Happy Sunday Dolphins!  This is Kristen Faircloth, proud principal of Durant Road Middle School, with your March 6, 2022 Family Message.

 

We hope everyone has enjoyed this wonderful weather we have been experiencing this past week and weekend.  It seems spring is upon us.  We will be moving from frost-covered cars to pollen-covered cars before we know it.  Starting Monday, March 7, all students, staff, and visitors to WCPSS campus will no longer be required to wear a face-covering in the building and on school transportation.  We have included additional information in the Family Message below.  I know we will continue to be respectful of one another and kind as a school community while we move into another transition of the pandemic.

 

Please take a moment to read through the Family Message below and do not hesitate to reach out with any needs as we are here to serve you and provide the best learning environment for all children.      

 

COVID-19 Processes:  We wanted to provide updates about our current COVID-19 processes.  Please review the COVID-19 page for district updates regarding guidelines, processes, and procedures.

 

While some of our school-wide processes supported mitigating efforts of COVID-19, many of our processes and procedures will continue similar to this school year due to their support of an increase in instructional time, promotion of positive behaviors, and reinforcement of our school-wide expectations (dedicated, respectful, mindful, and safe).  Some of these include, but not limited to, our lunch procedures and hallway transition pathways.  We continuously reflect on our practices and will adjust accordingly based on the needs of our students and the learning environment.

 

• Masks
• Starting Monday, March 7, 2022 - Masks are recommended but not required in schools for all staff, students, and visitors, including on morning and afternoon bus runs and on vendor transportation.
• Masks are required following being positive for COVID-19.
• Masks are recommended after a COVID-19 exposure.
• Care Center
• Students who develop a symptom of illness or disclose that they have tested positive for COVID-19 will be in our Care Center.  This is a location in our school where students will remain until a parent or guardian arrives at school.  As a reminder, students with symptoms of illness or testing positive for COVID-19 may not ride on WCPSS transportation (buses, vendor transportation).  
• Students who leave campus through our Care Center are provided a document of guidelines that direct parents to review the When to Return page.  Please ensure your child meets the guidelines for returning to school based on their scenario.  
• Positive Case of COVID-19
• If your student tests positive for COVID-19, please call our front office to notify the school.  Our school must report positive cases to WCPSS Health Services and we can provide you with more specific guidance regarding a return to school date, attendance procedures, and completing academic work.  

 

National School Social Worker Week:  March 6-12 is National School Social Work Week, a time to celebrate school social workers across the nation and appreciate their work in helping students achieve academic success. Working alongside our teachers, and school administrators, school social workers support students and families by promoting positive change and eliminating barriers to student learning.  A huge shout-out goes to Orlander Bullock, DRMS' school social worker.  We appreciate the supports Mr. Bullock provides for our students and staff.

 

Statewide Tornado Drill:  March 7-11, 2022 is designated as North Carolina's Severe Weather Preparedness week.  On Wednesday, March 9, 2022 at 9:45 AM, Durant Road Middle School will participate in the Statewide Tornado Drill.  This annual drill is a way for students to learn simple procedures that could save lives in the event of severe weather.

 

Due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, students will not be moved into hallways as in past tornado drills.  Teachers will verbally explain to students what to do and where to go in the event of a tornado at school.

 

Family Engagement Event:  DRMS is excited to offer our second virtual family engagement event on Tuesday March 15^th at 6pm. The Office of Equity Affairs will be presenting "The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly of Social Media." Please see the linked flyers for google meet links and we look forward to seeing you there! English  Spanish

 

Single Subject Acceleration (SSA):  The SSA test request window is from April 18, 2022 - May 3, 2022.  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 Ms. Dunbar at edunbar@wcpss.net for more information.  The WCPSS SSA website outlines the windows when test requests can be made and when testing will occur. All applications are due by March 25, 2022. 

 

DRMS PTA News:

 

DRMS PTA is currently recruiting for the 2022-23 school year. As a small group of dedicated volunteers, we are always looking for people interested in supporting Durant Road Middle school students, staff, and the community. 

Please fill out the following form to let us know if you are interested in one of these board positions or committees.

 

Elected Positions

 

President (2-3 hours per month)

• Shall preside at all meetings of the general membership and the board of directors at which he/she may be present, and shall designate another officer to preside when he/she will not be present (in the absence of such designation, the board may elect any board member to preside at any meeting); 

• Shall coordinate the work of the officers, the board and the committees of this local PTA; 

• Shall perform such other duties as may be provided for by these bylaws or assigned to him/her by this local PTA 

Vice President of Communications (2-3 hours per month)

• Shall preside at meetings when the President is not available 

• Works to share information with the community through newsletter, social media and emails

Secretary (1-3 hours per month)

• Takes minutes at board and association meetings

• Handles PTA correspondence as directed by the president 

• Maintains and preserves PTA records and important documents to pass on at the end of the term

Treasurer (2-3 hours per month)

• Keep accurate and detailed financial records of budget, check requests and receipts/invoices, disbursements, funds received forms with deposit slips, monthly bank statements, reconciliations, and financial reports 

• Prepare and present the annual budget

 Committees and other positions

 

We are looking for chairs for these committees for the 2022-23 school year. These positions are NOT elected positions and will be appointed through a vote by the PTA board.

• Advocacy

• Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee

• BAC Rep (Board Advisory Committee – District 3)

• Volunteers for special events (i.e.Staff appreciation, Day of Awesomeness)

  

Thank you for supporting DRMS,

Kristen J Faircloth

Principal