Happy Monday DKMS Panther Families! It was busy last week here in the middle school!

Thank you to everyone who joined us last Thursday for parent/teacher conferences. It is always great to discuss your child's progress at school and we truly appreciate all of your support!

This is the last week of the third grading period. Grades will close on Friday March 21, 2025. Please have your child talk with their teachers to get information about any missing assignments they can still turn in for credit. We will also have Success Center on Tuesday and Thursday from 3:00 pm to 4:00 pm. This is a great opportunity for students to catch up on work and get extra tutoring. Students will need to be picked up from school at 4:00 pm if they stay for Success Center. Let's finish the third grading period strong !

Our 8th grade students will be headed to the Devos Center in Grand Rapids on Thursday March 20, 2025 for MiCareer Quest. Students will leave DKMS around 9:00 am and return around 1:15 pm. School bag lunches will be provided, but students may bring their own lunch if they choose. A form was sent home last week and only needs to be returned if your child is not attending the field trip. Please contact me via email at bobby.tillman@dkschools.org or call the middle school office at (269) 623-1541 if you have further questions about the field trip.

As always I would like to thank our students, staff, families, and community for all of your hard work and support! Spring is right around the corner and the home stretch of Spring Break, state testing, field trips, plays, dances, and award assemblies will fill up our calendars quickly. I know with teamwork, patience, and flexibility we will have a successful Spring and finish this year off strong! Have a great week!

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

Thank you,

Bobby Tillman

Principal

Delton Kellogg Middle School

6325 Delton Rd

Delton, MI 49046

(269) 623-1541

Monday, March 17th - St. Patrick's Day 🍀

Friday, March 21st - End of third marking period / Popcorn Friday at Lunchtime🍿

Monday, March 24th - Wednesday, March 26th - 5th grade camp. Sherman Lake YMCA ⛺

Wednesday, March 26th - Mobile Dentist 🦷

Thursday, March 27th - Mobile Dentist 🦷

Friday, April 4th to Friday, April 11th - No school - Spring Break!! 🌞🌻

The Leprechaun returned to our school this morning, thanks to our amazing PIE (Partners in Education) group! Click on the Leprechaun button below to see the Leprechaun in action 🎬🍀

You can watch as the Leprechaun ran through the middle school halls, spreading cheer and scattering coins for students to collect! 🌈✨These coins were exchanged for a special treat during lunch, which was handed out by PIE members today.

As always a huge thank you to our amazing PIE (Partners in Education) group for all their hard work and dedication to making today’s St. Patrick’s Day event so much fun! Your efforts always make a big difference in our school, and we truly appreciate everything you do to bring joy and excitement to our students.

The Panther Paw winners for last week are pictured below. They demonstrated Safe, Kind, Respectful, and Responsible behavior and were rewarded with a treat of their choice. Great job to all the winners—keep up the awesome work!

Two weekends ago, the Southwest Regionals for Myway took place, and several Delton Kellogg Middle School wrestlers competed. We are excited to share that 6 of them are advancing to the state competition from March 20th-23rd! Here are the wrestlers and their placements:

• Jason May – 1st Place
• Keegan McClelland – 2nd Place
• Brody McBride – 2nd Place
• Brayden Reynolds – 2nd Place
• Brandon Nieuwenhuis – 4th Place
• Archer Nesmith – 4th Place

Charleigh Loveland will also be attending the state competition as an automatic qualifier.

Great job to everyone who competed, and we’re proud of all of our wrestlers!

Arabelle Allersma continues to impress with her track achievements! Over the March 8th weekend, she competed in the AAU Indoor Track and Field National Championships in Virginia, and the results speak for themselves.

In her 11-year-old age group, Arabelle placed 1st in the 3,000-meter run with a new meet record, finishing in an impressive 10:50.15! She also took 2nd place in the 1,500-meter run with a time of 5:18 and finished 6th in the 800-meter run with a time of 2:40.45.

Congratulations to Arabelle on her outstanding performance and for setting a new meet record!

This year, Mrs. Estep’s and Mr. Carlson’s 5th graders celebrated Pi Day (March 14th) with some fun learning and delicious pie! They learned all about π (Pi) and how it relates to circles. After the lesson, the students enjoyed eating different kinds of pie to make the day extra special.

Pi Day was a great mix of math and tasty treats!

In Mrs. Williams' class the students have been learning about the rock cycle. This week, Mr. Shipley shared a fun lesson with them using Starburst candies to represent different types of rocks—sedimentary, metamorphic, and igneous.

The students were engaged and had fun with the hands-on activity.

A huge thank you to PIE (Partners in Education) for their thoughtful gesture of bringing in delicious pies for the staff to enjoy on Pi Day, March 14th. It was definitely a tasty way to celebrate the day.

PIE consistently goes above and beyond in supporting our staff, and we are incredibly grateful for their continued support!

In addition, the staff and teachers at DKMS would like to express their heartfelt gratitude to PIE and the parents and community members who generously provided a delicious potluck dinner on Thursday, the 13th, during conferences.We deeply appreciate the effort you put into making sure that the staff was well taken care of. Thank you for your continued kindness and for making us feel valued.

Q: Can you tell us about your family?
A: My family is made up of me, a retired teacher of 31 years, my son Bryce, and my daughter Lauren. Bryce is 24 and getting married this September to his fiancée, Morgan. He’s worked in construction since high school, framing houses, and is now a site superintendent for Midwest Construction. My daughter Lauren is 21 and is living and serving at a maternity home in North Dakota for a year. They are both extraordinary individuals who bless and humble me every day!

