DHS Families,

We are extremely proud of our Fall sport programs! As of October 31, both softball and volleyball have wrapped up impressive seasons. Both teams finished as the Region 4 5A Runners Up and competed in the GHSA State Tournament. Our Softball Bulldogs fell short against two strong teams in the Super Regional round, and Volleyball fought valiantly against a strong Northside team. Both our Girls' and Boys' Cross Country teams were crowned Region Champions and are looking forward to the State Meet on November 5 in Carrollton. Our football Bulldogs won their region game last week and will be playing in the first round of State Playoffs tentatively Nov. 12th time TBD.

Our Decatur High School Marching Band has worked tirelessly all year to learn their production entitled, "The Night Sky," which features music by Beethoven, Coldplay, and Eric Whitacre. The band competed in the Lafayette Marching Classic at Fayette County High School. The band took second place honors in the 4-A class in the Music, Visual, Effect, and Percussion captions. Our color guard was first in class and tied for first of the day out of all 20 bands regardless of class. Mr. Jenkins and the band staff are very proud of all the marching band students. Our marching band is preparing for their final competition of the season which will be at Milton High School on Saturday, November 5. The band performs at 5:40pm.

Make sure to follow the DHS Facebook and Instagram pages for more great news about the Bulldogs!

Rochelle L. Lofstrand, Principal

Decatur High School

Staff member Kimberly Rendle and DHS junior Maggie Kyle were recently awarded $850 through a Decatur Education Foundation Teacher Innovation Grant to support their plan for a sensory courtyard! A tactile and auditory reset zone, the garden will serve as tool to aid in emotional and sensory regulation primarily for students with severe and profound disabilities. However, the garden will be open to all Decatur High School students. Decatur High contains many interior courtyards, and one such space (located near the attendance office) will be the site for the project. Ms. Rendle and Maggie are incredibly excited for the realization of this project, and are grateful to the Decatur Education Foundation and its donors for the funding to support the amazing population of Decatur High students.

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)

Members of the DHS Fencing Club participated in their second competition of the season this past weekend at John’s Creek High School. The DHS team competed against some of the best high school teams in Georgia including fencers from Campbell, Centennial, Chattahoochee, John’s Creek, Lambert, Lassiter, North Atlanta, North Springs, Riverwood, and Walton High Schools. All DHS fencers advanced from pools to the direct elimination rounds with many achieving personal bests. Top DHS Fencing Club finishers included Team Captain Ryan Scharf tying for 3rd overall and Candler Mayo with a 26th place finish in the Men’s Division and Gigi Fortuna placing 38th overall in the Women’s Division. Earlier in October, Ryan Scharf finished in second place at the Olympic Fencers’ Club High Standard Epee competition in the mixed epee division.

The DHS Fencing Club will be back in action on Saturday, November 19th (location TBD). Congratulations to all our DHS Fencing Club athletes!!!

Interested in fencing? Membership will be open again this coming spring. Please contact Ms. Garletts-Hancock, DHS Fencing Club faculty sponsor, for information about the club.

Place your order before 8 pm on Wednesday, November 9th, and your order will be available for pickup on Thursday, November 10th from 5pm - 5:45pm. 20% of sales will be donated to the Decatur High School PBIS by NaanStop and GregKodeshRealty.com. PBIS gives rewards to students who are purposeful, accountable, connected and kind. Thank you for your support and for being a part of the PACK!

NaanStop is a family-owned Indian restaurant offering family meals including basmati rice, fresh baked naan, handmade samosas, 2 entrees, and chutneys (feeds 4).

-link to menu: http://bit.ly/NSorderDecatur
-pick up time is 5pm - 5:45pm on Thursday November 10th
-Pickup location is at 620 Avery St in Decatur
-order in advance with an 8pm cut off on Wednesday November 9th

News from Decatur Bulldog Boosters (DBB)

Home Football Game This Friday

Come out and cheer on the Bulldogs this Friday night as they play MLK. It’s senior night, and our generous Decatur Bulldog Booster sponsor Heather Tell Realty will be lighting up the stadium with a spirit item for fans.

Celebrate Our Bulldogs with $25 Flags

Flags are available online and at this Friday’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 spirit wear (including Beacon Hill items) online.

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

Winter Sports Are Starting Soon - Get Your Ticket Package Now!

Join DBB and select your membership level to access all of your tickets on your devices. Tickets are shareable among family members, and Family Level and above receive a free spirit item.

Flag Football Fundraiser

Show your support for the DHS Flag Football team by purchasing a beautiful poinsettia plant here. You will have the choice of purchasing an 8” or 6” poinsettia in a foil-wrapped pot. Once purchased you will receive an email by November 15, 2022 detailing the instructions for pick up in December at DHS.

