February 11, 2013 

Dr. Jill Goad of the GSU English Department will lead a thought provoking discussion of  this year's Big Read, "A Lesson Before Dying" by Ernest Gaines, on Monday, February 11th at 6 PM in the East Atlanta Meeting Room. Anyone participating in the Big Read is invited to attend.

The Big Read is a "one book/one community" concept with participants reading the same book and participating in personal and/or community discussions during the month of February. The Atlanta Fulton Public Library System was awarded the Big Read by the National Endowment for the Arts in partnership with
Arts Midwest.

The Burgess-Peterson Academy Organic Garden is honored to be one of three school gardens on the tour for the Georgia Organics Farm to School conference. 

 

We want to make sure the garden, orchard, and classroom are looking their best for our guests, so if you're free, come on out on Saturday, February 16th from 10 AM to 2 PM, and give us a hand with everything from weeding and mulching to adding a coat of sealer to our donor sign.

Grant Central Pizza - East is sponsoring a "Dine-out for Burgess-Peterson Academy" on February 20th from 5 PM until close. A portion of the sales of dine-in and take-out orders will be donated to the Burgess-Peterson Academy PTA. 

 

Come enjoy some pizza and support your local elementary school! 1279 Glenwood Ave SE

DeKalb County needs your help in updating the Transportation Plan.  Please join us at any one of our upcoming project kick-off meetings to learn more about the process and to share your ideas.  

 

Two meetings have already been held, with remaining meetings held tonight and tomorrow, February 11th and 12th.  

Pure Tennis will be conducting group tennis lessons for children ages 3.5 - 14 at the Grant Park Tennis Courts for the Grant Park, Glenwood Park, Ormewood Park, and surrounding communities this spring beginning the week of February 11th.  

 

Lessons run for 8 weeks and are offered on your choice of Tuesday, Wednesday, or Friday afternoons.  We will also be offering "Cardio Tennis" for adults on Saturday morning along with a popular new program, "Tennis Fit for Kids."

 

For more information, visit the Pure Tennis website.

Due to the recent local house fires and the children who died in them, Galish Group Insurance Solutions will be giving away free smoke detectors to anyone who wants one on Thursday, February 14th. They can be picked up at the Galish Group office, no strings attached, no gimmicks, just free smoke detectors.  For more information, see their Facebook page.

Please join us on Tuesday, February 19th at 6 PM for PEDS' annual meeting, where we'll discuss last year's key achievements and our strategies for 2013. We also want your feedback on proposed changes to the Atlanta's sidewalk repair policy.

A "Love Your Library Clean Up and Keg Party" will kick off the 2013 FEAL GardenQuest program. We will will gather on February 23rd between 3 and 6 pm to clean up the library grounds and stick around for a beer afterward. A gardening and landscape expert will be on  hand to give a few pointers and direction for early spring maintenance of the library grounds as well as some hints to get your own yard and garden ready for the next growing season. While there, check out some of the great gardening books available in your library. 

 

Also, if you enjoy reading to kids, we need you! The East Atlanta Library is temporarily without a children's librarian, so FEAL volunteers are leading storytimes for pre-school children (ages 3-5) on Wednesdays at 10:30 in the Meeting Room until a new children's librarian is hired. Storytimes usually last about thirty minutes and typically involve reading several picture books and maybe throwing in a few songs or fingerplays to mix it up.

If you would like to volunteer or want more information, please contact Lynne Bryant (404-377-0377).

Atlanta City Councilmember Natalyn Archibong and DeKalb County Commissioner Larry Johnson invite you to attend the 12th annual Focus Upon Senior Services (F.U.S.S.) seminar at 10 AM on March 9th.

 

Representative will be on hand to answer your water and sewer billing questions, share how recycling can save you money and the environment, and discuss homestead exemptions, senior discounts, and other services for senior residents.  

 

The seminar will be held at Drew Charter School.  Light refreshments will be provided.  

 

For more information, contact Councilmember Natalyn Archibong at 404.330.6048 or narchibong@atlantga.gov. 

The Department of Public works is committed to serving the residents and visitors of Atlanta in a timely and efficient manner.  Please let us know how we may be of service to you.

