Purpose – Drew Charter School serves as a key component of the cradle-to-college pipeline within the holistic East Lake neighborhood revitalization. Appreciating our unique status as a mixed-income school, Drew Charter School’s primary purpose is to provide an excellent education to all children living in the Villages of East Lake so that each student reaches his or her full potential and is launched on a pathway to health, impact and prosperity.

Vision – Drew Charter School students are equipped with the knowledge, skills, and passion to create positive change in the world.

Mission – Drew Charter School is an exemplary, innovative education community that empowers all students to achieve their full potential.

Shout Outs!

• To the Drew InvenTeam and Ms. White for the amazing presentation at their Mid-Grant Review!  The students were incredibly knowledgeable, prepared and poised!  Follow them on Twitter at @DCHS_InvenTeam.
• To the Senior Academy Orchestra and Ms. Colbert for their 4th consecutive Superior Rating at Large Group Performance Evaluation!  The group earned superior ratings in both Performance and Sight reading!
• To Ms. Manwell’s AP American Government class for presenting their bills on community policing to State Senator Elena Parent on Monday!
• To Ms. Kaney and Mr. Myers for collaborating to present to parents at our Prospective Parent Night on Monday [See link below to PowerPoint presentation]!
• To Ms. Woods for coordinating gifted testing this week!
• To Ms. Murray’s FBLA students, who sold Valentine’s Day gifts as a fundraiser!
• To Mr. Baker and Ms. Canney for organizing the film class field trip to the Apple Store!
• To Ms. Foster and Ms. Stinson for organizing the Early College presentations at the junior community forum!
• To Mr. Kitchen for organizing the Intro. to Business and Technology field trip to Serenbe last Thursday!
• To Ms. Deiters for coordinating the ninth grade T-shirts!

Calendar:

• Black History Week 4: February 20-24, 2017
  • I AM Black History: Entertainers, Athletes and Leaders
  • DRESS DAY: Friday, February 24th
  • ATTIRE: Drew Charter School’s “I AM Black History” T-Shirt
• Monday, February 20th – Winter Break [No School]
• Tuesday, February 21st – Winter Break/Professional Learning and Planning Day [No School]
  • Early College classes will still be held
  • 9:30 – Buses depart for Early College sites
• Wednesday, February  22nd – B-Day
  • Flex Time: Extended Learning
  • 4:00-6:00 – Farm Stand: Stop by the Farm Stand near the entrance to the EA between 4pm-6pm (or until we sell out!)  We will have fresh, local fruits and veggies, along with local strawberry jam and farm fresh eggs.  All proceeds go to fund Healthy You, Healthy Drew initiatives (like the quarterly tastings and Mindful Mondays, to name a couple!).  Please bring cash and your own bag (yay Earth!).
• Thursday, February 23rd – A-Day
  • No Flex Time
  • 1:30-2:25 – 4th Period
  • 2:30-4:00 – EA/JA/SA Dance/Drama Black History Program
•  Friday, February 24th – B-Day
  • 8:00-10:00 – Senior College and Work Readiness Assessment Administration [Selected Seniors]
  • Flex Time
    • 9-11th – Free Friday
    • 12th – Community Forum
  • 6:00 – Joint Drew/DSA Black History Month Dance Performance [Theater]

Upcoming Events:

• 2/27 –
  • Band Large Group Performance Evaluation
  • 8:00-10:00 – Senior College and Work Readiness Assessment Administration [Selected Seniors]
• 2/28 –
  • Chorus Large Group Performance Evaluation
  • 4:30 – SA Principal’s Coffee: Math Initiatives [Eva Davis Board Room]
• 3/1-3/3 – Sophomore College Trip
• 3/6, 6:00 – Rising Ninth Grade Transition Night: This night will focus on information to prepare rising ninth graders and their families for the transition to the Senior Academy, including course selection for next year.
• 3/7 –
  • Coding Workshop from Best Buy with the Geek Squad for Teen Tech Week
  • 6:00 – Early College Parent Night [Rising seniors and their parents – Theater]
• 3/8, 1:30-4:00 – Tentative: SA Hidden Figures Screening [Theater]
• 3/10 – Vision Screening [Please look for a release form brought home by your student]
• 3/13 – End of Quarter 3
• 3/22 – Quarter 3 PBL Showcase
• 4/14 – Prom [Venue – 433 Bishop St.]
• 4/24-5/12 – Milestone Assessments and AP Exams: Please be careful about scheduling student absences during this time
• Saturday, 5/20, 4:00 pm – Graduation
• June 6-17th – Summer BRIDGE Program for rising ninth grade students [Georgia Tech – Flyer]

Announcements:

• Prospective Parent Night – Last Monday we held our annual Prospective Parent Night to present an overview of the Senior Academy to rising ninth grade and other prospective students and families.  The PowerPoint for that presentation his available here.
• HackGT – “HackGT is hosting a free Computer Science (CS) outreach event at Georgia Tech for high school students here in the Atlanta area. We intend for this event to be the first exposure many attendees have to computer science and we aim to provide all the mentorship and resources needed to give them a positive experience and attitude towards STEM fields. Our aim is to offer a new experience, or enrich a skill which your students might not have had a chance to develop.  This event has been designed and planned solely with your students in mind and it is our intention to go to whatever lengths we must to ensure that they can have such an opportunity. The event will take place at Klaus Advanced Computer Building at Georgia Tech. The event also includes free food, free t-shirts, and other goodies to take home!” More info here – https://catalyst.hack.gt.
• Reminder: Georgia Parent Survey – The Georgia Parent Survey is modeled after the student survey and contains 24 questions. Parents may complete the survey using their personal computer, smartphones or tablet.  All parents should be encouraged to participate in the Georgia Parent Survey because the data will be used as part of the calculation of the School Climate Star Rating. Survey responses are anonymous and will be submitted directly to the Georgia Department of Education for analysis.
• Reminder: Parent Committee Members – Parents/guardians, we need your help with several of our committees listed below.  If you are interested in working with a team of staff members on any of these initiatives, please complete the survey link here.  Committees will generally meet every third Monday at 4:15 pm.
  • Awards Ceremonies
  • Prom
  • School Culture, Spirit and Discipline
  • Staff Culture/Sunshine
    
• Reminder: MyPaymentsPlus – We are excited to announce a new way to pay for student dues, yearbooks, field trips and other expenses.  MyPaymentsPlus allows parents/guardians to pay for these obligations online via credit card.  More information about the program and how to register are available in this flyer.
• Reminder: Yearbook – The Charles R. Drew Charter School  2017 Yearbook is now available for sale!! This year’s book is a Signature Series Hardcover bound, PreK-12 (Drew’s FIRST graduating senior class), full color, 140 pages and is available for delivery 5/8/2017. Order yours TODAY for the lowest price possible!!  Sales will work as follows:
  • ONLINE through 11/25/16 $28.00 EARLY BIRD SPECIAL PRICE!!Purchase now with the link below.
  • http://link.entourageyearbooks.com/view_account.asp?l=F1940BDA-4103-4DFE-9899-5802744E3719
    • ONLINE 11/26/16 through 02/26/17 $30.00
    • ONLINE 02/27/17 through 04/10/17 $35.00
    • After 04/10/17 In person at either campus, $35 cash or credit.