Newsletter 8/19/20

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VIsion Statement:

"Engaging hands and minds through the Environment, Agriculture and Technology. "

Building Hours

Monday - Thursday 9AM - 3PM
678-999-9290

Hello D. A. T. E. Stakeholders,

I am so thrilled to be back in school, well at least virtually in school. I want to thank you all for coming out on Monday for our very First Back to School Parade during this COVID -19 Pandemic.

What a great opportunity for us to come together to celebrate learning.

I know we are all being very careful and doing our best to start the year off with Virtual Learning, and as we do this, remember, that you have an abundance of information and support that you can access on our school's website. Please take time to visit the site and learn more about the available resources that can help you during this time. Here are some virtual parent tips as you begin to master this process and stay ready and prepared:

Back to (Virtual) School: 5 Things Parents Can Do to Support Students in Virtual Courses

Help Your Child Build a Schedule. ...
Model Hard Work and Persistence. ...
Set Up a Designated Workspace. ...
Familiarize Yourself with the Virtual Learning Platform. ...
Build a Relationship with Your Child's Teachers.

School Hours:

D. A. T. E. hours of operation during the COVID- 19 Virtual Learning is Monday-Thursday, 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. The facilities are closed to visitors, but you may still receive support. Please, when visiting this location, wear your mask and remain outside and someone will come to assist you. If you need any further support, please email the following administrators, or teachers located on our website under Faculty and Staff.

First Two Weeks of School and Communication

Continuing with the D. A. T. E. tradition, teachers will complete student assessments and build relationships with students. Teachers will make every effort to communicate with you frequently; however, we have created email addresses for each grade level that will be directly received by the team of teachers and the grade level administrators. Should you have questions, we always encourage you to first contact the teacher and then the administrator if needed.

K - kindergarten@dateacademy.org

1st - firstgrade@dateacademy.org

2nd - secondgrade@dateacademy.org

3rd - thirdgrade@dateacademy.org

4th - fourthgrade@dateacademy.org

5th - fifthgrade@dateacademy.org

6th -sixthgrade@dateacademy.org

7th - seventhgrade@dateacademy.org

8th - eighthgrade@dateacademy.org

We are so excited to be back in school! We have missed seeing the smiling faces of our beloved students, parents and staff.

Teachers are working to get all students access to Google classroom and other resources to fully engage in teaching and learning. As you know, this year is starting off virtually and we need your help to keep students engaged in a safe and orderly manner.

Please keep the following in mind as we move forward in the virtual learning experiences:

1. Students are expected to maintain the "DATE way" as they engage online. This includes appropriate attire and time on task behaviors.

2. The codes for the Google classrooms are only accessible to students enrolled in the classes. Students should not share that information.

3. Students should engage in the instructional activities daily. Attendance is taken by the teachers in grades K-3. Students in grades 4-8 need to complete the Google forms to submit their attendance (accessible within the Google classrooms of the core classes).

Parents, your support in this process can't be expressed enough! Please ensure that your child is prepared to learn each day and feel free to contact the teachers or team if you have questions, concerns or encouragement!

Dr. K. Taylor,
Chief Academic Officer

Greetings Family,

Wow!!! What a wonderful start to the school year! Seeing all of you at our drive through parade made me so proud to be part of the D.A.T.E. family. I know you are ready to get back to in person learning, so that students can get the optimal time with each teacher, We want the students back as well, but this time doesn't allow for students to return to school just yet, but the time will come, hopefully sooner than later.

As I said in my letter sent out last week, we are asking that you stay patient with our teachers as they go through these trials and tribulations with each of you. We understand things can change, but we need to all work together to ensure each student is meeting the necessary learning goals to be successful.

Our staff, students and families make our school community the caring place it is! We will get through this together. #Eagles Care Together!

Dr. E. Wilson
Middle School Principal

Parents and Guardians,

It is my pleasure to welcome you to D.A.T.E. We are excited about the 2020-2021 school year. Our faculty and staff have worked tirelessly to ensure that this year will be successful for all of our students. At D.A.T.E., we believe that customer service is the key to a successful educational experience and together, we will create learning opportunities that lead to academic excellence.

Education is truly a partnership between the school, students, parents/guardians, and community. As of today, we have given out hundreds of Chromebooks, answered numerous calls and emails, and began teaching our scholars. It has been AWESOME seeing teachers, students, and parents virtually. Parents, please remain patient as we go through the beginning stages of virtual learning. Please know that we are all doing the “grunt work” and working hard to ensure that our students can log on and be successful. Last thing parents, please read, read, read, and read the emails and posts sent to your email, the student’s email, and the Google Classroom. We know it’s a lot, but we are all D.A.T.E. Strong so we are going to make it thru! Thank you in advance for your hard work and dedication. I look forward to working with each of you virtually!

Welcome Back!

Ms. Erica Thomas,
Elementary Principal

We realize that with so many different policies and procedures in place due to the Covid pandemic that we have had to adjust to many different practices. We hope that with time, we hope to continue to support our stakeholders. Below, are a few reminders during virtual learning.

