UPDATE 4/14/20
To: DCSD Parents and StakeholdersFrom: Mrs. Ramona Tyson, Interim SuperintendentSubject: End of Year Guide for Students and FamiliesDate: April 14, 2020Today,
Tuesday, April 14, 2020, the DeKalb County School District is
announcing the plan to close the 2019-2020 school year. We will end the
school year 4 days early on May 15th for grades PreK-11 instead of May 21st. The school year for Seniors will end on May 8th.The
End of Year Guide for Students and Families for 2019-2020 provides
detailed information regarding final grade calculations,
promotion/retention, summer extended learning opportunities, school year
learning recovery opportunities, end of year activities, and a FAQ
guide. A copy of the guide is attached.
We will end the year as follows:
- Last day for Seniors will be Friday, May 8, 2020
- Last day for PreK-11 will be Friday, May 15, 2020 (four days early than the original calendar date of May 21, 2020).
- The
week of May 11-15 will be an academic support week for seniors and
their teachers. The deadline for teachers to post the senior grades is
Friday, May 15th.
- Graduation ceremonies will be moved from the
week of May 18-23rd to the week of June 22-27th. We have not made the
decision yet on type of graduation but two options are on the table.
- Virtual Graduation
- Hybrid
Face-to-Face with seniors and staff only (will live stream and
broadcast on Comcast channel PDSTV24 for families and friends)
- Final decision will be made near end of April/first of May pending Governor’s decision on Shelter in Place.
- Post-planning
for teachers will be the week of May 18-22 instead of originally
planned May 22nd. The deadline for teachers to post PreK-11 grades is
Wednesday, May 20th.
We have posted the End of Year Guide for Students and Families for 2019-2020 on the District’s website.
UPDATE 4/15/20
STATEMENT FROM MS. COLE REGARDING END OF YEAR PLAN:
Good afternoon,
This notification is to provide clarity on the DCSD End of Year Guide.
The document from DCSD doesn’t say students should choose option A or B. Rather it says:
Teachers will calculate each student’s final grade after evaluating which option is higher.
- Option A - Use the grade as of March 13, 2020 as the semester final grade.
- Option B - Use the grade as of March 13, 2020 and the virtual learning assignments to calculate the semester final grade.
Final grades will be calculated and evaluated after the last day to submit virtual learning assignments. For seniors that date is May 8th, and for 9th-11th grade, that date is May 15th. Therefore, students are expected to continue working on virtual learning assignments until their specified last day of school. So, please refrain from making request of teachers to calculate final grades at this time. Teachers are currently providing direct virtual instruction, grading assignments, providing tutorial, participating in professional learning, co-planning with special education, ESOL, & gifted teachers as outlined in the DCSD Continuity of Learning Plan-Phase II.
Parents who would like to see their student’s grade as of March 13th which was the 9-week grading period, can log into Infinite Campus Parent Portal. Once parents log into parent portal, click on the course and then click on term 2-1 and you will see the 9-week average. Parents who need access to parent portal can email Ms. Holloway [email protected] or Ms. Jackson [email protected]. You will need to provide an electronic copy of your driver’s license.
Lastly, students’ final grades for SY 19-20 will be posted on May 15th for seniors and on May 20th for 9th-11th grade.
DCSD End of Year Guide can be found here https://www.dekalbschoolsga.org/featured-news/end-of-year-guide-for-students-and-families/.
Thank you,
Priscilla Cole, Principal
Dunwoody HS
Students are able to access VERGE via the Clever Launchpad, which may be accessed from the student's Chromebook or from any Internet accessible device by clicking here. Students access the Clever Launchpad by logging in with their S# (ex. s1234567) and their unique password that they have previously created. Parents may login using the same S# and password.Students are also encouraged to utilize USATestPrep for EOC and AP exam preparation. Students create their own logins using the school code, which is available from their teachers. Additional online test preparation for AP exams, SAT, ACT, and more is available through the Gale Testing & Education Reference Center (TERC). This valuable resource includes full-length practice tests for AP exams, GED, SAT, ACT, PSAT, GRE, LSAT, MCAT, TOEFL, U.S. citizenship, and more. TERC also includes English/Writing and Math tutorials. For assistance with TERC, please visit the Database Tutorials page. Students access TERC using the Gale password (available from teachers), and then create their own account. The Library Media Center has a wealth of information that students may access online. Most databases are accessible via the buttons & widgets running down the right-hand side of the page. For more specific databases by subject and topic, students should refer to the resource pages in the left-hand menu. Passwords are available from teachers. Again, please visit the Database Tutorials page for assistance using many of the databases. UPDATE 3/16/20
Parents & students, please be mindful that there may be glitches as we all learn to use our digital resources in this unprecedented environment. If a document on a teacher's VERGE page prompts the student to "request permission to view," then the document may have been uploaded from a teacher-only folder. Requests to access teacher-only folders from students will be denied. Please email the teacher directly using the email address in the Staff Directory.
UPDATE 3/18/20
We understand that VERGE is overloaded at the moment with so many school districts moving to virtual learning. Please be patient with the process. Oftentimes, simply refreshing the page or logging out & then back in again will help. Also, it is best to login to VERGE through the Clever Launchpad. The Tech Support website has video tutorials on how to login from your personal device, if you do not have a Chromebook. The Clever Launchpad also has links to Office365, to check your school email and to access apps such as Word, PowerPoint, and Excel, and has links to Google Drive. Remember: even if you are using Google Drive, any emails will still go to your Office365 account.
Information about what to do if you do not remember your password is forthcoming.
UPDATE 3/19/20
In order to request tech support, please use the Virtual Learning Tech Support website: https://www.dekalbschoolsga.org/virtual-learning-support/ that was posted yesterday. Click the bottom button on the left menu, and then click the "Request Virtual Learning Tech Support" button in the middle of the screen. Complete the form, and someone from Tech Support will call you.
Some of your questions may be answered by viewing the videos in the left menu. Also, please remember to email your teachers with any problems, using the email address in the Staff Directory.
TIPS: Students have email through Outlook in Mi