CSD Supe Scoop

Greetings, CSD:

I hope you have enjoyed your summer break. With a week until our school doors reopen, our teachers, school leaders, and administrative staff are working diligently to plan for the return of our students. This special Back-to-School issue aims to provide CSD updates and reminders to assist you in preparing for another great school year!

This year, we will continue to use our All In Decatur Strategic Plan as a roadmap, refocusing our equity work to ensure that we are equitably and effectively improving outcomes for every student. We understand that each student brings unique experiences and learning styles, and our mission is to honor and celebrate those differences while providing supportive environments where every student is truly safe, seen, and successful. At CSD, All Means All is more than just a mantra. All truly means All.

I remain humbled and delighted to serve as your superintendent, and I am excited about the growth and possibilities that this school year will bring. Let us work together to create a dynamic school community where students feel valued and empowered to reach their full potential.

Thank you for being All In! We look forward to seeing everyone on Tuesday, July 30 - rested and ready to learn!

Sincerely,

Dr. Gyimah Whitaker

CSD launched the 2024-25 school year with an exciting All In Decatur Back-to-School Bash on Thursday, July 18, from 4 pm to 7 pm at the Decatur High School gymnasium. Nearly 50 supported the more than 400 families who attended, providing backpacks, school supplies, and various services, including immunizations, sports physicals, school resources, haircuts, educational programs, and more. The event was co-sponsored by CSD partners Decatur Education Foundation, Decatur Housing Authority, and Communities In Schools of Atlanta.

A huge THANK YOU to all the CSD students, families, staff, and community members who participated. Special appreciation to the sponsors and vendors whose support made the event a tremendous success.

SPONSORS BY LEVEL

$5,000

(DIFFERENCE MAKER)

R.B. Communications, Inc.

$2,500

(ACHIEVER LEVEL)

Walmart
Samples Foods

Soles4Souls

$1,000

(BELIEVER LEVEL)

Decatur Makers

Davis Bozeman Johnson Law Firm

$500

(DREAMER LEVEL)

Black Man Lab

Brave + Kind Bookstore

Decatur High PTSA

Proper Line Consulting

Quest Orthodontics

R.S.Empowerment Group, LLC

Sprouts Farmers Market

$250

(SUPPORTER LEVEL)

GeorgiaCAN

Oakhurst ES PTA
Westchester ES PTA
Talley ES PTO
College Heights ECLC PTA
Clairemont ES PTA
FAVE ES PTO
Beacon Hill MS PTA

Publix

◽Schedules ◽ Grades ◽ Lunch Money ◽ Contact Information◽ Test Scores ◽ And More!

At the beginning of every school year, it is critical for families to use the Parent Portal for back-to-school readiness. Action needed:

• Complete the Annual Data Update (ADU). The ADU is how families verify or update critical communication and health information and do sign-offs for the handbook and code of conduct. From the Portal home screen, select More ⇒ Annual Data Update. More information about the Annual Data Update is available at https://www.csdecatur.net/adu. All new and returning parents must update student information via Infinite Campus BEFORE July 30.

• Apply for Free/Reduced-Price Meal Benefits. We encourage ALL families to apply. Families that previously received benefits must reapply every year. In the Portal, select More ⇒ Meal Benefits. More information about the meal benefit is available at https://www.csdecatur.net/nutrition.

• Add funds and set up balance alerts and auto-payment for meal account balances. In the Portal, select Food Service.

If you need help with the Portal, visit https://www.csdecatur.net/portalhelp or contact your school’s front office.

Notify your child’s teacher of your transportation plan at Meet and Greet/ First Day of School.

If your address qualified for transportation for the 2024-25 school year, you received an email from the City Schools of Decatur transportation department on Monday, July 15. To find your student's bus stop location, stop time, and bus number, please click the Infofinder i link. After locating this information, please confirm your choice to use the bus for transport by completing the Registration form.

Parents and families can request a name change for your student. If you wish to have your child's chosen or preferred name updated in our records, please complete the name/gender change request form. Please note that the updated name and gender marker will be reflected in our Infinite Campus and Google Workspace applications. However, it's important to remember that CSD will only use legal names on official documents such as transcripts requested by outside sources.

If a legal name change has occurred, please contact your child's school to have the student's records updated accordingly. Thank you for your attention to this matter and for helping us ensure that our records are accurate and respectful of each student's preferences.

Applications for the 2024-25 Student Advisory Councils will open in the Student Launchpad on Wednesday, July 31. The Superintendent's Council allows you to meet with other students to discuss matters affecting your education. Superintendent Whitaker will ask you to share your thoughts about different topics during these meetings. Additionally, there will be opportunities for you to share creative ideas, concerns you would like to address, or suggestions on improving our district. The deadline to apply is Wednesday, August 14, at 5 pm.

The Board of Education is implementing a new grading policy for the 2024-25 school year to align with best practices. The Infinite Campus Gradebook has been updated to ensure all stakeholders clearly understand how grades reflect student performance on Georgia Standards. Click on the grade bands to review the grading quick facts for K-5 and 6-12.

In May 2024, the Board of Education approved a new nutrition policy for implementation in the 2024-25 school year. The Board is committed to providing every child with access to a healthy breakfast and lunch during the school day. CSD is required to comply with all federal regulations concerning the National School Breakfast and Lunch Programs. The School Nutrition Program (SNP) functions as a self-sustaining entity, covering its costs through meal payments and reimbursements from the federal and state governments. The full policy is available here.

