Found dog: rottie

Friendly, neutered, male dog with an intense drive to chase squirrels  found on Harrington Drive on Nov. 17. Email medlockassoc@gmail.com if you have any information about how to contact his owners.

North Decatur Presbyterian Church Alternative Gift Market [Dec 7]

Click to enlarge.

"North Decatur Presbyterian Church invites the Medlock Community to our annual Alternative Gift Market, Saturday, Dec. 7, 10 am to 3 pm. Shop for fair trade*, environmentally sustainable and reasonably priced holiday gifts, including many new items this year. Gifts for sale include olive oil and beautiful carvings from Palestine; hats, scarves, clothing and gifts from Latin America; delicious soup and cookie mixes made in the U.S. supporting people in transition; rugs and other gifts from local refugee and affordable housing initiatives; beautiful beaded jewelry from Rwanda; Haitian goods; fair trade coffee, tea, cocoa and chocolate; and beautiful handmade cards from around the world.

NDPC is at 611 Medlock Road at the intersection of Medlock, N. Decatur Rd. and Scott Blvd.  Make a difference in the world, one gift at a time!

_________________

* What is Fair Trade? (text credit: Fair Trade Federation)

Fair Trade is an economic partnership based on dialogue, transparency, and respect. Fair trade is not about charity. It is a holistic approach to trade and development that aims to alter the ways in which commerce is conducted, so that trade can empower the poorest of the poor. Fair Trade Organizations seek to create sustainable and positive change in developing and developed countries."

Laurel Ridge Elementary Fall Festival [Nov 16]

Laurel Ridge “Adventure in Wonderland”

Fall Festival

November 16, 2013 11am to 5pm

Laurel Ridge Elementary School

The Annual Laurel Ridge Fall Festival will inspire you to be Curiouser & Curiouser. So don’t Be Late for that Very Important Dateon Saturday November 16th. Game Trucks, Bounce Houses, Crafts, & Great Food will be great fun for the whole family. Contact your friends and relatives and tell them about this terrific community event. Come to enjoy or come to play with us. We want to feature local ‘family- friendly’ performance artists (singers, dancers, jugglers, and comedians) on our community stage. Do you know someone with a family friendly product to promote, crafts to sell, or someone who simply is looking for a place to allow the community to rummage through their treasures? Send the performers and the crafters our way! Vendor space is available. The Registration Form is on the back!

Our theme is Adventures in Wonderland. Join those fabulous fictional characters in a variety of flavor and fun!

Proceeds will benefit the art, music, and drama programs of Laurel Ridge Elementary. Stay tuned for more!

Want a bigger part in the adventure? Volunteers (marketing, preparations, fundraising, & event day activities) are needed for Festival preparations and Event activities.

Contact Melanie Darby at meldarart@bellsouth.net for more information.

For vendor registration see this link.

DeKalb BOE rejects Druid Hills Cluster

Per the AJC,

"In a contentious 5-4 vote tonight, the DeKalb County Board of Education rejected the Druid Hills Charter Cluster petition.

The "no" vote followed about four hours of tense debate. Those voting for the cluster were Thaddeus Mayfield, John Coleman, Marshall Orson and Jim McMahan. Read the rest @ AJC's DeKalb board votes down Druid Hills Charter Cluster after long, tense meeting

Next steps are unclear.

Season of giving

Kudos to Crossroadnews for reporting on these local charities and how residents can help:

Hosea's turkey drop comes up short: The Hosea Feed the Hungry and Homeless helps year-round, and one of their traditions is offering a Thanksgiving meal. This year, due to the loss of a donor, they are in need of additional donations for this event. To contribute, go to www.4hosea.org.

Annual Tree of Love seeks donors to spread holiday joy: Disadvantaged children in need are identified by the County and donors purchase items that the children requested. "Wrapped gifts are due back on Dec. 14 when the annual Tree of Love Christmas Program takes place at the mall."

Also, The DeKalb County Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) accepts donations for children they represent.

DeKalb Board of Education: Druid Hills Charter Cluster vote [Nov 11]

via Druid Hills Charter Cluster:

The Board of Education vote to determine the future of the Druid Hills Charter Cluster is tomorrow,  Monday, Nov 11th at 7:00 pm. 

WE NEED YOU AND YOUR KIDS THERE TO SHOW YOUR SUPPORT!
This is the time we have all been working towards and we need to be there in force to show the board how passionate we are about the Charter Cluster.
The address for the meeting is:
1701 Mountain Industrial Boulevard,
Stone Mt., Georgia 30083
The Charter Cluster Governing Board will be there for this important meeting.  In case you haven't met the governing board, let us quickly introduce you to them and help you understand their role on the Charter Cluster.  Each has valuable and complementary skills that will make this Governing Board a huge asset to the Charter Cluster.   

