DKMS Newsletter

Start Time: 7:55 am

Regular Dismissal : 2:50 pm

Half-Day Dismissal: 11:30 am

Happy Friday DKMS families! We had another great week here in the middle school!

Tuesday October 14th, is a half day and Parent/Teacher conferences. Students will be released from school at 11:30 am. Success Center will be cancelled that day due to Parent/Teacher conferences. Conferences will run from 1:00 pm to 5:00 pm. If you have not had a chance to sign up for a conference with your child's teachers here is the link to do so.

With Parent/Teacher Conferences coming up and the end of the First Quarter Friday October 24, 2025, I wanted to go over our Grading Policy and the importance of PowerSchool.

A big component to our grading policy is students mastering content standards. To be able to achieve this, any student who scores lower than a 60% on a summative assignment (test, quiz, project, paper, presentation, etc.) will be asked to do some relearning of that content and redo that summative assignment. Students will have a two week window to redo these summative assignments. Teachers will be contacting you via email or phone call when your child has gotten below a 60% on a summative assignment to let you know:

• What your child scored on that summative assignment.
• The end date of the two week window.
• Options on when your child can redo this summative assignment. This is important because most of our students have a FLEX class when this work can be done, but for our BAND students we will have to offer times before school, during lunch, or at Success Center after school to redo these assignments.
• If your child refuses to redo the summative assignment within that two week window, they will earn the grade they got on the initial assignment.

PowerSchool is an important communication tool for you, your child, and our staff. Teachers will enter grades and comments into PowerSchool, which will also alert you to the end of the two week redo window. If you do not already have a PowerSchool log in, please contact our office at (269) 623-1540 and we will help you set up an account. You can also stop by our office during normal school hours, 7:30 am to 3:30 pm, or during Parent/Teacher Conferences to set up an account.

Finally, it is important that we have the most up to date phone numbers, email addresses, emergency contacts, and home addresses within PowerSchool. Please contact the office if any of those things have changed recently.

As always, I would like to thank our students, staff, families, and community for their hard work and support. Today our middle school students had the opportunity to hear motivational speaker John Beede talk about his experience climbing Mount Everest and the life lessons he learned from that. Our school year is like John's Mount Everest climb. It takes a lot of time, hard work, and collaboration to complete. There will be setbacks along the way, but to successfully complete our journey we must have grit, perseverance, and work together as a team to reach the summit.

Have a great weekend and for those baseball fans out there...Go Tigers!

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

--

Thank you,

Bobby Tillman

Principal

Delton Kellogg Middle School

6325 Delton Rd

Delton, MI 49046

Office Phone: (269) 623-1544

Work Cell: (269) 297-1256

Tuesday, October 14th--Lifetouch Picture Retake Day (Time 8:30-10:00 am) Half day - Student release at 11:30 am Parent/Teacher Conferences- 1pm to 5pm

Tuesday, October 21st- Parent / Teacher Conferences- 2pm to 4pm & 5pm to 8 pm

Friday, October 24th - Last day of the First Quarter

Friday, November 7th - Veteran's Day Tribute (High School Gymnasium) 1:30 pm

Friday, November 14th - No School for Students (Professional Development Day Staff)

Wednesday, November 26th - No School for Students - Thanksgiving Break

Thursday, November 27th- No School for Students - Thanksgiving Break

Friday, November 28th -No School for Students- Thanksgiving Break

Congratulations to this week’s Panther Paw drawing winners! These students were recognized for being Safe, Kind, Respectful, and Responsible (SK2R). They got to enjoy a sweet treat as a reward. Great job, Panthers — keep up the good work! 🐾

Students in Mrs. Ingles' 8th grade Health class recently took part in the SOS (Signs of Suicide) program. They watched videos and took part in group discussions to learn how to recognize signs of depression and suicide.

The SOS program teaches students how to recognize signs of emotional distress and encourages them to speak up or get help for themselves or others.

Mr. Gailey’s 7th grade art class recently finished their coil clay pot project. Students learned how to roll and stack coils of clay to build their own pots. The finished pieces turned out great and show how talented these young artists are!

Sometimes, a little rain leads to big fun. On Tuesday, students enjoyed learning a new indoor game, Indiana Jones, during recess. It was a great way to stay active even on a rainy day!

This week, a middle school student used his reward time to go and run around with Cooper in the courtyard for a little bit. Instead of staying inside, he chose to be active and enjoy the fresh air with Cooper.

Students love spending time with Cooper; he always brings smiles and brightens their day.

Attention all 6th, 7th, and 8th graders! Basketball tryouts are just around the corner. Tryouts will be held on October 27th at 3:00 PM in the DKMS school gym.

Students interested in trying out can sign up now by writing their name on the sign-up sheets posted in the cafeteria, located on the wall outside the gym.

Don't miss your chance to be part of the team—sign up today and bring your game on October 27th!

Although September 11 has passed, our 7th grade students wrote poems to honor and remember the day. Some students wanted to share their work, and we’ll be featuring those poems each week in the newsletter. These poems were created in Mrs. Ferguson’s and Mrs. Podolan’s classes. We look forward to sharing a few each week until all have been shared with our school community.

If Only

Dallas Spencer

From the perspective of a daughter of a victim

If only I wasn’t sitting here now

The waiting room silence filling my ears

With the only thoughts that can cross my mind, “Why?’ and “How?”

I feel something roll down my face, tears

If only she failed the job interview

It could have been a blessing in disguise

She might be okay, but the chances are few

Maybe quitting would have been wise

Mom always said hate was a strong word

If she’s still here, will she still agree?

I just hope my voice can be heard

If she heard me say it, would she forgive me?

Beep…..Beep……Beep

There’s still something there!

No beep, she’s forever asleep

“No,” I cry out, “This isn’t fair!”

9/11, 2001, the day I could never forget

If only

Aubree Clark

If only the plans did not crash

And thousands did not die

If only we had know

We would all be safe inside our homes

If only the buildings still stood

And people did not jump

If only it had not happened

And everything would still probably be the same

If only they did not do it

And people did not have to cry and be scared

If only they had time to leave

But from this day on, 9/11 will always be remembered in our hearts

Allison Eastman

If only I could have prevented the plane crash

I could have prevented this from happening

If only the Twin Towers hadn’t collapsed

Those people didn’t die

If only those people wouldn’t hijack the planes

If only 9/11 had never happened at all

Picture Retake Day is scheduled for Tuesday, October 14, from 8:30–10:00 AM. If your student missed Picture Day or would like a retake, this is their opportunity.

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!

Delton Kellogg Schools invite all community members to join us in honoring our veterans and active members of the armed forces.

Event Details:

Date: Friday, November 7, 2025

Time: 1:30 PM

Location: Delton Kellogg High School Gymnasium

This special tribute is a meaningful way for our students and staff to recognize the sacrifices and service of those who have served—and continue to serve—our country. We hope you can join us in showing our appreciation.

Last year, an incredible $396,878.08 was invested into the Delton Kellogg School District area through Barry County United Way programs.

When you support United Way, you're supporting our schools, our families, and our future.

Let’s keep making a difference — together!

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:

Wednesday, November 5, 2025

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.

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