News from the Nest

Dacula Middle School

137 Dacula Road, Dacula, GA 30019 / 770.963.1110

Click Here for the Dacula Middle School Website

February 25, 2022

4th Annual Dacula HS Color Run for the Cure 3k

Saturday, March 19th ~ 7:30am

at Mulberry Elementary School

To register or donate:

https://gofan.co/app/events/508281?schoolId=GA4946

Dacula Cluster COVID-19 Surveillance Testing Pilot

Gwinnett County Public Schools is expanding its COVID-19 Surveillance Testing pilot to include students and staff in the Dacula Cluster. This voluntary testing process will begin the week of February 28 and those interested will have until Thursday, February 24, at 11:59 p.m. to sign up to participate.

If you decide to sign up at a later time, the sign-up form will be active Monday – Thursday of each week. Use the appropriate link below to sign up.

Student Sign-up

More about the Dacula Cluster COVID-19 Testing Pilot:

Routine COVID-19 testing (also called surveillance testing) can quickly detect individuals who are positive with COVID-19 and trace contacts who should quarantine. The testing, which is free and will be conducted on a weekly basis at the school, uses a short Qtip-type swab to collect a sample from inside the nose. This testing will allow GCPS to test, receive test results (within 24-48 hours), and notify individuals of a clinically significant reading. By participating, students and staff members can help to minimize the spread of the virus within our schools, which benefits us all.

Although participation in surveillance testing is not required for students or staff members, it is strongly encouraged. Participation will contribute to the success of this mitigation strategy and our schools’ ability to limit the spread of COVID and keep students learning in person.

Learn more about the COVID testing being offered to Dacula Cluster students and staff by reviewing our frequently asked questions.

Dacula COVID Testing Flyer- English Dacula COVID Testing Flyer- Spanish

Early Release and Parent/Teacher Conferences

Early Release conferences are fast approaching. Conferences will be held on Wednesday, March 2nd and Thursday, March 3rd. Wednesday, March 2nd will be a digital learning day for all students. Students will be dismissed at 1:20 pm on Thursday, March 3rd. All instruction for students will end at 1:20 on both days. Please be sure to note these important schedule changes.

We are offering a digital format for our Semester 2 conferences (a Face-to-Face option is available). The purpose of a parent-teacher conference is to discuss your child's current academic progress/behavior. Please be prompt as these conferences are scheduled consecutively. If a situation arises and you are unable to attend your scheduled conference, please notify a teacher so the conference can be rescheduled.

You should have received a separate email from the school with all the information needed to schedule a conference for your child/children. If you did not and would like to schedule a conference, please contact one of your child's teachers.

We look forward to seeing you during conference week!

Please remember that all students are required to meet the promotion criteria established by GCPS. We encourage all parents to review the grades and the promotion criteria with your child.

GCPS 2021-2022 Middle School Promotion Criteria

Scoliosis Screening at Dacula Middle on Friday, March 18th

All students in grades 6 and 8 will be screened. On Monday, February 28th, your child will watch a video which will describe the screening process. If you would prefer your child not participate in our school's screenings, you will need to either sign the opt out portion of the scoliosis form or have your physician complete the form.

Scoliosis Parent Letter English Scoliosis Parent Letter Spanish

Scoliosis Form English Scoliosis Form Spanish

Please return the signed form/physician screening letter to school by Wednesday, March 16th.

If you have additional questions, please contact Ms. Charise Deramus

charisse.deramus@gcpsk12.org (678.407.7268)

Reminders

Parents should not be cutting through or dropping students off in the Faculty Parking Lot at the back of the school.

Doing this creates a safety hazard for faculty, students, and other drivers.

Please follow the traffic flow pattern for early morning dropoff.

Thank you for your cooperation!

The latest Georgia Department of Public Health (DPH) report on community transmission indicates "High" transmission of COVID-19 in Gwinnett County. As a result, masks are required in all GCPS facilities. Masks also are required on buses in compliance with federal mandates.

For the rest of the semester, families and staff will be notified via School Messenger each Monday afternoon about mask guidance for the rest of the week. Under the district’s current COVID-19 protocols, community transmission levels must be maintained at the "Moderate" or "Low" level for two consecutive weeks before district mask guidance transitions to “Strongly Recommended.”

Click here for more on GCPS’ mask guidance.

Student Device Request Form

With the arrival of Winter weather, if GCPS should call for an inclement weather digital learning day students should refer to their eClass course pages for their assignments.

Teachers will have assignments posted by 9:30am for students on a Digital Learning Day.

Carnegie Unit Connections Sign Ups

Current 6th and 7th graders that qualified for Carnegie Unit Connections courses for the 2022-23 school year received letters today and parents of those students received an email explaining the course requirements and grade-based qualification criteria for the class(es) they qualified for.

