CSD Weekly

Thank you for the positive feedback on the new CSD Weekly!

As a reminder, beginning Thursday, September 5, 2024, your school newsletter will come via CSD Weekly from the City Schools of Decatur email. Parents will automatically receive CSD Weekly. However, community subscribers who have opted out of CSD news will only receive future school newsletters by subscribing here and selecting to receive news from “City Schools of Decatur.”

Please click on the school logos below for this week's school newsletters. Keep scrolling for important district news, including:

• BASC-3 BESS screening
• STAR assessment webinar
• City Schools of Decatur app launch
• Early Childhood Needs survey
• Upcoming events

Find out what's happening in CSD schools by clicking on their respective logos.

• Attendance Awareness Month, September 1-30
• Labor Day (System Closed), September 2
• Programs Overview Virtual Meeting, September 5
  
• DEF Battle of the Bands, September 6
  

• National Arts in Education Week, September 9-13

• Board of Education Meeting, September 10

• Patriot Day, September 11
• DHS Homecoming Parade and Game, September 13
  
• National Hispanic Heritage Month, September 15 - October 15

• National IT Professional Day, September 17

• STAR Assessment Webinar, September 17
  
• Board of Education Fall Community Meeting, September 18
  
• Early Release Day, September 20
• Fall Break, September 23-27

• National HR Professional Day, September 26

• National Night Out, October 1
• Dr. Whitaker's Fall Listening Sessions:
• October 14 (Virtual)
• October 23 (Talley Street)
• October 29 (DHA)
  

Student score reports will be sent home on September 5, 2024, for grades K-8. Student score reports for grades 9-12 will be uploaded into Infinite Campus. To help parents understand the reports and address any questions about their child’s scores, the Teaching and Learning Department will host a webinar on September 17, 2024, at 6 p.m.

Join the webinar here.

Additional resources:

Introducing the City Schools of Decatur app!

Use the City Schools of Decatur app to see updates from your children’s schools, quickly access frequently used links, and see your schools’ events in one calendar! You can also provide nonurgent feedback, check sports scores, and contact school administrators.

Instructions for downloading and installing the app:

Step 1: Go to the Apple App Store or Google Play
Step 2: Type City Schools of Decatur in the search bar and download.
Step 3: Configure the settings after downloading the app.

• Click the settings icon to follow specific schools and select the language preference.
• Find all communication from your child’s schools and the district by clicking the notifications icon. Communication is also delivered through a push notification to the app.
• The tip line serves as a way for parents, students, and community members to provide feedback. This is not a mechanism to notify the district about emergency tips.
• The waffle icon (More) takes users to the embedded apps and websites.
  

Questions? Email communications@csdecatur.net.

Overview

City Schools of Decatur is committed to creating a culture that supports the needs of the whole student. As part of this work, CSD is preparing for the fall administration of the universal screening for social, emotional, and behavioral challenges, which works to identify student strengths and areas for growth relative to social, emotional, and behavioral well-being.

Background

During the 2023-2024 school year, CSD adopted the BASC-3 BESS as the universal screener for behavior. Schools are teaching and creating contexts that promote social and emotional skills and wellness for all students, which can positively impact learning and long-term success. Across all content areas, educators use assessments to determine each student's strengths and areas of growth so they can plan how to teach best and support them. The social, emotional, and behavior (SEB) screening provides an indicator of whether a student’s SEB health is on track and works to ensure help is provided before little problems become big problems.

Details

This year, the SEB screener will be administered to students in grades 3, 4, 6, 7, 9, and 10. The fall administration of the BASC-3 BESS is open Monday, October 7-Friday, November 1.

Parents of students in these grades who do NOT wish for their students to participate in the screener should complete and submit the SEB screening opt-out form by Monday, September 30, 2024. If you submitted an opt-out form for your student(s) during the 2023-2024 school year, you must submit another opt-out form for this school year.

More information

Please read the frequently asked questions (FAQs), follow up with your student’s school counselor, or email sebscreenerquestions@csdecatur.net with questions.

Parents are invited to attend one of the 30-minute virtual parent information sessions to inspect the screener and submit questions about the screener here.

• Wednesday, September 11, 1 p.m., on Zoom
• Friday, September 13, 3 p.m., on Zoom
• Tuesday, September 17, 9 a.m., on Zoom

Save the date for a virtual meeting to learn more about the following support programs and services available to CSD students:

• Multi-Tiered System of Support (MTSS)

• Gifted and Talented Services

• ESOL and Federal Programs

• 504 and Psychological Services

• Professional School Counseling

• Behavior Support

• School Social Work

• Special Education

Join the Zoom meeting here on Thursday, September 5, 2024 from 6-7 p.m.

CSD is dedicated to giving every student a strong start from birth by building a best-in-class early learning center. This initiative focuses on expanding access to high-quality early learning opportunities for traditionally marginalized families within our community. This survey will gather information about the care, programming, and support needed for early childhood development in the Decatur area.

Parents of children ages 0-5 in the CSD community: Your insights about your experience as a parent or caregiver are crucial in helping us better understand and meet the early childhood needs of our families. Thank you for your valuable input, which will play a vital role in shaping the future of our community's early childhood care and education.

Take the CSD early childhood needs survey here.

How CSD is advancing data efficiency

CSD is using interoperable data systems to develop robust data visualization tools that generate a more comprehensive view of CSD's performance. These tools support student outcomes and operational effectiveness by allowing CSD to act more efficiently on findings from the data.

View the data

• Data is now available on CSD's data dashboard for Georgia Milestones Assessment System (GMAS) End-of-Grade and End-of-Course performance history, which shows our five-year performance history for students in grades three and up filtered by test, grade, achievement level, gender, and race.
• The dashboard also shows CSD's College and Career Ready Performance Index (CCRPI) history broken down by grade band, assessment domain, and school.
• You may use this form to provide feedback on the effectiveness of these data visualizations.

Transparency and privacy

CSD is committed to data transparency and to using data to elevate performance and close student achievement gaps, while also providing the utmost protection for student data privacy.

Help Your School Win a $1000 Music Grant!

Attend DEF's Battle of the Bands, a family-friendly community concert, and you could help your school win a $1000 music grant! Head to the Legacy Park lawn on Friday, Sept. 6 from 5-9 p.m. for a fun evening of live music, yummy food, and community! Four CSD bands will be bringing the tunes – you BYOB (bring your own blanket) and your school spirit! The school with the largest percentage of representation will win the music grant for their school... along with a trophy and bragging rights, of course! We’ll have food vendors and sweet treats to supplement your picnic. Adults are $10 and KIDS ARE FREE! If cost is an issue, please email Drew@DecaturEducationFoundation.org.

Buy tickets here for Battle of the Bands, Friday, Sept. 6 from 5-9 p.m., Legacy Park lawn.

City of Decatur Parks and Recreation commits to providing exceptional experiences that foster healthy living and meaningful community connections. Please 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!

Fall Break is September 23-27. The organizations listed here offer after school programs and/or camps during school breaks. Please contact the organization for more information. Please note that the listed providers are not formally associated with City Schools of Decatur, rather, we are providing information as a resource for our families.