DRAGON DIGEST
VOLUME 3, ISSUE 4 / SEPTEMBER 21, 2018
PRINCIPAL'S LETTERS
Dear DeSana Parents,
I don’t know about you, but these first seven weeks of this school year have flown by for me! These first weeks of school have been filled with a plethora of varied activities and events here at DeSana, and of course LOTS of great teaching and learning! Just nine days after we get back from our long-awaited for Fall Break (which begins promptly at 4:16 today . . . but who’s counting!?!) we will be at the mid-semester --- or nine week --- juncture. And with Thursday, October 11th the designated semester midway point, that means Parent-Teacher Conference Days are soon to follow. Wednesday, October 17th and Thursday, October 18th are our school system’s two fall conference days, with middle school students attending school on these two days for half a day and being released at 1:30. This is an excellent time for parents and teachers to devote specific time to talk about your young Dragon and how he/she is progressing in his/her academic work thus far. Conferences are a time to celebrate successes and growth, as well as examine areas that may need improvement. And for some conferences, or part of the conference, it may be quite appropriate to have your young man/woman join in . . . after all, this conference time is about his/her education and how he/she is doing in school up to this point!
Team teachers will began sending out conference notices about available conference times on Wednesday, October 3rd. While parent-teacher conferences are not a “have-to”, we do want to honor all parent requests for a conference. Many of you keep up-to-date with your child’s academic progress daily through Parent Portal. Some of you may just feel the need to “touch base” with your child’s teacher(s) through an email or phone call. Any and all of these ways are quite fine to stay connected to DeSana and to keep on top of your child’s academic progress. So if you feel that you are very much “in the know” about how your child is performing this year, then you may not desire a face-to-face conference at this time. However, for those who wish to have a conference we will be happy to schedule one for you.
In order to accommodate as many parents as we can during the conference day afternoons, teachers are scheduling 20-minute time slots. We know that time does go by quickly during these conferences, and that it is hard for parents and teachers to discuss everything. Therefore, we encourage you to prioritize the items you would like to discuss. Our teachers will do the same. Should you leave the conference with unresolved concerns or questions, or you think of something else after you leave, please do not hesitate to let the teacher(s) know so that they may arrange some more time to discuss these with you.
As we hope you know, home-school communication and keeping our parents in the loop are two things we value very highly here at DeSana. Parent-student-teacher conferences --- in whatever format you choose and whenever you desire to have one --- are an important piece of our valued communication with parents to keep them in the know. We do appreciate your support in teaming with us to provide the best education possible for your young Dragon!
Meanwhile, back to the most important business at hand . . . preparing to have an awesome Fall Break!! We hope you and your family are able to take some down time and have lots of fun with family and friends! Please stay safe in your travels! And we look forward to seeing our young Dragons back at DeSana on Monday, October 1st!!
With warmest regards,
Terri A. North
Principal
Letter #2
Dear DeSana Parents,
On Monday morning, November 12th, DeSana students and staff will host our second annual Veterans Day Celebration as we pay tribute to veterans and service men and women still serving in our armed forces today. We want to invite any and all veterans of past wars, and men and women still serving our country today, who are a part of our DeSana community to a special breakfast in their honor, to be followed by a school wide assembly at which we will pay tribute to their great sacrifice and love of country. It might be a father or a mother of one of our students . . . a brother or sister . . . a grandfather . . . a cousin . . . an uncle or an aunt . . . a neighbor down the street . . . or a member of our DeSana community that you know. Whoever they are, we would love to have them and their family members join us for the morning - - - a breakfast in their honor from 9:00 – 9:40 and then our school wide Veterans Day Celebration from 10:00 – 11:00.
If you are a veteran or a service man or woman still serving our country today OR if you have a family relative who is a veteran or a service man or woman still serving in our armed forces OR if you know a veteran or a present day service man or woman who lives in our community, we would love for you to send us their name and either their mailing address or email address so that we may send them an invitation to our Veterans Day Celebration on Monday, November 12th. Please send this information to Therese Batson, one of our wonderful DeSana secretaries, at TBatson27@forsyth.k12.ga.us, and she will send them an invitation to join us, with the times and other important information.
We also want to create a Gallery of Honor for the day of our Veterans Day Celebration, filled with photos of our veterans and service men and women still serving in our armed forces. We could use your help with this as well! If you could bring to the school or send by your young Dragon a photo of the veteran(s) in your family and/or a photo of any service men or women in your family or neighborhood still serving today, we promise to take good care of the photo and will display it on November 12th for all or our students, staff and visitors to see throughout this day. Photos should be sent to Therese Batson, DeSana school secretary, no later than Friday, November 2nd by 4:30.
