News from the Nest

Greetings,

In this edition we will provide highlights of many of the awesome work going on in our building as well as outlining what to expect on our SAT Day that is just under 2 weeks away on Thursday, March 6.

Please take a moment to look over this edition of. News from the Nest!

Let's soar together!

Tom Wachnicki

Principal

On Thursday, March 6 the 11th grade (Juniors) will be participating in the state required SAT testing. All juniors will report to school at the normal time for the day. Although 9th, 10th and 12th grade students will not be required to attend school in-person, this is a school day for them. Students in those grades will attend Gold Day synchronous learning via Canvas and Google Meet according to the time schedule below. Teachers will post assignments in Canvas and will take attendance during the Google meet sessions in the afternoon. Juniors will stay at school for the afternoon and rotate through their classes according to the same schedule below.

Students that choose to use the day for job shadowing, college visits, volunteer work or that miss the Google Meet session have 3 school days (due end of day Tuesday, March 11) to complete the assignment and be counted as present for the class.

I wanted to inform you of the new attendance policy that has come about from the new attendance law.

3 unexcused days = automated skyward letter and phone call from school
5 unexcused days = automated skyward letter and a required attendance conference with an attendance success plan.
8 unexcused days = automated skyward letter and phone call from administration
10 unexcused days = a letter from the superintendent's office and a DCS report
15 unexcused days = home visit
20 unexcused days = another DCS report, another letter from the superintendent's office and a meeting with the district attendance officer.

***Continued absences after 20, will result in a referral to the prosecutors office***

Below are links to our digital resources that you can use to connect with your child's accounts in Canvas, our learning management system, and Skyward, our digital information portal. Canvas is where you will be able to access your students classes, grades, assignments, etc. Skyward is our official digital warehouse where you can see your child's attendance, historical grades, est. Please take a moment to make sure you can access these tools using your parent login. The following link will show you how to create a parent account if you need to do so:

Link to Help

Please also take a moment to make sure your parent information is accurate in Skyward, especially your parent email, cell #, and emergency contacts.

You will receive a weekly progress report sent to the email address in Skyward so ensuring accurate information is vital to keeping you updated.

SAT School Day-Thursday, March 6

• Juniors-In person
• 9, 10, 12 grade synchronous virtual day

Athletic Calendar

District Calendar

Registration opens on March 3rd for the 2025-2026 school year! Registering your child right away helps the district to plan for student and hiring needs. Please go to https://www.decaturproud.org and click on "Returning Student Registration."

You will need your Skyward Family Access login information. If you need assistance with this information, please contact your child's school office.

DCTV Live youtube channel is your source for all things DC Hawk related. The channel features daily announcements, our DCTV Blue video magazine, and many livestreamed events. The link to the DCTV Live channel is below. Subscribe today!

https://www.youtube.com/@DCHSLive

We are proud to recognize the following students for their outstanding dedication, hard work, and positive contributions to the Choice Academy:

9th Grade: Brandon C., Aaron G., Mulumba M., Dallin S., Carsen Y.
10th Grade: LaMarcus B., Dani C., Theophile M., Lamiya P.
11th Grade: Adisyn B., Jenasys L., Betsy M., Brady R., Elijah S.
12th Grade: Sebastian C., Deborah O., Justin S., Duh T.

Keep up the great work, Choice Scholars! 👏 #DecaturProud #ChangeStartsWithChoice #BeTheChangeChoice

Congratulations to EDGE Marketing/Business students for participating in SUITup competition. Students got to showcase their skills and talents in a “SharkTank” competition!

Student had a great time!

Mr. Campbell’s Applied Biology class dissected a cow’s heart this week. Students identified the four chambers of the heart, major blood vessels, and discussed the ventricle walls and valves. They enjoyed the hands-on experience and the real-world relevance of their learning.

Mrs. Dees’ class has been studying Shakespeare by reading Julius Caesar in English 9. Students selected characters, read in groups in front of the class, and completed discussion questions on character development. The English Department will welcome “Indy Shakes” to Decatur Central on February 25. This professional group will perform for students during their English classes and lead a workshop with DCHS students.

The CIP program launched its coffee cart last week. Students and their teacher circulated the SLC hallways, providing coffee service for a small fee. The program also hosted a friendship party to celebrate the importance of friendship and relationships in both the classroom and the broader community.

New Tech students took on the exciting challenge of a “Who Knows Who Best” competition, putting their friendships to the test. Laughter filled the room as students wrote down answers about each other, uncovering just how well—or how little—they truly knew their friends. Some pairs proved to be in sync, while others realized they had a bit more to learn! After a fun-filled day, two students were crowned the ultimate best friends, winning Valentine’s Day gift baskets as a sweet reward.

New Tech students are hard at work with Mrs. Bruna, exploring and testing different water systems. Fully engaged in tackling real-world environmental challenges, they collaborated with a community partner to determine whether local water sources were safe or contaminated. Along the way, they investigated solutions for addressing water contamination. With their dedication and curiosity, these students are on their way to becoming the next generation of eco-conscious scientists!

The Decatur Central Winter Percussion Ensemble (WPE) competed at the Indiana Percussion Association (IPA) contest this weekend, hosted at Franklin Central High School. This marked the debut performance of their 2025 show, The Offering. WPE delivered a strong performance, placing 3rd in their division out of 12 groups! They also earned the highest score in the music caption among all groups in their division. WPE will be back in action next weekend at the IPA contest hosted at Decatur Central.

The Theatre Department presented One Acts this weekend in the Black Box Theatre. One Acts is a senior capstone project in which senior students in the Theatre program select a show. After making their selection, these students audition, cast, costume, produce, and direct the entire production with the support of their director, Mr. Adams. The performances were a great success!

It is often a thankless job...and some treatment has been so bad that it is becoming harder and harder to even find officials willing to do the job anymore. Let us as the Hawks be the reason why officials want to work here! Let us be the solution!

It’s time to start scheduling for the 2025-2026 school year. All students in the class of 2027 will be meeting with their school counselor in the month of December to choose classes for their junior year. Check the Class of 2027 Canvas announcements for sign up information.

Please take a moment to peruse the latest from Mrs. Beecher in the media cente

Beecher Feature Vol. 38, February 2025

If you would like to become part of this awesome team, please fill out the form linked below and someone will contact you!

Upcoming PTSA Meetings held in the DCHS Media Center at 6pm (enter door 1):

October 28

December 2

January 6

February 3

March 3

April 7

LINK TO FORM