Durham Intermediate School -

Durham Community
Just a friendly reminder that we’re on Thanksgiving break this entire week. We hope you enjoy this special time with family and friends, and we wish you all a very happy Thanksgiving. Can’t wait to see everyone back at school on December 1st.

DIS 7th and 8th Grade Boys Basketball

Tryouts for our 7th and 8th grade boys basketball team will be held on December 4th and 5th. Please see the attached flyer for more details.
Important reminder: Students cannot try out or play until both of the following are completed. These can be found in the office or on the Durham Unified website:

A pre-participation physical
The Assumption of Risk paperwork
Thank you for helping ensure our athletes are ready to participate safely and on time

DIS Week at a Glance

Join us at 8:45 AM tomorrow, Thursday, morning to send off our Varsity Volleyball Team as they head to Santa Cruz for the SECOND ROUND OF STATE PLAYOFFS! Help us line Putney Drive and wear Durham Blue. Let’s make some noise! 💙🏐

DIS Parents,
We have some exciting news! There's a fantastic new opportunity for your students to release some of that extra energy. We now have a DIS Cross Country team.

Please encourage your student to attend tomorrow's meeting during lunch to learn more about this incredible team. We can't wait to see our team grow and embrace the spirit of running together.

Hello Durham Community

This past Friday, our Community Booster Block Party was full of laughter, sunshine, and good times. A few of our future 6th graders were introduced to their new principal, Josh Rowe, in a fun and splash-filled fashion.. A few lucky students got to dunk Mr. Rowe, and he’s already joking that he remembers exactly who they were and that a little friendly payback might be in the works. 😄 Thank you for the great spirit, Mr. Rowe.

DIS
Back to School Night
Date: Tuesday, August 12
Time: 5:00 PM

Parents will follow their student’s schedule to hear from each teacher about what to expect in their classes at DIS this year.

Important Notes:
PE Classes will meet in the Commons.

Chromebook Contract:
The Library will open at 4:30 PM for parents to sign the Chromebook Contract.

Completing this contract will allow your student to check out a Chromebook to take home.

Our librarian will be available from 4:30–6:00 PM to assist with the forms.

Students will not be issued a Chromebook until this is signed.

Remember Durham Families, All students interested in participating in sports at DHS and DIS during the 2025-2026 school year must have a Physical Completed before participation. We are asking for a $10 donation to help offset any costs that may occur. Please make sure to complete the following CIF Pre-participation Physical Evaluation (PPE) forms and bring them with you on June 3rd. https://dhs.durhamunified.org/o/dhs/documents/athletics/athletics-forms/required/284494

Durham Intermediate School added a BCOE FOCUS special education classroom this school year. Today, the students in this class participated in the Special Olympics event at Harrison Stadium in Oroville. The students wore nice new Durham Intermediate School shirts for the events (A big thank you to Mr. Pena)

Over the weekend, the DHS Jazz band went to a competition in Santa Cruz where they took 1st place in their division and 2nd overall out of 14 schools! Alex Grandstaff won the overall jazz soloist award. They did an awesome job!

This is an excellent opportunity for children to attend our Durham High Volleyball Team Fundraiser during an awesome week-long volleyball camp from July 14-17, 9 AM to Noon. This is a fantastic opportunity for incoming 2nd - 8th graders to have a great time, learn new skills, and make new friends on the court. Sign up now, and let's serve up some excitement. Volleyball Camp Registration: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfqlO_JP-l4dtsaDnNYGnPN245-2U9kFQO_4-oAlbrwoGX1Jg/viewform

Exciting News! We are thrilled to announce that we have successfully installed over 50 Verkada cameras on our campuses. This upgrade is an essential step towards improving the safety and security of our students and community. Safety is our top priority, and these advanced security measures will help us protect our students, staff, and visitors, making our community a safer place to learn and grow. So, when you visit Durham Unified, remember to smile because you’re on camera! 😊 Together, we’re building a safer environment for everyone. Thank you for your support, Durham Community.

We finally made it to Spring Break! I hope everyone has the opportunity to regroup, visit with loved ones, and have some fun during spring break. It is kind of crazy that we only have 23 days of school remaining when we return from break. We all have to work hard to make the final sprint as positive and meaningful as possible for all of our students. As we hit May, we will hit the season of end of year events very quickly. Here are some of the bigger events:

Attention Parents Just a reminder that this Friday, April 18, 2023, all three schools will have a minimum day to kick off Spring Break. We wish everyone a fun break and can't wait to see everyone back at school on Monday, April 28.

