CSD Supe Scoop

Greetings, CSD:

Welcome back from the fall break! I hope you and your families enjoyed time together and have returned refreshed and recharged.

In reflecting on all of the events of the past month, we remain aware of the importance of safety. Safety is our top priority at City Schools of Decatur, specifically ensuring safe and secure learning and working environments. We continue implementing districtwide security systems, such as Centegix and CrisisGo, which we began working on this past summer. I must also reiterate our collective roles in ensuring the safety of our school community. If you see something, please say something immediately.

Just as safety is our top priority, literacy is the bedrock of our work to ensure lifelong success for our students. This week, we celebrate literacy with CSD Reads Week, from September 30 to October 8, in conjunction with the Decatur Book Festival. Literacy is essential for our students, and we continually strive for greater equity in our literacy instruction. A list of events for CSD Reads Week and the Decatur Book Festival can be found in this newsletter. We encourage you to join us in sharing the joy of reading with our students.

Additionally, you are invited to express your thoughts about CSD during a fall listening session on October 14 (Virtual), October 23 (Talley Street), and October 29 (DHA). Along with community input, we will share information about current happenings in CSD, including planned projects like the Early Learning Center.

I am also excited to present the inaugural City Schools of Decatur State of the Schools address at Agnes Scott College on Friday, October 11 at 9 am, where we will celebrate the achievements of our students and schools and discuss the future of CSD.

Fall is a bustling time of year with various activities, from in-school events to performances and multiple sports. Your support of CSD and our students is greatly valued and appreciated.

Thank you for being an essential part of CSD, where All Means All is more than a mantra!

Sincerely,

Dr. Gyimah Whitaker

CSD is thrilled to name Talley Street Elementary Teacher Jessica Young the 2024-2025 Teacher of the Year! Ms. Young will apply to be the 2025-2026 Georgia Teacher of the Year, named in May.

Congratulations to all of our Teachers of the Year winners, who inspire their students to achieve, lead, and collaborate!

School-Level Teachers of the Year

Asia Sylvest, one-year-old class teacher, College Heights Early Childhood Learning Center

Monica Nelson, music teacher, Clairemont Elementary

Susanna Shewan, LINKS teacher, Glennwood Elementary

Eleanor Ball, special education teacher, Oakhurst Elementary

Jamie Montgomery, first-grade teacher, Westchester Elementary

Kelly McCool, kindergarten teacher, Winnona Park Elementary

Corinne Smith, media specialist, Fifth Avenue Elementary

Jessica Young, fifth-grade teacher, Talley Street Elementary

Christine Kraemer, band director, Beacon Hill Middle School

Dr. Cassy Smith, science teacher, Decatur High School

Each school year, the Georgia Department of Education recognizes districts and schools for supporting a positive school climate through the implementation of the Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) framework. The purpose of the recognition system is to identify schools that exemplify best practices in the implementation of PBIS.

Six CSD schools achieved operational status during the 23-24 school year, four of which are achieving this status for the first time! The momentum is building, and this year we will aim for 100% of our PBIS schools to achieve operational status and beyond. Operational status means that a school's data met the recognition criteria in the following categories:

• Percentage of students at Tier 1 for state-reportable Office of Discipline Referrals (ODRs)
• Number of state-reportable ODRs per 100 students
• Number of ISS days per 100 students
• Number of OSS days per student

First-time Operational Status
Beacon Hill Middle
Glennwood Elementary
Westchester Elementary
Winnona Park Elementary

Maintained Existing Operational Status
Clairemont Elementary
Oakhurst Elementary

The 2024 homecoming celebration at Decatur High School resonated throughout the district, with Bulldogs of all ages joining in a week packed with spirited activities. The culmination was an exciting parade, the halftime crowning of Homecoming 2024 Monarchs, seniors Barron Scott and Bella Spear, and a triumphant win on the football field!

Dr. Whitaker kicked off CSD Reads Week with a virtual reading for students in grades K-5.

Let's celebrate literacy during CSD READS WEEK, September 30 to October 8! Students will hear virtual readings from UGA and NFL football champion Malcom Mitchell and CSD Mystery Readers, Go Red for Dislexia!, donate books to Children Read Atlanta via their schools, and participate in fun reading activities to promote literacy districtwide. CSD is partnering with the Decatur Book Festival for National Literacy Month!

Superintendent Dr. Gyimah Whitaker meets regularly with advisory councils made up of students, staff and stakeholders. These councils provide avenues for sharing ideas and gaining a better understanding of our collective challenges and aspirations, while shaping our students' educational journeys and our schools' success.

Nine students from Decatur High School and two Beacon Hill Middle School students have been selected for prestigious Atlanta-area music ensembles for the 2024-2025 year.

The Emory Youth Symphony Orchestra accepted DHS students Jordan Archer, who plays double bass, Shay Hendrickson (viola), Anika Kailasam (viola), Ellen Kolesnikova (violin), Hazel Patty (double bass) and Ezekiel Werner (violin and percussion).

Patty and Werner were also invited to join the Atlanta Symphony Youth Orchestra (ASYO), as were DHS students Ava DeFilippo, Jackson Jeffrey, and Nathan Wakefield, who all play the French horn. Additionally, Beacon Hill Middle School students Caleb Black, who plays alto saxophone, and Tyson Cook, who plays French horn, were selected for the Atlanta Youth Wind Symphony Young Artist Clinic.

