Dragon Digest
Volume 2, Issue 12 / January 26, 2018
DESANA DAY OF GOOD DEEDS
THE LATEST D3 DAY NEWS!
BINGO! Please mark your calendar for Friday February 9th for Bingo supporting D3 Day. There will be 2 sessions (Session #1 4:45-6pm, Session #2 6:30-7:45pm) to choose from or come to both! The form is due February 2nd! If your child is staying for Session #1 without you, you MUST send in the form...the Permission form is on the Bingo Form. Space is limited and filling up, so get your form in. You will also be entered into a special drawing if you get your form in by Feb. 2nd. Prizes include: over $700 in restaurant gift cards, DeSana swag, water speakers, hammocks, and much, much more! Do not miss out...this is such a fun event!
Volunteers needed for Bingo
Bingo Night is a fundraiser for DeSana Day of Good Deeds. (D3 Day) We need volunteers to make this night a success! There will be a drawing for those who volunteer. Please use this link to sign up. www.signupgenius.com
D3 Day T-shirts! Be on the lookout for T-shirt forms which should come home around Feb. 5th. We are asking for a $5 donation per shirt to cover the cost of the shirt (thereby allowing us to use contributed money on charitable projects). You will also have an opportunity on the form to be a $50 family donor and get your family name on the t-shirt!
Sponsorship: If you own a business or know someone who owns a business we would love to talk to you about sponsorship of D3 Day! The donation is tax deductible and your business will be a part of something big and important...planting the seeds of altruism in our young Dragons! Contact dawn@bourgs.com if you are interested in looking at our Sponsorship Packet.
ACADEMICS
CELEBRATING ACADEMIC EXCELLENCE AT DESANA!
On Wednesday, January 31st, Thursday, February 1st and Friday, February 2nd , the DeSana faculty and administration will host our first semester Academic Achievement Celebrations. These celebrations will honor those students who excelled academically throughout this first semester of the 2017-2018 school year.
We will recognize our Honor Roll students - - - those students who earned a grade of 90 or above for their semester grade in each and every class. This includes all 4 core classes --- Math Language Arts, Science and Social Studies --- and Literacy classes and Spanish class (8th grade only), and all Connections classes taken during the first semester.
We will also recognize our Merit Roll students. For our 6th graders - - - it is those students who earned a grade of 80 of above for their semester grade in each and every class. This, too, includes all 4 core classes --- Math Language Arts, Science and Social Studies --- and Literacy classes and Spanish class (8th grade only), and all Connections classes taken during the first semester. For our 7th and 8th graders - - - it is those students who earned a grade of 85 of above for their semester grade in each and every class. This, too, includes all 4 core classes --- Math Language Arts, Science and Social Studies --- and Literacy classes and Spanish class (8th grade only), and all Connections classes taken during the first semester.
Invitations for honored students and their parents to attend these wonderful ceremonies were sent home with students on Tuesday, January 23rd. The Academic Achievement Celebrations will take place by grade level, with each on separate days:
· 8th Grade – Wednesday, January 31st @ 8:00 AM in the DeSana cafeteria
· 7th Grade – Thursday, February 1st @ 8:00 AM in the DeSana cafeteria
· 6th Grade – Friday, February 2nd @ 8:00 AM in the DeSana cafeteria
Parents, we will begin each Celebration promptly at 8:00 so you will want to make your morning plans accordingly as we will be honoring quite a few students at each. Parking will be available in the parking lots in front of the school and by the gym.
This will be a special event as we take this opportunity to congratulate and honor our young Dragons who continually make school, their learning, and the mastering of academic standards a priority in their lives. We congratulate our Academic Achievement honorees! And we look forward to seeing our students and parents at these special award events!
4 1/2 WEEK REPORTS
Parents, how is your young Dragon progressing so far this second semester in all of his/her classes? Coming up, on Wednesday, February 7th is the 4 ½ week juncture of this second semester, and thus, is a great time for parents to take note of how their middle schooler is starting off this second semester in each class. While parents (and students!) may check their child’s grades daily/weekly via Parent Portal . . . and we highly encourage you to do so . . . we will be sending home with students a paper copy Progress Report for some or all of their seven classes on Wednesday, February 7th. This will give you and your student an opportunity to see how he/she is progressing in each class.
For our 6th Grade Students: Students will be given one Progress Report Sheet from each core class (Math, Language Arts, Science, Social Studies) that tells their average thus far and how they have done with each formative and/or summative assessment. These Progress Report Sheets will be teacher-generated. For Connections classes and Literacy classes, Progress Reports will be given only to those students with a present grade of 75% or below. Work Habits will not be assessed.
For our 7th & 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, and Spanish for 8th graders who take it) will receive a paper copy of their grades (formative and summative assessments) to take home to show their parents. These Progress Report Sheets will be teacher-generated. For Connections classes and Literacy classes, Progress Reports will only be given to those students with a present average of 75% or below. For students who do not receive a paper copy of their grades, the expectation is that parents will check their child’s grades on Parent Portal. 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 notify your child’s Dragon Time teacher. Work Habits will not be assessed.
