Parent's Corner

A Parent Acknowledgement Form needs to be signed so a student can receive their device.  The official form can be signed in Infinite Campus or by using the form from the device handbook.

Main office: 404-802-3200 

Classroom Procedural	Teacher	M. Moore (Math/ELA) D. Williams (ELA) S. Griffith (SS/Sci)	Grade Level Administrator (listed below)
Curricular Concerns	M. Moore (Math) S. Griffith (SS/Sci) D. Williams (ELA)	Grade Level Administrator (listed below)	Principal Hollis
Content Concern	PLC Facilitator (listed below)	Content Chair (listed below)	M. Moore (Math) S. Griffith (SS/Sci) D. Williams (ELA)
Schedule Change Request	Coming FY 2026	Grade Level Counselor (listed below)	Grade Level Administrator (listed below)
Grades	Teacher	Grade Level Counselor (listed below)	Grade Level Administrator (listed below)
Non-Instructional Staff	Kia Ginn- Siebie	Grade Level Administrator (listed below)	Principal Hollis
Substitutes	Nicole Willingham	Sebrina Granderson	Principal Hollis
Behavior/Discipline	Teacher	Grade Level Administrator (listed below)	Principal Hollis
Volunteering	Kia Ginn-Siebie	Sebrina Granderson	APS Safety & Security, 404.802.2000
Transportation Needs	APS Transportation, 404.802.5500	Tenechia Owens	Kia Ginn-Siebie
Partnerships	Kia Ginn-Siebie	Tenechia Owens	Principal Hollis
Records Request	Rasheem Callender	Tracy Martin Walton	Kia Ginn- Siebie
Programs/Events	Event Sponsor (Staff Member)	Kia Ginn- Siebie	Sebrina Granderson
Field Trips	Sponsoring Teacher	Grade Level Chair (listed below)	Kia Ginn-Siebie
Special Education	Special Education Teacher	Sylivia Riggins- SELT	Grade Level Administrator (listed below)
504/SST	Katherine Sudduth	Grade Level Administrator (listed below)	Principal Hollis
Gifted & Talented	Ian Andre	Shelton Griffith	Geralyn Harper
Medical	Nurse Jewell Kelly	Sebrina Granderson	Kia Ginn-Siebie
Homework	Teacher	PLC Facilitator (listed below)	Grade Level Counselor (listed below)
Athletic Events	Team Coach	Athletic Director – B. Abernathy	Tenechia Owens
After School Activities/Clubs	Club Sponsor	Terrance Maeberry	Nicole Willingham
Academic Support	Teacher	Grade Level Counselor (listed below)	Grade Level Administrator (listed below)
Testing	Marquita Moore	Tenechia Owens	Grade Level Administrator (listed below)
Student Attendance	DTH Attendance	Ukeemah Cody	Sebrina Granderson
Enrollment/Registration	DTH Registration	Tracy Martin-Walton	Kia Ginn-Siebie
Parent Portal	Rasheem Callender	Tracy Martin-Walton	Grade Level Counselor (listed below)
Family Support	Terreon Randolph	Grade Level Counselor (listed below)	Grade Level Administrator (listed below)
Instructional Technology	Sherry Neal	Tabitha Taylor	Tenechia Owens
Building Use	Kia Ginn-Siebie	APS Property Management
CUSTOMER SERVICE CONCERNS	Kia Ginn-Siebie	Sebrina Granderson	Principal Hollis
	Grade Level Counselors	Grade Level Administrators	Grade Level Chairs
6th Grade	Renee Scott	Nicole Willingham	Andrew Anglin
7th Grade	Janelle Todman	Tenechia Owens	Jennifer Ortega
8th Grade	Tijuana Williams	Geralyn Harper	Dirk Lamb
	6th	7th	8th
ELA PLC Facilitators	Darice Williams	Darice Williams	Darice Williams
Math PLC Facilitators	On Grade Level: Accelerated: Marquita Moore	On Grade Level: Marquita Moore Accelerated: Marquita Moore	On Grade Level: Marquita Moore Algebra: Marquita Moore
Science PLC Facilitators	Earth Science: Shelton Griffith Earth Systems: Shelton Griffith	Shelton Griffith	8th Grade Science: Shelton Griffith HS Physical Science: Shelton Griffith
Social Studies PLC Facilitators	Marquita Moore	Marquita Moore	Marquita Moore
ELA Content Chair	Tammy Miller
Math Content Chair	Laketa Blue
Science Content Chair	Coleman Eaton
Social Studies Content Chair	Michelle Howard
Connections Content Chair	Nina Pryor

Discussed topics

School Updates and Enrollment

• Details
  • Tekeshia: Reported current enrollment of 1,187 students with some moving out of state.
  • Tekeshia: CCRPI attendance rate is trending 0.2% better than last year.