These music ensembles accept only a small percentage of the metro-area students who audition. Student members will have exclusive opportunities for continued mastery of their instruments as they rehearse throughout the year for a series of concerts and performances.

CSD stakeholders, including students, attended the City Schools of Decatur PATH meeting on September 11 to discuss construction on an early childhood learning center the fall of 2025.

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 five-minute 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.

The City Schools of Decatur Board of Education hosted its Fall Community Meeting on Wednesday, September 18, where the community was able to ask the board about 2024-25 policy recommendations for board consideration, the policy adoption process, including community feedback, and the new constituent services process, ResolveCSD.

Decatur Education Foundation hosted their inaugural Battle of the Bands on September 6 at Legacy Park. The evening was full of good music, delicious food, and community engagement. Congratulations to Glennwood Elementary School for winning the DEF Battle of the Bands and a $1000 music grant!

Board of Education Co-Chair Dr. Carmen Sulton, Superintendent Dr. Gyimah Whitaker, and Assistant Superintendent for Teaching & Learning Jennifer Burton attended the grand opening of Children's Healthcare of Atlanta Arthur M. Blank Hospital on September 8.

DHS recently held its annual “We Remember” Ceremony, in tribute to the victims and heroes of 9/11. The event also honored local first responders, CSD students and staff, and City of Decatur citizens for their bravery and service.

Dr. Whitaker joined Decatur's City Manager, Andrea Arnold, and Decatur Youth Council CFCI Teen Leadership Team members to discuss school and city business. Photo by Decatur Youth Council.

Soup with the Supe kicked off early this month at College Heights ECLC. Teachers and staff were given the opportunity to connect with Dr. Whitaker over homemade strawberry soup. This event will take place at every school throughout the year.

Dr. Whitaker visited the Young Ladies of Excellence (Y.L.O.E) at Talley Street during their bi-weekly meeting. Over 20 girls participated in collaborative activities, such as a Q&A session with Dr. Whitaker. Kimberly Weaver, Talley Street school counselor, leads the group.

CSD has launched CSD Constituent Services, which provides centralized resources for stakeholders to easily navigate district processes and help address their concerns. CSD believes that concerns are best handled as close to their origin as possible, starting with the school staff or principal. A key element of Constituent Services is ResolveCSD, a new process for elevating issues that cannot be resolved at a school or department level. Learn more at the CSD Constituent Services website.

Search for "City Schools of Decatur" in the Apple App Store or Google Play today!

CSD Weekly is district's new districtwide newsletter that includes links to all school newsletters and provides the latest district news, enabling families with students at multiple schools to conveniently access updates using one source.

Community members who are not automatically subscribed to a school newsletter may subscribe to CSD News here and select to receive news from "City Schools of Decatur" to receive CSD Weekly.

The City of Decatur Police Department is implementing an automated photo speed enforcement program following a study that identified speeding as a significant issue in school zones. Cameras will be placed near Beacon Hill Middle School, Clairemont Elementary School, Westchester Elementary School, and Winnona Park Elementary School to deter speeding motorists.

Beginning Monday, October 14, 2024, a warning period will begin for school zone speed limit violations. Violators will receive a warning in the mail marked in red. The live enforcement will start on Wednesday, November 13, 2024. Motorists exceeding the speed limit by 10+ MPH will receive a citation with a $100 fine for the first violation and $150 for subsequent violations. Photo speed cameras will be active on school days during school zone hours.

Lighten the Load for CSD Families

DEF's Lighten the Load program began with an elementary school teacher who told us that one of her students dreaded school breaks because he and his siblings counted on having two meals a day at school. Our Lighten the Load program has evolved, but we're still committed to helping remove obstacles like food insecurity for our kids.

The number of weekend food bags we provide has DOUBLED this year, and we need your help to ensure we're able to continue to meet this need for kids in our community! Please consider donating to DEF, or purchasing items from our Lighten the Load wish list.

DEF Provides Suicide Intervention Training

September is Suicide Prevention Month. Through Joe’s Fund, DEF’s behavioral health fund, we provide ASIST (Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training) workshops multiple times each year. These two-day workshops are open to any CSD staff member or Decatur community member.

Upcoming ASIST trainings:

October 10-11

February 27-28

March 13-14

Find more info here and sign up for a training here. Help us make Decatur a suicide-safe community and support this important work.

CSD has launched CSD Constituent Services, which provides centralized resources for stakeholders to navigate district processes and help address their concerns.

CSD believes concerns are best handled as close to their origin, starting with the school staff or principal. A key element of Constituent Services is ResolveCSD, a new process for elevating issues that cannot be resolved at a school or department level. Learn more at the CSD Constituent Services website.

• National Hispanic Heritage Month, September 15-October 15
• National Night Out, October 1
  
• Board of Education Meeting, October 8
• State of the Schools, October 11
• Board of Education and City of Decatur Commission Retreat, October 15
  
• Dr. Whitaker's Fall Listening Sessions:
• October 14, 11:30 a.m. (Virtual)
• October 23, 5:30 p.m. (Talley Street)
• October 29, 5:30 p.m. (DHA, 481 Electric Avenue)
• Digital Learning Day, November 5

Check out the latest CSD Words with Dr. Whitaker podcast episode, featuring Decatur Education Foundation Meagan Berardi.

Previous episodes

The CSD Words with Dr. Whitaker podcast highlights news and information with a variety of stakeholders who are All In for City Schools of Decatur.

Be “All In” for CSD and stay connected with us by subscribing to receive the latest school and district news and information, and following City Schools of Decatur on social media.