Greetings Obama Eagle Families,

Thanks for your patience and flexibility this week! DeKalb schools will reopen for face-to face instruction on Monday, January 10th.  Please see the attached document that answers the most frequently asked questions from parents.  Please remember to send your students to school with a mask each day.  In our efforts to mitigate the spread of the virus, it is imperative that our scholars keep their noses and mouths covered throughout the day. Students who have district- issued chrome books at home should bring them back to the building on Monday. 

Parents who would like for their scholars to switch over to virtual or remain virtual for the second semester must notify the homeroom teacher in writing to begin or maintain that status. Teachers will submit those names to the main office.  Please note that if students do not return to the building by Monday, January 31st for face-to-face instruction, they will have to remain virtual for the entire second semester.   We look forward to seeing our scholars on Monday, January 10, 2022.  Please remember that students should arrive to school by 7:45 a.m. each day with a mask.  Please click the link below for responses to the most frequently asked questions from our stakeholders.  If you have any additional questions or concerns, please feel free to call or email us.

Important Second Semester FAQs, 2022 

Sincerely,

Principal Angela Thomas-Bethea

Barack H. Obama Elementary Magnet School of Technology

Greetings Obama Families,

Happy New Year again!  We will be distributing more chrome books to students who need them today and tomorrow from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Students may connect through their own personal devices if they have them.  Teachers should be the main points of contact regarding instruction/assignments, the virtual schedule and log-in information. You  may communicate with teachers through Class DOJO. Class DOJO is our main, school-wide communication tool.  Teachers are going to be flexible and work with all children/parents during this period.  If you are unable to log in on the chrome books, please don't stress out about it.  Teachers will provide alternative/asynchronous assignments for your child.  Again, we do not want to cause any families any undue stress during this brief virtual period.

Parents and guardians who come to the school to pick up chrome books should remain in your cars and "pack your patience."  Though we distributed over 200 chrome books yesterday, we have over 900 students in our building, so lines may be long when you arrive. Please remain in your car and follow the directions of staff, directional signs and the protocols that have been put in place for the chrome book distribution.  Parents who operate outside of these protocols and disrespect staff members will not be served.  We must be respectful toward each other and operate decently and in order to ensure the safety of staff, parents and guardians.

You may also pull up to the bus lane area (a separate entrance near the cafeteria) to pick up FREE breakfast and lunch for your children between 9:30 a.m. and 11:30 a.m. today through Friday.  Please have the full names, grade level, teacher's name and/or student numbers when you arrive.  Let's remain positive and make it a great remainder of the week.  Thanks in advance.  

Principal Angela Thomas-Bethea

Barack H. Obama Magnet School of Technology

Greetings Obama Eagle Families,

Happy New Year!  Out of an abundance of caution and due to the rise of positive COVID cases throughout the nation, the DeKalb County School District will provide virtual instruction to students Wednesday, January 5th through Friday, January 7, 2022 to ensure the safety of students and staff.  Students should not report to the building this week for face-to-face instruction. Students may use their own personal devices Wednesday-Friday for virtual instruction, if they have them.  However, parents of students who NEED a district-issued chrome book may pick them up tomorrow (Tuesday, January 4th) between 10 am and 2 pm from the school. 

Teachers will provide alternative assignments (packets or asynchronous work) to students whose parents/guardians cannot come to the school to pick up a device.  We don't want to cause any undue stress!  We're going to be as flexible as possible during this time to support our Obama Elementary families.  If you decide to come to the school to pick up a device, please be patient with us and understand that we have a skeleton crew of staff members available to help with the distribution of chrome books, but we will do our best to serve parents in a timely manner on a first-come, first-served basis. 

All information regarding links to virtual instruction will be provided by your child's teacher.  We are asking all teachers to send you a link or links through CLASS DOJO, so that your children can connect with them on Wednesday through Friday. All students who engage in virtual instruction should log in by 8:15 a.m. each day.  All students should return to the building for face-to-face instruction on Monday, January 10, 2022.  If you have any questions or concerns, please contact your child's teacher. 

Sincerely,

Principal Angela Thomas-Bethea

Dear Obama Families,

Parents, we really need your help!  While observing classes over the last few weeks, we have noticed that many of our students do not know basic sight words.  Due to the severe learning gaps caused by the pandemic, reading has become our main focus throughout the district. As we all know, reading is the foundation of all core content areas, so we need to address these deficiencies with a sense of urgency!  Students in grades 3-5 will be required to take the Ga. Milestones Assessment in April.  This is a high-stakes test where a great deal of reading is required.  Students in grades K-2 and 3-5 will take the MAP assessment in May to determine how much they've grown during the school year. The MAP Assessment qualifies students for the gifted program and other School Choice programs throughout the district. Throughout this school year, we want to expose our students to the FRY word list in groups of 100 words to help them become more successful in reading.  Students should learn at least 100 words per year, beginning in kindergarten.  This initiative will be implemented on EVERY grade level because we have noticed that we have non-readers sitting in our third, fourth and fifth grade classes! Once students master most of the first list, we need to move them up to the next list of 100 words. The great thing about the FRY word list is that it goes beyond the elementary level, so students who are more advanced may go beyond the 600 words they should learn by the end of fifth grade.

