College Heights Connection

Dear Families,

We have had another wonderful week. We have a lot of useful and important information in this week's newsletter. Curriculum Night will be held on Wednesday, August 21. Curriculum Night is a wonderful opportunity for parents to learn more about what a typical days looks like for their child. We hope you can attend. Pre-K parents, please remember the district has implemented a monthly early release day (usually the last Wednesday of every month). Additional information regarding early release days is shared below.

Have a great weekend,

Principal Garland

Experience a day in the life of a College Heights Chick! We warmly invite you to join us for Curriculum Night on Wednesday, August 21 as we share a typical day in your child's exciting learning journey. Your child's teacher will share insights into the daily schedule, classroom routines, and expectations, and will provide valuable tips to support your child's success this year. Let's connect and build a strong partnership for your child's educational growth!

Choose one of the convenient 30-minute sessions below:

• Session 1: 6:00 PM - 6:30 PM
• Session 2: 6:30 PM - 7:00 PM

UPDATE: Infant & Toddler Curriculum Night sessions will be held in the library. Preschool & Pre-Kindergarten sessions will be held in individual classrooms.

To best accommodate families with multiple children at College Heights, the same informative session will be repeated during both time slots. This allows you to attend Curriculum Night for each child and learn about their classroom experiences.

We look forward to seeing you!

PLEASE NOTE NEW DATE: FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, 8:30 AM

(was initially scheduled for September 13)

College Heights Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment Overview

More details coming soon!

Want to check out books or a Bunny Bag from the library but you aren't sure what to do? Read on!

• Click here to create a family library account. Families can check out up to five books at a time and keep them for up to two weeks.
• Visit the library during our open checkout hours: daily from 8-8:30 am, Monday and Tuesday from 1-3:30 pm, and 8:00 am-3:30 pm Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday. Other times are available by appointment.
• Click here to access the library catalog. Children's interests vary widely - often in just one day - so just enter a keyword such as "dinosaurs," "vehicles," or "cooking" and see what books we have. You can email me and I can put books aside for you to pick up, or I can drop them in your child's backpack or cubby in their classroom.
• Check out our Bunny Bags! These are bags full of great board books, picture books, and activities grouped by topics like sports, weather, ABCs and 123s, colors, animals, friends, and family. Pick up a bag and keep it for up to two weeks. Kids love our Bunny Bags! Special thanks to Girl Scout Troop 12571 for this wonderful resource.
• Stop by the lobby (across from Ms. Caretha's desk) and browse our DEI book cart. Created through a grant from the Decatur Education Foundation, this is a self-service cart full of amazing diverse books for all ages, including grownups. Simply select the books you want and write them down in the checkout notebook in the front of the cart.
• If I'm not here (my hours are 7:30 am-3:30 pm daily), you are welcome to use the self checkout clipboard across from the circulation desk. Select your books and/or Bunny Bags, write the information on the clipboard, and bring everything back within two weeks.

Approximately once a month, all CSD schools release students two hours early so that teachers and staff are able to have important meetings, participate in professional learning, and hold parent conferences.

The Pre-K early release schedule is as follows:

• Two hour early release. Students eat lunch at school.
• Bus riders will be dismissed between 11:45 am-12:00 pm.
• Walkers/car riders and community after school programs will be dismissed beginning at 12:15 pm.
• Families enrolled in community after school programs should contact the program directly on their early release details.
• Students enrolled in the College Heights aftercare program will remain in their rooms for rest time and will transition to their aftercare location at 2:30 pm.
• Early release days generally fall on the last Wednesday of the month, but some early release days occur just before a holiday or break. The 2024-2025 dates are: 8/28, 9/20, 10/30, 11/22, 12/19, 1/22, 2/26, 3/26, and 4/30. There is no Early Release Day in May.
  
• Students in the 0-3 tuition program are not released early; they attend for the entire school day as usual.

Please reach out to Caretha Hall if you have any additional questions.

We're off to a fantastic start this school year, with teachers already diving into instruction and engaging students in deeper learning. Last November, the City Schools of Decatur Board approved a new grading policy for the 2024-25 school year. Please click the CSD Grading Handbook link below to learn more about the details and implementation. Additional opportunities for discussion and questions will be available during each school's curriculum night.

CSD 2024-25 Grading Handbook

All CSD Pre-K through grade 12 students will take the STAR assessment instead of the MAP for the 2024-25 school year. The STAR assessment will be administered three times per year, beginning August 12 and then again in December and May. See frequently asked questions about STAR here.

The Teaching and Learning Department will host an informational webinar to provide an overview of STAR and discuss score reports on Tuesday, September 17 at 6 pm. Join the webinar here.

Additional resources:

• To learn more about STAR, click here.

• STAR vs. MAP? View a research study on score correlations here.

Save the date for a virtual meeting to learn more about the following support programs and services available to CSD students:

• Multi-Tiered System of Support (MTSS)

• Gifted and Talented Services

• ESOL and Federal Programs

• 504 and Psychological Services

• Professional School Counseling

• Behavior Support

• School Social Work

• Special Education

Click here to submit your questions about the Programs Overview before Thursday, August 29, 2024, at 4 p.m. A meeting link will be provided closer to the meeting date.

Beginning next week, College Heights Early Childhood Learning Center families will receive one CSD district newsletter. The transition to one newsletter is in response to feedback from the CSD school community to streamline and reduce the volume of weekly communications to families from multiple schools.

The new district newsletter will include College Heights school news, district news, and links to all school newsletters. A link to the College Heights newsletter will be embedded next to the school's logo.

Join Decatur Education Foundation for a brand new community event! Head to the Legacy Park lawn on Friday, Sept. 6th from 5-9 p.m. for a fun family evening of live music and community! City Schools of Decatur community circle bands will bring the tunes – you BYOB (bring your own blanket) and your school spirit! The school with the largest percentage of representation will win a $1,000 music grant for their school ... along with a trophy and bragging rights, of course! We’ll have food vendors and sweet treats to supplement your picnic. Adults are $10 and KIDS ARE FREE! Get tickets here: https://decatureducationfoundation.org/def-events/battle-of-the-bands/

*If cost is an issue, please email Drew@DecaturEducationFoundation.org.

August 21 - Curriculum Night

August 28 - Early Release Day (Pre-K only)

September 6 (date changed from September 13) - Parent Coffee Chat on Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment

September 20 - Early Release Day (Pre-K only)

September 23-27 - Fall Break (no school for Pre-K and preschool special education students)