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:

Ms. Simmons for the birth of her daughter, Brandi Drew Simmons, who was 8lbs 12oz at birth!
Ms. Reddick, who joins as our new Partners in Education member working out of the CCR office!
Mr. Vanderplate, who rejoins us (he was a student teacher with Mr. Konieczny last year) and will be substituting for Ms. Simmons while she is on maternity leave!
The Varsity Boys Basketball team for winning their 1st Round State Playoff game at home (the first State Playoff home game and win in school history) and for advancing to the 2nd round again this year!!
Congratulations to Alexis Gaines, Class of 2020, she’s been chosen as one of the top 21 outstanding youth leaders in the state of Georgia and has been selected as the winner for the 2019 Georgia Youth Leadership Awards!
The Senior Academy students who represented Drew at the Regional Science Fair with 4 out of 5 projects placing!
- Congratulations to Senior Niara Botchwey for being the first student in Drew’s history to advance to International Science and Engineering Fair – bypassing the state competition!
- Senior Academy Winners:
  - Gold
    - Senior Niara Botchwey (advancing to ISEF)
    - Junior Joshua Clemons (advancing to State)
    - Junior Alvin Wayne-Stewart (advancing to State)
  - Bronze
    - Senior DeGreer Harris
Senior Ivy Diamond, Freshman Chanel Harris and Sophomore Andre Thomas for competing in the Helen Ruffin Reading Bowl regional competition, representing all of Atlanta Public Schools high schools!
Juniors Reno Teasley and Jordan McCrary who knocked it out the park at the August Wilson Monologue Competition semi-final round!! There are only two slots left for New York, so keep your fingers crossed! Also a big shout out to Ms. Williams and Mr. Baker for their support for these students!
Everyone who participated in the Staff/Student basketball game and the WIN for the Senior Academy!
Ms. Mason, Ms. Young, Ms. Herman, Ms. Weaver, Mr. Powell, and Mr. White for chaperoning the Junior Trip to North Carolina and particularly Ms. Herman who took the lead on planning this trip!
Dr. Allen and the 9th grade team for implementing an efficient new Extended Learning plan for students!
Mr. Harris for incorporating station teaching into his Health pathway course which included health content, STEAM, collaboration, and an authentic client as students work towards creating Fitness Apps for their Biggest Loser PBL Project! Also, to Ms. Bryant for teaching students how to do Mock-Ups of their apps through the stations! (Click the links to observe each station: Station #1, Station #2, and Station #3).
Mr. Copp, who is an assistant coach for the Emory men’s basketball team, who won their conference title this weekend and is headed to the D-III NCAA tournament!
Mr. Prince who brought in representatives from the Atlanta City Council and the East Lake Foundation to provide authentic partners for students to work with as they prepare for their PBL showcase, “The Voices of East Lake!”
Ms. Isbell, for leading the gifted seminar on math this week and for her assistance with the logistics for gifted testing!
Mr. Gaines for the student highlights on the monitors and the revitalization of the Drew website!
Ms. Hartigan for being on top of re-enrollment and continuing to bring clarity to the process!
Ms. Cook and the Dance Team for competing in the GHSA State Dance Invitational last Saturday!
Ms. Klein, Ms. Wilder, Ms. Hecht, and Ms. Nicole for planning and implementing the 9th grade Short Story Book Fair! Check out the student products here.

Calendar:

Week of: 02/25/19 – 03/03/19

MON. 2/25 B-Day

11:00-1:00 – Drew Board of Directors Meeting [Eva Davis Board Room]
Flex Time –
- Clubs: Peer Leadership Group B, Cheer Club, Creative Writing Club, Debate Team, Gay-Straight Alliance, Math Mentors, National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE), Spanish Language and Culture Club, Young Black Excellence
- Study Hall [Cafeteria and Fourth Floor Learning Commons]
- Main Gym
- SA Beta Induction Practice
5:30 – JV Baseball @ Grady

TUES. 2/26 A-Day

BLAZER DAY
Flex Time –
- Extended-Learning (Math, Social Studies, Spanish)
- Study Hall [Cafeteria and Fourth Floor Learning Commons]
- Practice Gym
5:30 – Early College Parent Night (Junior Parents)
5:30 – Varsity Track & Field [Lakewood]

WED. 2/27 B-Day

SGA Sponsored HBCU/Blackout Dress down day (Students will purchase wristbands from Dr. Allen to participate.)
Flex Time –
- Extended Learning (10th, 11th and 12th Grades)
- Study Hall [Cafeteria and Fourth Floor Learning Commons]
- Main Gym
- Beta Induction [Theater]
5:00 – Varsity Girls Tennis vs Maynard Jackson [Home – The Villages of East Lake]
5:30 – JV Baseball vs Grady [Home – Crim High School]

THURS. 2/28 A-Day

POSTPONED (due to JA STEAM Certification) – PTA Senior Academy Parent Gathering
8:30 – JA STEAM Certification Ceremony [Theater]
Flex Time –
- Extended-Learning (ELA, Science, Pathways)
- Study Hall [Cafeteria and Fourth Floor Learning Commons]
- Practice Gym
5:30 – 8th Grade Transition Night (Theater/9th Grade PBL Lab)

