VIRTUAL OPPORTUNITY: Exciting News! Decatur City Schools is Hosting Our First All-Virtual Winter Job Fair!
Starting Monday, November 4th, you can schedule an online appointment to interview for any of our open positions. We know life can get busy, so we're bringing the job fair to you! Scheduling will be open through November 21st, and the virtual job fair is set for December.
This is a great opportunity to join the DCS family from the convenience of your own space. Look for details on how to register, the exact date of the job fair, and a QR code to make it even easier, coming this Monday.
We’re excited to meet you – virtually – and share all the reasons why Decatur City Schools could be your next career home.
Día de los Muertos (The Day of the Dead) is a Mexican holiday where families welcome back the souls of their deceased relatives for a brief reunion that includes food, drink, and celebration. The holiday is based on a blend of Spanish culture, Mesoamerican ritual, and European religion.
This Saturday, November 2, Decatur will have its third annual Día de los Muertos Community Celebration downtown! Students at The Excel Center and other schools are helping by creating beautiful art that will be showcased at the Alabama Center for the Arts. More information about Downtown Decatur's Día de los Muertos Celebration can be found on their Facebook page.
The next time we get a prank phone call asking if our refrigerator is running, we can proudly say "Yes, it is!" We want to thank GE of Decatur for their very generous donation of a new refrigerator for our school. We so appreciate their support of The Excel Center, its staff, and its teachers!
Mrs. Ildiko Szebenyik was nominated for the Presidential Awards for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching (PAEMST)! The Presidential Awards for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching are the highest honors bestowed by the United States government on K-12 STEM (including computer science) teachers. Established by Congress in 1983, the PAEMST program authorizes the President to bestow up to 108 awards each year. The award recognizes those teachers who develop and implement a high-quality instructional program that is informed by content knowledge and enhances student learning. Congratulations to Mrs. Szebenyik!
Madison County, Mississippi schools came to visit us at The Excel Center. They heard about all of the wonderful things we are doing for our English Learners in Decatur, Alabama. We loved learning from each other this morning to ensure continued student success.
MeritHouse Realty does it again! Thank you so much for our student planners! We have the BEST Partner in Education!
Tomorrow is National Custodian Day, so we began celebrating today! We are blessed with the BEST here at The Excel Center. Thank you Ms. Michelle, Ms. Jessica, and Ms. Mandy for loving us and keeping our school beautiful and clean for our students and staff!
We love our Partner In Education, MeritHouse Realty! Thank you so much for bringing school supplies and soccer balls for our students to Excel today! We couldn't do this without you!
Please see the attached letters in English and Spanish regarding the upcoming ACT test for 11th grade students. Tuesday, April 9, will be a virtual day for 9th, 10th, and 12th grades at Decatur High School and 10th and 12th grades at Austin High School.
On Valentine's Day at The Excel Center, we celebrate our love for our friends! We hope you had an EXCEL-lent Valentine's Day!
Schedule pickup is this week! Take a look to see when your school's schedules will be ready for you. If you are a new student or in 6th grade, 9th grade at DHS, or 10th grade at AHS, you will also have an orientation program to attend. This will help you learn about your new school! Contact your EL coach if you have questions.
EL coaches:
Austin Middle School: Ms. Clay (robin.clay@dcs.k12.al.us)
Austin Junior High School: Mrs. Folds (virginia.folds@dcs.k12.al.us)
Austin High School: Mrs. Orr (elizabeth.house@dcs.k12.al.us)
Decatur Middle School: Mrs. Otero (diandra.otero@dcs.k12.al.us)
Decatur High School: Mrs. Elmore (kelly.elmore@dcs.k12.al.us)
CONGRATULATIONS to the winners of our first-ever Excel Spelling Bee! Middle school winner was Mario Jacinto, followed by Ralph Resurrecion in second place and Mercedes Ramirez in third! Maria Lara Roquez took home the prize for high school, followed by second place Greidy Villatoro and third place Melissa Carbajal! We are so proud of all of the students who took part in the competitions. Huge thanks to our judges Ms. Stevi Price, Ms. Jamie Reeves, and Dr. Melissa Scott; and to our host, Ms. Anita Clarke!
What a great day of fun and learning! Middle school students who reached their goal of reading 50 books on FluencyRev were invited to attend a field trip to the Cook Museum of Natural Science.
Congratulations to all of our DHS/Excel students who were honored at Awards Day! Haneidy, Maria M., Maria Lara, Bridgette, Juan, Emily, Abraham, Debora, Manuela, Maria Cristina, Kimberly, Luis, Catarina F., Catarina R., Tomas, Zac, Connie, and Carlos, we are so proud of you!
Congratulations to Samantha Vargas Vasquez (9th grade) and Monserrat Lizbeth Rodriguez Velazquez (8th grade), Austin Junior High School students, on their induction into the National Junior Honor Society. We are so proud of you!
Thank you to our friends at Renasant Bank! Kandi Betty and Melissa Nichols dropped by with school supplies for our students. We appreciate you!
Bus Registration
For the health and wellness of all students and families, parents and guardians are strongly encouraged to personally transport children to and from school.
To ride a bus, a student must have a completed Bus Rider Registration. Click and complete the Bus Rider Registration at https://www.dcs.edu/page/bus-routes or obtain a registration from the school.
It is best to return the registration directly to the bus driver the first time the student rides. Of course, the registration could be returned to the school.
Students should be at bus stops at least ten minutes before the scheduled time.
A student will not be allowed to ride a bus unless the Bus Rider Registration is completed and returned.
Registro de autobuses
Para la salud y el bienestar de todos los estudiantes y familias, se recomienda encarecidamente a los padres y tutores que transporten personalmente a los niños hacia y desde la escuela.
Para viajar en autobús, un estudiante debe tener un registro de pasajero de autobús completo. Haga clic y complete el Registro de pasajeros de autobús en https://www.dcs.edu/page/bus-routes u obtenga un registro de la escuela.
Es mejor devolver el registro directamente al conductor del autobús la primera vez que el estudiante viaja. Por supuesto, la inscripción podría ser devuelta a la escuela.
Los estudiantes deben estar en las paradas de autobús por lo menos diez minutos antes de la hora programada.
A un estudiante no se le permitirá viajar en un autobús a menos que se complete y devuelva el Registro de pasajero del autobús.
More summer learning fun! Mrs. Coffell's biology class made cell cookies, Mrs. Olinger and Mrs. Bair took their geometry class to see an exhibit of cubist art, and Mrs. Ball's reading camp made chalk drawings to illustrate the story of the plagues of Egypt.
Monday, June 20, all of Decatur City Schools will be closed. This means that we will NOT have summer school classes at Excel on Monday. Instead, we will proudly celebrate the holiday Juneteenth in honor of our friends and family who are descended from enslaved people in the United States. Here is a video explaining the holiday for you! https://youtu.be/VKEGgXhWrBk
Mrs. Ball's class held the Excel Olympics this week. Congratulations to the winners! Left to right: Alex Alonzo Velasquez, Guillermo Ramirez Ramirez, and Luis Sanchez