We encourage each parent to take a few minutes to sit down with his/her young Dragon to go over and discuss his/her academic progress thus far this second semester. Let us also give you a word of caution as you look at the averages for your child’s classes at this 4 ½ week juncture. A student’s average at this point may include few or not any summative assessments, which will count as 80% of his/her total average for the semester. Thus, your child’s course average may be a bit skewed, one way or the other, depending on how many formative (which count 20% of a student’s total average for the semester) and summative assessments have been given, and how your child has performed on any of the assessments given thus far.
Parents, please do not hesitate to contact any of your child’s teachers should you have any questions or concerns about your young Dragon’s academic progress for these first 4 ½ weeks of the new semester. Please know we want and need you involved in your child’s education during these important middle school years. We appreciate your support so very much!
PRIDE AWARDS
On the morning of Tuesday, January 23rd, our DeSana faculty, staff and administration hosted our PRIDE Award Celebration for the second quarter of this school year. Thirty-six sixth, seventh, and eighth grade students, who were selected by their teachers, were honored at this formal occasion for exemplifying the following wonderful attributes and characteristics:
Practices Random Acts of Kindness
Ready and Willing to Work Hard
Integrity Coupled with Responsible Behavior
Demonstrates Outstanding and Honest Efforts
Exceeds Expectations
Parents and family members of the honored students attended this celebration, and joined with DeSana teachers and administrators in honoring our young Dragons as they each received a PRIDE Award certificate, generously donated by our awesome Business Partner, Omega Learning on Peachtree Parkway, a Dragon PRIDE pin, and a personalized plaque, made expressly for our DeSana PRIDE Award recipients by our fabulous and very generous Business Partner, All-American Specialties. A huge shout out and thank you to Keith Williams of All-American Specialties for designing and donating the individualized plaques for each PRIDE Award honoree, and to Rosemary Albright of Omega Learning for her very generous donation of each PRIDE Award certificate!!
It was an awesome morning as we recognized some extraordinary students and toasted the pride of DeSana!
DENMARK HIGH SCHOOL TRANSITION INFORMATION
Transition Time is upon us! For our 8th grade students, they will be meeting with Denmark High School to plan course work for their freshman year of high school. On Friday, January 26th, students will receive two documents. One created by Denmark High School that is printed in color that has transition information and event dates for their two feeder schools (DeSana and Piney Grove). DeSana has created a document that students will also receive on Friday that is geared just for DeSana students who are heading to Denmark. These documents let you know of important information regarding registration for high school 9th grade courses, parent information meeting dates/times, and other opportunities to hear more about life as a 9th grader at Denmark.
Two important things to have on your radar that are quickly coming up are:
1. On February 5th and 6th, Denmark High School administrators/counselors/teachers will be at DeSana Middle School during the day. They will spend time with students during Connections Classes to discuss the registration process and begin working with our students. All students will be seen on either February 5th or February 6th. We will divide students into smaller groups and this will take two days for these meetings to occur. Denmark would like to see students in smaller numbers to personalize the information for students.
2. On February 7th and 8th, Denmark High School will host a Parent/Student Information Night that will be held at DeSana Middle School in the cafeteria. This will be for all feeder schools. February 7th is for students whose last name begins with A-K,, and February 8th is for students whose last name begins with L-Z. However, you are welcome to come either night.
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!
Thursday, February 1
Thursday, February 8
Wednesday, February 14
Thursday, February 15
Thursday, February 22
Thursday, March 1
Wednesday, March 7
Thursday, March 8
Thursday, March 15
Thursday, March 22
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
Drama Update:
Next week we will be at South Forsyth High School the entire week for tech week rehearsals (Monday, Jan. 29- Wednesday, Jan. 31), dress rehearsal (Thursday, Feb. 1), and performances on Friday, Feb. 2 and Saturday, Feb. 3 both at 7pm.
Students will receive a letter today at rehearsal with details about next week. Please keep in mind that we are taking a bus to South High from DeSana, and students are to be picked up from South High all next week!
This is a very exciting time for our students, and even though mother nature has not been on our side, these students have been working hard and Mr. Bigliani couldn't be any prouder!
Can’t wait to see you at Dear Edwina Jr. performances!!
Chorus Update:
Congratulations to the following students as they are DeSana Middle School's very first All-State Chorus participants:
Shirin D. (8th)
Mohit K. (8th)
Elizabeth G. (7th)
Arya A. (7th)
These students prepared and participated in two rounds of auditions with students from all over Georgia. They will rehearse and perform in Athens, GA February 15-17 with Georgia's finest middle school singers.
Congratulations!! We are so incredibly proud of you!
