The Spot-Dalmatian Newsletter
March 2025
From the Principal...
DMES Families -
Spring will be here before you know it!
Just eleven weeks remain in the 2024-2025 school year, and they are full of exciting events. In fact, during these final weeks, we will enjoy some of our favorite events of the school year: Read Across America Week (with lots of fun dress up days), the Spring Book Fair, field days, career days, awards days, and 5th grade graduation, for example. These are wonderful days, and I hope you will join us for them - more information to come!
These final weeks are also home to some of the year's most critical events - especially our final iReady assessments (beginning mid-March) and SC Ready testing in 3rd-5th. We will need your help preparing our children to make a final push on these. After all, DMES is always striving for excellence, and these will be vital to achieving that goal.
Thanks for making it a wonderful year so far. Let's make the final quarter as great as the first 3/4!
With gratitude,
Carla Cato, Principal
DMES PTO News
DMES PTO News
Hello, DMES Families!!
We continue to look for volunteers to support some of the year's remaining events. If you would be willing to volunteer, please email me at (dmespto21@gmail.com) or contact Mrs. Cato (Cbcato@spart7.org). The events are…
- 3/7/25: Ice Cream Day (1 Volunteer needed)🍨
- 4/11/25:Ice Cream Day (1 Volunteer needed)🍨
- 5/2/25: Ice Cream Day (1 volunteer needed)🍨
- 5/7/25: Papa John’s Fundraiser🍕
- 5/8/25: Papa John’s Fundraiser🍕
- Field Day (2 volunteers needed per day)⚽
With Dalmatian Pride, 🐾,
Brandy Simpson, PTO President
Black History Program
We had an incredible and inspiring Black History Program this past month that highlighted groundbreaking black inventors who changed the world. Our students and teachers did an amazing job bringing history to life. We are so proud of our students, staff, and families who helped make this event special.
Read and Dine for 4K-2nd Grade
Drayton Mills Elementary School will host our annual Read and Dine event for 4K-2nd grade students and their families on Thursday, March 20th from 5:30-6:30 p.m. Registration is required and the first 50 students who register will be able to attend. Families will receive a free dinner, and each student will take home a free book! Parents will be invited to attend a session on how to promote early literacy at home while students enjoy a special read aloud with teachers from our school. We are looking forward to celebrating our love of books with our youngest readers!
LRC-School Library Corner
Mrs. Sanford is looking forward to the upcoming reading activities for March:
~ March 3 - 7 is Read Across America Week. We will be reading (or hearing) a different book each day about kindness.
- Monday, March 3: You are Kind (Seuss) Students should dress like Horton, the elephant, to remember the importance of being kind to all, no matter how small!
- Tuesday, March 4: Each Kindness (Woodson) Students will make kindness bookmarks to swap with a friend.
- Wednesday, March 5: Stick and Stone (Ferry) Dress to twin with a friend(s).
- Thursday, March 6: No Bunny's Perfect (Dewdney) Dress in mismatched clothes and messy hair to remind us not all days are perfect.
- Friday, March 7: Do Unto Otters (Keller) Dress in our DMES gear to show we all agree that being kind is the best way to be!
~ March 17th begins our Spring Book Fair week. Families will be able to shop on the evening of March 20 at the Read and Dine Event.
~ March 28th starts the 2025 Spring Reading Challenge Sundae Showdown - Which grade level class will be the best buckaroos? More info to come.
~ Candyland has been re-scheduled for later in March due to unforeseen circumstances. More info to come!
2025-2026 Kindergarten Registration Now Open
As we prepare for the upcoming school year, we want to ensure all current and future D7 families are well-informed about key enrollment dates and processes. Here’s everything you need to know to help guide families through this exciting time:
New 3K, 4K, and 5K Student Enrollment (2025-2026) Now Open!
This enrollment period is specifically for new 3K, 4K, and 5K students, as well as current D7 3K students. Current D7 4K students will register for 5K during the returning student registration period after Spring Break. For full details, please visit our Kindergarten Enrollment Page (https://www.spartanburg7.org/kindergarten)
3K Program Details
• Need-based 3K classes are offered at Cleveland Academy of Leadership (located at The Franklin School) and Mary H. Wright Elementary.
• Supported by a Full-Service Community Schools grant in partnership with Spartanburg Academic Movement and D7.
