Shoutout
- To Mrs. Might for starting the Spanish Honor Society for Drew students! They are super excited!
- To Mrs. Stokes and Mrs. Diaz for jumping into Drew with shoes laced and for their continued push for meaningful experiences for the students at Drew!
- To Mrs. Isbell for helping Ms. Abdur-Rahman w/cross country and for the grade level team for imparting technology knowledge to their new team member with patience!
- To Ms. Young for the writing workshop held for Seniors! The work completed to carry out these services while in a virtual setting has been extraordinary!
- To Ms. Wilder for facilitating the Senior voter registration drive!
- To all teachers who persevere everyday teaching virtually as well as multitasking with home life while still pouring into others babies. SHOUTOUT for still creating and making a difference daily!
- To Ms. Denard who is leading new visions for the students and facilitating emergency resources for our students!
- To Dr. Allen for creating a virtual culture and normalizing the connections and interactions she has with others!
- To Mr. Parker for still capturing the essence of Drew while in this space!
- To Ms. McKenzie for all her assistance to Mrs. Webster-Whyte in the virtual classroom and becoming a strong support to lean on!
- To Michelle McCurty for being fearless and open in sharing her awesome news in advisory!
- To Mr. Kitchen for working on the freshmen STEAM portfolios and for always being willing to collaborate and help his fellow teachers!
- To Morgan Walker and all of Ms. Klein’s 1A class for being responsible when her internet went out during class!
- To Mrs. Garner for sending helpful reminders to her team!
- To Mr. Gonzalez for a fun project brainstorming meeting about Greek Gods and plants and Gustav Holst!
- To Mr. Parker for being a tastemaker!
- To Ja’ala Hudson for making Ms. Klein’s day with her kindness!
- To Gavin Chapman, Misihyia Pinkney, Tuashawn Williams for being ready to roll, “Dr. Kurt we’ve done A,B, and C, what’s next?”!
- To Ja’Den Allen for taking initiative and arranging a time to work with Mrs. Isbell to catch up on Algebra 1 assignments!
- To all of the geometry students who did a great job with their project animations and presentations this week!
- To Mrs. Isbell for always being willing to lend a helping hand and jump in whenever needed!
- To Mrs. Mayes for her continued work helping student authors write, edit, and publish their books!
- To Mrs. Klein for creating and tracking helpful attendance data for 9th graders!
- To Mrs. Tafari for jumping right in to catch up with all of the ELA curriculum and providing immediate support to students!
- To Mrs. Hood and Mr. Morrison for helping administer the MAP test to 9th graders!
Nutrition
Information
This application is needed for all families.
- To apply for free or reduced nutrition status click here
- Regardless of whether your family may qualify or if you are not interested in free or reduced-price meals, please complete the Federal Eligibility Application any way to assist Drew in maintaining the Title I status and which qualifies the student body for other federal grants and resources. Your support is appreciated!
- Click here to support Drew!
- Note: If you select the option “I do not wish to apply for free or reduced-priced meal benefits” on the FEA, your completion process will be brief and should only take approximately five minutes.
- You will need to provide the following information on the application:
- The school, grade, birthdate of every Atlanta Public Schools student in your household
- The names and incomes of every member of your household*
- Last 4 digits of your (parent/guardian) Social Security number* and electronic signature
- An email address or phone number for district communication about the status of the application (optional)
- *Note: If you select the option “I do not wish to apply for free or reduced-priced meal benefits”, you will not be asked for income information or for the last four digits of your social security number. However, you will be asked for the student’s information so that the school has a record of the application submission.
E-Learning Notices
**NEW INFORMATION**
Important Attendance Update
Atlanta Public Schools (APS) has received many questions as it relates to attendance given the unique circumstances of the global pandemic and APS schools operating in a virtual learning model.
As such, the district has issued new guidance which requires Drew to change how we record attendance for students in our virtual learning model. The new process for recording attendance will go into effect for Drew on September 9, 2020.
As we started our 2020-2021 school year virtually, we communicated that teachers would mark students present if they attended live sessions or chose asynchronous learning (viewing recorded teacher lessons at a time other than the student’s scheduled virtual class period). However, based on new district guidance we will change attendance reporting as follows, effective September 9th:
•Teachers will mark students absent if they do not participate in live instruction no matter the reason.
•The Junior and Senior Academy teachers will continue to take attendance for each period. However, all students who are not in attendance (not present in live virtual sessions) will be marked absent.
