DRAGON DIGEST
VOLUME 3 , ISSUE 17 / APRIL 26, 2019
PRINCIPAL'S LETTER
Dear DeSana Parents,
With testing season in the final stages (EOGs complete except for a few make-ups and one more EOC to go + make-ups), we are officially entering the last month of this school year! That means we have four more weeks until this school year ends . . . four more weeks for our young Dragons to make sure they have clearly mastered all of the standards for their grade level so that they are well-prepared for the next school year . . . four more weeks to mature and grow and hone their organization skills and “how we do school” skills for the next school year . . . and four more weeks to finish out this school year in very fine fashion . . . by finishing STRONG!
These next four weeks will be a whirlwind, filled with a bevy of activities for all. There are important activities and events on our DeSana calendar --- ones that all of our parents and students will want to be in the know about. Parents, please make it a weekly activity to check our online calendar on the DeSana website, along with our NEWS section there, as well. And don’t forget to check out our DeSana Facebook page also. For there is no shortage of activities and events here at The Dragon’s Lair these last several weeks of the school year! With the 8th grade Savannah Trip, our 7th graders’ trip to Zoo Atlanta and overnight at the Georgia Aquarium, the 6th grade day field trip to the TELLUS Museum in Cartersville, the Band and Chorus Spring Concerts, Spring Football practice and their Blue-White Scrimmage, a plethora of transition activities for our rising 6th grade young Dragons, the 8th grade picnic and semi-formal dance, end-of-year activities for all three grade levels during the last week of school, and our third annual DeSana Day of Good Deeds (D3 Day) on May 21st, these last 4 weeks of school will be filled with some AWESOME activities and events here at DeSana!
But of course we do want our young Dragons to remember what their #1 Priority is each and every day at DeSana for these next four weeks . . . to put their time . . . and energy . . . and their VERY BEST efforts . . . into their learning and studies! We want all of our students to finish STRONG this school year in both their academics and their behavior! So parents, we ask you to encourage your young Dragon to find just the right balance between school work and studies and their extra-curricular activities and events these last four weeks of school. Just because the Milestones End of Grade (EOG) and End of Course (EOC) tests have ended or are ending shortly, that does not mean that the school year is over and students may slack off. There is still very much important learning to be done throughout the final weeks of this school year. And we need each and every one of our students present at school . . . focused . . . and working up to their highest potential until the last day of school on May 24th.
Here’s to a focused . . . fun . . . fabulous . . . and highly successful last four weeks of this 2018-2019 school year for all of our young Dragons! And here’s to finishing STRONG!! I look forward to seeing many of our parents here at DeSana at the myriad activities and events to come!
With Warmest Regards,
Terri A. North
Principal
DESANA DAY OF GOOD DEEDS
PERMISSION SLIPS GO HOME TUESDAY, APRIL 30
All 7th and 8th graders will be bringing home permission slips for our DeSana Day of Good Deeds this Tuesday, April 30. Please ask your student for the form, sign it, and send it back to school no later than Tuesday, May 14. Please 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.
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:
VOLUNTEERS NEEDED FOR D3 DAY!
D3 Day is Tuesday, May 21! We need 100 volunteers to help our DeSana Day of Good Deeds to be a success! Please use this link to sign up today. There will be two training times available for our volunteers - - -Monday, May 13 at 8am or Thursday, May 16 at 6pm. Set a great example for your student by signing up to serve with us on D3 Day! While we do still need volunteers, our t-shirt deadline has passed. We will do our best, but cannot guarantee a t-shirt.
APRIL FOOD DRIVE
We are collecting cereal (boxed or bagged) for our April Food Drive. All Food Drive donations will be sorted on D3 Day and given to The Place of Forsyth, Jesse's House, and Bald Ridge Lodge. Thanks again for helping to make D3 Day a success. The winning 6th, 7th, and 8th grade Dragon Time classes will get a candy party and the class will win the trophy for the month of April. So start sending in your cereal!
PTO
STAFF APPRECIATION POT LUCK--VOLUNTEERS NEEDED
The PTO will be sponsoring a pot luck lunch for all DeSana staff on Tuesday, May 7 for Staff Appreciation Week. Volunteers are need to contribute food, set up, and clean up. Please click here to sign up to help. Let's all pitch in to help provide a nice lunch for our Dragon Crew to say THANKS for ALL they do!
OFFICERS NEEDED FOR 2019-2020
The DeSana PTO Board has openings for a two Vice Presidents and a Secretary for the upcoming 2019-2020 school year. Please give consideration to participating. It is such a wonderful way to be involved in the life of the school! Officer nomination forms are available here. Officers will be elected at the next PTO meeting prior to the band concert on Thursday, May 16.
