Dr. Fehrman's Friday Follow-Up

Click here for the mobile-friendly link: https://www.smore.com/y1nr6

This week I met with the Teacher Advisory Council (TAC) for our first meeting of the year. Every school selects a teacher to serve on this council, and at our monthly meetings, the TAC representatives bring school and district issues to discuss. The members of this team are focused on solving problems and addressing issues in our district. Our first meeting was very positive and I am so thankful for this team of educators leaning in and bringing a solution-focused mindset. The TAC representatives shared that overall our teachers are so glad to be back in the buildings with our students. Thank you CSD teachers, for your continued dedication to the students of our community. #StrongerTogether we can make the world a better place! Next week, I will hold my first meeting with the Classified Staff Advisory Council to hear directly from the support staff across the district.

I would like to give a huge thank you and shout out to our staff! All CSD employees have been working incredibly hard these first three weeks of school. They all have tough jobs to do, especially in a pandemic! Every time I visit a school or walk through the Wilson Center, I am in awe of the amazing people we have in this district. I hope our parents and community members feel the same way and will take a moment to share a note of appreciation. Thank you for all you do each and every day to support our students to learn and thrive!

Plans are underway for district-wide COVID surveillance testing. We met with the lab director and members of the logistics team this week. The first step is to gauge interest in participating in the program. This will help us determine the number of sites and the amount of supplies needed. Complete this short survey to let us know if your student will participate in weekly COVID testing. Here’s a short video about testing. Staff and students will need a signed consent form on file to be tested. You only need to opt-in once for this school year. We will share more information and distribute consent forms next week.

The Georgia Department of Education released Georgia Milestones test results this week. Click here to see our results.

Oakhurst - We are Crew not passengers

I stopped by Oakhurst on Tuesday morning and had the privilege to see two fantastic Kindergarten teams, Ms. Kenner with Ms. Blackwell and Ms. Thorie with Ms. Smith, teaching reading! It was such a joy. The students in Ms. Kenner and Ms. Blackwell’s class were reading in pairs where one student read and the other student was the reading coach! In Ms. Thorie’s and Ms. Smith’s class, the students had identified parts of speech in a reading booklet. I absolutely loved having the students read their booklets to me.

FAVE - Falcons RISE UP!

If you know Ms. Newton-Scott, principal at FAVE, is always focused on teaching and learning. When I stopped in at FAVE, I saw active teaching and learning in every classroom. The focus was so intense I didn’t want to interrupt! I did get a chance to pop in Mr. Madden’s art classroom to see the amazing figureheads the students created. Even the teachers on their planning periods were hard at work!

Decatur High School

I visited two math classes at DHS this week. When I saw massive equations and arcs on the smartboards, I was transported back to my high school math classes, but thankfully, our DHS teachers are much more engaging and support our students in learning these high-level math concepts. I was also so pleased to see how smoothly transition between classes is going at the high school. As I watched students moving from class to class, all students were wearing their masks properly. Great work DHS!!!

Westchester - We are Kind!

With MAP testing this week, the students were busy taking their MAP Pre-Assessment during my visit to Westchester. However, I did get to enjoy recess with Ms. Querubin and Ms. Parker’s classes! It was great to see our WE students stretching their legs and just having time to be kids!

DEF is matching community volunteers (upper high school students and adults) with students in 2nd-8th grades. Volunteers will provide basic homework help, tutoring, and virtual learning support as well as general time management help, motivation, and a greater feeling of connectivity.

Students who need more significant tutoring services and have significant financial needs may be matched with professionals through DEF and may be eligible for some funding support.

Parents/Guardians can sign up a student here.

Volunteers can sign up to be a tutor here.

Firsts are so exciting! First day of school, first week, first kiss, first job… but everything starts getting interesting when we get to seconds and thirds. They’re almost like movie sequels: same cast, new story. You get a chance to readjust, to deepen relationships, to learn that first impressions are sometimes wrong, and to try new things with the foundation you’ve already set. As we finished our second full week of school, our kids have learned their routines, they’ve learned some boundaries, and now they get to start feeling more comfortable with themselves and their surroundings. As with anything, some things get better, sometimes we struggle more. If you, or someone you care about, is struggling a little more than usual, please fill out one of the referral forms at https://www.csdecatur.net/decaturstudentcenter.

The First Choice & A Second Chance

The Decatur Prevention Initiative and the Decatur Parent Network are sponsoring an event featuring author and advocate Stephen Hill, Thursday, August 26th at 6:30. Stephen will discuss his battle with addiction and journey to recovery. Click here for more information.

PanAfrican Festival

Beacon Hill is hosting the PanAfrican Festival on August 28, 2021, in Decatur Square from 3 pm - 8 pm.