News from the Nest
Dacula Middle School
137 Dacula Road, Dacula, GA 30019 / 770.963.1110
May 5, 2023
Teacher Appreciation Week ~ May 8th - May 12th
To show how much they're appreciated, we'll be collecting words of thanks for our amazing DMS teachers. Our "Thank a Dacula Middle School Teacher" form will be posted on the Dacula Middle e-Class landing page starting Monday, 5/1st.
Feel free to send a message to a DMS teacher that has helped you in some way. We will take your responses, add it to cards, and deliver them to the teachers.
Responses are due no later than today, Friday, May 5th.
We will deliver these messages to teachers the week of May 8th - May 12th.
8th Grade Celebration Day - Payment Deadline 5/7th!
Congratulation to Our Fabulous DMS Falcons!
Each month our staff nominates fellow members of our DMS faculty in recognition of all they do and for going above and beyond to help students, staff, and our Dacula community as a whole just a better place to be.
April's Fabulous Falcons as recognized by their peers are:
Hanna Carter, Language Arts Connections Teacher
Erin Clary, 7th Grade Social Studies
Letha Hunter, 6th Grade Instructional Clerk
Alicia Knighton, 8th Grade Special Education Teacher
Lamar Washington, Custodial Staff
Steven Poss, Media Specialist
Lisa Smith, Administrative Assistant
End of Year Awards Information
Invitations for award recipients will be sent the week of May 8th through SchoolMessenger email. If you have these messages blocked, please check your SPAM/JUNK folder and/or unblock messages from Dacula Middle School <no-reply@gcpsk12.org> to receive important emails from our school.
Dear Parents:
As we're beginning to wind down the school year, we wanted to share details regarding Honor Roll and Principal’s Honor Roll recognition for our end of year awards, which will be held on May 15th for 6th and 7th grades, and May 16th for 8th grade. You will receive a progress report noting your child’s performance through March 30th. This report will be emailed home on Thursday, March 30. Any missing student work noted on the progress report should be submitted no later than Friday, April 14. Submitting late work after the Friday, April 14 deadline will not change a student's eligibility to be recognized for academic performance. The grades on the April 21st progress report along with the grades on the first semester report card will determine if a student is recognized for academic performance this school year.
We encourage parents to monitor their child’s grades every week through the use of the parent portal.
Honor Roll - All A’s & B’s for the year (including individual connections classes)
Principal’s Honor Roll - Straight A’s for the year (including individual connections classes)
Student Device Recheck and Missing Items
Teachers have been conducting additional device checks this week in anticipation of testing. Students must bring their Chromebook, charger, and device case with them to school every day.
Students are required to complete our upcoming GMAS and 2nd semester final exams on their Chromebooks.
If you received notification that an items was missing/lost please continue to look for them.
With testing coming up we no longer have chargers for students who have left theirs at home or have lost it. They will need to temporarily borrow a charger from another student while in class if their Chromebook needs to be charged. ALL students should be bringing their chargers to school each day and no longer leaving them at home.
Morning Tutoring and Morning Student Drop Off
Students coming for morning tutoring must be in the cafeteria by 8:15am.
Tutoring starts at 8:15am and teachers start picking up their students at this point. Late students are not allowed to go to tutoring without their teacher accompanying them.
Anyone arriving after their teacher has picked up their class will be held in the cafeteria until morning dismissal at 8:55am.
Morning Early Student Drop Off - Bus Zone Only until 8:30am!
All students arriving before 8:30am MUST be dropped off in the bus lanes in the back of the building. Drop off moves to the car rider lane starting at 8:30am to allow for bus arrival.
Students should not be dropped off at the front office or in the staff parking lot in the back of the building. Doing this creates safety hazards for students, staff, and our busses.
Join the fun on the DMS PTA Board!
As the end of the school year draws closer, it's exciting to make plans for summer break and all the fun ahead. A final detail in closing out the school year is setting up the PTA board so that everyone is in place and ready to go for the next school year. We have a few positions that need to be filled, and I would like to ask you to take a moment and really consider joining the team.
The Dacula Middle School PTA primarily does three things - show love to our teachers and staff, create fun events for the students, and raise money to pay for the first two. A PTA board position sounds really formal, but in reality, it's parents from our school who get together every so often to chat about the upcoming activities. It's easy-going and really flexible. If you like the idea but are hesitant due to scheduling or fear of the level of time/effort/commitment required, please reach out to our President, Dyan Thomas. Ask your questions and see if it can work. The PTA really does some great things, and we'd love for you to join us.
Dyan's contact information:
mrsdyanthomas@gmail.com
360.319.6452
Here is a little video that may help us all remember the benefits of volunteering:
The Importance of our PTA Volunteers
Thank you!
Spring Testing Information - GMAS and S2 Posttests
Semester 2 Posttests: May 16th - May 17th
Students will be taking their Semester 2 posttests on May 16 and May 17, 2023. The daily schedule will be adjusted both days to accommodate a block scheduling period. These exams are 10% of the student’s overall grade and students are expected to take the exams. Please make sure your student is here on both days to take their exams.
Please contact Tasha Baumgardner if you have any questions related to the upcoming testing dates.
Georgia Milestones (GMAS) Testing
The main administration of the GMAS End of Grade (EOG) and End of Course (EOC) has been completed.
Students that missed any of their grade level tests will be participating in make-up testing to complete these required state assessments.
What's Going on at DMS?
Rising 9th Grader ~ DHS Summer Health and PE
Parent Mentors Information
Parent Mentors Present: “Self-Determination – What is it and How can I Support my Child?”
What: Parent Mentors Present: “Self-Determination – What is it and How can I Support my Child?”
