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DRMS' Principal Message

Good afternoon Dolphins!  This is Kristen Faircloth, proud principal at Durant Road Middle School, with your December 6, 2020 Family Message.

 

We hope you had a wonderful weekend and are getting back into the groove of learning after the Thanksgiving holiday.  We had another successful week with Cohort 2-B students this past week.  It's so amazing to have students back in the building, even if it is a modified version.  Please be sure you take a moment to read the Family Message updates below.  There is great information to help you be successful and stay up to date on what is happening at DRMS.   

 

This week we welcome back students in Cohort 3-C for the second time.  Additionally, please know that the DRMS team is working on what second semester will look like with Virtual Academy applications and Plan B students.  There will be schedule changes for some students to ensure our classes are balanced and students are safe.  We will communicate the process in the near future with essential steps to begin the second semester on a positive note.  Please know that we truly appreciate your patience during this time of planning.

 

If there is anything we can do for you or your family, please don’t hesitate to contact us.  We want you to feel as comfortable as possible with all things Durant Road Middle School.  And it is always best to reach-out and ask clarifying questions rather than be frustrated.  We are in this together as a Dolphin community.  We hope you have a wonderful week!

 

Cohort 3-C - THIS WEEK!:  This is a friendly reminder that Cohort 3-C students are returning to the building beginning tomorrow, Monday, December 7, 2020.  We are excited to welcome these students back on campus for the second time!  Just like last time, please remember to bring the following items with you:

 

  • A Face-Covering Mask
  • Water bottle
  • Charged Device & Charger
  • ELA/Math Materials
  • Signed Forms (Attestation, BYOD, & Accountability) Highlighted Below

 

We have been really successful in keeping our campus safe so all the previous procedures are still in place.  If you need a friendly reminder on how we operate in the building, please access the Durant Road Middle School resources below.  We look forward to the continuation of having students back on campus.  

 

DRMS Resources:  Two resources have been created and available for families regarding students returning to campus.  Please review the resources to help prepare your child and answer any questions you may have:

 

What to do if my student fails the health screening or temperature check or must leave school because they are sick/experience symptoms? 

Thank you to our families and students for everything they have done to ensure our school is as safe as possible as we continue our in-person learning.  If your student fails their health screening and/or temperature check OR is sent home from school because they are sick, please follow these procedures.

 

Students who fail the health screening/temperature check OR must leave school due to sickness, may join their remote classes to continue learning.

Students may return to school when they can answer YES to ALL three questions:

  1. Has it been at least 10 days since you first had symptoms?  *The date of the failed health screening or leaving school is the first day of experiencing symptoms.
  2. Has it been at least 24 hours since you had a fever without using fever-reducing medicine?
  3. Have your symptoms improved, including cough and shortness of breath?

 

If a student has a negative PCR COVID-19 test, they can return to school once there is no fever without the use of fever-reducing medicines and they have felt well for 24 hours.  If the student has a negative rapid antigen test, they must stay home until follow-up negative PCR test, no fever for 24 hours, and they have felt well for 24 hours.

 

If a student receives confirmation of an alternate diagnosis from a health care provider that would explain the COVID-19-like symptom(s), they may return to school following normal school policies once there is no fever without the use of fever-reducing medicines and they have felt well for 24 hours.

Household members (students living in the same house with the person experiencing an illness) must quarantine for 14 days because they have been exposed to a potential COVID-19 case.  The household members may return to school:

  1. If the symptomatic person receives confirmation of an alternate diagnosis form a health care provided that would explain the COVID-19-like symptom(s) AND the symptomatic person is fever-free without the use of fever reducing medicine and they have felt well for 24 hours, the household member may also return to school at that time, as long as they have not developed symptoms.  Or,
  2. If the symptomatic person has a negative rapid antigen test, they must stay home until they receive a follow-up negative PCR test, AND are fever-free for 24 hours without the use of fever reducing medicine and they have felt well for 24 hours.

 

If a student has been diagnosed with COVID-19 but does not have symptoms, they should remain out of school until 10 days have passed since the date of their first positive COVID-19 diagnostic test, assuming they have not subsequently developed symptoms since their positive test.

 

If a student has been determined to have been in close contact with someone diagnosed with COVID-19, they should remain out of school for 14 days since the last known contact, unless they test positive.  In which case, criteria above would apply.  They must complete the full 14 days of quarantine even if they test negative.