CHARTER CLUSTER GOVERNING BOARD 

Scott Bonder:  Brings legal experise to the DHCC.  Mr. Bonder is a business litigator with experience in multi‐million dollar cases spanning multiple jurisdictions and involving state, federal and foreign laws.   He is a former President of the Fernbank Elementary School PTA.   

Fred Daniels, Jr.: Brings financial and business expertise.  Mr. Daniels is  Executive Vice President and Chief Credit Officer of Atlanta-based Citizens Trust Bank.    Daniels’ current tasks give him charge of governance, credit risk, portfolio management, and loan administration over the $400M community bank.    Mr. Daniels is currently the Chairman of the Board of Directors for Marta. 

Theresa Johnson-Bennett:  Brings legal and procedural expertise.  Ms. Johnson-Bennett is a Paralegal with the State of Georgia- Department of Community Health.  She previously served as Chief Deputy Clerk in the Recorders Court of DeKalb County and as an Investigator with the Office of Public Defender for the City of Atlanta.   She is currently the PTO President at Avondale Elementary School and was previously Secretary for Avondale Elementary School Council.    As a paralegal, she is knowledgeable of policies, procedures, and governing laws. 

Matthew Lewis:  Brings business and organizational expertise.  Mr. Lewis is a businessperson who spent his career playing leadership roles in a number of well-run organizations including Bank South, CheckFree, and most recently First Data Corporation.  At First Data, Matthew was President of the Financial Services Division where he oversaw a $1.8 billion budget and 6000 associates.    Matthew recently served as the Chair of the Druid Hills High School Council and has two children who have grown up in the DeKalb County schools.

Kathleen Boyle Mathers: Brings educational expertise.   Ms. Mathers is an independent educational consultant with strong analytic, project management, strategic planning, communications and research skills.   Formerly the Executive Director of the Governor's Office of Student Achievement and the Program Director of the Math Science Partnership.   Ms. Mathers was a teacher in DCSS for 8 years. 

David Roberts:  Brings public sector improvement expertise.  Mr. Roberts is a Director in KPMG's Government Advisory Practice where for 13 years, he has been driving operational and financial improvement programs/transformations.  He has worked with a range of public sector organizations , including the Atlanta Public school system, the University of Chapel Hill and the Georgia State Accounting Office. 

Robert Thorpe:  Brings education and educational change experience.  Mr. Thorpe is a retired DeKalb Country Middle School Principal.  Mr. Thorpe led Druid Hill Middle School's  (then Shamrock) successful pursuit to become an International Baccalaureate school.  Prior to joining DeKalb County, he was Principal in the Gainesville School system where he successfully implemented three "theme academies".   Mr. Thorpe is a veteran in education, having served as a Teacher, Assistant Principal and Principal.   He has 3 grandchildren currently residing in the Druid Hills cluster. 

Copyright © 2013 Druid Hills Charter Cluster, Inc., All rights reserved.
You are receiving this email because of your interest in the Druid Hills Charter Cluster initiative.
Our mailing address is:
Druid Hills Charter Cluster, Inc.
1798 Haygood Drive Northeast, Druid Hills, GA
Atlanta, GA 30307

"County seeks feedback on transportation plan" [DeKalb Neighbor]

 "Mobility, walkable communities and quality of life are a few of the visions and goals of the DeKalb County 2014 Transportation Plan.

Led by Cristina Pastore, transportation plan project manager with Kimley-Horn and Associates Inc., the plan will feature a third round of workshops in the coming days where citizens can review a draft list of projects and provide their feedback.
Initial kickoff meetings and workshops were held months ago, where residents were able to tell their concerns and wishes for future transit in the county...
Pastore emphasized the need for public input in this project.  Read the rest at DeKalb Neighbor."

Nov. 16, 8:30 a.m. to noon, DeKalb Neighborhood Summit meeting, The Courtyard Marriott Hotel – Downtown Decatur, 130 Clairemont Ave., Decatur.

Read more: Neighbor Newspapers - County seeks feedback on transportation plan 

Those unable to attend can offer feedback via www.dekalbtransportationplan2014.com

Upcoming and nearby events:

INTERACTIVE ONLINE MEETING

Thursday, November 14 | 6:30-8:00 PM

Registration begins November 1st on the project website.

Pre-registration is encouraged but not required. See http://www.onedekalb.com/

DEKALB NEIGHBORHOOD SUMMIT

Saturday, November 16 | Time: 8:30am - 1:00pm

The Courtyard Marriott Hotel - Downtown Decatur

130 Clairemont Avenue | Decatur, GA 30030

On MARTA: #19, 123, Decatur MARTA Station