Decatur Education Foundation Mid-year Update newsletter

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Opportunities Look inside to learn more about these three programs Photo: Beate Sass

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Decatur Education Foundation MID-YEAR UPDATE 2017

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Opportunities to connect with Decatur students in meaningful ways NEW! Opportunity Partnership closing the opportunity gap with third graders from the Decatur Housing Authority

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Opportunity Partnership aims to close the opportunity gap, which results in some students having fewer opportunities during their formative years. The program launched in November, and our first cohort includes seven eager third-graders. Their mentors have been helping them connect with educational and enrichment opportunities so they can explore their interests, find their passions, and develop useful life skills.

Photo: Lynette Davis

REACH Georgia

prepping middle schoolers for college scholarships This program by the Georgia Student Finance Commission provides guidance and support to students who demonstrate true academic promise. Each year, three students from Renfroe Middle School are chosen to participate. DEF serves as the funding partner for the program and oversees the mentoring component, which matches local community volunteers with each student.When REACH scholars successfully complete the program, they are eligible to receive a $10,000 scholarship to attend college in Georgia. With some colleges double-matching, the award can be as high as $30,000!

NEW! Partnership for Career Achievement

guiding DHS seniors to vocational/trade training and job prospects This new program pairs each student with a community advocate who will help the student navigate through senior year and subsequent training programs for solid job prospects. The 12 seniors who successfully complete the program are eligible for scholarship awards to cover the cost of their chosen training programs as well as associated costs.

For more information on all three visit DecaturEducationFoundation.org/mentoring.

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DEF grants remove obstacles, fuel personal effort, and support teacher innovation through play, exploration, experience, and reading.

Read more stories at decatureducationfoundation.org.

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Photo: Arthur Ratliff

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F.AVE music teacher Nick Brooks wanted to enhance music instruction and give students the opportunity to play nonWestern instruments through a world music drumming curriculum. With a DEF grant, he purchased a collection of portable djembe and dundun drums. The curriculum incorporates the music from South America, West Africa, and the Caribbean, taught in an African model of demonstration, imitation, and repetition. Mr. Brooks has also established an African Drumming Ensemble that meets in the mornings before school.

2 Get Amped up Thanks to funds raised by the annual Mead Road Mardi Gras Parade and Party, several music grants were awarded to RMS and DHS last fall. Musical theater at Decatur High got a boost with the purchase of a portable amplification system, which allows the high school theater group to travel to our elementary schools to perform.

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3 let’s get physical The students in Westchester Elementary’s self-contained, special needs classroom now have some adapted P.E. equipment that allows them to move their bodies and experience success in developing their fine and gross motor skills. P.E. teacher LaTonya Henry knew the specialized equipment would motivate and engage her students so effectively that they wouldn’t even realize they were “working their bodies.” The equipment has proven to be a great way for

students to engage with regular education students who join them for fun and collaborative activities.

4 more songs to sing The Renfroe Middle School Choral Program was awarded a DEF grant to expand its choral music library. The multi-grade program comprises 251 middle school students and has already offered four performances so far this school year.

5 minute to win it skills As a means of providing an inclusive activity for all students, Glennwood Elementary P.E. teacher Chester Everett was awarded a grant for speed stacking cup sets. With them, he created several age-appropriate activities that encourage teamwork and friendly competition among the students, while helping them develop hand-eye coordination, focus, and concentration.

6 “BOARD” AT SCHOOL Renfroe Middle School Media Specialist Benjamin Lynch was awarded a teacher grant to purchase curriculum-aligned board games. These games encourage friendly competition while reinforcing the concepts students learn in class. Some require roleplay and interaction and provide alternative ways in which students can engage with the curriculum. Mr. Lynch said, “It is one thing to read about the American Revolution, but quite another to reenact a scenario from that time period and confront the challenges that each side faced.”

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Photo: Arthur Ratliff

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1 chromebook credits The Alternative Learning Environment at Decatur High School started with a grant for the purchase of five Chromebook computers that allow students online access to complete important coursework necessary for graduation within a supervised setting. The computers allow students to make up credits more quickly than in a traditional classroom, and allow them the opportunity to gain skills in a work or internship setting.

