DeKalb School of the Arts

DeKalb School of the Arts
1192 Clarendon Avenue Avondale Estates, Georgia 30002 Phone 678.676.2502

Superintendent's Newsletter

Please click HERE to access Superintendent Cheryl Watson-Harris' Weekly Newsletter.

News and Information

Archived News

DSA Gets Top Marks from the College Board

Congratulations to DSA for being named an AP Access and Support School, an AP Challenge School, an AP School of Distinction, and an AP Expansion School by the College Board as announced by the Georgia Department of Education. We literally qualified in every AP category we were eligible for! The ones we didn't make were because we don't offer the required AP courses. Great work students and teachers! You can read the full story in the AJC or HERE.

Order a Graduation Lawn Sign!

It's time to order a yard sign for your 2021 graduate! Orders place by February 27th are $20, after that they're $25. Click HERE for the order form.

Order Your Yearbook Now!

Yearbooks are on sale today! With prices starting at $55, you won't want to miss getting one so you can remember this unprecedented year! You can place your order HERE.

The Formicary Newspaper

Extra! Extra! Read all about it! The latest issue of The Formicary is out! You can read it HERE, and browse all the past issues HERE.

The Formicary also wants your input! Be sure to check their WEBSITE daily as they have new polls coming out often.

The Beta Club Newsletter

You can find the latest monthly Beta Club News HERE. You can find past issues HERE.

Morning Announcements

You can tune into the morning ANNOUNCEMENTS Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday mornings at 9:30 on the Teams app, or you can call in at 470/440-4499 Conference ID: 575 188 49# Stay informed! And if you missed the morning announcements and want to watch them later, or you want to find a link that was mentioned, be sure to visit our archived announcement site, bit.ly/DSAnnounce. Also be sure to keep up with Mr. Greene on his Blog.

Subscribe to DSA's YouTube Channel!

Subscribe to DSA's YouTube channel at bit.ly/DSAvideos. It's a great way to keep up with our latest performances, video announcements, and class projects.

Library Wish List

If you want to donate a book to the DSA library so we’ll have some fresh titles available when we reopen, please see our library wish list HERE! If you have any questions EMAIL Ms. Roohi.

Information Regarding Obtaining Supporting School Documents for Driving and Working

Driving Permits

Students seeking to obtain a driving permit should obtain a Certificate of School Enrollment form. This form can be obtained from Ms. Howard. Please email her HERE. These forms are only valid for thirty days, so do not request it more than a month in advance.

Driver's License

Students seeking to obtain their driver's license need to request a Certificate of School Enrollment and their ADAP Certificate. The school will only have the ADAP if the student took ninth grade health at DSA. If the student attended another school in ninth grade, then the ADAP form must be obtained from that specific school. Please EMAIL Ms. Howard to obtain these forms. Keep in mind that requests should be submitted at least two weeks prior to the DDS appointment date. Due to the pandemic, in-person document pick-up is limited and must be scheduled. All pick-ups will be scheduled via email with Ms. Howard.

Work Permits

Students in need of a work permit must follow the Georgia Department of Labor guidelines. Please visit this SITE and follow these instructions. Keep in mind that employment must be secured before a work permit can be processed. Please EMAIL Ms. Howard once these steps have been followed or if there are any questions regarding the process.

Assessment Pages--UPDATED

Our website has a whole section dedicated to testing. It is located under ACADEMICS, or you can find it in the quick links section to the right, or click HERE. If you visit the page you can find helpful information for students and parents on MAP, PSAT, Georgia MILESTONES or AP tests. Be sure to check it out and prepare yourself!

The in person MAP testing will be February 22-23, and the makeup day is February 24. Please read the most recent letter about MAP testing HERE. You can find the schedule for MAP Testing HERE.

PSAT Registration for 8th graders only is open until February 28, 2021. You can register HERE. THIS is the letter about 8th grade PSAT.

Student Absences

We may be online, but students still need to attend every virtual class every day, and remain the whole time, otherwise they will be marked absent or tardy. Teachers will take attendance each class period. If the student signs in after attendance is taken, then that student may be marked tardy-unexcused. However, if the student has a valid tardy excuse, then please email Ms. Howard as soon as possible.

All absence emails and medical excuses must come from a parent's email and go to Ms. Howard. You can view the complete Attendance Protocol HERE. We also have a new ATTENDANCE page in the Quick Links column to the right.

Students Now Can Check Out the Public Library's eBooks

You can now check out the public library's eBooks using only your student number (S#)! The public library also subscribes to HOOPLA, which has music and movies for download--all free! To see the hundreds of thousands of eBooks and other resources available through the DSA and public library go to bit.ly/DSAFreeBooks

Multi-Tiered System of Support

Find out how DeKalb County and DSA provide a multi-tiered systems (MTSS) of support to their students. A MTSS is a general education framework that supports ALL students. Read the brochure HERE.

The PTSA Needs Your Support!

Prior PTSA meeting minutes and treasurer reports can be found at the official WEBSITE. The PTSA supports the school and last year the PTSA did the following: 1) gave out over $5000 in grants to teachers to pay for art supplies, SmartMusic subscriptions for the entire music department, Horton dance instruction, Reading Bowl books, transportation for Drama Ensemble 2) paid for the Parchment subscription so our students can get their official transcripts, 3) paid for TimeCenter to schedule counselor appointments, 4) paid for program printing for Premiere Weekend, 5) supported farewell gifts for our seniors, 6) purchased pizza for SPA Dance and student auditions, 7) provided meals during Teacher/Staff Appreciation week and tokens of appreciation for faculty/staff, 8) supported a back to school picnic, plus many other things. READ MORE...

Virtual Learning Support

Having problems with virtual learning? There is a whole WEBSITE dedicated to what to do and how to get started. The site covers such things as how to get started with your Chromebook (including a very important wellness check if you have a DCSD Chromebook), how to log onto Launchpad, Verge and Infinite Campus. Not to mention who to contact when something doesn't work! Be sure to bookmark this SITE! You can always contact the IT desk at 678/676-1188 or fill in a HELP TICKET.

If you're looking for DSA's back to school connectivity guide, you can find it HERE.

Chromebook Accessories

Have you lost your Chromebook charger or bag? Remember you are responsible for turning it in at the end of the year! If you need to order a replacement, you may do so HERE.

Registrar page

Do you have registration, Infinite Campus or Parent Portal questions? Be sure to check out Ms. McClary's new Registrar page! You can find it under the Academics tab on the left, or click HERE. If you just need instructions on how to access Infinite Campus, you can find them HERE.

Updating Student Information

Parents can now update their student's information in Infinite Campus Parent Portal. The instructions are listed below:

Log into your parent portal account
Click on the 3 lines in the top left corner
Click on the "More" tab located at the bottom left of that page
Click on Annual Verification
Click on Existing Student Registration
The data for your child should populate
You should be able to update / change / enter your child's new information
When you are done, click submit

DSA Earns a Silver from the Governor's Office!

On December 19th, the Governor's Office of Student Achievement released their annual list of schools in the state that were the highest performing on the CCRPI assessment. DSA earned a silver award! You can see the results HERE.

DSA Is Number 4 in the State!

Congratulations to DSA students and teachers who were recently named the fourth best high school in all of Georgia by US News & World Reports. Schools are ranked on their performance on state-required tests, graduation and how well they prepare students for college. In addition DSA was number two in the metro area, first in the county, and #168 in the country. DSA was 8th in the state and 262nd in the country last year. Way to move up ants!!