DKMS Newsletter

Happy Monday DKMS families! It was a short KINDNESS filled week here in the middle school!

A huge thank you to our Student Council, Mrs. Lebeck, Mr. Einhardt, students, and staff for participating in our Great Kindness Week Challenge last week. Students were able to do some great random acts of kindness and dress up for our Spirit Days. The last kindness activity students are completing this week is creating a Kindness ChalkBoard by their Flex classroom. I can't wait to see the finished product! Thanks to everyone for focusing on the "K" for Kindness in our S-K-2R motto!

Wednesday February 11th is our Spring count day. It is extremely important that students are here, so that we can give MDE an accurate student count. Along with this, we have started our "Strive for 95" attendance contest. Each day in the cafeteria and in room 10/11, I post the school's and each grade level's attendance percentage from the previous day. We are striving to get to 95% attendance. Last week, our 5th graders accomplished that on Tuesday and Thursday! Each week, we will have a perfect attendance drawing, where 3 students from each grade level who had perfect attendance the previous week will win a prize. At the end of February, any student who had 95% or higher attendance for the month will earn a reward.

Finally, as a district we have had 7 "snow days" where the district was closed. The state can allow up to 9 "snow days", before schools must make up that lost instructional time. In an effort to avoid having to add school days after June 4th, we have created a "Distance Learning" plan. For middle school, this means that students would meet online in a Google Meet with each of their teachers during their normal class time. School would run like a normal day from 7:55 am to 2:50 pm. We will only implement our Distance Learning plan after we have closed for 2 more school days. We hope we are past our wonderful winter weather, but this is Michigan!

As always, I want to thank our students, staff, families, and community for their hard work, support, and patience these last few weeks. With the weather, schedules for events and school change very quickly. I am truly grateful for everyone's flexibility! Let's have a great 5 day school week!

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

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

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!

The Delton Rotary Club generously donated $500 worth of snacks to support our middle school students who may need a little extra during the day. These snacks will provide an important boost for students to stay energized, focused, and ready to learn.

We would like to extend a special thank you to Rotary members Junior Homister, Steve Norris, Jim McKelvey, and Wy Smith for personally assisting with the delivery of the snacks to our school. Their dedication and support help make a real difference in the daily lives of our students.

We also appreciate the help of our middle school counselor, Mr. Cory Einhardt, along with students Trip Ross and Aaliyah Culver, who helped with the delivery of the snacks.

Thank you, Delton Rotary Club, for your generosity and continued support of our students and school community.

A huge thank you to Delton Family Fare for sponsoring and continually supporting our school and district! Pictured is our school counselor, Mr. Cory Einhardt, receiving a $100 gift card from store director Lori Sanford and associates. This generous donation will be used to purchase much-needed snacks for our students. We truly appreciate Family Fare’s ongoing support of our school community!

Huge congratulations to 8th grader, Meara Cook-Dill, MISCA Middle School State Champion! 🏆

This is an incredible accomplishment and a true testament to Meara’s hard work and dedication. Competing at the state level and earning a championship is no small feat - we are so proud of you Meara, and can’t wait to see what you accomplish next!

A big shout-out to Evelyn Dimock (7th grade) and Raeleigh Harris (5th grade) for volunteering to help at the daycare during a busy morning. Ms. Kacy Amaro-Cheek was very appreciative of their willingness to lend a hand and shared their kind actions with Mrs. Rhoda, DKMS Behavior Safety Liaison.

To recognize their kindness and responsibility, Mrs. Rhoda rewarded both girls with Panther Paws for showing great SK2R behavior—being safe, kind, responsible, and respectful.

It is especially meaningful to see acts of kindness shared outside the classroom and during Kindness Week. These small actions truly make a big difference.

Way to go, Evelyn and Raeleigh!

Fifth grade students in Mrs. Estep’s Science classes are kicking off their Scientist of the Month project by learning about notable people in history who made important contributions to science.

Their first featured scientist is Marie Curie, who discovered the elements polonium and radium and was a pioneer in the study of radioactivity. Her groundbreaking work helped change the way scientists understand atoms and energy, and it continues to impact medicine and science today. Students did a wonderful job learning about Marie Curie and her impact on science, and they are looking forward to discovering more notable scientists throughout the remainder of the year.

The 5th grade teachers are very proud of the hard work their students have shown during the first semester. Recently, students took the STAR assessment, which gave them the opportunity to show how much they have learned so far. We are excited to see the great growth many students have made.

To recognize their effort, students were able to earn candy bar rewards:

• Students who met their first semester goal or showed growth in Math or ELA earned one small candy bar.

• Students who showed growth in both Math and ELA earned two small candy bars.

• Students who met or exceeded their first semester goal earned a full-size candy bar of their choice.

Whether students met their goal, showed improvement, or simply gave their best effort, the 5th grade team is incredibly proud of each and every 5th grader for their hard work and dedication.

Students from Mrs. Knight’s ukulele class continue to impress as they share what they’ve learned so far this quarter. Keep up the great work 6th graders!

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!

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.

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