It does not matter where your child begins on this word list. Ultimately, what matters is that they are able to read at least 600 of these words by the time they complete the fifth grade. Please go in chronological order and start with the first 100 words. It's important to start at the beginning to see how many words your child can read.  We need parents/guardians to review these words with your children at home for 10-20 minutes (at least three times a week). You may start small with 5-10 words a week and move on as they master more words.  If students see that we're working together, they will work harder to meet their individual goals. Please be patient with your children as they go through this process. 

At the beginning of this month, we began implementing a new school-wide initiative that we refer to as "WINsdays" (What I Need Days).  Every Wednesday for the rest of the school year, we're going to focus on strengthening reading and math skills. Students will participate in targeted math and reading remediation, guided reading and math, independent reading, writing skills, collaborative activities, technology centers, project-based learning and other engaging academic activities for the entire day on Wednesdays (even during specials). The FRY word list will be one of the tools that we use during these days because students also have to learn how to read independently.  If they don't know the most frequently used words that are on the FRY list, they will have a difficult time reading books independently.  

Again, we acknowledge that the pandemic has caused many academic deficiencies throughout the United States.  This is one of the ways we're trying to address the learning gaps/deficiencies that we're seeing, and we need your support at home.  This is an awesome way to support reading instruction in our building. We're also going to have sight word parties at the end of each month for students to provide some incentives for learning the words.  We will have our first sight word party at the end of January, where students will be able to enjoy a special treat and participate in fun games/activities for mastering a designated number of words each month.

The FRY lists are attached for your review.  Please click the link below to start working with your children as soon as possible.  Thanks in advance!  

FRY Word List 

Please Note...Tomorrow is the last day of school before the Thanksgiving break.  Please remember that schools will be closed Monday, November 22nd through Friday, November 26th.  Students will have the whole Thanksgiving week to vacation and enjoy family this year. School will resume at 7:45 a.m. on Monday, November 29, 2021.

Obama Families,

This notification is to inform you that additional, confirmed positive COVID-19 cases have been reported this week. We have been working closely with the district, the Ga. Dept. of Public Health and the DeKalb County Board of Health to isolate the individuals, identify and contact any persons who were in close contact with the individual, and clean and disinfect the impacted areas within the building.  Please do not send students to school if they are sick or presenting COVID symptoms.  Additionally, if you voluntarily take your child/children to be tested because you feel they may have been exposed, please do not send them to school until you receive a negative result.  Since the first week of school, we have reported more than 50 positive COVID cases and have quarantined more than 500 people (staff members and students).  Please help us mitigate the spread of this dreadful virus by sending your children to school with masks each day and keeping them home if they are showing any COVID symptoms!

All students and staff members who were exposed to the COVID-positive individuals have been notified. If you were not notified via phone call, email and/or Class DOJO, your child was not exposed to the individuals who tested positive in our school. As always, everyone should monitor their health and stay home if they develop or experience any COVID-19 symptoms.  You should also contact your healthcare provider to determine if testing is needed. 

Your cooperation, patience and flexibility are greatly appreciated during these unprecedented times in education. We must communicate effectively and work together to ensure the safety of all students, faculty and staff. Stay safe and be well!

Sincerely,

Mrs. Angela Thomas-Bethea, Principal

Greetings Obama Eagle Families,

Students and families at Barack H. Obama Elementary Magnet School of Technology participate in the Title I, Part A program.  Please review the attached School-Parent Compact, The Parent Family Engagement Policy, and The Parent and Family Calendar of Events. These documents outline how the parents, the entire school staff, and the students will share the responsibility for improved student academic achievement.  They also describe how the school and parents will develop and build a partnership that will create a nurturing and challenging environment which will cultivate high self-esteem, acceptance of others, and academic excellence in every student. 

Title I Documents for Barack H. Obama Elementary, 2021-22 

Obama Title I Compact/Agreement,

Title I Obama PFE Policy

Greetings Obama Families,

The DeKalb County School District (DCSD) congratulates the Atlanta Braves on winning the 2021 World Series title! We are excited to have another professional sports championship in metro Atlanta. As a result, all DCSD schools and centers will be closed on Friday, November 5, 2021, to help the Braves celebrate their World Series victory during the championship parade that will be held on Friday.

We hope that families will use this opportunity to participate in some of the festivities celebrating this historic event! There will be no makeup day or remote learning/remote work expectations for students or employees.  

Go Braves!

Obama Families,

Please remember that all DeKalb schools are closed tomorrow, November 3, 2021.  Tomorrow is a Teacher Work Day and it is also an Election Day for the State of Georgia. Schools will reopen on Wednesday, November 3, 2021.

Obama Families,

This notification is to inform you that an additional, confirmed positive COVID-19 case was reported this afternoon. We have been working closely with the district, the Ga. Dept. of Public Health and the DeKalb County Board of Health to isolate the individuals, identify and contact any persons who were in close contact with the individual, and clean and disinfect the impacted areas within the building.  Please do not send students to school if they are sick or presenting COVID symptoms.  Additionally, if you voluntarily take your child/children to be tested because you feel they may have been exposed, please do not send them to school until you receive a negative result.  Since the first week of school, we have reported more than 40 positive COVID cases and have quarantined more than 300 people (staff members and students).  Please help us mitigate the spread of this dreadful virus!

