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.

Senior Academy Priorities for the Year

1. A school where character and school culture are developed through positive relationships with students, parents, staff and the community.
2. A school where we facilitate high quality STEAM/PBL learning, and everyone understands how these principles and practices prepare students for postsecondary success.
3. A school that supports all students’ intellectual, social, and emotional growth and understands how these elements impact learning and development.

Please note many activities and events have been rescheduled and updated below.

Shout-outs to:

• Senior Kenise Neal, for being selected as a Posse Scholar to Boston University!
• Sophomore Payton Gunner, for being selected into the inaugural Harvard Debate Council Diversity Project with the help of Ms. Schaffer!
• Ms. Young for being chosen by the Colleges That Change Lives membership and Board of Directors as one of the 2018 Counselors That Change Lives!
• Ms. Hood for her vision for an aquaponics project!
• Ms. Hairston for her thoughtfulness around pairing older harp students to mentor younger students!
• Ms. Tasha Allen for working to incorporate rollercoasters into her math problems as an authentic application and seeking to bring in a structural engineer to work with students!
• Mr. McCullough for thoughtfulness in planning Honors Spanish activities to focus on writing to better prepare students for AP Spanish!
• Mr. Konieczny for his upcoming magnetism exhibit project!

Calendar:

Upcoming Events:

• 1/29 – 2/2 – Black History Month Begins
  • 1/29, Flex Time – B-Week Clubs
  • 1/30, 6:00 – Varsity Basketball vs. Our Lady of Mercy [Home – SENIOR NIGHT]
  • 1/31, 5:30 – JV Boys Basketball vs Hapeville Charter [Home]
  • 2/1, 5:30 – JA Basketball Playoff @ TBA
  • 2/2
    • Parent Conference Half-Day
    • NAEP Administration [Selected Seniors]
    • Mock ACT Exam [Juniors]
    • 6:00 – Varsity Basketball @ Landmark Christian
  • 2/3
    • 10:00-1:00 – Drew PTA Summer Expo [See Below]
    • 12:00 – Varsity Basketball vs. AIS [Home]
• 2/5 – 2/9 – National School Counseling Week
  • 2/5, Flex Time – A-Week Clubs
  • 2/10 – ACT [ALL JUNIORS]
• 2/12 – 2/16
  • 2/12
    • Flex Time – B-Week Clubs
    • 6:00 – EagleNation Booster Club Meeting [ Cafeteria ]
  • 2/14 – Teaching and Learning Committee Meeting
  • 2/15
    • 8:15 – PTA SA Parent Gathering
    • Flex Time – Book Buddies
    • 6:30 – Pre-LGPE JA/SA Orchestra Concert [Theater]
  • 2/17 – Atlanta Urban Debate [South Gwinnett High School]
• 2/18-2/20 – Junior College Trip [Washington, DC]
• 2/19-2/21 – Winter Break
• 5/19, 4:00 pm – Class of 2018 Graduation Ceremony [Main Gym]
• June 4-15th – Summer Bridge Program for rising ninth grade students [Georgia Tech]

Announcements:

• Georgia Parent Survey – The Georgia Parent Survey contains 24 questions and  may be completed using personal computers, smartphones or tablets.  All parents should 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: Title I Parent Compacts – Each year, as part of the Title I process, we revise and circulate compacts that outline the agreements between families, students, staff and the school.  It is important that all families review these compacts, sign and return them.  Hard copies were distributed to students, but I have also linked an electronic copy here.  Students should return these to their advisory teacher.
• Reminder: New Nominating Committee Election Coming UP!
  • Nominating Committee Election will be held on January 25, 2018 at the PTA General Body Meeting, 6:00 p.m.
  • The purpose of the Nominating Committee is to recognize and seek qualified nominees for the elected leadership of the PTA. The members of the committee have a tremendous influence on the future of the PTA and should be selected carefully. The Drew Charter PTA Nominating Committee will be elected on January 25, 2018 and will spend the two months after that identifying and vetting qualified individuals who the Nominating Committee will recommend become our elected PTA Executive Board for the 2018-2019 school year.
  • Nominating Committee members should have a broad acquaintance with the membership and an understanding of the organization’s functions and its purposes. The committee should include both experienced as well as newer members.
  • For More Information, 2017 Drew Charter PTA Nominating Committee Nomination Form
• Reminder: PTA Parent Gatherings – On November 16th we hosted our fourth PTA Senior Academy Parent Gathering.  Thank you to Mr. Marshall Findlay from Applerouth for presenting (a copy of his presentation is linked here and a video recording of the presentation is available here)  These gatherings will occur every third Thursday of the month, alternating between 8:15 am and 5:00 pm.  The next Parent Gathering will be held at 5:00 pm on Thursday, January 25th in the Eva Davis Board Room.  Click Here to Become a PTA Member
• Sports, Arena & Entertainment Community Hackathon – “Join The Farm and the BridgeCommunity commercialization program to dream up the next big breakthrough in sports and entertainment on Feb. 17th at SunTrust Stadium! Build something new with your family, hack on cutting-edge technology and win cool prizes. Atlanta high school and university students and their families are invited to attend this day-long, idea challenge. Expect plenty of hardware to test with, coding kits for younger participants, delicious food, interesting judges and more! REGISTER”
• SPONSORED EVENT FOR PARENTS – The PTA has sponsored a workshop for parents and staff (adults-only) to learn more about talking about puberty and health with children, tweens, and teens. The event will be in the senior academy auditorium from 7-8:30 PM on Monday, January 29