FRI. 3/1 B-Day

Flex Time, 1:30-2:20 – Advisory
5:00 – Varsity Soccer vs. S. Atlanta [Home]

SAT – 03/02

9:00 – Varsity Track & Field (Westlake)

Other Upcoming Events

3/4-3/12 – Spring Benchmarks
3/4 – College Fair
3/6 –
- District SAT Administration (Juniors)
- Literary Contest for Area 5 Public A
- Flex Time –
  - 9th Grade Short Story Book Fair
  - Achieve Atlanta and Drew Norms Scholarship Workshop
3/7, Flex Time – 9th Grade Community Forum
3/8 – STEAM Day
3/9, 3:00-6:00 – Design-o-rama
3/13
- Chorus Large Group Performance Evaluation
- Ninth Grade Literature Field Trip [Shakespeare Tavern]
3/14-3/15 – Sophomore College Trip
3/14 – Pi Day
3/18-03/29 – Re-Enrollment for Drew Students
- Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays
  - 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
- Tuesdays, Thursdays
  - 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.
- Location: Drew Charter Junior/Senior Academy, 300 Eva Davis Way, Practice Gym
3/20, 6:00 – Teaching Tolerance Voices of East Lake Event [Theater]
3/22 and 3/23, 6:30 – SA Musical Review [Theater]
June 3-7th – Rising Ninth Grade Summer Bridge Transition Program

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 to help improve the school and 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. http://gshs.gadoe.org/parents
Design-o-Rama Call for Volunteers – We are seeking participants to support our theme of SHELTER. You are receiving this email because we think you might be interested in participating or you might know someone that would. We would love to have professions and hobbyist show off what they do and host activities that involve attendees in the process of making something. We will also feature an auto show–AUTOS THROUGH the AGES. Please direct interested folks to our website: http://steamatdrew.weebly.com/designorama.html.
First Tee of East Lake – See Flyer here for registration and more information.
SA PTA Parent Gatherings – On January 17th, we hosted our monthly PTA Senior Academy Parent Gathering on the topic of “Student Portfolios.” These gatherings typically occur every third Thursday of the month, alternating between 8:15 am and 5:00 pm. Our next Gathering will be held on Thursday, March 21st at 8:15 am and the topic will be Restorative Practices.
- If you were unable to attend our last Gathering, a recording is available here.
- The website referenced during the presentation where you can see examples of student portfolios from Animas High School is linked here.
- The video of a student defending her portfolio is available here.
- Do you have a suggestion for a future Parent Gathering topic? Please email our PTA Vice President, Wanda Ray or please complete this form.
Lottery Application Window for New Students – Applications for new students are open now. If your student has a sibling who is interested in attending Drew, the lottery application window for potential new students is from February 1, 2019 – April 30, 2019. The online application are available on Drew’s website and all qualifying applications will be included in the lottery on May 9^th. Please note that the lottery is for potential new students only; all current Drew students will have the opportunity to re-enroll in March (more details to come). Additional lottery information can be found at www.drewcharterschool.org/enrollment. Please contact the Enrollment Team at 404-450-0567 or admissions@drewcharterschool.org with any questions.
Reminder: Lunch Balances – Please take a moment to check your student’s lunch balance at www.MySchoolBucks.com. Any student who owes money, will need to bring cash to pay for lunch until their balance is cleared. Outstanding balances can be paid down and money can be added to students’ accounts on this website. More information is available in this letter.
Reminder: Yearbook – You can now purchase 2018-2019 [PreK–12th grade] Drew Yearbook , 160 color pages, hardback, $35 online until March 29, 2019 at this link: https://bit.ly/2vU6jex Any questions? Contact: Ms. Isbell
Drew Parents Got Talent – Advanced Tickets at eddiesattic.com: $15 for one set / $25 for both sets Adults only…no kids = ).
- Eddie’s Attic
- Thursday, March 21, 2019
- Two sets: 7:30 p.m. / 9:30 p.m.
- For more information about attending or performing” for Drew parents got talent, add this email: DrewParentsGotTalent@gmail.com
- See flyer below

College Acceptances To-Date

College/University	Student Matriculating
Alabama A&M University
Albany State University
Auburn University
Clark Atlanta University
Colorado College	Juanye’ Hairston
Dartmouth College	Daisha Thornton
Eastern Kentucky University
Elon University
Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University – Daytona Beach
Florida A&M University
Furman University	Marcus Foster
Georgia State University
Hampton University
Howard University
Iowa State University
Kennesaw State University
Long Island University, Post
Louisiana State University
Mercer University
Middle Tennessee State University
Milwaukee School of Engineering
Mississippi State University
New York Institute of Technology
North Carolina A&T State University
Oglethorpe University
Penn State University
Savannah College of Art and Design
Stanford University
Tennessee State University
The University of Alabama
Tufts University	Kenyetta Akowa, Questbridge Scholar
Tuskegee University
Tuskegee University
University of Arkansas
University of Georgia
University of Southern Mississippi
Valdosta State University
Wingate University
Xavier University of Louisiana