Shout Outs!

• To Jaila Allen and Suprim Allah, who were recognized as Posse Scholars last Thursday [see picture above]!
• To Ms. Hood for the birth of her little girl, Wynter Olivia Hood, who arrived December 16th!
• To Ms. Smith who joins us as a long-term sub for Ms. Hood!
• To the following SA students who will be representing Drew to APS Science and Engineering Fairs on January 25-26
  • Kenyetta Akowa
  • Analisia Anderson
  • Niara Botchwey
  • Asia Foster
  • DeGreer Harris
  • Nazjaa Hughson
  • Trinity Mosley
  • Peyton Rogers
  • Haley Whetstone
• To Maddox Gates, Payton Gunner, Caleb Carmichael, and Nicholas Smith for their performance in the Atlanta Urban Debate League tournament in December.  The students tackled a challenging topic (China’s inclusion in the TPP) with skill.  Special recognition goes to Maddox Gates who placed 8th overall!
• To the Senior Academy for a seven point gain in our College and Career Readiness Performance Index (CCRPI) score!

Calendar:

• Monday, January 9th, B-Day
  • Flex Time: Clubs
    • Juniors – ACT Prep
• Tuesday, January 10th, A-Day
  • Flex Time: Advisory
    • Juniors – ACT Prep
  • 6:00 – Varsity Basketball vs. Landmark [Away]
•  Wednesday, January 11th, B-Day
  • Flex Time: Extended Learning
    • Freshmen – Community Forum
    • Juniors – ACT Prep
  • 5:30 – Varsity Basketball vs. South Atlanta [Away]
• Thursday, January 12th, A-Day
  • Flex Time: Extended Learning
    • Sophomores – Community Forum
    • Juniors – ACT Prep
  • 4:00-6:00 – JA PBL Showcase
• Friday, January 13th, B-Day
  • Flex Time:
    • Juniors – ACT Prep
    • All other grades
      • Advisory Check-In
      • Spring Semester Opening Assembly
  • 6:00 – Varsity Boys Basketball vs. Fulton Leadership Academy [Away]
  • 6:30 – Varsity Girls Basketball vs. Kendrick [Away]
• Saturday, January 14th
  • 3:30 – JV Basketball vs. Galloway [Away]
  • 6:00 – Varsity Basketball vs. Galloway [Away]

Upcoming Events:

• Monday, 1/16 – Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day [No School]
• Tuesday, 1/17
  • 4:30 – SA Principal’s Coffee [Eva Davis Board Room]
  • “HOW TO PAY FOR COLLEGE” WORKSHOP SERIES [Maynard Jackson – See note in previous post]
• Thursday, 1/19, 6:00 – PTA General Body Meeting
• Wednesday, 1/25 – SA PBL Showcase
• Saturday, 1/28 – Helen Ruffin Reading Bowl
• Friday, 2/3 – Half-Day for Parent Conferences
• Saturday, 2/4, 11:00 – PTA Summer Camp Expo
• Feb. 6-10th – National School Counseling Week
• Tuesday, 2/7 – Board of Directors Meeting
• Saturday, May 20th, 4:00 pm – Graduation Ceremony [Drew Charter School Gymnasium]
• June 6-17th – Summer BRIDGE Program for rising ninth grade students [Georgia Tech]

Announcements:

