DRAGON DIGEST
VOLUME 2, ISSUE 18 / MARCH 23, 2018
PRINCIPAL'S LETTER
Dear DeSana Parents,
In just one short week at 4:15 PM, we will dismiss for Spring Break . . . a breather, if you will, from the regimen of a daily schedule and time learning at school. It is a break that is often filled with laid-back days and fun times, and one we look forward to . . . one that is much deserved by students, parents and school staff members alike . . . and one that is needed at this time in order to rejuvenate our souls.
Upon everyone’s return to DeSana on Monday, April 9th, there will be just a little less than two months left in this school year . . . less than two months filled with GA Milestones EOG and EOC testing, last units of study to complete the teaching of all of the curriculum standards at each grade level, the winding down of the Track & Field and Golf seasons, end of year concerts, DeSana’s Got Talent, 8th grade trip to Savannah, 6th grade field trip to the TELLUS Museum, DeSana’s Day of Good Deeds, the 8th Grade Semi-Formal and end of year grade level special events. It will be fast and furious! J And it will all be important . . . but none as important as for all of our young Dragons to finish the school year strong and on a positive note (more on that when we get back from Spring Break!).
So I hope all of our young Dragons and their families will take time over Spring Break to just chill . . . do what you love to do . . . or do nothing at all. I hope you are able to carve out some family time together and make some new, wonderful memories of having fun and enjoying being in the moment with each other. Whether you are traveling near or far, I hope you stay safe in your travels.
On behalf of all of our fabulous staff here at DeSana, here’s wishing you an exceptional Spring Break! Enjoy!!!
Counting Down the Hours to Spring Break (159 hours as of today at 4:30 PM!!),
Terri A. North
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. Our biggest need is project volunteers! We need around 85! We also need 10 volunteers for Lunch in the Lanes and five volunteers for delivery (those choices will be shut down once we have met that quota).
Click here to volunteer!
DONATIONS NEEDED
MARCH FOOD DRIVE: The March collection is peanut butter and jelly (any size/any variety). These two items are critical for the food banks and help many families make it through the summer.
We will again have our contest to encourage our collection. The winners will be based on percentages (items/number of students). Winners will get a donut party, winning teachers get a treat, and the overall teacher winner gets a $50 Castle Car Wash gift card. The March collection will end on March 29th. The donut treat will be held March 30th (before Spring Break).
Other items: We are still collecting magazines (especially Men's magazines), grocery bags, and old blankets and towels.
T-shirt reminder: Please remember to send in your t-shirt forms with the $5 donation. The deadline has been extended. T-shirts are a mandatory part of D3 Day. Click here for the t-shirt form.
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 window opens soon, and we are making final preparations 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.
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. Students will be receiving a flyer with more information from their Dragon Time teachers on Monday, March 26. 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.
IMPORTANT REMINDER TO PARENTS REGARDING ADVANCED STUDIES COURSES FOR 2018-2019
If your child wants to take an advanced class next year, forms must be turned in by March 30th at 6:00 PM. This is a firm deadline.
7th grade students may take up to three advanced classes. [Accelerated counts as one of the classes.]
8th grade students may take up to four advanced classes. [Accelerated counts as one of the classes.]
FROM THE MEDIA CENTER
“Ooooh, cool!” “Wait, let me try….” “How does this work?” “Let’s figure this out.”
These are some of the phrases heard in the media center this week as Ms. Solano’s classes helped us “beta test” our new makerspace materials. What is a makerspace? It’s an area of a school, library, or classroom in which students are encouraged to tinker, create, and experiment, and is focused on student inquiry. Thanks to a generous mini-grant from our PTO, our media center is excited to be able to offer this to our student population! Some of the items that may be found in the makerspace: Legos, Keva Planks, Bloxels, Merge Cubes, Origami books and paper, Little Bits, Sphero/Ozobot robots, and even word games, chess, and checkers!
If you have something you feel would be a good addition to our makerspace, please e-mail Ms. MacMillan at tmacmillan@forsyth.k12.ga.us.
NINE WEEK PROGRESS REPORTS FOR THE 2ND SEMESTER COMING YOUR WAY . . TODAY!
Students will be bringing home their 9 Week Progress Reports on Friday, March 23rd. This report will give you and your middle schooler some excellent information about how he/she is doing in all of his/her classes at this half-way mark for the second semester. Please remember: This report will show how your child is progressing in his/her Math, Science, Language Arts, Social Studies, Literacy, and 8th grade Spanish class thus far. It is not a final grade. The final grade for the second semester comes at the 18-week juncture. This Nine Week Progress Report will also give you/your young Dragon his/her final grade for the second nine weeks’ Connections classes.
The format for this Nine Week Progress Report looks different from the Progress Reports you received at 4 ½ weeks (and different from what you will receive at 13 ½ weeks). This Progress Report will show your child’s formative average, summative average and his/her present course average thus far for each academic course. It will also show your young Dragon’s absences for each course.
Another feature for DeSana students and parents on this Nine Week Progress Report (and it will also be included on the Semester Report Card) is an assessment of your student’s work habits in the areas of Assignment Completion, Participation, Responsibility, and Interpersonal Skills. These are all behaviors that have the potential to impact academic achievement in significant ways. Thus, we want to report to you and your young Dragon how he/she is doing in each of these areas. A “2” is the standard for each of these areas, so you will hope to see a “2” for your child in each category, in each class. That means he/she is meeting the standard in these work habits.
