Shoutout
- To Courtney and Ashley for the awesome coordination of VIRTUAL STEAM Career Day!
- To Senior Academy teachers and team for assistance and help with STEAM Career Day presenters!
- To Myah Crowell and Chanel Harris for working really hard to help prepare Senior Academy’s Helen Ruffin Reading Bowl Team of the 2021 Competition!
- To Gerard Horde – When things got tough, he knew when to ask for help!
- To Kentrell Russell – Getting his driver’s license, a job and maintaining B’s in his core academic classes!
- To Jacob McCord- Making sure his work is always done even if he can’t attend class synchronously!
- To Ka’Mara Zackary- Always willing to share her screen!
- To Elijah Oliver- Always on time and prepared for class and small group!
- To Travis Abreu – For always sharing his knowledge!
- To Aaron (Zeke) Ravenscraft- For being precise when adjusting to schedule time changes!
- To Warren Ferguson – For keeping a positive attitude and attending class no matter what challenges he faces!
- To Donovan Hurst -Keeps everyone smiling by constantly finding the funny in any challenging situation!
- Muchísimas gracias a Djene y Desha – you two brighten my day by always saying “hola” at the beginning of class!!
- Gracias, Sra. Díaz 😊
- To the 9th-grade team for being flexible and responding promptly to well-needed changes on behalf of the whole class!
- To Ms. Klein for creating a new schedule template to assist the students in accommodating the new schedule beginning October 26th !
- To all six engineering students who completed robust, knowledgeable Governor’s Honors Program applications and have been selected to progress to the next round (district interview level): Andrew Botchwey, Olivia Pearson, Matthew Cook, Chanel Harris, Owen Grega, and Myah Crowell!
- To Carrington Grant for taking the time to meet with these students and coach them through their applications as he was selected for GHP in Engineering last year!
- To Denella Kindel for always checking on everyone’s social-emotional well-being!
- To Gabrielle Moran for assisting her peers in the breakout room!
Nutrition
Information
This application is needed for all families.
Deadline is October 30th
- 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
Senior Academy Virtual Learning Guide
Thank you everyone for your participation and engagement in our grade level nights and parent conferences over the past two weeks.
We wish to first acknowledge the tremendous work of students, families, and staff during this virtual school year. Although we were preparing for the first phase of a hybrid model, we are now aware that all APS schools will continue through the end of 2020 in a virtual format. Drew is committed to continuing to ensure our students are well-positioned for success once the pandemic is behind us. Much like the health disparities of Covid-19, we are now more aware of the growing educational disparities that are impacting so many families due to learning loss. To this end, we will be moving to providing additional instructional time, effective October 26th. Although we understand and heard those families that have shared concerns about screen time, we wish to fulfill our mission as an extended year, extended day charter school, and support the growing needs of our most vulnerable students. We are confident this additional instructional time, which will be a ½ day, will benefit all students and still ensure our staff has the planning time they need while students maintain the small group time they need. It will also allow us to address two areas: 1) support all students with acclimating to 5 days of instruction in preparation for our eventual hybrid return in the new year 2) address the academic and social-emotional connection need of students for families with greater challenges.
Again, we understand some students and families have been able to be more resilient during this time, but we will ask that we all tap into our compassion and empathy for those among us that continue to struggle as well as all our students we strive to support in their academic growth. Respectfully, as we seek to increase equity, we acknowledge choices may not always be easy, even when we know they are necessary. As a Drew community, our strength is in embracing the collective good and this decision for extending instructional time is indeed for the collective good. We look forward to our families joining us in ensuring that ALL of our students thrive, as we seek to mitigate the learning losses unfortunately facing so many students and communities.
Therefore, effective October 26, the Senior Academy schedule will be as follows:
| Time | Mon/Thurs. (A Day) ; Tues/Fri. (B Day) |
| 8:30 – 9:40 | 1st Period |
| 9:50 – 11:00 | 2nd Period |
| 11:05 – 11:35 | Lunch |
| 11:40 – 12:50 | Break and/or Small Groups (for select students) |
| 1:00 – 2:10 | 3rd Period |
| 2:20 – 3:30 | 4th Period |
In order to further prepare for virtual instruction, we will hold a *contactless drive-through pick-up of 2nd quarter instructional materials on Friday, October 30 and Monday, November 2nd. (*updated due to inclement weather forecast)
- Wednesdays will incorporate a half day instructional schedule. This will be an alternating A/B Wednesday.
| Time | Wed. Alternating (A Day) (B Day) |
| 8:30-9:00 | 1st Period |
| 9:05-9:35 | 2nd Period |
| 9:35-9:50 | Break/Lunch |
| 9:55-10:25 | 3rd Period |
| 10:30-11:00 | 4th Period |
| 11:05-11:45 | Clubs/Advisory |
| 11:45-12:15 | Lunch |
| 1:00 – 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] |
Important Attendance Update
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, Wed., 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
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 from Drew
A message from the Director of Culture & Equity
Greetings Drew Families,
Although I have had the pleasure of meeting many of you, I would like to host a virtual roundtable for all Drew families. During this time I would like to share more about my work to support staff, students and families as we seek to achieve equity and dismantle racism. I wish to also make space for your questions and cultivate space for community discussion. I hope that you will join me on November 4th 6:00-7:00PM EST.