• Acceptance Criteria: Priority given to students with financial and/or developmental needs, and those living in the school’s attendance zones.
4K Program Details
• Available at all D7 elementary schools, offering need-based 4K programs.
• Similar to 3K, acceptance is based on financial and developmental need through a formal application and assessment.
Important Note for Current 3K & 4K Students:
• Families of students currently in the 3K program should apply for 4K now.
• Families of 4K students will register for 5K after Spring Break—no new student registration required.
5K Program Details:
• Children who turn five years old on or before September 1 of this year must enroll in a public or private 5K program, unless the parent or legal guardian signs a waiver.
• If a waiver is signed, state law requires the child to enroll in 1st grade at age 6 the following year.
• Free 5K programs are available at all D7 schools!
Enrollment Timeline & Process D7 elementary schools are currently accepting:
• 3K Applications
• 4K Applications
• NEW 5K Student Enrollment Forms
What Families Need: Parents can find the required forms and information online at our Kindergarten Enrollment Page (https://www.spartanburg7.org/kindergarten). After filling out the forms, parents will need to bring them to their zoned elementary school along with the necessary documentation to complete the enrollment process.
Additional Resources:
• Find Your School & Attendance Zone (https://www.spartanburg7.org/attendancezone)
• 3K, 4K, and 5K Enrollment Info & Forms (https://www.spartanburg7.org/kindergarten)
5K–12th Grade Returning Student Enrollment (2025-2026): Opening After Spring Break
Returning student enrollment for grades 5K–12 will begin after Spring Break. Parents/guardians will receive an email prompting them to complete the online enrollment process through their FinalForms account.
We’d love your help in spreading the word! We are excited to welcome new families and students to D7! We are so excited for the 2025-2026 school year and can't wait to welcome all of our new students and families to D7! Let’s make this an unforgettable year!
New D7 Cell Phone Policy Effective January 2025
Phones OFF/Learning ON: New D7 Cell Phone Policy Effective January 2025
The South Carolina General Assembly has required all school districts to implement policies that prohibit students from accessing personal electronic communication devices during the school day. District 7’s new policy is effective as of January 2025. All student personal electronic devices must be powered off and stored out of sight from the tardy bell until dismissal. This includes all personal devices used to access the Internet, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, or cellular telephone signals (cell phones, wearable technology such as Smartwatches, Airpods, headphones, etc.). The full District 7 Board Policy “Possession/Use of Electronic Communication Devices in School” is available here: http://spartanburg7.org/CellPhonePolicy.
Thank you for partnering with D7 to help our students understand and follow this policy. Working together, we will achieve our best with “Phones OFF/Learning ON”!
School Lunch Menus
School Lunch Menus
Monthly breakfast and lunch menus can be found at this link:
https://spartanburg7.nutrislice.com/menu/drayton-mills-elementary
Chartwells Newsletter https://www.spartanburg7.org/o/spartanburg7/page/food-services
Stay connected to the Dalmatian Nation!
Email: cbcato@spart7.org
Website: dmes.spartanburg7.org
Location: 1500 Skylyn Drive, Spartanburg, SC, USA
Phone: (864) 586-7979
Facebook: facebook.com/DraytonMillsElementary
Follow Drayton Mills Elementary School on our live feed app, too!
Monthly Calendar
March 3-7: Read Across America Week
March 7: PTO Ice Cream Day
March 10: SIC Meeting 3:00
March 14: Staff Development Day (eLearning Day for Students)
March 17-21: Spring Book Fair
March 18: Report Cards Go Home
March 19: Kona Ice Fundraiser
March 20: Read and Dine Family Night
March 24-27: iReady Testing
March 27: DMES Band, Chorus and Orchestra Concert 6:00 PM
March 28: Spring Reading Challenge Begins
March 31: Spring Picture Day
DMES is proud to be a Title I School!
Title I schools receive federal funds that assist them in providing high quality reading and math instruction with the goal of improving student achievement. You can see a copy of our school's Title I plan by visiting our front office, and you can learn more about Title I at DMES by visiting the Title I section of our website: https://www.spartanburg7.org/domain/4293. Also on that site, you can see our school's Title I Parent Involvement Policy, Parent's Right to Know, and our Title I Newsletter.