College Heights Connection

Dear Families,

Happy Thursday. The PTO Silent Auction is around the corner. Please be sure to get your tickets now! The event is the school's biggest fundraiser and a wonderful opportunity to connect with our College Heights families. Information is below on how to secure your tickets. We are excited to welcome Superintendent Dr. Gyimah Whitaker to College Heights on February 3. Dr. Whitaker will be holding her winter community listening session at 5:30-6:30 p.m. in the College Heights Media Center. The community session is a great way to have your voice heard. I hope you have a wonderful (and warm) weekend.

Sincerely,

Principal Garland

CSD will host five hearings in January for the public to learn more about the district's plans to exercise the one-time option for local governments to opt out of Georgia House Bill 581, which establishes a statewide floating homestead exemption and cap on property taxes.

The schedule for the remaining public hearing is:

Thursday, January 30, 6:45 p.m. (virtual only, access the meeting here)

Passed during the 2024 Legislative Session, HB 581 impacts property taxes for cities, counties and school districts by capping the annual increase in property values for tax purposes, effective January 1, 2025. The bill aims to provide property tax relief for local residents, using the Consumer Price Index as an inflationary index. Since school districts rely heavily on property taxes for funding, this cap could impact the availability of CSD schools' resources and programs.

The Board of Education will follow the legal procedures to opt out of the exemption, including holding the three virtual public hearings. Following the hearings, the board will vote to adopt an opt-out resolution at the February Board of Education meeting and file the resolution with the Secretary of State by March 1, 2025.

As we create more opportunities for dialogue around CSD, families are invited to attend an upcoming winter listening session where CSD Superintendent Dr. Gyimah Whitaker will hear directly from our community about the issues that matter to them. We hope you can join us. This event is open to the general public and anyone with children in any school at CSD.

Date: Monday, February 3

Time: 5:30-6:30 p.m.

Location: College Heights Media Center

Dr. Whitaker's second listening session is Monday, February 10, 11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. (virtual)

Registration for 2025-2026 for returning families is coming to a close. Please refer any questions to Caretha Hall. Please refer to the cover letter enclosed in your packet for required documents and fees. Many families are submitting incomplete registration packets.

Current Preschool/Rising Pre-K families:

Preschool enrollment and Pre-K enrollment/afterschool enrollment packets have been sent home. Please note parents must submit all required documents. Bright from the Start will not allow us to use documents currently on file. Therefore, all documents must be re-submitted. All enrollment documents and fees must be submitted by 3:00 p.m. on February 7.

Current Pre-K/Rising Kindergarten families:

Your Pre-K student will be automatically enrolled in your neighborhood school for Kindergarten. There is nothing families need to do at this time. We encourage you to reach out to your home school if you will need aftercare services for your student.

Rising Pre-K families who are new to College Heights:

Registration begins February 1. Click here to get started. Reach out to Caretha Hall with any questions, and please see below for tour dates and times. We look forward to meeting you!

Families, you are our best ambassadors! Do you know other Decatur families who might be interested in getting to know College Heights? We are offering tours for new families on Wednesday, March 19 and Thursday, April 3 at 8:30 a.m. and 9:30 a.m. Prospective families should contact Caretha Hall to reserve their spots.

It's been a crazy couple of weeks at school and in the Media Center! We are looking forward to some calmer time as we roll into February.

Pre-K classes will meet tomorrow (Friday) this week instead of Monday. The American Library Association announced its 2025 Youth Media Award winners this past Monday, January 27, so we will be learning about the Caldecott medal and honor awards. Beginning in February, we will also look at several Coretta Scott King Book Award winners as we celebrate Black History Month.

Pre-K families, please return your student's library contracts as soon as possible. If you need another copy, you can find it here. Students will begin bringing library books home the week after Winter Break.

