CSD Weekly, November 14, 2024

• School Newsletters

• Highlights of CSD Students Serving the Community and Environment

• Poetry Competition Winners Announced

• CSD Celebrates Crossing Guard and School Psychologist Appreciation Week

• Vote for CSD's Statewide Hidden Heroes Award Nominee
  

• Community News: Decatur Farm to School Grants Available, DEF's Supper & Sips and More

Find out what's happening in CSD schools by clicking on your school's newsletter name.

College Heights Connection

Clairemont Bulldog

DVA Weekly Update

Talley Street's House of Altruism hosted the school's first plastic film recycling drive to divert an estimated 360 pounds of recycled material from the landfill! The drive was part of the school's sustainability efforts, led by the newly-formed Green Team that partnered with Ridwell, which offers home pickup for hard-to-recycle items.

Students shared public service messages about the drive and gathered enough plastic film to fill nearly 50 40-gallon contractor bags! The house that collected the most recycling earned house points, and the school also earned additional Ridwell pickups for the rest of the year. Seeing all the collected material made a lasting impression, and students and staff are excited to continue this effort. This initiative is just the beginning, with the Green Team planning further recycling programs, including marker, pen, and textile recycling.

Way to go, Talley Tigers!

Congratulations to the district winners of the Hadestown Poetry Contest! Students from DHS, BHMS, Talley Street, and F.AVE submitted poems that centered on the themes of the DHS musical Hadestown: Teen Edition.

Read the winning poems here or see them on display in the DHS Performing Arts Center lobby until Sunday, November 17. Buy tickets here to attend a performance of Hadestown: Teen Edition, running through Sunday, November 17.

DHS Winners

First place: Anushruti Ram, eleventh grade

Second place: Cadence Moyston, tenth grade

Third place: Hannah Eastham, eleventh grade

BHMS Winners

First place: Adeline Pendley, eighth grade

Second place: Uma Raman-Baksi, sixth grade

Third place: Mackenzie Olson, eighth grade

Talley Street Winner

Tatum Gibbons, fifth grade

F.AVE Winner

Clara Mallory, third grade

DHS Nominees for GHP 2025

Nia Batra, Camryn Carter, Emmett Cowley, Maeve A. Downey, Ellie Green, Astrid Joyce, Lexington Kennerly, Jack Marrah, Mila Martinez-Garretson, Lucas Medina, Evee Owens, Quinn Park, Anushruti Ram, Zain Sidor, Ashe Spears, Benjamin Taylor, and Liora Yustein.

The Georgia Leadership Institute for School Improvement (GLISI) has opened voting for its Hidden Heroes Award, which recognizes those who make a lasting impact on our students and schools.

This year, Ella Harley, the Student Engagement Coach for the City Schools of Decatur, is one of the nominees for GLISI's Hidden Heroes award. Ms. Harley plays a vital role in supporting some of our most vulnerable students and their families, helping them navigate and access the school system's resources, and ensuring that no student is left behind. Her work spans the school district and requires frequent check-ins with students and their families to support them with attendance, academic success, and social and emotional needs.

Ms. Harley's selflessness and dedication profoundly impact students' lives, empowering them to navigate their journeys with confidence and resilience. Vote for Ms. Harley here through Friday, November 22, at 5 p.m. Search for her name in the gallery to vote. You may vote once a day!

CSD's Student Support Services team invites the community to provide feedback on its development of robust Social Emotional Learning (SEL) standards for CSD students, initially focusing on grades 6-12. These standards are the skills we want our students to have as a result of SEL programming.

Please review this presentation and/or the virtual meeting and complete this feedback form by Friday, November 22.

CSD school psychologists work collaboratively with school leaders, staff, students, families, and our community to provide ongoing support and consultation. This includes assistance and intervention within the Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MTSS), evaluations to assess for learning differences and special education eligibility, preventive and responsive services for at-risk behavior and mental health challenges, and ongoing consultation with parents. Join us in thanking our CSD school psychologists!

Pictured left to right: Vickie Wingard, Dr. Geneel A. McKenzie, Dr. Leslie Hart, Christie Bailey, Kristen Plumeau Cheng, Ben Kenebel, Ava Shivar (GSU Doctoral Practicum Student), and Nancy Lamb.

