DKMS Newsletter

Happy Friday and Valentine's weekend Panther families! It was a great week in the middle school.

Wednesday was our Spring Count Day and we had 91% student attendance! Thank you for getting to school!

This month our goal is to Strive for 95 percent attendance and Wednesday was our second highest day of the month so far! I want to shout out our 5th graders because they have reached 95% attendance as a grade level 5 times this month!

With the different sicknesses going around the district, especially the flu, please remember that students need to be fever and vomit free for 24 hours before they can return to school. If you take your child to the doctor, please bring the documentation to the office and those absences will be excused.

As always I want to thank our students, staff, families, and community for all of their hard work and support. I hope everyone enjoys their 3 day weekend and we see everyone back on Tuesday!

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 living out our SK2R values: Safety, Kindness, Respect, and Responsibility. By showing these positive behaviors, students earn Panther Paws, which can be redeemed for Jolly Ranchers and entries into our weekly sweet treat drawing. The students pictured below were chosen in this week’s Friday drawing.

Thank you to all of our students for helping make our school a safe, kind, and positive place every day!

On Saturday, February 14, Delton will host Boys Youth Hoops, giving families and staff a great chance to watch our young athletes in action! This event also serves as a fundraiser for our Boys Varsity and JV basketball programs, so your support makes a big difference.

3rd & 4th Grade Games – Middle School Gym

8:00 AM – DK White | Coach Clint Coffelt

10:30 AM – DK Maroon | Coach Adam May

5th & 6th Grade Games – High School Gym

8:00 AM – DK White | Coach Ryan Potter

9:40 AM – DK Maroon | Coach Mike Poirier

1:50 PM – DK Black | Coaches Andre Liceaga & Troy Wilson

Come support our boys and enjoy a great day of basketball! 🏀🙌We’d love to see you there cheering on our teams!

During the month of February, our middle school is focused on improving student attendance through our “Strive for 95” challenge. Our goal is for every student to maintain at least 95% attendance, because we know that being at school every day makes a big difference in learning and success.

To help keep students motivated, Mr. Tillman updates the Attendance Whiteboards in the cafeteria and in Room 1011. These boards allow students to track their grade-level progress and see how close they are to reaching the 95% goal.

We were excited to celebrate students who achieved perfect attendance! Their names were entered into a drawing, and several lucky students were chosen to receive a sweet donut treat from Mr. Tillman as a thank-you for their commitment and dedication.

5th grade students in Mrs. Estep’s science classes have been learning about Earth’s systems, including the geosphere, atmosphere, hydrosphere, and biosphere. To better understand how rain and other natural forces cause erosion, students created small models, bringing their learning to life to better understand how the process works.

Students wrapped up our Kindness Week activities by finishing their kindness chalkboards this week after our snow day cut things a little short. It was great to see students jumping back in and completing their messages of kindness and encouragement.

The chalkboards turned out amazing and are a wonderful reminder of the positive impact kind words can have throughout our school!

Sign-ups for our Battle of the Books are open, and we’re excited to see students getting involved in this fun and challenging reading competition!

All students who participate will celebrate with a Root Beer Float Party, generously sponsored by the Delton PTO. In addition, Flash Flood Water Park in Battle Creek is donating a free day pass for each winning student, making the competition even more exciting!

A big thank you to Mary Collier for purchasing and donating several of the competition books, this support is greatly appreciated.

The Battle of the Books Committee is still in need of book donations or monetary donations to help support this program. Donations can be dropped off at the Middle School Office, or you may reach out to Samantha Wheeler at samantha.wheeler@dkschools.org for more information.

Camp Dates:

Monday, March 30 - Wednesday, April 1, 2026

Cost:

$210.00 per student

Payment Deadline:

Tuesday, February 24th

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