Continuous Improvement Goals

• Details
  • Tekeshia: Outlined goals to increase ELA and math proficiency by 5% and maintain CCRPI attendance rate above 90%.
  • Tekeshia: Noted this is the inaugural year for new ELA standards, which means end-of-grade assessment reports will be delayed.

Parent Organization Updates

• Details
  • Fabricio Morres: Promoted the PTO Wine and Dine event on March 6th, requesting early ticket purchases to provide accurate numbers to the caterer.
  • Melissa Hawkins: Reported Foundation has reached its fundraising goals but continues accepting donations for projects like improving the gym audio system.
  • Tekeshia: Mentioned Go Team has openings for two parents and two instructional staff positions, requiring 6-8 after-school meetings.

Family Engagement

• Details
  • Tekeshia: Shared results from the district-based family engagement survey showing improvement in overall score but identified areas of concern.
  • Tekeshia: Reported feedback from the Family Engagement Meeting indicating need for more consistency in teacher-family communication, especially in Schoology.
  • Tekeshia: Noted website changes caused some communication issues with broken links that have been fixed.
  • Tekeshia: Identified transition support from elementary to middle school as a major need.
• Conclusion
  • School will increase the number of boot camps for 6th grade parents to provide just-in-time communication rather than just front-loading information.

Student Achievements

• Details
  • Tekeshia: Boys basketball team won their second consecutive APS championship; girls team were runners-up.
  • Tekeshia: A 6th grader won the Young Georgia Authors Competition from over 50 participants.
  • Tekeshia: Spelling Bee representative placed fifth in district championship.
  • Tekeshia: Reading Bowl team placed fourth.

STEAM Updates

• Details
  • Tekeshia: Added an "It Girl" program focusing on programming and coding for girls.
  • Tekeshia: Completed a recycling challenge where 6th graders brought in the most items.
  • Tekeshia: Shared a student-created video about recycling being used by Novelis.
  • Tekeshia: Highlighted Science Fair and Tech Fair winners who will attend a Hawks game.

Mental Health Support

• Details
  • T. Randolph: Introduced Deborah Grigsby from Pathways Therapeutic Services.
  • Deborah Grigsby: Explained psychotherapy as a safe space to explore feelings provided by trained professionals.
  • Deborah Grigsby: Discussed how therapy helps children navigate different "worlds" (roles, identities) and conflicts between them.
  • Deborah Grigsby: Emphasized therapy can help children integrate their academic, social, and emotional worlds.
  • T. Randolph: Explained the referral process for Pathways services through the school social worker.
• Conclusion
  • Parents should contact the school social worker to request Pathways services rather than contacting Pathways directly, as this allows students to bypass waiting lists.

Social Emotional Learning (SEL)

• Details
  • Dr. Lindsay Vichalkowski: Explained the teenage brain development, noting the limbic system (emotion center) develops earlier than the prefrontal cortex (logical thinking).
  • Dr. Lindsay: Described the CASEL framework's five categories: self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, relationship skills, and responsible decision-making.
  • Dr. Lindsay: Explained SEL is taught at Howard twice weekly, covering topics like understanding the brain, navigating conflicts, and managing stress.
  • Dr. Lindsay: Suggested strategies for parents including emotion coaching, modeling calm, setting boundaries, and creating routines for connection.
  • Dr. Todman: Clarified that SEL takes place during advisory on Wednesdays and Fridays, plus through daily question prompts and counselor interventions.
• Conclusion
  • SEL is integrated throughout the school day, not just in dedicated lessons, with Howard being recognized as one of the district's top schools for SEL.

Upcoming Assessments

• Details
  • Tekeshia: District Predictive Checkpoint for math (March 4) and ELA (March 5) will predict student performance on end-of-grade assessments.
  • Tekeshia: National Latin Exam for 7th and 8th grade Latin students on March 11.
  • Tekeshia: WriteScore testing March 9-13 will include the writing component not covered in the ELA checkpoint.
  • Tekeshia: MAP testing window March 23-27, likely testing on Monday/Tuesday or Tuesday/Wednesday.
  • Tekeshia: Georgia Milestones Assessment dates shared for different grade levels in April and May.
• Conclusion
  • Parents should ensure students attend school on assessment days, particularly for the District Predictive Checkpoint.