All students and staff members who were exposed to the COVID-positive individuals have been notified. If you were not notified via phone call, email and/or Class DOJO, your child was not exposed to the individuals who tested positive in our school. As always, everyone should monitor their health and stay home if they develop or experience any COVID-19 symptoms.  You should also contact your healthcare provider to determine if testing is needed. 

Your cooperation, patience and flexibility are greatly appreciated during these unprecedented times in education. We must communicate effectively and work together to ensure the safety of all students, faculty and staff. Stay safe and be well! Have a wonderful Fall Break!

Greetings Obama Families,

Fall Break for the DeKalb County School District is Thursday, October 7th, Friday, October 8th and Monday, October 11th.  Students and staff will return to school on Tuesday, October 12th.  We hope that everyone has a relaxing and enjoyable break.  Please see the attached flyer for an event that will take place tomorrow at McNair High School. 

Faith and Blue/McNair Community Food Bank Distribution

Good morning Obama Families,

Thanks to one of our wonderful partners in education (The Dream Center Church where Bishop William Murphy serves as Pastor), we will have free food boxes available for pick-up at our school this afternoon.  Starting at  12:45 p.m., you may pull up to the car lanes and a staff member will put the food box in your car.  The boxes will contain fresh vegetables and other food items. These boxes are available to any member of the Obama Elementary family. Please remember that our dismissal starts at 2 p.m., so you should come before 1:45 p.m. or after 2:30 p.m. to avoid that traffic.  We will distribute on a first-come, first-served basis until we run out.  Please take advantage of this wonderful opportunity!  

Also, we strongly encourage all students to come to the building to take the MAP test (including our virtual Eagle scholars) through Wednesday of next week. We have tested approximately 780 of our students, but we'd like to capture this data for all of our scholars.  MAP data helps teachers plan more effectively for instruction.  Please also remember that MAP testing qualifies your child for the gifted program, as well as other magnet programs in the district. If you don't participate in the MAP test administration, your child may be ineligible for consideration in these programs. However, if you still feel uncomfortable with allowing your child to come to the building, we understand.    Please send us an email stating that you want your child to opt out of MAP testing for this semester, if that's your final decision. Opt-out emails/messages should be sent directly to your child's teacher before Thursday, September 30th. 

Stay safe and have an awesome weekend!

Mrs. Angela Thomas-Bethea, Principal

Dear Parent/Guardian,

Barack H. Obama Elementary Magnet School of Technology is a Title I school, and as the parent/guardian of a child attending a Title I school you are an important part of the Title I team. Your input is vital in the planning and implementation of the parental engagement program and activities in our school. The focus of all Title I programs is to help eligible students meet the same high academic achievement standards expected of all children. The following survey is confidential and will be used to assist us with future planning for parental involvement activities and events at our school.

Surveys may be completed online by clicking here.  We appreciate your feedback and thank you for taking the time to complete this survey.

Mrs. Angela Thomas-Bethea,

Principal

Greetings Obama Families, 

This notification is also to inform you that additional, confirmed positive COVID-19 cases were reported to our school this morning. We have been working closely with the district, the Ga. Dept. of Public Health and the DeKalb County Board of Health to isolate the individuals, identify and contact any persons who were in close contact with the individual, and clean and disinfect the impacted areas within the building.  Please do not send students to school if they are sick or presenting COVID symptoms.  Additionally, if you voluntarily take your child/children to be tested because you feel they may have been exposed, please do not send them to school until you receive a negative result.  Since the first week of school, we have reported more than 40 positive COVID cases and have quarantined more than 350 staff members and students.  Please help us mitigate the spread of this dreadful virus.

All students and staff members who were exposed to the COVID-positive individuals have been notified.  If you were not notified via phone call, email and/or Class DOJO, your child was not exposed to the individuals who tested positive in our school. Work will be sent by teachers to quarantined and virtual students via Class DOJO or through the Virtual TEAMS links that will be sent to you via Class DOJO.  If the link for your child's teacher does not work, please send the teacher a direct message via Class DOJO to let him/her know.  Due to the current COVID crisis, ALL Obama staff members have created a TEAMS link to connect with their students when/if they are absent.  

Please remember that students will be coded as Q (Quarantined) in the system and will not be penalized in any way if they were exposed at school and have to be quarantined. As always, everyone should monitor their health and stay home if they develop or experience any COVID-19 symptoms.  You should also contact your healthcare provider to determine if testing is needed.  Anyone who develops symptoms should seek medical care immediately. Your cooperation, patience and flexibility are greatly appreciated during these unprecedented times in education. We must communicate effectively and work together to ensure the safety of all students, faculty and staff.  

Sincerely,

Angela Thomas-Bethea, Principal

Barack H. Obama Elementary Magnet School of Technology

Greetings Obama Families, 

This notification is also to inform you that additional, confirmed positive COVID-19 cases were reported to our school this week. We have been working closely with the district, the Ga. Dept. of Public Health and the DeKalb County Board of Health to isolate the individuals, identify and contact any persons who were in close contact with the individual, and clean and disinfect the impacted areas within the building.  Please do not send students to school if they are sick or presenting COVID symptoms.  Additionally, if you voluntarily take your child/children to be tested because you feel they may have been exposed, please do not send them to school until you receive a negative result.  Since the first week of school, we have reported more than 30 positive COVID cases and have quarantined more than 300 staff members and students.  Please help us mitigate the spread of this dreadful virus.