This week's books:

Grumpy Monkey by Suzanne Lang, illustrated by Max Lang

Big Red Barn by Margaret Wise Brown, pictures by Felicia Bond

Llama Llama Gram and Grandpa by Anna Dewdney

Roto and Roy to the Rescue! by Sherri Duskey Rinker, illustrated by Don Tate (this one was a huge hit with the two- and three-year-old classes!)

We are excited to partner with Little Shop of Stories to bring amazing books for all ages to College Heights.

Dates and Times

March 24-28, 7:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m.

March 24 College Heights Family Night, 6-7 p.m. (more information coming soon!)

Pre-K students will browse the book fair with their classes on Monday, March 24. We need parent (or grandparent) volunteers on this day from 8:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. You don't have to be the parent of a Pre-K student.

Can you help? Please email Leslie Joiner or come by the Media Center. Thanks!

Registration for Winter Break Camp is open. As of Thursday, January 30, there are just a few spaces remaining. Please see Caretha for a registration form. Payment is due at the time of registration. Scholarships are available for this camp; details are below.

We will be offering Summer Camp for any currently enrolled Pre-K student during the month of June. Registration for Summer Camp opens February 24 at 8 a.m.

Camp details:

• Camp dates: June 2-27
• Camp is available for the first 40 students registered.
• Camp hours will be 7:30-4:00 p.m. with aftercare services available from 4:00-5:00 p.m. at an additional cost.
• Camp tuition is $250/week without aftercare and $300/week with aftercare
• Tuition must be paid at the time of registration
• Fees are non-refundable

Registration packets will be available at the front desk and on our website beginning February 1. All completed packets must be submitted to the front desk on February 24. Packets will not be accepted prior to this date. No email packets will be accepted.

Questions? Please contact Elecia Fulton.

Date: Friday, February 7

Time: 8:30 a.m.

Location: College Heights Library

SAVE THE DATE to join Ilene Zeff, Media Specialist at Winnona Park Elementary School, and other families from our school community as we start a conversation about digital wellness. After sharing information about digital wellness and the impact of screen use on young children’s brains, we will reflect on screen use within our own families and discuss strategies to begin to better manage the technology in our lives. If you have any questions, please email Ms. Zeff at izeff@csdecatur.net.

Ms. Ballard's Pre-K class hosted the January Community Circle and shared their learning about the sun. Check out a preview of our amazing mural, which will be officially unveiled in a few weeks! Ms. April, we miss you and we hope your arm heals quickly!

Theodore Kuo's mom, Jolinta Lin, visited Ms. Sanders' classroom and shared some of their Chinese New Year family traditions and some stories with the class.

Don't miss our star-studded auction night! Don’t miss your chance to enjoy a night of fun and fundraising, all while supporting our wonderful school community.

🎬 Date & Time: Saturday, February 8, 7 p.m.
📍 Venue: The Chapel at Sycamore

What's in store:

• Silent auction is now LIVE! You can now bid on one-of-a-kind experiences for your family and more!

• Red carpet entrance: Feel like a star with a glamorous welcome and photo opportunities.

• Live entertainment: Enjoy music, dancing, and entertainment with your College Heights family and friends!

• Food and drinks are provided with your tickets!

Click here to grab your ticket & start bidding! You can sign up here to volunteer at the event!

All issues of the College Heights Connection are available on our website. Click here!

Older issues of CSD Weekly may be found on CSD's district newsletter webpage.

College Heights Early Childhood Learning Center cultivates an atmosphere where children take their first steps in building an authentic love of learning through developmentally appropriate practices in an environment that fosters family and community involvement.

February 3 - Dr. Whitaker's Community Listening Session (5:30 p.m., CHECLC Media Center)

February 7 - Digital Wellness with Ilene Zeff, Media Specialist at Winnona Park Elementary School

February 8 - Hollywood Nights! College Heights PTO Auction

February 17-21 - Winter Break (Pre-K and Preschool Special Education students)

February 24 - Summer Camp registration opens (current Pre-K students only)