• Measurement of Academic Progress (MAP) – Several parents have asked questions about this assessment that students take periodically throughout the year. Below is a link to a quick guide titled,  “A Parent’s Guide to Map” this FAQ answers the most commonly posed questions about the assessment.
  • A Parent’s Guide to MAP
• Summer Enrichment Opportunities – Ms. Kaney and her team have created a spreadsheet of summer opportunities that is housed on the www.DrewCCR.com website in the Important Links section.  In addition, there will be the PTA Summer Camp Expo on Saturday, Feb. 4th.
• Reminder: MyPaymentsPlus – We are excited to announce a new way to pay for student dues, yearbooks, field trips and other expenses.  MyPaymentsPlus allows parents/guardians to pay for these obligations online via credit card.  More information about the program and how to register are available in this flyer.
• Reminder: Mu Alpha Theta Mathematics Honors Society – We are excited to announce that Ms. Desprez-Isbell is leading the founding of our own chapter of the Mu Alpha Theta Mathematics Honors Society.  This groups will coordinate student participation in a variety of mathematics competitions and other programming.  Please find the application linked here and direct any questions to emily.desprez@drewcharterschool.org.
• Reminder: Yearbook – The Charles R. Drew Charter School  2017 Yearbook is now available for sale!! This year’s book is a Signature Series Hardcover bound, PreK-12 (Drew’s FIRST graduating senior class), full color, 140 pages and is available for delivery 5/8/2017. Order yours TODAY for the lowest price possible!!  Sales will work as follows:
  • ONLINE through 11/25/16 $28.00 EARLY BIRD SPECIAL PRICE!!Purchase now with the link below.
  • http://link.entourageyearbooks.com/view_account.asp?l=F1940BDA-4103-4DFE-9899-5802744E3719
    • ONLINE 11/26/16 through 02/26/17 $30.00
    • ONLINE 02/27/17 through 04/10/17 $35.00
    • After 04/10/17 In person at either campus, $35 cash or credit.

Shout Outs!

• To Ms. Akinyela, Dr. Morgan and Ms. Wynn, whose students hosted a Renaissance Faire for EA and JA students on Friday as part of their most recent project [See picture above]!
• To Do-It-Yourself Club for an amazing Pop-Up Shop today after school!
• To the harp students, Ms. Hairston and Ms. Hayes for a awesome harp concert Tuesday night!
• To the orchestra and Ms. Colbert for a fantastic concert Wednesday night!
• To the band and Ms. Pryor for a wonderful concert Thursday Night!
• To Alvin Winston for his acceptance in the United States Youth Senate Program!
• To Ms. Desprez-Isbell for starting up our chapter of the Mu Alpha Theta Mathematics Honors Society [See note below]!
• To Ms. Manwell for all of her hard work preparing students for the Economics Milestone on Tuesday!

Calendar:

• Monday, December 12th, A-Day
  • Ugly Holiday Sweater Day – Students can wear ugly holiday sweaters instead of their uniform
  • Make-up Milestone Administration [Seniors who had GSU exams during the Economics administration]
  • MAP ELA Administration
  • Flex Time: Clubs
• Tuesday, December 13th, B-Day
  • Make-up Milestone Administration
  • MAP ELA Administration
  • Flex Time – Extended Learning
  • 6:00 – Board of Directors Meeting
• Wednesday, December 14th, A-Day
  •  Flex Time: Extended Learning
• Thursday, December 15th, B-Day
  • B-Day Mid-Term Exams
  • Flex Time – Extended Learning
  • 6:00 – Drama Performance [Center for the Arts]
•  Friday, December 16th, A-Day
  • A- Day Mid-Term Exams

Upcoming Events:

• Saturday, 12/17, 11:00 am – The Villages of East Lake Annual Holiday Party [EA Cafeteria]
• Thursday, 1/5 – Semester 2 Begins
• Tuesday, 1/17
  • SA Principal’s Coffee
  • “HOW TO PAY FOR COLLEGE” WORKSHOP SERIES [Maynard Jackson – See note in last week’s post]
• Wednesday, 1/25 – PBL Showcase

Announcements:

