March 13, 2020
Dear Drew Parents/Guardians:
As we continue making preparations for the changing conditions that the Coronavirus (COVID-19) is presenting for our students, staff and families, we wanted to follow up on our earlier communication. Yesterday, we communicated that Drew Charter School will be officially closed starting Monday, March 16th, for at least two weeks and potentially beyond Spring Break. With the intent of being thoughtful and understanding about many of the challenges that our community may be facing, we are sharing a few important updates with you as it relates to our school closure and transitioning to our E-learning environment. We encourage you to carefully review the below information:
UPDATED E-LEARNING DAYS INFORMATION
Today, we had a successful dry-run of our E-Learning process. We have updated our E-learning Guidelines to include more details and helpful tips. Please click here to review the Updated E-learning Information Guide. If your child is not familiar with logging into Google Classroom, be sure to review login instructions at the end of the E-learning guide.
Free Internet Access
If your family is in need of internet access, please note that Comcast is now offering free internet access for up to 60 days. Please see details at the website below:
SCHOOL CLOSURE UPDATES
Athletic Teams/Events
Effective today, March 13th, 2020, all middle and high school athletic activities are canceled. Team coaches have communicated these closures to their respective teams.
Additionally, all school events are canceled for the duration of the time school is closed.
Re-enrollment for 2020-2021
The on-site portion of re-enrollment for the 2020 – 2021 school year, which was scheduled to begin next week, has been postponed. Please note that the online re-enrollment form, which was the first step of the re-enrollment process, is available now and should be completed by March 27. Thank you to everyone who has already completed this! If you have yet to do so, please look for an email with the subject line “Drew Online Re-enrollment Form”, which was initially sent on Monday, March 9 (you may need to check your spam folder). If you did not receive this, let us know by emailing enrollment@drewcharterschool.org with the name of your student, and we will make sure you receive it.
Once we have finalized the next steps for the on-site, in-person portion of re-enrollment, we will update all communication channels. Additional information is always available on the re-enrollment section of our website.
Food & Nutrition – Free meals for children during Coronavirus School Closures
Beginning Monday, March 16, 2020, all APS students can daily receive free bagged meals at 5 school sites that will be open for food distribution Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. – 12 p.m.
- Douglass High School
- Cleveland Ave Elementary School
- Bunche Middle School
- Sylvan Middle School
- Phoenix Academy (Crim High School)
Beginning Monday, March 16, 2020, APS partner, GOODR, will provide ready to eat meals at the following local community sites:
Hosea Williams Feed The Hungry (4779 Mindy St. Atlanta, GA. 30366 * 404-755-3353) Food Pantry – Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday 10 a.m. – Noon. Bring ID and Social Security Card
Loaves and Fishes @ St.John the Wonderworker Parish (543 Cherokee Ave., SE Atlanta, GA. 30312 * 678-373-9433) Serves food Monday – Friday 9:00 a.m. – 10:00 a.m.
Beginning Monday, March 23, 2020, all APS families can report to one of the 5 open APS school sites Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. – 12 p.m. to receive a bag of shelf stable grocery items from the Atlanta Community Food Bank.
Supporting Drew Families in Need
The Drew community is prepared to come together during this challenging time to support one another. Drew’s social worker, Mr. Rashid, and counselors will be connecting with those families who are experiencing hardship during the extended leave, and funding from the Drew Opportunity Fund will be used to help meet immediate needs such as food, medicine, hygiene products, etc. If you would like to support these efforts, please consider making a gift to the Drew Opportunity Fund. A portion of existing Drew Opportunity Fund money will be used for this purpose; additionally, beginning March 13, 2020, all funds raised will go toward assisting families who need it most during this time of uncertainty.
To make a donation to the Drew Opportunity Fund, click here or visit https://www.drewcharterschool.org/support-drew.
If you or another Drew family is experiencing hardship due to the unforeseen closure, please contact your grade level counselors or Akil Rashid, Drew’s social worker. His email address is akil.rashid@drewcharterschool.org and his phone number is 731-236-0258.
Drew Communications
Academy principals will continue to send weekly academy newsletters/blogs. Please anticipate receiving additional communication updates as needed.
Questions
We realize that transitioning from a physical school building to E-Learning Days will be a learning process for us all as students, parents and staff. With change we understand that there is often a need to ask questions and gain clarity. With that in mind, please feel free to contact the following should you have questions:
For questions related to classes, content, assignments and instruction, email your child’s teacher. Email addresses for all teachers are listed in the Faculty and Staff Directory on our website or by clicking here.
For questions or concerns about the social, emotional or well-being of your child, yourself, or your family, please contact your child’s counselor and/or our school social worker, as they are available to offer support. Their email addresses are below:
| Title | Name | |
| School Social Worker | Akil Rashid | Akil.Rashid@drewcharterschool.org |
| Elementary Academy Counselor (PK-2) | Kimberly Miller | Kimberly.Miller@drewcharterschool.org |
| Elementary Academy Counselor (3-5) | Terina Isaac | Terina.Isaac@drewcharterschool.org |
| Junior Academy Counselor | Sherri Hudson | Sherri.Hudson@drewcharterschool.org |
| Dean, College and Career Readiness | Rachel Weaver | Rachel.KaneyWeaver@drewcharterschool.org |
| High School Readiness Counselor | Stephanie Cook | Stephanie.Cook@drewcharterschool.org |
| High School Counselor (10 & 12) | Rob Richardson | Rob.Richardson@drewcharterschool.org |
| High School Counselor (9 & 11) | Tara Davis | Tara.Davis@drewcharterschool.org |
| College Counselor | Emily Hermon | Emily.Herman@drewcharterschool.org |
| College Counselor | Ashley Young | Ashley.Young@drewcharterschool.org |
| Persistence Counselor/Early College | Miriam Denard | Miriam.Denard@drewcharterschool.org |
| College Advisor/Scholarship Coordinator | Julianna Jaeger | Julianna.Jaeger@drewcharterschool.org |
| Academic Support Coordinator | Charles Copp | Charles.Copp@drewcharterschool.org |
For all other questions, or if you are not sure who to ask, please email your academy dean or principal at the below email addresses:
| EA | Principal | Monishae O’Neill | Monishae.ONeill@drewcharterschool.org |
| EA | Dean of Students (PK-2) | Joi Thrash | Joi.Thrash@drewcharterschool.org |
| EA | Dean of Students (3-5) | Bethany Paquette | Bethany.Paquette@drewcharterschool.org |
| JA | Principal | Gregory Leaphart | Gregory.Leaphart@drewcharterschool.org |
| JA | Dean of Students | Terrilyn Ali-Ferguson | Terrilyn.Ali@drewcharterschool.org |
| SA | Principal | Kendrick Myers | Kendrick.Myers@drewcharterschool.org |
| SA | Dean of Students | Tameka Allen | Tameka.Allen@drewcharterschool.org |
We thank you for your continuous patience as we navigate this new territory together to ensure that our students remain academically engaged in the learning process. Be safe, and know that we will be in touch with updates as needed.
Sincerely,
Peter McKnight
Drew Head of School
Senior Academy Blog 