Weekly Update

• Athletics and Counseling Updates
• DHS News: Support PBIS, HOSA Wins Big, Robotics Competition, & Thomas Edison Competition
• Activities Around DHS: Purchase Lit Magazine, 9/10 Grade Dance, JV/Varsity Cheerleading Interest Meeting, Literary Magazine Submissions, Prom Updates, Senior Baccalaureate, & Summer Opportunities
• PTSA News
• CSD & Community Partners Updates

Hello,

I hope everyone has adjusted to the time change that comes with the start of spring. As a reminder, 27-week grades are coming out soon; take time to review them with your student. Please encourage your student to continue working hard and giving their best effort.

Last summer, Mr. Semrad examined and analyzed student data related to the impact of tardiness and attendance on grades. His findings demonstrate that tardies indeed have an impact on student outcomes. Mr. Semrad presented this data to the faculty in July. You can also see Mr. Semrad’s Chat and Chew presentation from early in the school year linked here.

The leadership team met this week to dive deeper into our data about tardies for school and individual classes. This topic is important because tardiness can result in:

1. Disruption to others' teaching and learning
2. Missed instruction
3. Disciplinary consequences

Our goal is to improve tardiness in the short term and change practices in the coming year.

Sincerely,

Duane Sprull, Ed.D.

Bulldog Fans, VOTE TODAY for Sophie D'Elena, who has been nominated for the MileSplit GA Track & Field Performer of the Week. This Saturday, at the Atlanta Games, of the state's major meets of the season, Sophie won the 800-meter race. Not only did she win, Sophie crossed the finish line at 2:11.75, one of the TOP 10 times in the nation this year! Amazing job, Sophie! Let's help Sophie across another finish line as the Performer of the Week!

Vote for Sophie HERE

Help us celebrate and support our students through our PACK (Purposeful, Accountable, Connected, and Kind) and PBIS (Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports) programs! One of our most meaningful traditions is writing personalized congratulatory letters to graduating seniors—last year, our incredible staff wrote nearly 1,700 heartfelt cards! ✉️✨

You can be part of this effort by donating greeting cards from our Amazon Wish List, which our staff will use to send messages of encouragement and congratulations. The list also includes student-selected incentives that recognize and reward positive behavior. 🎉🎁

Your support helps strengthen connections between teachers and students, ensuring that every student feels valued and celebrated. Thank you for being a part of our amazing DHS community! 💙

📌 Wish List Link: Amazon Wish List

Eleven students from DHS's new Health Occupations Students of America (HOSA) chapter competed in the Georgia HOSA State Leadership Conference this past weekend, and DHS student Eleanor Benson 🥇 placed first in the epidemiology competition! She has been invited to compete as Georgia’s representative at this summer's international HOSA Conference 🌍✨.

Additionally, Leona Ran 📖 placed 5th in the state for Medical Reading, and Jalia Poole 🌎 placed 9th in the state for World Health & Disparities in Healthcare.

All HOSA competitors had a fantastic time participating in workshops, competing, and bringing home awards 🏅👏. Congratulations to the entire HOSA team and their sponsor, Cassy Smith! 🎊🎉

Big THANKS to DEF for a mini grant that helped cover the costs of the conference 👏

💙 HOSA Students Competing in State:
Eleanor Benson, Sophie Clark, Leighton Cohen, Eshaan Dhanani, Willow Harris, Sophia Jiang, Charlotte Kemper, Leona Ran, Jihoon Park, Diana Pollidore, Jalia Poole

Decatur Robotics (Team 4026) had an exciting start to the 2025 season this weekend! The team finished in 12th place and served as captain of the 7th-seeded alliance in the playoffs, advancing four rounds.

To top it off, Team 4026 earned the Innovation in Control Award 🏆 for outstanding robot design!

