July 20, 2009

 

Dear Parents/Guardians and Students: 

      On behalf of the entire staff at Stephen Decatur Middle School, we would like to welcome back our returning students and officially welcome our new students to our Stephen Decatur Middle School family.  I hope that each of you is having a fantastic and fun-filled summer. We are truly looking forward to seeing you on August 24, 2009 (the first day of school) for what promises to be an exciting and rewarding school year.

      Stephen Decatur Middle School will continue to be an America’s Choice School. America’s Choice is a standards-based reform initiative that is founded upon the idea that ALL students will leave middle and high school ready to do the next level work with out remediation. One of the major aspects of the America’s Choice initiative is the 25 book campaign whereby each student is encouraged to read 25 books by the end of the school year. We will be kicking off our 25 book campaign in early September and will definitely need your participation and support to have successful program.

      Moreover, we realize the importance and the need for parental support in order for us to provide the best education for your children. To that end, everyone is invited to attend our PTA meetings which are held on the second Tuesday of each month at 7 PM in the school’s media center. Our number one goal is to make sure that all of our students receive a quality education that will prepare them for a successful future. I strongly feel that the most important aspect of parental involvement is not necessarily what you do in the school house but what you do at home to ensure that there is academic continuity with what is taught at school. Your support in that aspect will go a long way in helping to establish the positive culture that is needed to build and maintain a strong community of learners.

      We will continue to have an open door policy. Please feel free to join us any time throughout the school year to celebrate the many scholastic, athletic and personal successes of our students. You may also get updated information concerning instructional programs, extracurricular activities, and contacting individual teachers through our school website at www.pgcps.org/~decatur.  You may also contact our school-based parent liaison, Mrs. Danielle Darden, at Danielle.Darden@pgcps.org to add your name to out parent email tree.

      Enclosed you will find important information that will help to ensure that your child has a successful start to the upcoming school year.  Please read all items carefully; particularly the information regarding the changes to our uniform policy. In addition, New Student Orientation will be held on Thursday, August 20, 2009 at 9:30 AM.   Again, we are looking forward to greeting each of you personally on Monday, August 24, 2009.  Enjoy the remainder of your summer and thank you for your continued support. 

Sincerely, 
 

Barry S. Cyrus, Principal