I apologize that this is the first blog post for the 2016-2017 school year.  As some of you may be aware, my wife and I were expecting the birth of our second child in September.  In an effort to follow in his big brother’s footsteps, Maxwell Robert McKnight was born seven weeks early on July 20^th.  He weighed three pounds and six ounces and came out kicking and screaming.  He is still in the hospital but should be released in the next few weeks.  As a result, I have missed several days of school and have fallen a bit behind.  However, I look forward to getting back into a rhythm and sending these updates out each week.

This is a big year for the Senior Academy, with our first graduating class, and I am very excited about our work over the summer and the addition of some great new members to our team.  This completion of our Cradle-to-College Pipeline is not only the culmination of more than 13 years of work for our students, but also three years of work by the Senior Academy team and more than 17 years of work since the founding of Drew in 2000.  This marks an important milestone in the lives of our students and the vision for Drew Charter School.  I am tremendously excited about the achievements of our students, particularly the Legacy Class, and I am excited to see what students accomplish this year, particularly as they begin applying to scholarships and colleges.

Shout-outs:

• To all of the new staff members who have joined us:
  • Tasha Allen – 11^th Grade Math
  • Office Phillip Bridwell – School Resource Officer
  • Teresa Crooks – Receptionist
  • Kimberly Foster – 12^th Grade ELA and Early College Support
  • Angelica Hairston – JA/SA Harp
  • Lauren Hayes – JA/SA Harp
  • Christina Hood – 12^th Grade Science
  • Teresa Jackson – 12^th Grade Math
  • Juliet Karanja-Pinder – RtI/SST Chairperson
  • Tiffany Keys – 10^th Grade Math
  • Jessica Krachman – 9^th Grade Math
  • Barbara Manwell – 12^th Grade Social Studies
  • Jeffery Martín – JA/SA Coding
  • Katherine Might-Zdradzinski – JA/SA Spanish
  • Winsome Morgan – 10/12^th Grade Special Education
  • Kendrick Myers – SA Dean of Students
  • Nina Pryor – JA/SA Band Director
  • Robert Richardson – 9/11^th Grade Counselor
  • Leslie Schaffer – 9^th Grade Social Studies
  • Michael Standard – JA/SA Music Technology
  • Michelle Stinson – Early College Support Liaison
  • Alexandra Thomas – College Advising Corps Member
  • Eric Washington – Technology Specialist
  • Everette White – 9^th Grade Special Education
  • Office Jada Williams – School Resource Officer
• To several staff who have moved positions from last year:
  • Tyler Coley – 6-8^th Grade Engineering à 6-9^th Grade Engineering
  • Emily Desprez – 10^th Grade Math à Math Intervention Teacher
  • Jeff Kitchen – 6^th Grade Science à 6-9^th Grade Business and Technology
  • Kevin Parker – CREW Teens Student Support Liaison à Photography
• To Mr. McCullough and Ms. Allen for their continued work with Organic World Language (OWL).  We are now hosting teachers from across the country to observe this practice!
• To Ms. Akinyela for helping organize the daily announcements during Flex Time
• To Ms. Jackson and the 12th grade team for their continued work planning senior activities
• To Ms. Davis, Mr. Richardson, Ms. Kaney and Ms. Mills for all of their work balancing classes and finalizing schedules
• To Mr. Myers, Ms. Kaney and Mrs. Ali-Ferguson for planning our Third Annual Midnight Madness event

Calendar:

• Monday, August 8^th
  • A-Day
  • Flex Time – SGA Town Hall
  • 5:30-6:30 pm – Posse Nominee Information Night [Student nominees and their parents]
• Tuesday, August 9^th
  • B-Day
  • Flex Time – Extended Learning
  • 5:30 pm – JV Volleyball vs. Decatur [Home]
  • 6:00 pm – Board of Directors Meeting [Eva Davis Board Room]
• Wednesday, August 10^th
  • A-Day
  • Flex Time – Advisory:
    • SGA Campaign Videos and Election
    • Club Selection
  • 5:30 – Softball vs. McNair [Away]
• Thursday, August 11^th
  • B-Day
  • Flex Time – Extended Learning
  • 5:30 – Softball vs. Creekside [Southside Sports Complex]
  • 6:30 – Volleyball vs. Maynard Jackson and Alpharetta [Maynard Jackson]
• Friday, August 12^th
  • Students with passes can wear jeans.
  • A-Day
  • Flex Time – Free Friday (logistics TBD)

Upcoming Events  

• Wednesday, August 17^th, 5:30-7:30pm – Senior Parent Meeting [Cafeteria]
• Thursday, August 18^th, 10:00-2:00 – GSU: Clarkston Early College Student Orientation
• Monday, August 22^nd – GSU Early College classes begin
• Friday, August 26^th, 12:00-6:00 pm – Whole-Day Parent Conferences
• Saturday, August 27^th – 11/12^th KIPP/Lovett/Westminster College Fair
• Monday, September 5^th – Labor Day [No School]
• Wednesday, September 7th – Yearbook Pictures
• Friday, September 9th – Mock ACT Administration [Juniors]
• Thursday, October 13^th, 4:00-6:00 pm – Quarter 1 PBL Showcase

Announcements:

1. Echo – New Tech Network, our technical assistance provider for Project-Based Learning (PBL) has discontinued support of the Echo learning management system.  As a result, we are switching to BlackBoard, a very popular and robust system used by many colleges.  As soon as student accounts are set up, we will reach out to families to provide information on how to use the system.
2. Senior Parent Meeting – Senior Parents, please be sure to plan to attend our Senior Parent Night next Wednesday at 5:30 in the Cafeteria.  This meeting will provide information about senior year academic requirements, college resources and senior activities, including dues.
3. Yearbook Pictures – Yearbook pictures are scheduled for Wednesday, September 7^th. Students must have their blazer in order to take a yearbook picture.
4. Junior Dues – Below are links to the schedule to pay Junior Dues and an FAQ document.  Dues will remain $200 this year.  Please make every effort to pay these dues according to the schedule so that we have funds available to secure deposits and purchased materials in advance in order to avoid extra fees.
   • Dues Payment Schedule
   • Frequently Asked Questions

Links:

• Drew Senior Academy College and Career Website – www.DrewCCR.com
• Naviance – http://connection.naviance.com/charlesdcs

• Link to Sign up for Constant Contact Emails

• Eagle Nation Athletic Booster Club – http://www.dreweaglenation.org/
  • Great information about our athletic teams, including their schedules and records.
• Band Booster Club – http://drewbandboosters.org/
• MyGivingPoint – http://www.mygivingpoint.org/ – All 10-12^th Grade students should have accounts to this site in order to log community service hours.  Please direct questions about community services to your student’s grade-level counselor.
• Hands-on-Atlanta Volunteer Opportunity Calendar