DHS Weekly Update
Thursday, January 7, 2021
Principal's Message
I am struggling to find the words to express all of the feelings that I have been feeling today. Many thanks to Dr. Armour, Principal at Clairemont Elementary, who is an amazing thought partner and helped me frame my thoughts and words.
Last evening, I sat in utter shock and disappointment as I watched mayhem unfold in our nation’s capital. Men and women, many unmasked, wielding weapons and bearing flags that bore the name of our current president chanted obscenities while ransacking and vandalizing The US Capitol. Lives were lost and many others were injured physically and emotionally.
It is important that we immediately unpack and intentionally address this event and all other occurrences that further demoralize us as a people. The time for unity is now and the only way that we can begin to positively effect change is to challenge ourselves to combat racial and social injustice head on.
As educators we will continue to push the limits of discomfort to deliberately celebrate racial and social differences among our students, staff, and families in an effort to build a community of learners who naturally exhibit caring, empathy, understanding and compassion toward each other. It is not enough to change our way of thinking, it is our responsibility to instill these qualities in our children so that they can live and prosper in a society much better than the one we are experiencing today. The fate of the world rests with us individually and collectively. We look forward to brighter days as we continue this very important work.
If you need a resource to help you talk to your children about yesterday's terror attack, here is an article you might find useful - CLICK HERE. It is written by an educator and it contains some helpful words and framing for conversations with children of all ages. I found this document particularly helpful to frame my own questions as I watch the news.
"Take a long, hard look down the road you will have to travel once you have made a commitment to work for change. Know that this transformation will not happen right away. Change often takes time. It rarely happens all at once. In the movement, we didn't know how history would play itself out. When we were getting arrested and waiting in jail or standing in unmovable lines on the courthouse steps, we didn’t know what would happen, but we knew it had to happen."
— Lewis on protesting in Across That Bridge: Life Lessons and a Vision for Change
We have a lot of work to do but I am confident that together we can make it happen.
Principal Lofstrand
Schedule for Week of January 25th
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Decatur High School News
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College Reports and Counseling Recommendations
We want to make sure that all Seniors and Senior families know that Counselors are working hard to complete secondary school reports and college recommendations for your college applications. We want to make sure that you are aware of a couple of things to decrease your stress activating stimuli during this time:
When a student has completed all of their portions of the application, please go ahead and pay and submit your application. Do not wait for the communicated student deadline. Do not wait for adults to upload their recommendations, etc. When you are finished, submit and pay.
Counselors and other recommenders typically have an additional week to complete their application components (secondary school reports and recommendations). Barring unforeseen circumstances, we will not take advantage of that leeway and will have everything completed by the deadline communicated to students.
PSAT Administration - January 26
Parents of DHS 10th and 11th grade students,
Yesterday, your student received a google form asking them to indicate if they will be participating in the optional, in-person administration of the PSAT at DHS the morning of Tuesday, January 26th, which is a non-instructional day (see information above from Ms. Lofstrand). As this is an optional administration, your student’s indication is very important to help us plan for the number of students who will be taking the test. Typically, all 10th and 11th grade students take the PSAT at DHS, but due to our school not being in person at this time, the need to limit the number of students in testing locations, and personnel availability, the PSAT may be limited to 11th grade students only this year. We are asking all 10th and 11th grade students to indicate their interest, and based on this data, we will be able to determine if we have the capacity to test both classes.
This will be the only opportunity to take the PSAT this school year at DHS. There is no virtual option for the PSAT offered by the College Board. While the PSAT is not a required standardized test, it does offer students a free opportunity to be exposed to a style of assessment that could help prepare them for the SAT and ACT. For 11th graders, a qualifying score could make them eligible for the National Merit Scholarship.
The PSAT at DHS will be given with the following precautions in place: upon arrival, students will be directed to go straight to their assigned testing location, where they will remain for the entirety of their time on campus, and upon completion of the test must immediately exit the building; a one-way flow of traffic will be established to ensure distancing; masks will be required by all persons at all times while in the building; no eating or drinking will be allowed indoors; hand sanitizer must be used upon entry of classrooms; students will be spaced at least 6 feet apart in their testing location; students are highly encouraged to bring their own pencil, but there will be sanitized pencils on hand; staff members will monitor arrival and departure of students to support social distancing. To read the approved proposal in its entirety, click here.