• MyPaymentsPlus – We are excited to announce a new way to pay for student dues, yearbooks, field trips and other expenses.  MyPaymentsPlus allows parents/guardians to pay for these obligations online via credit card.  More information about the program and how to register are available in this flyer.
• Mu Alpha Theta Mathematics Honors Society – We are excited to announce that Ms. Desprez-Isbell is leading the founding of our own chapter of the Mu Alpha Theta Mathematics Honors Society.  This groups will coordinate student participation in a variety of mathematics competitions and other programming.  Please find the application linked here and direct any questions to emily.desprez@drewcharterschool.org.
• Senior Academy Robotics – The Senior Academy chapter of the National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE) is participating in Vex Robotics.  NSBE meets as a club on Mondays during Flex Time.  However, other students who are interested in participating can reach out to Ms. White (beth.white@drewcharterschool.org), our engineering teacher, to participate in after school build sessions on Tuesdays.
• Textbook Return – Students taking a course for only one semester, should please return their textbook by December 15, 2016 to Mrs. T Ricks in the Learning Commons on the 4th Floor.  Lost or damaged textbook fees are added to student accounts.
• Reminder: Yearbook – The Charles R. Drew Charter School  2017 Yearbook is now available for sale!! This year’s book is a Signature Series Hardcover bound, PreK-12 (Drew’s FIRST graduating senior class), full color, 140 pages and is available for delivery 5/8/2017. Order yours TODAY for the lowest price possible!!  Sales will work as follows:
  • ONLINE through 11/25/16 $28.00 EARLY BIRD SPECIAL PRICE!!Purchase now with the link below.
  • http://link.entourageyearbooks.com/view_account.asp?l=F1940BDA-4103-4DFE-9899-5802744E3719
    • ONLINE 11/26/16 through 02/26/17 $30.00
    • ONLINE 02/27/17 through 04/10/17 $35.00
    • After 04/10/17 In person at either campus, $35 cash or credit.

Shout Outs!

• To Ms. Nguyen & Ms. Schaffer for their presentation about their Geography, Art and Global Awareness (GAGA) curriculum at the National Council for Social Studies
• To everyone who participated in the PTA Town Hall on Thursday [see picture above]
• To Mr. Coley for his continued hard work securing internships for our seniors [See note below if you can help securing placements for a few remaining students]
• To the Arts Team for thinking creatively about scheduling and expanding our programs
• To Ms. Woods for planning the Gifted Parent Meeting on Wednesday
• To Ms. White and Ms. Bryant who are presenting at the Association for Career & Technical Education conference in their capacity as Allen Distinguished Educators
• To Ms. Woodlee, our new Special Education teacher, for jumping in with clubs, Extended Learning, advisory and supporting her students
• To Ms. Young for planning the 10th grade trip to Oglethorpe and for her recognition in the SACAC November Newsletter where she was highlighted for her volunteer work with the organization! Check it out here: http://www.sacac.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/November-2016-Southern-Scope.pdf

Calendar:

• Monday, December 5th – B Day
  • Flex Time: Clubs
• Tuesday, December 6th – A Day
  • GSU Early College Exams Begin
  • MAP Assessment Math Administration
  • 9:30-12:30 – Economics Milestone [Except for students with GSU exams]
  • Flex Time – Extended Learning
    • 9th Grade Community Forum
    • Orchestra Rehearsal
  • 7:00 – Harp Concert
• Wednesday, December 7th – B Day
  • MAP Assessment Math Administration
  • Flex Time: Extended Learning
    • Orchestra Rehearsal
  • 7:00 – JA/SA Orchestra Concert
• Thursday, December 8th – A Day
  • JA/SA Science Fair
  • Flex Time – Extended Learning
  • 4:00-6:00 – EA PBL Showcase
  • 6:00 – JA/SA Band Concert
• Friday, December 9th – B Day
  • Flex Time: Free Friday

Upcoming Events:

• 12/12 & 12/13
  • Make-up Milestone Administration [Economics for seniors who missed 12/6 administration]
  • MAP Assessment ELA Administration
• Tuesday, 12/13, 6:00 – Board of Directors Meeting
• Thursday, 12/15
  • B-Day Exams
  • 6:00 – Drama Performance
• Friday, 12/16
  • A-Day Exams
  • We will move advisory to the end of the day to allow for holiday celebrations
• Saturday, 12/17, 11:00 am – The Villages of East Lake Annual Holiday Party [EA Cafeteria]
• 1/3 & 1/4 – Professional Learning and Planning Days
• 1/5 –Semester 2 Begins
• Tuesday, 1/17
  • SA Principal’s Coffee
  • “HOW TO PAY FOR COLLEGE” WORKSHOP SERIES [Maynard Jackson – See note below]
• Wednesday, 1/25 – PBL Showcase

Announcements:

