Happy Sunday Dolphins!  This is Kristen Faircloth, proud principal at Durant Road Middle School, with your January 23, 2022 Family Message.

 

Happy New Year!!! We hope everyone has enjoyed the holiday break and track out with family and friends and is looking forward to getting back to school. We trust the time away from school has been time needed to ensure we have a strong quarter 3 together.  We are looking forward to the return of our Dolphins on Monday, January 24, 2022.  

 

COVID-19 Updates:  As we come off our extended time away, and with the COVID variant still upon us, it is important for us to remember a few key points as we transition back to school. 

• First, if your child has been asked to quarantine or is exhibiting any symptoms related to COVID-19 (fever or chills, cough, shortness of breath or difficulty breathing, fatigue, muscle or body aches, headache, new loss of taste or smell, sore throat, congestion or runny nose, nausea or vomiting, and/or diarrhea) please do not send them to school, regardless of their vaccination status. 
• Second, if your child has been exposed to someone diagnosed with COVID-19, please refer to THIS page to determine if they can return to school on Monday, January 24. In short, if they are fully vaccinated (2-weeks since their final shot) and not exhibiting any symptoms, they may return to school. In all other situations, please refer to the link above or contact the school prior to sending your child to school.
• And third, all students, staff, and visitors to campus must wear their masks at all times while on campus. Our community has done an outstanding job with this. I am confident this will continue in the new year. 

We will all continue to follow these steps to help keep our students and staff safe and to do our part to keep our building open to our families. 

 

Second Semester:  As we move into the second semester of the 2021-22 school year, we have made some adjustments to our school’s schedule offerings.  Some of these changes include our DRMS Virtual Academy Program for 6th and 8th grade students ending.  6th and 8th grade students in the DRMS Virtual Academy program will either return to in-person instruction or become part of the WCPSS Virtual Academy Program.  Our DRMS 7th grade Virtual Academy Program will continue into the second semester.  

 

We are excited to welcome some of our 6th and 8th grade students to return to in-person instruction!  Since we will be welcoming more students back on campus, this will require us to adjust student schedules to reflect the addition of new in-person class offerings.  Please know that in-person students (regardless if they were part of the Virtual Academy Program or not) may see an adjustment to their schedule for the second semester to support this change.  All schedules have been updated in PowerSchool and students should be able to log in and view their updated schedule.  All students will receive a hard copy of their schedule on the first day of the second semester, Monday, January 24, 2022, in their homeroom class. Homeroom lists will be posted on each hallway and adults will be available to support students.  

 

COVID-19 Testing:  Our school, in partnership with MAKO Medical, will begin offering weekly, on-campus COVID-19 testing for students and staff. COVID-19 testing is an effective way to reduce transmission, especially when layered with other measures. 

 

WCPSS strongly recommends all families participate in this free program. Participation helps safeguard the entire school community and gives you information to help you keep your children healthy. 

 

Participation in the program is voluntary. A parent or guardian must register any K-12 student under 18 years old in order for a COVID-19 test to be administered. Pre-K students who attend school within K-12 school buildings are eligible for the state-approved vendor testing with MAKO. However, Pre-K students who attend school outside of K-12 school buildings are not eligible for the state-approved vendor testing with MAKO.

The testing is simple: Trained MAKO Medical staff quickly and gently swab students’ noses. They place all the swabs in a single tube (that’s the pooling step). The samples in that tube are then tested as a single sample, using one test. If a positive test is received, everyone in the “pool” will return to school the next day to take another test to identify the person who tested positive for COVID-19. Learn more about pooled testing. Testing at DRMS will begin the week of January 31, 2022.

 

Register now. > 

 

Thank you for helping to keep our school community safe and healthy.

 

SPANISH:  Nuestra escuela, en asociación con MAKO Medical, comenzará a ofrecer pruebas semanales del COVID-19 en la escuela para los estudiantes y el personal. La prueba del COVID-19 es una forma efectiva de reducir la transmisión, especialmente cuando se combina con otras medidas. 

 

Recomendamos enfáticamente que todas las familias participen en este programa gratuito. La participación ayuda a salvaguardar a toda la comunidad escolar y le brinda información para ayudarlo a mantener a sus hijos saludables. 

 

La participación en el programa es voluntaria. El padre o tutor legal debe inscribir a cualquier estudiante de K-12 menor de 18 años para que se administre una prueba del COVID-19. Los estudiantes de Pre-Kínder que asisten a la escuela en persona a los edificios escolares junto con los estudiantes K-12 son elegibles para las pruebas del proveedor MAKO aprobadas por el estado. Sin embargo, los estudiantes de Pre-Kínder que asisten a la escuela en persona en los edificios que no cuentan con estudiantes K-12 no son elegibles para las pruebas del proveedor MAKO aprobadas por el estado.