We are thrilled to introduce our new Intermediate Principal, Josh Rowe! Hello, my name is Josh Rowe and it is my privilege and honor to be joining the DIS family. I have lived in the North State since moving to come to school at Chico State in 1998. As an undergrad student I was a 4 year letterman on the Chico State Track and Field team where I threw Hammer and Discus. My wife, Courtney, is a Chico native and she has the most difficult job I can think of, she is a homemaker staying home with our children. Together we have three children Lila (12), David (10) and Benjamin (7). Outside of work and family, I love swimming, camping, taking the kids fishing, and humbling myself regularly on the golf course. My wife, Courtney, is a Chico native and holds what I believe is the most demanding job out there: she’s a full-time homemaker raising our three amazing (and very energetic) kids—Lila (12), David (10), and Benjamin (7). Outside of work and family, I love swimming, taking the kids fishing, and humbling myself regularly on the golf course. Professionally, I started my career teaching History and English to grades 7–12 at Williams Jr./Sr. High. I spent 10 years in the classroom before moving into administration, where I’ve had the privilege of serving students from transitional kindergarten all the way through high school for the past decade. As a school leader, I believe in the power of relationships—real, honest, human connections with students, staff, and families. Those relationships are the foundation for success in school and in life. Returning to Durham feels a bit like coming full circle—I actually began my teaching journey here as a student teacher in 2003 at DHS under Brian Harvey. I’m excited to partner with each of you to provide our students with an exceptional education and an even brighter future. My door is always open (figuratively and literally), and I can’t wait to meet you, work alongside you, and support you in any way I can. Looking forward to a great year together at DIS!

We are thrilled to introduce our new Intermediate Principal, Josh Rowe! Hello, my name is Josh Rowe and it is my privilege and honor to be joining the DIS family. I have lived in the North State since moving to come to school at Chico State in 1998. As an undergrad student I was a 4 year letterman on the Chico State Track and Field team where I threw Hammer and Discus. My wife, Courtney, is a Chico native and she has the most difficult job I can think of, she is a homemaker staying home with our children. Together we have three children Lila (12), David (10) and Benjamin (7). Outside of work and family, I love swimming, camping, taking the kids fishing, and humbling myself regularly on the golf course.. My wife, Courtney, is a Chico native and holds what I believe is the most demanding job out there: she’s a full-time homemaker raising our three amazing (and very energetic) kids—Lila (12), David (10), and Benjamin (7). Outside of work and family, I love swimming, taking the kids fishing, and humbling myself regularly on the golf course. Professionally, I started my career teaching History and English to grades 7–12 at Williams Jr./Sr. High. I spent 10 years in the classroom before moving into administration, where I’ve had the privilege of serving students from transitional kindergarten all the way through high school for the past decade. As a school leader, I believe in the power of relationships—real, honest, human connections with students, staff, and families. Those relationships are the foundation for success in school and in life. Returning to Durham feels a bit like coming full circle—I actually began my teaching journey here as a student teacher in 2003 at DHS under Brian Harvey. I’m excited to partner with each of you to provide our students with an exceptional education and an even brighter future. My door is always open (figuratively and literally), and I can’t wait to meet you, work alongside you, and support you in any way I can. Looking forward to a great year together at DIS!

We have the SWEETEST WAY to support Durham High School PTS! Just in time for all of the upcoming springtime festivities, you can purchase vouchers for yummy treats from Chico Nothing Bundt Cake. They can be used any time, don’t expire, and make great gifts!!! Place your order TODAY! Click the link - https://durhampts.ejoinme.org/cakes

It is the time of year where we have some well-deserving employees receive awards as evidenced by this week’s Classified and Certificated Employee of the Year events sponsored by the Butte-Glenn County chapter of the Association of California School Administrators. Stacy Blake, Dana DelCarlo, Erica Montgomery, Jenna Juanarena, Emily Abshier, Carmina Vital, and Ed Hernandez earned the outstanding awards for the extra mile they all go in the name of supporting the students of Durham Unified. Even though these employees received the awards this year, they are symbolic of the efforts our staff makes every day

It's that time of year! Get ready to take a swing to support the Durham FFA and the Durham Unified High School Ag program. Your support is how we continue to grow and develop our future ag leaders! Hope to see you on the course on Monday, June 16, at Butte Creek Country Club.

Math CC 2/3 will be starting a project called bungee barbie, where students gather data with rubber bands to give barbie the most thrilling drop from the top of a bucket lift. Pi Day winners received their Pi. Our 1st place student was able to name 74 digits, 2nd place 73 digits, and our pi picture contest winner is attached. Integrated Math I will be doing a penny lab to learn about exponential decay.