Happy Sunday Dolphins!  This is Kristen Faircloth, proud principal at Durant Road Middle School, with your September 12, 2021 Family Message.

It was another great week at DRMS due to the hard work from our staff and students.  Thank you for ensuring your student comes to school prepared, follows the expectations, and ready to learn. 

I would like to take a moment to remember the 2,977 lives lost on September 11, 2001.  September 11, 2021 was the 20th anniversary of the terrorist attacks on America at the World Trade Center Towers, the Pentagon in Washington, and the intended target of terrorist on Flight 93, resulting in the deaths of approximately 3,000 people representing 93 countries.  Many individuals in the World Trade Center, at the Pentagon, and on Flight 93, acted selflessly putting the safety and security of others ahead of their own.In the aftermath of 9/11, people continued to come together demonstrating countless acts of heroism and patriotism.  This day will be remembered for the unprecedented horror, it will also be remembered for the many acts of kindness, compassion, and solidarity.  The impact of the September 11 attacks will be felt by the United States and the global community throughout history.  As a school, we held a moment of silence at 8:46 AM on Friday to honor those lost, those impacted, and to remember the events of that day and the days that followed.

Please take a moment a moment to read the Family Message below to ensure you are up to date with all things happening at DRMS.  Don't hesitate to reach out with any questions or needs as we are here to serve and support you.

New DRMS Staff Members:  We are extremely excited to welcome new members to the DRMS family!

• Manju Pearson - Ms. Manju Pearson joined DRMS on Tuesday, September 7th as a CCR Teacher.  This is Ms. Pearson's 4 year of teaching in WCPSS.  She graduated from the University of North Dakota with a MS in special education.  Ms. Pearson has two children and originally from London.
• Kutter Miller - Coach Miller will be joining DRMS on Monday, September 13th as our new PE teacher and AD.  Coach Miller is born and raised in Texas.  This is his 7th year in teaching and coaching.  He enjoys being with his wife and two children, the beach, and fishing.
• Tineta McMillan -  The Wake County Board of Education approved Tineta McMillan during September 7th's BOE meeting.  Ms. McMillan is excited to be joining the Durant Road Middle School family starting Monday, September 20th.  She has 19 years of experience as an educator.  Ms. McMillan's career began as a middle grades science teacher.  She attended North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University for a Master's of School Administration.  Ms. McMillan served as an instructional coach before becoming an assistant principal.  In her spare time, she loves spending time with her family, reading, trying new recipes, and watching sports.

Fall Picture Day: School Pictures are back and better than ever!  We will be taking our Fall School Pictures on Friday, September 17th.  Flyers will be sent home soon! All in-person students will be photographed in the Gym during their elective classes on Friday.. Virtual Academy students may sign up for a time between 8:30 AM and 9:30 AM here: VA Sign-Up Genius There is no scheduled fall make-up date, but any student not photographed can have a picture taken on March 17th.

School Dances:  Upon reflection of current COVID-19 case trends, best practice to support mitigation efforts in our school, ability to contact trace, and student safety we have made the difficult decision to cancel our school dances scheduled for Friday, September 24, 2021.  When we return to school in Quarter 2, we will reflect on the possibility of rescheduling this event; however, that will be determined by COVID data and needs of our school.  We know many of our students were looking forward to this opportunity and we do appreciate your understanding as student health and safety is our number one priority.

Athletics:  Our Athletic Booster Club needs help selling concessions at our upcoming home games.  If your student is an athlete or manager for a sport this year, please consider helping our Athletic Booster Club.