DKMS Newsletter

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

I want to say congratulations to JT Gaiski, Olivia Sexton, Sawyer Koopman, Solomon Owens, Roman Pisano, Jack Hanson, Daniel Pruess, and our middle school champion, Maci Osborne, for advancing to the Barry ISD Regional Qualifying Spelling Bee on February 18, 2026. Thank you to all of the students and staff that took part in this process.

Next week will be the Great Kindness Challenge in the middle school. You will see a list of Spirit Days and Kindness activities listed in the newsletter. I want to thank our Student Council, Mrs. Lebeck, and Mr. Einhardt for their work in getting our school to focus on kindness and having some spirit while doing it!

As we get through the rest of our wonderful winter season, I wanted to give everyone information about "snow days" and potential Distance Learning days. If we have to close for more than 9 "snow days", our district will begin having Distance Learning days, instead of adding more days in June. School would still run from 7:55 am to 2:50 pm and students would have Google Meets with all of their teachers throughout the day. To date, we have been closed for 6 days this year. Families will be informed if we have to start having Distance Learning days

As always, I want to thank our students, staff, families, and community for all of their hard work and support. It has been a choppy two weeks with lots of time off. February is right around the corner and we will find our groove again! Stay warm out there and have a great weekend!

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

Tuesday, February 3rd - 8th Grade High School Orientation - 6:30 pm

Saturday, February 7th - Father / Daughter Gumdrop Ball Dance

Monday, February 16th - No School for Students (Professional Development Day Staff)

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

Middle School students will take part in Kindness Week, a special week focused on spreading positivity, encouragement, and respect throughout our school. Each day includes a fun dress-up theme and a simple activity designed to promote kind words, thoughtful actions, and teamwork among students and staff. Let’s see how much kindness we can share!

These students were recognized for showing Safety, Kindness, Respect, and Responsibility. Students turn in their Panther Paws for Jolly Ranchers and a chance to win a sweet treat. The students pictured below were selected in our Friday drawing.

Thank you to everyone who practices their SK2R’s and helps make our school a positive place every day!

Last weekend, Meara Cook-Dill, an 8th grader here at Delton Kellogg Middle School, made a big splash by becoming the Middle School SWIMS Conference Champion while competing for the Delton Kellogg–Hastings Co-op Team! 🏆 She’s now headed to MISCA (State Finals) today (Friday, January 30) at Lakeview High School. We are so proud of you, Meara! Have fun, and know we will all be cheering you on!

A huge shoutout to our Middle School Girl Wrestlers who competed Saturday, January 24th at Hastings High School!

Charleigh Loveland and Isabella Nieuwenhuis battled through the same bracket, each pinning both of their opponents before facing off in the championship round. It was a hard-fought match, with Isabella leading in points before Charleigh ultimately secured the pin. Charleigh took 1st place, and Isabella earned a well-deserved 2nd.

Lylah McLellan had a challenging day in her bracket but gave it her all, finishing 5th. She even came home with some battle wounds, but it didn’t slow her down, her toughness made us proud!

Susie Bever pinned both of her opponents and claimed 1st place in her bracket!

We are so proud of all our wrestlers. Your hard work, determination, and sportsmanship do not go unnoticed!

All DKMS wrestlers take the mat this Saturday at DKHS for the DK Jamboree. Come out and cheer them on!

Pictured are the HS and MS girls wrestling team (minus one who was at the hospital getting her broken hand reset) who both competed at Hastings on Saturday.

On Wednesday, January 28, DKMS held its school-wide Spelling Bee competition. We would like to extend a sincere thank you to Mary Collier for serving as our pronouncer.

Congratulations to 7th grader Maci Osborne, who earned the title of School Spelling Bee Champion. The students pictured below, along with 5th grader Olivia Sexton (not pictured), have all qualified to advance to the Barry ISD Regional Qualifying Spelling Bee. The regional competition will take place on Wednesday, February 18, 2026, at 5:00 p.m. at the Dennison Performing Arts Center in the Barry Community Enrichment Center (231 S. Broadway, Hastings, MI 49058).

Congratulations to all of our participants on their outstanding effort and achievements. We are proud of your success and wish you the best of luck at the next level!

In Ms. Merrick’s 6th grade writing class, students worked in collaborative groups to create original plays from start to finish. They planned plots, developed characters, and made creative decisions together. Students practiced writing clear, engaging dialogue that showed character traits and moved the story forward. They also explored character motivations, relationships, and how characters changed or stayed the same throughout their plays. Great job, 6th graders!

7th grader Dakota Poirier showed great kindness in Mr. Phillips’ science class by lending a helping hand. Dakota braved the cold to refill the bird feeders, making sure our feathered friends were well cared for.

Thank you, Dakota, for your thoughtfulness and willingness to help!

As the 3rd quarter gets underway, we’re excited to welcome some new ukulele students! They’ve been stopping by the office and visiting staff around the school to share their talents with impromptu concerts that we have all enjoyed!

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! ⭐

The adventure has begun! Practices and production projects for Beauty and the Beast, Jr. are officially underway, and we can’t wait to share the magic with you at the end of March—so mark your calendars! ✨

We’re still looking for more ensemble actors! If your student wants to be part of the show but isn’t ready for a speaking role, this is the perfect chance to jump in, make new friends, and be part of the fun behind the scenes and on stage. Don’t miss out on the excitement!

Please see Ms. Renee if you are interested!

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 #.

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