DMS Weekly Family Update
3-13-2020
Conductor Corner
Wow, these last few days have been a whirlwind and I am just now sitting down for a moment to gather my thoughts. In these uncertain times, I have been nothing but extremely proud of our students, staff, and families. I just have to take a moment to express my appreciation to all the staff here at DMS. They went above and beyond and were willing to do everything necessary to get the students ready for the three weeks away. They all went the extra mile to make sure the students were safe and knew how much we care. There has never been a doubt in my mind about how much the staff cares about the students, but today really was a true test and it was spectacular how everyone rallied around the kids. The students were at the center of every decision that was made and everyone just wanted to do everything in their power to help. It was a great day to be a Railroader!
Today, we followed recommendations to limit large gatherings of students and made hand washing before lunch and right before students went home a priority. We also created math packets for all students and sent students home with a class novel and a Reading Railroader. These activities are meant as practice and will be beneficial for the students to complete. Although these are not graded activities, I highly recommend that each student complete and return their practice on the 6th. We are continuing our March is Reading Month reading challenge. Students will get a ticket for our prize drawing for every 100 pages they read. They will need to write a one paragraph summary for each 100 pages and turn them in to their ELA teacher when they return. There are a few other opportunities for student practice and review that can be found below.
I will be checking my email regularly during this mandatory time off of school. Please do not hesitate to contact me for any reason. The school will be closed to students during the shutdown and all activities are canceled, but I can still be reached. Please watch for communications from Mr. McCrumb regarding the school closing and further updates. As of now, school will resume on April 6th. Report cards will not be sent home until April 17th to allow students who have been absent this last week to turn in missing work and to ensure teachers have adequate time to grade missing work.
We will continue to assess the situation as the school year progresses and will give more information as we know more. In the meantime, please be safe and we will look forward to seeing everyone back on April 6th. I will miss the students during this time period, and look forward to being back together as soon as it is safe to do so. I have lived and worked in this community long enough to know that we will all come together and help each other through this time. Go Railraoders!
Sincerely,
Mrs. Shankster
Please take some time to review the documents below as they may be useful for you and your family. The PAC Flower Fundraiser Forms are attached.
Honor's Math Practice
Pre-Algebra Khan Academy Practice
Khan Academy for Everyone
Science Links to explore from Mrs. Hansen
Grade 8 Science https://blog.sharetolearn.com/classroom-resources/popular-science-websites-for-students/
Congratulations to our class of 2024 Shiawassee Scholars!
About Us
Email: shanksterr@durand.k12.mi.us
Website: https://ms.durand.k12.mi.us/
Phone: 989-288-3435