL. If you are interested to hear one of the stories we shared, check out this month's board meeting!

Additionally, we would like to highlight the winner of our 2024 Oratorical Competition, 6th grade student Riva. We had nearly 30 students enter the competition, with 8 students making it to the final round. We are so proud of all of our competitors for their amazing work!

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

Save the Date: Welcome to Atlanta

When: 5/20/24

Where: Sawnee Mountain, College Football Hall of Fame, Historic Downtown Atlanta

Be on the lookout for a message through Parent Portal later this week with more details!

Student Government Association is hosting DeSana’s first ever Valentine Social on Friday, February 9th! The social is open to all grades, 6th, 7th, and 8th. The social will take place directly after school from 4:30-6:00 in the cafe (students will not be permitted to leave school and return – students will stay in their 7th period class until they are called to the cafeteria). This is a fun, casual dress event that is meant to be a modern update on the traditional middle school dance. DJ Weisbrod will be turning the tables on the 1’s and 2’s. Concessions will be sold, and there will be games in the atrium. Tickets will be sold Mon 2/5 - Thurs 2/8 on SchoolPay with a limited number of tickets are available! SGA is so excited to host this fun event!

We still have some space for parent chaperones for the Valentine Social. If you would like to sign up, please use this link https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0F45ABAB2AA0FDC07-47040373-desana#/

The Hoops for Heart Challenge, benefitting the American Heart Association, will take place on Friday, February 9 during students' connections classes.

• Students can make 3 v 3 teams (with an alternate - so up to 4) from their grade level including admin and teachers.
  
• Students will donate $10 per team for the cause.
• Students can pay $1 to watch the event & $1 for each event we do outside the 3 v 3 tourney (soccer kick, hula-hoop contest, half-court shots, knockout, etc.).

Thank you in advance for your support of this event!

IMPORTANT DATES:

• Track tryouts will take place the week of February 12th!
• First Practice Thursday, February 15th 4:30-6:00 pm
• Parent Meeting Thursday, February 15th @6:00 pm
• Informational meetings with all 7th and 8th graders interested in Track during Connect and Thrive Friday, February 2nd and Friday, February 9th
• If your student is a 7th and 8th Grade Girl or Boy and is interested in trying out, please complete the following survey:
• Dragons Track and Field Interest Form

If your child enrolled at DeSana after fall picture day on September 6th, or if they missed that date, they will need to be photographed on Wednesday, February 7th. We will also be taking photographs of the following competing organizations:

• DECA
• HOSA
• Robotics
• Model UN
• Math Counts
• Art Club

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!

📚Things to watch out for in February

• Black History Month

• Creative Contest - students will be challenged to create something to represent Black History Month

• Reading Contest - students can enter each book read during the month HERE. Books must represent Black history or heritage.

📚Preparations for Book Fair and collection for prize items for the World Famous Lollipop Board will begin. The Lollipop Wish List can be found on Amazon by using this LINK. The volunteer sign up will be shared in early February. This year we are using a new vendor - Bedford Falls.

• Book Fair dates are as follows:

• Tuesday, February 27 - Preview Day (Reading Classes, 8th grade in Thrive)

• Wednesday, February 28 - Grand Opening

• Monday, March 4 - Monday Morning with Muffins for parents and family members to shop

• Wednesday, March 6 - Final Day

📚SORA by Overdrive Forsyth Public Library Connection!

• Please remember that we now have SORA, a wonderful online book resource that students can access on Classlink. They may also add the app to their device, search up Forsyth County Schools, log in with their DeSana credentials, and have access to books whether at home or at school!

• Students may choose to ADD a library and search for their local library to add that to the Classlink app. This will allow them access to school AND add to their badges and other reading awards!

Time is running out to reserve your copy of this school year’s ultimate memory - the DeSana Yearbook, now named Dragon Lore. Filled with images and reminders about what has made this school year special, it should be on every parent’s shopping list! The price is now $55 and will be available while supplies last.

There ARE still some advertisement opportunities available - first come, first served on a very limited basis!

Use this LINK to order. Our Yearbook job number is 25646. If your student is in my Yearbook Staff class, their special code can be found on their Canvas Course.

Watch out for more information, but we are planning for our Culture and Heritage Celebration at DeSana. As always, the MLC will be front and center! Our plan is to fill the MLC with artifacts that share cultures from the multitude of backgrounds found in the DeSana family. We would love to expand on last year’s display and really showcase all of our heritages, displayed alongside books and information. Please start thinking about what you can share with us!

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

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!