DRAGON DIGEST
VOLUME 3, ISSUE 18 / MAY 13, 2019
PRINCIPAL'S LETTER
Dear DeSana Parents,
In the blink of an eye we’ve gone from welcoming back our 7th and 8th grade Dragons to a brand-new school year and helping our new 6th graders successfully navigate the first few days of middle school, to finishing up this 2019-2020 school year in a flurry of fun activities, meaningful celebrations, final assessments, and some farewell events for our 8th grade students. Where did this school year go??
And what all has happened in between 6th grade Dragon Camp and 7th/8th grade Open House and now, as we wind down this school year? Well . . . a great deal has happened as our young Dragons have worked hard . . . explored new ideas and thoughts . . . honed their problem-solving skills . . .persevered . . . questioned . . . created . . . listened to different points of view . . . researched . . . inquired . . . and collaborated in innovative ways with their peers. They have played hard and competed with a great deal of dedication, spirit, heart and Dragon Pride, on the field, court, track and greens. They have also practiced diligently and performed fabulously on the stage, in the theater, and at concerts. And they have immersed themselves in a myriad of clubs, activities, competitions, events, intramurals, and school and community service projects. They have risked new ventures . . . taken on new leadership roles . . . embraced opportunities . . . pushed themselves to new heights . . . put themselves out there . . . all to better themselves as a student and as a person. They have inspired excellence not only within, but in those with whom they surround themselves. And lastly, but, perhaps, most importantly, they have continued to build upon and refine our foundation of good work and many worthwhile traditions here at DeSana, with none bind more important than continuing to build upon our tradition of excellence in education.
As these last two weeks of the school year wind down, there will be no shortage of special activities and events for our young Dragons to participate in and enjoy (check out our school calendar on the DeSana webpage for the many activities and events, as well as this edition of the Dragon Digest). It is a great way to finish up what has been an awesome school year on every front!
One very special tradition that was started when we first opened our doors here at DeSana, and one that is very near and dear to my heart is one that we are looking forward to next week --- our DeSana Day of Good Deeds, or D3 Day, for short. On Tuesday, May 21st ALL of our students, staff and many of you --- parent volunteers --- will join together in a morning of “doing good deeds” that will serve 30+ charitable and non-profit organizations in our wonderful community. This day will be another terrific opportunity for our students to understand what it means to give of themselves --- their time, their talents and their hearts --- to help a common and greater good. More importantly, the day will be about people . . . helping people . . . and the acts of kindness . . . compassion . . . helpfulness . . . and the infinite power of kids and adults coming together - - - all working side-by-side to make a difference in our community and in this world. This Day of Good Deeds is an extraordinary and huge undertaking for us, as a school. But it is one that is so worth the effort! With our enthusiastic volunteers, committed students and staff, and supportive sponsors, it is certainly a day that will create long-lasting memories and hopefully kindle a passion for helping others in many a young Dragon. And this is a tradition we will continue to carry forward for a very long time!
Thank you, parents, for putting your trust in me and all of our teachers and staff once again this year. Thank you for your continuous support throughout this year, even when we did not always get it right. And most of all, thank you for allowing us the privilege and the pleasure of working with your young Dragons throughout this school year. They are truly wonderfully fantastic young people, and they continue to inspire us and capture our hearts in so many ways!!
Here’s wishing you and your family a terrific summer break!! Take care and stay safe!
With warmest regards,
Terri A. North
Principal
DESANA DAY OF GOOD DEEDS
COOKIES FOR THE TROOPS!!
Rev up your ovens! We need 8,000 cookies to send to our Troops serving our country overseas. We will pack them up on D3 Day during our Treat the Troops Southern Style Project. Please sign up to bake or buy cookies. The men and women who serve our country love home baked . . . but store bought are fine too. And yes, we did say 8,000 cookies! Sign up below:
PERMISSION SLIPS FOR D3 DAY DUE TUESDAY, MAY 14!
All 7th and 8th graders brought home permission slips for our DeSana Day of Good Deeds. If you have not already signed and sent in your student's form, please do that TODAY! Be aware that some organizations that we are serving require a secondary waiver. We must have that signed waiver as well as the school permission slip for your student to be able to go. Additional forms are available in the front office from Mrs. Batson or by clicking here.