• Gifted Services:  Click this link to view the presentation prepared for the Gifted Parent Information Meeting from this past Wednesday.
• Reminder: Internship Placements Needed: We have seven awesome seniors who are looking for internship placements for the spring semester.  They are available in the afternoons on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.  Not all of them have transportation so opportunities in the neighborhood or easily accessible by MARTA are best.  If you think you or your organization might be interested in hosting one of these students, please email Tyler.Coley@drewcharterschool.org for more information.
• Reminder: Atlanta Public Schools and Achieve Atlanta present the “HOW TO PAY FOR COLLEGE” WORKSHOP SERIES – The sessions in this series are designed to help 9th-12th grade students and their parents learn the many ways to pay for college!  See full flyer here.
• Reminder: Yearbook – The Charles R. Drew Charter School  2017 Yearbook is now available for sale!! This year’s book is a Signature Series Hardcover bound, PreK-12 (Drew’s FIRST graduating senior class), full color, 140 pages and is available for delivery 5/8/2017. Order yours TODAY for the lowest price possible!!  Sales will work as follows:
  • ONLINE through 11/25/16 $28.00 EARLY BIRD SPECIAL PRICE!!Purchase now with the link below.
  • http://link.entourageyearbooks.com/view_account.asp?l=F1940BDA-4103-4DFE-9899-5802744E3719
    • ONLINE 11/26/16 through 02/26/17 $30.00
    • ONLINE 02/27/17 through 04/10/17 $35.00
    • After 04/10/17 In person at either campus, $35 cash or credit.

Shout Outs!

• Ms. Simmons, Ms. Pryor, Ms. Allen, Ms. Woods and Ms. Young for all their endless work on Homecoming!
• To the following parents and guardians who signed up to help with Homecoming:
  • Monetia Hollie
  • Wyleathia Harris
  • Erica Donerlson
  • Genie McGee
  • Yolanda Forte
  • Yashica Lipbscomb
  • Kim Brannan-Sykes
  • Claudette Freeman
  • Valerie Richards
  • Keli Jones
  • Aneka Forte
  • Crystal George
  • Odette Taylor
• To Mr. Baker for his presentation at National Council of Teachers English Annual Convention
• To Coach Tracy and the Eagle Nation Booster Club for a wonderful Fall Sports Banquet Tuesday night
• To Ms. Kaney for presenting our programs of study at the last Principal’s Coffee on Tuesday
• To Ms. Jackson, Ms. Manwell, Ms. Davis, Dr. Karanja-Pinder and Ms. Kaney for taking time to meet to adjust Flex Time to support our seniors
• To Coach Tracy and Coach Erik for winning both our Homecoming games against WD Mohammed

Calendar:

• All Week – Ken Burns/Florentine Films on site filming
• Monday, November 28th – A-Day
  • Flex Time: Clubs
• Tuesday, November 29th – B-Day
  • Flex Time – Extended Learning
• Wednesday, November 30th – A-Day
  • Flex Time – Advisory
  • 6:00 – Gifted Parent Night
• Thursday, December 1st – B-Day
  • Flex Time – Extended Learning
  • 6:00 – PTA Senior Academy Town Hall [See note below]
• Friday, December 2nd – A-Day
  • Accuplacer Administration for Early College [All Juniors]
  • Flex Time: Free Friday

Upcoming Events:

• Tuesday, 12/6
  • GSU Exams Begin
  • 8:00-11:00 – Economics Milestone Administration
  • 7:00 – Harp Concert
• Wednesday, 12/7, 6:00 – JA/SA Orchestra Concert
• Thursday, 12/8
  • JA/SA Science Fair
  • 6:00 – JA/SA Band Concert
• 12/12 & 12/13
  • Make-up Milestone Administration
  • MAP ELA Administration
• Tuesday, 12/13, 6:00 – Board of Directors Meeting
• 12/14 & 12/14 – MAP Math Administration
• Thursday, 12/15 
  • A-Day Exams
  • 6:00 – Drama Performance
• Friday, 12/16 – B-Day Exams
• Saturday, 12/17, 11:00 am – The Villages of East Lake Annual Holiday Party [EA Cafeteria]
• 1/3 & 1/4 – Professional Learning and Planning Days
• Thursday, 1/5 – Semester 2 Begins

