Dear Dragon Families,

 

Thanks to our PTA for their help with the Spring Dance. To use an 80s word…the dance was Tubular!

 

It is that time of year! SO MUCH HAPPENING! And this is a long newsletter. Please take a moment to read this entire newsletter. You don’t want to miss out on all the great things happening at DDMMS. Thank you!

 

Ask your student about….

6^th Grade – How do you think you did on the Science test?

7^th Grade – Are you ready for your ELA and SS assessments this week? How are you getting ready?

8^th Grade – How was the NC Science Check-in?

All – Academic Celebrations

 

THE WEEK AHEAD

• Monday, April 15^th – A Day
• Tuesday, April 16^th, B Day
• Wednesday, April 17^th, A Day
• Thursday, April 18^th – B Day
• Friday, April 19^th - A Day – Report Cards Go Home

 

MARK YOUR CALENDAR

• Monday, April 15^th – SOFTBALL @ WENDELL
• Tuesday, April 16^th – FASTBRIDGE IN ELA CLASS – Please have charged Chromebook
• Wednesday, April 17^th – TRACK MEET – 4PM
• Thursday, April 18^th – SOFTBALL – 4PM
• Wednesday, May 2^nd – PTA / POE HEALTH CENTER EVENT – Uncovering Drugs – See details below
• Friday, May 3^rd - DDMMS PLAY
• Friday, May 17^th – SPRING FLING
• EOGs - Please mark your calendars. End-of-year testing will be June 3 – 7.

 

8th GRADE PARENTS - The 8^th grade team and PTA are working on the details for the end-of-the-year events, however, please mark your calendars!

June 7^th – 8^th Grade Dance

June 12^th – Moving on Ceremony – by teams. Times will be between 9:30am – 12:00pm.

 

DRAGONS GOT TALENT - Deadline for Program Covers & Acts is Friday, April 18

As part of the Spring Fling event on Friday, May 17, we will have a talent show (Dragons Got Talent!) for our amazing students. Students can participate in any of these ways:

 

• Submit a drawing for the program cover.
• Be an emcee. We need 2-4 emcees.
• Be one of the acts during the showcase.  Solo and Group acts are welcome.
• Students can apply online at https://tinyurl.com/DragonsGotTalent or they can complete a hardcopy form (which is available in the front office).

If you have questions, contact Marie Dexter at mariecdexter@gmail.com

 

Donate Items to the Spring Fling Raffle - As part of the fun at the Spring Fling, we will be raffling off many cool baskets.  We are asking parents for donations.  Shop our Amazon Wish List.  If you have questions, please contact Annie Pilz, Basket Raffle Coordinator.

 

MATH AFTER SCHOOL TUTORING – Emails were sent to students who participated in afterschool tutoring in the fall, but we wanted to open it up to all. If you are interested and would like more information, email our Math Department Chair, Charles Stowe at cstowe@wcpss.net.

 

GREAT EVENT – PARENTS ONLY –   At our March PTA meeting, we heard from a representative from the POE Health Center. They have program called Drugs Uncovered. DDMMS will be hosting this program on May 1 at 5:30pm – 7:30pm. We have also invited rising 6^th grade parents from our main feeder schools. Again, this event is for parents only.

Drugs Uncovered: What Parents Need to Know - What Parents Need to Know is an interactive program that targets parents of upper elementary, middle school and high school students. Drugs Uncovered introduces parents to the current trends regarding alcohol, tobacco and other drugs; health risks associated with adolescent use/abuse; the North Carolina alcohol laws and parental responsibility; and techniques for open communication and dialog with adolescents.

 

DDMMS’s DRAMA PRODUCTION – On May 3^rd at 7:00pm, our Drama Club will perform a student written play called Disaster Piece. Yes, this play was written by DDMMS’s students! So creative! Incredible! Please look at this  this flyer.

 

8^th GRADE FAMILIES – Never too soon to start planning for college. Come to DDMMS, April 25 at 6:00pm in the DDMMS Media Center and learn about how to get your 8^th grader ready for college from Dana Murphy, Director of Community Engagement, Advantage College Planning – Free! CLICK HERE FOR FLYER

 

3^rd QUARTER HONOR ROLL CELEBRATION – B1 of Our Volunteers at the Honor Roll Celebration for 3rd Quarter. It is time for the 3rd quarter Honors Recognition as DDMMS! The students LOVED our Bingo activity last time, and so we will be doing it again. Chair Annie Pilz is looking for volunteers to help each day.  Sign up if you can help.  If you have questions, contact Annie at akcpilz@gmail.com

 