All students and staff members who were exposed to the COVID-positive individuals have been notified.  If you were not notified via phone call, email and/or Class DOJO, your child was not exposed to the individuals who tested positive in our school. Work will be sent by teachers to quarantined and virtual students via Class DOJO or through the Virtual TEAMS links that are attached to this email. Please click the link below, and then click on your child's teacher's name to connect virtually.  If the link for your child's teacher does not work, please send the teacher a direct message via Class DOJO to let him/her know.  Due to the current COVID crisis, ALL Obama staff members have created a TEAMS link to connect with their students when/if they are absent. 

Virtual TEAMS links for Obama Elementary, 1st semester, 21-22 

Please remember that students will be coded as Q (Quarantined) in the system and will not be penalized in any way if they were exposed at school and have to be quarantined. As always, everyone should monitor their health and stay home if they develop or experience any COVID-19 symptoms.  You should also contact your healthcare provider to determine if testing is needed.  Anyone who develops symptoms should seek medical care immediately. Your cooperation, patience and flexibility are greatly appreciated during these unprecedented times in education. We must communicate effectively and work together to ensure the safety of all students, faculty and staff.  

Sincerely,

Angela Thomas-Bethea, Principal

Barack H. Obama Elementary Magnet School of Technology

Click on the Accreditation Stakeholder Feedback Survey Image to complete the survey.

The DeKalb County School District (DCSD) is currently undergoing an accreditation renewal process. Part of this process is the collection of feedback from stakeholders. We invite you to participate in the Family and Community Stakeholder Survey. The results of this survey, along with other stakeholder artifacts, will be used in the district’s accreditation renewal process.

The Family and Community Stakeholder Survey is available in the following languages: Amharic, Arabic, Bengali, Burmese, Chinese, English, French, Hindi, Napali, Somali, Spanish, Swahili, Telugu, Tigrinya, and Vietnamese. The survey is confidential and will take approximately ten minutes to complete. 

The survey will open Tuesday, September 7, 2021 and close Thursday, September 30, 2021 at 5:00 pm.

Greetings Obama Families,

This email is to serve as a reminder that all DeKalb County Schools will be closed on Monday, September 6, 2021 in observance of Labor Day.   Schools will reopen on Tuesday, September 7, 2021.  While enjoying this weekend, please remain safe and do everything you can to mitigate the spread of this dreadful virus that is wreaking havoc in our community.  All of us must work together to mitigate the spread of COVID-19. 

This notification is also to inform you that additional, confirmed positive COVID-19 cases were reported to our school today. We have been working closely with the district, the Ga. Dept. of Public Health and the DeKalb County Board of Health to isolate the individuals, identify and contact any persons who were in close contact with the individual, and clean and disinfect the impacted areas within the building.  

All students and staff members who were exposed to the COVID-positive individuals have been notified.  If you were not notified via phone call, email and/or Class DOJO, your child was not exposed to the individuals who tested positive in our school. Work will be sent by teachers to quarantined and virtual students via Class DOJO or through the Virtual TEAMS links that are attached to this email. Please click the link below, and then click on your child's teacher's name to connect virtually.  Due to the current COVID crisis, ALL Obama staff members have created a TEAMS link to connect with their students when/if they are absent. 

Virtual TEAMS links for Obama Elementary, 1st semester, 21-22 

Please remember that students will not be marked absent or penalized in any way if they were exposed at school. As always, everyone should monitor their health and stay home if they develop or experience any COVID-19 symptoms.  You should also contact your healthcare provider to determine if testing is needed.  Anyone who develops symptoms should seek medical care immediately. 

Your cooperation, patience and flexibility are greatly appreciated during these unprecedented times in education. We must communicate effectively and work together to ensure the safety of all students, faculty and staff.  

Sincerely,

Angela Thomas-Bethea, Principal

Barack H. Obama Elementary Magnet School of Technology

Greetings Obama Families,

This notification is to inform you that additional, confirmed positive COVID-19 cases have been reported to our school this week. We have been working closely with the district, the Ga. Dept. of Public Health and the DeKalb County Board of Health to isolate the individuals, identify and contact any persons who were in close contact with the individual, and clean and disinfect the impacted areas within the building.  

All students and staff members who were exposed to the COVID-positive individuals have been notified.  If you were not notified via phone call, email and/or Class DOJO, your child was not exposed to the individuals who tested positive in our school. Work will be sent by teachers to quarantined and virtual students via Class DOJO or through the Virtual TEAMS links that are attached to this email. Please click the link below, and then click on your child's teacher's name to connect virtually.  Due to the current COVID crisis, ALL Obama staff members have created a TEAMS link to connect with their students when/if they are absent. 

Virtual TEAMS links for Obama Elementary, 1st semester, 21-22 

Please remember that students will not be marked absent or penalized in any way if they were exposed at school. As always, everyone should monitor their health and stay home if they develop or experience any COVID-19 symptoms.  You should also contact your healthcare provider to determine if testing is needed.  Anyone who develops symptoms should seek medical care immediately. 

