DHS Families,

Our Decatur Bulldog Football Team will be heading to their region championship this Friday to play against Chamblee High School. The game will take place at North DeKalb Stadium on Chamblee Dunwoody Road at 7:30 PM. Fox 5 has also selected this game to be their game of the week so come out and cheer for our Bulldogs!

Congratulations to both the boys and girls Cross Country teams! DHS hosted the region XC Championship yesterday 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. 5th.

I was able to participate in a Strategic Planning session on Tuesday to begin the development of the future plans for CSD. It was invigorating to sit down and really assess where we are as a school district and where we might go in the next five years. If you haven't joined any of the virtual sessions, I would encourage you to listen and participate in this process. The goals we are developing together will be the foundation of everything we do to go from good to great!

This week I also saw our students perform in "Letters to Sala" and sing in our chorus concert. Thanks to Decatur Performs for supporting the work of the DHS performing arts! Our PTSA is about to begin our annual fund drive. Please consider donating your time, talents, or treasurer to the DHS PTSA. They do so much for all of our students and our teachers!

Rochelle L. Lofstrand, Principal

Decatur High School

This is the perfect time to purchase a Senior Ad and send your senior off with the memories of the past and some wise words for the future!! Please see the Jostens website for more information. The final due date to purchase a Senior Ad is NEXT MONDAY October 31st. Space is limited and on a first-come, first-serve basis, so get your order in now!

When you purchase an ad, you will receive an email on how to submit your words and pictures electronically to the yearbook staff. If you have any questions please email the staff at indecatur@csdecatur.net.

The National Honor Society is sponsoring a Red Cross Blood Drive on the Tuesday, 11/1 Teacher Workday. Members of the community are welcome to donate. We'll be in the PAC from 9 am until 2 pm. If you're interested, please sign up. We appreciate the support in helping us save lives! If you have any questions, feel free to reach out to Ms. Katrina M. Walker at kwalker@csdecatur.net.

Thanks,

Katrina M. Walker

Dear Senior Class Parent or Guardian,

Many of the Class of 2023 did not attend school the morning of October 12, 2022. Mr. Rick Shrewsbury from Herff Jones came in and presented about graduation products. If your student did not attend please join us tonight at 6pm for important information.

Zoom Information

Please click the link below to join the webinar:

https://csdecatur.zoom.us/j/94435058693?pwd=UUI0Q3liSk9hTUFyY01UQmxxVDRwQT09

Passcode: 685402

Or One tap mobile :

US: +13126266799

Want to Support Boosters? Help With Concessions!

Not only is concessions a key fundraising initiative for DBB, selling food and drinks at games helps to enhance the fan experience. But, we need your help to provide this service. Please consider volunteering for a slot or two to help us out (more opportunities will be available in the spring):

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

Get Your Bulldog Swag

Hats, tees, polos, flags and more – check out all our Bulldog spirit wear online.

DHS Pre-Season Wrestling Information

Wrestling season is quickly approaching. Students interested in Wrestling should complete the Interest Form HERE and contact Coach Felton with any questions. (wfelton@csdecatur.net)

To help our students prepare, Coach Felton will be facilitating conditioning sessions after school. Students should meet at the weight room to receive each day’s instructions. Workouts will take place Monday-Thursday.

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.

Congratulations, Softball. Great Season!

Congratulations to our Varsity Softball team for a great season. The Bulldogs entered the GHSA State Tournament as the #2 seed out of Region 4 5A. In the new GHSA set-up, the Bulldogs faced Northgate in the first game of the Super Regional. After a tough loss, the Bulldogs turned and immediately played Greenbriar in an elimination game. The girls fought hard but came up short, losing 0-3.

Great job to our Seniors who led this young team to be the Region 4-5A Runners Up! Thank you to our coaches whose time and positive energy allowed each player to improve throughout the year. We are already looking forward to next year. Our experience in the State Tournament will surely help with the continued growth of our Softball program.

Congratulations Cross Country!

Yesterday, 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!

Decatur Virtual Academy is thrilled to announce that Decatur Education Foundation has funded our Digital Learning Project. Because of this generous funding DVA teachers will be able to go to the Digital learning Annual Conference in Austin, Texas in February. The Partner Up program is covering the cost of the conference registration and Decatur Education Foundation’s funding will allow DVA staff to attend the conference in person.

As K-12 digital learning practitioners, this will provide a unique opportunity for us to share, learn and debate best practices, challenges, successes, bumps and bruises, and future innovations in online and blended learning. This will allow us to best serve our Decatur Virtual Academy students and all students at Decatur High School and Beacon Hill Middle School this year and in the future. Digital content is available to all 6-12 teachers available through our partnership with Georgia Virtual School (GaVS). To this point, we have not provided guidance or professional learning to our teachers on how to use this powerful resource. We are looking forward to developing our expertise in order to provide our colleagues at Decatur High School and Beacon Hill Middle with the highest quality professional learning.

When we return from the conference we will collaborate with instructional coaches and the teaching and learning department to offer teachers training based on what we have learned. We will develop high quality, job embedded professional learning for our 6th -12th grade teachers so they may most effectively use the GaVS digital resources by our 6-12 classes.

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.

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.

A Season of Giving/Christmas Decatur is back to its traditional method of neighbors purchasing gifts directly for local children and seniors!

To apply for assistance, please complete an online application at https://aseasonofgiving.org/application/ by October 28th.

If you have any trouble with the form, questions or concerns, please email us at aseasonofgiving@decaturga.com or leave a message on our voicemail (404.378.8068).

If you do not need assistance, we would love your help!

Donors will purchase gifts from an individual wish list specific to a child (through 8th grade) or senior citizen. If you would like to be a donor, please complete our online form.

If you would like us to do the shopping for you, please donate directly at https://legacydecatur.org/give/ and select A Season of Giving!