ACADEMICS
RISING 6TH GRADE STUDENTS AND ADVANCED STUDIES COURSE
DeSana’s Administrative team will host rising 6th Grade Advanced Studies Information Sessions for 5th grade students and parents who will be coming to DeSana next year. So if you have a neighbor or friend who has a rising 6th grader, please share this article with them. The following are the upcoming meeting dates and times:
Tuesday, May 14 @6:30PM**
Wednesday, May 15 @6:30PM
Saturday, May 18 @9:00AM**
Wednesday, May 22 @ 6:30PM**
Tuesday, May 28 @ 6:30PM
Wednesday, May 29 @ 6:30PM
**These meetings will be translated for our Spanish-speaking parents.
All meetings will take place in the DeSana Media Center. We are offering multiple sessions to hopefully accommodate families and their busy schedules at this time of the year, and we highly recommend our parents and students attend one if they are interested in taking an advanced studies course next year. These sessions are designed for both parents and the students. At each session, we will discuss the reasons why your child may consider taking an advanced studies course(s), the benefits of your child challenging himself/herself academically, and the procedures for registering for Advanced Studies Courses here at DeSana.
Any student may sign up to be in an advanced studies course. Advanced studies courses at DeSana are for students who are in the gifted program and for students who are not in the gifted program. Students who attend DeSana Middle School are not placed into advanced study courses. The child and the parent choose to enroll in an advanced study course(s). The decision for enrolling should be based on the child’s motivation to do more challenging course work with an “I can do it” attitude, along with a commitment to the time it may take for completing assignments both inside and outside of class.
If you are unable to attend one of our information sessions, the PowerPoint with all of the information presented, the Readiness Guides, and the Registration Form will be posted on our DeSana website starting on May 1. Our rising 6th graders need to have their registration form turned into the front office here at DeSana Middle School by Friday, May 31st at 6:00 PM. Parents are given a receipt for their records once they turn in their registration form. The May 31st by 6:00 PM deadline is a very firm deadline. No late registration forms will be accepted.
We hope to see many of our rising 6th graders and their parents at our Advanced Studies Information Sessions!
DRAGON CAMP FOR RISING 6TH GRADERS
Make sure to mark your calendars for Saturday, July 27th from 9:00 AM- 12:45 PM for DeSana’s 3rd annual Dragon Camp! At Dragon Camp, rising 6th graders will receive their lockers, get their schedules, participate in team building activities, play games and MORE! A parent is required to accompany students to Dragon Camp, as there will be parent sessions that occur while students are participating in their own activities. Click here to register!
ATTENTION PARENTS OF STUDENTS WITH IEPS
Thank you for partnering with us this year! Within our special education department, we are constantly looking for ways to improve and help our students be as successful as possible. Your involvement and collaboration is key to this process.
You can help our department grow and improve by completing the GA DOE Parent Involvement survey (only 10 questions) at any one of the following links: www.gadoe.org/Parent-Survey or http://www.gadoe.org/ci_exceptional.aspx or www.parentmentors.org or www.p2pga.org. If you believe that the DeSana Middle School Special Education department has done a great job this year with your student, please feel free to mark “strongly agree” and “very strongly agree” for your answers. These scores reflect the most positive environment in overall participation and parent satisfaction for DeSana. However, we do value your true and honest opinion of our progress, so please know that your answers are confidential should you choose other answer choices.
Please let your student’s homeroom teacher know when you have completed the survey.
ATHLETICS
SPRING FOOTBALL GAME
Calling all Dragon fans! Come out and support your Dragon Football team on Monday, May 20 at 5:00pm on the football field as they participate in their annual Spring Game. The players have been working hard all Spring and will definitely put on a show for everyone. Admission is free, but students will need to have a permission slip signed to stay after school and watch. The game will end around 6:15pm. Go Dragons!!!
POWDER PUFF FOOTBALL GAME
On Thursday, May 16 the 7th and 8th graders will be competing against each other in a flag football powder puff game at 2:45pm. The girls will be playing and the boys will be coaching them. The whole school will come out and watch the game and concessions will be served!
THE ARTS
BAND NEWS
This has been a great year with terrific results. As a third year school band program, we wowed the crowds at all of our concerts. One of the most impressive performances came from our LGPE Festival Performance in March where we received, yet again, Superiors ratings (the highest ratings) from the adjudicators. It was a great feeling and a wonderful and exciting time for all our kids. The most humbling comment came as the band was leaving the performance site and a judge made the comment “that was truly a fun-filled performance”. What a great compliment to a great group of kids!