CSD’s Infinite Campus credit card transaction fees have decreased from $4.00 to $2.50 per transaction for the 2024-25 school year following a decrease in credit card usage within Infinite Campus. By leveraging the rise in electronic check transactions, CSD was able to adjust its fees, resulting in reduced bank charges for credit card transactions. The fees for on-site payment at ECLC, Wilson Center, and Fraiser will remain unchanged, and the electronic check fee will stay at $0.35.

The transportation department is introducing two new tools to enhance services for the upcoming academic year.

• The Stopfinder app will replace the Here Comes the Bus app for real-time tracking of buses during pickup and drop-off.

• Infofinder i will replace the Can You Ride app, assisting families in locating student bus stop locations, stop times, and bus numbers.

If your address qualified for transportation for the 2024-25 school year, you received an email from the City Schools of Decatur transportation department on Monday, July 15. To find your student's bus stop location, stop time, and bus number, please click the Infofinder i link. After locating this information, please confirm your choice to use the bus for transport by completing the Registration form.

Decatur High School (DHS) has devised new protocols, underlining cell phone expectations and potential consequences in line with the district's Student Code of Conduct and Progressive Discipline. The current Student Code of Conduct at City Schools of Decatur prohibits cell phone use and the improper recording and distribution of videos on school premises. The new procedures at DHS involve students surrendering their phones at the start of each class, securing them in a locked container, and receiving them back at the end of the period.

This year, the district will gather data from the new DHS protocol implementation, conduct stakeholder surveys, and undertake an environmental scan of national policies to inform a recommendation for a district policy.

Student and staff safety is of the highest priority in CSD. We are pleased to confirm the completion of the Decatur High School Energy Recovery Units (ERU) repairs this summer. CSD will continue to evaluate our facilities and the overall safety of our school system.

CSD is responding to feedback from the school community to streamline communications by launching a new district app and website. Additionally, links to school newsletters will soon be embedded into one district newsletter, enabling families with students at multiple schools to access school and district news with one communication. CSD will also launch constituent services, enhancing our efforts to build an engaging and inclusive culture. The August Scoop will outline details on how to access these new tools.

In the coming school year, Honors courses for Math/ELA in grades 6-10 will be offered, along with a new cluster model for specialized academic gifted services, with an emphasis on Math and ELA for K-5, and an extension to Science and Social Studies for grades 6-10.

CSD will proactively launch three new safety initiatives during the 2024-25 school year. The aim is to enhance emergency response time and communication and prevent potential threats during the school day. Implementation plans will include comprehensive training for all staff on safety tools provided by the following industry leaders:

• CrisisGo - Trusted by over 16,000 schools, CrisisGo is a digital safety solution that helps organizations prevent, prepare, and respond to threats and emergencies. It enables district and school leaders to send immediate SMS, voice calls, in-app, or email emergency alerts to enhance back-and-forth communication.

• Centegix - Deployed in 11,500 locations with 600,000 badge users, Centegix leverages dynamic digital mapping, real-time locating capabilities, an easy-to-use wearable panic button alert system, and visitor management and reunification capabilities to plan for and respond faster to any safety situation.

• Be SMART for Kids - Be SMART for Kids, a 501c3 non-profit dedicated to combating all forms of school violence, particularly unauthorized student access to guns at home. CSD will collaborate with Be Smart for Kids to distribute awareness materials and flyers to schools, highlighting the risks posed by unsecured firearms in homes to students, staff, and families. Studies show that practicing secure firearm storage can reduce accidental firearm injuries among children and teenagers by up to 85%, safeguarding not only children at home but also benefiting students across the school district and community.

The CSD and Decatur Police executive leadership teams started back-to-school preparations with an Active Shooter Table Top Exercise at the Wilson Center. Tabletop exercises are discussion-based sessions where team members meet in an informal setting to discuss their roles and responses during a simulated emergency. CSD will hold Tabletops throughout the school year and include school-based and administrative leaders with the planned implementation of safety and security enhancements this year.

Last week, CSD introduced more than fifty new team members during the 2024-25 New Hire Orientation. The event involved familiarizing attendees with CSD, enriching team building, and introducing them to district and educational partners. The Teaching and Learning team led the rest of the new hire orientation week to provide new staff with the tools necessary for success in their teaching roles.

CSD Board of Education members, Superintendent Dr. Gyimah Whitaker, and new Student BOE Representative Sophia D'Elena attended the Georgia School Board Association (GSBA) Summer Conference and Delegate Assembly in June. The GSBA Summer Conference & Delegate Assembly is held yearly in Savannah, Georgia. The conference consists of one day of workshops and two days of speakers, the Delegate Assembly, lunches, and more.

Superintendent Dr. Gyimah Whitaker inspired aspiring education leaders across Georgia as a keynote speaker at the Governor's Office of Student Achievement 2nd Annual School Leadership Academy at Calloway Gardens. The Governor’s School Leadership Academy (GSLA) provides high-quality, selective, statewide leadership preparation and support to develop high-capacity school leaders across Georgia.

Principals and district leaders attended an end-of-year Administrative Staff Retreat, June 20-21, before the two-week summer closure of schools and district offices. Participants reflected on the previous school year and began planning for the next academic year. The retreat included insights on 2024-25 priorities shared by Dr. Whitaker, interactive scenarios, and presentations facilitated by the CSD communications, technology services, and school safety and security departments.

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!

• French-American Heritage Month, July 1-31
• Pre-Planning, July 22-July 29
• All-Staff Opening Day Event, July 25
  CSD school and district offices will be closed for the All-Staff Opening Day Event on July 25, 2024, from 8:00-1:00 p.m.
• Meet & Greet (PreK, K-2, 6-8, and 9-12), July 26
• Meet & Greet (3-5, DVA), July 29
• CSD First Day of School, July 30
• Board of Education Meeting, August 13