Please encourage your student to complete this form by the deadline of the end of the day on Monday, January 11th, so that we have an accurate count of interest for this administration of the PSAT, as this information will impact the number of students that may be able to test this year. If your student does not fill out the form by this deadline, they may be unable to participate in this administration of the PSAT.
If your student indicates interest in participating, they should look for future communication with more details.
Attendance Updates
Students/Parents,
Now that teachers are taking attendance each day as they did prior to the pandemic, we want to remind students and parents of our procedures for excused absences. In the event that a student will be absent from school for an excused reason (listed below), parents will need to reach out to our attendance officer, Mr. Michael Scott, at mscott@csdecatur.net, to make that request, and he will adjust the student’s attendance accordingly, based on the documentation provided.
Excused Absence Reasons:
- Personal illness of the student or when attendance in school would endanger the health of the student or the health of others when, upon the student’s return to school, a parent note is presented within three (3) school days of the student’s return to school or appropriate medical documentation (i.e. doctor’s excuse, dental excuse, discharge papers, etc.). See O.C.G.A. § 20-2-693(Serious illness or death in student’s immediate family necessitating the absence. In case of serious illness in a student’s immediate family, the student is required to present appropriate medical documentation regarding family member within three school days of the students return to school. See O.C.G.A. § 20-2-262.2(b).
- Court order by a government agency mandating the student’s absence from school, including pre-induction physical examination for service in the armed forces.
- Observation of religious holidays necessitates absence from school. Please notify the attendance office in advance when your student will be absent in observance of religious holidays.
- Conditions rendering attendance impossible or potentially dangerous to the student’s health or safety as determined by the local school system.
- An absence not to exceed one day for registering to vote or to vote in public elections.
- Students are counted present at school when they are serving as Pages of the Georgia General Assembly. Visiting with a parent or legal guardian prior to overseas deployment to a combat zone or combat support posting or during leave from such deployment member of the armed forces of the United States or National Guard (maximum of five school days a year. See O.C.G.A. § 2-20-692.1(b).
From the Decatur Student Center
Last summer the Decatur Student Center (DSC) held focus groups to ask students their thoughts about how to decorate the new DSC space (we can't wait for you to see it!!). Many desired elements were consistently shared including having student art in the DSC.
The DSC and the DHS Art Department are working together to bring your vision to life. This short video explains the purpose of adding art. To be considered for the mural, ceiling tile or slide show, please submit a copy of your artwork and the REQUIRED form to me, Ms. Andree (dandree@csdecatur.net) by Friday, January 15, 2021.
The form contains additional information about the size of the artwork and the rubric that will be used by a committee to choose artwork for the space. The artwork will be "de-identified" (students name/grade removed while reviewed).
Please feel free to reach out if you have any questions.
SLT Meeting Information
The January SLT Meeting is January 11th at 4:30 PM.
Rochelle Lofstrand is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting.
Join Zoom Meeting
https://csdecatur.zoom.us/j/9660838283
Meeting ID: 966 083 8283
One tap mobile
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Teens Against COVID-19 Fundraiser
As we approach this holiday season, we can’t forget about those struggling on the front lines of this pandemic everyday. At this point in time, there are over 14 million cases of COVID-19, and there have been over 250,000 related deaths in the U.S. The need for Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) remains dire, especially in underserved communities. Get Us PPE is a non-profit organization that focuses specifically on the equitable distribution of PPE to hospitals, nursing homes, and under-sourced facilities across the nation. As of now, they have been able to provide over 3,000,000 PPE items at no cost to communities in need through initiatives such as PPE for Schools and PPE for Black Americans. However, this has only fulfilled 12% of 17,000 requests made to Get Us PPE for items ranging from N95 respirators to surgical coveralls. Over 70% of surveyed facilities reported a complete lack of one or more types of PPE, and they need our help!
The Decatur TAC team (Teens Against Covid-19) is offering you a way to donate to Get Us PPE through a City Schools of Decatur district approved fundraiser; COVID-19 Relief PPE Drive - accessible through GoFundMe. Please consider making a donation, any amount helps. Happy Holidays!
GoFundMe Link:https://www.gofundme.com/f/covid19-relief-ppe-drive?utm_source=customer&utm_medium=copy_link_all&utm_campaign=p_cp+share-sheet
Source: https://getusppe.org/data/
NAACP ACT-SO Competition - DEADLINE TOMORROW!