The team is already gearing up for their next tournament on March 21-22—stay tuned for more updates! 🔧⚙️

We’re thrilled to announce that two of our teams, TerraVita and TechnoWizards, have advanced to the next phase of the Thomas Edison Pitch Competition! 🏆 Both teams are sponsored by Dr. Smith and are tackling real-world problems with innovative solutions.

💧 TerraVita is developing a portable water filtration system to provide clean drinking water for all.
🔹 Team Members: Amalia Andrade (Captain), Olivia Purdy, Isaac Finke, Milla O’Connell, Travis Whitson

🛡️ TechnoWizards are creating SensibleAI, a Chrome extension designed to protect users’ sensitive information online.

🔹 Team Members: Matthew Denius (Captain), Jaemin Park, Cyrus Ebrahimi, Avyn Ebersold, Isaac Finke

Both teams have received Arduinos, 11 types of sensors, and solar panels from the Edison Innovation Foundation to help bring their ideas to life. 🌞🔬

👏 A huge congratulations to these talented students for their hard work and creativity—best of luck as they continue to innovate! 🚀✨

The Decatur High School Literary Magazine is a student-produced publication dating back to 1972. Every year, DHS's Creative Writing students develop a theme, solicit student creative writing and artwork, review submissions, and design and execute the layout and illustrations to produce the magazine. All writing, artwork, and production decisions are made by students, with support from the DHS English department.

DHS students may submit creative writing and art to be considered for publication, through Friday, March 14th. DHS students should check their emails for more information on how to submit.

If you want to order a copy of the magazine, please complete this form. This year's theme is Dreams and Nightmares.

Please note:

• The literary magazine is expected to go to print by the Friday before spring break (April 4th).
• Magazines will not be ready for pick-up until at least a week after spring break (depending on production times and delivery estimates).
• If you want to guarantee that you receive a copy of the magazine, orders must be placed and paid in full before Friday, March 28th.
• Additional copies may be available for purchase after spring break, but there is no guarantee.
• Creative Writing students and students whose work is printed in the lit/mag will receive a complimentary copy of the magazine (thank you to the CSD school board for funding these complimentary copies). Only use this form if you would like to order additional copies/if you would like to donate to the magazine.

Questions about this form or the DHS Literary Magazine?

Please contact:

Ms. Frances Wilson

DHS Creative Writing teacher

fwilson@csdecatur.net

Get ready to dive into an enchanting evening at The Stave Room on Saturday, May 3rd! 🏰🐚 This magical night will be filled with mystery, glamour, and unforgettable memories. 🌟💃🏽🕺

🎟️ Ticket & Fee Information

• Juniors & Seniors: You must purchase Package A Dues to attend prom.
  • 🎓 Seniors: $375
  • 🎒 Juniors: $295
• 🎟️ Guest Tickets: Available for purchase starting March 3rd after school (only if all fees are paid in full).
• ⏳ Payment Deadline: All tickets (Juniors, Seniors, and Guests) must be paid in full by Friday, March 28th.

💰 How to Pay

• 💻 Online: Through Infinite Campus
• 🏫 In Person: Cash, check, or money order to Ms. D. Jones in the Attendance Office

🔹 Important Reminder:
✅ You only need to purchase one package—Package A is required for prom attendees.
❌ Package B is only for students who will NOT attend prom. If you don’t purchase both, Infinite Campus fees will be adjusted accordingly.

❓ Questions?

📍 Ms. D. Jones – Attendance Office 🏢
📍 Ms. Foy – Main Office 🏫

We can't wait to celebrate this magical night with you! 🌊🐠💃🏽✨

To donate to the PTSA to support Teacher Appreciation and Teacher/Student Grants, please use this link or Venmo @DecaturHighPTSA.

Examples of projects we've funded include this list below, and there is more we want to do.

