Charter CharterCSD CSD OCTOBER 2011
News about Decatur City’s School Governance Teams
CSD welcomes its newest School Leadership Team SLT Training set for October 1 Data drives SLT School Improvement Plans
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System Charter Team gets update on rising student enrollment, new Strategic Plan
Glennwood Elemen‐ tary parents choose school’s first Leader‐ ship Team
DETV creates mobile site to encourage feedback on CSD issues
Two SLT members announce candidacy for CSD School Board
October 2011
CharterCSD
SLT governance training set for October 1
T
raining for current and new City Schools of Decatur School Leader‐ ship Team (SLT) members is set for Saturday, October 1 from 8:30 am to 1 pm in the Board Room at the Central Office at Westchester on Scott Boulevard.
“It’s important to draw on the experience of those parents, teachers and community members who helped CSD establish its first governance teams.”
Fifth Avenue Academy SLT members Andrea Berry and Garrett Goebel and Renfroe School Leadership Team member Peg Bumgardner have worked with Dr. Phyllis Edwards to develop the program for the training. “We wanted to create a more user‐friendly agenda so that SLT members would have specific information and skills as they move forward in their work,” said Bumgardner. All CSD schools except for the College Heights Early Childhood Center elected new parents and teachers to their School
Leadership Teams during August and September. The teams also have re‐ turning and new appointed SLT com‐ munity representatives.
“Best Practices” panel will be key feature of October SLT Training
A
s City Schools of Decatur begins its fourth year as a Charter Sys‐ tem, former School Leadership Team (SLT) members will be part of panel discussions at the October 1st Training for returning and new SLT members.
• • • • •
Some of the presentations will include: • Clairemont Math Academy: Rob Pope; • Governance: Lew Lefton;
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October 2011
Parent Involvement: Lilly Pettus; Decatur High School Schedule: Susan Strickland; The Role of the Principal: Bruce Roaden; Communications: Peg Bumgardner Engaging Teachers: Stephanie Trauner;
The meeting will be taped as a future resource for SLT members. 3
System Charter Leadership Team hears update on new CSD Strategic Plan
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ystem Charter Leadership Team (SCLT) members met at Westchester on Thurs‐ day, September 1, to discuss a variety of topics including the possibilities and challenges facing School Leadership Teams during the current school year. CSD Board of Education Vice‐chair Bernadette Seals also attended the meeting.
Facilitated by Superintendent Dr. Phyllis Edwards, SCLT members heard updates on the 2011‐2016 Strategic Plan, the October 1 SLT Training, and new district‐wide com‐ mittees that will focus on the Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax (SPLOST), growing enrollment, and how to in‐ crease community engage‐ ment at CSD schools.
Left: Stephanie Van Parys, a CSD parent and community member of the Oakhurst School Leadership Team.
The SCLT is composed of the principal and one SLT member from each of seven CSD schools. Click here to download a Summary of the September 1,2011 System Charter Leadership Team Meeting.
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Decatur High School Principal Lauri McKain and Renfroe Middle School principal Derrick Thomas.
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CharterCSD
Glennwood Elementary welcomes CSD’s newest School Leadership Team
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lennwood Elementary School held elections for its brand new
School Leadership Team on Thurs‐ day, September 8th, as part of its Curriculum Night event for par‐ ents and guardians.
Above: GE Principal Dianna Watson (center) with SLT candidates (from left) Julie Vazquez, Emily Kandetzki, Kate Gardes, and Emily McEvilly
Above and right: Glennwood Elementary parent votes for SLT members; Parent meet SLT Candidates in the Media Center.
Before the classroom visits began, SLT candi‐ dates gathered in the School’s Media Center to meet and talk with other parents inter‐ ested in the work of the new School Leader‐ ship Team. Principal Dianna Watson has served on the Winnona Park Elementary and Clairemont Elementary School Leadership Teams. CharterCSD
October 2011
Click on the video above for more from Dianna Watson about the Glennwood SLT.
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District data central to SLT work on new School Improvement Plans
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s CSD School Leadership Teams work to develop and approve new, one‐year School Improvement Plans, they are reviewing data with their principals that focus on the four areas pictured at the right. The teams will use infor‐ mation collected by the District to set goals and evaluation measures for each School Improvement Plan.
DEMOGRAPHICS
SCHOOL PROCESSES
PERCEPTIONS
STUDENT LEARNING
CSD DATA SETS
CSD officials hope eBOARD will enhance the work of school leadership teams
D
ecatur school district administra‐
run out of room,” says Dr. Thomas Van
tors are hoping that School
Soelen, CSD Associate Superintendent.
Leadership Teams will increase
Van Soelen says SLTs should follow the
their use of eBOARD an
lead of how the Decatur Board
online governance tool
of Education uses eBoard to
that documents meet‐
document their work and how
ings, agendas and other
they make decisions.
information relevant to School Leadership Team work. “Having binders on shelves is one way to
CSD recently won two awards from the Georgia School Boards Association for its use of the eBOARD tool.
chronicle the work but it’s a really easy thing to throw away the binder when you
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Click here for a video feature.
October2011 CharterCSD
Two SLT members are running for District 1 School Board seat
F
ifth Avenue Academy School Leadership Team member Garrett Goebel and Renfroe
School Leadership Team member Peg Bumgardner are candidates for the CSD District 1 Board of Education seat now held By John Ahmann. Ahmann
recently announced that he would not seek re‐election.
Click here to visit Peg Bumgardner’s campaign website.
Oakhurst resident Julie Rhame is the only CSD Board member up for re‐ election this year. Rhame has an‐ nounced she will seek another term on the Board of Education and is un‐ opposed in the November 8 election. Other Board members are Valarie Wilson, Marc Wisniewski and Click here to visit Garrett Goebel’s campaign website.
Find out about the work of CSD’s School Leadership Teams Contact the principals at any of the schools for specific information or visit the district or school websites.
CharterCSD
October 2011
Bernadette Seals.
CharterCSD is produced by Decatur EDTV, a partner of the City Schools of Decatur. We welcome your comments and questions. Please direct all inquiries to aberry@decaturedtv.com
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Decatur ED TV mobile site seeks to enhance community engagement with CSD
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n September 19th, Decatur ED TV will release ENGAGE DECATUR! a mobile phone app that makes it easy for residents to provide feedback on issues of interest to them or their families. In addition to ways to
offer comments or questions through any smartphone, the application includes a hotline number and exclusive content. The CSD 4‐5 Academy and the Renfroe Middle School SLT Communications Com‐ mittees are considering the tool as a way to increase parent awareness and en‐ gagement in their school leadership teams’ work. “This will be another way to get more of our community engaged with issues facing CSD,” says DETV Executive Producer Andrea Berry.
Superintendent attends 4‐5 Academy SLT meeting; plans to meet with other SLTs CSD Superintendent Dr. Phyllis Edwards
school system’s new, five‐year Strate‐
met with the 4‐5 Academy School Leader‐
gic Plan and to find out more about
ship Team in August 2011 to discuss the
the work of each school SLT. Dr. Ed‐ wards answered several questions and plans visits to other CSD SLT meetings over the next several months. “I really appreciated the opportunity to discuss some of the issues facing our school district directly with Dr. Edwards,” said Wendy Holmes, a 5th
Above: Dr. Phyllis Edwards talks with F.AVE SLT members at the new 4‐5 Academy in Oakhurst.
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grade parent member of the 4‐5 Academy SLT. CharterCSD
October 2011