Free-For-All Friday 9/27/13
Decatur Metro | September 27, 2013 | 7:34 amFeel free to use this post to make comments and ask questions about local issues not yet discussed here over the past week.
Comments close on Monday.
Feel free to use this post to make comments and ask questions about local issues not yet discussed here over the past week.
Comments close on Monday.
Chris Billingsley
The Walrus
Marty
Scott
Peripatetian
At Home in Decatur
Chris Billingsley
4/5
Robert Butera
Scott
Tom Stubbs
Marty
AJC Attempts to Explain the “e” in Clairemont Avenue
New Decatur Resident Question- how do I properly dispose of household renovation rubble? I’ve got a pile of busted-up sheetrock and I’m not quite sure what to do with it. The Decatur sanitation website makes no mention of stuff that falls outside of regular household trash (or if it does, I missed it).
1) Slowly drive around your hood scouting for empty dumpsters in front of the many, many recent teardowns. 2) Set your alarm for very, very early in the monring – say 3AM. 3) Load up your car with your rubble and drive over to the recently scouted dumpster. 4) Place your rubble inside said dumpster. 5) Return home and sleep soundly.
Call Public Works and ask them. 404-377-5571
Back when I lived in unincorporated Dekalb: 1) break up and bag that sheetrock into standard household garbage bags. 2) Pile up those 40+ bags in your backyard (out of rain) or basement. 3) Each week during trash day, take 1-2 of those compliant garbage bags, put each in a compliant waste bin, and take to curb. It takes a few months, but we disposed of a LOT of sheetrock that way many many years ago (statute of limitations has passed, so I can post
DISCLAIMER: I would NOT follow this advice in Decatur. The trash system works differently, and people notice. I would also call public works.
ANOTHER SOLUTION
This would also likely be valid refuse at the county landfill (Seminole). You drive in with your vehicle, they weight it, you go to the designated place for whatever it is you are tossing (they have a place for EVERYTHING), and when you drive out they weigh your vehicle again. I’ve done it by either borrowing a friend’s pickup truck or renting a truck or cargo van.
As long as your car has a plate from Dekalb and you show a driver’s license, they will let you dump there. Even if you live in Decatur
As mentioned, the Seminole landfill is probably your best option. If you have a hitch mount on your car….rent a trailer and haul the stuff over there. If not, rent a small truck and do the same. They charge $15 or 20 a ton (I think).
Seminole landfill is very well run and it is very cheap to dispose of bulky construction trash. The only downside is you can eat up a good bit of time in the round trip, or don’t have access to a vehicle that can haul the stuff.
Don’t deadhead! After dumping fill that trailer with free , I call it black gold, mulch.
Advice for how best to use Saturday School at DHS? We understand that the best students go regularly, but our kid doesn’t have any specific questions so she’s not inclined to go. On the other hand, at the 6 week mark she has some Bs in classes she expected to be acing. How does Sat School work? How do kids make use of it? Would appreciate any words of wisdom.
My child goes when his specific teachers are there and uses it like a study hall. It’s a quiet place where he can work without interruptions and has someone to answer any questions if he needs help.
Our daughter does the same. If she feels like she is struggling in a certain class, she will attend when that teacher is there. Definitely beneficial.
Like much in the world of public school, Saturday School is a little hard to fathom and is class- and teacher-specific. After a while, the kids figure it out but it’s incredibly frustrating if they either can’t figure it out and/or don’t want to figure it out. Try emailing the teachers involved but they vary in how much they share the Saturday schedules.
It’s like the Agnes Scott tutoring offered. These sound like great options but are hard to negotiate to get the specific service needed. Students with IEPs have case managers who should help with stuff like this. I have wondered if all students in high school could use a good case manager. The idea is to have the students become more independent of their parents and negotiate the system on their own but there can be a 2-3 year gap while that skill is developed, a period when the GPA and self-confidence can falter drastically. That’s a major difference between public and private high schools—the latter usually have advisers and even college counselors with small case loads. DHS has 3 guidance counselors who work incredibly hard to keep up with the entire student body and handle everything from truancy to violence to suicidal teens to applications to Harvard. In college, every student has an academic counselor. It’s needed in high school too. Of course, college costs billions of dollars, and it’s double that for private vs. the state university system, so there you go….
Thanks y’all. We couldn’t get her to go because she didn’t think any of her friends were going. We’ll try again in October. I agree with AHID – we’re in that weird stage where she isn’t able to consistently navigate the system herself and although we are very happy with her guidance counselor at DHS, they are stretched too thin to give the kids much personal attention.