Announcements:

• PTA Senior Academy Town Hall – Drew Charter School is committed to maintaining a spirit of excellence. It is important for us to check the pulse of our progress by getting meaningful feedback from our key stakeholders. With this in mind, we distributed a brief survey to parents/guardians last week.  Your responses will be used to help shape the dialogue in an upcoming Drew Charter School Town Hall Meeting on December 1, 2016.
• Atlanta Public Schools and Achieve Atlanta present the “HOW TO PAY FOR COLLEGE” WORKSHOP SERIES – The sessions in this series are designed to help 9th-12th grade students and their parents learn the many ways to pay for college!  See full flyer here.
• 20 Under 20 Nominations open for 2017 – Each January, we feature students from Intown’s public schools, private schools and colleges who have given back to their community in a significant way. Over the last eight years, we’ve featured students who have created their own nonprofits, have given up summer vacation to work domestically and abroad to help the less fortunate and one even helped build a library by collecting books.

  The 9^th annual 20 Under 20 will appear in our January 2017 issue and we are now seeking nominations of students ages 19 and younger who have committed themselves to service to the community. Nominations are welcome from teachers, counselors, administrators, parents, siblings, fellow students or community leaders. Here’s the information we need:

  • Nominator (name, relationship to nominee and contact information)
  • Nominee (Name, age, grade, school, parent or guardian names, contact information)
  • Characteristics and service: Please provide a paragraph describing why this nominee deserves recognition. Include service projects, goals, interests and areas of interest to help illustrate your point.

  The deadline for nominations is Nov. 14. Please email your nominations to editor Collin Kelley at collin@atlantaintownpaper.com.

• Bank of America Charitable Foundation’s Student Leaders® Program – The Bank of America Charitable Foundation’s Student Leaders® Program is accepting applications for the 2017 Student Leaders® program.  Since its inception in 2005, the Bank of America Student Leaders Program has recognized more than 2,300 exemplary high school juniors and seniors who have a passion for improving their communities.  The program helps students gain a greater understanding of how nonprofits create impact in the community and helps develop them as the next generation of community leaders through two components:
  • A summer eight-week paid internship with a nonprofit organization selected by the bank. This internship is designed to provide opportunities for the students to develop and apply leadership skills through hands-on work experience, while raising their awareness of community issues addressed by their Host Organization.
  • The week-long, all-expense paid Student Leaders Summit in Washington, D.C. from July 9-14, 2017. Conducted in partnership with the Close Up Foundation, the Summit introduces students to aspects of civic, social and business leadership and provides them with knowledge and skills they will use throughout their life to create positive community change.

    Students can apply for the program by going to www.bankofamerica.com/studentleaders.  Please note the application opened on October 31, 2016 with a deadline of January 27, 2017.  For more information on the Bank of America Charitable Foundation, please visit www.bankofamerica.com/foundation or contact Terri S. Morton, Vice President, Community Relations Manager, Enterprise Business and Community Engagement, Bank of America at 404.607.6353 or terri.morton@bankofamerica.com.

• Reminder Yearbook – The Charles R. Drew Charter School  2017 Yearbook is now available for sale!! This year’s book is a Signature Series Hardcover bound, PreK-12 (Drew’s FIRST graduating senior class), full color, 140 pages and is available for delivery 5/8/2017. Order yours TODAY for the lowest price possible!!  Sales will work as follows:
  • ONLINE through 11/25/16 $28.00 EARLY BIRD SPECIAL PRICE!!Purchase now with the link below.
  • http://link.entourageyearbooks.com/view_account.asp?l=F1940BDA-4103-4DFE-9899-5802744E3719
    • ONLINE 11/26/16 through 02/26/17 $30.00
    • ONLINE 02/27/17 through 04/10/17 $35.00
    • After 04/10/17 In person at either campus, $35 cash or credit.

Shout Outs!

