Hello Dolphins!  This is Kristen Faircloth, proud principal at Durant Road Middle School, with your January 24, 2021 Family Message.  

We hope everyone is excited to start the second semester on Monday, January 25, 2021!  Below is some important information for you to review to help you be set up for success.  Students should take some ownership in navigating their Google Classrooms, checking email, Powerschools, and preparing for the week.  We are hopeful that students are feeling much more comfortable accessing virtual learning here at DRMS, but there still may be some challenges this week.  Please remember to exercise patience and ask questions to help clarify confusion.  If you have grade level specific questions, please contact your counselors and assistant principals.  Their information is available below and are happy to assist in any way possible.  It's going to be a great week and an even better semester!

Facts with Faircloth:  We have enjoyed connecting with our families by hosting virtual principal chats (Facts with Faircloth) this year. In preparation for all students starting 2nd semester in remote learning, we will be hosting another Facts with Faircloth on Monday, January 25, 2021 at 5:00 PM.  The format will be a Google Meet that will be recorded and can be watched at a later time.  Please sign up using the following link: Facts with Faircloth Signup Form. A link for the Google Meet will be emailed to families who register.  If you would like to view past sessions, please visit our website here. We hope you find this community engagement session informative.

3rd Quarter Materials Pick-Up:  Thank you to all who were able to attend 3rd Quarter Materials Pick-Up on Thursday, January 21, 2021. If you were unable to pick up 3rd quarter materials on January 21, 2021, please do so at your earliest convenience.  You can receive your child's materials by ringing the bell at the front door Monday - Friday between 8:30 AM - 3:00 PM and someone will be happy to help you.  

PowerSchool Schedules:  Due to many factors such as elective changes, course offerings, Virtual Academy, In-Person Cohort changes, etc., student schedules may be different than first semester.  These changes may also be different than the schedule you were given in August.  Many students who had major schedule changes with their core classes were communicated with through email.  Second Semester Schedules were provided during 3rd Quarter Materials Pick-Up.  Student 2nd Semester Schedules will also be available in PowerSchools starting Monday, January 25, 2021.  Please help your child take responsibility of receiving and reviewing their 2nd Semester Schedule and checking their email for google classroom invites.  Google classroom invites were sent by the end of the day Friday, January 22, 2021.

School Pictures:  Mark your calendars for picture day!  We have tentatively scheduled dates for our Dolphins to show off their smile.  More details will follow as we await the return of in-person learning.  School pictures are tentatively scheduled on the following Thursdays:

• February 25th
• March 4th
• March 11th

Virtual Academy students will have the opportunity to sign up for appointment times on any of the three days and In-Person student will be photographed when their cohort is in the building.  

Attention DRMS 8th Grade Families: With high school registration and transition on the horizon, Ms. Warren will be posting the most up-to-date information needed for this process to go smoothly on the following webpage: https://sites.google.com/wcpss.net/drms8thgrade/high-school-registration. Please bookmark this website and access it regularly with your child as updates will be posted as she receives them from the various feeder high schools. We look forward to supporting your child and family during this process. ~ Mrs. Warren, 8th Grade School Counselor

Counselor and Assistant Principal Contact Information:  Please find the DRMS grade level counselor and assistant principal contact information below and do not hesitate to reach out with any questions.  Ms. Hartman, 6th grade assistant principal, will be returning from maternity leave on Monday, February 1, 2021.

• 6th Grade Counselor: Mrs. Ada Deen adeen@wcpss.net
• 6th Grade Assistant Principal: Mrs. Destinie Hartman dhartman@wcpss.net

• 7th Grade Counselor: Mrs. Meredith Van Rensburg mvan-rensburg@wcpss.net
• 7th Grade Assistant Principal: Mr. Jeff Kleiber jkleiber@wcpss.net

• 8th Grade Counselor: Mrs. Jenna Warren jwarren@wcpss.net
• 8th Grade Assistant Principal:  Mrs. Dawn Edwards dedwards3@wcpss.net

Thank you for supporting DRMS,

Kristen J Faircloth

Principal