Join Zoom Meeting
https://drewcharterschool.zoom.us/j/93065564839?pwd=UDVadUE2d0VheFBYS1lkYUlaZ0JYUT09
Meeting ID: 930 6556 4839
Passcode: 366781
Save the DATE!
Updates from Teachers!
Teachers at each grade level have compiled a few general notes for you in regards to updates related to their classes.
The link holds the updates for each grade level and it is organized by grade level, 9th-12th. General Grade Level Class Updates
Please feel free to reach out to your grade level counselor should you have general questions about your student and/or need to connect for support.
- Rob Richardson (9th & 11th, rob.richardson@drewcharterschool.org)
- Tara Davis (10th & 12th, tara.davis@drewcharterschool.org)
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 meeting will be on
WEDNESDAY [11/18]
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
Announcements from
ATLANTA PUBLIC SCHOOLS
The Parent C.A.F.E. is hosted by APS
its designed for Guardians of students with disabilities
General Activity Updates
The Media Services Eagle’s Nest
hOSTED ON Smore, Click the Link above
Password: 97 55 41
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 10/19- 10/26
Senior Pictures can now be scheduled! Reserve your spot by clicking this link –> Please sign up for a time slot here by Oct 30
Monday
10/26
| 8:30-9:40 | 1st Period |
| 9:50-11:00 | 2nd Period |
| 11:05-11:35 | Break/Lunch |
| 11:40-12:50 | Break and/or small groups [for selected students] |
| 1:00-2:10 | 3rd Period |
| 2:20-3:30 | 4th Period |
| 3pm | Parent Information Session from Media Services [Zoom] Password: 99 55 41 |
| 3pm – 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
10/27
| 8:30-9:40 | 1st Period |
| 9:50-11:00 | 2nd Period |
| 11:05-11:35 | Break/Lunch |
| 11:40-12:50 | Break and/or small groups [for selected students] |
| 1:00-2:10 | 3rd Period |
| 2:20-3:30 | 4th Period |
| 3pm | Maker Space Office Hours – Zoom makerspace hours! Tuesday will be office hours where students can ask questions and get help –> bit.ly/DrewMAKE |
| 5:30 | CSS Profile Night [Seniors/Cohort 2021 Event] – Join Remind for all Cohort 2021 UPDATES |
Wednesday
10/28
| Time | Wednesday Schedule |
| 8:30-9:00 | 1st Period |
| 9:05-9:35 | 2nd Period |
| 9:35-9:50 | Break/Lunch |
| 9:55-10:25 | 3rd Period |
| 10:30-11:00 | 4th Period |
| 11:05-11:45 | CLUBS |
| 11:45-12:15 | Lunch |
| 1:00 – 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
10/29
| 8:30-9:40 | 1st Period |
| 9:50-11:00 | 2nd Period |
| 11:05-11:35 | Break/Lunch |
| 11:40-12:50 | Break and/or small groups [for selected students] |
| 1:00-2:10 | 3rd Period |
| 2:20-3:30 | 4th Period |
| 3pm | Maker Space Event The event will host a Microbit coding activity. Students without a microbit can use makecode to participate and code. The zoom links can be found here–> bit.ly/DrewMAKE |
Friday
10/30
| 8:30-9:40 | 1st Period |
| 9:50-11:00 | 2nd Period |
| 11:05-11:35 | Break/Lunch |
| 11:40-12:50 | Break and/or small groups [for selected students] |
| 1:00-2:10 | 3rd Period |
| 2:20-3:30 | 4th Period |
10/31| 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].
11/01| 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 11/02-11/08
- 11/01 -11/04 – Accreditation Remote Review
- 11/03 PD Day/Election Day
- 11/04
- 6pm- Parent University [Hosted by the Parent Liaison]
- 6pm- Community Discussion [Hosted by the Director of Culture and Equity]
- Week of 11/09-11/15
- 11/23-27 Holiday Week
- 11/30- 12/04
- **QUARANTINE WEEK – ALL CAMPUSES WILL BE VIRTUAL**
Check this out
The Decatur Maker Space is building desks for students – nothing fancy (see photo) but very functional. Here is a link to the article. https://decaturmakers.org/building-free-desks-youth/
- They will be making two kinds, a folding desk and a non-folding desk. If you know of a student who needs a desk to learn from home, please pass this link along.
- Complete the application link for one here –> https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSd_qTEVn_DYByEN_UkVf10ffymS5p2yJtjlzI09VcKDlmGFaw/viewform
THIS IS NOT SPONSORED BY DREW AND WE DON’T HAVE ANY ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ON THIS PROCESS.
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!
This year, more than ever, Drew teachers and families need our support!
What do the PTA dues and fundraising efforts pay for (especially during the 2020-21 school year)?
● Teacher Appreciation Gifts
● Donations to The Opportunity Fund – which supports Drew families
● Teacher and Classroom Grants – for projects enhancing student learning
Some past examples include:
Leveled library with cart to be shared across a single grade level
Class set of guitars
iPads/Chromebooks for use within a specific classroom
Beekeeping materials and bees
Drones for a robotics club
Materials and choreography for a choral performance
This support for our students, teachers and families would not be possible without your membership!
Join or renew today! www.drewcharterschoolpta.com
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 