• Welcoming Ms. Shira Woodlee, who joins us as a special education teacher for grades 11 and 12
• To Jurnee Miller (Math), Trinity Mosley (Science), Kaitlyn Taylor (Spanish) and Haley Whetstone (Math) who were selected as district nominees for the Governor’s Honors Program
• To Ms. Kaney, Ms. Young, Ms. Herman, Ms. Thomas, and Mr. Harris for organizing and chaperoning the 11th grade College Trip to Tennessee!
• To the National Honor Society for organizing our Election Returns Party.
• To Mr. Colbert for his organization of another successful Drew’s Got Talent!
• To Mr. Boonyapat, Ms. Williams, Ms. Ricks, and Ms. Desprez for helping with Science Fair.
• To the 9th Grade Team for organizing the field trip to the True Colors Theater to see Proof
• To Ms. Wynn, Ms. Akinyela and Dr. Morgan for organizing the Medieval Times field trip

Calendar:

• Monday, November 14th – B Day
  • Homecoming Color Wars (Students dress in these colors):
    • 9th Grade – Grey
    • 10th Grade – White
    • 11th Grade – Red
    • 12th Grade – Black
  • Extended Learning – Homecoming Grade Level Basketball Game
  • 6:00 – Homecoming Coronation [Theater]
• Tuesday, November 15th – A Day
  • Homecoming Character Day (Students dress as a celebrity or fictional character)
  • Flex Time: Extended Learning
  • 4:30 – SA Principal’s Coffee: Curriculum and Programs of Study [Main Office Conference Room]
  • 6:00 – SA Fall  All-Sports Banquet [Cafeteria]
• Wednesday, November 16th – B Day
  • Homecoming Social Activism Day (Students dress to advance a cause they believe in.)
  • 12:00-1:00 – Homecoming Royal Court Luncheon
  • Flex Time: Homecoming Family Feud
• Thursday, November 17th – A Day
  • Homecoming Twin Day 
  • Flex Time: Extended Learning
    • 10th Grade Community Forum
  • 5:30 – Varsity Basketball at Maynard Jackson [Come support us for our first varsity basketball game of the season. Homecoming Spirit Buses will transport students who have requested tickets.]
• Friday, November 11th – A Day
  • Homecoming Spirit Day (Students dress in green and gold)
  • 3:00-4:00 – Homecoming Pep Rally
  • 5:30/7:00pm – Girls’ & Boys’ Varsity Homecoming Basketball Game vs WD Mohammed Schools [Home]

Upcoming Events:

• Saturday, 11/19, 7:00-10:00 pm: Homecoming Dance [Cafeteria]
• Wednesday, 11/30, 6:00: Gifted Parent Meeting
  • Come learn about our programs to support gifted and talented students.
• Thursday, 12/1, 6:00: PTA Senior Academy Town Hall Meeting
  • Please look out for a survey to determine topics for this meeting.
• Friday, 12/2: Accuplacer Early College Placement Test [All Juniors]
• Tuesday, 12/6
  • GSU Exams Begin
  • 8:00-11:00/ Economics Milestone
• Thursday, 12/15 – A-Day Exams
• Friday, 12/16 – B-Day Exams

Announcements:

• Reminder Yearbook – The Charles R. Drew Charter School  2017 Yearbook is now available for sale!! This year’s book is a Signature Series Hardcover bound, PreK-12 (Drew’s FIRST graduating senior class), full color, 140 pages and is available for delivery 5/8/2017. Order yours TODAY for the lowest price possible!!  Sales will work as follows:
  • ONLINE through 11/25/16 $28.00 EARLY BIRD SPECIAL PRICE!!Purchase now with the link below.
  • http://link.entourageyearbooks.com/view_account.asp?l=F1940BDA-4103-4DFE-9899-5802744E3719
• • ONLINE 11/26/16 through 02/26/17 $30.00
  • ONLINE 02/27/17 through 04/10/17 $35.00
  • After 04/10/17 In person at either campus, $35 cash or credit.
• Reminder: Links – Rather than including the same links with every blog post, I have now created a page dedicated to links to Drew and Drew partner websites.  You should see a link to this page at the top of the blog.
• Reminder: Dues – Below is information for student dues.  These funds help pay for programs like Midnight Madness, Prom and Senior Week that we cannot pay for out of school funds.
  • Freshman
    • $30
    • Due (cash or money order) September 16^th to Ms. Deiters in room A202
    • There is a $5 late fee after September 16^th
    • Includes: Freshman T-Shirt, SGA Day of Play, Midnight Madness and other ninth grade activities
  • Sophomore
    • $35
    • Flyer
  • Junior
    • $200
    • Dues Payment Schedule
    • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Senior
    • $225
    • Include cap and gowns, diploma cover, Visions of the Future (including awards and decorations), senior breakfast, senior picnic, senior lunch jam, senior Sunday bar, senior t-shirt, class picture, and other activities.
• Reminder: PTA Membership – Please take a moment to join the Drew PTA.  Dues are $10 and they work tirelessly to provide a wide variety of programming to support our students and staff. You can join online via this link.

