DRMS' Principal Message
Hello Dolphins! This is Kristen Faircloth, proud principal at Durant Road Middle School, with your February 28, 2021 Family Message.
We hope you have had a wonderful weekend and ready to welcome the spring season. We enjoyed seeing the Cohort 3-C students on campus last week and look forward to welcoming the Cohort 1-A students into the building this week starting Monday, March 1, 2021. As a reminder, our doors open at 7:35 AM, Core 1 instruction begins at 8:05 AM, and our dismissal starts at 3:05 PM. If this is your child's first time on campus (either as a new student to DRMS or as a new non-virtual academy student), don't worry! We have established processes to support your student and will have staff members present to assist with where to go, etc.
There is a lot going on at Durant Road Middle School over the next several weeks. Please take a moment to read the updates below to ensure you are kept up to date regarding your child's education. As a reminder, Wednesday, March 3, 2021 is an Asynchronously/Remote Learning Day. Students will be learning remotely with posted assignments. Some important items this week are: DRMS STEAM Engine Fundraiser, Picture Day(s), DRMS Athletics, High School Virtual Family Information, testing updates, and much more.
Please let us know if you have any immediate questions or concerns that need addressed. You can communicate with your grade level Assistant Principal or Counselor or call the DRMS front office at 919.870.4098. We are happy to help in any way possible. We are looking forward to welcoming students on campus this week.
STEAM Engine: DRMS is thrilled to partner with STEAM Engine! presented by Power of Purpose (Pop!). STEAM Engine! is all about equality, positive vibes, and helping students believe in themselves and their ability to help others. We also reward them with some incredible prizes and a bunch of amazing Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Math supplies for our students. Be on the lookout for the start of our STEAM Engine fundraiser to begin on Monday, March 1, 2021 and help us empower your child to help others by helping them with their GOLDEN TICKET assignment. We thank you in advance for being awesome!
DRMS Athletics:
- Fall Sports: This week we start our fall sport skill sessions for our Cohort 1-A students and Virtual Academy students placed in with Cohort 1-A! Only students who have received an email from Mrs. Mauder and completed all of their paperwork will be allowed to attend these skill sessions. On Monday, March 1, all students attending need to hand in the COVID-19 Pre-Participation Health Questionnaire to their coach or Mrs. Mauder. Virtual academy students will have to arrive and stay in their cars for their health screening at the front of the school between 3:00 PM - 3:20 PM. Cohort 1-A students will wait for Ms. Dunbar to announce their dismissal from class. All skill sessions will end at 4:30 PM. Please pick your student up in the bus parking lot no later than 4:45 PM. If you have any questions, please email Mrs. Mauder (tmauder@wcpss.net).
- Spring Sports: It's time to start signing up for spring sports! Spring sports will begin on March 22, 2021. In order to attend, you must complete the interest form and submit your required paperwork. We will also be hosting a virtual parent meeting on Monday, March 15 at 6pm to help answer questions about spring sports. All information regarding spring sports can be found on our athletics website. If you have any questions about spring sports, please email Mrs. Mauder (tmauder@wcpss.net).
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, will be hosting a high school registration and transition information session for families from 12:00 PM -1:00 PM and again from 5:00 PM -6:00 PM on March 3, 2021. Please mark your calendar to attend ONE of these sessions so you will have this helpful information to support your child in the upcoming high school registration process. Please see the flyer and RSVP via the link in the flyer if you have not done so already! We hope to see you there!
School Picture Day(s): Mark your calendars and bring those smiles for school picture day! Strawbridge Studios will be on campus on the following days to take your child's picture:
- March 4th - Cohort 1-A
- Cohort 1-A will receive order forms on Monday, March 1, 2021
- March 11th - Cohort 2-B
Virtual Academy students have the opportunity to sign up for an appointment on any of the days. Virtual Academy students having their picture taken should come to the front door of the school and ring the doorbell and wait to be screened prior to entering the building for their picture.
Virtual Academy students interested in having their picture taken should sign-up using the following link:
This link will allow parents to sign up to receive updates via email regarding their child's school portraits. These updates include promotions, additional deals and the ability to order more pictures at a later time. When entering student information, parents should be sure to enter the student's name as it is on file at the school.
Testing Updates: Please see various testing updates below. Not all updates apply to all children.
- iReady Testing: Select students participated in the iReady Reading Middle of the Year testing last week. Teachers will be working closely communicating with select students who still need to complete the iReady testing. This assessment will provide teachers and parents with growth reports that will help guide instruction needs for students during the remainder of the year. If you have any questions regarding the iReady assessment, you may contact our iReady coordinator Ms. Erin Dunbar at edunbar@wcpss.net.
- ACCESS Testing: This is a friendly reminder that our English language learners in Cohort 1-A will begin taking the annual ACCESS test this week. English language learners who are Virtual Academy will be taking the annual ACCESS test on Wednesday, March 3, 2021 and Wednesday, March 17, 2021. It is imperative that they bring their devices and chargers to school every day. If you have any questions regarding the ACCESS Testing, please contact Ms. Deborah McTernan at dmcternan@wcpss.net or Mr. Marty Vieira at mvieira@wcpss.net.
- Single Subject Acceleration (SSA): The SSA test request window is from February 22, 2021 - March 22, 2021. Students meeting qualifying criteria can take advanced academic content in select mathematics or English Language Arts courses through Single Subject Acceleration (SSA). If you are interested in having your child tested to skip grade level content, please contact Mrs. Earnest at nearnest@wcpss.net for more information.
- End of Year Testing: As of right now, EOG testing will be completed during the last ten days of school (June 8th - June 21st). Additionally, all testing will be completed on campus. Please know that logistics or other specifics have yet to be determined. The plans could certainly change with district-wide decisions or requirements.
Message from the DRMS PTA: Our latest Staff Shout Out goes to Ms. Aldridge, our amazing library media specialist! You can view all our Shout Outs, or submit one of your own, by clicking here. The DRMS PTA is seeking board and committee members for the 2021-22 school year. If you are interested in being part of the PTA, please click here to indicate your areas of interest. Thank you as always for supporting DRMS!
Thank you for supporting DRMS,
Kristen J Faircloth
Principal