• Board Retreat, November 19
  

• Early Release Day, November 22

• Thanksgiving Break, November 25-29

• Early Release Day, December 19
  

• Winter Break, December 20-January 6

As part of CSD's commitment to ensuring safe and secure learning and working environments, below is a list of resources to help guide parents' conversations with students when discussing the possibility of violence in schools. Safety is our top priority. If you see something, please say something immediately.

• National Association of School Psychologists: School Safety and Crisis
• Mental Health America: Talking To Kids About School Safety
• Children's Mental Health and Emotional or Behavioral Disorders Project: How To Talk to Young Kids About School Safety — Even if You Think It's Too Early To Start
• Science World: Talking With Kids About School Violence and Trauma

Hadestown: Teen Edition is a musical that retells the story of Orpheus and Eurydice, starring students from DHS Advanced Acting and presented by Decatur Performs. Raven Owen-Beyer directs, and Elise Eskew Sparks provides musical direction. Buy tickets here for performances through Sunday, November 17.

Beth Waltemath reviewed the musical, saying "Hadestown: Teen Edition shines in this moment and in our community, because through its songs, its set and its staging, beauty emerges from what is broken. This drama is set between two worlds—on the precarious, scorched earth and inside the eternal furnace underneath it. Yet throughout the drama, this mythical world is aesthetically beautiful and dynamically vibrant in its costume, stage and lighting design." Read the full review. Photo courtesy of Patch.com.

• Native American Heritage Month, November 1-30
• National Homeless Youth Awareness Month, November 1-30
• National Parent and Family Engagement Month, November 1-30
• National Crossing Guard Appreciation Week, November 11-15
  
• National School Psychology Week, November 11-15
• American Education Week, November 18-22
  
• National Education Support Professionals Day, November 20
• National Parental Involvement Day, November 21

DEF’s Supper & Sips Raises Crucial Funds for Our Community!

Grab your friends and neighbors and join us for an evening of fun, fellowship, and (delicious) food on Thursday, November 14, 6-10 p.m. at The Chapel on Sycamore! You'll enjoy live music, raffles, a fund-a-need, and live auction items you won't find anywhere else! The best part? Your good time raises money to support DEF's Teacher Innovation Grants and initiatives addressing food insecurity, student mental health, arts infusion, school travel grants, and so much more. Get your tickets here or sign up to volunteer. Don't miss this FUNdraiser!

Do you have plans for a new garden or class project for spring? Are you full of fantastic ideas for incorporating farm-to-school principles into a teaching unit? Need funds for a "green" field trip?

The Wylde Center Decatur Farm to School Committee invites you to apply for a grant for 2024/25. Teachers, administrators, PTA members, and parent volunteers can apply on behalf of their CSD school. Please get your applications in before December 13, 2024.

Dine out for a cause! On November 20, you can support Wylde Center’s mission simply by enjoying a meal at any of our participating local restaurants. No need to mention the event—just dine in or order takeout, and a portion of every sale from these generous establishments will go directly toward funding vital community programs.

With a wide selection of restaurants from casual to fine dining, this event is a deliciously easy way to give back. Join us in supporting our community by dining out, and know that your meal makes a difference to us.

Reminder: The City of Decatur Police Department began live enforcement on new speed limit violations this week as part of the School Zone Safety Plan. New photo speed cameras near Beacon Hill Middle School, Clairemont Elementary School, Westchester Elementary School, and Winnona Park Elementary School will monitor drivers' speeds during school zone hours. Those exceeding the 25 mph speed limit will be issued a citation via mail. Let's work together to slow down and ensure our students are safe when traveling to and from school.

Decatur Safe Streets

The Decatur Safe Streets Safety Action Plan, a City initiative housed in Decatur’s Public Works Department, is partnering with Decatur Safe Routes to School this October and November to collect input from parents and kids at various CSD Walk & Roll to School events.

The Safety Action Plan is an important City planning process that will help Decatur address safety needs for all roadway users, with the goal of eliminating traffic fatalities and serious injuries in Decatur. To learn more and provide input to the plan, visit decaturga.com/ss4a

City of Decatur Parks and Recreation

Upcoming DPR events include Game Night and Girls Pajama-rama (Grades 6-8). To learn more about upcoming events and programs, access the Playbook or visit their webpages:

• Decatur Recreation Center
• Ebster Recreation Center
• Oakhurst Recreation Center

Visit their one-stop-shop website for information about after-school programs, school holiday programs, and summer camps. To stay updated on all things Decatur Parks and Recreation, follow them on Facebook and Instagram or sign up for their monthly newsletter here!