Sign Ups for these courses for qualified students closes today,

Friday, 2/25th!

The courses are as follows:

Foreign Language (current 6th graders - 2 year commitment)

Foundations of Engineering (current 7th graders - full year commitment)

Introduction to Digital Technology (current 7th graders - full year commitment)

Introduction to Business and Technology (current 7th graders - full year commitment)

If you/your child received one of these eligibility letters/emails and are interested in signing up, please visit the Dacula MS website and complete the corresponding Acknowledgement and Commitment Form found in the Top 3 Stories section of the homepage.

* Please note, completion of the Parent/Student Acknowledgement and Commitment Form does not guarantee placement in these classes.*

* In the event that there are more qualified students than seats available, students will be selected randomly for that course.*

* Student schedules will not be finalized until August so course placements will not be available until that time.*

Current 8th Graders/Rising 9th Graders

Academic Assistance Program (AAP)

Math AAP continues through Tuesday, March 1, 2022.

Please see the session dates below. Parents who have registered for their child to attend AAP received an email sent by Tasha Baumgardner

Students are required to pass 5 out of 6 courses each semester to meet the promotion criteria. Language Arts and Mathematics must be two of the five subjects passed.

Dacula Middle School’s Academic Assistance Program (AAP) is an opportunity for 6th, 7th, and 8th grade students to make up a failing grade (50 – 69) from first semester in Language Arts, Math, Science, or Social Studies to meet promotion criteria.

Students will be retaught and assessed on the AKS that they did not master during first semester.

The cost for each course is $75 and students can take up to 3 courses (see schedule below).

Check your email from your student's teacher about specific AAP information.

For questions, please contact Tasha Baumgardner, Assistant Principal responsible for AAP.

ACCESS 2.0 Assessment Testing

ACCESS is a standards-based, criterion-referenced English language proficiency test designed to measure English learners' social and academic proficiency in English. It assesses social and instructional English as well as the language associated with language arts, mathematics, science, and social studies within the school context across the four language domains.

ACCESS is used to determine the proficiency levels and progress of English Learners (EL) in the domains of Speaking, Listening, Reading, Writing. ACCESS for ELLs serves five main purposes. These include:

determining the English language proficiency level of students;
providing districts with information that will help them evaluate the effectiveness of their ESOL programs;
providing information that enhances instruction and learning in programs for English language learners;
assessing annual English language proficiency gains using a standards-based assessment instrument;
providing data for meeting federal and state requirements with respect to student assessment.

ACCESS will be admistered to at Dacula MS beginning February 14 - March 1, 2022 to all students who are English Language Learners. The assessment is given online. Scores are reported in the four domains and proficiency in six levels: entering, beginning, developing, expanding, bridging, and reaching.

Contact Tasha Baumgardner if you have any questions.

Special Services Support

Virtual Transition Fair 2022

Save-the-Date for the Virtual Transition Fair 2022 for students with disabilities, their families, and educators. Attendees will have the opportunity to watch virtual presentations from local agency representatives regarding various options available for school-aged students as well as transitional services to post-school activities and employment. Presentations and resources will be available virtually, in the following categories: Day Programs, Community Living Supports, Recreation & Leisure, and Vocational & Career Services.

2022 Transition Fair Flyers

Who: For Parents, Students with Disabilities, and Educators

When: Saturday, March 26, 2022, 8:00am

For additional information: https://www.gcpsk12.org/Page/23404

Annual Parent Involvement Survey

Who: Families of students who are receiving special education services

What: Each state is required to conduct a parent survey to measure parent/family perceptions of the success of parent engagement between home and local schools.

When: Available January 18, 2022 – May 31, 2022

Where: Parents can complete the survey via the survey link below.

Students will also be bringing home letters on 2/11th with information on how to access this annual survey.

Please use the following link to access the survey: https://survey.gadoe.org/SPEDParentSurvey

What's Happening at DMS?

¿Se habla español en casa?

If you/your 8th grade student understood the message above, we would like your student to take the SNS/Heritage Spanish placement test.

Please have them complete the Google form (after signing into their Gsuite account): https://forms.gle/yosRqhpWDgBuMwUx6

Are you a current 7th Grader interested in becoming a Peer Leader for the 2022-2023 school year?

If so, the application is now open!

Peer leaders will help around the school with different events, participate in community projects, and will meet with DMS counselors on a monthly basis to develop and enhance leadership skills.

Be sure to answer in complete, well thought out sentences. Remember, please fill this out only if you are a current 7th grader.

Current 7th Grader - Peer Leader Application

The deadline to submit the application is Friday, March 4th at 5:00pm.