DRMS 11.2.19 Principal's Message
Hello, this is Kristen Faircloth, principal at Durant Road Middle School, with your November 2, 2019 message.
We enjoyed celebrating our first quarter Academic Achievement scholars this week! Academic Achievement student names have been posted and displayed on our leadership wall, students enjoyed a light breakfast provided by the PTA, and students had the opportunity to eat outside on Friday! We look forward to the continuation of celebrating all of our leaner's success this school year.
Thank you to all who came out to Family Math Night on Tuesday, October 29, 2019. We had a great turn out and families enjoyed free pizza as well as their time learning about the math curriculum and participating in engaging activities. Mark your calendars for upcoming Family Nights this school year:
- November 8 - Family Academy & School Dance
- December 10 - Family ELA Night & Book Fair
- February 20 - Family Science Night
- March 13 - Family Academy & School Dance
- March 26 - Family Social Studies Night
DRMS Spirit Week is coming the week of November 4 - November 8! Please see the Spirit Week schedule below:
- Monday, November 4: 'Merica Monday - come to school dressed in your red, white and blue!
- Tuesday, November 5: Teal and Black Tuesday - come to school dressed in your TEAL and BLACK to show support for DRMS at the Pep Rally!
- Wednesday, November 6: White Out Wednesday - come to school dressed in WHITE to show your support for DRMS Football game!
- Thursday, November 7: Tacky Tourist Thursday - come to school dressed in your favorite tacky tourist gear!
- Friday, November 8: Sports Fan Friday - Come to school dressed in your favorite sports team apparel!
The first dance of the school year will take place on Friday, November 8, 2019 from 6:00 PM - 8:00 PM in the cafeteria for all grade levels. Kona Ice, pizza, candy, and drinks will be sold. Students are to go home after school and return to school at the start of the dance. Students are to enter through the bus lot doors to gain admission to the dance. Dance tickets cost $5 and will go on sale during all lunches on Monday, November 4 and Wednesday, November 6. Please bring your signed dance permission slip and $5 to lunch on those days to get your ticket. We hope to see all our Dolphins there for a fun night!
Back by popular demand, Natalie Wood Riche will be at Durant Road Middle School presenting on social media and keeping our kids safe. According to research, teens are spending nearly 9 hours daily online. Our children are digital natives - comfortable using the internet for communicating, creating, sharing, and more, but are they being safe? Back by popular demand, Natalie Wood Riche is returning to DRMS! Natalie Wood Riche, an Outreach Specialists with the North Carolina Department of Justice, brings over eight years of expertise in community leadership to bring awareness and useful tips for keeping our children safe from cyber bullying and exploitation as they navigate the internet, social media, and mobile apps. Natalie will be presenting the S.M.A.R.T. approach families can use to guide online behaviors and reduce risks our young people face as they interact online. Join us on November 8, 2019 from 6:00 PM - 8:00 PM in the Media Center for helpful information and resources regarding Internet Safety for Children.
The Carolina Hurricanes have teamed up with Wake County again for their Power Play program. For middle schools, this program is to encourage students to lead a physically active lifestyle outside of school. The Carolina Hurricanes are challenging students to log their physical activity hours, with a goal of reaching 60 minutes a day. The students will log in their active minutes in the Power Play app in their Wake ID portal. This Power Play program runs from October 14 - November 22. The Carolina Hurricanes will reward any student who achieves a minimum of 1200 logged active minutes with 2 free Hurricanes tickets! The Carolina Hurricanes will also reward the school with the highest percentage of students reaching the 1200 active minutes with a Carolina Hurricanes Field Day at their school in the spring! Let's get up and get moving. If you have any questions, please see a healthful living teacher.
Wristband distribution for winter sports will occur during all healthful living classes. Students who do not have a healthful living class this semester should see Ms. Cicco in the cafeteria prior to homeroom (7:45 AM - 8:15 AM) to receive a wristband. All students wishing to tryout must have a wristband. A wristband will only be given to students who are academically eligible and have a current physical on file. Tryouts for girls basketball begins on Tuesday, November 12, 2019 from 3:00 PM - 5:15 PM. Tryouts for boys basketball begins on Wednesday, November 13, 2019 from 3:00 PM - 5:15 PM.
The DRMS PTA is holding a Box Top contest! The homeroom with the most Box Tops will earn DUNKIN' DONUTS for the entire class! A collection sheet will go home this week with each student to collect any traditional Box Tops. Future Box Tops contests will also include the new digital versions, as Box Tops continues to transition from physical clippings to digital scans. Please clip and send in your remaining Box Tops by November 22, 2019.
Next week, the DRMS PTA kicks off our Winter Wonderland clothing drive. From November 1 through November 26, we will be collecting clean, new or gently used coats, gloves, etc. from our school community to help local children and families stay warm this winter. Donation bins will be placed near the front office. We appreciate your help in making this community service project a school wide success.
Thank you for supporting DRMS,
Kristen Faircloth
Principal