Dr. Fehrman's Friday Follow-Up
October 14, 2022
Click this link https://www.smore.com/wugyr for the mobile-friendly version of this newsletter.
In this newsletter:
National School Lunch Week
National Principals Month
Shout-outs: GSCA Administrator of the Year, FAVE BOE Spotlight, Top Dog Winner
CSD announcements and updates about the Strategic Plan Planning Team, DVA Interest, Letters to Sala, GaDOE/CSD Dyslexia Information Meeting, and Special Education Meeting
Community partner announcements and updates from the Decatur Education Foundation, Madison Avenue Soapbox Derby, Season of Giving, and DeKalb County Government GoGreen Event
National School Lunch Week
This week was National School Lunch Week, and I want to give a special thank you and shout-out to our nutrition staff. I had the honor and privilege to meet with the School Nutrition Team this week. These fabulous employees are an example to all of us. Throughout my conversation with this group, their dedication, passion, and love for children shined! While all employees play an important role in ensuring equitable outcomes for our students, these individuals play one of the most vital roles in student success and well-being. Their delicious and nutritious meals are made with love daily and give our students the energy to power their brains! Thank you, Nutrition staff, for all you do to ensure our students are ready to learn!
National Principals Month
October is National Principals Month, and I would like to take this opportunity to express my gratitude for our outstanding principals. These individuals do a tremendous job of supporting their staff and have a significant impact on the success and well-being of their students. I hope you and your children will take a moment this month to let your principals know how much you appreciate them for their incredible work. So let's all #thankaprincipal this month!
We will highlight our principals in the Follow-Up and on Facebook so you can get to know them better and share gratitude and love. This week, we are getting to know Karen Newton Scott, Dr. Holly Brookins, Jennifer Young, and Christine Knox.
Congratulations! Great job! Way to go!
GSCA Administrator of the Year Award
Congratulations to Dr. Lillie Huddleston, who is the Georgia School Counselor Association (GSCA) Administrator of the Year! To win this award, the nominee must be an administrator, coordinator, director, or supervisor of school, district, or state counseling services and provide
Exemplary support of school counseling services aligning with the American School Counselor Association National Model;
Outstanding promotion of school counseling services;
Implementation of new/additional school counseling services; and
Improvement of existing school counseling services.
She will be recognized at the GSCA Annual Conference in Savannah in November. Congratulations, Dr. Huddleston!
FAVE Board Spotlight Student Speakers
Fifth Avenue presented the school spotlight at the Board meeting this week and the student speakers did an excellent job! They shared about all of the activities they participate in before, during, and after school and how these activities help them be better students and friends. Way to go, Madeline, Lydia, Zahir, Stefan, Laney, and Mallorie!
Top Dog Award Winner
This year's Top Dog nominations will highlight an attribute of the IB Learner Profile. The attribute for October is Thinker. IB describes this attribute as, “We use critical and creative thinking skills to analyze and take responsible action on complex problems. We exercise initiative in making reasoned, ethical decisions.”
Matthew Livermore, Teacher at Fifth Avenue Elementary School, is our Top Dog this week.
Mr. Livermore received this amazing nomination from a coworker:
“Mr. Livermore does an unparalleled job of inspiring and captivating his students. He consistently tries different strategies until he finds the right fit for each individual he teaches. Additionally, Mr. Livermore makes strong connections to various aspects of history which enthrall his class and captures their attention. Pirates? Absolutely. Vikings? Of course. Little known events of the American Revolution? He’s got ‘em. These connections bring his teaching to life. However, this term Mr. Livermore went above and beyond by genuinely connecting both math and social studies to our current IB Unit of Inquiry.
Mr. Livermore connected 4th grade standards addressing the Declaration of Independence and the metric system to our Central Idea, "Conflict and interactions create change within systems." He noted that the conflicts and interactions around class and individual rights that led Jefferson et al to describe natural rights on a conceptual level in the Declaration of Independence also led Enlightenment scientists and mathematicians to create the metric system, in practice, at roughly the same point in time. Boom! Mind blown. His thinking and followthrough reinforce his students’ understanding of the Central Idea in a very real, tangible way.
It's challenging to make such strong, interdisciplinary connections to our Central Ideas. We are very lucky to have Mr. Livermore with us at F.AVE!”
Way to go, Mr. Livermore!
Do you know someone who deserves Top Dog recognition? Nominate them here.
CSD Announcements and Updates
Strategic Plan Planning Team Invitation
As mentioned in the Follow-Up last week, we are looking for additional community members to be a part of the Planning Team for the Strategic Plan.