We are quite excited as we make plans for our second Veterans Day Celebration! Our first Celebration last year was such a wonderful event! A committee of volunteer DeSana staff members are working diligently to bring this day of tribute to life for the veterans and service men and women in our community, and for our young Dragons. We look forward to continuing this awesome new DeSana tradition for many more years to come!
Maya Angelou once said: “How important it is to recognize and celebrate our heroes and she-roes!” In our world today, it oftentimes seems that we do not take the time to pause and reflect upon the invaluable contributions of our country’s service men and women, and pay tribute to them for their patriotism . . . love of country . . . and willingness to serve and sacrifice for the greater good. For they have made sacrifices that most of us . . . that many of our young Dragons . . . cannot even begin to imagine. Those who have served our nation in uniform are the best people our society has to offer. We owe them our full support, but most of all . . . . . we owe them our heartfelt thanks.
Here’s hoping you can help us make November 12th a wonderful day of celebration and paying tribute to the many veterans and service men and women still serving in our armed forces today, who are a part of our DeSana community, by sending us their names! And please . . . whether or not you have a veteran or service man or woman in your family, come join us for the morning and help us honor our heroes and she-roes!
With warmest regards,
Terri A. North
Principal
DESANA DAY OF GOOD DEEDS
D3 Day Family Partner
Cost of supplies: $5,000 Goal: $5,000
Here are only a few examples of what will be purchased…
$10= 25lb bag of sugar that will make 57 servings (Goal: 7 bags)
(individually packaged for St. Joseph’s Pantry)
$15= 20lbs of black beans will make 40 servings (Goal: 400 servings)
(individually packed for St. Joseph’s Pantry)
$15= 200 loads worth of laundry detergent (Goal: 2400 loads)
(Jesse’s House, NFCC)
$15= shipping cost for 1 goodie box for active duty Troops overseas (Goal: 50 boxes)
(postage for Treat the Troop boxes- US govt does not pay for this)
$25= 203 diapers and wipes will make 385 diaper/wipe packs (Goal: 400)
(NFCC-North Fulton Community Charities)
$50= fleece fabric for 10 blankets (Goal: 75)
(Project Linus, Family Promise, Homeless shelters)
$75= 22 entertainment bags with puzzles and games for children (Goal 400)
(SAFFT, CHOA, Hugh Spalding, Northside Hospital)
$100= 59 lunches for at risk or homeless children (Goal 432)
(Bags of Love, homeless children)
Stay tuned in October for more information on how you can become a family sponsor and actively help us to make this amazing day happen!
T-shirt contest will be announced in October, be sure to start thinking about designs for our D3 Day t-shirt this year. Carolina blue will be the color of the shirts!
If you own a business and would like to donate to D3 Day, please contact Dawn Bourg or Jennifer Harris (dawn@bourgs.com jharris@campharris.org), all donations are tax- deductible!
ACADEMICS
DEADLINE FOR COMING OUT OF AN ADVANCED STUDIES COURSE IS THURSDAY, OCTOBER 11TH
On Monday, October 1st, students who are currently in an Advanced Studies Class will receive a parent letter. This letter will give you details regarding the opt-out choice your child has for their Advanced Studies Class. Students were allowed to sign up for Advanced Studies classes last spring by choice. We believe in allowing all students the opportunity to sign up for Advanced Studies Classes. Students have the opportunity to try out such a class to see if it meets their academic needs. Before the end of the first quarter, students may change their mind if it does not meet their needs. Now is a great time for students and their parents to have conversations about their choice(s) to be in advanced studies courses. Checking Parent Portal to see how your child’s grade is progressing is one indicator of potential success. However, we encourage parents and students to look beyond the grade and to see if there are missing assignments, and reflect upon the grades earned thus far. Grades are not the only piece of information that should be taken into consideration. Time commitment based on class workload and extracurricular activities are other factors that should be considered. We have asked teachers who teach Advanced Studies Courses to talk to students who are not working up to the standard that we expect in such courses, and to contact parents to share how their student is doing. We also encourage you to communicate with the classroom teacher for their perspective on course placement if you are uncertain. The final decision to stay in or come out rests with the parent. The deadline for withdrawing from an accelerated or advanced studies course is Thursday, October 11, 2018 at 4:30 PM. Please keep in mind that if your child remains in an advanced or accelerated class after the deadline, he/she will be in this class for the entire school year; there is no other time during the 2018-2019 school year when a student will be allowed to change to an on-level class. To withdraw your student from an accelerated or advanced studies course, a parent must make this request in writing to Ms. Epperson, Assistant Principal, at sepperson@forsyth.k12.ga.us by the October 11th deadline. October 11th at 4:30 PM is a firm deadline. If you have any further questions, please feel free to contact Ms. Epperson.
