CSD Weekly: October 31, 2025

• Did You Know?: Community Resources for Drug Awareness in Honor of Red Ribbon Week
• Mark Your Calendars: Remote Digital Learning Day is Tuesday, November 4, 2025; Save the Date for K-5 Thanksgiving Luncheons
• Around CSD: DHS National Honor Society Nationally Recognized for Overall Excellence, "Radium Girls" Wins GHSA Acting Awards, Talley Street Learns About Eco-Friendly and Inclusive Work Environments
• Information and Resources: Share Your Feedback on CSD's FY27 Budget
• Community Partner News: DEF and DPI Speaker Series: "Social Media: Our Kids and the Impact on Mental Health," Monday, November 17

Find out what's happening in CSD schools by clicking on your school's newsletter name.

College Heights Connection

Clairemont Bulldog

Glennwood Eagle Edition

Oakhurst Weekly

Westchester Weekly

Winnona Park Wildcat Weekly

F.Ave Falcon Flyer

Talley Street Update

BHMS Weekly Update

DHS Weekly Update

Red Ribbon Week is October 23-31. This week an annual alcohol, tobacco, drug, and violence prevention campaign. Here are some community agencies that provide drug awareness resources:

• Decatur Parent Network (DPI)
• DeKalb Office of Youth Services
• University for Parents
• Claratel Behavioral Health (formerly DeKalb CSB)
• GA Center for Child Advocacy

CSD will hold a remote Digital Learning Day on Tuesday, November 4, 2025. All CSD schools and administrative offices will be closed, including the 0-3 and Pre-K programs at College Heights ECLC and the Frasier Center. Families will receive communications directly from schools about specific digital day learning plans for individual sites.

The purpose of this day is two-fold: the remote Digital Learning Day will enable staff to participate in civic engagement on Election Day, and it will provide an opportunity to further grow our secondary students’ digital learning skills. Additionally, staff will have dedicated time to participate in training and professional development.

See CSD's Remote Digital Learning Day FAQ here.

• Remote Digital Learning Day, November 4
• Board of Education Meeting, November 11
• K-5 Thanksgiving Luncheons, November 12-14, check with your school for information
• Second Public Hearing for Feedback on K-2 School Consolidation and Redistricting Process, November 13, 6:30-8 p.m., BHMS Cafeteria
• Board of Education Retreat, November 18
• Thanksgiving Break, November 24-28

• City of Decatur Crossing Guard Appreciation Week, November 3-7

Sign up for Thanksgiving luncheons at K-5 schools! Registration is open from Friday, October 31 to Sunday, November 9 in the Parent Portal. More information about timing is forthcoming. Payment instructions are below. Students are limited to two guests. The cost is $5 per person. Please present a printed or digital receipt upon arrival to serve as your ticket.

Thanksgiving Luncheon Schedule:

• Oakhurst and Talley St.: Wednesday, November 12
• Clairemont and Westchester: Thursday, November 13
• Glennwood, Winnona Park, and F.AVE: Friday, November 14
• Thanksgiving luncheons at ECLC, BHMS and DHS are not open to guests. Please refer questions to CSD's nutrition department.

Payment Instructions in Parent Portal:

1. Shop: Select “School Store,” then select "Nutrition" and then "Products."
2. Choose item: Click on the Thanksgiving icon, then select the parent's name and the number of guests. (Only two tickets per household). Add the item to your cart.
3. Review and pay: Confirm the quantity, add any payment options if needed, and enter your email address for the receipt. Click "My cart" and then "Submit payment" to complete the transaction.
4. Remember: Your receipt will be your ticket, so make sure to provide a valid email address.

For the first time in its 72-year history, the DHS chapter of the National Honor Society (NHS) received the Pillar Award for Overall Excellence. NHS has over 15,000 chapters nationwide, and the DHS chapter is one of 31 to receive this recognition.

The Award of Overall Excellence recognizes chapters that are transforming their schools through all four pillars of the National Honor Society: character, scholarship, leadership, and service. The chapter adviser, Katrina M. Walker, credits this award to its 380 members, over 5,500 service hours, and great community partnerships in the 2024-25 school year. The NHS chapter of DHS inducted 211 new students into the society this month at its 2025-2026 Induction Ceremony.

Well done to the students in the DHS Advanced Acting class, which earned Runner-Up in the GHSA Region 5A One-Act Competition last weekend for their performance of Radium Girls. Sidra Bennett and Keegan McColley also won All-Star Cast Best Actress awards. Congratulations to the cast and crew for their performance and awards, and thank you to director and acting teacher Emily Nichols and co-coach Chris Davis.

Clairemont students are working hard behind the scenes to find the golden ticket in preparation for their fall musical, Willy Wonka KIDS Showtime is Wednesday, November 19, 2025, at 6:00 p.m. at Clairemont Elementary. Tickets are $5 at the door.

The DHS Teaching as a Profession program recently partnered with Kennesaw State University’s Bagwell College of Education to host Georgia’s first-ever Avatar Lab on a high school campus. Aspiring educators were delighted to interact with the Avatars and engage in simulated classroom scenarios, offering a unique, hands-on teaching experience. This program is a continuation of DHS's partnership with KSU, which has welcomed DHS students to KSU's Aspiring Educators of Tomorrow annual conference and sent faculty to speak with students.