DHS Football Region Champions

On Friday, your Decatur Football team defeated a good Chamblee team to win the region title for the first time since 2004! Harrison Hannah led the bulldogs with three rushing touchdowns and one passing touchdown. The defense, led by Coach Chaz Lewis, pitched a shutout in the 4th quarter which gave the offense the ability to score 20 unanswered points. On the Bulldog’s final drive with 23 seconds left and the Bulldogs down 33-38, Coach Xavier Clifton, DHS Alum, called a halfback pass. Junior running back, Triston Strickland, received the toss and threw the ball 60 yards downfield to Junior wide receiver, Malachi Miller. Miller caught the ball at the 2-yard line and ran it in for the game-winning touchdown. Final score: Decatur 40, Chamblee 38. It was an epic and historic night for the Decatur Football team and the entire DHS community. By winning the region title, the Bulldogs will have a home-field advantage for the first two rounds of the playoffs.

Friday’s game was highlighted by Fox5 as the Game of the Week. View the link below for a recap.

Decatur v. Chamblee – Game of the Week

Cross Country Region Champions and State Meet Preview

DHS hosted the region XC Championship at Legacy Park. Both the boys’ and the girls’ teams brought home the first-place trophies and will go on to compete in the state meet in Carrollton on Saturday, Nov. 5.

The boys’ varsity squad (Billy Carlton, Jake Westing, Zak Abdulahi, Abe Werner, Sam Corso, Noah Ellis, and Abraham Kibret) dominated the first race of the day by finishing 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 5th, 6th, 7th, and 13th respectively. Then the girls’ varsity runners (Gabby Malerba, Anna Blaich, Sophie D’Elena, Kate Sherwood, Maggie Welp, Averill Payne, and Penelope Goebel) showed out by finishing 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 5th, 6th, 7th, and 8th! With near-perfect scores, the boys’ and the girls’ teams are both excited about the state meet.

In the JV races, there were also impressive performances. Some notable ones:

– Maya Mikrut (in just her first year as a runner) finished 1st in the girls JV, beating her nearest opponent by almost a full minute.

– The top 7 JV girls swept the top 7 places in the JV race!

– JV boys were led by Sam Fisher, and they took the first 6 spots in their race.

– Hunter Anderson, Matthew Denius, Emma Eagle, Brady Miller, Luci Saravia, Owen Street, Tobin Strong, and Josie Threlkeld all ran personal best times which is a perfect way to end the season!

Saturday’s Cross Country State Meet is shaping up to be an exciting one. After winning both the girls’ and boys’ Region titles last week, Decatur is poised to compete for both State Championships as well. Check out the article from MileSplit to read about our impressive runners and the competition around the state.

Good luck, Bulldogs!!

DHS Literary Team Interest Meeting and Parent Meeting

Students interested in joining the Literary team should plan to attend the Interest Meeting on Nov. 11. See below for details.

The Literary Team will also host a Parent Meeting on November 18.

Contact Coach Coffin (scoffin@csdecatur.net) and Coach Leach (eleach@csdecatur.net) with questions.

Golden Steps ABA

CSD welcomes Amanda Bissonnette of Golden Steps ABA to share an overview of services and support they provide to families.

Here's more about Golden Steps ABA:

Golden Steps implements Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) therapy to assist children in overcoming behaviors that challenge their ability to navigate and flourish in social, educational and home settings. We track their progress, encourage their growth, and applaud them when they inevitably succeed.

Date: November 10, 2022

Time: 6-7 pm

Location: This is a virtual meeting.

Target Audience: Pre-K to 6th grades

RSVP here

How It Works - Assistive Technology Meeting

Yael Cohen, Assistive Tech. Specialist & Frank DeFilippo, Special Education Coordinator, will be sharing a variety of apps and Google extensions that students can access to support their learning in class.

For example if your student is experiencing:

• Poor handwriting

• Poor grammar

• Difficulty spelling

• Difficulty with Organizing writing assignments

Date: November 17, 2022

Time: 6-7pm

Location: This is a virtual meeting.

RSVP here

For questions please contact Cheryl Grant at cgrant@csdecatur.net.

Would You Like to Learn How to Conduct Family Meetings?

Are you tired of constant family arguments?

Are you tired of feeling as if your family is disconnected?

Are you tired of your family not knowing the schedule for the week?

Then perhaps Family Meetings are for you! Participants will learn how to conduct effective family meetings that will benefit all family members and encourage cohesiveness. Family Meetings have been shown to increase family members’ self-esteem, communication & conflict-resolution skills, and instill a sense of belonging & resilience.

When: Wednesdays, beginning November 9th, 2022

What: 6 weekly, 45-minute Google Meet sessions from 12:00 - 12:45

How: Attend weekly interactive meetings with camera on & ready to participate!

Cost: FREE and limited to 6 families

Click here to register and learn more!