Pirate Parent Newsletter

Please attend our Annual Title I meeting on October 2. We will share your input that has been provided in shaping our school's Parent and Family Engagement plans for this schol year. You can still participate in the survey by clicking below. We really need you at this meeting and as participants in making our school the place you want it to be for your students.

Electronic voting for Fall 2024 Principal Advisory Council elections will be open Wednesday, September 18th (8:00am EST) through Wednesday, September 25th (5:00pm EST). Access your unique ballot by clicking on the link in the email sent to this email address at 8:00am on Wednesday, September 18th. Reminders will be sent throughout the voting window to those who have not yet voted.

Ballots are sent through a third party, Big Pulse, Inc. Please be advised that email providers’ Spam filters are becoming more restrictive. Depending on the sensitivity of your email provider’s Spam filter, the email from Big Pulse may go to your Spam folder.

If you have difficulty voting, send an email to schoolgovernance@dekalbschoolsga.org or call 678.656.6997.

Candidate Bios

• Parent/Guardian Candidates
• Teacher Candidates

Best Regards,

DCSD School Innovation Department

Please see the information below that will allow your student to participate in our free vision screening on October 22. If your student needs glasses and you lack insurance, vouchers for glasses will be providied. If you are interested, please print and bring the signed forms to school or you can request these forms at our front office. Please submit applications for the screening by September 30.

Studies show that students who use cellphones during class are less successful academically and socially in school. DCSD is promoting the Disconnect to Reconnect policy as a means to support student academic achievement and to build positive classroom and school cultures. Please review the discipline policy in the DCSD Code of Student Conduct and provide your thoughts on the Disconnect to Reconnect initiative by clicking the link below.

Please be reminded that we are a clear bookbag school. Students will not be allowed to bring in bags that are not clear. We communicated this during Rising Ninth Grade Meetings last year and have done so throughout the summer. Students cannot enter DCSD athletic events without a clear bag as well. This is a safe schools initiative as it assists us in deterring vape pens and weapons. If you join the PTSA below and show your membership proof, we will provide your student with a clear bookbag!

It is important we have accurate address and contact information. This assists all parents by allowing us to provide you important information concerning your scholars. Additionally, for students with attendance problems, the lack of a current annual verification is a red flag that the student may not live in our attendance zone. We will ask for proof of residence in these cases and failure to provide that proof of residence will result in the student being withdrawn. Thank you to those families who have verified their contact information. We need all parents to update your address and contact information in Infinite Campus. If you currently have the Parent Portal, you can do that by clicking Annual Verification. If you do not have Parent Portal, you can contact Shenita Seidu at 678 676 6326. Please see instructions in English and Spanish below.

As you are aware, we have had struggles with having enough bus drivers in our district. I wanted to make you aware, if you are not, that we have an app that assists with bus times and route information. Please see the QR code below or enter the download information. There are also step-by-step instructions on how to set the app up attached below.

Our current average daily attendance rate is 87.93%. While that may seem good, it still means we are averaging 115 absences each day! Research shows that if students miss just 2 days in August they will become chronically absent. We have 115 students who have already missed ten days of school. Please see some attendance reminder below.

• Any student arriving after 8:30 MUST be signed in by a parent/guardian. If a student arrives late with no parent/guardian, we will attempt to call the parent. We will do this only two times. After the second time the student arrives late after 8:30, we will ask the parent for proof of residence. The parent will have one week to submit the proof of residence. Failure to submit the proof of residence will result in withdrawal.
• We will do a tardy table for every period. Once students accumulate 7 tardies, they will be assigned In School Suspension or Saturday School (parent's choice).
• All students who have 6 or more absences will receive a 6-Day Notification letter and a referral to the school social worker.
• No student will be allowed to leave campus with anyone not on the contact list within Infinite Campus. This is why annual verification is important to complete. Please update your emergency contacts with Infinite Campus by completing Annual Verification.
• Please send excuse notes to school if your student is absent.

Volume 4: Issue 6

Email: michael_costa@dekalbschoolsga.org
Website: http://www.stonemountainhs.dekalb.k12.ga.us/
Location: 4555 Central Drive, Stone Mountain, GA, USA
Phone: 678.676.6303
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100070311425418
Twitter: @principal_costa