Shout-outs:

• To Ms. White and the Drew student InvenTeam for being awarded the Lemelson-MIT InvenTeam™ Grant for Invention Projects (Official Press Release available here and AJC article available here)
• To Ms. Herman & Ms. Young for all their hard work helping our students prepare for early decision deadlines
• To all of the teachers who have been working to write letters of recommendation
• To the Coach Tracy for welcoming former UGA and NBA basketball player Jarvis Hayes to come and work with the Boys Junior Varsity Basketball Team
• Ms. Schaffer for working with students to help them create a student-driven project
• To Mr. Rashid, Mr. Richardson, Mr. Myers and Mr. Parker for their hard work to put together the Men of Success program for our young men last Friday
• To Ms. Kaney for working to develop a partnership with Atlanta Technical College to expand our Early College program
• To Ms. Nguyen, Ms. Schaffer and Mr. White for hosting a display of sugar skulls for their Day of the Dead project at Willy’s in Edgewood last week
• To Ms. Pryor, Ms. Simmons, Ms. Allen, Ms. Young and the rest of the Homecoming team for continuing to plan a series of great events
• To all of the parents who have signed up to help with Homecoming (if you are interested, please sign up here)
• To Ms. Colbert for an awesome Orchestra Benchmark Concert last week
• To Mr. Parker for continuing to capture great images of our events and for investing and training students in taking pictures as well
• To Ms. Wynn and Ms. Akinyela for dressing up on Halloween in costumes related to their current project
• To Coach White and the boys and girls cross country teams for finishing 4^th and 9^th, respectively, at the State Championship Meet
• To Jeremiah Furlow, who finished 5^th at the State Championship Cross Country Meet

Calendar:

• Monday, November 7th – A Day
  • Extended Learning:
    • Clubs
    • Homecoming Coronation Practice
• Tuesday, November 8th – B Day
  • Election Day
  • Flex Time: Extended Learning
    • 11th Grade Community Forum
  • 7:00-9:00 – Election Day Watch Party sponsored by National Honor Society [Cafeteria]
• Wednesday, November 9th – A Day
  • Junior College Trip begins
  • 9th Grade Field Trip to True Colors Performance of Proof
  • Extended Learning: Advisory
• Thursday, November 10th – B Day
  • Junior College Trip
  • Flex Time: Extended Learning
  • 6:00 – Drew’s Got Talent Performance & PTA Meeting [Center for the Arts]
• Friday, November 11th – A Day
  • Junior College Trip
  • 9:00-1:00 – 10th Grade Trip to Medieval Times
  • Flex Time:
    • Advisory
    • Homecoming Info assembly sponsored by SGA
  • 4th period: Coronation practice

Upcoming Events:

