Save the date: Beecher Hills Elementary’s Vocabulary Parade, Oct. 30

Beecher Hills Elementary will hold its second annual Vocabulary Parade on Oct. 30. This parade is part of the school’s continuing emphasis on vocabulary development. It is our hope that students will enjoy this activity while increasing their vocabulary, and we hope that all students, grades K-5, will create a project.

The idea for the parade comes from the book Miss Alaineus: A Vocabulary Disaster by Debra Frasier. Last year, Beecher Hills had students and teachers define words like “percussion,” “flamboyant,” “camouflage,” “luminescent,” and “foliage.” We can’t wait to see what this year’s parade will bring!

NCAA student-athletes meet in Atlanta for leadership conference and community service at Mary Lin, Burgess-Peterson

This just in, from the NCAA …

Approximately 200 NCAA Division I student-athletes will meet in Atlanta for leadership development and to partner with local elementary school children, teachers and parents to complete a beautification project at [Mary Lin Elementary and Burgess-Peterson Academy].  The projects and meetings will take place October 23-25.

On Saturday, October 24, the college student-athletes will volunteer time to join with Atlanta community organizations, including Keep Atlanta Beautiful, on a beautification project at Mary Lin and Burgess-Peterson.  The goal of the project will be to create a more environmentally friendly surrounding and to promote leadership and positive lifestyles for the youth.  The beautification project will take place from 1-3:15 p.m.  

Peyton Forest Elementary gets playground build from KaBOOM!, Home Depot on Thursday

More than 200 volunteers from The Home Depot, Peyton Forest Elementary, Atlanta Public Schools, and organizers from the nonprofit organization KaBOOM! will join together Thursday morning to build a state-of-the-art, 2,500 square foot playground, outdoor classrooms and construct artistic murals,  in one day.  The playground will provide a safe, fun environment for the children in the community. The project will begin at 8:30 a.m., with a “board-cutting” ceremony scheduled for 2:30 p.m.

It will mark the second KaBOOM! playground build this fall, after the Fickett Elementary playground build earlier in the month. (Check out that event here.)

The playground is funded through a $61,000 grant from The Home Depot Foundation along with a $7,500 contribution from Peyton Forest Elementary and Atlanta Public Schools.  As a founding partner of KaBOOM!, The Home Depot provides financial support, materials and numerous volunteers for play space projects across North America as part of its ongoing commitment to give back to the communities its stores serve. 

Community meetings scheduled on latest APS high school transformations

A series of community meetings is scheduled for students, parents and the public to discuss the third wave of the Atlanta Public Schools’ high school transformation initiative. The latest wave of high school transformations involves Mays, North Atlanta and Grady high schools.

The district’s high school transformation initiative creates smaller, 21st century learning centers where students receive a world-class education and graduate with more options for lifelong success.

The first meeting of this phase of high school transformations will be held at Mays High School at 6 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 28. The address is 3450 Benjamin E. Mays Drive, SW, Atlanta. Feeder schools for Mays High are Young and Harper-Archer middle schools.

The second meeting will be held at North Atlanta High at 6 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 29. The address is 2875 Northside Drive, NW, Atlanta. Sutton Middle is the feeder school for North Atlanta.

The third meeting will be held at Grady High School at 6 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 4. The address is 929 Charles Allen Drive, NE Atlanta. Feeder schools for Grady High School are Coan, Inman and King middle schools.

For more information, call the APS Office of High Schools at 404-802-5875.

A tree grows in Midtown: Grady High PTA honors Dr. Hall

The Grady High School PTA in conjunction with Trees Atlanta honored APS Superintendent Dr. Beverly L. Hall on Wednesday morning by planting a tree in her name. Officials from Grady, the Grady PTA, Trees Atlanta and the Atlanta Board of Education were on hand for the celebration, which recognized Dr. Hall’s being named national superintendent of the year last February.

Dr. Hall, Trees Atlanta Program Coordinator Robby Astrove and other officials joined in on the actual planting of the tree, an October Glory Maple, after Astrove desribed the importance of the tree. “This isn’t some plaque,” Astrove explained. “This is something that’s very interactive and very much alive. May we all return to this tree and recall the wonderful accomplishments you’ve had.” Dr. Hall grew emotional in accepting the honor, which was the brainchild of last year’s Grady PTA president, Susan Muntzing.

“The reason why I was more emotional than I have been in the past with these awards is this is something that will be here long after I’m the super and long after I’m alive,” Dr. Hall said. “To think that there’ll be generations of people who will walk by, see a nice tree, relax and sit and read, someone may think, ‘Who was this person and why did they plant this tree in their honor? And they do some research and find out about the work we’ve done. So this is a living award – living breathing, and will continue in the future.”

Said Muntzig: ”Dr. Hall has done a fabulous job with Atlanta Public Schools, and it’s proven by her record. It’s very exciting that Atlanta has the longest-running superintendent among large cities, and we’re so lucky to have her. Dr. Hall understands Grady, and appreciates how Grady is such a special place.”