DHS Weekly Update
Thursday, December 15, 2022
PRINCIPAL'S MESSAGE
DHS Families,
Just a reminder that we have school thru Dec. 20th and students come back to school on Jan. 5th. The schedule is below:
- Dec. 19th - odd day
- Dec. 20th - even day
- Jan. 5th - even day
- Jan. 6th - odd day
DHS and CSD will be closed December 21 - January 4. Have a safe winter break and a happy New Year!
Rochelle L. Lofstrand, Principal
Decatur High School
Transfers to Decatur Virtual Academy
The window is now open for students grades 3-12 to transfer to Decatur Virtual Academy (DVA) for the Spring 2023 semester.
To allow adequate time to complete online courses, the registration deadline for Spring semester enrollment is December 20, 2022. From October 7th until December 20th, families may request a transfer to online learning for the Spring Semester by completing this form.
Space is limited. Once we are full, families will be on a wait list. This form only can be completed by a parent or guardian who has educational rights for a CSD student. Once the form is completed, Ms. Whatley will schedule a time to discuss courses, attendance policy, and let you know if there is space for your student.
Please review the Decatur Virtual Academy Handbook prior to speaking with Ms. Whatley (hwhatley@csdecatur.net).
Way to Go Honor Band!
We are very excited to announce the awesome work of many of our band students.
Several universities host honor band experiences where they accept students from all over the southeast to participate on their campus for an intensive weekend of music instruction and performance. Students are nominated by their high school band directors, then the colleges select from the nominees. This year we have the following students who were accepted to university honor band experiences.
University of Georgia: Abigail Collins, Ellie Girard, Laura Hanson, Lucy Marti, Spencer Mullen, Josephine Threlkeld, Nathan Wakefield, Jason Zgonc
University of Tennessee-Chattanooga: Jackson Chapman, Ava DeFilippo, Laura Hanson, Jackson Jeffrey, Gordon Lichstein, Lucy Marti, and Megan Thomas
University of South Carolina: Lucas Boudon, Jackson Jeffrey, Gordon Lichtstein, and Megan Thomas
This past Saturday we had 66 students audition for the Georgia Music Educator Association's (GMEA) District IV Honor Band. Our GMEA district is made up of students in public and private schools in DeKalb, Rockdale, Newton, Morgan, Jasper, and Butts counties. We are proud to announce that the following 47 students plus 5 alternate students were selected for the District Honor Band. Additionally, 32 of these students scored high enough to be invited to the final audition round for this year's All State Band. This is the highest number of students making the District Honor Band and making the final All State audition round of any school in our district. We are very proud of these students for their accomplishments.
G.E.N.T.S. Club Coat Drive
The GENTS (Gentlemen Excelling with the Necessary Tools to Succeed) Club is partnering with Atlanta Mission to host a coat drive December 5-20. Atlanta Mission is the city's largest and longest-running provider of services to homeless men, women and children.
Bring/send in your clean men's, women's, and children's coats with no rips or stains. Your donation will provide assistance to individuals and families at Atlanta Mission.
Thank you!
CSD Athletics News and Updates
ATTENTION: All Spring Sport Athletes!
All students interested in participating in a Spring sport must have an updated medical profile in our DragonFly system. Please visit the link HERE for instructions on how to create or update your profile. Do not wait until tryouts begin to start this process! Contact your coach with any questions.
DHS Tennis Tryout Information
The Decatur High School tennis tryouts will be on January 17th and 19th for boys and January 18th and 20th for girls from 4 pm to 6 pm at Glenlake Tennis Center. The tryouts are for 8th grade through 12th grade students. Please make sure that you have your tennis racquet and shoes, a water bottle, and are dressed for the weather.
Contact Coach Messer (dmesser@csdecatur.net) with any questions.
DHS Baseball Tryout Information
Baseball tryouts for the DHS team will begin on January 9. Tryouts will take place at McKoy Park. If you have not already, please communicate with Coach Radcliff (vradcliff@csdecatur.net) so that you can be added to the Google Classroom.
Reminder: All students must have an updated medical profile in DragonFly in order to participate.
Next PTSA Meeting
Join us at our meeting tonight, December 15th at 6:00pm. Check the school calendar for meeting details.
Next SLT Meeting
Join us at our next meeting on January 10th at 4:30pm. Check the school calendar for meeting details.
Good Troublemaker Award
The late Congressman John Lewis was known for his famous plea to all humans fighting for social justice. “Speak up, speak out, get in the way. Get in good trouble, necessary trouble, and help redeem the soul of America.” Who in this district, or in your building, has actions that speak louder than their words when it comes to being a good troublemaker for equity? Honor them by telling us more about their actions as champions for equitable educational outcomes in CSD.
Nominate someone else or yourself for the Good Equity Troublemaker Award here by Sunday, January 8, 2023, at 11:59 PM. Contact Anthony Downer at adowner@csdecatur.net with any questions or for more info.
Moo Brew
The CSD School Nutrition Department is now offering Moo Brew iced coffee at BHMS and DHS. Why not add “MILK” to your daily GRIND? Stop by your school cafeteria and check it out. See you soon!
Decatur Farm to School
Are you interested in growing your school garden program or improving student access to fresh fruits and vegetables? The Decatur Farm to School Committee is accepting new members for the remainder of the 2022-2023 school year. In addition to general volunteers, the committee is specifically looking for "School Garden Liaisons" from each CSD school. If this sounds like you or someone you know, learn more and sign-up here.
If you have a K-5th grade student, you likely saw our flyer last week that shows all the ways in which a donation to DEF can help Decatur students. We are not only working to solve the problems that our kids face, we’re also in the business of creating possibilities for students to reach their full potential. We cannot do that without the support of the community. You can help us with a year-end contribution in any amount (every dollar counts), at www.decatureducationfoundation.org/donate. Together we can make a difference for #OurKids! Thank you for your support.
Another way to give: You can donate to our Lighten the Load program which keeps the snack pantry stocked at Beacon Hill Middle School. For those families in our community experiencing food insecurity, we also have a weekend backpack program. Both have unique Amazon wish lists that are updated monthly. You can donate directly to them using these links:
Beacon Hill Middle Snack Program: /a.co/d0HJHTr
Weekend Backpack Program: https://a.co/6Etc74W
Run With the Dogs (RWTD) 2023 registration is now open!
Register TODAY for Run With the Dogs (RWTD) 2023!
Join us on Saturday, January 28, 2023, for Run With the Dogs, a Decatur tradition now in its 19th year.
We’re back at Beacon Hill Middle School for the 5K and Pup Trot, and we are pleased to announce that this year’s race is an official qualifying event for the Peachtree Road Race!
We are also pleased to announce that our Face of the Race winner is Tuck the Pug! Thank you to everyone who submitted your dogs for the contest, and thanks for voting. Register TODAY to make sure you get a long-sleeved T-shirt with this adorable little guy.
Run With the Dogs is an annual fundraiser of the Decatur Bulldog Boosters and supports the athletic programs at Decatur High School and Beacon Hill Middle School. For more information and to register for the race, click here.