Your cooperation, patience and flexibility are greatly appreciated during these unprecedented times in education. We must communicate effectively and work together to ensure the safety of all students, faculty and staff.  

Sincerely,

Angela Thomas-Bethea, Principal

Barack H. Obama Elementary Magnet School of Technology

Greetings Obama Families,

This notification is to inform you that additional, confirmed positive COVID-19 cases were reported to our school today (Thursday, August 26, 2021). We received this information this morning and have been working closely with the district, the Ga. Dept. of Public Health and the DeKalb County Board of Health to isolate the individuals, identify and contact any persons who were in close contact with the individual, and clean and disinfect the impacted areas within the building.  

All students and staff members who were exposed to the COVID-positive individuals have been notified.  If you were not notified via phone call, email and/or Class DOJO, your child was not exposed to the individuals who tested positive in our school. Work will be sent by teachers to quarantined and virtual students via Class DOJO or through the Virtual TEAMS links that are attached to this email. Please click the link below, and then click on your child's teacher's name to access the class.  Due to the current COVID crisis, ALL Obama staff members have created a TEAMS link to connect with their students when/if they are absent.  Most of our technology issues have been resolved and chromebooks are currently being issued to those students whose parents have signed a Chromebook Agreement Form.  We must have an Agreement Form signed by a parent or guardian before a chromebook will be issued by the teacher.

If quarantined teachers and students are feeling up to it, teachers will connect with students virtually to provide instruction while they are quarantining.  Only quarantined students and those who have elected to be virtual for the entire first semester may use the links below. Students cannot switch back and forth between face to face and virtual unless it is COVID-related. Once the quarantine is over, parents must decide if their child will be virtual or face to face.  Students will either return to the building face-to-face or remain virtual for the rest of the semester.   Once you add your child's name to the virtual list, your child must remain virtual until the end of the first semester (through the end of December, 2021).  Below are the TEAMS links for all teachers: 

Virtual TEAMS links for Obama Elementary, 1st semester, 21-22 

Please remember that students will not be marked absent or penalized in any way if they were exposed to a positive individual at school.  Also, virtual students will not be penalized if they are unable to connect due to the district's network issues.  As always, everyone should monitor their health and stay home if they develop or experience any COVID-19 symptoms.  Anyone who develops symptoms should seek medical care immediately. You should also contact your healthcare provider to determine if testing is needed. 

Your cooperation, patience and flexibility are greatly appreciated during these unprecedented times in education. We must communicate effectively and work together to ensure the safety of all students, faculty and staff.  

Sincerely,

Angela Thomas-Bethea, Principal

Barack H. Obama Elementary Magnet School of Technology

Greetings Obama Families,

Virtual Curriculum Nights and our Annual Title I Meetings will be held three days this week (Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday) for each grade level, as required for all elementary schools in the DeKalb County School District. The purpose is of this night is for parents to virtually connect with their children's teachers and paraprofessionals.  Teachers will introduce themselves and present an overview of the curriculum for the grade level in each content area including special areas (which include the music, science lab, technology lab, band/orchestra, art, and STEM classes). Please click the link below to see the flyer that contains details about our upcoming Virtual Curriculum Nights and Annual Title I Parent Meetings. Links to the meetings will be sent by your child's homeroom teacher via Class DOJO (our school-wide communication tool) on the day in which it is held.  We hope to see you there!

Curriculum Night and Annual Title I Meeting Flyer, 2021-22 

Sincerely,

Angela Thomas-Bethea, Principal

Barack H. Obama Elementary Magnet School of Technology

Greetings Obama Families,

This notification is to inform you that additional, confirmed positive COVID cases have been reported to our school today (Friday, August 20, 2021). We have been working closely with the district, the Ga. Dept. of Public Health and the DeKalb County Board of Health to isolate the individuals, identify and contact any persons who were in close contact with the individual, and clean and disinfect the impacted areas within the building.  

All students and staff members who were exposed to the COVID-positive individuals have been notified.  If you were not notified via phone call, email and/or Class DOJO, that means your child was not exposed to the individuals who tested positive in our school. Please remember that students will not be marked absent or penalized in any way if they were exposed at school.    As always, everyone should monitor their health and stay home if they develop or experience any COVID-19 symptoms.  You should also contact your healthcare provider to determine if testing is needed.  Anyone who develops symptoms should seek medical care immediately. 

Please note that we're making progress on chrome book connectivity, so work will be sent by teachers to quarantined and virtual students via Class DOJO or through the Virtual TEAMS links that are attached to this email. Please click the link below, and then click on your child's teacher's name to connect virtually.  Due to the current COVID crisis, ALL Obama staff members have created a TEAMS link to connect with their students when/if they are absent.  Admittedly, we are still experiencing a few technical difficulties and intermittent network outages throughout the district, but things have drastically improved! We are very close to resolving these issues.  Virtual students will not be penalized if they are unable to connect due to the district's network issues.

Virtual TEAMS links for Obama Elementary, 1st semester, 21-22 

Your cooperation, patience and flexibility are greatly appreciated during these unprecedented times in education. We must communicate effectively and work together to ensure the safety of all students, faculty and staff.  

