DRMS' Principal Message
Happy Sunday Dolphins! This is Kristen Faircloth, proud principal at Durant Road Middle School, with your January 31, 2021 Family Message.
We hope everyone has had an amazing and exciting first week of the second semester! Despite the inclement weather and schedule changes, we were so impressed with our Dolphin's attendance. Our Dolphins were engaged and happy to be back in school after the long, well-deserved break. There is a lot of informative events this month such as: Open House, Virtual Tours, High School Registration, and much more. Please continue to stay informed and up to date regarding your child's education.
All students will remain in remote learning until the WCPSS Board of Education makes further decisions regarding a return to in-person learning. Please know that we will communicate updates when available. In the meantime, please let us know if you have any immediate questions or concerns. You can communicate with your grade level Assistant Principal and/or grade level Counselor for assistance. We are here to support you in any way possible. Let's make it another great week at Durant Road Middle School!
Facts with Faircloth: Thank you to everyone who joined us for Facts with Faircloth on Monday, January 25, 2021. We always enjoy connecting with our families, providing current information, and answering questions. If you were unable to attend, we have the video of the presentation here. The slides that were presented are available here.
Talking Points: Many of our DRMS staff began using Talking Points to strengthen communication with families this week. TalkingPoints is a two-way multi-lingual platform that allows teachers and parents to communicate in over 100 languages. Teachers use a web or mobile application to send messages to parents who receive them in their home languages as text messages or through the parent mobile app. Parents can reply in their own languages because TalkingPoints will automatically translate it to English for teachers. Here’s how you can get started: Talking points. Some of our teachers have already begun using this platform so be on the lookout for communication via TalkingPoints.
Remote Learning: The Board of Education voted Thursday, January 14, 2021 for all students in grades Pre-K-12 to remain in remote instruction through at least mid-February. All DRMS Dolphins will follow the web based schedule. Please click here for the DRMS Web Based Schedule.
WCPSS Year Round Schedule: Due to concerns about a short break between the end of the 2020-21 school year and the beginning of the 2021-22 school year, the WCPSS second semester year round calendar has been modified. Please see the updated WCPSS Year Round Schedule.
First Semester Report Cards: This is a friendly reminder that first semester report cards were available in PowerSchool on Friday, January 29, 2021. Congratulations to all of our Dolphins for their hard work and perseverance throughout first semester.
Asynchronous Day: Wednesday, February 3, 2021 is a scheduled Asynchronous / Remote Learning Day. There will be no live meets on Wednesday, February 3, 2021. Teachers will post assignments and students will work at their own pace throughout the day. Assignments should be submitted by 3:00 PM on Wednesday to be counted present.
DRMS Family Engagement: Establishing structure during the pandemic can be challenging for both parents and students. Parents are left most times wondering how to motivate, or keep their student motivated during the coronavirus pandemic. As parents, you can’t force your child to be self motivated just because you want to. In fact, you might get in the way of their motivation. DRMS is teaming up with the Office of Family Academy to host a virtual workshop: “Learn How to Motivate Your Child to Thrive in School,” on February 4, 2021 at 6:00 PM. During this event parents will learn strategies and tips to inspire and motivate their students’ to enable, and enhance success at school.
Click here for more information on the English presentation including joining information.
Click here for more information on the Spanish presentation including joining information.
Lunch & Learn: We are pleased to share that the DRMS Student Services Team will be hosting virtual meetings (Lunch & Learn) for parents and caregivers twice a month. The Student Services Team will provide topics on supporting social & emotional wellness during remote learning and will also be open to provide support in areas you may need. Our first session is on Tuesday, February 9, 2021 at 12:00 PM. The topic is “Signs of Stress & Stress Management.” The format will be a Google Meet. Please sign up using the following link: Lunch & Learn Parent/Caregiver Sign Up Form. A link for the google meet will be emailed to families who register. We hope you find this community engagement session informative!
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Millbrook High School Virtual Curriculum Fair - Feb. 18th from 6:30 PM - 8:00 PM
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Heritage High School Open House Virtual Event - Feb. 10th from 6:30 PM - 8:00 PM
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Wakefield High School Virtual Parent/Student Information Session - Feb. 3rd at 12:00 PM/3:00 PM/6:00 PM
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Rolesville High School Virtual Rising 9th grade Parent/Curriculum Night - Feb. 4th from 6:00 PM – 7:30 PM
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Wake Forest High School Virtual Open House & Curriculum Fair - Feb. 11th at 9 AM (This will include 9th grade parent session and curriculum fair information and will be a video that parents/students can view anytime. It will be posted on the WFHS website.)
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Sanderson High School Virtual Parent Night - Feb. 25th at 6 PM
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Knightdale High School Virtual Curriculum Fair for Students/ Families - Thursday, Feb. 4th from 6:00 PM - 8:00 PM
- Enloe High School Virtual Curriculum Fair for Students/Families - Thursday, Feb. 25th at 6 PM
Meal Benefits Application: Parents, please consider applying for meal benefits by February 26, 2021. For every student that turns in the free and reduced lunch application and qualifies, the school receives federal funds that benefit the student and teachers at the school. These funds provide additional teachers and staff for the school which means more services for students, especially students that are struggling in reading or math. These funds also are used for materials and supplies for students and teachers. These are valuable resources that teachers can use to improve student achievement.
Yes, meals will still be free for all students through June 2021 but we still need you to complete a meal benefits application so our school can be eligible for this extra funding next year. Information about applying for Meal Benefits for the 2020-21 school year can be found at www.wcpss.net/Page/1849 . Help our school continue to receive this funding by completing an application online at MySchoolApps.com. Paper applications can be requested by calling 919-588-3535.
Annual Asbestos Notification: Please see the annual asbestos notification in English and Spanish by clicking on the following links: