92nd Dedication Day

The Kate Duncan Smith DAR School's 92nd Dedication Day activities are scheduled for Monday, October 10 and Tuesday, October 11. This year's festivities will be even more special as the NSDAR National School Tour will be present on campus.

The National School Tour signifies the first year of each new National Society Daughters of the American Revolution administration and features the new President General and the various members of her cabinet; such a tour only takes place every three years. Ann T. Dillon, President General, NSDAR, and the National Executive Officers, National School Chairman, and numerous DAR State Regents will be among those on the two national buses. More than 235 DAR members from across the country will be on campus to dedicate gifts given to the school during the past year and to participate in special dedication and recognition ceremonies.

Please see the 2016 Dedication Day Schedulefor more information. Event registration must be submitted by September 23.

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Another New School Year Begins at KDS

Just a few short weeks ago, Kate Duncan Smith DAR School marked its 92nd 'first day' of school. The hallways and sidewalks quickly came to life with the voices of children excited to begin another new school year, and soon everyone was back into their routines.

Preparations for the new school year began soon after the last bus pulled away from school on May 27th. During the summer break, custodians stripped and waxed floors, teachers attended continuing education workshops, counselors and principals were busy planning schedules, and maintenance crews worked on landscaping projects and building renovations that could only be done while no students were on campus.

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KDS Welcomes New Faculty and Staff

KDS Elementary welcomes Rachel Hastings to its staff as a Pre-K teacher. Rachel is a 1995 graduate of Douglas High School and holds a Bachelor of Science in Early Childhood Education from Auburn University. She served previously as a Pre-K teacher in Decherd Elementary School in Franklin County, Tennessee, and was employed last year as an Early Intervention Special Instructor for the Marshall County School System.

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KDS Pre-K Expands and Moves to Another Facility

The new school year marks the beginning of a new chapter of the Pre-K program at KDS. Not only has the program moved into a newly renovated building, but another class has been added, and now 36 students from the area are able to attend Pre-K!

The Alabama State Board of Education is currently expanding the Pre-K program to more than 800 classrooms statewide, and KDS Elementary is benefitting from grants to make Alabama's voluntary First Class Pre-K program provide effective, high quality early childhood experiences that prepare children for school success and lifelong learning.

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Highlights

Lady Washington Chapter Continues Support of KDS

Everyone at KDS would like to say a very special thank you to the Lady Washington Chapter, NSDAR, of Houston, Texas, Chapter Regent Susan Cook, for its generous donation supporting the "Blessings in a Backpack" program, the Summer Work Scholarship Fund, and for sponsorship of graphing calculators for middle school math classes at Kate Duncan Smith DAR School.

Alabama School Supplies

The generosity of Alabama Daughters was evident from the bounty of school supplies collected at the ASDAR District Meeting held August 13th in Prattville, Alabama. KDS Executive Director Heather Green and Director of Development Beth Cagle brought back the school's van loaded down with school supplies, everything from crayons to USB drives. Thanks, Alabama Daughters!

Shoes Donated by Nellie Custis Chapter

Twenty-three pairs of new Sperry men's shoes were recently donated by the Nelly Custis Chapter, NSDAR, of Mount Vernon, Virginia. This was the 5th shipment of new shoes from the Chapter since 2014. This gift was made possible by Chapter member Paula Hyde.

These shoes made coming back to school in style possible for numerous KDS students. Many thanks to the Nelly Custis Chapter and Paula Hyde.

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