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.

We look forward to meeting you all tomorrow!  Please note that we will have an All State Insurance Company owner present during Open House to assist you with your insurance needs.  Everyone who stops at the table to sign up for a free quote will earn our school $5 (up to $5,000).  This is a wonderful fundraising opportunity for our school.  Please help us!

Sincerely, 

Angela Thomas-Bethea, Principal

Barack H. Obama Elementary Magnet School of Technology

Greetings Obama Families,

This is just a reminder that school will begin for students on Monday, August 2, 2021 at 7:45 a.m.  Please remember that today is the last day to inform the district that you want your child to remain virtual for the first semester.  Please read the guidelines for virtual learning carefully before you opt out of face-to-face instruction. Once you commit to virtual learning, you will have to stick with it through the entire first semester (August-December, 2021).  Recently, the Board of Education decided that masks will be required for all DeKalb staff and students, so please make sure that your students are prepared.

On next Wednesday, July 28, 2021 between 12 noon and 3 p.m., we will have our Open House.  During Open House, you will have an opportunity to meet your child's teacher and visit the actual classrooms. Schedules will be given as you enter the building and you will also have an opportunity to meet support staff (administrators, counselors, support specialists, coaches, sponsors, etc...), retrieve bus/transportation information, purchase spirit wear for Fridays and join our wonderful PTO for only $10.   We are requiring students to wear uniforms Monday through Thursday of each week.  Students may wear spirit wear or other appropriate attire on Fridays. Please review the attached information that provides additional details for this school year.  We look forward to meeting you next week!  This is going to be an awesome year!

Please click the link below:

Updated Back to School Information for Obama Elementary  

Sincerely, 

Mrs. Angela Thomas-Bethea, Principal