Q: Do you have a special family tradition?
A: Every year, we traipse through rain and mud or snow and cold to cut down our Christmas tree. My daughter also makes a yearly ice-cream cake for her brother’s birthday with creative decorations.

Q: What’s your favorite family vacation spot?
A: Breckenridge, CO, in the summer where we went “extreme” horseback riding and whitewater rafting.

Q: How long have you been a part of our school community? What’s your favorite thing about working here?
A: February 28, 2024 - I grew up in a small town in Northern Michigan, retired from Cedar Springs, and LOVE it here at DKMS. It embodies our district vision of “small school atmosphere w/ big opportunities” - to be involved, connect and GROW!

Q: If you weren’t working in education, what do you think you’d be doing?
A: I would be a dental hygienist. I actually studied that in college before becoming a teacher. In my dream world, I’d be an ice road trucker or figure skater. ;)

Q: What was your favorite subject in school, and why?
A: Reading, Writing, and Art because I was shy, but these subjects allowed me to express myself. People who read books are interesting, books take us to places we could otherwise not go and expand our hearts and minds. Words are powerful! My mom dropped out of school at age 16, yet she taught me a love of reading and expanded my vocabulary. She died young, but I am eternally grateful for that gift!

Q: Do you have a hobby or talent you love to do outside of school?
A: I enjoy kayaking, going to the gym, and adventure like ziplining at 14,000 feet, hiking in the Rockies, waterskiing, and rockwall climbing with my daughter.

Q: What advice would you give to students for a successful school year?
A: Find, love, and believe in yourself, be kind and give everything your all. You’re SO worth it, and the world needs YOU!

Q: Who was a teacher or person who inspired you growing up?
A: Mrs. Day was one of many teachers and people who inspired me. She was my 6th grade teacher, which was the year I decided I would (be the first in my family) to go to college and become a teacher. My parents dropped out of high school, but they had a GREAT work ethic and encouraged me to reach my goal! I still keep in touch with her, and my kids and I spend time with her.

Q: What’s one thing that always makes you smile during the school day?
A: Wonderful colleagues and the face of every student I see in the hallways.

The Little Mermaid play at Delton Kellogg Middle School is coming soon, and we need your help! We're still looking for more students to join the cast and crew, as well as volunteers to help with the production.

If you're interested in being part of the show or lending a hand behind the scenes, we would love to have you involved!

To sign up or get more info, contact Ms. Renee at susan.renee@dkschools.org.

Let’s work together to make this performance great!

Reminder: The 5th grade camp at Sherman Lake YMCA is coming up soon! The trip is scheduled for Monday, March 24th, to Wednesday, March 26th.

The $205.00 payment deadline is Friday, March 14th. Payments may be made to the middle school office via cash or check. Please bring the exact amount, as we will not be able to provide change.

This camp is a wonderful experience for students, incorporating team building, character development, and nature exploration—all valuable parts of their curriculum. We hope to see all students participate and take advantage of this incredible opportunity!

Voters in the Delton Kellogg School District will have the opportunity to consider a bond proposal for school facility improvements on May 6, 2025.

This proposal includes important projects such as:

• Safe and efficient infrastructure
• Maximizing space
• Building for real-world skills
• Other project highlights

For more information about the bond proposal, please read below. Flyers are also available in the middle school office.

PIE is excited to announce that their fundraising website is now live! Each grade level has its own unique code , making it easy for students to participate.

Personalized Fundraising – Within each grade level, students can set up their own individual fundraiser to track their progress. This also allows whoever sets up the fundraiser to receive email updates on the total amount raised.

Maximizing Donations – Donors have the option to cover the 3% processing fee, ensuring that 100% of their donation goes directly to the student’s fundraiser. If they choose not to cover the fee, it will be deducted from the donation amount.

Every contribution helps make our field trips possible and creates unforgettable experiences for our students. Thank you for your support!

We’re excited to announce that the Mobile Dentist will be visiting our school on Wednesday, March 26, and Thursday, March 27, 2025.

If you’d like your child to see the Mobile Dentist, please complete the attached form:

• Online Option: Fill out the form online using the link provided.
• Paper Form Option: If you prefer, you can complete the paper form and return it to the middle school office.

Delton Kellogg Athletics has teamed up with ProMed in Richland to offer sports physicals for our athletes on April 16th, 2025. This physical will fulfill the requirement for the 2025-2026 school year. Athletic staff will be available to upload the physical directly to Final Forms. Please note that you and your student will still need to log into Final Forms to complete the annual sports forms after June 20th. To participate during school hours, your student MUST return this form, the completed MHSAA Sports Physical Form, and payment by April 3rd to the high school office. If these items are not submitted by the deadline, your student may participate during walk-in times after school hours with completed forms and payment in hand between 2:50 - 4:00 pm.

Please sign, complete, submit payment, and return to the office by April 3rd.

The athletic department has implemented some new tools and strategies to streamline communication and transparency throughout the department. These new programs should help streamline communication, event ticket purchases and potentially some registrations in the near future.

* 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

Email: tammy.whitmore@dkschools.org

Location: 6325 Delton Road, Delton, MI, USA

Phone: 269-623-1542