• Beautification of the Decatur Career Academy

• A new viola rack

• PC Building (Redux) for the Tech Club to promote STEM education

• Celebrations of Asian Heritage by the Asian Student Union & AAPI Sidekicks

• Real-world forensics to enhance investigative science at DHS

CSD's climate survey for your K-12 school is open through March 31, 2025. These surveys are the measures by which GaDOE determine each school’s climate, and the results are a part of each school's CCRPI results. Schools with fewer than 15 family responses or less than 51% of student and staff participation will lose one star from their overall School Climate Rating. Your voice is valued and vital! Please take the DHS Family Climate Survey.

The 2025-2026 CSD enrollment opens on Monday, March 3, for rising Kindergarten students or students new to CSD. Registration may be completed entirely online. Find more registration information here.

New Families: See CSD's Key Contacts & Resources for Families, available in multiple languages.

REMINDER: If your currently enrolled student has a sibling who will be new to CSD for the 2025-2026 school year, you must register this new sibling via the Parent Portal.

1. Select "More" from the menu in the Parent Portal.

2. Select "Annual Data Update."

3. Select "2025-2026 New Student Registration."

As part of the enrollment process, you will also need to email residency documentation to CSD's district enrollment specialist, Patrice Moore, at pmoore@csdecatur.net, as the Parent Portal will not allow you to change or upload this field. Information about required residency proof documents is available on the CSD website. Please contact pmoore@csdecatur.net or 404-371-3601 x1063 for assistance.

To help prevent the spread of COVID-19, support strong school attendance, and encourage safe in-person learning, the U.S. Department of Education, in partnership with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, is offering free, rapid, at-home COVID-19 tests to school districts for distribution to students, staff, and families. Starting this week, free COVID-19 test kits will be available in school clinics for pickup from the school nurse.

To maintain the health and wellness of school-aged children and adolescents, the state of Georgia requires that students receive vaccinations for vaccine-preventable diseases before and while attending school.

The CSD School Health Team continuously assesses the immunization status of all CSD students. Parents/guardians of students with expired immunization certificates, Form #3231, or invalid immunization documentation will receive a notification from the school clinic team requesting that the student obtain the required vaccinations for school attendance. A medical exemption on Form #3231 with a current expiration date should be noted, if applicable. See the Georgia Department of Health's child and adolescent vaccination schedule.

According to the Georgia Department of Public Health, a valid immunization certificate, Form #3231, or a notarized Affidavit of Religious Exemption, Form 2208, is required for school attendance. If a certificate marked with a "Date of Expiration" expires on the date indicated, a current certificate must be submitted within 30 days of expiration.

Adherence to this guidance is crucial. Being adequately vaccinated safeguards the health and well-being of individual students and contributes to the school community's overall safety and vitality. Additionally, ensuring students are immunized creates a protective barrier that minimizes the risks of outbreaks within the school population. Please contact your child’s school clinic team with any questions.

Tour deCatur Registration is Open!

Get ready, get set, get registered for Decatur Education Foundation's 23rd annual Tour deCatur! Sign up at www.tourdecatur.com!

The fun happens on Saturday, March 15, at the Decatur High School stadium. This year, in addition to the 5k (a Peachtree qualifier), the 1-Mile Fun Run, and the adorable Tot Trot (for our friends ages four and under), DEF is offering a "None-Run" for anyone who wants to support Decatur kids without breaking a sweat! This is DEF's largest fundraiser and supports programs and initiatives that remove obstacles, provide opportunities, support educators, and strengthen the Decatur community!

This year's Bulldog Bash is Saturday, March 22 at Independent Distilling Company. The event will feature a live online auction with everything from artwork, experiences, trips, restaurant gift cards, sporting event tickets, self-care and much more. Plus, Hapa Kitchen will serve delicious Hawaiian comfort cuisine. All proceeds support Decatur Athletics, including more than 1,100 student-athletes on 57 teams representing 19 sports at DHS and BHMS. Buy tickets here.

1. Decatur High School
2. Decatur High School PTSA
3. Visiting DHS and Student Attendance
   
4. Bell Schedule
5. DHS Cell Phone Protocol
6. Bus Routes