DKMS Newsletter

Happy Friday Panther families! It was another great week here in the middle school!

We just completed our Strive for 95 February attendance challenge with what will be our best attendance week this month! I will have the final results Monday, but Monday through Thursday this week we were over 90% attendance as a school. As a building we hit 93% twice and both our 6th and 8th grade hit the 95% mark this week! Our Panthers were definitely Striving this week!

Parent/Teacher Conferences will be held Thursday March 12, 2026 from 5:00 pm to 8:00 pm. This is always an excellent time to check-in with your child's teachers and see all the progress they are making here at school. I will be emailing you conference sign up links on Monday March 2, 2026. Because there is a smaller window of time, please make sure you sign up right away if you'd like to have a conference.

Friday March 6, 2026 from 3:30 pm to 5:30 pm, there will be a 7th and 8th grade dance in the middle school gym. Tickets will go on sale on Tuesday March 3, 2026 during 7th and 8th grade lunches for $5. Students can also buy a ticket at the dance Friday, but ticket prices will be $7 at the door. Students will be able to wait in room 10/11 from 2:50 pm to 3:30 pm if they wish. If students leave the building after school, they will not be allowed back in until 3:30 pm. This dance is only for 7th and 8th Grade DKMS students only. Any student who has an Out of School or In-School suspension on Friday March 6, 2026 will not be allowed to attend the dance. DKMS staff members will be chaperoning the dance. If you are interested in chaperoning you must have a background check on file with the middle school office and please email me at bobby.tillman@dkschool.org to let me know you are interested.

As always, I would like to thank our students, staff, families, and community for their hard work and support. February is in the books, so let March Madness begin! Have a great weekend everyone!

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

Thank you,

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

Thursday, March 12th - Half Day Students-Dismissal 11:30 am - Parent Teacher Conferences (5pm to 8pm).

Friday, March 13th - Half Day Students and Staff-Dismissal 11:30 am

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!

A big shoutout to our weekly Panther Paw winners for showing they are Safe, Kind, Respectful, and Responsible! Students turned in their Panther Paws for Jolly Ranchers and earned a chance in our Friday drawing for a special treat.

Thanks for helping make our school such a great place, and keep up the awesome work!

This was the final week of our “Strive for 95” attendance challenge, and here are some students who earned a donut for their perfect attendance. Great job showing up every day, Panthers! 🍩🐾

Students in Leadworthy classes continue to learn and grow as they work toward becoming the best version of themselves. Through journaling, team-building activities, hands-on challenges, video clips, and group discussions, students build important life and leadership skills. Recent topics have included communication skills, social awareness, and respect.

Students take leadership roles in many classes, beyond Leadworthy, to be greeters, leaders of "good things" and social contract raters with the goal of self-direction and self-management.

Mr. Weldon’s U.S. History classes have been working on creating their own political parties. The goal of the lesson was for students to choose a party that represents their views and beliefs. Students developed positions and stances on several issues currently affecting our nation and wrote statements explaining their party’s views.

They also selected colors and a symbol to represent their party. All of this was brought together in a creative poster or political advertisement. This project helped students think critically, express their opinions, and better understand the role of political parties.

Students in Mr. Bates’ 8th grade STEM class built bridges using paper and masking tape, then tested how much weight they could hold. This hands-on activity let students practice the engineering design process by planning, building, and then testing their designs. Good work to these students.

Mr. Gailey’s 7th grade art students have been exploring chalk and soft pastel art, practicing techniques like blending, layering, and shading to bring their ideas to life. Each student chose a theme to create their picture, allowing them to express their own creativity and style. The results are amazing.

Mrs. Williams’ Life Skills class made a delicious breakfast last Friday. Students worked together to cook French toast, scrambled eggs, and bacon while practicing basic cooking and teamwork skills. A big thank-you to Dr. Wright for purchasing an electric burner to help make this activity possible. Everyone did a great job, and the breakfast turned out awesome!

This week, three of Mrs. Knight’s ukulele students visited the office again to perform “Somewhere Over the Rainbow.” They did a wonderful job singing and playing together, and it was so exciting to hear them.

We are especially excited because this trio will also be performing at our upcoming school talent show! If their office performance was any indication, the audience is in for a real treat.

When: Friday March 6, 2026

Time: 3:30 pm to 5:30 pm

Where: Middle School Gym

Who:

DKMS 7th and 8th grade students.

***Students from other schools or other grade levels will not be allowed to attend the dance.***

Cost:

• $5 for tickets bought before the dance. Tickets will be sold during 7th and 8th grade lunches.

• $7 for tickets bought at the door.

Food and Drink: Snacks and drinks will be sold in the cafeteria during the dance.

Chaperones: DKMS staff will be chaperoning the dance. Any parents interested in chaperoning the dance will have to have a background check on file with the middle school office. Please contact Bobby Tillman at bobby.tillman@dkschools.org if you are interested in chaperoning the dance.

As a reminder, please continue to check your child’s hair for head lice year-round. We also encourage students not to share hats, clothing, hair accessories, headphones, or brushes, as these items can spread lice. Thank you for helping us keep our school healthy!

A representative from the camp will be visiting DKMS to share information with our 5th graders and answer any questions they may have. This presentation will help students learn more about what to expect and get excited about their upcoming camp experience!

Parents are welcome to attend, but the presentation is geared toward students, and parent attendance is not required.

When: Tuesday, March 3

Time: 1:45 PM

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

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:

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