 

Forms To Turn In:  There are three important forms that must be submitted for Plan B students returning to campus.  These forms were located in the 2nd Quarter Materials packet.  We will be collecting the forms in your child’s homeroom at DRMS.  Please see the information below for more details:

 

  • Attestation Form (bus riders):  You are required to submit the attestation form stating that you and your child will abide by all health and safety protocols for bus ridership.  You can fill out the form online or complete a printed form. Printable forms can be found at wcpss.net/busform. Students are not permitted to ride the bus until this form has been submitted. You will need to submit a form for all of your children who plan to ride the bus during the 2020-21 school year. 

 

  • Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) Form:  Parents can choose to allow or not allow their student to bring their personal device. All students who bring a personal device to school are required to have a signed copy of the BYOD Consent Form (Spanish) on record. 

 

  • Accountability Form:  Families are required to sign the Student Accountability and Required Health Protocol form.  Please view this site for details around these expectations and another copy of the signature form: https://www.wcpss.net/studentaccountability.  This form indicates students will comply with face covering, daily screenings, social distancing measures, student behavior and more.  

 

No Asynchronous Day This Week:  According to the WCPSS calendar, this is a full school week.  There is not an asynchronous day on Wednesday, December 9, 2020.  Please also remember that our doors open at 7:35 AM for students and the school day ends at 3:05 PM.  Don’t forget to bring your carpool tag for afternoon carpool.

 

DRMS Spirit Week:  Our second Spirit Week of the year is December 14-18. We loved hearing students VOICE around our choices first quarter and this quarter we heard the VOICE of our staff.  Click here to see what our staff chose. We look forward to seeing you flex your creative muscle during Spirit Week. 

 

2nd Quarter Ends December 22, 2020:  This is a friendly reminder that the second quarter ends of Tuesday, December 22, 2020.  All students should submit their school work for second quarter grades by this day.  Report cards will be issued on January 29, 2020 (after track out).  We want all students to finish the quarter strong by completing all work and being engaged in both in-person and virtual classes!

 

DRMS Yearbook:  Yearbook needs your help! Do you have any pictures from your time over Thanksgiving break? How about pictures of your pets, your artwork, or your hobbies? Do you have a picture of something that you cannot live without? Please submit any and all photos you have to be used in the yearbook! Use this link to submit photos and don’t forget to include a description/caption: https://images.jostens.com/415464879

 

Do you have an 8th grader at DRMS? Treat your 8th grader to something special by purchasing an ad for them in our DRMS 2020-2021 yearbook. Congratulate them on their successes, wish them luck for their future, or tell them how proud you are! Purchase your ad for your 8th grader here: https://www.jostens.com/yearbooks/students-and-parents/yearbook-ads

 

We have created a website for the DRMS 2020-2021 Yearbook! The link for the DRMS yearbook website is: https://sites.google.com/wcpss.net/dmrsyearbook/home Please follow the DRMS Yearbook on our social media platforms! We are @DrmsYearbook on Twitter and drms_yearbook on Instagram! This is a great way to stay up to date with yearbook information and tag us in any photos you’d like to see in the yearbook!

 

One great way to commemorate this unforgettable school year is by ordering your 2020-2021 DRMS yearbook. The link to directly place an order is here: http://jostensyearbooks.com?ref=A01095208

 

TSI School:  As a parent/guardian of a student at Durant Road Middle School, I am informing you know that Durant Road Middle School, has been designated as a Targeted Support & Improvement Additional Targeted Support (TSI-AT) school by the North Carolina State Board of Education.  As stated in ESSA Section 1111(d)(2), North Carolina had to identify schools for targeted support and improvement. 

As a TSI-AT school, Durant Road Middle School is required to develop a comprehensive plan that specifically addresses how the school will improve student achievement. The plan will also include how our district will support us and monitor the progress of our school.  

 

Parent engagement is at the heart of our school improvement efforts. Here are some ways we can work together:

  • Make sure that both you and your student are aware of academic expectations set for your student this school year.  A list of learning objectives in student-friendly language is available from your student’s teacher(s). 
  • Call Durant Road Middle School if you have questions or concerns about your student or to set up an appointment to meet with a school staff member who will be working with your student. 
  • Make sure that your student is prepared and attends school each day.
  • Monitor your student’s homework.
  • Monitor the progress your student is making and attend meetings with your student’s teacher(s).
  • Keep track of our website and social media sites.
  • Volunteer.
  • Join the PTA.

 

It sounds like a lot but preparing our students so that they can succeed is not easy and is a group effort. Here are some resources available to help:

 

Thank you for supporting DRMS,

Kristen Faircloth

Principal