La prueba es simple: el personal médico capacitado por MAKO recoge, de forma rápida y suave, una muestra introduciendo un bastoncito de algodón en las narices de los estudiantes. Luego colocan todos los bastoncitos de algodón en un solo tubo (muestra de grupo - pooling). Las muestras en ese tubo luego se analizan como una sola muestra, usando una prueba. Si se recibe un resultado positivo, todos los estudiantes en el "grupo" regresarán a la escuela al día siguiente para hacerse otra prueba con el fin de identificar a la persona que dio positivo con el COVID-19. Obtenga más información sobre las pruebas de grupo. 

 

Inscríbase ahora. > 

 

Gracias por ayudar a mantener nuestra comunidad escolar segura y saludable.

 

Meal Benefits Application:  A HUGE thank you to the parents who have applied for meal benefits.  If you have not had an opportunity to do so, please take a minute to apply for meal benefits as soon as possible, and no later than mid February.  By submitting a qualifying application, families will also support Durant Road Middle School in qualifying for additional funds to support students and learning through additional teaching positions and materials! Also, the NC Department of Health & Human Services is collecting student free and reduced lunch and attendance data from WCPSS to determine any additional Pandemic Electronic Benefits (P-EBT) that will be issued in the coming months! By not applying for these meal benefits, you will miss the potential opportunity to receive direct P-EBT funds for your family!

 

Yes, meals will still be free for all students through June 2022, but we still need you to complete a meal benefits application so our school can be eligible for this extra education funding next school year. Also, this ensures your student is covered for the first few weeks of school next year. Information about applying for Meal Benefits can be found at www.wcpss.net/meals. 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.  

 

The quickest way to complete the meal benefits application is electronically through the link above.  However, we mailed hard copies of the application to assist those who prefer to complete it by hand. If you completed a hard copy of the Meal Benefits Application, please have your child turn it in to their homeroom teacher on Monday or this week! What's in it for you?  All students who return a completed meal benefits application to their homeroom teacher or submit documentation that a meal benefits application was completed online and emailed to Durantrdms@wcpss.net will be entered in a drawing for a variety of gift cards!!  Who doesn't love a gift card?  Raffles will take place February 14, 2022 and February 28, 2022.    

 

A la Carte Items in Cafeteria:  Breakfast and lunch will continue to be free for all students this semester.  Starting in January, students will have the option to purchase a la carte items (for example, an additional slice of pizza or bag of chips).  To support cafeteria efficiency and safety, students must purchase the a la carte items when they go through the line and will not have an opportunity to return for additional items.  Please note, a la carte items may not be available for purchase every day.  For students to purchase the items, they must have money on their account and can sign-up here:  www.MySchoolBucks.com.

 

DRMS Athletics / Spring Sports Ticket To Play:  If you are interested in a spring sport (boys & girls track & field, softball, boys soccer) please complete this form no later than February 16. This form will let our athletic trainer, Mrs. Mauder, know that you are interested in trying out for a spring sport on February 22 and this will begin your ticket to play process. In order to receive your ticket to play, which will be in the form of a wristband, you must be academically eligible and have all of your athletic paperwork submitted through DragonFly. Mrs. Mauder will verify your eligibility and athletic paperwork. If you pass both of those requirements, you will be given a wristband to wear on the first day of tryouts. This wristband is your ticket to play and will prove to the coach that you are cleared to be on the field or track. No wristband = No tryout, no exceptions! This form and all paperwork must be submitted no later than February 16. Paperwork submitted late will delay your tryout start date. Wristbands will be distributed to in person students the week of February 14. Virtual academy students will receive their wristbands on the first day of tryouts from their coach. If you have any questions about DragonFly or the ticket to play process, please email Mrs. Mauder at tmauder@wcpss.net. We are looking forward to seeing our Dolphins play again this year!

 

Club JV Baseball Team:  A spring club JV baseball team is being assembled by two very excited DRMS dads!  The coaches are looking for a few more interested 6th and 7th grade DRMS students.  If interested and to learn more, please see more information in the link here.

 

Marbles Museum:  Marbles Museum is excited to announce that they will be accepting new students into our Marbles Teen Play Corps program beginning January 2022. They are looking for rising 7th-10th graders who want to make a positive impact through play, learning, engagement, and community involvement. The Teen Play Corps engages kids in hands-on learning in exhibits, camps and events. These students learn leadership skills, receive training, and experience opportunities to build friendships and create relationships.