May 1- Spring Social

may 16- Dine out for Drake- Colorado Tap House

May Calendar

Musical Performance

Our musical last weekend was AMAZING!!  Thank you to all of the staff, students and community members who supported this amazing production!  This production was extra special, as it turned out to be Theater Direction, Laurel Wicke's final performance at Drake Middle School.  We wish her well as she embarks on her next journey at Ralston Valley High School, and thank her for the dynamic program she has built at Drake!

Yearbooks for Sale Until Sold Out

We are still selling yearbooks, but be forewarned, we will most likey sell out. Please don't put off your purchase and have a sad kiddo on the last day. I've seen it happen every year, and it just breaks my heart. Get yours at yearbookforever.com. They are $50.00, and we're coming in at 160 awesome pages! They're gorgeous!

Drake TV

Drake TV is here to keep our community Connected, Informed and Entertained.

Click Here to enjoy this week's student-produced broadcast, featuring the following segments:

• Astronomy Class

• Colorado Tornadoes

• NFL Draft

• Spring Social

• Story Chain
  
  

Miss an episode? Click Here to visit our archive!

Spring Fling Social

The Spring Fling will be on Wednesday, May 1st from 5:15-7:15 p.m. Leadership students will be pre-selling tickets in the 6th, 7th, and 8th grade halls during Access and Academic Focus starting on Monday 4/22 thru Wednesday 5/1. Tickets are $5. Students who pre-purchase tickets will receive a Glow Package when they check in at the Spring Fling. Tickets can be purchased at the door the day of the Spring Fling, but no Glow Package will be included.

Students with 2+ Fs will not be permitted to attend the spring social.

We will have a Silent Disco, Teacher Dunk Tank, Cake Walk, Karaoke, Indoor and Outdoor Games, Prizes, Food Trucks, Exclusive 8th graders only ice cream bar, plus so much more. Be sure to join us for this 80's Neon Theme Party!

The Leadership Class is in need of Adult Volunteer to help chaperone the Spring Fling that will be held on Wednesday, May 1st from 5:15-7:15 p.m. If you can help, please contact Ms. Johnson.

miajohns@jeffco.k12.co.us

Baked Good items are needed for the Cake Walk for the Spring Fling on Wednesday, May 1st. We welcome both store bought and homemade. Please drop donations off to the front office, starting Monday, April 29th. 

Drake Students in Jeffco Art Show

Congratulations to the student artists selected to represent Drake in this year's Jeffco Schools Middle School Art Exhibit. This Art Exhibit showcases excellence in the visual arts within Jeffco Middle Schools. Middle school art teachers select students’ work that best exemplifies the highest quality examples of the Jeffco Public Schools art curricula. The Show will remain on exhibit at The Lakewood Cultural Center until Saturday, May 4, 2024.  For a list of the student participants, click here. 

End of School Year Schedule

The last day of school for students in 6th & 7th  grade is Friday, May 24.  Dismissal time on this day will be 1:30.

In addition, Drake will have grade level field trips and fun on the scheduled dates:

May 17- 8th grade field trip- see details below

May 23- last day for 8th grade- 11:30 release

7th grade field trip- details to come

6th grade field day- details to come

24-25 School Year Information

While we still have 4 weeks left of the 23-24 school year, I wanted to begin answering some questions and sharing information about the 24-25 school year. 

• BELL SCHEDULE- Our bell schedule will be changing.  We will be moving to a 7 period day (with a modified block), which will allow teachers adequate time to plan together in their grade level content teams.  This will benefit students tremendously, as it will allow teachers to discuss and respond to student classroom data, and will allow for learning and implementation of instructional strategies that benefit and engage students.  

  • HERE is our bell schedule for the 24-25 school year.  

  • In order to allow students to continue to take 6 electives per year, this also encourages the transition from trimesters to semesters.

• TEAMING- Unfortunately, due to the size of our school, we will be moving away from having grade level teams (6th grade- Wolf Creek/ Telluride, 7th grade- Steamboat/Aspen, 8th grade- Breckenridge/ Copper Mountain).  I know that teams, especially during the 6th grade transition, have been a source of comfort of parents.  As our school has continued to grow, we have seen a large percentage of our students and teachers, who are no longer able to benefit from the advantages of teams. We do plan, however, to copy rosters for access and advisement, as well as continue with strategic locker placement, in order to continue to encourage strong relationships between students and teachers.

I know that change can be difficult to envision, and our goal every year is to have as little of change as possible.  It will  continue to be our goal to have as little of change as possible in order to encourage continuity and consistency for our students, teachers and community.  Thank you all for your support and understanding as we navigate the size of our school, as well as our student, teacher and community needs. 

Continuation/Awards Ceremony invite & RSVP

All 8th grade students and their families are invited to attend our first Continuation/ Awards Ceremony.  All 8th graders will be acknowledged at the ceremony and our traditional special awards will be presented. Please see this invitation for details, and be sure to RSVP by May 15. 

8th Grade End of the Year Field Trip

• We are going to Elitch Gardens!!!

• Friday, May 17th

• The cost is $30

• Food is not included in the fee. 

• Parents can pay the fee online.

• Teachers will NOT collect any money.

• You CAN be uninvited from this trip. Please keep your grades up and behavior on point.

• We will ride the light rail to and from Elitch’s. 

• Elitch's Permission Slip

Drake Counseling Department

If you were unable to attend the Coffee With The Counselors this morning, feel free to look through our presentation to see what we covered! 

We discussed how to access your student's Individual Career and Academic Plan (ICAP) results & resources from earlier this year. Students will complete ICAP all throughout middle school and high school. It has a plethora of resources about careers, interests, colleges, post-secondary options, etc., that we encourage parents/guardians to explore with their students! Here are directions for students to access their Naviance profile. 

Bell Schedule

School Supplies

Student Guardian Handbook

Transportation 

Drake Concerns Flow Chart

Infinite Campus How to

Drake Clubs Flyer