DKMS Newsletter

Happy Friday Panther families! It was a great week here at the middle school!

As we enter the last week of the second quarter, please make sure your child is talking with their teachers and checking PowerSchool about their grades. Teachers have been communicating with you and students about re-doing Summative Assignments and finishing the quarter/semester strong. If your child needs extra work time or support, we will have Success Center on Tuesday December 16th from 3:00 pm to 4:00pm. If you have specific questions about your child's grade, please reach out to your child's teacher.

If you are considering moving your child to our virtual program the deadline to do so is Friday January 9, 2025. Our online option is only available for our 6th through 8th grade students. If you have more questions about this please reach out to me either by email at bobby.tillman@dkschools.org or phone at (269) 623-1544.

Next week will be a full week of school. Monday 12/15 and Tuesday 12/16 are full days of school. Wednesday 12/17, Thursday 12/18, and Friday 12/19 are half-days and students will be released at 11:30 am. On the half-days of school, students will still be served breakfast and a bagged lunch.

On Wednesday December 17, 2025 our grade-level bands will have their Christmas Concert in the High School LGI. The middle school portion of the concert will begin at 7 pm.

As always, I would like to thank our students, staff, families, and community for all of their hard work and support. We have one more week of school and then a nice two week break. It is important we all try our best to finish strong! Have a great weekend!

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

Wednesday, December 17th - 1/2 day of school - Student release 11:30 am

Thursday, December 18th - 1/2 day of school - Student release 11:30 am

Friday, December 19th - 1/2 day of school - Student release 11:30 am (End of 1st Semester)

Monday, December 22nd - Holiday Break Starts (December 22nd- January 2nd)

Monday, January 5th - School Resumes (Full day)

Monday, January 19th - No School for Students (Professional Development Day Staff)

Students are working hard every week to show Safe, Kind, Responsible, and Respectful behavior. When they do, they earn Panther Paws, which they can turn in for a Jolly Rancher and a chance to win a Friday special treat.

The students pictured below are this week’s Panther Paw Winners. They earned their Panther Paws through their great behavior. Great job, Panthers!

On Thursday, Mrs. Ingle taught her 8th grade Health classes how to perform CPR. Students learned the steps for checking responsiveness, calling for help, performing chest compressions, and giving rescue breaths. They also practiced on training mannequins to get hands-on experience with this life-saving skill. By learning CPR, students are gaining the knowledge and confidence to respond in emergencies, skills that could truly make a difference in someone’s life. Great job to all the students for their participation and focus!

Fifth-grade students enjoyed their last days at Starbase by learning, experimenting, and exploring STEAM. Even though the program has ended, the learning continued back at school.

On the final day, some of the students explored solubility using chromatography paper to test different black markers. As the water soaked the paper, the markers separated into rainbow colors, with each brand showing something different.

Back in the classroom, students decorated coffee filters and watched the marker ink spread in water. They then used their colorful filters to help create a science themed thank-you card for the Starbase team.

A fun and colorful end to their Starbase experience!

Our DKMS Student Council has spoken, and they’ve chosen 12 Days of Christmas spirit themes for the whole school to enjoy! We’ve already kicked off the festivities this week, and each day offers a new way to celebrate the season, get creative, and spread holiday cheer throughout the building. Get ready to dress up, have fun, and make December unforgettable!

Monday, December 15 – Silly Christmas Sock Day
Tuesday, December 16 – Santa Day
Wednesday, December 17 – Dress Up Like Rudolph
Thursday, December 18 – Dress Like Your Favorite Christmas Movie Character
Friday, December 19 – Dress Like a Snowman

It’s that time of year again! Our Christmas Food Drive started on December 4th and runs through December 18, 2025. We need your help to make the season bright for families in our community.

Bring in ANY non-perishable food item to your homeroom, every little bit counts! From canned goods to boxed meals, your donations can make a huge difference for someone in need this holiday season.

And there’s a fun reward: the homeroom that collects the most food will earn a Root Beer Float Party!

Start bringing in your donations today and help make this Christmas extra special!

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

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!

We are excited to announce that our 5th grade students will have the opportunity to attend camp at Sherman Lake YMCA in the spring of 2026! This three-day experience helps us build teamwork and character in meaningful ways outside the classroom.

Camp Dates:

Monday, March 30 – Wednesday, April 1, 2026

Cost:

$210.00 per student

Payments can be made by check or cash in the Middle School Office during school hours.

Please make checks payable to Delton Kellogg Schools.

Payment Deadline:

Friday, February 24, 2026

We’ll share more details as camp gets closer, but we’re already excited for this fun and meaningful experience with our students!

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 #.

Families, please remember to complete the 2025–2026 Education and Nutrition Benefits Form. Only one form per family is needed. This helps our school receive important funding and ensures students have access to available meal benefits.

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:

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.

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