Welcome to DeKalb School Watch Two!

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Could be an interesting meeting…

DeKalb County schools Superintendent Michael Thurmond will speak Thursday evening at a meeting of the Northlake Community Alliance.

Speakers include school board vice chairman Jim McMahan and board member Karen Carter. They’ll discuss what the board is doing to get the district “back on track and on top,” according to an NCA announcement.

The meeting starts at 7 p.m., in the back lot building at Briarlake Baptist Church, 3715 Lavista Rd.

UPDATE: Below is a video of the meeting from Stan Jester’s Fact Checker website:

Thursday, May 23: Re-imagining Education … An Evening of Showing and Sharing

You’re invited to attend the K-12 Explorers Guild Workshop and Educator Showcase:
Re-imagining Education …
An Evening of Showing and Sharing
Thursday, May 23, 2013
4:30 – 6:30 pm
@ Georgia Tech Research Institute (GTRI) –
next door to Georgia Public Broadcasting
250 14th Street NW, 5th Floor Boardroom
Atlanta, GA 30318

It’s the end of the year and what better time to celebrate the creativity and hard work of our fellow educators! Georgia Tech Research Institute’s Foundations for the Future (F3) is hosting a special event to showcase how our local educators are integrating technology into their classrooms in effective, engaging, and exciting ways to impact student success.

During this lively and interactive evening we will see examples from classrooms, media centers, STEM labs, and community events where students in grades PK-12 are re-imagining learning by using technology to create content, access information, collaborate in virtual learning environments, and manage online tools and resources. The showcase offers a chance for these educators to share their innovations with you in an informal setting as you enjoy refreshments and dessert.

WXIA-TV Education Reporter and Class Acts creator, Donna Lowry, will moderate a lively and informative panel discussion where district technology leaders, university researchers, and classroom teachers share their vision of contemporary teaching and learning, recognize our shortcomings, and give us a glimpse as to what’s coming next. We will end with a chance for you to participate in a question and response session.

Poster Session
Poster session presenters represent the following school districts: Cobb, DeKalb, Henry, Laurens, and Putnam.
Panel Discussion

Moderator: Donna Lowry, Education Reporter, WXIA-TV

Panel:

Aleigha Henderson-Rosser, Director of Instructional Technology, Atlanta Public Schools

Kelly Stewart, Digital Learning Specialist – Science, Atlanta Public Schools

Chris Thompson, Associate Director for Technology and Student Activities, Center for Education Integrating Science, Math, and Computing (CEISMC)

Hoke Wilcox, Director of Instructional Technology, Fulton County Schools

Workshop Location
The showcase will be held in the GTRI 5th Floor Boardroom at 250 14th Street NW, Atlanta, GA 30318, just west of I-75 / I-85. Take the 14th Street Exit and turn RIGHT. GTRI is located just past the Silver Skillet Restaurant, on the LEFT. Turn LEFT into the driveway that runs between GTRI and Georgia Public Broadcasting. COMPLIMENTARY parking is available in the parking deck.

For More Information or To Register
Please RSVP to make sure that space is available.
Contact Therese Boston at (404) 407-6305 or email: therese.boston@gtri.gatech.edu

The Explorers Guild and Foundations for the Future
This is a free workshop, held in a facility where teachers can exchange experiences, learn from each other, and experiment with tools and technologies. The Explorers Guild is sponsored by Foundations for the Future (F3) and is part of the Georgia Tech Research Institute. F3 is a collaboration of Georgia Tech researchers working with government and industry to support technology-enabled learning in K-12 settings across Georgia. For more information about F3 and the Explorers Guild, go to http://www.f3program.org.

To SUBSCRIBE to the F3 Explorers Guild email list and receive workshop updates, send an email to sympa@lists.gatech.edu with the subject line: subscribe f3-explorers-guild Firstname Lastname. Leave the body of the message blank.

www.f3program.org

Something fun for your Saturday!

Dunwoody High School student Caitlin Gutierrez has been nominated for “Georgia Youth Country Artist of the Year” AND “Youth Music Video of the Year” by the Georgia Music Awards!

Caitlin was born and raised in Leesburg, GA but we are lucky enough to claim now her as a Dunwoody High School student in DeKalb!

Please show your support and VOTE for her at http://georgiamusicawards.com/gma/.

Steps to vote for Caitlin:

Click here to go to the GMA Webpage to vote.

1. Enter your email.
2. Choose the “Youth” and “Video Youth” Categories.
3. Click the “Next Page” tab.
4. Click beside Caitlin’s name in the “Youth and Rock Country” and “Video Youth” categories.
5. Enter the CAPTCHA words.
6. Click on the “Submit” tab.

May SACS visit is underway

From Ty Tagami at the AJC:

Accreditation agency visits DeKalb

The school accreditation agency that placed DeKalb County on probation last year has returned for a review of the school district in preparation for a May 31 report.

A monitoring team from AdvancED, the parent company of accreditation agency the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, visited the DeKalb County School District Friday with plans to continue interviewing staff Saturday.

The team met with principals, teachers, administrators and board members, a school system spokeswoman said. DeKalb will be judged on progress addressing 11 concerns. SACS gave the district a December deadline to address them.

+++

The school system posted relevant files on the system website. Click here for the DCSS press release with links to the files. Or, click the links below to download them from our archives:

AdvancED Institution Progress Report

ADDENDA: CLARIFICATION OF ISSUES/CONCERNS RAISED WITHIN THE ADVANCED SPECIAL REVIEW TEAM REPORT (DECEMBER 17, 2012)

In addition, they included this very interesting update on the textbooks and the associated loan:
Textbook Executive Summary as of January 21, 2013

Please Respect the Teacher of the Year in DeKalb

This was just sent out by our interim superintendent, Michael Thurmond:

====================
INTEROFFICE MEMORANDUM
====================

To: All DeKalb Employees
From: Michael L. Thurmond
Re: Academy of Educational Excellence Awards Postponed
Date: 15 May 2013

Dear DeKalb Employees:

The Academy of Educational Excellence Awards, originally scheduled for May 20, has been rescheduled to August 2013. With the end of the school year approaching, the critical monitoring visit from SACS, and the ongoing 2014 budget process, additional time is needed to adequately plan a successful event that deservingly honors your commitment to the students of the DeKalb County School District.

The Academy of Educational Excellence Awards will honor selected classified and certified staff for exceptional achievement. This red carpet extravaganza will highlight new positive changes as well as continue the traditions of the past. The event’s committee is working diligently to secure a venue that will accommodate all honorees and their guests.

Please accept my sincere apology for the inconvenience. I appreciate your patience and understanding. I look forward to seeing you at this extraordinary employee celebration.

Sincerely,

Michael L. Thurmond
Interim Superintendent

———————-

What Thurmond doesn’t say – or may not even know – is that the Monday, May 20 date was already a result of a postponement! The “Gala” was originally scheduled for Friday, May 17.  Many of these teachers’ families had made arrangements to attend on the 17th and had to cancel, unable to reschedule for Monday due to short notice and work commitments. Now, the 20th date has been bumped to some yet unnamed day in August with no care or regard for the these teachers or their families! This is absolutely pitiful, hideous and sad. This event goes on every year – and should be assigned to an individual with historical knowledge. It should be a slam dunk. Who exactly dropped the ball — twice? Or could it be that Thurmond and our leadership at this point just couldn’t fit our top teachers in their schedules – or worse, perhaps we have no money left to pay for it!