I thought Saturday school was an ugly chapter in Decatur history that was an attempt to dissuade Jewish families from locating here.
That was MANDATORY Saturday school. But it’s a point. Anyone who was Orthodox Jewish in Decatur wouldn’t be able to attend optional Saturday School either. We’re diverse in terms of race in Decatur (at least at the middle and high school levels) but not so much in terms of ethnicity and religion.
Hi all, we are having a gigantic yard sale tomorrow at 643 Sycamore Dr. The kids are all grown up and we are selling off tons of toys, clothes, furniture, even the minivan. Mostly tween/teen girl clothes but toys for everyone. Couple of bedroom linen sets with rugs and valances, my husband’s “bachelor speaker set,” a stroller, and even a wooden kitchen playset that we bought from a daycare a few years ago. Starts at 8–see you then!
How did you convince your husband to get rid if his speaker set? Did he get something new or finally concede that huge speakers, subwoofer, and center channel are not furniture?
You guys are making me thankful that all of my speakers are recessed in a wall (and massive subwoofer hidden in a cabinet) so my wife can’t rip them out and sell them to the highest bidder…
BTW, Happy Anniversary, Sweetheart!
I’m trying to think of a good answer for this. I really don’t have one. It’s been in our attic for 13 years. Maybe it’s because our TV room is so small we really don’t need the speakers? Or because we only watch TV after the kids have gone to bed, so we can’t blast it? His set is in good shape and cost him about $1K back in the late 90’s.
When we moved to a condo here I had to get rid of my large expensive speakers. I replaced it with a soundbar that goes under the tv and a small subwoofer that just fits under a cabinet. It actually works pretty well, but I do my serious listening with a good pair of headphones now.
That was exactly my husband’s response when I asked, “Are you sure?” He said if we really need to hear something we’ll use headphones.
Wow. My son now requests to “listen to music loud” (thanks, Daddy) – I try to turn it down and he tells me to turn it back up. I can’t stand loud music/TV/movies – but I seem to be outnumbered in our house. Yes, movies sound great in surround – but I don’t really care – would rather have the space for furniture.
There’s a difference between “loud” and “surround.” A properly calibrated surround system should be able to provide you with immersive sound at any volume.
Moreover, that experience can easily be delivered with relatively modest speakers (i.e., small enough to sit on top of furniture, rather than in place of it). And in some cases you can use recessed speakers in the walls with painted grilles and see almost nothing at all. So maybe there’s (literally) room for compromise?
Anyone else getting the following message each time they open a page on DM?
“Do you want to open or save analytics.js from a.sitemeter.com?”
Yes.
yes, but just starting today.
Nope. Using Chrome, if that make a difference.
Same here.
It’s probably a police scanner. They’re monitoring our entire lives!
(Lots of sarcasm)
No, but Explorer blocked the site from downloading files to my computer…
Yes. This has been happening for at least 2 days, maybe 3 or 4.
Which places in and around Decatur have community bulletin boards or tables where people can leave flyers?
Psst — You’re posting on one. 😉
Mellow Mushroom comes to mind first…
More than you might think. Lots of places don’t have a bulletin board but will let you post something in their front window if it’s for a good cause and/or they think it’s of interest to their patrons. Don’t over-think it. Get about 15-20 flyers and walk from one end of downtown to the other. If you have any left over, hit the W. College strip and Oakhurst. And depending on what you’re promoting, the City might let you post in the kiosk on the Square.
Little Shop of Stories, Java Monkey (though it’ll get covered over quickly by someone else’s), Twains…
Oakhurst Market
Good suggestions. Thanks, everybody!
Come have a beer and meet Lewis Jones, candidate for School Board, at the Brickstore this Tuesday, October 1, from 5:00 – 6:30 pm. Lewis has several other events scheduled in the coming weeks, please check the website for more: lbj4csd.com. Thank you!
Is Candidate Jones picking up the tab?
yes
DHS Marching band is having a yard sale next Saturday, Oct. 5th at the Intown Ace Hardware on Scott Blvd. If you have items (furniture, books, stuff) you’d like to donate, we can make arrangements to get it from you. Email me at [email protected] . Thanks.
Hi everyone! I am Kris Webb, the former science chair and 8th grade science teacher at Renfroe. I have opened my own STEM (science technology engineering mathematics) education company, The Science of Fun.
We have STEM camps during the summer, on teacher workdays (Nov 5 is coming soon), Thanksgiving week, December holidays, and all the other CSD breaks. We’ll have new, interesting experiments each break. The summer campers’ favorites were marble roller coasters, slime, ice cream, film canister rockets, and of course, Diet Coke and Mentos fountains.
