Dr. Fehrman's Friday Follow-Up
August 27, 2021
Greetings CSD staff, students, and families! This was a busy week, and we have several important updates to share with you, so this edition of the Follow-Up is a little longer. I hope you have a great weekend!
#StrongerTogether Shout Out
Job(s) Well Done
DHS Students Adobe Certified
Eleven Decatur High School students used Visual Design to not only create masterpieces but are now certified users of an Adobe tool. This creative tool and skill can be used in high school and is transferable to college courses and the workforce. Over the past two years, students have not been required to take the EOPAs due to the pandemic. Each student is self-selected to take on the challenge of seeking this Adobe Certification. To read the FULL story and the list of amazing scholars at DHS click here.COVID-19 Vaccine
At the Board of Education work session on Tuesday night (August 24), the Board discussed requiring the COVID vaccine for all staff and eligible students. All Board members were in full agreement that vaccines are critical in our efforts to protect staff and students and stop the spread of this virus in our community. The Board also agreed that requiring the vaccine is the next step the district should take in our multilayered approach to mitigation. Now that the Board had this discussion and offered their support in moving forward with a requirement, what happens next? There are many steps the district must take before this can be implemented.
Staff:
Requiring staff to have the COVID vaccine does not require a Board vote so the district can start to implement this requirement. The requirement for staff must allow for reasonable accommodation provisions of the ADA and Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and other EEO considerations. We will begin outlining the accommodations and the process for applying for them to staff soon. I will also be meeting with employee stakeholder groups to help determine the most effective way to roll this requirement out to our staff.
Students:
Changing requirements for vaccines or immunizations for students requires Board action. Therefore, the Board asked the superintendent, in consultation with our legal counsel, to draft an updated policy regarding immunizations. The Board will review more information regarding this potential change in student immunization requirements at future board meetings.
Surveillance Testing
We are continuing our work to bring surveillance COVID testing to our district. Thank you for completing the interest survey last week. Based on the results, many of you are interested in having your students participate in the testing program. We received 800 responses to the survey and 85% of parents (n=679) would allow their students to participate in the testing program. Approximately seven percent are not sure and eight percent of respondents are not interested in having their student(s) participate at this time. For a list of frequently asked questions click here.
We are currently determining the most secure and accessible method for obtaining consent. I was hopeful that we could share actual consent forms today, but as these forms have an added layer of HIPAA (Health Information Privacy rules) it is taking a bit longer to get all the necessary layers of privacy in place. We would like for you to go ahead and begin reviewing the consent form so you are ready to sign once the time comes. Click here to review the consent form. The consent form also includes additional information about how tests will be administered.
Early Dismissal Times
In July, the Board approved adding four early release dates to the 2021-2022 calendar. These early release days will allow teachers to have dedicated time for parent/teacher conferences. The dates approved are September 16 and 17 and February 10 and 11. Schools will dismiss two hours before their regular dismissal time.
If your child participates in Whiz Kids or Animal Crackers, extended hours are being provided on early release days.
Early dismissal times are listed above.
Annual Date Update
REMINDER - If you haven’t already done so, please take a moment to verify your household data. You can also upload your child’s COVID vaccination record in the data update as well. Uploading COVID vaccination records will help expedite the contact tracing process and thereby allow us to quickly identify students who need to quarantine and those who may continue in-person learning.
Please go to https://www.csdecatur.net/dataupdate to view the instructions and link to the parent portal.
School Visits This Week
Winnona Park
Winnona Park is such a wonderful school and I always enjoy visiting the WP team. I stopped by Ms. Westbrook’s 1st-grade class for a few minutes and I was so impressed with her energy first thing in the morning as she engaged her students in morning math. Ms. Westbrook uses questioning strategies to ensure her students have a deep understanding of the concepts. I stopped in Ms. Baerman’s class and even though they were logging on to take MAP, I was so happy to meet Claire, who lost her tooth that morning! I also had so much fun in Ms. Clark’s Music Class and joined the class in their Brain Dance! The students and I were ducks and used brain-based activities to get our brains ready to engage in learning! We practiced breathing like a duck, flapping our wings, along with several other movement-based activities to activate our brains for learning.
Glennwood
I also had a chance to visit Ms. Jolley’s class at Glennwood Elementary. Ms. Jolley was assessing her students on their phonics skills. I was so impressed with Ms. Jolley’s assessment strategy and her use of questioning to truly determine the level of mastery. Great work Ms. Jolley!
Decatur Student Center
Our Decatur Student Center (DSC) staff offer a variety of support for our students and staff. Go to https://www.csdecatur.net/decaturstudentcenter to learn more about the Center. Read below for some great information provided by the DSC about apologizing.
Apologizing is one of the hardest things to do, but we all have to do it to stay in community with each other! From simply bumping into someone when you weren’t looking to losing your temper at someone you love, sincere apologies can level the relationship out and strengthen the foundation of a relationship. That modeling can come from anyone: teachers, friends, siblings… even parents! It’s impossible to stay calm all the time, but it’s often possible to repair relationships. Apologizing gets easier with practice, but we also need to remember that no one is obligated to accept our apology. For some tips on how to make a sincere apology, here’s a quick little YouTube video to coach us: 5 Steps To Apologize Effectively.
Want more support in making apologies? The DSC can provide coaching, practice, and a safe place to engage in a restorative conversation. Make an appointment by clicking this link if you’d like some support.
Community
Beacon Hill Alliance for Human Rights - PanAfrican Festival on August 28. Go to https://beaconhillblackalliance.org for details.
Upcoming Events
DHS home varsity football game tonight at 7:30 p.m. As you make your plans to attend, be mindful of the event protocols linked below regarding tickets, parking, and safety. Thank you in advance for your commitment to a safe and positive event and your support of the Bulldogs!
Questions?
Here are a few of the questions we received via the Community Survey sent in my August 13 Follow-Up:
CSD should notify families of ALL the students in the classroom/cohort if there is a probable or confirmed case of COVID in the classroom/cohort regardless of whether their student is a close contact.
Schools send out a series of emails when they are notified about a confirmed COVID case. Parents of students that are determined to be close contact will receive email and phone notifications. Parents of students in the affected class will receive an email notifying them of a positive case in their class. Also, all parents and staff in the school will receive an email notification about an identified case in the school. To learn more about the communication process, go to https://www.csdecatur.net/covid19.
How can students join clubs?
Students at DHS learn about clubs in advisement. Students can see a list of all the clubs offered at DHS here. Club information at RMS is shared with students in the morning Bow Wow. Renfroe students can also find information about clubs offered at the school here.
Is there information that we have not shared that you think would be beneficial for the CSD community? Let us know by filling out this form. We will look at the questions submitted and provide answers and information in upcoming communications and on the website.
Community Events
Dekalb County is offering $100 prepaid debit cards to people who get vaccinated this Saturday at Stonecrest Mall, go to https://www.dekalbcountyga.gov/news/dekalb-offers-100-vaccinations-stonecrest-mall-saturday-aug-28 for more information.