Sincerely,

Angela Thomas-Bethea, Principal

Barack H. Obama Elementary Magnet School of Technology

Greetings Obama Families,

This notification is to inform you that additional, confirmed positive COVID-19 cases have been reported to our school today (Monday, August 16, 2021). We received this information over the weekend and this morning and have been working closely with the district, the Ga. Dept. of Public Health and the DeKalb County Board of Health to isolate the individuals, identify and contact any persons who were in close contact with the individual, and clean and disinfect the impacted areas within the building.  

All students and staff members who were exposed to the COVID-positive individuals have been notified.  If you were not notified via phone call, email and/or Class DOJO, your child was not exposed to the individuals who tested positive in our school. We're making progress on chrome book connectivity, so work will be sent by teachers to quarantined and virtual students via Class DOJO or through the Virtual TEAMS links that are attached to this email. Please click the link below, and then click your child's teacher's name to connect virtually.  Due to the current COVID crisis, ALL Obama staff members have created a TEAMS link to connect with their students when/if they are absent.  Admittedly, we are still experiencing a few technical difficulties and intermittent network outages throughout the district, but things are improving! We hope to have this issue fully resolved within the next two days.

Virtual TEAMS links for Obama Elementary, 1st semester, 21-22 

Please remember that students will not be marked absent or penalized in any way if they were exposed at school.  Also, virtual students will not be penalized if they are unable to connect due to the district's network issues.  As always, everyone should monitor their health and stay home if they develop or experience any COVID-19 symptoms.  You should also contact your healthcare provider to determine if testing is needed.  Anyone who develops symptoms should seek medical care immediately. 

Your cooperation, patience and flexibility are greatly appreciated during these unprecedented times in education. We must communicate effectively and work together to ensure the safety of all students, faculty and staff.  

Sincerely,

Angela Thomas-Bethea, Principal

Barack H. Obama Elementary Magnet School of Technology

Obama Families,

With the current surge in COVID cases in our building/community, I would like to share the information below.  Tomorrow (Saturday, August 14th), there will be a COVID vaccination drive at South DeKalb Mall!   They are giving $100 pre-paid debit cards from 8 a.m. until 1 p.m.  If you haven't been vaccinated, PLEASE consider taking advantage of this opportunity so we can mitigate the spread of this dreadful virus.  

https://atlanta.cbslocal.com/2021/08/12/dekalb-offers-100-for-vaccinations-at-south-dekalb-mall-on-saturday-aug-14/

Sincerely,

Angela Thomas-Bethea, Principal

Barack H. Obama Elementary Magnet School of Technology

Greetings Obama Families,

This notification is to inform you that additional, confirmed positive COVID-19 cases have been reported to our school (Wednesday, August 11, 2021 and today, August 12, 2021). We have been working closely with the district, the Ga. Dept. of Public Health and the DeKalb County Board of Health to isolate the individuals, identify and contact any persons who were in close contact with the individual, and clean and disinfect the impacted areas within the building. 

All students and staff members who were exposed  to the COVID-positive individuals were notified.  If you were not notified via phone call, email or Class DOJO, your child was not exposed to the individual(s) who tested positive in our building.  Students and staff members who were exposed must quarantine for the time required and return with a negative test result.  We will be checking for the negative test results before students can re-enter the building.  Please note that parents of exposed students who refuse to have their children tested will have to quarantine and keep their child/children at home for 10 days from the date of exposure (instead of five days).  At this time, asynchronous work will be sent by teachers to quarantined and virtual students via Class DOJO, as we are still experiencing technical difficulties and intermittent network outages throughout the district. Yesterday, many of you may have noticed that the entire network (including phone lines) was down for most of the day.  We hope to have this issue resolved sometime this week.

Please remember that students will not be marked absent or penalized in any way if they were exposed to COVID at school.  Also, virtual students will not be penalized if they are unable to connect due to the district's network issues.  As always, everyone should monitor their health and stay home if they develop any COVID-19 symptoms.  You should also contact your healthcare provider to determine if testing is needed.  Anyone who develops symptoms should seek medical care immediately. 

Your cooperation, patience and flexibility are greatly appreciated during these unprecedented times in education.  We must cooperate and work together to ensure the safety of all students, faculty and staff.  

Sincerely,

Angela Thomas-Bethea, Principal

Barack H. Obama Elementary Magnet School of Technology

Greetings Obama Families,

This notification is to inform you that additional, confirmed positive COVID-19 cases have been reported to our school today (Tuesday, August 10, 2021). We received this information this morning and have been working closely with the district, the Ga. Dept. of Public Health and the DeKalb County Board of Health to isolate the individuals, identify and contact any persons who were in close contact with the individual, and clean and disinfect the impacted areas within the building.  

All students and staff members who were exposed  to the COVID-positive individuals were notified this morning.  If you were not notified via phone call, email or Class DOJO, your child was not exposed to the individual(s) who tested positive in our school.  Asynchronous work will be sent by teachers to quarantined and virtual students via Class DOJO, as we are still experiencing technical difficulties and intermittent network outages throughout the district. We hope to have this issue resolved sometime this week.

Please remember that students will not be marked absent or penalized in any way if they were exposed at school.  Also, virtual students will not be penalized if they are unable to connect due to the district's network issues.  As always, everyone should monitor their health and stay home if they develop any COVID-19 symptoms.  You should also contact your healthcare provider to determine if testing is needed.  Anyone who develops symptoms should seek medical care immediately. 