ALLIANCE ACADEMY OF INNOVATION INFORMATION NIGHTS
Join the administrative team and teachers of the Alliance Academy for an information evening about FCS’s newest high school. Learn about the exciting programs they have to offer students. Click here for a flier about these evening meetings.
GRADE LEVEL ENEWSLETTERS
We know that many middle schoolers are not the best conduit of information about what is happening at school in all of their different classes. Itslearning is a BIG help in reminding students about assignments and what they are studying in class, as well as providing a wealth of information for parents. But we want to make doubly sure that our parents are in the knowabout their young Dragon’s academic endeavors, so that is why we will begin publishing our digital, monthly Grade Level eNewsletters beginning next week --- for the rest of August. These eNewsletters are nothing fancy --- just the facts --- and are designed to give you a brief synopsis of what is happening in the four main content areas (five for 8th graders, which includes Spanish) . . . Math, ELA, Science and Social Studies . . . on a monthly basis. Each Grade level eNewsletter (eNews, for short) may contain information about standards/topics/concepts being studied throughout the month, formative and/or summative assessments coming up, project assignments, and/or reminders about other upcoming activities or events. So stay tuned to your email in box as our first eNews will be coming your way electronically within the next week!
ANNOUNCING DRAGON ACADEMY FOR THE 2018-2019 SCHOOL YEAR - - - AN OPPORTUNITY FOR ADDITIONAL LEARNING & ASSESSMENT TIME FOR STUDENTS!
Dragon Academy is an opportunity we will begin offering students on August 25th 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 ---beginning Friday, August 24th, 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:
· October 5, 17 (Early Release Day so it will be 1:30 – 4:00) & 26
· November 9 &16
· December 7 & 14
· January 25
· February 8 & 22
· March 15 & 29
· April 19 & 26
· May 3 & 10
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 Thursday, August 23rd. 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 them 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 your young Dragon Thursday evening what teacher he/she went to that day for extra help. Thanking you in advance for your help in making sure our young Dragons take advantage of this learning opportunity during AOL time!
ATHLETICS
BASKETBALL CHEER SQUAD
Do you like being loud and having fun? If so, basketball cheerleading may be for you.
· Information meeting for students is Tuesday, October 2 right after announcements.
· Optional clinic will be offered Monday, October 22 for girls who haven’t cheered before or need a refresher.
· Cheer Clinic will be Tuesday, October 23 and Wednesday, October 24 where girls will learn the material for the actual try out which will take place on Thursday, October 25.
THE ARTS
HIGH MUSEUM FIELD TRIP
DeSana’s Advanced 8th Grade Art classes (both semesters) have been selected to attend the Kusama: Infinity Mirrors exhibit at the High Museum of Art. There will be an informational meetings Monday October 1st after announcements where permission forms will be passed out. This is a trip you don’t want to miss!
ART CONTEST
Have you ever imagined what it’d be like to have your artwork on display in an art museum? Now is your chance! The High Museum of Art will be hosting a Community Pop-Up Show for students. This will be a two week show from October 13–28. We would love for you to participate!
- Bring one work of art to the High Museum’s Greene Family Education Center on Saturday, October 13 from 1–3 p.m.
- We will only accept 2-D artwork that can be pinned to the wall using thumbtacks. The size is limited to 3 ft x 3 ft.
- Bring your own label with your name, grade, school, and title of your artwork OR create your own label at the museum.
- The Museum will offer free admission for participants and their families for both drop-off and pick-up.
- Artwork MUST be picked up on October 28 from 1–3 p.m.
ART EXHIBITS AT THE ATLANTA AIRPORT
Congratulations to the following students who will have artwork displayed at the airport this winter and spring!
Super Bowl Exhibit
Jordi S. – 8th grade
Aleena N. – 7th grade
Youth Art Exhibit
Neha E. – 8th grade
Aleena N. – 7th grade
Kushmin W. – 8th
Rachel Y. – 8th
Jacob A. – 8th grade
ACTIVITIES
SIGN UP FOR THE BYOT RUN 10/6
Help us provide internet connectivity and devices for students in need! Participate or donate to the 2018 iRun on 10/6 at Shiloh Point ES. Learn more at https://runsignup.com/Race/GA/Cumming/BYOT
OTHER IMPORTANT INFORMATION
DIGITAL CITIZENSHIP TIPS FOR PARENTS!
Parents, what your kids watch, play, read, and listen to is a big part of the person they’re becoming, and their online lives can be just as important to them as the “real world.” Kids are usually glad when parents show an interest in the things they’re interested in, so get them to show you their favorite new game or social media app. Keeping the lines of communication open makes kids more likely to come to a parent or trusted adult if anything makes them uncomfortable online.
FALL BREAK IS HERE!!!
