CSD Weekly, January 30, 2025

• School Newsletters: Keep Up with Important School News!
• TODAY: Final Public Hearing for Homestead Exemption Opt Out (Georgia HB 581)
• Around CSD: Glennwood Read-A-Thon Winners, College Board BigFutures Awards, NASA Competition Winners, Lunar New Year Celebrations, and More!
• Superintendent's Winter Listening Sessions, February 3 & 10
• Community News: Winter Break Camps and Bulldog Bash

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

College Heights Connection

Clairemont Bulldog

CSD will host five hearings in January for the public to learn more about the district's plans to exercise the one-time option for local governments to opt out of Georgia House Bill 581, which establishes a statewide floating homestead exemption and cap on property taxes.

The schedule for the remaining public hearing is:

Thursday, January 30, 6:45 p.m. (virtual only, access the meeting here)

Passed during the 2024 Legislative Session, HB 581 impacts property taxes for cities, counties and school districts by capping the annual increase in property values for tax purposes, effective January 1, 2025. The bill aims to provide property tax relief for local residents, using the Consumer Price Index as an inflationary index. Since school districts rely heavily on property taxes for funding, this cap could impact the availability of CSD schools' resources and programs.

The Board of Education will follow the legal procedures to opt out of the exemption, including holding the three virtual public hearings. Following the hearings, the board will vote to adopt an opt-out resolution at the February Board of Education meeting and file the resolution with the Secretary of State by March 1, 2025.

As we create more opportunities for dialogue around CSD, families are invited to attend an upcoming winter listening session where Dr. Whitaker will hear directly from our community about the issues that matter to them.

• Monday, February 3, 5:30-6:30 p.m., College Heights ECLC Media Center

• Monday, February 10, 11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. (virtual)

Congratulations to DHS students who earned the College Board's BigFuture academic honors through their National Recognition Programs. BigFuture is a free online planning guide that helps students take the right first step after high school, focusing on underrepresented students who excel academically on College Board assessments, including PSAT and AP exams. Nineteen DHS students are being recognized, which include African American, first-generation, Hispanic, and Indigenous students.

DHS Awardees

Victor Agolory, Maxwell Barros, Joelle Cesar, Liesel Cook, Gabriella Cope, Jaden DeGrammont, Jackson Jeffrey, Maila Krnjetin, Reyes Le, Lucas Medina, David Miller Patton, Victoria Nazario Quirindongo, Johnel Padilla, Prachi Patel, Hazel Patty, Michaela Vazquez, Sara Villavasso, Yahira Wills, Jeffrey Zokovitch

This week, the City Schools of Decatur collaborated with the City of Decatur to co-host the district's first-ever School Safety & Security Summit. The event included a panel discussion and breakout sessions centered on how CSD and the City work together to improve the safety of our students and schools, emphasizing the vital role of parents. Prioritizing the safety of students and staff remains CSD's top priority. A special thank you to DHS senior Gerald Walker, a member of both the Student Government Association and the Superintendent's Student Advisory Council, for opening the program, as well as to the families and vendors who took part. Responses to presubmitted questions will be published in next week's CSD Weekly.

The key takeaway? The safety of our school communities is a shared responsibility, so if you notice something unusual (see something), please report it right away (say something).

A team of DHS IB Physics students won the NASA TechRise Student Challenge, an opportunity for student teams to submit ideas for flying experiments on a suborbital flight platform. This year's challenge was to design an experiment to test on a high-altitude balloon.

DHS's "Correlation Between Ground Conditions and Atmospheric Conditions" project was one of 60 winning projects nationwide and the only winning team from Georgia. The team will meet weekly with engineers to help build the project and launch it into the stratosphere this summer, where it will collect valuable data. Congratulations to the student participants listed below and to teachers Cassy Smith and Deirde Pierce for helping to make this happen!

Student Team Members

Owen Beck, Logan Cesare, Sammy Chapman, Alexandra Chrisohoides, Jessa Corcoran, Renato Dell'Osso, Matthew Denius, Ayvn Ebersold, Cyrus Ebrahimi, Jacob Enfinger, Isaac Finke, Rae Garrett, Eva Hamilton, Shay Hendrickson, Alec Hogben, Gonzalo Islas, Lucas Kaegan, Landon Lockhart-Keener, Brex Miller Patton, Henry Morrison, Ani Painter, Hazel Patty, Jaemin Park, Jasmine Peters, Autumn Pollack, Sophie Pritchard, Nathan Provenzano, Liouville Ran, Nolan Salcedo, Peter Shay, Bala Sing, Pranav Subramaniam, Aidan Tagami, Jack Torrance, James Waltemath Lewicki, and Lyndon Warren

Schools across CSD celebrated the Lunar New Year 2025 this week, the beginning of the Year of the Snake! Lunar New Year, commonly referred to as the Spring Festival or Chinese New Year, is the most significant holiday in China and among Chinese communities globally. This festive occasion extends beyond China, with countries like Vietnam, Korea, Malaysia, and Singapore also participating in the celebrations. The two-week festivities feature gatherings with family and friends, delicious feasts, vibrant fireworks, lively parties, and colorful parades.

Talley Street's Lunar New Year Parade included Superintendent Dr. Gyimah Whitaker as Grand Marshal. F.Ave hosted a performance, and Westchester and Oakhurst showcased the creativity of students and staff with lessons on traditional dress and Lunar New Year-inspired art to ring in the new year!

Congratulations to the top readers at Glennwood's Read-a-Thon! Readers in grades K-2 logged their reading time. Ms. VanDuzer's second-grade class logged the most minutes and earned a popsicle party!