Your cooperation, patience and flexibility are greatly appreciated during these unprecedented times in education. We must communicate effectively and work together to ensure the safety of all students, faculty and staff.  

Sincerely,

Angela Thomas-Bethea, Principal

Barack H. Obama Elementary Magnet School of Technology

Greetings Obama Families,

This is to inform you that there have been additional confirmed positive COVID 19 cases at our school. We received this information Sunday afternoon and have been working closely with the district, the Ga. Dept. of Public Health and the DeKalb County Board of Health to isolate the individuals, identify and contact any persons who were in close contact with the individual, and clean and disinfect the impacted areas within the building.  

All students and staff members who were exposed were notified immediately (over the weekend).  If you were not notified via phone call, email or Class DOJO, your child was not exposed to the individual(s) who tested positive in our school.  Asynchronous work will be sent by teachers to quarantined and virtual students via Class DOJO, as we are still experiencing technical difficulties/intermittent network outages throughout the district. We hope to have this issue resolved some time this week.

Please remember that students will not be marked absent or penalized in any way if they were exposed at school.  Also, virtual students will not be penalized if they are unable to connect due to the district's network issues.  As always, everyone should monitor their health and stay home if they develop any COVID-19 symptoms.  You should also contact your healthcare provider to determine if testing is needed.  Anyone who develops symptoms should seek medical care immediately. 

Your cooperation, patience and flexibility are greatly appreciated during these unprecedented times in education. We must communicate effectively and work together to ensure the safety of all students, faculty and staff.  

Sincerely,

Angela Thomas-Bethea, Principal

Barack H. Obama Elementary Magnet School of Technology

Greetings Obama Families,

This is to inform you that there have been confirmed positive COVID 19 cases at our school. We just received this information this morning and are working closely with the district, the Ga. Dept. of Public Health and the DeKalb County Board of Health to isolate the individuals, identify and contact any persons who were in close contact with the individual, and clean and disinfect the impacted areas within the building.  

Out of an abundance of caution, we're asking the parents of the students who were in close contact with these individuals to pick up their children from the school at this time.  If your child's class was impacted, you have already been notified by the school via phone call and/or CLASS DOJO.  If you have not been notified, this means your child was not in close contact with the individuals.  Staff will be at the front doors to assist you with an early checkout.  We have advised students and staff who were in close contact with these individuals to quarantine for five days and test on the fifth day (which would be Wednesday of next week).  This will give enough time for exposed individuals to see if they are presenting COVID symptoms. Students will not be marked absent or penalized in any way if they were exposed at school.  As always, everyone should monitor their health and stay home if they develop COVID-19 symptoms.  You should also contact your healthcare provider to determine if testing is needed.  Anyone who develops symptoms should seek medical care immediately. 

Sincerely,

Angela Thomas-Bethea, Principal

Barack H. Obama Elementary Magnet School of Technology

Obama Families,

We're almost done with the first week of school! Thanks so much for your patience and cooperation this week.  Things seem to be improving by the day.  Yesterday, we were able to call ALL 400+ of the car riders within 45-50 minutes instead of an hour and a half and today we finished in 43 minutes, so we're making progress! As you know, due to COVID restrictions, we are unable to hold large numbers of students in common areas.  Because of that, we have to call each car rider's name over the intercom to release them from their homeroom teacher.  We strongly encourage you to wait until after 2 p.m. to pick up car riders each day.  Because of the large number of car riders at Obama, if you come any earlier, you will be waiting for at least 30 minutes.  If you come later, you will have a shorter wait and you will experience less traffic.  Please remain in your vehicles to have your child's name called.  If you come to the door, you will be further delayed.  We will not add your child's name to the list of car riders until all of the cars in the loop have been served.  Our safety protocols and procedures during dismissal will be followed each day to ensure the safety of students, faculty and staff members.

In order to protect instructional time each day, the car riders' names will not be called before 2:00 p.m.  We strongly discourage checking your child out of school early each day.  Children miss valuable core content instruction in the afternoons when you check them out of school 45-50 minutes before the school day ends.  This could negatively impact your child's academic progress and grades in their afternoon classes. It could also negatively impact your child's performance on state mandated tests that are taken at the end of the year.  These scores could qualify your children for other academic programs and opportunities later in life.  Children must be present (face to face or virtual) to learn the grade-level curriculum each year if you want them to be successful on classroom and state assessments, like the Georgia Milestones.  Additionally, parents/guardians will be reported to the school social worker and the Solicitor General's office for educational neglect if students miss too many days of school or class. Please prioritize your child's education by allowing him/her to remain in school for the full day unless you have an emergency.

Finally, please be advised that we're still having chrome book connectivity issues district-wide, so we're working through that.  This is not a problem that can be resolved at the local school level. District staff members are working diligently to resolve these issues.  Virtual students will not be penalized if they cannot connect due to the district's connectivity challenges.  Please remember that per district policy, students who opt out of face to face learning will not have specials (art, music, STEM, Science Lab, technology, band, etc..., while being a virtual learner).  They will only receive instruction in their core-content areas.  Additionally, they must remain virtual students until the end of the semester (December, 2021).  This means they will not be able to join the face to face learners again until January, 2022.  Tomorrow (Friday, August 6th) is the LAST day to commit to virtual learning unless the district changes their guidance during the school year due to state or county-wide COVID numbers.

