Official newsletter of Durham School of the Arts

Save the Date

Tues Sept 29: MS Picture Day

Wed Sept 30: Teacher Workday

Thurs Oct 1: HS Picture Day

Tues Oct 6: Dine Out for DSA (Red Robin)

Reminders

Please view the 2026-27 Calendar for future teacher workdays, holidays, and other important dates.

To reach the main office: Please email dist.frontoffice.323-DSA@dpsnc.net Your message will reach most of the front office staff.

Please send ALL attendance matters to: attendance@DSALMC.net

Upcoming Events

9/24: DSA Multilingual Family Night

10/1 DSA Club Fair
10/6:Dine Out for DSA (Red Robin)

🌎 DSA Multilingual Family Night

We are excited to invite our multilingual families to DSA Multilingual Family Night on Thursday, September 24, from 5:30–7:00 p.m.!

Join us for a welcoming and interactive evening designed to help families better understand their student’s academic progress, navigate DSA resources, and build the tools and confidence to advocate for their student’s success.

We look forward to connecting with our families, celebrating the many languages and cultures that make DSA special, and strengthening our partnership between families, students, and our school community.

📅 Thursday, September 24
⏰ 5:30–7:00 p.m.
📍 DSA LMC

Fall Pictures 2026

Hello DSA Families,

Student portrait day is approaching. Our Middle School students will take their portraits on Tuesday, September 29th. Our 9th-11th grade high school students will take their pictures on Thursday, October 1st. High School Seniors have a different structure and will take their pictures on November 9th. Shared in this message is a digital version of the order form your student likely got in paper form through their English class. Please direct any picture day questions to Mr. Donaldson, our Yearbook adviser at Alphonso_Donaldson@dpsnc.net.

2026 Fall Pictures QR Code.pdf

2026 Fall Picture Digital Form.pdf

2026 Fall Picture Day Digital Form - Google Drive Doc

2026 Fall Picture Ordering QR Code - Google Drive Doc

26-27 HS Winter Sports Registration

https://view.gogipper.com/page/2827033

Bulldog Buzz

Dine Out for DSA

Event: Red Robin New Hope Commons

Address: 5313 New Hope Commons Blvd. Extension, Durham, NC

Time: 11a-10p

Have you heard the news? THE DSA FALL ART FESTIVAL IS TURNING 15 this October!

Join US in celebrating how far we’ve all come with this year’s theme, El Crecimiento, or The Growth!

This year’s event will be held on October 24th from 6–9 PM at 400 N Duke St.

Follow @dsa_faf for updates! Get ready for an amazing night!✨”

Senior Updates

Athletics

Learn about upcoming games, tryouts, and more at the official DSA Athletics website https://dsaathleticzone.com/. You can show your team spirit and get your team swag at the New DSA Athletic Store. https://www.dpsathleticzone.com/durham-school-of-arts/

🏆 Support DSA Athletics All Season Long!
Students, don’t miss the excitement of our HS Athletic Contests this year! For just $20, get your Student Fall Season Passand come out to support our DSA Bulldogs at the remaining home contests! 🐾
🏈🏐⚽️🏀 Valid for HS Athletic Contests only
👉 Get your Student Season Pass on GoFan today!

Student Support Services

If you or your family need help in locating community resources (such as food/clothing.), please reach out to the school social worker, Angela Carbone. Angela_carbone@dpsnc.net 919 -560-3926 ext. 23266
Student Support Services is continuing with our Kindness initiative. If you see a “Be Kind” QR code around the school, please let us know about who you caught being kind! This will be announced on the loudspeaker whenever you have caught someone being kind.
To learn more about Student Support Services and current programming, please visit https://sites.google.com/dpsnc.net/dsastudentservices?pli=1.

Parent Teacher Student Association (PTSA)

Become a Member

Welcome back to school! It's time to join or re-join the PTSA for the 2026-27 school year. Please visit our giveback page for memberships bit.ly/joindsaptsa. We would love your support.

Our 2025-26 board members are:

President: Stephanie Hawver
Vice President 1: Brittney McGraw
Vice President 2: Ashanti Smith-Watson
Treasurer: Maryann Ruiz-Heard
Secretary: Dr. Danielle Sutton

We look forward to continuing to support DSA this year!

Support the PTSA

Rather than host multiple fundraisers throughout the year, we do one annual campaign. This year, our campaign goal is to raise $20,000. If each family made a gift of $25, we could easily exceed our goal! (You, of course, can give more.)

NO amount is too small, as anything we raise directly benefits the students of DSA. Please consider making a donation to help to ensure that current and future students have a great experience at DSA. There are two ways to make your tax-deductible donation:

Make a donation online at: https://www.givebacks.com/donate/dsaptsa
Send a check payable to DSA PTSA and mail it to the school:

400 N. Duke St.
Durham, NC 27701

Driving Eligibility

Any DSA student who is requesting an N.C. Driving Eligibility Certificate must pass 5 of their 7 classes and submit their Drivers Ed certificate to the main office before school, during lunch or after school before 4 p.m. Once the office receives the Drivers Ed certificate, the student will receive the N.C. Eligibility form within 48 hours. Please note that the certificate is only valid for 30 days. Please ensure that you have scheduled your appointment with the DMV.