ACTIVITIES
AGENDAS ON SALE
One of the top New Year’s resolutions is to be more organized. Has your student lost his or her agenda? Or maybe it would just be nice to begin with a nice new agenda for 2018? Your student can purchase a new agenda for just $5 in the front office. Checks should be payable to DeSana Middle School.
DESANA FBLA NEWS
Congratulations to our FBLA members for their placements at the FBLA region competition! These are our members who scored in the top ten of our entire region:
Adhira C. – 1st place Business Math & Financial Literacy, 8th place Computer & Internet Concepts
Shreyashi D. – 3rd place Social Media Concepts, 6th place Career Exploration
Laasya A. - 4th place Business Concepts, 9th place Social Media Concepts
Ameya J. – 5th place Computer & Internet Concepts, 6th place Parliamentary Procedure Concepts
Krish W. – 9th place Business Concepts
Sarvani V. – 10th place Social Media Concepts
VALENTINE'S DAY CANDYGRAMS
Send a Valentine’s Day Candygram and help Support the 8th Grade Field Trips! Do you have someone you want to say Happy Valentine’s Day too? If so, what better way to than to send them a personalized candy gram on Valentine’s Day! Each Candy Gram will be delivered to their 7th period class with your message attached! Candy Grams will be on Sale in the Commons before school from February 5th – February 9th for $2.00 each or 3 for $5.00. See Mrs. Lyons for order forms and information.
BUDDY PICTURES RESCHEDULED FOR JANUARY 31ST
Cady Studios will be here with a 21st Century photo booth to take buddy pictures. During Connection times, students will be allowed to have their pictures taken as an individual or in groups (no more than 5). Students will have three options for securing their photo:
Option 1 – pay $3 and they will receive a 4x6 print (that is $3 for each child in the photo and each child receives a copy)
Option 2 – pay $1 and they will receive a text message with their photo. (that is $1 for each child in the photo and each child receives a text)
Option 3 – pay $4 and get both a printed and digital version!
Regarding Option 2 and 3, something very important that we want to point out. For the student to receive a digital copy of their group photo, he/she will be giving their phone number out to the Cady Studio representative. If you do not want your child to participate in the digital option, you must communicate your expectations with your child and insist that your parental discretion is honored by your child.
This is going to be a great time for friends to create memories that they can look back on years from now. To be able to participate, students will need money with them that day; so, be sure to send money in with your child the morning of January 31st!
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.
8TH GRADE YEARBOOK ADS
Want to purchase an 8th grade Yearbook ad for your child? You must purchase a Yearbook first (balfour.com)- cost is $35. Please click here for instructions for submitting ads. 8th grade ads are 1/8 of a page, cost $15, and are due by January 31, 2018.
7TH GRADE FIELD TRIP
Final payment is due next Friday, February 2 for the 7th grade overnight field trip taking place on March 9-10, 2018, to the Georgia Aquarium and Zoo Atlanta. Please send check or cash in with your student in a labeled envelope. Final payment is $50, checks should be made out to Desana Middle School.
Students have also been given to take home with participant forms required by the Georgia Aquarium. Please send these back with your student as soon as possible.
6TH GRADE FIELD TRIP
Field Trip Permission Forms went home with all 6th grade students last week. Students can return their signed permission form along with $30 cash or check written out to DeSana Middle School to their science teacher. The Field Trip to the Tellus Museum will be Monday, May 14.
OTHER IMPORTANT INFORMATION
DESANA'S NEXT LOCAL SCHOOL COUNCIL MEETING
The next meeting of DeSana’s Local School Council (LSC) is scheduled for Friday, February 9th at 7:30 AM in the front office conference room.
FROM THE SCHOOL NURSE
There has been a fair amount of illness, including the flu, among students at DeSana. If your student is not feeling well, please refer to these guidelines to know whether or not to send your student to school. If your student has been sent home from school due to illness, please do not send them back until they are well. Nurse McWalters would appreciate a quick email at rmcwalters@forsyth.k12.ga.us if your student is diagnosed with the flu. Click here for some helpful information about the flu. Please encourage your students to wash hands frequently too!
ATTENTION THEATER LOVERS!
Are you a Wicked or Wizard of Oz fan? The Forsyth County Public Library is looking for students to help out with their Wicked/Wizard of Oz family event by providing artwork, music, or performances related to Wicked or The Wizard of Oz. The event will be held March 1st at Forsyth Central High School. If this sounds like something you’d be interested in, please see Ms. MacMillan in the media center as soon as possible for details and to get signed up!
PARENT SURVEY
On January 11th our students participated in the state student health survey for DeSana Middle School. The state uses the results of three different surveys (student, staff and parental) along with some other school data to compile a climate rating for each school throughout our state. The feedback we receive from these three surveys is valuable in guiding our future work to improve DeSana Middle School in order to give our students the best education possible. If you would please take the time to complete (less than 10 minutes) the parent survey located at https://gshs.gadoe.org/parents , we would be grateful.
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.