Code of Conduct Forms

Please make sure to sign and email your student(s) Homeroom Teacher the Student Code of Conduct Signature Forms .

Attendance Policy

● Attendance will be measured by the full day. Students are expected to participate daily.

● Attendance is defined as evidence of engagement with the assignment.

D.A.T.E. Parents

● Encourage and require the student to participate in all synchronous and asynchronous activities and assignments.

● Inform the local school designee and teacher of an absence within a 24-hour time period of the absence.

● Inform the school if something is occurring that is preventing the student from participating in virtual learning.

Student Dress Code

The purpose of Virtual Student Dress Code Policy is to clearly define acceptable student attire during virtual class sessions. The following dress code applies:

• Students can also wear D.A.T.E. full uniform daily.

• Students can wear D.A.T.E. paraphernalia tee shirt, polo shirt, or sweatshirt.

• Students must wear appropriate shorts, pants, and skirts.

Clothing not permitted:

• Tank Tops

• Halter Tops

• Spaghetti strapped

• Any shirt or blouse exposing any area above the waist

• No clothing with inappropriate advertising

• No pajamas of any kind.

Dr. H. McCladdie,
Director of Student Services

Code of Conduct: Signature Page

AUGUST LUNCH MENU

Greetings,

It was brought to the Tech Team's Attention that we have had some reports about Zoom not being accessible.
Attached is a link to an instructional video that provides steps to join Zoom through your web browser.
Zoom is a web based application therefore it's operational without the need for a desktop app install.
We hope this helps and if you need any further assistance please let us know. Thanks.

Launching Zoom from a web browser link:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cDZOx-N39EU

Google Chrome
Open Chrome.
Go to join.zoom.us.
Enter your meeting ID provided by the host/organizer.

Click Join.
Click Open Zoom Meetings (PC) or Open zoom.us (Mac).
You need to click this option every time you try to launch Zoom from a web browser.

TechDept@dateacademy.org

Parents' Guide to Google Classroom

Infnite Campus Instructions

Greeting D. A. T. E. Family,

Welcome back to another exciting year of engaging, exploring, examining, and excitement. While you all may be virtual and physically away from the campus this year, we will connect through heart felt relationships and technology. So many positive things are taking place in Environmental Science.

We currently are incorporating Agriculture across the campus. Our tomatoes are thriving in the Greenhouse Aquaponics System; the Pasture is being prepared for Andy the cow; our Pond is being revamped and updated to start growing water lettuce and water lilies; the hens are laying eggs and brooding to produce new baby chicks; and the garden is being tiled and cultivated to prepare for our fall planting of seeds.

I am looking forward to our scholars digging deeper into the science behind all of our labors to enhance a level of understanding that will allow you our scholars to take this content and apply it to your real lives to make your community economically sustainable as you protect our environment leaving the world a better place for those who will come behind us. Great things will be happening through Google Classroom. I'll be seeing you all soon.

The best is yet to come!

Mrs. Shillingford

S.T.E.M./S.T.E.A.M. Coordinator

Environmental Specialist

Greetings:

Welcome to your virtual school year experience! I am extremely impressed with how amazing our parents and students have started this school year. When working with your students, please know we have resources available for parents, and we will keep you as up to date as possible. The document created with helpful webinars provides some ideas, strategies and options for helping take control of the current situation. Please, reach out to me if you have any questions or concerns, and I will do my best to assist.

Mrs. Angel Haye
School Counselor

Helpful Webinars

Welcome D.A.T.E. Families! As the PTO President for Dekalb Academy of Technology, I am excited about what the new school year will bring.

Although we are not starting the year in our traditional manner, the D.A.T.E. PTO is still here to help meet the needs of the parents and student body. The Parent-Teacher Organization (PTO) is a volunteer group dedicated to supporting the school and enhancing the quality of the educational experience for all students at D.A.T.E. Some activities will look different from what they have been but we are still dedicated to supplementing services, equipment, supplies and supporting the school administration in its overall goals for the school year.

Your involvement is still very much important now as it has been in years past. We are currently in our membership drive for the year and hope that you will take part in becoming a PTO member. You can easily join the organization by visiting the PTO Page under the Parent menu on our school website.

Also, please be on the lookout for our new PTO Store. It will be an enhanced tool with pictures of products as well as an expansion of items offered. The site will also come with a phone application allowing for access to information through your mobile device. I think you all will be pleased with the changes.

As always, “A strong PTO represents parent involvement and parent involvement represents student success.”

Should you have any questions, please feel free to contact me at: PTO@dateacademy.org

Thank You,
Nicole Lundie
PTO President

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1492 Kelton Drive, Stone Mountain, Ga 30083
www.DekalbAcademy.org

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Dekalb Academy of Technology and the Environment · 1492 Kelton Dr · Stone Mountain, GA 30083-1918 · USA