Today at 4:16, you will see and hear some very excited young Dragons as they begin their Fall Break!! And at 4:31 you will hear a second chorus of whooping and hollering as our teachers begin their break! Fall Break for FCS is all next week, September 24th – 28th, with our young Dragons coming back to The Lair on Monday, October 1st. Our school and office will be closed throughout this Break as all teachers and staff members will be enjoying some time away from the usual hectic schedule, and enjoying some fun times with family and friends. Whether you and your family are traveling near or far, we hope that you stay safe! And we will look forward to seeing all of our young Dragons safely back with us on Monday, October 1st! Enjoy!!!
FROM THE MEDIA CENTER
CONGRATULATIONS to Ms. Strader for winning the very first “Teachers are Readers, Too!” contest, sponsored monthly by the media center. Teachers read for fun each month and get a ticket for every book they read. There is a drawing at the end of each month, and the winner receives two books from Amazon: one for them and one to give to a student of their choice as a gift! Ms. Strader chose The 57 Bus, and her student chose The Hate You Give - - - both excellent choices! Which teacher will win for September’s contest?
SAVE THE DATE
Mark your calendars now! BOOK FAIR IS COMING the week of October 29-November 2!
YEARBOOKS!
2018-2019 DeSana Yearbooks are on sale. Visit balfour.com and order yours today! The price is $40 and the price will go up to $45 on November 1st. Students may also see Mrs. West on the 7th grade hall with cash or check.
8th graders! Don’t miss out on the chance for an 8th grade ad. They are 1/8 of a page, cost $15, and are due by January 31, 2019. Directions are attached HERE.
LOST AND FOUND
All lost and found items will be donated on Friday, October 19th to a community charity. Please ask your student to check the lost and found in the Hex and the bin on the grade-level hallway.
DESANA'S LOCAL SCHOOL COUNCIL (LSC)
The next LSC meeting will be Friday, October 5th at 7:30 AM in the front office conference room.. The LSC meets monthly (except for January) at 7:30 AM on the following dates:
October 5, 2018
· November 2, 2018
· December 7, 2018
· February 8, 2019
· March 1, 2019
· April 12, 2019
· May 3, 2019
Members of the DeSana LSC are:
· Barry Herrin Parent / Businessperson Rep
· Christopher Naffky Parent / Businessperson Rep & LSC Vice Chairperson
· Michael Smith Parent Rep
· Victor Williams Parent Rep & LSC Chairperson
· Jennifer Hester-Hall PTO Rep
· Bridget Bryson Teacher Rep
· Laureen Krawiec Teacher Rep & LSC Secretary
· Stacy Dockter Teacher Rep
· Terri North Principal
FAQS ABOUT HOW DESANA'S FRONT OFFICE OPERATES
FRONT OFFICE
o The Front Office hours are 8:15AM to 5PM. Although students may enter the building at 7:30AM, the Front Office does not open until 8:15AM.
o The Front Office will not interrupt classes for items forgotten at home; however, teachers will be notified of forgotten lunches or eyeglasses. You may feel free to leave any other items that are labeled with your student’s name. It will be the student’s responsibility to retrieve their item.
STUDENT CHECK IN
o Students are allowed to check themselves in. Parents are not required to come in.
o Students are expected to be in class and ready to learn by 9:00AM. Students who arrive after the 9:00AM bell will check in through the Front Office and be counted as tardy or absent.
o A medical or parent note explaining student tardiness or absence should be submitted to the Front Office within 5 business days.
o Medical or parent notes may be submitted in person to the Front Office, or by emailing lgarcia@forsyth.k12.ga.us, or by fax at 770-667-2592.
o Please note that leaving a voice message is not an acceptable form of communicating a student’s absence to the school. A physical note must be submitted.
STUDENT CHECK OUT
o Only authorized individuals listed in Parent Portal will be allowed to check out students.
o Proper identification must be presented to the Front Office upon student check out.
o Notes stating that you will be checking out your child(ren) are not required in advance.
o The Front Office will call for your child(ren) after you come in and present proper identification. Please know that this process may take a few minutes and is dependent on where your student is at the time of check out. It is important for you to allow ample time, especially when you are trying to make it to an appointment.
o No check outs are allowed after 3:45PM, except in case of an emergency.
o Please submit medical or all other notes within 5 business days of the student’s absence.
TRANSPORTATION
o Please decide your student’s mode of transportation prior to your student leaving home in the morning. Be sure your student knows whether he/she will be a bus rider or a car rider before he/she leaves for the day.
o Car riders do not need notes or carpool numbers to be picked up. Once car riders are dismissed, they depart through the front of the building and look for their car.
o Students wanting to walk or bike ride home must have their parent complete and sign a “Walker/Biker Permission Form.” This form can be picked up in the Front Office and should be turned back in there.
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
*MARVEL SOCCER
*MILTON DENTAL SPECIALISTS
*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.