•On Wednesdays, SA student attendance will be based on participation in activities offered that day, ranging from clubs to assignment support. Please make sure that your student communicates with his or her advisor each Wednesday so that attendance can be captured accurately.
•Parents will need to notify teachers of their child’s absence from class within three (3) days of the absence in order for the absence to be recorded as excused in Infinite Campus.
Parent/Guardian Actions Under New Attending Reporting Process
If your child misses any live instruction virtual class period on their schedule, please send an email notifying your child’s teacher. Once you notify the teacher of the absence, depending on the circumstances it will be coded as an excused absence. (Note: In instances where there are technical difficulties (a Zoom outage), and the teacher is unable to conduct class, the teacher will record attendance for the entire classes and you do not need to notify the teacher of the absence. If your student has a technical challenge with logging into Zoom from home and misses a class, please notify the teacher.)
To ensure that your child’s virtual attendance is recorded properly, please note the following:
•Inform your child’s teacher of any absence as soon as possible and within three (3) days of the absence. If notification of the absence is not received within this timeframe, the absence will convert to unexcused.
•For JA or SA students, you should email the teacher for each class period where your child is absent. (If your student misses first, second, and third period, you should notify teachers for each of those periods).
•If your child has a planned absence, it is acceptable to notify the teacher, via email, in advance.
•If you have a medical excuse from a doctor/dentist/appointments, it is acceptable to take a photo of the notice and email it to your student’s teacher(s) although medical excuse notices are not required.
The district and Drew realize that there are many unusual circumstances for students and families in our current COVID environment. The new way of recording attendance is intended to still provide families flexibility amid challenging situations, while at the same time providing the district with information about attendance patterns. The district has been clear that there will not be adverse consequences for students or schools based on these procedures. When your student’s situation calls for missing a class period or school day, please remember to contact your child’s teacher. It is also important that you and your child continue working with the teacher(s) to ensure that assignments are completed. Thank you for your ongoing patience, understanding, and cooperation in our virtual learning environment. If you have any questions or concerns that cannot be addressed by your child’s teachers, please contact your academy principal or dean.
Zoom Best Practices
The safety and well being of our students and staff is a top priority. As we navigate the virtual learning space, we are finding more ways to make sure students have access to quality instruction with little to no interruption.
In order to ensure the security of our class sessions and meetings, teachers will implement the Zoom Best Practices below.
- Waiting Room implemented for all meetings
- Students who are not on teacher’s rosters will not be admitted into the session.
- Students’ display names should be first and last names
- Participants will not be permitted to rename themselves
- All classes/meetings will be recorded
- Record active speaker with shared screen
- settings → recordings
- Students need to be authenticated users to join classes and meetings
- Steps for logging into Drew SSO can be found in this article
Student Guidelines
- Students follow their regular schedule
- 9th-11th Grades
- Monday/Thursday (A Day) Tuesday/Friday (B Day)
- 12th Grade
- All seniors
- 1st period will follow the A/B day rotation above
- 2nd-4th period MWF classes will occur on Mon and Fri.
- Tuesday and Thursday Schedule
- Early College Students v
- Attend Early College courses 2nd – 4th periods
- Non-Early College students
- Follow Drew schedule 2nd – 4th periods
- Early College Students v
- All seniors
Senior Academy Virtual Learning Guide
This year Drew will use the virtual instructional model to begin the 2020-21 school year during the first quarter of school. It will also serve as the instructional model should school need to close for extended periods of time once the school reopens for face-to-face instruction.
To review the outline of the student schedule while virtually learning click here.
For more details on virtual instruction please click the link below:
Senior Academy Virtual Parent Guide
Google Classroom Training for Families
The links below will show you various settings and information for navigating Google Classroom
Video: Parent Orientation Presentation- click here
Slides from Video- Parent Orientation to Google Classroom Presentation- click here
Guardian Announcements
In an effort to give all parents an opportunity to engage in the Virtual Parent University, we are re-evaluating the time of the sessions. Once the new times have been established, we will communicate the date and time.
| Free Internet Service Available – Apply by September 30th! |
As Atlanta Public Schools continues to work through impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic across Atlanta neighborhoods, the District is committed to supporting our students with technology for digital learning. For this reason, APS has launched Get Our Kids Connected in partnership with Comcast’s Internet Essentials program to provide you with high-speed internet at home. You have an opportunity to receive 12 months of free Internet Essentials service by using a unique promotion code when you enroll. To obtain your promo code for this special opportunity, send an email to Getourkidsconnected@apsk12.org. Click here for details. |
The Parent C.A.F.E. above is hosted by APS for Guardians of students with disabilities
If you missed the information from the last Principal’s Coffee please see the slideshow below:
Typically, high school is the time when young Eagles are maturing and are prepared to fly on their own. Encourage this independent practice. They will still need the watchful eye to guide them in their development and learning. Please do so during breaks and refrain from interrupting live instruction for the benefit of the students and teachers. The slideshow will include some additional ways you can support your learner in the virtual environment.
