MIDDLE SCHOOL messages

Dear DAA Middle School Families,

Summer has flown by and we are ready to shift gears to head back to school!  Our middle school staff at DAA is SO EXCITED for the opportunity to see our students in just a few short weeks!  The senior leadership team has been working hard to make sure that we are putting the KHDA-approved precautions in place in order to establish a safe learning environment for your children.  Although the school will have half the number of students in attendance each day, our teachers are so excited to be moving full steam ahead with lessons and activities.  There is no doubt that the quality of the relationships and program at DAA will carry on, whether your child is utilizing the hybrid model (in person and online) or joining the classroom remotely (online only). I’m sure there are several questions that you may have regarding the opening of school, so in addition to Mrs. Murphy’s letter, I hope to give you some insight as to how middle school will look come August 30.

As I previously mentioned, DAA will be using a hybrid model for the start of the school year.  Over the course of two weeks, students will spend half the time in the classroom and the other half will be in the virtual classroom.  We are currently finishing the A/B groupings to ensure that families are grouped together across K-12.  Families will be contacted in the next week to notify whether the student is placed in group A or B.  Please know that these groups are fixed as we chose to prioritize family needs so groups cannot be changed.  Below is a graphic to show what it will look like for each group:

We have staggered timings to allow smaller groups of students flowing into the school.  The middle school day is now from 7:30-3:00.  We have utilized the extra 20 minutes at the beginning and end of the school day.  This time will be helpful in helping students prepare for the day. Please see the timetable below:  

With the staggered start schedule, we are asking help from our parents to also stagger drop-off times to help keep social distance protocols in place.  Middle school students will enter through gate 3 at 7:20.  After passing through the thermal scanner, students will go directly to their first block.  Please see the map below:

There are a couple of items we wanted to make you aware of as you prepare for the beginning of the year.

• • Lockers - during the time of social distancing, lockers will not be in use.  Students will carry their items in backpacks to each class.

  • Bring your laptops charged each day along with the charger. Due to covid restrictions students will not be provided school laptops.

  • Pre-packaged lunches will be available for purchase for lunch. Students are encouraged to bring their own lunch from home. 

  • If students have PE while at school, they should wear PE uniforms all day.

  • Students may bring water bottles to drink throughout the school day. Due to covid restrictions there will not be water coolers available.

  • Students are encouraged to bring extra masks & writing utensils daily.

  • Don’t forget to make an appointment at Threads for your new school uniforms! (last year's uniforms are still acceptable for wear)

We are looking forward to welcoming our new students to DAA Middle School!  Our orientation will take place on August 27 from 2:00-3:00.  New information will be emailed to new families with all of the specifics next week.

In the coming weeks, we will be providing more information for the start of the school year.  

I cannot wait to meet all of the students and families in the upcoming weeks!  While the beginning of the year may be unusual, I know our amazing staff are eager to have students back in the classroom.  We will continue to engage our students at high levels in a caring school community.

Best, 

Justin Reynolds

Principal, DAA Middle School