Principal's Message

EMS 9/9/2022 Community News

Dear EMS Community,

Next week we will have our first School Accountability Meeting (SAC) and Escalante Parent Organization (EPO) meeting of the 22-23 school year. We will meet at 9:00am on September 15th for SAC, with EPO agenda items following our SAC agenda.

At the meeting, we will review and take feedback about parent survey information from the 22-23 school year, CMAS state assessment data, and our school’s strategic work plan. All families and community members are welcome to attend, and many thanks to Veronica Piccoli for chairing out parent committees this year.

Check-in for the 2022/23 School Year!

All students preparing to attend Escalante Middle School in the fall for the 2022/23 school year are invited to attend Fall Check-In. Please be sure that your online registration is completed prior to August 1st to ensure you receive all notifications for your check-in nights for the new school year. Online registration can be found in your Infinite Campus parent portal account. Families will receive an email announcing what team their students are on by August 12th. Check-in nights are as follows.

August 16th
Ocelots 5:00 PM
Falcons 6:00 PM

August 17th
White Tigers 5:00 PM
Timberwolves 6:00 PM

August 18th
Taz 5:00 PM
Panthers 6:00 PM

Please call the office if you have any questions 970-247-9490. The office will be closed from June 10 to August 1 for summer break.

4/22/2022 Community News

Dear Escalante Middle School Community,

In the aftermath of the COVID pandemic, we are working very hard to bring back the traditions, experiences, and structures that we canceled over the last two years. Our largest event of the year, the Celebration of Learning (COL), will take place on June 1st from 4:00 to 5:30 PM at EMS. Every student will be showcasing an aspect of high quality work as we turn our hallways and classrooms into an interactive museum cataloging the highlights of the year across all classes. Please save this date to come and celebrate student learning. Parent and community participation is vital because it provides our students with an authentic audience to practice their presentation and public speaking skills. Students will be learning their specific role in the event sometime over the next several days.

4/08/2022 Community News

Dear Escalante Community,

Over the next two weeks we will be conducting our CMAS Testing. While we always encourage a good night’s sleep and attendance, it is certainly emphasized during our testing window. Thank you for your support with this, and below you will find our schedule:

3/04/2022 Community News from EMS

Dear EMS Community,

Over the past few weeks I’ve found that I’ve spent a fair amount of time working with kids to clean up their foul language at school. As children enter and go through the teenage years, there is often a certain thrill out of doing something that is forbidden. The Association of Psychological Science noted, “Most children start swearing around age two and that it becomes more adult-like by ages 11 or 12. By the time children enter school at age 5, they have a working vocabulary of 30 to 40 offensive words.”

Mobile Earth and Space Observatory (MESO) Visit Postponed

Due to unforeseen circumstances, the Mobile Earth and Space Observatory (MESO) team has had to cancel their visit to Durango planned for this week and next. The event will be rescheduled sometime in January. Stay tuned for those dates.

Eagle Boys Basketball 2022

Our Eagle boys basketball season kicks off Tuesday, October 11th. To be eligible to participate, students need to complete the registration checklist (see below) and show up with clean, indoor basketball shoes, shorts, a t-shirt, and a water bottle. Teams will be determined within a week or two of practice. There are no cuts. We create teams according to skill level and where athletes will get the most playing time. Please see below for the first week's practice times, how to register, and the schedule. Contact Coach Bastin for more information. [email protected]

10/13/22 UPDATE: Next Week's Practice Schedule
October 18-20
Practice Time: 3:30-5:40
5:45 Pick Up Time

We Are Looking for a Few Good Bus Drivers!

The Durango School District is hiring bus drivers.
We offer competitive salary & benefits package, and a great retirement system.

We need your opinion! How can we improve our websites?

We are in the process of updating Durango School District 9-R's websites, which includes the district site and each school-specific site. We need your input!

Halloween and Fall Festivals are Back After Pandemic Hiatus

Halloween is just around the corner, and soon many schools throughout the district will be hosting activities, costume parades, and extracurricular events.

Fall festivals are often organized by the school’s PTO and many are fundraisers that support staff, students, and the schools.

2022 SOIL Art Contest: How can a garden help you grow?

Gardens have inspired artists for centuries. Now it’s time for students to inspire the community with their creativity. We’re inviting all Durango School District 9-R students to submit a piece of artwork for the first annual SOIL Art Contest.

District launches Escuela para Padres (School for Parents) at two schools

Learning to navigate a school system can be daunting for many parents; but for families who speak limited or no English, it can be especially challenging. On Wednesday evening, October 20, 2022 Durango School District 9-R will launch a new project to meet this challenge: Escuela para Padres (School for Parents).

EMS Football and Volleyball

8/5/2022 FOOTBALL UPDATE: On Monday and Tuesday, the 8th and 9th, we will have practice from 7 am-10:30 am. On Monday morning, we will be handing out equipment and anticipate completing concussion baseline protocols with our athletic trainer, Robert Marks. Please make sure that your athlete has registered for sports, has a completed physical, and registration fees have been paid.

Beginning Tuesday, the 10th, practice will begin at 3:30 pm and finish at 5:30 pm. That will be our Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday practice schedule. On Mondays and Wednesdays, we are requesting that athletes arrive at 3 pm if possible in order to have time to do chalk talk and go over the playbook before going to practice. Please let me know if this does not work for you and we can make accommodations. Thank you so much and we look forward to this season!
Please see the attached sheet for information.

EMS Volleyball season begins August 8th for girls entering 7th/8th grade. Please see below for more information.

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