I have also started K-3 Tues/Thurs afternoon STEM classes. Kids can take the CSD bus over to my location at the Lutheran Church on Clairemont. Please sign up this weekend if you’re interested. Classes begin October 8. Space is extremely limited.
More details are at http://www.thescienceoffun.org
Thank you, thank you for all of your support! What a wonderful community!
Kris Webb
404-969-2161
(Call me if you’d like to discuss more details. I don’t mind, really! About 90% of our registrations began with a phone discussion.)
Ms. Webb is the bomb!!
+1
Awwww, thanks!!!
Kris Webb
I’m sure it’s been asked before but do any long, LONG time residents know what that cement oval sidewalk thingy in Adair Park is or was. I’ve been here 23 years and it’s been the same. Maybe someone that lived here in the 50’s or 60’s knows?
That’s where I learned to ride a bicycle.
Dear Chipotle:
If I had wanted a rice burrito, I would have ordered a rice burrito. Also, pretty sure rice isn’t supposed to be crunchy with little hard bits.
Thxkbye
Wife opts for no rice in her burrito for just this reason. They can’t seem to do just a little. It’s either none or a ton.
On the other hand, the crunchy rice bits stuck to the bottom of the cooking pot are considered a delicacy in many countries. Just sayin’…
This wasn’t crunchy rice bits-this was undercooked rice. Yuck.
oh, the humanity
Pooh on humanity. O my poor teeth.
Skateraid is Sunday. Get your skate on!
Does anyone know of any carriage houses for rent in Decatur? My dog and I are moving out of our Oakhurst house and need a smaller space–hoping to stay under $600 a month. Any tips would be appreciated!
I know someone who lives in Tucker (very near the intersection of Idlewood and Ponce) with a “mother-in-law” suite for rent. It is more of a fully finished basement with private bathroom – type of situation. You would share the kitchen with the homeowner. Rent is $600/month. I can provide details if interested.
Thank you for letting me know! If you wouldn’t mind sending me more information at cararusso at gmail dot com i’d really appreciate it!
Thank you!
There are 2 signs on E. Clifton for carriage house rentals. (at the end of Coventry)
You may also want to check Avondale Estates — there are often carriage houses for rent around there and it’s just a hop, skip and a jump from Decatur. Oh, as for finding rentals… I know some of them are managed by local real estate agents so you might try contacting a few to inquire if they have any for rent.
Restaurants for Repairs – October 1
Raise a fork, fix a home. Dine out on Tuesday, Oct. 1 at a participating restaurant and a percentage of the day’s proceeds goes to the Decatur Martin Luther King Jr. Service Project, a large-scale volunteer initiative to help low income Decatur senior citizens live safely, comfortably and affordably in their homes by completing needed repairs, weatherization, adding handicap-accessible features and yard work. Participating restaurants are Universal Joint, Steinbeck’s, Matador Cantina, The Corner Pub (dinner only), Leon’s Full Service, Big Tex Decatur, Parker’s on Ponce, Brick Store Pub, Cakes & Ale, Harbour Bar, Raging Burrito & Taco, Farm Burger, and Swirlin’ Twirlin’. Visit http://www.mlkserviceproject.com for links to the restaurants.
Great cause! If an elder suffers a bad fall in a house that’s inaccessible or in poor repair, it makes it difficult for him or her to be discharged from a hospital or rehab facility back to home. Tragically, those barriers can create a domino effect that leads to a long-term, often “permanent,” nursing home stay. When you support Decatur’s MLK Day project, you’re making more of a difference than you could know.
don’t know if they have any carriage houses, but the Emory Off-campus housing website has many inexpensive options. They might be a little low on choices as the fall semester just began, but you might want to check it out.
Tomorrow night if you are looking for something to do come to Trackside Tavern for the SATURDAY MORNING CARTOON ART SHOW
https://www.facebook.com/events/653049874707749/
=that’s the facebook page
the walls will be decked out with art based on 80’s cartoons,drink specials and promo’s from angry orchard cider and fireball
I just received as a gift a fine pendulum clock that needs some cleaning, oiling, and inspection. Any recommendations would be appreciated, especially if local to Decatur. Thx.
Kim’s Alterations, despite the name. Mr Kim is a fine repairer of clocks, watches, etc. Next to the bowling alley in Suburban Plaza.
Um, sorry to say, the Kims closed up shop and vanished a couple of months ago.