The Planning Team will consist of about 50 individuals, half of which are district and school employees and the other half are students and community members. We have already invited community leaders and partners, such as the chief of police, the executive director of DHA, a representative from DEF, and Beacon Hill Black Alliance, to be a part of this team. We also invited parents who serve as leaders on SLTs or PTA to join the team as well. Now that we have those team members confirmed, we are extending an open invitation to the community to fill out the rest of the team. Once the team is finalized, we will post the members on the strategic planning website coming soon.
If you would like to be considered as a member of the planning team, please complete this form by October 14.
Decatur Virtual Academy Interest
Are you interested in Decatur Virtual Academy?
The window is open for students to transfer to Decatur Virtual Academy for the Spring 2023 semester.
To allow adequate time to complete online courses, the registration deadline for Spring semester enrollment is December 20. From October 7 until December 20, 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 waitlist. This form can only 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, the 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.
Letters to Sala
The Decatur High School Intermediate Advanced Acting Ensemble will perform Letters to Sala October 20-23 at the DHS Performing Arts Center. You won’t want to miss this amazing show! Tickets can be purchased at decaturperforms.org.
Adapted from the book Sala’s Gift by Ann Kirschner, and based on a true account, Letters to Sala a remarkable story of a young girl’s survival during wartime Germany. Five years. Seven Nazi labor camps. Over 350 hidden letters. Sala Garncarz Kirschner kept her secret for over fifty years, concealing her incredibly painful history in a Spill and Spell box. Everything changes when Sala reveals the cache to her grown daughter, Ann. Letters to Sala draws from the emotional journeys that begin for both Ann and Sala when the letters resurface. Through scholarly research, Ann discovers that her mother has made a historically significant impact on Holocaust documentation. As Ann processes her own reaction to her mother’s story, her daughters, Caroline and Elisabeth, also realize for the first time the weight of their Jewish heritage.
Thursday, October 20 at 7 PM
Friday, October 21 at 7 PM
Saturday, October 22 at 7 PM
Sunday, October 23 at 2 PM
Go to www.decaturperforms.org for more information.
GADOE/CSD Virtual Dyslexia Information Meeting
October 20, 6:30 - 7:00 pm Virtual Meeting:
GADOE/CSD Virtual Dyslexia Information Meeting
Dr. Jennifer Lindstrom, Statewide Dyslexia Coordinator for the Georgia Department of Education, will provide the CSD community with an overview of Senate Bill 48 and answer questions.
Click here to register for this meeting.
Resources from the Georgia Department of Education:
Georgia Department of Education Dyslexia Information and Video Links
Special Education Meeting ~ Family Support Program
Ms. Nicole Brickhouse, Family Support Manager for InCommunity, will share information about Family Support Funding and an overview about InCommunity Organization. The City Schools of Decatur's Special Education Department is excited to welcome this wonderful well established organization to our district.
Who is eligible to access funding?
Individuals ages four and up with a diagnosed developmental disability living in Georgia at home with their families and who are not currently receiving a NOW/COMP Waiver are eligible for Family Support Services. *Funding is disability-based, not financial needs based.
Target Audience: Parents of students with an IEP Pre-K through 12th Grades
Date: October 20
Time: 6-7 pm
Virtual Meeting RSVP here or email Cheryl Grant at cgrant@csdecatur.net.
Community Partner Announcements and Updates
Decatur Education Foundation
You only turn 20 once! Come celebrate our 20th Anniversary with us at Soiree in the City on Saturday, November 12, 6-10 pm. Here’s the perfect excuse to get dressed up and go out on the town at one of the hottest new event venues in Atlanta, 42West. We’ll enjoy a seated harvest dinner by Little Farmhouse Cafe, live music from Maxwell Street and a full array of cocktails and mocktails. Tickets are now on sale at www.decatureducationfoundation.org/soiree. Business sponsorships are still available! Contact leah@decatureducationfoundation.org for more information. Let’s cut a rug and enjoy an evening on the town for a great cause: our kids!
Meaningful volunteer opportunities available! DEF is seeking volunteers to be tutors and mentors! Tutors are needed to help students from 2nd – 8th grades for one hour per week. We are also gearing up to re-launch our AIM Scholars mentoring program in January, for which we need 20-30 adult volunteers. If you would like to learn more about these programs and sign up, please visit www.decatureducationfoundation.org/mentoring.
Madison Avenue Soapbox Derby
COME WATCH ON RACE DAY!
Join us as a spectator on Saturday, October 15th, for a day of family-friendly fun watching the race! Check out the full schedule here. Food and beverages will be available for purchase - all proceeds from this year’s event go to support the Friends of Refugees family literacy program!
Season of Giving
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 28.
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!
DeKalb County Government GoGreen Event
DeKalb County Government, in collaboration with DHL Express, is sponsoring a GoGreen community environmental event this Saturday, October 15, at Wade Walker Park.
Tree Planting Signup
Invasive Species Workshop