In March, our Symphonic Band took a competition trip to Orlando to Universal Studios. We performed on a working sound-stage at Universal. After our performance, the judges came to speak to the band and discuss with them how they performed. It was an incredible experience for each of us and at the end of the competition, we ended up winning the BEST MIDDLE SCHOOL INSTRUMENTAL group and when the announcement of GRAND CHAMPION was announced, the name DeSana was once again said. We had the highest score of the festival and even triumphed over the high school band that was there. What an accomplishment for these young musicians. The best part of the competition was the faces of the band kids after finding out they won, knowing that all their hard work paid off and that they truly are a SUPERIOR group of kids.
In late April, 49 of our students performed a solo at the annual GMEA Solo and Ensemble Festival. 47 earned the top rating of SUPERIOR. This was the first time that any of our band students have ever attended this event and they performed at the highest level and did our school and program proud.
Our final concert is on May 16 at 7:00 pm in the DeSana Gymnasium. The Beginning, Concert and Symphonic bands will be performing. We expect a packed house and look forward to seeing lots of friends and family there. It will be an exciting end to a great year. We cap the year with an awards night on May 21st at 7:00 pm in the DeSana Gym. We will be honoring all of our students this evening with superlative awards. It will be a fun-filled and emotional evening.
Now we are working on getting more kids involved with the band program through recruiting from the 5th grade class. We have had several meetings with those wonderful students and the future looks promising for our program. We have presently 274 students in our program and over 100 new students have already signed up to be in our band in the 2019-2020 school year. We are projected to have over 300 next year. If you know of anyone who is interested in band, please email Mr. Mitchell at mmitchell@forsyth.k12.ga.us with your child’s name and let him know that you would like to have your child in the band at DeSana.
Thank all of you again for your support of our program!
ACTIVITIES
The 8TH GRADE DANCE on Friday, MAY 17TH & STUDENT ATTENDANCE on This Day
Students who plan to attend the 8th Grade Dance must be at school on Friday, May 17th until at least 12:45 PM. If a student does check out before 12:45 and does not return for the majority of the rest of the day, he/she will not be allowed to attend the dance that evening. The last check-out is at 3:45PM.
Please also note that only people listed in Parent Portal under your child’s name will be allowed to check out your 8th grader. No handwritten notes will be allowed. Click here for instructions on how to update your Parent Portal, if need be. If you plan to check out your 8th grader early on this day, please come with your ID and your student's ID number in hand, ready to be processed more quickly!
We appreciate your cooperation with these procedures on Friday, May 17th! Thank you!
Sincerely,
The DeSana Administrative Team
6TH GRADE YEAR END ACTIVITIES
6th grade has a very fun last week of school planned! We will have a variety of indoor and outdoor activities to culminate our fantastic first year in middle school.
Tuesday May 14th – 6th Grade Field Trip to Tellus Science Museum
Monday, May 20 -Initial locker clean out during enrichment; classes as normal
Tuesday, May 21 – DeSana Day of Good Deeds (D3 Day)
Wednesday, May 22- Yearbooks distributed during Dragon Time; 9:15-11 Field Day outside; locker clean out during enrichment; 12:40-2:25 Game Room Rotation (board games, Bingo, etc. with various teachers hosting); Connections as normal
Thursday, May 23 – Final locker clean out and yearbook signing during enrichment classes; classes as normal; Connections as normal
Friday, May 24 – 9:15-11 Walk 'n Talk outside; Yearbook signing in enrichment; 12:45-2:30 Finding Nemo; Connections as normal
7TH GRADE YEAR END ACTIVITIES
The last day 7th grade teachers are accepting missing work is Friday, May 17.
Here are the 7th grade end-of-year activities:
Tuesday, May 21
DeSana Day of Good Deeds (D3 Day)
Wednesday, May 22
Yearbook distribution during Dragon Time.
AM: Movie Morning- A Bug’s Life
Enrichment: Picnic lunch outside (students will provide their own lunch or purchase from the cafeteria)
PM: 6th and 7th Periods: Field Day- students need to bring several dollars if they plan to purchase snacks/candy or attempt to dunk one of their favorite teachers in the dunk booth.