Thanks again for your patience and cooperation throughout this week.  Things are improving by the day!  We are looking forward to another great school year in the Eagles' Nest!

Angela Thomas- Bethea, Principal

Barack H. Obama Elementary Magnet School of Technology

Greetings Obama Family,

Below are the updated links for our virtual learners.  Students who have had difficulty signing in will not be penalized for missed work.  We are trying to make sure everyone gets placed with right teachers and that passwords work.  We had to add additional teachers to meet the needs of virtual students.  They have doubled since last Friday, so we're having to make adjustments.  Please click the link below for the most recent, comprehensive list of teachers. If your child is on the virtual list, you should click the link next to their teacher's name by 8 a.m. to join the class.  Third, fourth and fifth grade teachers are departmentalized, so if your child is in one of those grades, they will have more than one teacher.  Virtual students will not have specials during this semester and once you place your child on the virtual list, they will have to remain virtual students until December.  Please click the link below to access the virtual classes. 

Updated Virtual links for Obama Students 

Regarding pick-up and dismissal...

We need all parents to remain in their cars at all times if your child is a car rider.  We will not call your child's name if you walk up to the door.  In fact, it will significantly delay your pick up.  The only way your child's name will be called is if you are sitting in your car and lined up in the circle. Please obey the traffic signs. They are there to ensure your safety and the safety of others. Teachers have been directed not to release students unless we call your child's name over the intercom.  If you call your child's teacher, they will not be released.  If you text your child's phone, they will not be released from the classroom.  To ensure everyone's safety, it is extremely important that we follow the policies and protocols that we have put in place for drop off and pick up. Yesterday was a traffic nightmare...partly because some individuals refused to follow the procedures and protocols.  Though we do not want it to come to this, police officers will be present to ticket anyone who puts staff or students in danger during drop-off or pick-up.  Let's do the right thing, so that we can get your children to you in a safe and timely manner. We have over 400 car riders at Obama Elementary. Car riders will not be called before 2:15.  If you line up before 2:00 p.m., you will most likely be waiting in line for longer than 30 minutes to retrieve your child, so please understand this before you come.   

Again, we want to ensure the safety of all parents, staff and students, so please adhere to the rules each day. We look forward to a better, more efficient dismissal today, but we need your help and cooperation. Thanks in advance!  

Dear Obama Families,

We are so excited to have our students back in the building!  Though we're having a few challenges this morning, it has been a great first day. Please be advised of the following.  The phone network in the building is down.  The phones are ringing, but when we pick up the phones, many of the calls are dropping.  Please don't think that our staff is hanging up the phone on you.  We're also unable to make outgoing calls at this time. Please email us or the teachers directly if you have questions or concerns.

For all of our virtual learners, the links are provided below.  Please click the link next to your child's teacher's name to access the class.  If your child's teacher is not listed and you registered your child for virtual learning, please email Ms. Aundree Washington and me, so that we can place your child with the appropriate virtual teacher. We apologize for the delay, but we had to wait for the master list from the district and designate the teachers over the weekend based on those numbers. Thank you for your patience!

Virtual School Class TEAM Links for Obama Elementary, 2021 

Again, please continue to be patient with us.  Each day will get better! Remember that dismissal will begin at 2:10 p.m. for bus riders and 2:20 p.m. for car riders today.  

Mrs. Angela Thomas- Bethea, Principal

Obama Families,

Happy Friday!  All virtual students may pick up their chrome books today between 11:30 a.m. and 3 p.m.  Staff members will be sitting in the front of the building and will be available to assist you when you arrive. We are still identifying the virtual teachers for each grade level. Please be patient with us because unlike the middle and high schools, all elementary schools have to staff their virtual program teachers within the building. 

We will send you links to connect before Monday, however, we are still trying to assess our numbers and designate the appropriate number of teachers for each grade level.  Please continue to be patient with us.  It's going to be a great year!

Dear  Obama Eagle Families,

Please remember that our Open House is TODAY, July 28th from 12 noon until 3 p.m.  During this time, you will have an opportunity to meet your child's teachers, join the PTO, receive a list of extra-curricular activities, learn about exciting events we have planned for the school year, meet our administrative team, counselors, social worker and support staff, retrieve transportation routes, purchase Obama spirit attire, and pick up free school supplies. 

Please note the following:

• Per district policy, masks are required for all children and adults who enter the building. No exceptions!
• PTO dues are $10 per person.  You may join at the PTO table. Cash or money orders are accepted as payment. Receipts will be given.
• Obama staff members will greet you at the door, provide information about your child's grade level and homeroom teacher and direct you to your child's homeroom teacher.
• You will be asked to sign in with your child's teacher.
• Please practice social distancing while you're in the building.
• FREE school supplies will be available for pick up as you exit the building. 
• You may order Obama t-shirts and sweatshirts during Open House at the PTO table.
• Information about extracurricular activities will be available.
• Transportation routes will be available.
• After-school options/contact information for daycare centers will be provided.