APRIL STAFF LUNCHEON- Let's ParTEA! For our April luncheon, the PTA is hosting a high tea!  We need your help to make this a success! Sign up to donate items or volunteer at https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0E4BAEA62AAAFFCE9-48167928-lets#/

 

TEACHER APPRECIATION WEEK IS COMING - Create Messages for Our Teachers for Teacher Appreciation Week For Teacher Appreciation Week, we want to paper the walls with messages for our teachers.  We invite you to join us as we create these banners, have some laughs, and maybe enjoy a sweet treat (or two!) No artistic experience necessary! A variety of dates and times are available!  Sign up at https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0E4BAEA62AAAFFCE9-48692845-celebrating#/

 

DRAGONS GOT TALENT -

DO YOU NEED RESOURCES TO HELP YOUR STUDENT GET READY FOR THE EOGS? – Parent and Family Content Support Guides - These parent guides explain the content in straightforward terms so they can support their children’s learning at home and will encourage caretaker engagement with lessons.

• Math Parent Guide
• ELA Parent Guide

• Science Parent Guide
• Social Studies Parent Guide

 

DO YOU WANT TO TRAVEL ABROAD?  -  Click Here for Information about this EF Tour - Education First countywide parent/student meeting virtually. It will be on that 5/16/24 date from 6:30-7:30pm. At this meeting Christopher Clarke, a former WCSPPS teacher will discuss the June 2025 summer European educational tour to Germany, Italy, and Switzerland. For our DDMMS Global Leaders this would be a great opportunity!

 

 

NOTE FROM OUR SCHOOL NURSE – IMPORTANT –  Spring is upon us, so you know what that means.  That’s right, health plan updates and renewals!  As your school nurse, I will be reaching out over the coming weeks to touch base about your student’s health plans and whether any changes need to be made for the 24-25 school year.  I am required to speak to a parent or guardian to reassess your student’s health care needs before I can renew any health plans.  I do understand that it can be hard to take a phone call while at work.  If this is the case, please return my call and leave a message letting me know how best to reach you. If you have a student that has medications at school, a new 1702 form will be required when the new school year begins.  Your doctor may complete the 1702 form anytime after April 1, 2024, and it will be valid for the 24-25 school year.  For your convenience, I have included the link for the 1702 form:  https://www.wcpss.net/cms/lib/NC01911451/Centricity/Domain/5175/1702_parent_request_and_physicians_order.pdf  As always, if you have any questions or concerns, please don’t hesitate to reach out.  I can be reached at 919-524-1894 or hcassimatis@wcpss.net

Here’s to a happy and healthy spring!  Thank you -  Heide Cassimatis, BSN, RN, NCSN

 

WRESTLING OPPORTUNITY - Mad Cow Wrestling Club has just opened and is hosting middle school practices! Through this club, middle schoolers have an opportunity to develop confidence, foster friendships, and build strong foundational skills for athletic success. We are offering a 7-week FUNdamentals of Wrestling course where we will emphasize the fun in fundamentals! This is an amazing opportunity for any middle schooler to get exposed to wrestling while having a great time!

 

Prior to registration, each athlete will need a USA Wrestling membership. There are two athlete options, Limited and Full. Limited costs $20 and allows the athlete to attend all practices, while Full costs $50 and allows the athlete to attend practices and register for competitions. (If you do not have experience, I would recommend starting with the Limited membership and not worrying about trying to compete this off season.) This can be done at https://www.usawmembership.com/. Detailed instructions can be found here: link

 

The club practices are 5:30-7:00pm on Tuesdays and Thursdays in the Athens Drive Wrestling Room. (1420 Athens Drive, Raleigh, NC 27606. Park in the student lot, between the school and the stadium, and enter the building through the wrestling room doors.) Athletes should come dressed for practice, wearing shorts/sweatpants and a shirt, and bring a pair of wrestling shoes. (Headgear is optional, but recommended.)

The cost to attend is $15 per practice or $150 for the whole spring (through June 13). For more information, you can visit madcowwrestling.com, check out our Instagram account @madcowwrestling, and/or email Coach Wenzel at swenzel@wcpss.net. I'm looking forward to the opportunity to work with you!

FROM THE HALLS

• ^8th Grade – CLICK HERE
• 7^th Grade – CLICK HERE
• 6^th GRADE - CLICK HERE

 

REMEMBER TO STAY IN THE LOOP -   Follow Mrs. Feldman, DDMMS, and WCPSS on Twitter. Even if you don't ever tweet, it's a great source of information. @msfeldman and @DDMMSDragons. We also have a DDMMS Facebook page.