Thursday, May 23
Enrichment: Yearbook signing with entire 7th grade.
7th Period: Clean out lockers
8th GRADE DANCE AND YEAR END ACTIVITIES
Eighth grade teachers and students are gearing up for a variety of exciting and celebratory end-of-year events and activities. One of the highlights for the students is the 8th Grade Dance on Friday, May 17th. Mrs. Ortiz, Ms. Nixon, Mrs. Wehner, and their committee of parents and students have been working hard to organize an unforgettable evening for the 8th Grade Dance. Tickets are $12 and will be available for purchase on the 8th grade hallway every morning starting Friday, May 3 until Friday, May 17th. It will be an evening full of dancing, laughing, and enjoying those last few moments being a middle school student! In addition to the dance, a variety of other events and activities are planned.
· Wednesday-Friday, May 8-10: Savannah Overnight Field Trip
· Wednesday, May 15: Spanish Final Exam
· Friday, May 17: 8th Grade Dance, 7-9:30pm
· Tuesday, May 21: DeSana Day of Good Deeds (D3 Day)
· Wednesday, May 22: Locker Clean-out in Social Studies classes
· Thursday, May 23: 8th Grade Picnic, Field Day and Class Video
· Friday, May 24: 8th Grade Awards Ceremony, 9:30am - Gym
ADVANCED ORGANIZER FOR 2019-2020 SCHOOL YEAR!
Mark your calendar NOW for these important beginning-of-the-year activities and events here at DeSana. You and your middle schooler won't want to miss these activities and the opportunity to get the school year started out in fine fashion!
Dragon Camp 2019 for Rising 6th Graders - Saturday, July 27th, 9:00 AM - 12:45 PM
Open House 2019 for Rising 7th and 8th Graders (& 6th Graders too, if they want to come!) - Monday, July 29th, 4:00 PM - 6:30 PM
School Supply Lists for 6th, 7th, and 8th grade students will be posted on all of our social media outlets and our DeSana web page, beginning Monday, June 3rd.
PARENT 411 - HELPFUL LINKS FOR YOU
OTHER IMPORTANT INFORMATION
YEARBOOK INFORMATION:
Attention- Yearbook have arrived and we have extras. Yearbook distribution will May 22nd to ALL grade levels. Extra copies are NOW ON SALE. If your child would like a copy, please send $50 to Mrs. West (cash or check) on the 7th grade hall.
Questions? Email Mrs. West: mwest@forsyth.k12.ga.us
NOTES FROM THE NURSE
State law requires that all children entering the seventh grade have a second MMR (mumps, measles, and rubella), a second varicella (chicken pox) vaccine, one dose Tdap (tetanus, diphtheria, pertussis), and one dose MCV (meningococcal conjugate vaccine). Students who are not current on these immunizations received a letter from Nurse McWalters. She must receive documentation of these vaccinations for all rising 7th graders. Students will not be assigned a class schedule until this immunization certificate is complete and received by the school.
All medication in the clinic must be picked up by a parent no later than Friday, May 17th. Any medication not picked up by this date will be thrown out.
LOST AND FOUND
Attention Parents – Please encourage your student to claim his/her lost items from lost and found before May 17th. We have jackets, shirts, shorts, lunchboxes, and water bottles that will be donated to a local charity if not claimed. Any item labeled with the student’s name will be returned to the student. Lost and found is located in the Hex outside the Media Center and the bins on each grade level hallway.
Thank you!
MANY THANKS TO OUR AMAZING BUSINESS PARTNERS!
*ALL AMERICAN SPECIALTIES
*BROWNS BRIDGE CHURCH
*CHICK-FIL-A @ THE COLLECTION
*DUNKIN DONUTS
*DR. HOM PEDIATRIC DENTISTRY & ALPHARETTA COMPREHENSIVE DENTISTRY
*GEORGIA ORTHODONTICS AND CHILDREN'S DENTISTRY
*HI FIVE SPORTS
*MARVEL SOCCER
*NORTH GEORGIA PROMOTIONS
*OMEGA LEARNING
*RBM OF ALPHARETTA
*RISPA
*VERTICAL CHURCH
Forsyth County Schools does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, age, disability, or gender in employment decisions or educational programs and activities.