DRAGON DIGEST
VOLUME 2, ISSUE 19 / APRIL 13, 2018
LETTER FROM ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL DAVID FEUERBACH
Dear DeSana Parents & Students,
It is with a lot of mixed emotions that I am writing this letter to you today. As some of you might have heard, I have accepted a new position within Forsyth County Schools and will not be returning as Assistant Principal of DeSana Middle School effective July 1, 2018. The position that I have accepted is with Forsyth County’s School Safety and Discipline. Ever since I began my career in education, my passion has always been in school safety. I am looking forward to be able to work with every school in Forsyth County.
My time at DeSana has been an experience that I will never forgot…..it will forever be etched on my heart. Being given the opportunity by Ms. North to be an assistant principal and to help build a school from the ground up is an opportunity that few can say they have had in their administrative career. It has not only helped me grow professionally, but also personally.
It has been an amazing two years at DeSana. Being a part of building the culture and climate of a school will be something that I will also never forget. The diversity of DeSana’s students is also very special to me. I have enjoyed learning about the different cultures that each of our students and their families represent. Watching your children work so hard to achieve their goals has also been a sight to see. I will miss this, but I know it will continue with the leadership of Ms. North and Mrs. Epperson. I am excited to see what the future holds for DeSana Middle School!
I have thoroughly enjoyed serving the DeSana community. Being able to not only work with the students and teachers, but each family has been a joy. I have learned so much from the community and still look forward to working with the DeSana community as I transition to my new position. The DeSana community is truly one of the best communities around!
Thank you for a wonderful two years!
Sincerely,
David Feuerbach
Assistant Principal
DESANA DAY OF GOOD DEEDS
D3 DAY VOLUNTEERS NEEDED
D3 Day needs around 100 parent volunteers to make D3 Day run smoothly. Please consider volunteering your time on this very rewarding day! Your investment of just a few hours will make a difference for our students, in the community, and you will have a great feeling when you are done too! D3 Day is Monday, May 21st. Please sign up using the link below even if you already signed up on the T-shirt form. At this point, we only need project volunteers 8:45am-1:00pm to work with our students as they take part in their community projects.
Click here to volunteer!
DONATIONS NEEDED
April Food Drive: CEREAL (any kind, boxed or bagged) All collections will be used to stock summer pantries of The Place of Forsyth and Bald Ridge Lodge. The top collecting class in each grade, based on percentages (items/number of students), will get a donut treat. The top overall teacher will win a $50 Castle Car Wash gift card. The April collection will end May 3rd and the donut treat will be held May 4th. All students in the winning classes (6th, 7th, and 8th) for the April food drive will be entered into a drawing for 2 tickets to Six Flags Over Georgia. The drawing will be held at the D3 Day assembly.
Other items: We are still collecting magazines (especially Men's magazines), grocery bags, and old blankets and towels.
PLEASE STAY TUNED FOR A COOKIE SIGN UP: We will release a cookie sign up genius in May. These cookies will be used to Treat the Troops. We need A LOT of cookies. So, if you are a baker...this is where we need you!
As always, thank you for your help with D3 Day! We are making a difference in our community.
ACADEMICS
INFORMATION ABOUT GEORGIA MILESTONES EOG AND EOC
Our spring Georgia Milestones Assessment System testing has started as of this Wednesday, and preparations have been made for a successful testing season. The Georgia Milestones Assessment System is a comprehensive assessment system spanning grades 3 through high school. Students in grades 3 through 8 will take End-of-Grade (EOG) assessments in English/Language Arts and Mathematics. Additionally, 5th and 8th grade students will also take Science and Social Studies. Students taking specific high school courses will take the End-of-Course (EOC) assessments.
Georgia Milestones is designed to measure and provide information about how well students are mastering the state adopted content standards. Importantly, Georgia Milestones is designed to provide students with critical information about their own achievement and readiness for their next level of learning.
Georgia Milestones includes the following features:
· Multiple-choice items in all content areas and courses
· Multi-part and multi-select items in all content areas
· Open-ended (constructed response) items in English/Language Arts and Mathematics (all grades and courses)
· A writing component (in response to passages read by students) at every grade level and course within the English/Language Arts assessments
· Nationally norm-referenced items in all content areas and courses to complement the Georgia criterion-referenced information and to provide a national comparison
Specific Information for End-of-Grade Tests
We ask that you make every effort to ensure your student gets a good night’s rest and arrives at school on time each day for testing. The EOG tests will be administered over a fourteen-day period with one day for each content area and different grades testing on different days to accommodate more online testing. Click here to see the testing schedule.
Specific Information for End-of-Course Tests
The EOC window is from April 23-May 11. That schedule is available by clicking here.
Online Testing
As school systems in Georgia transition to online testing, Forsyth County will meet and exceed the state’s expectations of 80% of the student population taking the Georgia Milestones assessments online during the spring 2018 administration. The state’s goal is that school systems continue to increase online testing until all students are testing online by spring 2019. The information below is provided to assist you and your student in becoming familiar with the features of online testing.
