August 2026 Dragon Digest

Dear DeSana Families,

We are excited to begin another school year and look forward to welcoming our students and families back to DeSana Middle School! Monday, August 3rd will mark the start of an exciting year of learning, growth, and new opportunities as we welcome our newest Dragons for 6th Grade Dragon Camp and host our 7th & 8th Grade Open House. These events provide a wonderful opportunity for students and families to connect with teachers, explore the school, and prepare for a successful year ahead.

Our outstanding faculty and staff have been working hard throughout the summer and are making final preparations to ensure a smooth and positive start for every student. We encourage you to stay connected through our PTO and review the information below. We will continue to send reminders over the next few weeks as we know this is a busy time of year for everyone.

We hope you enjoy these final days of summer, and we look forward to welcoming everyone back for the first day of school on Thursday, August 6th!

Sincerely,

Principal Sargent

• August 3rd from 8:00am - 12:00pm - 6th Grade Dragon Camp (more information below)
• August 3rd from 2:00pm - 4:00pm - 7th & 8th Grade Open House (more information below)
• August 6th - First Day of School!
• September 2nd - 6th Grade Curriculum Night
• September 3rd - 7th and 8th Grade Curriculum Night

For $25.00, we will be asking all families to purchase a Dragon Pack. The Dragon Pack will include:

• Option to Select Upper or Lower Locker Preference (while supplies last)
• One ticket for admission to a fall and spring Home Sporting Event
• One entry into a Drawing for a Pizza Party with Mr. Sargent (30 students will win)
• One customized item for each grade level (details below)

In addition, Dragon Packs will be customized for each grade level:

6th Grade: Will receive a DeSana T-Shirt

7th Grade: Will receive a DeSana Cinch Bag

8th Grade: Will receive a free meal ticket to the 8th grade picnic in May

The Dragon Pack will be available for purchase on School Pay beginning July 17th.

*Cinch Bags for 7th grade and t-shirts for 6th grade will be distributed to students who have purchased the Dragon Pack during Connect & Thrive (home room) on the first two days of school. Administrators will continue to follow-up with families who have not purchased the Dragon Pack.

• Pencils

• Pens

• Highlighters

• 5 Binders

• 5 Sets of Tab Dividers

• Notebook Paper

• Graph Paper

• 4 Expo Markers

• Composition Notebook

• TI 30 XS Calculator

• Wired Headphones (for use with Chromebooks)

On Monday, August 3rd, DeSana Middle School will host Dragon Camp for our rising 6th-grade students and their families.

What to Expect

• For Students: Meet teachers, receive schedules, take a building tour, and practice opening lockers.

• For Families: Attend an informational session with the administrative team, get help with Parent Portal or Transportation, and join the DeSana PTO.

Dragon Camp Schedule

• Last Names A-K:

  Arrive between 7:45-8:00 a.m. You should finish by 9:30 a.m.

• Last Names L-Z:

  Arrive between 10:15-10:30 a.m. You should finish by 12:00 p.m.

Can't make your assigned time? No problem! Please attend the session that works best for your family's schedule.

Parking: Parking is available in both the front (main office) and back (gym) parking lots.

If you have questions regarding Dragon Camp, please email:

• 6th Grade Administrator, Jamie Bui: f27191@forsyth.k12.ga.us

During 7th and 8th grade open house, students will be able to walk their schedule and meet their teachers. Please do not bring locker decorations or school supplies to Open House. School supplies can be brought to school during the first two days of school.

As a reminder, ALL Rising 7th graders are required to have been vaccinated with Tdap and meningococcal vaccines before the 26-27 school year.

All parents/guardians of 7th grade students are responsible for ensuring that their students’ immunizations are updated prior to attending middle school (26-27).

• Rising 7th grade students are required to have been vaccinated with Tdap and meningococcal vaccines.

• Remember that your child will NOT be able to attend school until an updated immunization form (3231) is on file.

• Please check with Nurse Barbee or your physician if you are not sure that your child’s immunizations are current.

Forsyth County Schools has updated our student dress code policy. Please take some time to review and familiarize yourself with the 26-27 FCS Student Dress Code. For specific questions related to dress code, please reach out to your child's grade level administrator.

As part of our commitment to online safety, Forsyth County Schools is providing families with free access to Qustodio, a leading parental technology monitoring app.

