Falcon Flyer

Ms. Hanson's Notes

• School Climate Parent Survey Open Now
• Cast Blast Pictures
• Coffee Chat - TOMORROW
• 4th Grade Parent Author
• Upcoming Events at a Glance

F.AVE News

• Color and Culture Auditions
• GR8 Reads Book Club Sign Up - December 18/Christopher Paul Curtis
• Wordmasters Champions
• F.AVE Game Hawkers Podcast Season 2, Episode 8 - 5th Graders Marlee, Estelle and Gigi
• Orchestra Concert

• Summer Camp & Inaugural Holiday Expo - This Saturday, December 7
• Holidays Around the World Food Tasting
• Passive Fundraising - Minted Holiday Cards
• Walk & Roll
• Yearbook - Candid Photos Needed

CSD News

• Immunization Assessment Reminder

Community News

• Decatur Farm to School Grants Available for teachers

Scroll down to learn more!

November Cast Blast

Please help us support 4th grader Laurielle Brogdon’s mom - published author!

I’m excited to share some personal news—my first children’s book, Gabe's Casts of Courage: A Tale of Bravery During Diagnosis, just launched!

This story holds special meaning for our family as it’s inspired by my son Julian’s journey with Early Onset Scoliosis (EOS). The book follows Gabe, a courageous giraffe navigating a similar diagnosis, and celebrates resilience, family support, and bravery during life’s challenges.

If this story resonates with you or someone you know, I would be so grateful for your support:

1. Order the book to help it reach more families.

2. Share the book with friends or on social media to spread the word.

Thank you for being part of our community and for supporting a project so close to my heart. Your encouragement means the world to me and my family.

December

Saturday, December 7, 10 a.m.-noon: PTO Summer Camp & Holiday Expo

Thursday, December 12, 5:15 p.m: Talley & F.AVE Orchestra Concert at Decatur High School Performing Arts Center

Wednesday, December 18: Holiday Tastings Around the World

Thursday, December 19: Early Release, dismissal at 12:15 p.m.

December 20-January 6: Student Winter Break

We are thrilled to invite students to audition for this year’s special event:

Color and Culture Presents: The Black College Experience Black History Program

This inspiring program celebrates the Black College Experience and provides a platform for students to showcase their creativity and talents.

Audition Details

This year’s audition process includes the following opportunities:

• Actors, Poets, and Singers: Students should submit a 30-45 second audition video using the Audition Permission Google Form attached to this email. Videos must be submitted no later than Tuesday, December 10, by 11:59 PM. Students will receive the script, poem, or song for their audition on December 5th. These materials will also be available in the Color and Culture Google Classroom for your child's convenience.

• Dance Ensemble: In-person auditions will be held on Wednesday, December 11 and Thursday, December 12, from 2:30 PM - 3:30 PM. Students auditioning for dance will receive specific instructions on what to wear for the audition. More information can be located in the Color and Culture Google Classroom for you and your child’s convenience.

• Extras (Non-Speaking Roles), Backstage Crew, Program Design, or Set Design: Students interested in these roles must provide a teacher recommendation to be considered. Recommendation role selection slips should be given to a FAVE teacher of the student’s choice. Students will receive the teacher recommendation slip on December 5th. Teacher recommendations must be submitted by Tuesday, December 10. More information can be located in the Color and Culture Google Classroom for you and your child’s convenience.

Please Note:

To be considered for any role, all students must submit the Audition Permission Google Form. Auditions will be based on video submissions, teacher recommendations, and dance auditions. While we encourage all students to participate in auditions, please be aware that due to limited roles, not every student will be selected. We greatly appreciate the enthusiasm and effort of every participant and look forward to celebrating everyone’s contributions.

Click the picture below to sign up for our next GR8 Reads book club meeting! We will be celebrating Newbery award winning author Christopher Paul Curtis, the recipient of the Virginia Hamilton Award for Lifetime Achievement. Students can choose between three of his books to read for our December 18th book club meeting.

Our book club will be capped at 24 students, so if you are unable to sign up, please check the December 19th Falcon Flyer for the January sign up. Hope to see you there!

