Dear Dragon Families,
Let us Celebrate! I was very proud and honored to accept our School of Excellence Award at the Magnet Schools of America Conference in NYC this week. At Dillard, our staff works hard and love our students. This week I enjoyed sharing with other principals and leaders the work we are doing at DDMMS to not only create global citizens but to support the whole student. Visiting other schools and hearing others’ stories, you all should be proud too. It was very apparent that we are rocking it!
Next, this week we have a special occasion to celebrate and express our gratitude to our front office staff for Administrative Professionals' Day, 4/24! They are the BEST and incredible individuals who keep our school running smoothly day in and day out. They are the backbone of our school and handle a multitude of tasks with grace, efficiency, and a smile on their faces. I encourage each of you to take a moment today to personally thank them and let them know how much you appreciate them.
And…. Our very own Ms. Heidi has been voted WCPSS School Nurse of the Month. We are very proud of her! This is very well deserved. Ms. Heidi goes above and beyond her job description and will jump in to help the front office staff and Admin. Team in any way that she can! Congrats! Lots of info. below. Please read to the end!
Ask your student about….
- 6th Grade – Are you ready for your social studies test on Friday?
- 7th Grade How was your social studies test?
- 8th Grade – Are you checking PowerSchool to make sure all your work is turned in? Are you enjoying the Shakespeare play, A Midsummer Night’s Dream?
- All – How did you do on the Fastbridge Assessment?
THE WEEK AHEAD
- Monday, April 22nd – B Day
- Tuesday, April 23rd – A Day
- Wednesday, April 24th – B Day
- Thursday, April 25th – A Day
- Friday, April 26th – B Day
MARK YOUR CALENDAR
- Monday, April 22nd – SOFTBALL @ CARNAGE
- Tuesday, April 23rd -SPANISH FIELD TRIP – 11AM-1PM
- Tuesday, April 23rd – SOCCER - 4PM
- Wednesday, April 24th – 8th GRADE HONOR ROLL CELEBRATION – 8:15AM
- Wednesday, April 24th – 6th GRADE FIELD TRIP
- Wednesday, April 24th – TRACK MEET – 4PM
- Thursday, April 25th – 7th GRADE HONOR ROLL CELEBRATION – 8:15AM
- Thursday, April 25th – SOFTBALL @ E. GARNER
- Friday, April 26th – 6th GRADE HONOR ROLL CELEBRATION – 8:15AM
- Friday, April 26th – FRENCH FIELD TRIP – 11AM-1PM
- Wednesday, May 1st – PTA / POE HEALTH CENTER EVENT – Uncovering Drugs - Adults Only
- Friday, May 3rd - DDMMS PLAY
- Friday, May 17th – SPRING FLING – For the WHOLE family!
EOY EVENTS
- June 7th – 8th Grade Dance
- June 10th and June 11th – 6th and 7th grade field days and awards - more details to come.
- June 12th – 8th Grade Moving on Ceremony – by teams. Times will be between 9:30am – 12:00pm.
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 after-school 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.
WCPSS PARENT SURVEY -Helping students do their best in school requires a team effort. Parents, students, and schools all play important roles in this process.Help us make your students’ school experience as positive and beneficial as possible by taking 5 minutes to complete by May 17. Survey Link
GREAT EVENT – PARENTS ONLY – At our March PTA meeting, we heard from a representative from the POE Health Center. They have a program called Drugs Uncovered. DDMMS will be hosting this program on May 1 at 5:30pm – 7:30pm. We have also invited rising 6th grade parents from our main feeder schools. Again, this event is for Adults 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. Research has shown that the use of vaping in middle schools is growing. It really helps parents learn "HOW" to have important conversations with their middle school student.
DDMMS’s DRAMA PRODUCTION –On May 3rd 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.
8th 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 8th grader ready for college from Dana Murphy, Director of Community Engagement, Advantage College Planning – Free! CLICK HERE FOR FLYER
3rd 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
LAST PTA STAFF LUNCH IS MAY 10 - Thank you for all the support you've provided to our teacher luncheons this school year. Our last big event is Friday, May 10 to end Teacher Appreciation Week. We will be having a Fiesta Mexicana with our Taco Bar. You can help by donating an item or volunteering your time. Sign up at
https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0E4BAEA62AAAFFCE9-49221684-fiesta#/
And… The DDMMS PTA Needs a Treasurer for Next Year! It is hard to believe that the school year is almost at end! We will be holding elections for officers for the 2024-25 year at our May PTA meeting. We NEED someone to be our Treasurer next year! We cannot write checks, make deposits, or function as a PTA without a Treasurer.
We also have many other committee chair openings and volunteer opportunities, for next year, such as Hospitality, Book Fair, Spring Fling, and more. If you are interested in any of those activities, please let us know as well. We love our volunteers.
If you are interested, contact Lesley Irelandlesleyireland613@outlook.com and Marie Dexter at mariecdexter@gmail.com ASAP.
TEACHER APPRECIATION WEEK IS COMING - Create Messages for Our Teachers 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 athttps://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0E4BAEA62AAAFFCE9-48692845-celebrating#/
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.
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 that5/16/24 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
FROM THE HALLS
- 8th Grade – CLICK HERE
- 7th Grade – CLICK HERE
- 6th 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.
