From City Schools of Decatur…

Dr. Edwards announced today that Mr. Bruce Roaden will take the position of Secondary Education Director for City Schools of Decatur.  In a statement issued today, Dr. Edwards said, “In the summer, just prior to school starting, I posted and interviewed for a position that is needed at the Central Office. Mr. Bruce Roaden, who has been a Principal with CSD for the last ten years, applied and is the front-runner for the position.  With the SLT’s support, I will promote Mr. Roaden to the Central Office position.  Mr. Roaden assisted me in the “turn around” of Renfroe Middle School.  It is now recognized as one of the best middle schools in the state of Georgia.  He has been a principal for 23 years and also taught at the college level.  He has also completed his work to become a Certified School Improvement Specialist.”

The Director of Secondary Education will assist Dr. Edwards in the mentoring and supervision of two Principals.  “The position is also necessary as the system prepares for the upcoming SACS review,” Dr. Edwards said.  “I need someone who has had the experience of being a Principal at the secondary level and who understands the instructional direction and initiatives of the City Schools of Decatur.”

Dr. Edwards also announced, “With the SLT’s blessing, I will promote Ms. Karen Newton to Principal at the 4/5 and Mr. Rodney Thomas as the Assistant Principal.  Ms. Newton has been a key figure in the development of the International Baccalaureate Programme since Dr. Gloria Lee assisted my vision in the opening of the 4/5 Academy.  Mr. Rodney Thomas has been the Dean of Studen
ts at the 4/5 Academy for 9 years and an
important figure in advancing the positive spirit of the school.  These twopeople are outstanding educators and leaders.  They have worked diligently for CSD students, parents and teachers. “

Dave sends along this admittedly self-serving – but still exciting! – announcement…

Lemony Snicket will be in Decatur next Monday, October 21st. He’ll be visiting all the students at F.Ave in the morning and will be at Little Shop of Stories at 7pm.

For all the wonderful people at F.Ave, Little, Brown, his publisher, generously donated 50 copies of his new book, When Did You See Her Last? — the second book in Snicket’s All the Wrong Questions series — and 750 T-shirts.

And there’s a video which, of course, mentions Atlanta but not Decatur. Sigh. At least it’s funny.

Decatur City Commissioner Fred Boykin sends along this call for volunteers from Decatur Active Living’s Cheryl Burnette…

Decatur Active Living and the Safe Routes to School Program will be doing Bicycle Safety Training for the 4th grade students at Fifth Avenue. We will be teaching on Thursday, Sept 20, Friday Sept. 21 and Monday-Wednesday, Sept 24-26. All teaching occurs on the Fifth Avenue School Playground.

We need volunteers! Volunteers have the choice of the following times each day:

• 7:45- 10am
• 9:45 – 11:45am
• 12:15 – 2:15pm

Please let me know which day(s) and time(s) you might be able to assist. You do not need to know how to ride a bicycle. We will be teaching them basic signals, and other various skills. We can train you on the job!

Please consider giving a few hours of your time to help with teaching the children how to ride their bicycles safely. It is loads of fun seeing how excited the children get.

Fifth Avenue Academy, Decatur GA (pic submitted by Anne)

Old Fifth Avenue Site Plan

New Fifth Avenue Site Plan

The new site plans for the Fifth Avenue 4/5 Academy are now online!

The old and new site plans are above.  You can either click the pic itself for a larger image view, or you can go straight to the PDF, which allows for really obsessive zooming.  The biggest changes since the last go-round?  Lots more street parking and a smaller school footprint, which allows for more green-space on the site.

There are also site plan PDFs available for the ground floor, main floor and upper floor of the actual building.

Check it!