DKMS Newsletter

Happy Friday the 13th Panther families! It was a great week here in the middle school!

Thank you to our parents and staff for being a part of our Parent/Teacher conferences Thursday night. It is always great to spend some time discussing all the awesome things our students are doing here at school!

Friday March 20, 2026 is the last day of the third quarter. Students will start their fourth quarter RASL classes Monday March 23, 2026. Students should be checking their grades on PowerSchool and talking with their teachers if they need to turn in missing assignments or redo summative assignments. Report cards will be emailed to parents after school Thursday April 2, 2026. If you need to update your email contact, please contact the middle school office at (269) 623-1540.

In my final update about our Strive for 95 February attendance challenge, I wanted to share some exciting data with you:

• We had 18 school days in February
• 11 times during the month of February we had a grade level hit 95% attendance!
• Overall, for the month of February, we had 90% attendance. This is an improvement from the 24/25 school year!
• 147 students earned the monthly reward for having 1 or less unexcused absences for the month of February!

Each grade level voted for their attendance reward and they will receive it on Friday March 27, 2026. Thank you to everyone for Striving to be at school!

As always, I would like to thank our students, staff, families, and community for all of their hard work and support! The school year is almost three quarters done! Time flies when so many wonderful things are happening here in the building, in our district, and in our community! Have a great weekend PANTHERS!

It's a great day to be a PANTHER!!!

Thank you,

Bobby Tillman

DKMS Principal and District McKinney-Vento Liaison

Delton Kellogg Middle School

6325 Delton Rd

Delton, MI 49046

Office Phone: (269) 623-1544

Work Cell: (269) 297-1256

Friday, March 20th - End of 3rd quarter

Monday, March 30th – Wednesday, April 1st- 5th Grade Camp - Sherman Lake YMCA

Friday, April 3rd- No School Students or Staff

Monday, April 6th - Friday, April 10th- Spring Break Students and Staff

Monday, April 13th - School Resumes Full day Dismissal 2:50 pm

Monday, May 25th- No School Staff or Students - Memorial Day!

Wednesday, May 27th - 6th grade Chicago Field Trip

Thursday, May 28th- 7th and 8th grade Michigan Adventure Field Trip

Tuesday, June 2nd - Half Day Students- Dismissal 11:30 am

Wednesday, June 3rd - Half Day Students - Dismissal 11:30 am

Thursday, June 4th - Last Day of School - Half Day - Dismissal 11:30 am

Parents and guardians who plan to volunteer or chaperone on upcoming field trips must have a completed volunteer form on file before attending. For student safety, all forms must be submitted and approved prior to the trip.

Please turn in completed volunteer forms to the school office as soon as possible to ensure everything is ready before field trip day. If you have questions or need a form, feel free to contact the office or find a printable form below.

Thank you for supporting our students and helping make field trips safe and successful!

Congratulations to our weekly Panther Paw winners! These students showed what it means to be Safe, Kind, Respectful, and Responsible. Each Panther Paw turned in gave them an entry into our Friday drawing for a special treat. Thank you for helping make our school a positive place for everyone!

Students in Mrs. SanInocencio’s 6th grade science class recently experimented with magnets while learning about magnetism. During the activity, students explored how magnetic forces can cause objects to move and even appear to float. The hands-on experiment helped students better understand how magnets attract, repel, and interact with different materials.

Some of Mr. Gailey’s 7th grade Art students were willing to share their finished coil pots with slab lids. These are just a few examples of the great work being done in Art class. All of the students did a fantastic job!

Sixth-grade student Arabelle Allersma recently competed at the AAU Indoor Nationals in Virginia Beach and had an outstanding weekend.

Competing in the 11–12 year old division, Arabelle won two events and set national meet records in both. She was part of the 4x800 relay team that finished in 10:47, and she won the 1500-meter run in 4:45, breaking the previous meet record by an impressive 11 seconds.

She also had a strong race in the 800-meter run, finishing 2nd with a time of 2:23.

According to rankings from USA Track & Field, Arabelle is currently ranked the #1 12-year-old in the country and 356th overall among runners of all ages.

Congratulations to Arabelle on this incredible achievement! Our school is proud of her hard work and dedication !