- Most elementary and all middle schools will be testing students online in grades 3-8, unless special accommodations require paper-pencil testing. Please contact David Feuerbach, Assistant Principal at dfeuerbach@forsyth.k12.ga.us or 770-667-2591 Ext. 491507 for more information.
- All high schools are testing students via the online platformA website, called Experience Online Testing Georgia, has been established to provide an opportunity for students to become familiar with the online testing platform. The website can be found at the link http://gaexperienceonline.com/ and can be accessed at home. Experience Online Testing Georgia is available 7 days a week from 7:00am-10:00pm and does not require a log-in. It is intended to allow students to familiarize themselves with the online platform prior to testing.
- Students testing online will also have an opportunity to take a practice test at school, which provides students another opportunity to acquaint themselves with the online testing system.
Further Information about Georgia Milestones
If you would like more information about the EOG or EOC, please read the Georgia Milestones Questions and Answers for Parents document on the Georgia Department of Education website by clicking here.
Forsyth County School System provides many measures of test security, which include providing extensive training for school-level testing coordinators, limited access to test materials, and system-level administrative oversight on test days.
For questions or concerns regarding test administration or test security, please contact David Feuerbach, Assistant Principal at dfeuerbach@forsyth.k12.ga.us or 770-667-2591 Ext. 491507 or the Forsyth County Schools Assessment Division at 770-887-2461. Thank you for your cooperation during testing.
13 1/2 WEEK PROGRESS REPORTS COMING YOUR WAY!
Mark your calendars now . . . Thursday, April 26th is when DeSana students will receive 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 will be sending 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 Literacy classes, hard copy Progress Reports will be given only to those students with a present grade of 75% or below.
For our 7th and 8th grade students, only those 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 --- will receive 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 Literacy classes, hard copy Progress Reports will only be 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 PARENTS OF STUDENTS WITH IEPS
The Georgia Department of Education has asked that we survey all parents of students with disabilities. The information you provide is extremely valuable to us at DeSana as we seek to continuously improve our Special Education Department.. All parent responses will remain anonymous. You may complete the survey online in English or Spanish by clicking here. If you have any questions or concerns please contact your student’s case manager.
DRAGON ACADEMY FOR THE 2017-2018 SCHOOL YEAR
Dragon Academy is an opportunity we offer students on a couple of Fridays per month, 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 will happen 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 will 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 will have about two hours to complete their work, once they complete all that they came to accomplish, students will be able to call their parent to come pick them up. Snacks and drinks will be sold for a very reasonable cost so students may focus on their work, not on their gurgling stomachs! Any necessary school supplies will be 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:
· April 27
· May 4 & 18
ADDITIONAL OPPORTUNITY TO LEARN (AOL) TIME
Has your child learned everything in their life the first time it was presented to them? Does your child really like to come in for early morning help sessions? Does your child really like to stay after school for help sessions? If the answer to any of these questions is “no” then Additional Opportunity to Learn (AOL) time will be great for your child. AOL is a 50-minute block of time that will happen first thing in the morning on Thursdays, and on some Wednesdays (9:00 – 9:50) beginning this second semester on Thursday, January 25th. During this block of time, students have the opportunity to receive re-teaching from their teachers should they need it. If your child is struggling in a class or if they have received a low summative score, please encourage him/her to take advantage of AOL time! Ask your young Dragon each Wednesday evening/Thursday morning where he/she is going for AOL time on Thursday. Then ask him/her Thursday evening what teacher they went to that day for extra help. Below are the dates for AOL time during this second semester. Thanking you in advance for your help in making sure our young Dragons take advantage of this learning opportunity during AOL time!
Wednesday, May 2
Thursday, May 3
Thursday, May 10
Wednesday, May 16
Thursday, May 17
ATHLETICS
GOLF
The Dragon Golf team has had a great season so far! They will be wrapping up their season with a match at Laurel Springs Golf Club on Thursday, April 17th at 4:30pm against the Eagles of South Forsyth Middle School. They will then take on the Little Mill Mustangs on April 18th at 4:30pm at Crooked Creek Golf Club.
The season will finish with DeSana hosting the 2018 Forsyth County Championship at Laurel Springs Golf Club on Tuesday, April 24th. This tournament will feature all ten middle school teams competing for team and individual honors. The Dragons have been working hard to finish strong at the county championship and would love to see our supporters out on the course with us.
TRACK AND FIELD
TTrack and Field is wrapping up the season in fine fashion. We have had some personal bests the lasts few meets. It has been great to see the growth of the athletes. From being scared to run in the meet, to relishing placing in their event has been a joy to watch. Track and Field is a short season, but it takes years to develop the skills needed to excel. Though the season is coming to an end, I recommend you get your athletes involved in sports programs in the area and develop fundamentals of conditioning, speed and agility. Seek out these programs offered by the county, or local athletes who have developed opportunities to build their skills.
The Forsyth County Track and Field Meet is scheduled for April 18th at West Forsyth High School, beginning at 3:00pm. We encourage all of our fans to come and support the team as we look to finish the season on a high note!
