August 14, 2023
Greetings Stephen Decatur Families,
Welcome back to our returning scholars and families, we cannot wait to see you!! And a special welcome to our new middle school students and families of Stephen Decatur, The Home of the Mighty Eagles, we are honored to have you. As we approach opening the doors of Stephen Decatur to our scholars for the 2023-2024 school year, I hope you and your family had the opportunity to rest, relax, and rejuvenate during the summer break. We are excited for the upcoming school year as we anticipate a year of academic success, and personal growth for all Stephen Decatur students. With the first day of school, Monday, August 28, 2023, fastly approaching, it is essential to share some important information and reminders.
First, we have a new superintendent, Millard House II. His charge and challenge is “Lead through Change.” He has high expectations for supporting students to achieve greatness by empowering them to understand the importance of their education for college and career readiness. Superintendent House will continue the school district’s three priorities for the upcoming school year:
To achieve this goal, Stephen Decatur Middle School wants to ensure a safe, supportive, and inclusive learning environment by inviting parents to participate in one of our parent programs: SDMS Parent Volunteer Program and our SDMS Parent Liaison Program through our SDMS Parent Teacher Association (PTA). Parents are our partners, and it is essential to establish and build a strong, positive relationship to support the social, emotional, and academic needs of our students. We want to provide an environment with limitless opportunities so our students will push themselves towards academic excellence.
We are delighted for the return of our grade-level administrators, they are here to provide direct support, guidance, and encouragement for our students. The Stephen Decatur grade-level and program administrators are:
In addition to the grade-level administrators, I am honored to introduce to you our professional school counselors. They also play a vital role in supporting the social emotional and academic needs of our students. We have our returning professional school counselor, Ericka Coan - ericka.coan@pgcps.org, she will support 8th grade students and families and we have Teresa Goff - teresa.goff@pgcps.org, who is new to the Stephen Decatur Middle School family, she will support 6th grade students and families. They will both support the students and families of our 7th grade team.
Here are a few reminders:
STUDENT DRESS CODE: Stephen Decatur Middle School is a uniform school, students must be in proper uniform everyday. Students will wear tan/khaki bottoms, grade-level shirt colors will continue to be the same throughout their time as students at Stephen Decatur.
6th Grade - Black Shirts
7th Grade - Red Shirts
8th Grade - White Shirts
SCHOOL MEALS: Breakfast and Lunch is offered in all schools. Meals are no cost or reduced for students who are eligible for free or reduced priced meals. Parents are encouraged to complete the lunch application to determine eligibility for meal benefits. Households can complete an application at MySchoolApps.com. Online applications are processed within 24-48 hours. Students who are not eligible for free or reduced-priced meals must pay for their meals. See Meal Prices. Food deliveries (GrubHub, UberEats etc.) are strictly prohibited.
OUR THEME
Our theme for the school year will continue to be “Eagle Nation Rise, Soar, and Achieve Greatness.” We want Stephen Decatur Middle School students to Rise to the Challenge, Soar to New Opportunities, in order to always Achieve Academic Greatness.
Here are some important dates to remember:
Stephen Decatur is committed to providing a school environment where all students can achieve greatness. We are also committed to building strong relationships with our families and community to ensure a commitment to our student’s success. I look forward to working with you for a great and successful school year.
Sincerely,
Cecil Miller, Ed.S.
Proud Principal