• 11/14-11/19 – Homecoming Week
• Monday, 11/14
  • Flex Time – Homecoming Grade-Level Basketball Game
  • 6:00 – Homecoming Coronation [Center for the Arts]
• Tuesday, 11/15 –
  • 12:00-1:00 – Homecoming Royal Court Luncheon
  • 4:30 – SA Principal’s Coffee: Curriculum and Programs of Study [Eva Davis Board Room]
  • 6:00 – JA/SA Fall All-Sports Banquet [Cafeteria]
• Wednesday, 11/16, Flex Time – Homecoming Family Feud
• Thursday, 11/17
  • Flex Time – 10th Grade Community Forum
  • 5:30 – Varsity Basketball at Maynard Jackson [Homecoming Spirit Buses will be available to transport students to this game.]
• Friday, 11/18
  • 8:00-12:00 – Pre-ACT administration [All Juniors]
  • 3:00-4:00 – Homecoming Pep Rally
  • 5:30/7:00pm – Homecoming: Girls’ and Boys’ Varsity Homecoming Basketball Game   
• Saturday, 11/19, 7:00-10:00 pm –  Homecoming Dance [Cafeteria]
• Friday, 12/2 – Accuplacer Early College Placement Test [All Juniors]
• Tuesday, 12/6
  • Georgia State University Early College Exams Begin
  • 8:00-11:00 – Economics Georgia Milestone End-of-Course Test
• Thursday and Friday, 12/15 and 12/16 – Semester 1 Final Exams

Announcements:

• Drew Charter Renewal Update – Charles R. Drew Charter School’s five-year charter agreement with Atlanta Public Schools (APS) expires on June 30, 2017.  As you know, Drew has been in the process of petitioning APS and the State of Georgia for a renewal of the charter. The new charter will represent the progress made towards goals and ambitious plans for the next ten years, reflective of Drew Charter School’s 2015-2020 strategic plan. Drew is thrilled to report that last evening, the APS School Board voted unanimously to support Drew’s application for a renewal of the charter for the next ten years. The petition will now go before the State of Georgia for approval in December, 2016.
• Progress Reports – In addition to the grades that are available to view live in Blackboard, teachers posted Progress grades in our Infinite Campus student information system last week.  Students will be given these hard-copy progress reports to take home in Advisory on Wednesday.  Please review them closely and reach out to your student’s teacher and/or counselor with questions or concerns.  Final grades will be posted to students’ transcripts when we return from the holiday break, at which point students will either earn or not earn a half-credit in each course they are taking right now.
• Achieve Atlanta Scholarship – As Atlanta Public Schools students, Senior Academy students are eligible for scholarships and support from a new non-profit, Achieve Atlanta.  We will be working to connect students and families with these resources, but also encourage you to check out their website at http://achieveatlanta.org.
• Yearbook – The Charles R. Drew Charter School  2017 Yearbook is now available for sale!! This year’s book is a Signature Series Hardcover bound, PreK-12 (Drew’s FIRST graduating senior class), full color, 140 pages and is available for delivery 5/8/2017. Order yours TODAY for the lowest price possible!!  Sales will work as follows:
  • ONLINE through 11/25/16 $28.00 EARLY BIRD SPECIAL PRICE!!Purchase now with the link below.
  • http://link.entourageyearbooks.com/view_account.asp?l=F1940BDA-4103-4DFE-9899-5802744E3719
  • ONLINE 11/26/16 through 02/26/17 $30.00
  • ONLINE 02/27/17 through 04/10/17 $35.00
  • After 04/10/17 In person at either campus, $35 cash or credit.
• Reminder: Links – Rather than including the same links with every blog post, I have now created a page dedicated to links to Drew and Drew partner websites.  You should see a link to this page at the top of the blog.
• Reminder: Dues – Below is information for student dues.  These funds help pay for programs like Midnight Madness, Prom and Senior Week that we cannot pay for out of school funds.
  • Freshman
    • $30
    • Due (cash or money order) September 16^th to Ms. Deiters in room A202
    • There is a $5 late fee after September 16^th
    • Includes: Freshman T-Shirt, SGA Day of Play, Midnight Madness and other ninth grade activities
  • Sophomore
    • $35
    • Flyer
  • Junior
    • $200
    • Dues Payment Schedule
    • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Senior
    • $225
    • Include cap and gowns, diploma cover, Visions of the Future (including awards and decorations), senior breakfast, senior picnic, senior lunch jam, senior Sunday bar, senior t-shirt, class picture, and other activities.
• Reminder: PTA Membership – Please take a moment to join the Drew PTA.  Dues are $10 and they work tirelessly to provide a wide variety of programming to support our students and staff. You can join online via this link.