With only nine weeks left in this school year, this Nine Week Progress Report should give you some good information to better inform you and your student as to exactly where he/she stands in mastering the standards for the second semester. As always, should you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact your young Dragon’s teacher(s)!
2018-2019 ADVANCED STUDIES FOR RISING 7TH AND 8TH GRADERS
DeSana's Administration will be hosting Rising 7th/8th Grade Advanced Studies Information Sessions on the following dates/times:
3/24, Saturday 9:00 – 10:00 AM
3/26, Monday 6:30 – 7:30 PM
These sessions are designed for both the parents and the students. We will discuss the reasons why your child may consider taking an advanced course(s), the benefits of your child challenging himself/herself academically, and the procedures for registering for advanced studies courses here at DeSana.
The PowerPoint, Readiness Forms, and Registration Forms are on our DeSana website now. An important date to remember is Friday, 3/30. Registration forms will be taken up to 6:00 PM on 3/30. After this time, registration is closed. This is a firm deadline. All registration forms must be hand delivered to our DeSana front office and the parent/student will receive a receipt for their registration form. We hope you are able to attend one of the Rising 7th/8th Grade Advanced Studies Sessions!
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:
· March 30
· April 27
· May 4 & 18
PARENT SESSIONS FOR SPANISH SPEAKING FAMILIES
DeSana Middle School is very excited to host parent sessions for our Spanish-speaking families to help parents have a better understanding of the school system, our school, and their role in their student’s academic life! We will start the parent sessions on Tuesday, February 6 and have one session every Tuesday until April 17, when parents will participate in a graduation ceremony from the program. Parents will learn about topics like structure and function of the school and school district, parent teacher partnership, the road to college, strengthening communication skills and moderating and participating in productive meetings. The sessions are from 6 pm to 7 pm in the DeSana Media Center and all sessions will be given in Spanish. Refreshments and snacks will be provided during the sessions. We will also provide childcare to families with young children so parents can attend the sessions while the kids are monitored by our staff in a separate room. Flyers will be sent home this week to families. We are looking forward to presenting these sessions to our parents!
DeSana Middle School está muy entusiasmada con las sesiones de padres para que nuestras familias hispanohablantes ayuden a los padres a comprender mejor el sistema escolar, nuestra escuela y su papel en la vida académica de sus estudiantes! Comenzaremos las sesiones de padres el martes, 6 de febrero y tendremos una sesión todos los martes hasta el 17 de abril. Al final los padres participen en una ceremonia de graduación del programa. Los padres aprenderán sobre temas como la estructura y función del distrito escolar y la escuela, la Asociación de padres y maestros, como preparar para la Universidad, el fortalecimiento de las habilidades de comunicación y la moderación y participación en conferencias académicas. Las sesiones son de 6 a 7 en la tarde en la biblioteca de DeSana Middle School y todas las sesiones se darán en español. Durante las sesiones van a ver bebidas y aperitivos. También va a ver cuidado infantil a las familias con niños pequeños para que los padres puedan asistir a las sesiones mientras los niños está monitoreados por nuestro personal en una habitación separada. Información serán enviados a casa esta semana a las familias. ¡No podemos esperar para presentar estas sesiones a nuestros padres!
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, March 28
Thursday, March 29
Thursday, April 12
Thursday, April 19
Thursday, April 26
Wednesday, May 2
Thursday, May 3
Thursday, May 10
Wednesday, May 16
Thursday, May 17
THE ARTS
BAND LARGE GROUP PREFORMANCE EVALUATION
CONGRATULATIONS to our Dragon Bands as they attended the Georgia Music Educators Association Large Group Performance Evaluation this past Tuesday and Wednesday. Both bands played an amazing concert for the distinguished panel of judges. Our Concert Band earned a split rating of Excellent and Superior on Tuesday and our Symphonic Band WOWED the audience with their STRAIGHT SUPERIOR performance Wednesday evening at Lambert High School. This is the 2nd year that our Symphonic Band has earned Straight Superior Ratings at this GMEA event, and we are extremely proud of their accomplishments!
Again, congrats to both our Concert and Symphonic Bands for an amazing week of music making!
ADVANCED 8TH GRADE ART APPLICATIONS
Attention 7th graders: Now is the time to apply for 8th grade advanced art for the 2018-19 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 April 12th.
ACTIVITIES
GHOST OUT AND TEEN MAZE THIS SATURDAY
Ghost Out is an alcohol and drug awareness program aimed at teenagers. This free event is typically a two car, multiple person accident involving drugs, alcohol or texting or a combination of all. Ghost out is supported by Forsyth County first responders, support personnel from around the county and uses local high school students in the production of this event. Click here for more details.
WANT TO OWN A 2017-2018 DESANA YEARBOOK?
Don’t miss out on the best memory book created by the BEST yearbook staff.
Go to: balfour.com and click: shop your school. Students may also bring cash or check to Mrs. West on the 7th grade hall.
The price is $35 and will go up after March 31, 2018. On-line sales will END March 31st.
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 INFORMATION
LOST AND FOUND ITEMS
Attention Dragons! We have a large collection of items that do not want to be left here alone over Spring Break--
Please take a moment to check out our Lost and Found table (Located in the Hex) for any items that may belong to YOU!
**Parents are welcome to check in at the front office and receive a visitor’s pass to look for items that their student may be missing.