Aw man, I didn’t know that. I liked Mr. and Mrs. Kim. He changed many a watch battery for me, and I always went to Mrs. Kim for alterations.
They closed and retired for medical reasons. As an alternative, I’ve been using the shop in the corner of the plaza with Willy’s and Eagle Eye Books and Kinko’s/Fedex at N. Decatur and Clairemont.
Yelp watch repair and there is a highly rated clock shop on Cheshire Bridge, I brought a watch there for repair and they were bustling with old clocks.
Am I the only one concerned about the sheep at the cemetery and the fireworks show on Saturday? Will someone sprinkle some Prozac in the weeds and kudzu to keep them calm?
Do sheep stampede?
not when you give them the love they deserve
I visited them Sun. and they were happily munching away — no sign of stress from the night before that I could see.
Can anyone recommend a local mirror replacement shop? I have an old oak dresser with an attached, framed mirror that is shattered.
The glass company on EPonce near SAMs crossing.
That’s Glasshoppers who are very reasonable….also, Parker and Sons a bit further out could likely help as well.
I took an old dresser mirror–the kind that was originally attached to a dresser–to the Goodwill on Northside Drive last week.
Thanks, all!
Somebody keep an eye on Rick. I’m concerned for the sheep.
Get Ready For the More Fest 2013
The Festival Will Be Saturday October 19th
Please Support The Saint Thomas More Church “More Fest”!
Save the date- More Fest 2013 will be Saturday, October 19. More Fest Games, Food, and Activities will begin at noon and run through 4:00 pm and the Flea Market will be open from 8:00am to 4:00pm.
FLEA MARKET DONATIONS
Please begin to gather your gently used items for the Flea Market. Best sellers include furniture, home decor, kitchen items, books, DVDs, baby and kid stuff, pre-war/post-war Lionel trains, and similar items. If you need assistance with large items, we will be at the drop off location (STM Rectory, drive to end of left side driveway, 636 West Ponce de Leon Ave, 30030) on
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 5th and OCTOBER 12th, from 10:00am to NOON.
Proceeds from the More Fest have benefitted the following in previous years: Decatur Cooperative Ministry, Path Inc., Decatur Emergency Assistance Ministry, Hagar House, Missionaries of Charity, Jerusalem House, Decatur Pregnancy Center, and the STM Catholic School.
We ask that you NOT INCLUDE the following in your flea market donations:
NO CLOTHING / NO STUFFED ANIMALS / NO ELECTRONICS.
Please email Chris Billingsley at [email protected] for more information.
I’m hoping that Dr. Fehrs and Rev. Stroupe will not mind my repost of their effort to raise money for Renfroe Middle School (PS- Thanks to Dr. Fehrs and Rev. Stroupe for all their hard work!):
“Deadline was extended to Monday so you can vote today or tomorrow (this week) and again on Monday (next week’s vote). Two more chances to vote!!! Go to givewith.target.com/school/35145 and vote now! And please put it on your calendar to vote again Monday. Share the news!
If you don’t want to share contacts with Target, just skip that step!
We’re at $289. Let’s break $300 or more!!! Thanks!
– Laura
P.S.: To those of you have voted one or multiple times already–you’re awesome! Thanks! Vote just two more times!!!
PPS: This is truly the end because Target’s meter shows they’ve almost given out all the money!”
Does anyone know what happened at Native? Went last night and it was closed -I’m afraid it is for good, unless anyone knows any different.
Been that way at least 2 weeks.
Closed indeed:
http://atlanta.eater.com/archives/2013/09/26/the-shutter-55.php
My next appearance at a Decatur City Commission Meeting:
“Commissioners. I would like to bring to your attention that last Saturday, there was an unusually large crowd at both the Glen Lake and the sheep parks who appeared NOT to be watching the Georgia/LSU game. Please consider restrictions on outdoor activities for future games of such historical and national significance. Thank you and may God continue to bless the Georgia Bulldawgs and LSU Tigers!”
They missed quite a football game.
Does anyone know the cause of the all the police commotion on church st yesterday around 1244pm? I suspect it had to do with the red speeding car that tore out of the bank of America lot.
What’s the latest on when the fireworks start tonight?
Interesting ed article in WSJ:
Wall Street Journal, Sept 28/29, “Review” section page 1&2- “Tough Teachers Get Results”.
The Eight Rules- 1. A little pain is good for you. 2. Drill, Baby, Drill. 3. Failure is an option. 4. Strict is better than nice. 5. Creativity can be learned. 6. Grit trumps talent. 7. Praise makes you weak… 8. … While stress makes you strong.
