Shout-outs:

• To Mr. Uceda, for jumping in to support and mentor our students
• To Mr. Copeland and Ms. Wynn for organizing the interfaith youth experience with WD Muhammad students on Tuesday and Interfaith Summit Thursday night
• To Ms. Kaney and the Varsity Volleyball team who finished fourth in the APS tournament on Saturday
• To Mr. Sessoms and Ms. Brooks, who’s chorus and jazz bands were featured at the PGA Tour Championship this past week (See a video here)
• To Ms. Kaney, Ms. Knight, Ms. Henderson, Ms. Desprez, Mr. Winchester and Ms. Deiters for planning and chaperoning the ninth grade college trip to University of Alabama
• To Ms. Allen and the 10^th grade team for hosting the first Grade Level Town Hall on Friday
• To Ms. Harris for organizing the Hispanic Heritage Dance Festival on Saturday

Calendar:

• Monday, September 28^th
  • B-Day
• Tuesday, September 29^th
  • A-Day
  • Chik-fil-a Foundation Board of Directors Meeting [Room A301]
  • 5:30 – SA Parent Advisory Group Q&A with Mr. McKnight [Room A301]
  • 6:00 – Varsity Volleyball vs. Landmark and Elite [Away – Strong Rock]
• Wednesday, September 30^th
  • B-Day
  • 10:00-2:00 – Drew Eagles Book Club Fieldtrip to Kirkwood Library
  • 5:30 – Cross Country Meet [Grant Park]
  • 6:00 – Softball vs. Galloway [Home – Southside Park]
• Thursday, October 1^st
  • A-Day Midterm Exams (if applicable)
  • 4:00-6:00 – Elementary Academy PBL Showcase
  • 5:30 – Varsity Volleyball vs. Douglass [Home]
• Friday, October 2^nd
  • B-Day Midterm Exams (if applicable)
  • National Custodial Workers’ Day
  • End of Quarter 1
  • Flex Time
    • 11:45-12:15 – TENTATIVE: 11^th Grade Meeting [Theater]
    • Trust Card Free Friday

Upcoming Events  

• October 8-9^th – Fall Break [No School]
• October 12^th – Professional Learning Day [No School]
• October 13-19^th – Columbian Exchange Student Program
• October 14^th – PSAT Administration [Grades 10 and 11]
• October 15^th
  • PSAT Administration [Grade 9]
  • 4:00-6:00 – Quarter 1 PBL Showcase – Moved to November
• Friday, October 16^th, 7:00 pm – Homecoming Coronation
• October 19-23^rd – Homecoming Week
  • October 19^th, 9:00-10:00 – Royal Court Breakfast
  • October 23^rd
    • 3:00-4:00 – Homecoming Pep Rally
  • October 24^th
    • 9:00-10:30 – Homecoming Parade
    • 11:00-2:00 – Fall Festival
    • 7:00 – Homecoming Dance
• October 28-29^th – AdvancED Accreditation External Review Visit

Announcements:

1. Debate Support – We are looking for staff, parents and community members interested in supporting and helping to coach our new Debate Team.  If you are interested, please email Mr. Copeland at travis.copeland@drewcharterschool.org.
2. Principal’s Coffee on School Norms and Trust Cards – Every third Wednesday of the month I host a Principal’s Coffee on a particular topic.  At the most recent coffee, on September 16^th, I presented on our school norms and Trust Card system.  That presentation is available here.
3. Sophomore and Junior Dues –
   1. Sophomore dues of $30 were announced in the 10^th Grade Town Hall on Friday.  These dues will help supplement funding from the PTA for events like Midnight Madness, Homecoming, College and Career Week and the SGA Day of Play.  A flyer about the dues is available here.
   2. A schedule of payment for Junior dues is now available and outlined in the flyer available here.
4. Who Wants to be a Mathematician Contest – The American Mathematical Society (AMS) is conducting its national contest for high school students, Who Wants to Be a Mathematician, with a top prize of $5,000 for the winning student and $5,000 for the math department of that student’s school. The first round of qualifying ends Oct. 3.  Ms. Desprez is opening up this opportunity to all students who would like to participate.  The qualifying round test must be completed by October 3^rd, therefore students who would like to participate should report to her classroom (A204) this Tuesday, September 29 at 4:00pm with a laptop to take the 10 question test.  If you want more information you can find the contest page here: http://www.ams.org/wwtbam
5. Buzz on Biotechnology High School Open House – Georgia Tech is hosting an open house for high school students to come learn about the exciting and innovative world of bioengineering and bioscience through hands-on scientific demonstrations, seminars and tours of state-of-the-art laboratories…all hosted by Georgia Tech’s graduate students.  The open house will be held on Saturday, October 10, 2015
, 10 a.m. – 1 p.m. at the Parker H. Petit Institute for Bioengineering & Bioscience at 
Georgia Tech. COMPLIMENTARY REGISTRATION HERE
6. CEO of My Life and Georgia Tech present IncYoubator – Is your child prepared for the 21st century innovation economy?  Give your child the skills needed to be successful. Our exclusive IncYOUbator program gives them real world experience working exclusively and directly at Georgia Tech with innovative global companies through our IncYOUbator. If selected for one of the limited spots available your child will learn key life skills, including entrepreneurship, leadership, and project management. Your child will also get connected with an entrepreneurial community of mentors and coaches typically unreachable to most students and adults.  In addition, they will learn the mindset of becoming their own CEO and how to design their life and future on purpose, not by default. Over 500 students have participated in our programs and have emerged with increased self-confidence, self-awareness, and their own unique brand that will set them apart for job interviews, college applications, and a lifetime of success.  Apply here.  Only 12 students will be selected statewide.
7. A March for Education (AMFE) – The Georgia Tech Society of Black Engineers is hosting their 3rd Annual A March for Education.  A March for Education (AMFE) will be held on Saturday, October 10^th, 2015.  We will meet at Centennial Olympic Park at 9:30 am and begin our walk to Georgia Tech at 10 am.  AMFE is an event whose purpose is to promote and empower African Americans in education, and provide the community with valuable information and resources to pursue their education further. Supplemented with an empowering march, AMFE undoubtedly inspires the various generations involved and shows what can be achieved through the unification of our race, as well as the limitless opportunities education can grant.  Following the march will be a motivational speaker and a STEM and entrepreneur expo to expose students to what they are capable of doing in STEM.  New this year will be “The State of Black Education,” Town Hall meeting, to discuss how we can improve the state of black education beyond just A March for Education.  REGISTER HERE FOR AMFE3

Links:

• Echo – https://echo.newtechnetwork.org/
  • Echo Access Request Form (Please submit these to Ms. Mills, the registrar, in the main office)
  • 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].
• Eagle Nation Booster Club – http://www.dreweaglenation.org/
  • Great information about our athletic teams, including their schedules and records.

A Quote to Think About – “All of the top achievers I know are life-long learners… Looking for new skills, insights, and ideas. If they’re not learning, they’re not growing… not moving toward excellence.”  -Denis Waitley