- – Slideshow Presentation Here
The next meeting will be
WEDNESDAY [10/21]
MAP Testing
It’s time for MAP testing! We appreciate your support and flexibility as we administer the MAP test virtually. All 9th and 10th grade and some 11th and 12th grade students will be testing in Reading and students taking Algebra or Geometry will be tested in Math. Students will participate in two test sessions over the course of the testing window- shown below.
To decrease the interruption of instructional time we are administering the MAP assessment on Wednesday’s. The dates and times for testing are below:
- Wednesday September 23rd – Math
- 9am-11am
- 1pm-3
Clubs and Advisory will still occur at 11am on the date above. Please read here for more details.
Uniform Needs
Senior Academy Virtual Learning Guide
This year Drew will use the virtual instructional model to begin the 2020-21 school year during the first quarter of school. It will also serve as the instructional model should school need to close for extended periods of time once the school reopens for face-to-face instruction.
To review the outline of the student schedule while virtually learning click here.
Google Classroom Training for Families
Video: Parent Orientation Presentation- click here
Slides from Video- Parent Orientation to Google Classroom Presentation- click here
General Activity Updates
The Media Services Eagle’s Nest
hOSTED ON Smore
Intent to Play [In Relation to All Sports]
| I recognize that this is a difficult time for parents and students. The level of uncertainty is troubling and at times can feel overwhelming. I encourage you to contact our counselors if you or your student need support. You can also receive support via a free, confidential Crisis Text Line, with trained Crisis Counselors, by texting SHARE to 741741. (This is a national resource that is available 24/7). |
Drew Opportunity Fund: First Initiative
Last school year, Drew Charter launched its inaugural annual fund campaign, the Drew Opportunity Fund, in honor of our retiring Head of School Don Doran. Under Mr. Doran’s leadership Drew students had myriad opportunities to innovate, achieve, travel and compete, all of which help to close the opportunity gap and make Drew an exemplary learning community.
The 2019-2020 Drew Opportunity Fund was a success! Thanks to the generosity of our school community we were able to raise over $41,000. Over half of the funds were collected since March and were designated to help families weather this challenging time. Now that school is back in session, funds will be used for a variety of evolving needs such as childcare, and mental health services. Donations are tax-deductible and donors will be listed on the Drew website. Please continue to support the Opportunity Fund–we are making a difference. Make a secure, online donation here.
Calendar
Week of 09/21– 09/27
Monday
09/21
| 9:00-9:50 | 1st period |
| 10:00- 10:50 | 2nd Period |
| 11:00 – 12:30 | Break and/or small groups [for selected students] |
| 12:30-1:00 | Break/Lunch |
| 1:00 – 1:50 | 3rd period |
| 2:00 – 2:50 | 4th period |
| 3 – 6pm | Nutrition pick up Parents can secure meals that were ordered ahead of time The confirmation email from your order will be needed at the time of pickup – Location: Lower campus [Drew Elementary Campus] |
Tuesday
09/22
| 9:00-9:50 | 1st period |
| 10:00- 10:50 | 2nd Period |
| 11:00 – 12:30 | Break and/or small groups [for selected students] |
| 12:30-1:00 | Break/ Lunch |
| 1:00 – 1:50 | 3rd period |
| 2:00 – 2:50 | 4th period |
Wednesday
09/23
MAP Testing
- Please read here for more details.