Student Support and Counseling Access

• Details
  • Kathleen: Asked how students can see counselors without feeling they're missing important class time.
  • Tekeshia: Explained teachers are accommodating of counseling requests, recognizing their importance.
  • Tekeshia: Noted students can message counselors through Schoology if they don't want to request in person.
  • T. Randolph: Added that counselors sometimes leave notes for students or identify times that don't conflict with tests.
• Conclusion
  • Multiple channels exist for students to access counseling support, and teachers understand the importance of these services.

Challenges

• Ensuring consistent communication from teachers to families, particularly regarding assessment announcements in Schoology.
• Supporting families transitioning from elementary to middle school in understanding expectations and differences.
• Helping students navigate the social and emotional challenges of middle school while their brains are still developing.
• Encouraging students to seek counseling support when needed without fear of missing class time.

Action items

• Tekeshia
  • Reach out to the GO Team office to determine how many parent candidates have declared and share via Remind.
  • Add a link to district parameters for accelerated math placement.
  • Alert Mr. Vincent and Dr. Bachman about the question regarding GMAS scores impact on honors ELA placement at Midtown.
  • Address facilities concerns emailed by parents.
• Parents
  • Ensure students attend school for District Predictive Checkpoint assessments on March 4-5.
  • Purchase tickets for the PTO Wine and Dine event if planning to attend.
  • Consider declaring for the two open parent positions on the Go Team.
  • Attend the next Principal's Coffee on March 12th focusing on academic performance and milestones.
• T. Randolph (School Social Worker)
  • Continue to support parents requesting mental health services through the Pathways partnership.
  • Assist families without medical insurance in securing coverage for their students.

Schoolwide Highlights

• 6th Grade repeated as Recycle Champions and celebrated with the Hawks organization.

• Successful Career Day with strong volunteer support.

• Students participated in Special Olympics Bowling and the V-Love celebration.

• Beta Club Induction and Rams of the Month celebrations recognized student achievement.

• Chorus students performed at the Georgia All-State Chorus event.

• Band students performed for APS Black History Month programming.

• Health/PE teachers renewed CPR certifications.

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Academics by Grade Level

6th Grade

• ELA: Completed Unit 4 (Through an Animal’s Eyes) focusing on animal behavior, conservation, and argumentative writing (exotic pet laws).

• Math: Surface area, geometry with nets/rectangular prisms; accelerated math focused on integers and rational numbers.

• Science:

  • Earth Systems: Geologic time & radiometric dating.

  • Earth Science: Weather, air masses, and fronts (hands-on heat capacity lab).

• Social Studies: BizTown simulation experience; wrapping up Latin America before studying Canada & Australia.

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7th Grade

• ELA: Comparing historical fiction and informational texts; focus on evidence-based writing; upcoming assessments.

• Math: Systems of equations (graphing, substitution, elimination); geometry connections in on-level classes.

• Science: Ecology, ecosystems, biodiversity, and author visit from Heather Montgomery.

• Social Studies: Beginning Southern & Eastern Asia unit (China, India, Japan, Koreas, Vietnam) with debates.

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8th Grade

• ELA: Completing Freedom unit; preparing for Write Score; next unit on Identity leading into GMAS prep.

• Math: Irrational numbers, exponents, scientific notation (Unit 5 test upcoming).

• Science: Wave properties and electromagnetic spectrum projects.

• Georgia Studies: Civil Rights Movement focus, especially local Atlanta history (Old 4th Ward & Sweet Auburn); transitioning to Modern Georgia.

• Algebra: Exponential functions and statistics; final geometric concepts unit ahead.

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Connections & Electives

• Spanish I: Food unit; 8th grade field trip to Plaza Fiesta; APS Spanish Spelling Bee participation.

• French: Projects on telling time; greetings & introductions (6th grade exploratory).

• CTAE: Student-designed yearbook covers showcased.

• Fine Arts: Strong participation in Band, Chorus, and Orchestra LGPE events.

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Upcoming Events (March Highlights)

• Math & ELA Checkpoints

• Write Score Testing

• Women’s History Month Spirit Week

• Field Trips (Piedmont Park, Zoo Atlanta, Orlando Fine Arts Trip)

• MAP Testing

• Book Fair & Autism Awareness Week

• Early Release Day (March 16)