2 wren’s nest ramblers The humanities team noticed the eighth grade humanities curriculum covering Georgia history had a gap in its coverage of AfricanAmerican culture. To coincide with Black History month, eighth grade humanities teacher Elizabeth Williams arranged for the Wren’s Nest Ramblers to perform Joel Chandler Harris’ American folklore stories for her students. The students used the performances for the basis of discussion about the significance of oral history in preserving one’s heritage and the symbolism of animals in storytelling.

establishing a student-run Cookie Gram business. Through a DEF grant, she invested in an Otis Spunkmeyer oven and supplies.

The students have been developing work skills through preparing, baking, and packaging the cookies. With weekly sales, the students have earned their first paychecks and are learning the basics of managing money. They now take weekly shopping trips in the community to purchase ingredients.

The project has been successful by providing students with hands-on experiences and increasing their involvement in the school community. When asked what they like most about their Cookie Gram business, students all say, “Shopping with our money.”

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Pre-K classrooms at CHECLC now have a woodworking learning center! Our youngest learners are working on a building project to develop their hand-eye coordination and learn real-life skills. At the end of the year, the classes will have built a classroom sign.

DEF helped support the expansion of F.AVE’s after-school robotics program in order to accommodate more students. The group has grown to include 50 students on five teams.

Three of those teams advanced to Super Regional competitions and one team, the Radioactive Marshmallows, competed at the state tournament. Student Paige Ford shared what she loves about her robotics team: “Lego robotics was a lot more than just building and programming robots. It was learning about one another. We learned about one another’s weaknesses and strengths. We learned about each other’s wants and needs. We learned to work together and persevere through the conflicts and challenges.”

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Drew Ann Tucciarone, a teacher at Renfroe Middle School, gave students in her moderate special education class the opportunity to acquire some practical, real-life skills by

Students learn differently – and now, students across the district have a variety of seating alternatives to meet their learning and sensory needs. Research shows that providing

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flexible seating options in the classroom improves focus, reduces disruptive behavior, and increases productivity. These Clairemont Elementary students can now choose how and where they complete their independent work, thanks to several grants DEF has made.

Feedback from classroom teachers will shape how future classrooms may be designed to maximize learning.

7 second grade bloggers Oakhurst students in Ms. Whelchel’s second grade class use two classroom iPads to write blogs and communicate with their parents about what they are learning. Using an app called SeeSaw, students can write, draw pictures, take photos of their school projects, and share them with their parents. The kids love using the technology to practice their writing, and the parents love to receive updates directly from their students.

8 Culture of Caring Every fall, Renfroe Middle School’s Culture of Caring Symposium, funded in part by DEF’s Funk Global Awareness Fund, brings students together with speakers from nonprofit organizations to expand students’ international perspectives. Students learn how people are addressing problems locally and globally, and ultimately how they can make a difference in their community. DHS keynote speaker and class of 2014 graduate Sarah Stubbs talked about the Partnerships for Success program she brought to DHS to build relationships between special and regular education students. She also shared her experiences working with Haitian refugees in the Dominican Republic and how that experience led her to study public health.

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1 On the Same Page

3 Volunteers of the Year

Each year, Decatur Education Foundation supports “On the Same Page,” a wonderful city-wide reading initiative that encourages students and families to read and discuss the same book at the same time. DEF contributes funds to ensure that all Decatur families can participate. The 2016 selection, The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate, is a story about an artistic captive gorilla that is inspired by the real-life experiences of Willie B, a beloved resident of Zoo Atlanta.

DEF could not function without the tireless efforts of our many volunteers. We celebrated all of them at our Volunteer Appreciation event in January. This year, we honored:

2 Phonics fun Oakhurst Elementary kindergarten teacher Kendria Paden was awarded a DEF grant to expand her Fundations phonics program to help kindergarten students practice letter acquisition and sound recognition. The additional materials encourage students to use their gross motor, fine motor, and sensory skills to improve their retention during reading time, and to get them excited to practice their handwriting.