DENMARK SPRING FLING
You won't want to miss the inaugural Spring Fling at Denmark on this Saturday, May 4th! Spring Fling is a Community Day with Farmers' Market, 5K Race, Family activities, and local craft & food vendors! Vendor inquiries please contact president@denmarkptso.com.
ACADEMICS
REMAINING TESTING
EOG Testing
We are in the home stretch for testing! Sixth and seventh grades have completed their testing, other than a few make-ups. Eighth grade is currently finishing their EOG assessments this week.
EOC Testing
Students who are currently in the Algebra I high school course will take the Algebra I EOC Assessment on Monday, 4/29. On Monday, 5/6, 8th grade students who are currently in the Physical Science high school course will take the Physical Science EOC Assessment. If your child misses either of these assessments, they will have to complete the make-up the very next day. If your child is planning on going to Savannah on the 8th grade trip, please make sure to have them at school Monday, 5/6, for their Physical Science EOC Assessment. If they are sick on Monday, please make sure they are here on Tuesday, 5/7, for their make-up Physical Science EOC Assessment. Both the Algebra I EOC and the Physical Science EOC count for 20% of students’ final grade in the class.
As always, if there are any questions, please do not hesitate to contact Mike Sloop at 770-667-2592 extension 491507 or at msloop@forsyth.k12.ga.us.
5TH TO 6TH GRADE TRANSITION ACTIVITIES
Transition activities for rising 6th graders are in full swing! If you have a rising 6th grader, or have a friend or neighbor who has a rising 6th grader, please be sure to attend/tell them about the Rising 6th Grade Parent Meeting: All About Dragon Tales and Dragon Lore. It will be held from 6:30 PM to 8:15 PM on Tuesday, April 30th in the DeSana Middle School Cafeteria. The meeting will be comprised of three sessions: “The 5 As”, “Communication at DeSana”, and “ A Day in the Life of a 6th Grader”. Each session will be led by a DeSana administrator, and will also be translated in Spanish.
DeSana’s counselors, Ms. Bell and Mrs. Moore, and their wonderful current 6th grade peer ambassadors, are excited about seeing our rising 6th graders at upcoming elementary school visits and tours of DeSana. DeSana Ambassadors will begin their visits on Friday, May 3rd, visiting Big Creek Elementary at 1:15 PM. They will travel to Midway Elementary at 10:00 AM on Tuesday, May 7th, and Brandywine Elementary at 1:00 PM on Tuesday, May 7th. During these visits, Rising 6th graders will talk to current 6th graders, ask questions, watch a DeSana “Hype Video”, and practice opening locks!
All of DeSana’s feeder elementary schools will come tour DeSana to get a feel for the school, hear the band and chorus perform, and chat with the 6th grade peer ambassadors again. Midway 5th graders will tour DeSana on Wednesday, May 8th, Brandywine 5th graders will tour DeSana on Friday, May 10th, and Big Creek 5th graders will tour DeSana on Tuesday, May 14th.
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.
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:
Wednesday, May 1@ 6:30PM
Monday, May 6@ 6:30PM
Tuesday, May 7 @ 6:30PM
Saturday, May 11@9:00AM
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!
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.
13 1/2 WEEK PROGRESS REPORTS SENT HOME!
Wednesday, April 24th DeSana students received their 13 ½ week Progress Reports to inform students and their parents how they are progressing in mastering the standards in their classes with just 4 ½ weeks left in this school year. While parents (and students, we hope!) may check their young Dragon’s grades daily/weekly via Parent Portal . . . and we highly encourage you to do so . . . we sent home with all 6th grade students a paper copy Progress Report for each core academic class --- Math, Language Arts, Science & Social Studies --- that tells their average thus far and how they have done on each formative and/or summative assessment. For 6th grade Connections and Enrichment classes, hard copy Progress Reports were given only to those students with a present grade of 75% or below.
For our 7th and 8th grade students, only those students with a present grade of 75% or below in their core academic classes --- Math, Language Arts, Science, Social Studies & Spanish for eighth graders who take it --- received a hard copy Progress Report of their grades (both formative and summative assessments) to take home to share with their parents. Also, for 7th and 8th grade students’ Connections classes and Enrichment classes, hard copy Progress Reports were given to those students who have a present average of 75% or below.
At any time a parent may request a hard copy of their student’s grades by contacting the teacher directly. Should a family not have access to the internet to check their student’s grades on Parent Portal at Progress Report time, please do not hesitate to notify your young person’s teacher(s).