We are excited to share that Smile Programs – the mobile dentists will be visiting our Middle School on Thursday, April 2nd to provide in-school dental care for students.

This program brings licensed dentists and hygienists directly to the school, allowing students to receive dental care during the school day in a comfortable, familiar setting.

Services May Include:

• Dental exam and cleaning

• Fluoride treatment

• Sealants

• X-rays and fillings (if needed)

• Oral health education

• Free toothbrush

What Parents Need to Do:

• Permission forms are being sent home with students

• Forms can also be completed online

• Paper forms should be returned to the Middle School Office

Participation is optional, but we encourage families to take advantage of this convenient opportunity to support their child’s dental health.

The Panther Den at Delton Kellogg Middle School helps students by providing snacks, clothing, shoes, toiletries, and other essential items they may need. To continue supporting our students, we rely on donations to replenish and restock the Panther Den as supplies run low.

The middle school has created a Panther Den Amazon Wishlist to make it easy to contribute. Each donation helps us provide students with the essentials for a successful school year.

How to Help:

• Scan the QR Code below

• Or click here: Panther Den Amazon Wishlist

Thank you for helping us keep the Panther Den stocked and supporting our students!

Order Online: ybpay.lifetouch.com

Yearbook ID Code: 13316726

Price: $20

Order Deadline: April 10, 2026

Scan the QR code or visit the website to place your order today!

Don’t miss out on a keepsake full of this year’s memories!

Meal accounts & Education and Nutrition forms can be set up at: deltonkellogg.familyportal.cloud Students and staff ID #s will be needed to set-up meal accounts.

Please email tiffany.haines@dkschools.org if you need your student or staff ID #.

Please check event link for all updates and changes.

* Eventlink.com is where information for athletic events and facility usage can be found. Tickets and season passes can be purchased through Eventlink, and you are able to customize your experience by choosing which sports you would like communications from.

* Finalforms.com is where physicals and other important documents should go. These documents can be uploaded by your phone by taking a picture of the document.

* The Athletic Department would prefer all pay to participate payments go through this virtual portal for all Middle School and High School athletes.

Pay to Participate Fees can be paid HERE

PDF of Sports Participation Fees

* Hudl.com is where fans can subscribe to watch live streams of home events that occur at the turf stadium or the High School main gymnasium.

Click here to visit the Delton Hudl Fan Account

* You can also stay up to date with our new athletics social media accounts:

Facebook: Delton Kellogg Athletics

Instagram: DKpanthers

Twitter (X): DKpanthers

Background checks for volunteers are essential to ensure the safety and well-being of students.This helps keep our school environment secure and positive for all students.Therefore in a continued effort to keep our schools as safe as possible, all volunteer parents and community members, as well as classroom visitors, must submit to criminal background checks.Field trip chaperones are also considered volunteers. Visitor and Volunteer Consent forms must be completed each year and should be turned into the middle school office. You can pick up a volunteer form in the office or click below to print one.

Tentative Kickstart Deposit days at DKMS:

Wednesday, December 3, 2025

Wednesday, January 7, 2026

Wednesday, February 4, 2026

Wednesday, March 4, 2026

Wednesday, April 1, 2026

Wednesday, May 6, 2026

Lost and Found items will be retained for 30 days. After which, they will be donated locally. If you have a student that is missing something, please ask them to check the lost and found shelf, located near the entrance to the cafeteria. If you would like to claim an item, please stop by the middle school office Mon-Fri 7:30 - 3:30.

We know our students are involved in many activities and achievements outside of school that we may not always hear about. If your student has a success or accomplishment you’d like to share—such as sports, music, art, clubs, or other activities—we’d love to help celebrate it!

If you’d like your student featured in the newsletter, please email a short description of their achievement along with a photo to tammy.whitmore@dkschools.org. Let’s celebrate all the amazing things our students are doing! ⭐

Email: tammy.whitmore@dkschools.org

Location: 6325 Delton Road, Delton, MI, USA

Phone: 269-623-1541

Email: julie.gorter@dkschools.org

Location: 6325 Delton Road, Delton, MI, USA

Phone: 269-623-1542