CSD District Dispatch
Keeping you up-to-date on District news around CSD
Welcome to the District Dispatch!
Calendar Planning Survey
We need your input on the calendar planning process. Please visit the link below for the survey with complete video explanations. Please note: this survey will close September 5.
https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/CSD-calendar-input-2019
Thank you for your input!
Board Spotlights
At the school board meetings each month, a different school's accomplishments are highlighted and celebrated. These have been anything from a recorder performance by 3rd grade, sharing about their celebrations of learning, or high school students sharing their trip to Japan. As we highlight #OurKids' accomplishments, we will share these with you here.
School Spotlight at the August 13 School Board Meeting: Clairemont Elementary
The August Spotlight celebrated the impressive Title I program at Clairemont Elementary. This presentation was given by Paris Hardnett, the Lead Title I Teacher, Gonzilee Upson, the Title I Intervention Paraprofessional, and Quonisha Jackson, Parent and Family Liaison. They presented an overview of their program. This included their instruction model and examples, their resources, their results, and how they increased parent and family engagement, all of which lead to their continuing success. Congratulations to Clairemont teachers and students on their outstanding work.
Interim School Board Member Sworn In During August Board Meeting
At the August 13 school board meeting, former CSD school board member Marc Wisniewski was sworn in as an interim City Schools of Decatur board member. Robert Wilson, an attorney for City Schools of Decatur, and the Honorable Matt McCoyd, a Magistrate Court Judge in DeKalb County, oversaw the proceedings.
Wisniewski, who has previously served on the school board from 2001 to 2012, was appointed by the board to fill the at-large position vacated by Annie Caiola's resignation.
A new at-large school board member will be elected this November to serve out the remainder of Ms. Caiola's term. Elections will also be held for District 1, Post B and District 2, Post B. Each race has only one candidate and all are running unopposed. Incumbent Tasha White is running for her second term as the member representing District 2, Post B. James Herndon is running for District 1, Post B, a seat vacated by Garrett Goebel who is not seeking reelection. Jana Johnson-Davis is running for the at-large position vacated by Annie Caiola.
Opening Day: A Pep Rally for CSD Teachers and Staff
Did you know CSD's back to school routine starts with a pep rally and cook out style lunch for all our teachers and staff? The Opening Day ceremony celebrates the beginning of the CSD school year each year with all teachers and staff from every school around the district. This year, we had a moving speaker, Dr. John Hodge, who encouraged all our staff to "be the one" for their students. He went on to explain how one caring adult can make all the difference.
The Impact of CSD's Teachers and Staff: Be the One Video
Images from the 2019 Opening Day
Teachers and staff attended from all 10 CSD schools!
Our teachers and staff getting the cheers they deserve!
A warm welcome from our DHS cheerleaders and band!
Staff were treated to a delicious cookout from Skips!
Staff from around the district enjoying Opening Day!
Excited smiles looking forward to a new school year!
The 2019 Extra Mile Award Winners
At the Opening Day Celebration, CSD also celebrated those who have gone the extra mile for their students with the DEF Extra Mile awards. Please see a list of those honorees below. CSD congratulates these special honorees and thanks all our staff for being the one and going the extra mile for our students.
The 2019 Extra Mile Award Winners
(Teacher or Staff Name, School)
Michelle Reynolds, from Glennwood
Dana Wertz, from Westchester
Julie Parker, from Westchester
Desiree Cabrices, from Westchester/DHS
Angie Prophet, from FAVE
Artesha Chaney, from FAVE
Shronda Edwards, from FAVE
Christine Kraemer, from Renfroe
Johnnie Stroy, from Renfroe
Leah Locke, from DHS
Shelby Coffin, from DHS
CSD Messaging Platform and CSD Q & A Webpage:
New CSD messaging system:
This new system is more efficient as well as more robust and it provides a faster way for CSD to communicate with our community. This new system also allows for text messaging, more integrated teacher messaging, a CSD app as well as many more capabilities which will be implemented over time.
CSD needs parents and staff members to make sure you keep your information updated in Infinite Campus and to make sure you or parents do not opt out of any messages. These text messages will originate from the number 606-80. You can add this number to your address book as City Schools of Decatur or your school name to ensure you receive these messages. Please be aware, that if you or a parent do opt out of receiving these texts from either the district or your child’s school by texting STOP back to this number, any future text messages from the district or the child’s school will no longer receive. Emergency text messages will come from 549-68.
New CSD FAQ page:
CSD now has a FAQ page on their website where common questions about our school district are answered. If you or a parent have a question about our schools or our district, this page,-csdecatur.net/FAQ- might be a good place to start.
CSD's Central Office now the Elizabeth Wilson School Support Center
What’s in a name?
Did you know that the CSD Central Office at Beacon Hill has recently been renamed to the Elizabeth Wilson School Support Center?
In December 2018, the CSD School Board approved renaming the Central Office of the City Schools of Decatur the Elizabeth Wilson School Support Center, after the city’s first woman and, to date, only African-American mayor.
Mayor Wilson served our city as Mayor between 1993 and 1998. Prior to serving as mayor, she served on the Decatur City Commission and played a key role in the desegregation of the Decatur public schools and libraries during the 1960’s. Driven by principle and a mother of four, Ms. Wilson has been relentless in her non-violent protest against injustice and inequity in her community. In fact, she was one of the first African Americans to get a library card at the Decatur library and her oldest son, Richard, is distinguished by being one of the first African American students to attend the then newly-integrated Decatur High School. Decatur Mayor Emerita Elizabeth Wilson’s actions changed the course of Decatur history and ensured that every child in the City of Decatur has an equal opportunity to receive a quality education.
We thank Mayor Wilson for her service to our community by renaming our Central Office building the Elizabeth Wilson School Support Center. For brevity, you may also use the Wilson School Support Center or WSSC.
Administrative Regulations Feedback
We are continuing to create, review and accept feedback on the Administrative Regulations(ARs) that help govern our schools. We would like the public's input on these ARs during step three of the process outlined on the page below. The full lifecycle of these ARs can be found here https://www.csdecatur.net/adminregs.
Administrative Regulations Currently under Review:
You can see the ARs that are under consideration as well as the current ARs in place, by visiting the bottom of this page, https://www.csdecatur.net/adminregs.
Again, we value your input and we hope you will use this opportunity to voice your views on the ARs as they come up.
City Schools of Decatur
Email: contactus@csdecatur.net
Website: www.csdecatur.net
Phone: 404-371-3601
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/cityschoolsofdecatur