DHS Families,

A huge congratulations to the DHS Cross Country Team who won 1st in their division at State last weekend! Our football team is playing in their 1st round of State Playoffs this Saturday at 6:00 PM at home. Tickets are $8.00 and per GHSA, no Bulldog Booster passes can be used for entry. I hope to see you all there to cheer on our dogs!

Rochelle L. Lofstrand, Principal

Decatur High School

Our November Saturday School is this coming Saturday, 11/12. Teachers sign up students who need to make up summatives or who could benefit from more one-on-one time with a teacher. If students would like to sign themselves up, they can do so using this Google Form.

There is a debate tournament happening this weekend at the school as well, so Saturday School will meet in the Career Academy classrooms instead of Learning Commons. Students will enter through the Career Academy doors on the 2.5 level (by the parking lot). If you have any questions, please email bivester@csdecatur.net

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).

Hello Decatur!

In honor of Thanksgiving coming up, SGA is hosting a canned food drive to benefit DEAM Decatur. DEAM (Decatur-area Emergency Assistance Ministry) is a group supported primarily by 22 area churches who seek to meet the emergency needs of the less fortunate in the community.

We believe it is very important to give back to our community, especially during the holiday season. From November 2-16, there will be donation bins in the DHS Bus Loop (after-school/weekend drop-offs) and the DHS Library Learning Commons Lobby (during school drop-offs). If you are able to, consider donating a few cans of food or boxes of pasta! Here are some specific items DEAM is looking for:

- soup of any kind
- pasta (1 lb. boxes)
- pasta sauce
- rice
- bundle tea
- corn muffin mix
- strawberry or grape jelly
- breakfast cereal

Thank you and happy donating!

(email 31gracgood@csdecatur.net or sga@csdecatur.net with any questions)

News from Decatur Bulldog Boosters (DBB)

Celebrate Our Bulldogs with $25 Flags

Flags are available online and at this Saturday’s game in the lower concession. Get them while they last!

Bulldog Swag Makes the Perfect Gift

PJs, hoodies, hats, tees and more – check out all our Bulldog spirit wear (including Beacon Hill) online.

Run With the Dogs 5K (RWTD) 2023 Registration Now Open

Join us on Saturday, January 28, 2023 for a Decatur tradition now in its 19th year. This year’s race is an official qualifying event for the Peachtree Road Race! Voting for the Face of the Race will begin November 11, and the winner will be announced on November 18.

Click here to register.​​For more information, visit rwtd5K.com.

Concession Help Needed

Not only is concessions a key fundraising initiative for DBB, selling food and drinks at games helps to enhance the fan experience. Please help us out (opportunities will be available in the spring too).

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/8050D4BA5AD2FAA8-20222023

Next DBB Meeting: Nov. 14

Decatur Bulldog Boosters is made up of parents and guardians who plan fun events, build Bulldog spirit and raise money to support 750 student athletes on 25 teams representing 17 sports at DHS and BHMS. We’re always looking to expand our team. Join us at our next meeting in the DHS Performing Arts Center (PAC) hospitality suite at 6:30 p.m.

Decatur Football Playoff Game

Our Decatur Bulldogs will take on Harris County in Round 1 of the GHSA State Playoffs. Come out to the Decatur High School stadium on Saturday at 6 pm to support your Bulldogs!

Decatur Cross Country CLEAN SWEEP in 5A Championships!

On Saturday, Nov. 5, our Decatur Boys’ and Girls’ Cross Country teams swept the 5A GHSA State Championship! The Boys’ team won the state title for the third time in four years, and the Girls’ team now has their first Cross Country state championship!

The Boys’ race was very close, and Decatur ended up beating Clarke Central by only 5 points. Decatur put three boys in the top 10: Jake Westing took second place in the race, Billy Carlton came in 4th, and Zak Abdulahi was 7th. Sam Corso ran an incredible race and came in 19th, while Noah Ellis rounded out the scoring with 65th place.

While the Boys’ race was a nail-biter with the final decision down to the 5th runner, the Grils’ race was a forgone conclusion by the end of the first mile. The top six DHS girls all finished in the top 16 places in the race, and the girls ended with the best score of any team in any division (29 points)! Gabby Malerba is the individual champion for 5A. Also in the top 10 were Anna Blacih (4th), Maya Mikrut (5ht place), and Sophie D’Elena (10th). Maggie Welp came in 13th to round out Decatur’s top 5.

Congratulations to all of our Cross Country student-athletes for this tremendous accomplishment. Thank you to Head Coach Mary Souther and her terrific staff for helping our students achieve these accomplishments and being positive representatives of Decatur High School!

DHS Cross Country Coaches: Mary Souther, Paul Johnson, Tramell Smith, Jack Amick, Charles Hunter, Casey Tood, and Diana Kashdan.

Decatur Basketball Book Club

The Decatur High School Boys’ Basketball Team received a DEF Grant this year to begin a book club. This year, the boys will read “The Sucker Punch” written by Xavier Biggs. Mr. Biggs personally delivered the books, along with his brother Olympic and World Champion Boxer, Tyrell Biggs, to the team and provided some inspiration for this year’s season.

Thank you to the Decatur Education Foundation for making this possible.

The Nutrition Department is in the process of reaching out to parents about student negative meal balances. These efforts to send the low-balance communications will continue weekly through the automated infinite campus messenger or a personal phone call. Some accounts may have had outstanding balances prior to being approved for free or reduced meal benefits. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact Nekee Mathis at nmathis@csdecatur.net. or (470) 237- 0368 ext 7607.

Note: A free and reduced lunch application can be completed anytime during the school year. Currently, the district policy allows students to receive meals, not extra items, for example, i.e. bag of chips. However, a child's negative meal balance will continue to incur debt as they receive meals. Click on the links below if you need help adding a reminder to your school email account, adding a low balance alert on your nutrition meal account, and/or adding funds to your school nutrition account.

• How to add a reminder to your school email account

• How to add a low balance alert on your nutrition meal account

• How to add funds to your school nutrition account

K-8 report cards will be posted to the Infinite Campus Portal Thursday evening. You’ll be able to find them under the Documents section. Information on accessing the portal is available at https://www.csdecatur.net/portal, and information on CSD’s broader work around grading is available at https://grading.csdecatur.net.

Based on the recommendation of State School Superintendent Richard Woods, the Georgia Department of Education has posted new K-12 English Language Arts (ELA) standards for a 30-day public comment period. If approved, the standards will be implemented in the 2024-2025 school year, following teacher training.

Click here to review the draft standards and provide feedback.

The draft standards leverage the insight and expertise of thousands of Georgians to support ELA instruction that is Georgia-developed, age and developmentally appropriate, and provides a strong foundation beginning in the early grades. Drafted by Georgia ELA teachers with input from educational leaders, parents, students, business and industry leaders, and community members, the standards are designed to be clear, understandable, and present a balanced amount of content to cover in each year – so that students can truly master concepts rather than simply being quickly exposed to them.

The survey will close at 5:00 PM EDT on 12/5​/2022.

Are you great at math, science or languages? Your skills could help a Decatur student in just one hour per week as a Virtual Pal Tutor! We pair 2nd-8th grade students with upper high school or adult tutors to help with homework, organization and motivation. It’s an easy way to give back to your community in a meaningful way (and for high school students to earn volunteer hours). Click here to apply: https://forms.gle/VJuyncb7qce6R7Jq5

Can’t volunteer but want to help out? 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