Re #3, I’ve been told reliably that in the Decatur system an unexcused failure to turn in a required assignment or exam results in a numeric grade of 60? Is that really the case? Why on earth would we allow this?
Maybe years ago- Renfroe and DHS don’t even use 1-100 any more.
This was a relatively recent phenomenon. I think it had something to do with the fact that it is extremely difficult to bring up a Zero when factored into a grade, and the teachers didn’t want to discourage struggling students from attempting to do work because, oh well, I’m going to fail anyway no matter what I do. I teach at a community college with students who pay to attend my classes, and I get frustrated trying to get them to do their work. I can only imagine how hard it must be to get work from unmotivated, struggling students in a public school.
A zero to 100 scale with a whole 59 points being designated as failing did have its drawbacks because it didn’t utilize the whole scale. A 59 was just as much a failing grade as a zero. This is about the only advantage I’ve seen so far for the IB scale. I think only a 1 is failing. Or maybe it’s a 0? Whatever. I have the opposite view of the IB scale, not enough detail to the scale, especially in the cases when the range is 1-5. In that case, there’s a big difference between a low 3 and a high 3 and between a low 4 and a high 4 but no way to indicate it. (Not to mention the cut and paste “comment” options which drive me crazy. The federal government now requires “plain language” in its documents. Can we ask for plain language that is specific to our students, not the exact same cut and paste comment about the rubric that 20-40% of the class also got?)
+1. Being new to the IB system this year, I find the grading system to be absolutely crazy. I have heard that the HS converts the IB grades to the “normal” A-F grades when submitting grades to colleges. If this is true, why the IB grading? Also agree on the worthless “cut & paste” comments.
Don’t even get me started on systematic mathematical transformation errors that go into the conversion of IB grades to a GPA. If we really believed that colleges love IB, we wouldn’t do the conversion at all. In reality, college admissions can tell the difference between IB in name and IB that reflects higher quality and so having IB vs. lots of AP courses is a wash with colleges. BTW, you can have an IB program without using IB grading. Given how most CSD families seem to like the idea of high quality, well-implemented IB, (perhaps without the elitism of the IB degree for 10-20% of students), but are dismayed by the IB grading and comments, that might be the way to go.
Actually, RMS uses “IB” grades of 1-10 or 1-7 depending on the subject and time of the grading cycle. As recently as last year DHS used the traditional scale of 0 – 100 on my child’s progress report and transcript. As I understand it, if a student failed an assignment or failed to turn in the assignment, it could be redone or the due date extended until turned in. Unfortunately, colleges and universities do expect assignments turned in on time and will give failing grades if they are earned, including a zero. I understand that CSD has encouraged teachers not to give grades below 60 because it would be too difficult for the student to “dig out of that hole” to improve the grade.
It’s true that on summative assessments the scales are usually 1-7 or 1-10. But on everyday work or projects there is often a 1-4 or 1-5 scale.
Right, and that adds one more conversion, from the scale for individual projects and tests (aka summative assessments in non-plain language) to the scale used for the report card. Every conversion has the potential for 1) loss of information that happens with any data conversion from one scale to another; and 2) human error; and 3) reporting error (limits of Campus Portal and/or Managebac). In my opinion, the scale that is finally used for a permanent record should be used throughout the grading cycle, if possible. If 1.0 to 4.X is what is used on the permanent record, i.e. what counts for college admissions, Hope scholarship, athletic scholarships, college honors programs, etc., then that’s what should be used for progress reports.
“Unfortunately, colleges and universities do expect assignments turned in on time and will give failing grades if they are earned, including a zero”: Depends on the college. You’d be surprised. Institutions that charge $56,000/year have a vested interest in keeping paying families happy. They don’t mind your kids taking forever to graduate–more money for them. But they don’t want you to stop paying because your child flunked out. Plus they need low withdrawal rates to look good in the college ranking tools.
Just want to plug the Avondale Estates AutumnFest this coming weekend — because not all festivals are in Decatur! 😉 More info (and perhaps what will lead this to be moderated) at https://www.facebook.com/pages/Autumnfest-Arts-Music-Festival/496993420337331
And I would like to give a shout-out word of praise to yesterday’s SkaterAid.Year after year, it’s one of my favorite September events. Just something about it. The whole backstory, the cause, the commitment, the reckless enthusiasm of all the kids, the earnest young bands and, of course, the local brews and cheap food.
If you didn’t make it, make a note for next year. It’s worth it!