• Lampe-Farley Marketing Communications, Business Volunteer of the Year, for relaunching our website and providing branding and graphics for our events.

• Beate Sass, Volunteer Specialist, for amazing photography that shows the impact of gifts from our community.

• DHS teacher Jon Reese, City Schools of Decatur Volunteer of the Year, for working at every DEF event after a full day in the classroom.

• Lauren Davis, Individual Volunteer of the Year, for her work as our Reader-to-Reader Book Sale co-chair, DEF PTA Council member, and a REACH mentor.

4 surprise Delivery DEF’s “E Team,” Elise, Erin and Erica, delivered more than 150 books donated by the Decatur community to Hagar’s House for distribution to Decatur Cooperative Ministry programs, including Kids Home Collaborative and Hotels to Permanency.

These programs provide support to homeless and transitional families. DCM’s Director of Development Holly Joseph was grateful for the books, which were pre-wrapped and sorted by age group. “Typically around

the holidays, all of our case managers are working to ensure that these families have gifts for their children. The book donation will be a great boost to our efforts,” she said.

5 Brewing up fun Every October, DEF invites the entire community to our Boil and Brew fundraiser.

Last October, four local restaurants – Steinbeck’s, Taiyo-Ramen (formerly Makan), Leon’s Full Service and Truman’s Tavern – served up their own version of boil tastes.

Winnona Park teachers Ruth Scott and Kelly Stopp sold necklaces for the popular Heads or Tails raffle game.

6 Joe’s Fund Joe’s Fund honors the life of Joe Bodine, a 2015 Decatur High School graduate who lost his battle with addiction in May 2016.

The fund will support teen mental health and provide a range of services that address the non-academic needs of Decatur’s kids.

Representatives from Joe’s family, DEF, City Schools of Decatur, City of Decatur and community groups are working on the development of a Student Life Center at DHS. The services offered will be based on data collected from students and parents, and students will play a major role in the center’s design. A benefit for Joe’s Fund will be held Saturday, April 29 in Avondale Estates. Learn more about the benefit and how you can support Joe’s Fund at decatureducationfoundation.org/joe.

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Non-Profit Org. U.S. Postage PAID Decatur, Georgia Permit No. 393 200 Nelson Ferry Road, Suite B Decatur, GA 30030 404-377-0641

The Decatur Education Foundation supports youth in our community in three ways: removing obstacles to learning, fueling personal effort, and supporting teacher innovation in our schools. Our success is due to an actively involved community and their generous donations of volunteer time, special skills, and financial gifts. We have touched upon just a small fraction of the work we do in these pages. If you would like to learn more and join our community go to:  DecaturEducationFoundation  @DEF_DecaturGA  DecaturEducationFoundation decatureducationfoundation.org

Step Up for Teachers Every day in classrooms across our city, teachers and support staff step up for our kids. They do this because they are passionate about helping each child reach his or her full potential. They do this in big ways – differentiating learning to reach every child regardless of ability – and in small ways like remembering to ask how the soccer tournament went or what book the student is reading at home.

Each spring, we give our community a chance to STEP UP for teachers and show them just how much they are loved and appreciated.

Here’s how it works: During April and May, you make a gift to DEF in honor of a CSD teacher, administrator, or school support staff. With your gift, you can leave a short note of gratitude in tribute. DEF sends the teacher a link to a webpage with your tribute message, and DEF volunteers deliver

a yard sign to you so everyone can see that you step up for teachers.

If you have a graduating senior, you can choose a Congratulations Class of 2017 yard sign instead. Our goal each year is to blanket the city with yard signs so that it’s clear to all who pass through just how important our educators are to us!

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The best part? All the funds raised during our Step Up campaign support grants that allow our teachers to find creative ways to engage all of their students.

All of the stories shared on these pages are funded in part by our spring Step Up

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campaign. DEF invites you to honor a CSD teacher or staff member with a donation and an online tribute today! To learn more and make your tribute gift, please visit StepUpforTeachers.com.