DKMS Newsletter

Happy Friday DKMS Families. It was another great, but short week in the middle school!

We are more than halfway through our third quarter and a few weeks away from Parent/Teacher conferences (Thursday March 12, 2026 5:00 pm to 8:00 pm). It's a great time to check in with your child about their academic progress by logging into the PowerSchool Parent Portal. If you need to get a login or need assistance please contact the middle school office at (269) 623-1540.

Grade level teachers are beginning to send home information about field trips. Please make sure to carefully read and discuss the eligibility criteria for all field trips. Teachers discuss this criteria with their students, but it is also helpful when they hear it from you as well. If you have any questions about field trips, please reach out to your child's teacher.

In a "Strive for 95" attendance update, our attendance percentage for the building last week was 90%! Yesterday, our 8th grade students had 96% attendance, which is phenomenal! Congratulations to our Perfect Attendance winners this week as well! Let's keep striving for 95% attendance!

As always, I want to thank our students, staff, families, and community for their hard work and support! The cold and dark winter days are almost behind us. There are so many great things going on in this building and I truly appreciate everyone being a part of making that happen!

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!

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

Shoutout to our weekly Panther Paw winners for being Safe, Kind, Respectful, and Responsible! Students turned in their panther paws for Jolly Ranchers and were entered into our weekly Friday drawing for a special treat.

Thanks for helping make our school a great place to be and keep up the great work! 🐾

During February, our middle school is taking on the “Strive for 95” attendance challenge! Mr. Tillman keeps the attendance boards updated in the cafeteria and Room 1011 so students can track their progress.

We’re also celebrating students with perfect attendance with a fun donut drawing as a small thank-you for showing up every day! 🍩 Great job, students — keep up the awesome work!

Mrs. Podolan’s 7th grade students recently visited the Delton District Library to support their research paper by building essential library and research skills. During the visit, students learned how to use the card catalog and online search tools to find reliable information on their assigned technology topics. Librarians walked them through searching by keyword, author, and subject, helping them better understand how the library is organized.

Students also practiced selecting nonfiction books that were appropriate for academic research and learned how to decide if a book would be useful for their topic. Each student chose at least one book to use as a source, reinforcing the importance of using print materials along with digital resources.

This experience helped students become more independent researchers by teaching them how to navigate the library, ask for assistance when needed, and take responsibility for gathering credible information. Overall, the visit strengthened students’ research skills, supported classroom learning, and encouraged responsible and effective use of library resources.

A big thank you to the Delton District Library for welcoming our students and supporting their learning.

Last week, a couple of students in Mrs. Williams’ Life Skills class made brownies in the air fryer. They measured, mixed, and followed the steps together, learning some handy kitchen skills along the way. It was a fun, hands-on way to practice skills they’ll use in real life.

A couple of our 6th grade boys soaked up some fresh air and sunshine this week while spending time outside with Cooper, our therapy dog, on one of our warmer days. It was great to see students getting outdoors, enjoying the sunshine, and taking advantage of the nicer weather. Now if we could just convince spring to hurry up and stay awhile! ☀️🐾

While the sunshine showed up for most of the week, we did have a couple of rainy day recesses. Some students made the most of it by heading to the gym and getting in a few good games of basketball. 🏀

Camp Dates:

Monday, March 30 - Wednesday, April 1, 2026

Cost:

$210.00 per student

Payment Deadline:

Tuesday, February 24th

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