When: Thursday, May 11, 2023, 9:30am – 11:00am or 6:00 pm-7:30pm
Where:
In-Person registration link for 9:30am session:
https://forms.gle/rZMYMLxfnaYccUgy5
Zoom registration link for 6pm session:
https://gcpsk12-org.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJAlfuGrrjksHdTL_RhzP35OhRSPJoHj9rae
Parent Mentors Present: “Parents Engaging in Education” – 4 Session Workshop
What: Parent Mentors Present: “Parents Engaging in Education” – 4 Session Workshop”
When: 4/20/23, 4/27/23, 5/4/23, and 5/16/23, 9:30am – 11:00am or 6:00 pm-7:30pm
Where:
In-Person registration link for 9:30am session on 4/20/23:
https://forms.gle/FsBdUZJ4FXvXTFQ67
Zoom registration link for 6pm session on 4/20/23:
https://gcpsk12-org.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJYud-6hrz4sEtav1P3vK6x9_-qSS5973ufJ
Georgia Special Needs Scholarships: SB10 and SB47
What: Under state laws passed by the Georgia State Legislature, parents of students who receive special education services or accommodations under a Section 504 Individual Accommodation Plan may request to transfer their child to another public or private school in Georgia.
Who: Any student who receives special education services, grades PK-11th and any returning 12th grader, and students eligible for a Section 504 Plan and in grades Kindergarten-11th.
When: Information, forms, as well as parent letters are accessible on the GCPS website: https://www.gcpsk12.org/Page/23585
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 23, 2023 – May 31, 2023
Where: Parents can complete the survey via the survey link below.
Please use the following link to access the survey: https://survey.gadoe.org/SPEDParentSurvey
Reminders
Tardy Guidelines
As we begin the second semester we wanted to send a reminder of the process and procedures that are in place if a student arrives to class late without permission:
Tardy 1: Warning
Tardy 2: Teacher Detention
Tardy 3: Teacher Detention
Tardy 4: After School Detention
Tardy 5: Saturday School
Teachers may use their discretion when assigning consequences.
Teachers enter tardies into Synergy and parents should receive an automated call notifying them of the tardy.
Weekly Progress Reports will continue being sent every Friday.
This semester, one detailed progress report will be sent by the first academic period teacher. The report will include each academic and connections class along with their assignments up to that date.
If you have any questions regarding a specific class, please feel free to reach out to that specific teacher.
Early Morning Drop Off for Tutoring
If you are bringing your child for tutoring before school on one of the assigned days, please be sure to have your child here before 8:15.
Students may be dropped off as early as 8 am in the bus lanes. Teachers will pick up kids from the cafeteria promptly at 8:15 and escort them to the classroom. Students may not be dropped off at the front of the building.
As a means of safety, students are not allowed up to tutoring past this time.
Monday- Language Arts
Tuesday- Math
Wednesday- Social Studies
Thursday- Science
Friday- Connections
The bus zone off of Auburn Road is only used for student drop off between 7:55am - 8:30a only!
Students cannot be dropped off in the bus zone after 8:30am due to bus traffic and should not be dropped of in the staff parking lot at any time.
These create safety hazards for staff, students, and bus drivers.
Moby Max
MobyMax is an online resource provided by Dacula MS that offers K-8 curriculum that is individualized per student to highlight skills that need attention.
MobyMax offers practice and support in language arts, math, science, and social studies.
Please check with your child for his or her username and password to gain access to this awesome, easy-to-use tool that can be used at home to help practice and strengthen skills.
1:1 Student Device Distribution
All GCPS students in grades 3-12 will be issued a Chromebook to be used at school and taken home to extend learning beyond the school day for the 2022-23 school year.
New students will receive their device/charger the first day they report to school.
While content filtering is applied to devices, parents are responsible for monitoring the appropriate use of technology at home.
Students in households with limited or no access to the internet can request a hotspot from DMS.
Students are expected to use devices following the GCPS Acceptable Use Policy and the Student Conduct Behavior Code.
Students need to arrive at school each day ready for learning with a fully charged device.
Additional information and resources can be found on the 1:1 Parent Support Site.
Stay Connected
ParentVUE & StudentVUE App Updates
A recent application update requires you to delete and reinstall the ParentVUE and StudentVUE mobile app from your device(s).
This update ensures that you have the newest version of the app and will continue to receive updates. If you do not delete and reinstall the applications, your device may not connect properly and continue to receive updates.
You will use the same username and password to log in after downloading the app.
Android Users will also need to delete the ParentVUE and/or StudentVUE web urls from your devices for the app updates to work correctly.
If you have any questions or need assistance please contact Jessica Curtis at 770-338-4630 or our ITI Coaches at 770-338-4627.
If you are not using the app and want to learn more, visit the GCPS website for information.
Do you have a MyPaymentsPlus account?
GCPS Students Need You!
News from the Clinic
Afternoon Bus Dismissal
We appreciate your patience and understanding with bus dismissal!
For afternoon dismissal, you can remain abreast of the departure times of your child's bus, by following these easy steps:
Log on to our DMS website.
Click on Parents/Students across the top of the screen.
Click on Afternoon Bus Dismissal you will see the buses that have already left and what time they departed our building.
You will need to refresh the screen periodically for updates.
Please call the GCPS Transportation Customer Service Center for information about bus pickup and drop-off at 770-338-4800.
Car Rider Reminders
Community Events
Home of the R.E.A.L. Falcons
Dacula Middle School will become a world-class school that provides a safe and nurturing environment where students acquire the knowledge, skills, behaviors, and beliefs to be successful in college and careers in a diverse society.