| Time | Wednesday Schedule |
| 9:00-11:00 | MAP TESTING [9th,10th, and other identified students] |
| 11:00-11:45 | Clubs |
| 11:00 – 12:00 | Break |
| 12:00 – 12:30 | Lunch |
| 1:00-3:00 | MAP TESTING [9th,10th, and other identified students] |
| 12:30 – 4:00 | The following are available to students: – Office Hours w/Teachers – Small group (if selected by a Teacher) – 1:1 [if the selected by a Teacher] – Study Skills [Required for select students] |
days
hours minutes seconds
until
Principal’s Coffee
12pm- Monthly Principal’s Coffee
Zoom Link here
Thursday
09/24
| 9:00-9:50 | 1st period |
| 10:00- 10:50 | 2nd Period |
| 11:00 – 12:30 | Break and/or small groups [for selected students] |
| 12:30-1:00 | Break/ Lunch |
| 1:00 – 1:50 | 3rd period |
| 2:00 – 2:50 | 4th period |
| 7:00pm | HBCU Night |
Friday
09/25
| 9:00-9:50 | 1st period |
| 10:00- 10:50 | 2nd Period |
| 11:00 – 12:30 | Break and/or small groups [for selected students] |
| 12:30-1:00 | Break/ Lunch |
| 1:00 – 1:50 | 3rd period |
| 2:00 – 2:50 | 4th period |
09/26| Saturday
- N/A
- Please note access to the school building will NOT be available. Security have been advised to not allow access to outsiders until further notice [inclusive of staff].
09/27| Sunday
- N/A
- Please note access to the school building will NOT be available. Security have been advised to not allow access to outsiders until further notice [inclusive of staff].
Upcoming Events:
Week of 09/21- 09/27
- 09/22
- Community Forum – 9th grade [11am-12pm]
- 09/23
- MAP Testing
- Advisory
- 09/24
- Community Forum – 10th/12th grade [11am-12pm]
- 09/28
- 11th Grade Level Night
- 09/30
- 12th Grade Level Night
- 10/5
- 9th Grade Level Night
- 10/8
- 10th Grade Level Night
- 10/23 – STEAM Career Day: JA & SA [8am-11am]
The goal of Drew’s STEAM Career Days is to expose PreK-12 students to the many careers related to STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Math) fields. Presenters have the opportunity to share their best career advice and inspire the next generation of engineers, artists, researchers, entrepreneurs and innovators. Although we are excited to have all presenters, we recognize that representation is critical and are seeking to engage diverse presenters that may be underrepresented in their current fields. We believe that an array of diverse experiences and perspectives is a vital step to inspire all of our students of the possibilities that exists for future generations as we look to cultivate a more equitable world.
Future Events
- TBD- Senior Pictures for Class of 2021
- Lifetouch [new picture vendor] will contact families directly to arrange appointments]
Household Resources
See the information below regarding the importance of communities achieving a “complete count” in the 2020 Census!
Wifi and Internet Resources
Please see the Xfinity flyer above and information to internet access at a deep discount with Comcast–> CLICK HERE .
PTA UPDATES
The PTA Needs YOU!
Are you looking for ways to get involved with Drew? The PTA is looking for Fundraising Chair Person(s) and Communications Director to join our team!
Fundraising Chair Person(s)
The PTA supports things such as Teacher Grants, Teacher Appreciation, Parent-Teacher Coffees, the Drew Opportunity Fund, and other programs to support our teachers and families. In order to support those initiatives, we need to raise money! The Fundraising Chair will be responsible for helping to organize Dine Out Nights, Box Tops, Mabel’s Labels, and Amazon Smile promotions; Drew Car Magnet and Spirit Gear sales and the Silent Auction along with bringing in other potential fundraising ideas. *The time commitment for this role depends on fundraising initiatives taking place, there will times when there is very little work, however, the auction and other initiatives will require several hours a week.
Communications Director
Coordinate all communications for the PTA including email (MailChimp), Website (Wix.com), Social Media (Facebook), signs, fliers (print & digital), & posters. The Communications Director provides (or enlists/directs others to provide) graphics to use in the promotion of the fundraiser, events & initiatives of the Drew PTA in line with the Drew Charter School brand guidelines. The Communications Director works with the Drew PTA Executive Committee and Committee Chairs to develop strategies to best communicate their respective initiatives and works with them to execute those plans. *The time commitment for this role is approximately 2-3 hours per week on average.
Thanks to the incredible work by Maggie Stewart as Fundraising Chair and Justin Schaeffer as Communications Director there are a huge set of resources available and a team of PTA board members to help! If you’re interested please email ptadrew@gmail.com. Thanks!
Other Concerns
Uniform Concerns!
Portal for Paying for Nutrition/Lunch Fees
Portal for Paying for Drew Events, Dues, Field Trips, etc..
Update for Students:
Senior Academy Blog 