August 12, 2025
Greetings Stephen Decatur Middle School Families,
Welcome to the 2025 -2026 school year!!! We are excited about the upcoming school year and we cannot wait to see our returning and new scholars. We are The Home of the Mighty Eagles, and we are honored to have you at Greater Decatur. As we approach opening the doors of Stephen Decatur Middle School, I hope you and your family had the opportunity to rest, relax, and rejuvenate during the summer break. With great anticipation for a dynamic school year of academic success and personal growth for all students, we want to share some important information and reminders. The first day of school is Tuesday, August 26, 2025, the doors of the school will open to all students at 9:00 am, and breakfast is served from 9:00 am - 9:30 am. We do know the first week of school can be busy so we will make concessions to ensure every student has the opportunity for breakfast. New student Orientation Day is scheduled for Monday, August 25, 2025 from 9:00 am to 1:30 pm. For orientation day, students will not be required to wear uniforms. Students will be required in full uniform on their first day of school.
Parents, you are our partners and our success as a school strongly depends on us building positive relationships. Please consider joining our SDMS Parent Teacher Association (PTA) to work hand-in-hand with administration or our SDMS Parent Volunteer program if you are able to volunteer your time. As our partners, our relationship is essential to establish to support the social, emotional, and academic needs of our students. Our mission at Stephen Decatur Middle School is to ensure every student has an exceptional educational experience. Everyone listed below is charged with that mission and goal through direct support, guidance, and encouragement for our students. The Stephen Decatur Middle School grade-level and program administrators are:
In addition to the grade-level administrators, I am honored to introduce to you our professional school counselors. They play a vital role in supporting the social emotional and academic needs of our students. Our professional school counselors are, Ericka Coan - ericka.coan@pgcps.org, serving 8th-grade students and Amber Lee amber.lee@pgcps.org, serving 6th and 7th grade.
Reminders:
Stephen Decatur Middle School is a mandatory uniform school; students must be in proper uniform every day. When themed days are scheduled, parents will be notified via School Messenger prior to the event. Students will wear tan/khaki bottoms and their grade-level shirt colors are below:
Breakfast and Lunch will be offered in school. Meals are at no cost or reduced for students who are eligible for free or reduced-priced meals. Parents are encouraged to complete the lunch application to determine eligibility for meal benefits. Households can complete an application at MySchoolApps.com. Online applications are processed within 24-48 hours. Students who are not eligible for free or reduced-priced meals must pay for their meals. See Meal Prices. Food deliveries (GrubHub, UberEats, etc.) are strictly prohibited. If students order food to the school, they will not receive it and parents will be notified to pick it up. Again, we will not accept.
Our theme for the 2025- 2026 school year is “Community, Connection, and Collaboration.” We want our community to feel the school connection through positive collaboration to challenge our students to Rise, and Soar, to always Achieve Academic Greatness.
Here are some important dates to remember:
Stephen Decatur Middle School is committed to creating a school environment where all students can achieve their greatest potential. We are also committed to building strong relationships with our families and community to ensure a commitment to our student’s success. I look forward to working with you for a great and successful school year.
Sincerely,
Cecil Miller, Ed.D.
Proud Greater Decatur Principal