The BHMS Chorus will perform the national anthem on the main court of State Farm Arena before the Atlanta Hawks game against Oklahoma City Thunder on Friday, February 28! Gates open at 6:30 p.m., and attendees should arrive early to see the BHMS chorus perform at 7:30 p.m.

Special ticket packages are available here. A portion of each ticket purchased through this offer will benefit City Schools of Decatur. Ticket prices are subject to increase and tickets may sell out, so grab yours now!

CSD K-5 students: Join Super Saturdays for a morning of fun and educational STEAM-inspired lessons and activities led by CSD teachers and staff! These events are completely free and include hands-on instruction, all necessary supplies and materials, and plenty of engaging learning opportunities in a supportive and creative environment. Super Saturdays take place from 9 a.m.-noon at Fifth Avenue ES, 101 5th Avenue, Decatur, GA 30030. Register here for Super Saturdays!

Next Super Saturday date:

February 8, 2025

March 15, 2025

April 19, 2025

May 10, 2025

This school year, CSD is developing a Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) framework that fully aligns with the Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL) framework. The implementation will begin in grades 6-12, as data shows these students have the most pressing SEL needs. The SEL framework for elementary schools will be introduced at a later date.

Information regarding the SEL framework was presented during the Board of Education meeting in September 2024. CSD has created a comprehensive needs assessment, finalized the CSD 6-12 SEL standards, and selected a dedicated SEL curriculum. The next steps involve drafting CSD's SEL vision and long-term objectives, establishing K-5 SEL standards, and providing SEL professional learning for middle and high school leaders and staff.

CSD appreciates all who have offered their insights and feedback. We invite families to engage in this vital work. Please complete this input and feedback form regarding the proposed CSD SEL vision and long-term goals by Friday, February 7, 2025.

Your voice is is valued and vital! Please take CSD's climate survey for your K-12 school through March 31, 2025.

Clairemont Family Climate Survey

Glennwood Family Climate Survey

Oakhurst Family Climate Survey

Westchester Family Climate Survey

Winnona Park Family Climate Survey

F.AVE Family Climate Survey

Talley Street Family Climate Survey

Beacon Hill Family Climate Survey

DHS Family Climate Survey

CSD's Board of Education unanimously approved the 2026-2027 Academic Calendar. The calendar presentation with the stakeholder feedback summary can be found in Simbli's board meeting agenda.

CSD has shared new Standard Response Protocols (SRP) posters and documents with schools to educate students, families and staff about best practices for responding to a crisis. Schools will display posters in highly visible areas, handouts will be sent home for families, and students will receive small reference cards to keep with them. English and Spanish versions are available for these documents.

What is SRP?

Developed in collaboration with law enforcement and the I Love U Guys Foundation, SRP is a set of terms and actions that students, CSD staff and first responders can incorporate into a school safety plan to train school communities to respond more effectively to emergencies

SRP Terms and Actions:

• Lockdown: Secures a room and keeps people quiet and in place

• Evacuate: Moves people from one location to another

• Shelter: States the hazard and safety strategy

• Hold: Students stay in their classroom or area until the "All Clear" is announced

• Secure: Students get inside and lock outside doors

The Georgia Departments of Education and Revenue are launching a student license plate design contest to commemorate the United States semiquincentennial, the 250th anniversary of the 1776 Declaration of Independence, celebrated on July 4, 2026.

The final license plate will be selected from designs submitted by students in grades six through eight in Georgia schools. See the submission guidelines and submit a design by January 31, 2025, at 5 p.m. Contact licenseplatecontest@doe.k12.ga.us with questions.

• National Mentoring Month, January 1-31

• Homestead Exemption Opt-Out Public Hearing (HB 581), January 30

• Black History Month, February 1-28

• Career and Technical Education Month, February 1-28

• Dr. Whitaker's Listening Sessions, February 3 & 10

• School Counselor Week, February 3-7

• National Family, Career, Community Leaders of American Week, February 10-14

• Board of Education Meeting, February 11

• Winter Break, February 17-21

• Public Schools Week, February 24-28

• Early Release Day, February 26

• DHS Graduation Day, May 16

February 3-7 is National School Counseling Week 2025, sponsored by the American School Counselor Association (ASCA). This year’s theme is “School Counseling: Helping Students Thrive,” which highlights school counselors’ contributions and tremendous impact in helping students achieve school success and plan for a career.

The Decatur Prevention Initiative (DPI) seeks the community's help in learning more about community perceptions and concerns regarding underage drinking and substance misuse among Decatur's youth. Please take this anonymous survey to help DPI plan, implement, evaluate and sustain programming.

Plans are underway for another amazing event to raise money for Decatur Athletics – The Bulldog Bash! Save the date for this year's event on Saturday, March 22, at Independent Distilling Company. The event will feature a live online auction that includes everything from artwork and experiences to trips, restaurant gift cards, sporting event tickets, self-care, and more.

Do you have a connection, talent, vacation home or something unique that can help us raise money for our student-athletes? If so, please fill out this form! More information to come!

City of Decatur Parks and Recreation Upcoming Youth Events

Looking for a winter break camp? Find youth programs to entertain kids of all ages, from sports to theater to parents' nights out. Learn more about upcoming events and programs here, or visit the recreation center webpages:

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

Visit Parks and Recreation's 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!

Read recent issues of CSD Weekly below. Older issues of CSD Weekly may be found on CSD's district newsletter webpage.

• CSD Weekly - January 23, 2025
• CSD Weekly - January 16, 2025
• CSD Weekly - January 9, 2025
• CSD Weekly - December 19, 2024
• CSD Weekly - December 12, 2024