CHMS Parent Newsletter
July 24, 2020
Principal's Corner
Dear Chapel Hill Middle School Families,
We are all looking forward to the start of school year 2020-2021. We welcome our new and returning students! As your principal, I look forward to strengthening the relationships that I have begun building with all of our wonderful students, families, teachers, and talented staff. While I have always eagerly anticipated the beginning of the school year, this August is particularly meaningful because it will mark the beginning of my third year at Chapel Hill Middle School. I will have the opportunity to partner with you on a journey to continue serving the children and families of the Chapel Hill Middle School Community.
As you’ve likely heard, our new superintendent, Mrs. Cheryl Watson-Harris, has shared her plan for reopening school. The board of education met to review the plan. We will start school with Virtual Instruction with opportunities to revisit/revise at a later date. The board has approved the new start date of August 17, 2020. The adjusted school calendar for 2020-21 has been proposed and reviewed by the Board of Education. The approved school calendar will be released during the week of July 27, 2020.
We will continue our commitment to helping all children develop their intellectual capacity, academic skills, and social competence so that they will be prepared to effectively negotiate the demands associated with living in an ever-changing 21st century.
In order to accomplish this goal, I have developed over the years a philosophical phrase: The 4 A’s to Success. These are: Academics, Attendance, Attitude, and Activities. I sincerely believe that by adhering to the basic ideas embedded in these four concepts, our students will become well-rounded individuals and ready for the next phase, High School, College and Careers. When we, as adults and role models, also adhere to these ideas, our students will better see the value of these concepts.
At Chapel Hill Middle School, we will strive to make the learning process a positive and rewarding experience while maintaining a desire to develop a generation of inquisitive young people who will become lifelong students in their various pursuits of excellence.
I am also very excited about working with the active and involved parents that help to make Chapel Hill Middle School a wonderful place for our students to learn and grow. I look forward to doing whatever I can to support your efforts and to encourage you to become a member of the Parent Teacher Student Association (PTSA).
As I learn more, I’ll update you
Regards,
Mr. Michael Alexander
Additional Information
VIRTUAL TEACHING AND LEARNING/VERGE EXPECTATIONS
Please note that the VERGE/Virtual learning schedule will be determined based on guidance from the district. We will adjust our VERGE/Virtual learning schedule based on updates provided by the district as it relates to the instructional delivery for our students (i.e. all instruction virtually, hybrid, or face-to-face).
Teacher schedules for virtual instruction will be standardized/uniform across grade levels for consistency of experience and to allow families to plan their time/childcare/etc. Teachers will have posted “office hours” on a consistent basis across grade levels.
Teacher resources for virtual instruction will be standardized as well. DCSD will continue use and to train staff on Verge. Staff will have the option to use Google Classroom. There may be others… Specials such as Art, Music, PE, Spanish will be included in the schedule as well.
DCSD will continue providing student MEALS during Virtual Learning (details coming out soon). DCSD will provide PPE and temperature check equipment when we return in person. All persons must wear masks to enter the school for any reason until further notice. No exceptions.
Magnet Academy Update
Chapel Hill Middle School Magnet High Achievers Program will be an Academy Model for the upcoming school year. The program will provide a challenging educational experience for academically gifted and high achieving students, who are performing above grade level.
Our program strives to meet these students’ specific learning styles and accelerated academic needs. Our program features the latest teaching approaches and technology enhanced instruction in all areas of the curriculum. It provides rigorous interdisciplinary course of study that meets the needs of the highly motivated students.
There is a “hands-on” emphasis throughout the interdisciplinary curriculum, with technology and cooperative learning strategies. FOCUS Our ultimate goal of the magnet program is to target the development and expansion of student capabilities needed for leadership in the future. Students are expected to participate and compete in “National History Day,” and “Future City,” competitions in 7th and 8th grade.
Middle School Sports
In anticipation on the ruling for Middle School Sports, please see the attached documents that need to be complete by parents. At this time, we are awaiting the District to provide an answer on whether we will have middle school athletics. As a school community, we want to provide parents with the necessary documents in case we have a Fall Sports. Please hold on to these documents and look forward to hearing from myself within the next week with an update.
Registration
Please be advised if you are NEW to the DeKalb County School District or have not attended a DeKalb County School for more than ONE calendar year you must Register at our Online Registration Center also known as OLR for more information visit: https://www.dekalbschoolsga.org/registration/ .
More information on registration for all returning students and students transferring from another DeKalb County School will come next week.
Open House
We will conduct virtual Open House sessions this year. We will be providing dates and times for our Open House over the next week. The Open House structure for CHMS will be by grade level and team. We will make the sessions intimate to allow parents to ask questions and for teachers to be able to communicate expectations. In addition, we will have administrators available to support with the question and answer portions of the virtual open house.
Principal Advisory Council (PAC)
Parents we are in need of three Representatives for our Principal Advisory Council. If you are interested, please fill out the form on the link below.
Candidate Declaration Forms
Parent/Guardian Candidate Declaration form
Note: District-wide electronic voting will be held September 15-22.
Where should I send parents and teachers for more information?
DeKalb County School District Principal Advisory Council (PAC) website
Technology Survey
Parents and Students we hope you are enjoying your Summer Break. We are asking for all parents to complete our Technology survey.