Qustodio will allow you to do the following outside of school hours:

• Monitor your child's FCS-issued Chromebook (grades 6-12)
• Monitor one additional personal device (grades K-12)
• Set screen time limits and filter content outside of school hours
• Receive alerts and insights about your child's online activity

Please note that setup and support are managed directly by Qustodio, not Forsyth County Schools. To learn more, visit https://www.qustodio.com/en/why-qustodio/

To get started, please follow this help guide and reach out to support@qustodio.com if you have any issues.

Welcome back! The DeSana Media & Learning Center is excited to see all of our Dragons again - and to welcome our new sixth graders!

Here’s what you need to know:

• The DeSana Birthday Club is ready to celebrate your student! This is a great opportunity to make your student’s birthday extra special while supporting our school’s literacy goals with adding a book to our collection. Registration Form

• Books will be available to check out by all students August 17. Sixth graders will have an MLC orientation with their reading teachers.

• Parent Volunteers! Helping in the MLC is a great way to support the school and stay involved 😀 If interested, please complete this FORM, and Mrs. Bryson will be in touch!

• If any MLC books were found over the summer, please bring them home - we miss them!

What's New with the PTO?

📚 Early Locker Access & Open House: Be sure to stop by the PTO table during Early Locker Access and Open House! We'd love to meet you, answer questions, and share all the exciting things planned for this school year.

🍦 Sweet Treats with Alsie's Ice Cream: Cool off with a delicious treat from the Alsie's Ice Cream Truck during both Early Locker Access and Open House!

📍 Early Locker Access
📍 Open House (2:00–4:00 PM only)

Every purchase supports the DeSana PTO, with a portion of the proceeds benefiting our school. Stop by, enjoy some ice cream, and help support Dragon Nation!

🚗 Skip the Car Line Raffle: Don't miss your chance to enter our popular Skip the Car Line Raffle for the school year! Purchase your raffle tickets in-person while visiting the PTO table during Early Locker Access or Open House.New this year: Due to updated school transportation procedures, our reserved parking locations have changed. Winners will now receive two reserved car line spaces conveniently located next to the cafeteria, making afternoon pick-up even easier!

🧲 Membership Magnet Pick-Up: Already purchased a Gold or Platinum PTO Membership?Don't have one yet? Car magnets will also be available for purchase at the PTO table, a great way to show your Dragon pride and support the DeSana PTO!

Visit Our Sponsors: Be sure to stop by and visit our amazing community sponsors while you're at the events. Their generous support helps make many of our programs and activities possible, and we'd love for you to thank them for supporting Dragon Nation! We are so grateful for our amazing school community! Your support allows us to provide programs, events, staff appreciation, and memorable experiences for our students throughout the year.

Donut Day, August 21: One of our most loved PTO traditions—Donut Days— is returning this school year. It happens one Friday each month! Students look forward to grabbing a sweet treat before the bell rings. Donuts are sold for $2 each (cash only) in the Commons area until the final morning bell. It's always a joy to see students buying a dozen to share with friends!

Membership: Joining the PTO gives you an opportunity to give back to our school and help build a community of learning, fun and support to our students and staff. Click HERE to join PTO today!

Volunteer: We are always in need of volunteers for PTO events, including Donut Days, Lunch duties and in-school teacher/staff activities. If you would like to learn more about our upcoming volunteer opportunities, please email us at desanadragonspto@gmail.com

Sponsorship: Do you have a business or organization that can sponsor an event, activity, or monthly teacher treat for our school? Corporate and small business donations and sponsorships are a fantastic way to advertise your business, while giving back to our school. If you would like to learn more about sponsorship opportunities, please contact us at desanadragonspto@gmail.com.

Stay Connected with Us
The easiest way to stay in the loop on all things PTO—events, reminders, photos, and more—is by following us on Facebook. We post regularly and would love for you to join our online community!
Follow us HERE, Make sure you're following our page so you don’t miss a thing!

Any student interested in running Cross Country should attend an informational meeting on Tuesday, August 4th at 6:00pm in the gym regarding the upcoming season. The first Cross Country meet is approaching quickly and will take place on Saturday, August 15th. Additionally, athletes need to have a physical on file to participate so please make sure those are getting taken care of if you are interested! Feel free to reach out to Coach Bosley via email at: f46147@forsyth.k12.ga.us for any additional questions or concerns.