As always, I have included three sections below – Shout Outs, Calendar and Announcements.  I have also added a Links section for some of the most frequently used sites for parents and students.  Please do not forget to leave comments for future topics that you would like for me to include in the blog.

Shout-outs:

• To the softball team for their first win of the season against St. Francis on Monday
• To Ms. Kaney and Ms. Knight, for organizing participation in the college fair on Saturday
• To Ms. Cowart and Mr. Harris, for organizing the Outdoors Club trip to Arabia Mountain on Saturday
• To Mr. Sessoms, who is sending out a Chorus Weekly Update to students and parents/guardians
• To Ms. White for integrating OneNote into her engineering classes as a means for students to document their design process
• To all of the teachers who attended the STEAM meeting with Jeff Mather and the Perkins + Will architects/designers on Thursday
• To Ms. Waters-Winston, Ms. Andrews and Ms. Wright for their continued hard work and planning for Homecoming

Calendar:

• Monday, August 31^st
  • B-Day
  • Flex Time – Extended Learning
• Tuesday, September 1^st
  • A-Day
  • Flex Time – Advisory
  • 5:00 – Volleyball vs. Eagle’s Landing Christian and Green Forest Baptist [Away – Eagle’s Landing]
• Wednesday, September 2^nd
  • B-Day
  • Flex Time – Extended Learning
  • 5:30 – Cross Country Meet [Grant Park]
• Thursday, September 3^rd
  • A-Day
  • Flex Time – Clubs/Organizations
  • 5:00 – Softball vs. Galloway [Home – Southside Park]
  • 5:30 – Volleyball vs. Maynard Jackson [Away]
• Friday, September 4^th
  • B-Day
  • Flex Time – Trust Card Free Friday

• Upcoming Events  
• Monday, September 7^th – Labor Day [No School]
• Tuesday, September 8^th –
  • 5:00 – Volleyball vs. Strong Rock and Landmark [Home]
  • 5:30 – Softball vs. Eagle’s Landing Christian [Away]
• Thursday, September 10^th –
  • 5:00 – Softball vs. Strong Rock [Home – Southside Park]
  • 6:00 – Volleyball vs. Decatur and Stratford Academy [Away – Decatur HS]
• Friday, September 11^th – Full-Day Parent Teacher Conferences [Sign up for conferences using this link]
• Thursday, September 17^th – Ninth Grade College Trip [Auburn – Half of the ninth grade]
• Thursday, September 24^th – Ninth Grade College Trip [University of Alabama – Half of the ninth grade]
• Monday, September 28^th – College and Work Readiness Assessment Administration [Ninth grade students]
• October 15^th, 4:00-6:00 – Quarter 1 PBL Showcase
• October 19-23^rd – Homecoming Week
• October 28-29^th – AdvancED Accreditation External Review Visit 

Announcements:

1. State Farm Youth Advisory Board – “The YAB is one of the nation’s most exciting opportunities for youth empowerment and development. The board is comprised of 30 youth from around the country who serve as equal members on the board. The board is given responsibility over $5 million dollars to grant service-learning and community impact projects that seek to solve important domestic issues.  Board Members are selected through a competitive application process, and all applications are read and reviewed by at least two members of an internal review team at Corporate.”  More information at this link.
2. Prom and Junior Dues: This week we kicked off planning for our first prom.  Ms. Cristy Wynn, our tenth grade English/Language Arts teacher, will be leading the committee along with a team of staff and parents.  The date for the prom has tentatively been set for Saturday, April 23^rd, pending the availability of a venue.  As many of you know, prom must be funded exclusively through fundraising and student dues.  In order to fund the prom to the standard we expect, we anticipate junior dues to be $200.  More details about the timeline and logistics for payment will be forthcoming.
3. Charter Uniforms – Many of you may have seen the letter from Mary Adams, Sales Manager for Charter School Uniforms, that was sent out via Constant Contact.  If not, I have linked it here.  Please continue to send Mary your feedback regarding the quality of service you receive at the Charter Uniforms store.  I would also ask that you keep Mr. Doran and me informed about your experiences as we evaluate them as a vendor moving forward.

Links:

• Echo – https://echo.newtechnetwork.org/
  • Echo Access Request Form
  • Echo Parent Guide

• Link to Sign up for Constant Contact Emails

• Remind (text message and email alerts) Enrollment Instructions:
  • Ninth Grade
  • Tenth Grade
  • Eleventh Grade
• E-mail Address to Reset Echo Passwords – tech.support@drewcharterschool.org
• MyGivingPoint – http://www.mygivingpoint.org/
  • All students should have accounts to this site in order to log community service hours.  Please direct questions about community services to Ms. Kaney [rachel.kaney@drewcharterschool.org].

A Quote to Think About – “Inquiry isn’t designed to teach information; it’s designed to set up the conditions under which students become more skillful. That’s why it’s inherently student-centered – Thom Markham