 

Send comments or concerns related to Transportation Services, Solid Waste Services, Illegal Dumping, Water/Sewers, Parking Meters, etc. to publicworks@atlantaga.gov

The Atlanta Fire Rescue Department is urging residents and employees to register for Smart911, an enhanced 911 information system available for City of Atlanta residents, and which is being used by emergency dispatchers.

 

How does it work?  Users enter as much personal information as they feel comfortable sharing via online registration, including home or work address, information about disabilities, medications, alternate contact numbers, pictures, automobile descriptions, and other information that may be pertinent for first responders during an emergency.

 

Anyone that lives, works, or plays within the City could potentially benefit from first responders having the pre-registered information available. Additionally, when traveling, any jurisdiction that utilizes Smart911 will have your information readily available, making registration a win for everyone.

 

To register, simply visit www.smart911.com to create your personal safety profile.

The Highlander School will be opening soon in the East Atlanta Village! We are a nature centered learning community that fosters collaboration and a celebration of childhood! The Highlander School will provide progressive early care and education for young children, infants to five. We are located right behind the East Atlanta Library at 1212 McPherson Ave, Atlanta, Ga. 30316, in a facility that has operated as a daycare center since 1974. Over the next couple of months, we will be transforming the building into a beautiful and inspiring space for young children and our community. So please look out for us! For information on enrollment, or to learn more about our program and philosophy please visit our website, thehighlanderschool.com or Facebook page.

Registration for the 2013-2014 school year at Atlanta Neighborhood Charter School (ANCS) will run from February 11th - March 11th, and will be open for all those who are interested in applying.  

 

Information meetings will be held on Thursday, February 21, 2013 and on Saturday, March 2, 2013 at 6:30 PM for Elementary School (K-5) families at the Elementary campus located at 688 Grant Street.  Information meetings for the Middle School students and families (6-8) will be held on Tuesday, February 12, 2013 at 6:30 PM  and Saturday, March 2, 2013 at 10:00 AM at the Middle campus located at 820 Essie Avenue.  The lottery will be held on Thursday, March 28, 2013 at 6:00 PM at the Elementary campus.   Applications for enrollment can be found on our website, www.atlncs.org, or at each school location, along with additional information on the enrollment process.

 

ANCS is a K-8 charter school with two campuses formed by the merger in 2011 of two successful charter schools that have been operating in the Grant Park / Ormewood Park neighborhood over the past decade. Neighborhood Charter School (NCS) opened in 2002 serving K-5 students. Atlanta Charter Middle School (ACMS) opened in 2005 serving 6-8 students. ANCS is a member of the Coalition of Essential Schools (www.essentialschools.org) and is committed to the CES common principles.

The Friends School of Atlanta (FSA) invites families considering application to FSA for the 2013-2014 school year to learn more about Quaker education and its Pre-K through 8th grade offerings.

 

FSA regularly conducts two-hour school tours during school hours, where you will get an overview of Quaker education and have an in-depth discussion of the academic program and life of the school community. You will also have an opportunity to meet with students, tour the school and observe in classrooms. Separate tours are offered for Pre-K - 4th grade and 5th - 8th grade families. To learn about tour dates and make a reservation, please visit the home page of FSA's website: www.friendsschoolatlanta.org. 

Winter is upon us and it's a great time to deliver a meal to our local firefighters!  Providing a meal means having a meal, already cooked, to hand over to the firefighters at Station 13 on Friday evening. The Firefighters request food without pork.  A full kitchen is available to them at the Fire Station and they can heat something as needed.  Delivery of meals is usually between 5-5:30 PM.

Sign up here (pw: friday) to see what dates are available for meals.  You might think about sharing different parts of a meal with friends. For example:  One or two people might provide the main meal, another could provide bread or a side dish or dessert.

Please call Beth-Ann Buitekant (404-455-8746) for information or with questions. 

Contact Information:
E-mail: newsletter@eaca.net
Website: http://eaca.net

Submissions:
If you're interested in submitting an article to the EACA weekly newsletter, send it to newsletter@eaca.net by the end of the day on Friday. Include relevant dates, times, locations and contact information, as well as details of the event or announcement.