Congratulations to our November WordMasters Challenge Champion:

Eliyahu Siegler

Eliyahu scored a perfect 20/20 score in the first meet. The following students scored 19/20: Vincent Cooper, Knoble Smith, and Ben Nehmer. These students scored 18/20: Noble Minor, Ezra Isbister and Matthew Biebel.

We are so proud of the entire team's hard work and commitment to doing well. The next meet will be in February.

Click the image below to listen to the latest episode of our Game Hawkers podcast. 5th graders Marlee, Estelle, and Gigi discuss The Babysitter's Club books Mary Ann's Bad Luck Mystery and Kristy's Great Idea. They read the story in graphic novel and original novel formats to compare them. Check it out below.

Come shop some of our FAVE students creations! Taking place in the cafeteria at the same time as our Summer Camp Expo.

Holidays Around the World: on Wednesday, December 18!

F.Ave will be celebrating the unique foods and treats of cultures and traditions around the world and we'd love your help! Whether you've got an amazing family recipe, want to learn to cook something from a new region or culture, or just would love to volunteer to help broaden our children's horizons, we can use your help! Please sign up to bring in a dish or help at the event in the Falcon's Nest on December 18 HERE

Getting those holiday cards ready? Raise money for F.AVE by shopping with Minted. Get 20% off Minted cards & gift orders throughout the year, and they’ll donate 15% back to F.AVE. F.AVE'S unique code is FUNDRAISEFIFTHAVEUE. (YES! there is no "N" in avenue!)

Congratulations to the 296 students who participated in Walk & Roll on November 11! Fifth grade had the most participants with 114 fifth graders either walking, biking, or riding a scooter to school. And congratulations to the lucky raffle winners in each grade that took home a small gift card to Oakhurst Market. Thank you to everyone who showed appreciation to our crossing guards for their hard work and thank you to all the parents who walk and roll with their kids to school. We especially want to recognize the volunteers who got up early and helped us make Walk & Roll a success this fall: Michael Sutandi, Brad Dawson, Matt Ritter, Michael Kidd, Kyle Reis, and Adam Parker.

Walk & Roll will take a break over the holidays, but we'll be back in February 2025 with Love My Bus month!

Jill Wandstrat & Jeff Carter, Co-Chairs

The F.AVE Yearbook Committee wants to see all you've been doing in school this year! Please email your photos of F.AVE Falcons in action to yearbook@favepto.org. We love photos of school events, field trips, student groups, and school work! Important: Please include student names and teacher/grade in your email if known.

CSD's School Health Team is preparing for DeKalb Public Health's immunization assessment on Friday, December 6, for all Kindergarten, seventh, and 11th-grade students.

Please ensure your child's immunization records are up-to-date and submitted to the school clinic by Thursday, December 5. If your child is missing any required immunizations, please schedule an appointment with your child's healthcare provider or visit Dekalb Public Health, 445 Winn Way, Decatur, GA 30030.

We appreciate your cooperation in keeping our students healthy and compliant with Georgia's immunization laws. If you plan to submit an Affidavit of Religious Objection to Immunizations (Form #2208), please remember that it must be notarized. Please contact the nurse at your child's school for questions or assistance with immunization records.

Do you have plans for a new garden or class project for spring? Are you full of fantastic ideas for incorporating farm-to-school principles into a teaching unit? Need funds for a "green" field trip?

The Wylde Center Decatur Farm to School Committee invites you to apply for a grant for 2024/25. Teachers, administrators, PTA members, and parent volunteers can apply on behalf of their CSD school. Please get your applications in before December 13, 2024.

2024-2025 DF2S School Grant Application

Principal

Lynn Hanson

lhanson@csdecatur.net

Assistant Principal

Meagan Ferguson

mferguson@csdecatur.net

Assistant Principal

Shannon Stewart

sstewart@csdecatur.net

School Manager

Malik Morrow

mmorrow@csdecatur.net

Bookkeeper

Shronda Edwards

sedwards@csdecatur.net

Who Do I Contact?

Email: fave@csdecatur.net
Website: https://www.csdecatur.net/FAVE
Location: 101 5th Avenue, Decatur, GA, USA
Phone: (404) 371-6680

Please do not reply to this newsletter. See the Who Do I Contact link above and direct your inquiries to the correct individual.