DRMS' Principal Message
Good afternoon Dolphins! This is Kristen Faircloth, proud Principal at Durant Road Middle School, with your April 11, 2021 Family Message.
We hope you are enjoying a well deserved track out and spent quality time with family and friends. We are excited to begin Quarter 4 on Wednesday, April 14, 2021 and welcome additional students to campus as we transition to Plan A. Regardless of the platform your child is learning in (Virtual Academy or In-Person), the DRMS faculty and staff are committed to providing quality instruction and the best learning environment possible to finish the 2020-21 school year strong together.
Please take a moment to read the Family Message below as there is a lot of useful information provided to help us all be successful in Quarter 4. Let us know if you have any questions or concerns as we are here to support you. You can communicate with your grade level Assistant Principal, grade level Counselor, or call the Durant Road Middle School front office at 919.870.4098.
Transition to Plan A: Monday, March 22, 2021, the Wake County Board of Education approved a plan that will allow students in grade 6-12 the choice of returning to Plan A instruction in April. In accordance with Senate Bill 220, all families who wanted to change their student's plan had until April 1, 2021 to communicate this decision. Parents who requested a change to or from Virtual Academy by April 1, 2021 received communication regarding approval on Friday, April 9, 2021. Plan A instruction will begin on Wednesday, April 14, 2021 for Durant Road Middle School.
Plan A is "Minimal Social Distancing," but still requires NC Department of Health and Human Services protocols:
- Social distancing protocols to the extent possible and as practicable
- Cloth face coverings
- Cleaning and hygiene protocols
- Protecting vulnerable populations
- Conducting regular screening and ongoing self-monitoring of symptoms
- Appropriate steps to address suspected, presumptive or confirmed cases of COVID-19
Updated Structures (Attendance & Bell Schedules): As we move into Quarter 4, there are several school structure updates for parents and students.
Our Updated Quarter 4 Attendance Plan can be viewed here. Please note, there are different guidelines for students in our Virtual Academy and Plan A (in-person) learning. If you have questions regarding attendance, please reach out to Kim Anderson (kanderson7@wcpss.net) and Zaquana Diggs (zdiggs@wcpss.net).
As we welcome new students back to our building for in-person learning, we have made adjustments to our in-person and web-based bell schedules to support the change. Our web-based schedule has adjusted to include an earlier start time and more time for instruction in classes. Please take time with your student(s) to review these updates.
Changes to On-Site Health Screenings: This week, schools will begin placing signs at main entrances and other common gathering areas such as gyms and auditoriums, stressing the need for students, staff, and visitors to stay home if they suspect they may be infected or exposed to COVID-19. In addition, there will be reminders during daily announcements and in principals’ messages to families.
The goal of these changes is to ensure every person who steps onto our campus for any reason is made aware in multiple ways that they must leave if they suspect they may be infected or exposed to COVID-19.
These steps are being taken to replace current health screening protocols that are no longer required by the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services. While the goal of our previous screening program was also to keep those infected from being on campus, our data and the guidance from health officials showed the practice could be improved. The CDC never recommended screenings and the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services no longer requires it.
Starting Wednesday, April 14, we will no longer conduct on-site health screenings. We need your help to keep our school communities healthy by keeping your student home if they are not feeling well or have been diagnosed with or exposed to COVID-19. Thank you for your cooperation. Read More.
Symptom Screening: Students should not be in school if they are diagnosed with COVID-19, exposed to someone with COVID-19, instructed to quarantine, or if they are sick or experiencing any of these symptoms:
- 100.4 fever or higher
- Sore throat
- New cough
- New shortness of breath or difficulty breathing
- New loss of taste or smell
- Diarrhea or vomiting
- New severe headache
New Phone Number for Technology Help Desk: The phone number to reach the Technology Help Desk is changing to 919-664-5700. Callers will be prompted to indicate they are calling as a student/parent/guardian, or as a WCPSS staff member.
DRMS Athletics: Please see updates and information about spring and winter sports at DRMS below.
Spring Sports: SPRING sport families, this week's skill sessions will take place on April 14 & April 15, right after school until 4:30 PM, and are for the DURANT group. Only students assigned to the DURANT group by Mrs. Mauder will be allowed to attend. Virtual academy families, health screenings are no longer required prior to entering the building, but please screen your student athlete prior to bringing them to school. All virtual academy students should be dropped off at the front of the school between 3:05 PM -3:20 PM and enter the school after the 3:05 PM bell. All families have received an email alerting them which group they are in and the dates they can attend. If you are unsure which group you are in or have any questions, please email Trina Mauder at tmauder@wcpss.net.
Winter Sports: It's time to sign up for WINTER sports skill sessions. Winter sports include boys basketball, girls basketball, and cheerleading. Winter sports skill sessions will take place May 3-21. In order to attend, all interested students must complete this interest form by Thursday, April 29. There will be a virtual winter sports parent meeting on Monday, April 26 at 6:00 PM to help families learn more about the necessary paperwork needed to participate, as well as learn what the skill sessions will look like and safety measures taken. To attend the virtual meeting, please sign up here. If you have any questions about winter sports, please email Trina Mauder at tmauder@wcpss.net.
Lunch & Learn: Our DRMS Student Services Team is hosting monthly virtual meetings (Lunch & Learn) for parents and caregivers. Our team will discuss topics related to supporting social & emotional wellness during remote learning and will also be open to provide support in areas you may need. Our next session is on Tuesday, April 20th at 12:00 PM. The topic is “Recognizing Signs of Stress & Ways to Cope.” 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!
DRMS Yearbook: The Yearbook Committee hopes your track out is off to a great start! The final deadline for the completion of the yearbook is April 12, 2021. We would love to have any and all pictures (seriously send anything you have that is remotely related to school) by Sunday April 11, 2021. This way, we can make sure that anything we have makes its way to the yearbook! Please use this link to submit: https://images.jostens.com/415464879 and don't hesitate to reach out with any questions.
DRMS PTA Message: Congratulations to 6th grade ELA/Social Studies teacher Ms. Bollinger on this week's Staff Shout Out! You can view all our Shout Outs, or submit one of your own, by clicking here. The PTA is seeking board and committee members for the 2021-22 school year. If you are interested in being part of next year's PTA, please click here to indicate your areas of interest. Officers for next year will be elected at our general meeting at 7pm April 21 (the meeting notice and Zoom link will be sent out later this week). Thank you as always for supporting DRMS!
Thank you for supporting DRMS,
Kristen Faircloth
Principal