The Dekalb NAACP is currently recruiting students for the Dekalb County Branch NAACP 20-21 ACT-SO competition. This Friday, January 8th, is the last day students can register to compete.
CLICK HERE for the invitation letter describing the program. The link to register is naacpdekalb.org/act-so. More information on all 33 competition areas appears also at this site under Categories. Please feel free to contact me or ACT-SO Chair Ms. Freda Hammonds (fredahammonds@att.net) if you have any questions.
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City Schools of Decatur News
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Recent District Communication
CSD Transportation
CSD Nutrition
Welcome to 2021 CSD! Please don't forget to place your pre-order for NEXT week's meals using this link: https://forms.gle/erhEyRZmomc4Rjxa8
Please note:
- Our last day of bus meal delivery will be next week on Friday 1/15/21. We will send extra food home on Friday 1/15 to cover the need for meals on Tuesday 1/19. We would like to thank CSD Transportation for their assistance in feeding #OurKids this past fall.
- For THIS week: Meal pick-ups will be offered at our 3 CSD TakeOutSpot locations (DHS, Talley St., & F.AVE) on Tuesday 1/5, Wednesday 1/6, and Friday 1/8. Bus delivery will occur ONLY on Wednesday 1/6 and Friday 1/8. The time frame will remain 10:30 AM -12:30 PM.
- For NEXT week: Meal pick-ups will be offered at our 3 CSD TakeOutSpot locations (DHS, Talley St., & F.AVE) on Monday 1/11, Wednesday 1/13, and Friday 1/15. Bus delivery will occur on those same 3 days (MWF). The time frame will remain 10:30 AM -12:30 PM.
Reminders:
- We will no longer be using our pre-order system starting on Monday, January 19 so this week will be the last week for pre-orders for meals. As K-5 students return in-person instruction, we will continue to offer meal pick-ups for our virtual learners at our three CSD TakeOutSpot locations (DHS, Talley St., & F.AVE) on Monday, Wednesday, and Fridays from 10:30 AM-12:30 pm. Students who are learning in our CSD buildings will be offered daily take-home meals as they exit their school. We encourage all students to take their meals, as it helps support our school nutrition program.
- All meals will be FREE until the end of the 2020-2021 school year.
Please check out our CSD webpage (https://www.csdecatur.net/nutrition) and our Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/CSDschoolnutrition) as we continue to finalize our plans for January 19th and on.
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From PTSA's & Boosters
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Decatur Bulldog Boosters News
Run With The Dogs (Virtual) 5K
Run With The Dogs 5K race will take place virtually from January 23-31, 2021. The 5K is an annual fundraiser of the Decatur Bulldogs Boosters, which supports the athletic programs at Decatur High School and Renfroe Middle School in Decatur, GA. You can register at http://www.rwtd5k.com. Runners who register by January 11 will receive their race t-shirt by January 23 and be entered into a special prize drawing. The Decatur Bulldog Boosters raise money annually to meet the needs of student athletes, including uniforms and equipment. These funds are used to support 685 student athletes on all 25 teams representing 14 sports at Decatur High and Renfroe Middle Schools. Decatur Bulldog Boosters needs your support now more than ever. We need as many RWTD5K participants as possible! http://www.rwtd5k.com
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From Our Community
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From the City of Decatur
Decatur Strategic Plan 202s
The roundtables process included 800 registrants who contributed thousands of comments. Many of these comments about Decatur’s future were in agreement, but some topics revealed conflicting perspectives about how Decatur should chart its course for the next 10 years.
The 202s will allow for a deep dive on these topics. After hearing from subject matter experts, we will join together in virtual discussion groups to help understand tradeoffs and find balance among differing perspectives. Input will be used to form recommendations on how the Strategic Plan should address these issues. The 202s will seek to answer the question: “What does success look like in a community of 25K people within a metropolitan region of nearly 6 million people?”
Here’s the line-up:
Equity & Racial Justice:
Thursday, Jan. 14, 4 – 5:30 p.m.
Climate Change:
January 2021, Date TBD
Speakers will be announced closer to the event. All events will occur on Zoom and will be recorded and available after the meeting. Visit decatur2030.com for details.
Decatur High School
Email: kgoins@csdecatur.net
Website: csdecatur.net/DHS
Location: 310 North McDonough Street, Decatur, GA, USA
Phone: 404-370-4170