Nearly two dozen students, parents, faculty, and community members recently attended a guest speaker session hosted by the Green Team and Talley's Best Buddies. Joyful Jarra owner Veronica Apecena shared how her business was inspired by a friend with developmental disabilities, emphasizing the need for inclusive work environments. She led discussions on plastic waste and how small behavioral changes can have a positive impact on the environment. The event concluded with a visit to her mobile refillery, where she showcased eco-friendly products and offered demonstrations and samples using reusable containers.

Congratulations to the DHS varsity softball and volleyball teams for successful seasons. Both teams advanced to the GHSA State Playoffs as representatives of Region 4-5A. Softball hosted Lanier High School in round 1, while our Volleyball Bulldogs traveled to Milton. Despite valiant efforts, our Bulldogs did not advance to the second round. We are proud of these teams' memorable seasons and know that our Bulldogs will soon begin preparing for another great season next year.

Varsity volleyball coaches: Head coach Marca Tigner

Varsity volleyball team: Karsyn Baker, Kai Burroughs, Abby Campbell, Lea Carvalho, Kara Diamond, London Docherty, Abbie Harkness, Ava Hilson, Kennedy Hilson, Evelyn Johnson, Olivia Lewis, Eavan Reeves, Haidyn Sloan, Jada Taylor, Brigit Walsh, and Brianna Wright

Softball coaches: Head coach Taryn Williams and assistant coaches Wardrickes Buck, Sandi Keener, and Mi'chele Hull

Softball team: Ava Bearden, Elizabeth Brown, Brekley Cade, Lena Castro, Kate Dickinson, Molly Enguirt, Mia Frederick, Mary Huey, Claire Kennedy, Peri Jeffers, Anna Schuffenhauer, and Reny Stephenson

Last Friday, CSD students, staff, and the community participated in Wear It Pink Day in observance of Breast Cancer Awareness Month. This observance invites individuals and organizations to wear pink and participate in related activities to support the cause.

CSD is in the process of building the 2027 Fiscal Year budget. We are interested in input from the community and all stakeholders about their suggestions, concerns, or questions about the budget. Please review the 2027 Budget Calendar and share your feedback via the FY27 Budget Feedback Survey.

Effective immediately, CSD will send Emergency SMS text messages from our new number: 53291.

This change allows us to maintain message deliverability while returning to the familiar setup of separate numbers for emergency and general messages. This change will enable us to maintain message deliverability while returning to the familiar setup of separate numbers for emergency and general messages. Messages will no longer come from the previous number, 54968. This change was made to improve the reliability and speed of our text message delivery. Please save the new emergency number (53291) and general number (97178) to your contacts for immediate recognition. Thank you for your understanding and continued partnership as we make this transition.

CSD's Special Education Department hosts a workshop for families of K-2 students on "Sounding Success: Phonological Awareness and Phonics Made Easy." K-2 families and kids are invited to learn about the development of phonological awareness and phonics through hands-on activities, resources, and games that support the development of these skills. Register here for this session, held on November 19, 2025, 4:30-6 p.m. at the Glennwood Elementary Gym, 440 E. Ponce de Leon Ave.

Waterford is a research-based early learning platform designed to build strong foundational skills in phonics, reading, and language for young learners. Waterford will engage in a phonics curriculum lesson, facilitated by trained facilitators and guided by a classroom teacher, which is targeted to support CSD goals for early literacy, equitable access, and data-driven outcomes for all learners.

Families interested in enrolling their student in the Decatur Virtual Academy (DVA) by choice for the Spring 2026 semester are encouraged to complete the DVA Online Interest and Contract Form by December 5, 2025. Please note that this contract is either for students new to DVA or for those who did not enroll by choice for the Fall 2025 semester, but wish to continue in DVA.

DVA will schedule an intake meeting upon receipt of the completed form. For more information, please review these frequently asked questions and/or email Ms. Arlethea Williams, Director of Decatur Virtual Academy, at awilliams@csdecatur.net.

• Breast Cancer Awareness Month
• Farm To School Month
• Learning Disabilities and Dyslexia Awareness Month
• LGBTQ History Month
• National Bullying Prevention Month
• National Principals Month
• Red Ribbon Week, October 23-31

• National School Psychology Awareness Week, November 3-7

Supper & Sips, DEF’s annual dinner and auction, is just around the corner on Thursday, November 6, 6-10 p.m. at the Chapel on Sycamore. Join us for this fun evening of entertainment and fundraising for our schools. Tickets are available here. If you can’t attend, you can still participate by purchasing a golden raffle ticket or bidding in the silent auction.

The next installment of DEF's monthly speaker series with Decatur Prevention Initiative, "Social Media: Our Kids and the Impact on Mental Health," will be Monday, November 17, 6:30-8 p.m. in the BHMS media center. This presentation will cover the link between online use and mental health, cyberbullying, and online safety tips. Parents and caregivers will hear from Dr. Jessica McCain, a local subject matter expert. Find more information and register here.

Thank you to everyone who attended and supported the Madison Ave Derby last weekend. With our community’s support, they were able to raise over $25,000 to gift to DEF’s Lighten the Load initiative that helps Decatur families with essential needs like weekend food bags.

City of Decatur Parks and Recreation commits to providing exceptional experiences that foster healthy living and meaningful community connections. Please visit the DPRD programs website for information about after-school programs, school holiday programs, and summer camps. Follow Decatur Parks and Recreation on Facebook and Instagram or sign up for their monthly newsletter here.

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