FOOTBALL
The DeSana Dragons football team has been hard at work the past two months conditioning every Tuesday and Thursday morning. We will be practicing every school day from April 23-May 3 from 4:30pm-6:30pm on the football field. On May 4th at 5:00pm, we will host our annual Spring Game and we encourage all students and parents to attend. This is a good opportunity to see how hard the team has been working and cheer them on. There is no charge for admission, but students must have a signed permission form to stay after and attend.
FOOTBALL AND COMPETITION CHEERLEADING CLINIC AND TRYOUTS
Desana’s Football and Competition Cheerleading clinic and tryouts will run from April 25th thru April 27th from 4:30pm-6:30pm in the gym. All students must have a complete physical and participation packet on file before trying out. The first two days will be a clinic where material is taught, and the third day (Friday, April 27th) is the final judged tryout day. Tryouts will begin at 5:00pm, with a warmup from 4:30 to 5:00. Results will be posted to the DMS Football Cheerleading Website by 9:00 PM on April 27th. Please contact Coach Bell at ABell90@forsyth.k12.ga.us if you have any questions about tryouts or the cheerleading season. There is also a Football and Competition Cheer FAQS on the DMS Football Cheerleading page.
THE ARTS
ART NEWS
Festival of the Arts 2018
Congratulations to the following students who will have artwork displayed at the CFUMC Festival of the Arts county wide show.
Jacob A.
Deonna B.
Deanna C.
Bianca D.
Amanda G.
Lorena G.
Treya H.
Quinn J.
Kelis K.
Sophia K.
Ava L.
Druvitha L.
Aleena N.
Dakotah R.
Gabrielle R.
Kendall S.
Varsha S.
Zoe S.
Carinne T.
Sarvani V.
April 15-28 Artist & Student exhibitions open to the public, 1—8 p.m. daily.
Wednesday, April 26: Student Receptions and awards announcements. Elementary begins at 5 p.m. Middle/High School begins at 6:30 p.m.
Starting your spring cleaning?
The art room is always in need of extra supplies!
If there is a remote possibility we can do something with it, then send it... we are VERY creative. If we can't use it, we'll either find someone who can or we will toss it lovingly.
The art room is currently seeking an old hair dyer, hot plate, glass baby food jars, magazines, and much more!
To see the entire wish list click the link below:
CHORUS NEWS
Congratulations to all three choruses for their fantastic performances at LGPE (Large Group Performance Evaluation). We couldn’t be any prouder considering that this is only our second year!! We can’t wait to share our LGPE selections with you at our Spring Concert on May 3rd, 7pm in the gym.
6th Grade Chorus scored Superior
7th/8th Grade Treble Chorus scored Superior
7th/8th Mixed Choir scored Excellent
In other news, directions will be sent out next week about returning the ladies’ uniforms to school. Please keep an eye out for them!
DeSana’s Got Talent auditions will take place next Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday after school in the chorus room until 6pm. If interested, please sign up for an audition time!
ACTIVITIES
6TH GRADE FIELD TRIP TO TELLUS SCIENCE MUSEUM
Field Trip Permission Forms went home with all 6th grade students. Students can return to their science teacher their signed permission form, along with $30 cash or check, written out to DeSana Middle School. The Field Trip to the Tellus Museum will be Monday, May 14.
OTHER IMPORTANT INOFRMATION
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 18th. Any medication not picked up by this date will be thrown out.
ATTENTION PARENTS OF WALKERS AND BIKE RIDERS
In order for us to maintain safe procedures for those students who have permission to walk or bike to or from school, parents need to complete a permission form entitled Walker and Biker Permission Form and return to a secretary in the front office. The form is available in the front office or by clicking here.
Students will not be permitted to walk/bike to or from school until DeSana Middle School has a signed permission slip on file.
All students walking or biking home along James Road must exit the front of the building, walk along the sidewalk on campus, and cross only at designated crosswalks.
Each morning, please make sure your child knows how they are getting home that day. Students are allowed to check for parent text messages only at the end of the day.
Thank you for helping us ensure your child’s safety.
NEXT DESANA LOCAL SCHOOL COUNCIL MEETING
Our next DeSana LSC meeting will be a joint meeting with the LSC from our feeder elementary schools --- Big Creek, Brandywine and Midway --- held on Friday, April 20th at 1:00 in our DeSana media center. DeSana administration and counselors will present fifth-to-sixth grade transition information and activities, and there will also be a presentation on school safety at DeSana, presented by DeSana administrators and members of the FCS School Safety Dept.
UPDATE FROM THE DRUG SUMMIT
If you missed the drug summit held on March 19, 2018, you may view a recording by clicking here.
WE NEED YOUR INPUT
Please help prevent underage drinking in our community! Forsyth County’s Alcohol and Substance Use Prevention Project would like to know what you think about underage drinking in our community. Please click here to take this brief, anonymous survey. Your feedback will help us plan future community-wide prevention efforts in Forsyth County.