With only 4 ½ weeks left in this school year, we want all of our young Dragons to finish strong in their academic endeavors. I hope our parents and students will sit down together and check out his/her grades, and figure out if anything else needs to be done to make sure that each young Dragon finishes strong for this school year!
DRAGON ACADEMY FOR THE 2018-2019 SCHOOL YEAR - - - AN OPPORTUNITY FOR ADDITIONAL LEARNING & ASSESSMENT TIME FOR STUDENTS!
Dragon Academy is an opportunity we offer students throughout this year from 4:15-6:15 for completing, taking or re-taking formative and/or summative assessments (i.e. unit tests, projects, essays, quizzes. etc.). Dragon Academy happens at least two times a month --- on Fridays --- with teachers and an administrator supervising each session. It is a fantastic opportunity for students to drastically improve both their learning and their grades. Students are be invited by their teachers . . . or they may invite themselves . . . to attend Dragon Academy if they are missing work or need to re-take an assessment to show better mastery of the standards or complete a project. Although students have about two hours to complete their work, once they complete all that they came to accomplish, students are able to call their parent to come pick them up. Snacks and drinks are sold for a very reasonable cost so students may focus on their work, not on their gurgling stomachs! Any necessary school supplies are provided for students to use to complete their work, as needed.
Please mark your calendars now for these Dragon Academy dates for the rest of the school year:
· May 3 & 10
ATHLETICS
SPRING FOOTBALL GAME
Calling all Dragon fans! Come out and support your Dragon Football team on Friday, May 15 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!!!
THE ARTS
ADVANCED ART FOR 2019-2020
Attention 7th graders: Now is the time to apply for 8th grade advanced art for the 2019-20 school year. This class will be a semester long course offered both first and second semester. It is designed for students who have excelled in all aspects of the general connections art course and have demonstrated their interest and ability to meet the challenge of a more intensive art curriculum. For more information on how to apply please see Mrs. Petit in the connections hallway room 1240. Deadline to apply is May 3rd .
ART AND THE ELDERLY
8th grade advanced art students recently traveled to the Phoenix Assisted Living to teach watercolor to the residents. Students will return May 2nd for a collaborative art show.
ACTIVITIES
WAIVER NEEDED FOR 7TH GRADE AQUARIUM TRIP
Attention: New online Waiver form needed for 7th grade Field Trip to the Aquarium.
The Georgia Aquarium has sent a new waiver form for the students who will be attending the field trip on May 3, to Zoo Atlanta with an overnight visit to the Georgia Aquarium. Please fill out the form at least one week prior to the trip. This will help the Aquarium locate your information at an expedited rate if the need should arise.
The link is: https://www.smartwaiver.com/w/5b3cc6f335e49/web/
You will use the Group Name: Desana Middle School
Thank you for all your time and support in this matter, if you should have any questions please contact Mrs. Jessica Strader at jstrader@forsyth.k12.ga.us
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 – 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
8TH GRADE DANCE ATTENDANCE
Students planning to attend the 8th Grade Dance must be at school on Friday, May 17th. No check outs will be allowed prior to 12:45PM for those attending the dance, and the last check out is at 3:45PM. Please also note that only those listed in Parent Portal will be allowed to check out students. No handwritten notes will be allowed. Click here for instructions on how to update your Parent Portal. Please come with your ID and your student's ID number, ready to be processed more quickly! Thank you!
PARENT 411 - HELPFUL LINKS FOR YOU
OTHER IMPORTANT INFORMATION
DRAGON CAFÉ NEWS
As we prepare for the end of another school year, Forsyth County Food Services will no longer allow Negative Charges to student accounts,effective after meal service May 1st.
To ensure that your child can continue to enjoy school meals or to clear your student’s account of any negative balances, please send a payment (cash or check) to the school, or visit www.MyPaymentsPlus.com to make a payment online.
NEXT DESANA LOCAL SCHOOL COUNCIL MEETING
Our next DeSana LSC meeting will be a joint meeting with the LSCs from our feeder elementary schools --- Big Creek, Brandywine and Midway --- held on Friday, May 3rd at 7:30 AM in our DeSana media center. DeSana administration and counselors will present fifth-to-sixth grade transition information and activities, and answer any and all questions about transition to middle school and life in general at DeSana Middle School.
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.
SUMMER HOURS FOR THE MEDIA CENTER
The “summer slide” in reading is real, and the best way to help your reader continue to improve his/her reading progress is to READ READ READ. Research shows that reading just six books during the summer may keep a struggling reader from regressing. Our media center is here to help! We will open for several dates this summer so that students may check out books! Rising 6th graders are also welcome!
Save the Dates!
June 3
June 25
July 15
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.