Weekly Update

January 30, 2025

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 Dr. Whitaker will hear directly from our community about the issues that matter to them.

• Monday, February 3, 5:30-6:30 p.m., College Heights ECLC Media Center

• Monday, February 10, 11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. (virtual)

• Jan. 30 - Parent Information Session with Dr. Hicks - 6:30-7:30 PM in the Media Center

• Jan. 31 - Community Circle - Kindergarten Families; Living Museum Form Due - see link below.

• Feb. 7 - Community Circle - First Grade Families

• Feb. 14 - Community Circle - Second Grade Families

• Feb. 17 - Feb 21 - Winter Break - No School

• Feb. 26 - Early Release Day at 12:50 PM

• Feb. 26 and Feb. 28 - Digital Wellness: A Community Conversation - see details below

Join us tonight from 6:30–7:30 PM in the WP Library for a Q&A with special guest Dr. Ken Jackson, Department Chair of the Counseling Team at Decatur High School. He'll be discussing how achievement culture has impacted the students he serves.

For those who have questions about Decatur High School in general, Come early and ask Dr Jackson anything (within reason).

6:15 PM: Open/unofficial Q&A (what do you want to know about DHS?)

6:30 PM: Quick recap of the book Never Enough, then Dr. Jackson takes the floor to share all the things he wishes parents of his students had known when their kids were in their elementary years!

This is a reminder that the Winnona Park Equity Team & the PTA DEI Committee have great plans for our WPES Black History Month Celebration in February. We invite all the students at Winnona Park to take part in our Living History Museum.

Students will be able to present interesting facts about a prominent figure in Black history during Community Circle. Some suggestions include inventors, educators, artists, musicians, authors, athletes, entrepreneurs. Black history is global and not just limited to America. Don't forget about "lesser known" and global figures in history.

Please talk to your child about whether they’d like to participate and, if so, complete the online WPES Living History Museum Form by January 31 There are many other activities being finalized; stay tuned for more information.

Join Ilene Zeff, our media specialist, 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. Sessions are scheduled for Wednesday, February 26, 6:30-7:30 p.m. and Friday, February 28, 9-10 a.m. in the Media Center. If you have any questions, please email Ms. Zeff at ilene.zeff@csdecatur.net.

Winnona Park iRUN t-shirts are on sale now at https://pswear.com/WinnonaPark

All Winnona Park students will participate in iRUN during their physical education class. The purpose of iRUN is:

• to teach students, faculty, and parents the fundamentals of a lifetime skill that makes running/jogging/walking enjoyable and safe.

• to train students, staff and families to successfully participate in a one mile fun run. If your child participates in the 5K there will need to be additional training at home and an adult running buddy with them on the course.

At the end of iRUN, the Winnona Park community is encouraged to support the Decatur Education Foundation’s Tour Decatur 1 mile fun run or 5k (Saturday, March 15th). Registration fees from this event are used to support City Schools of Decatur teachers and students through the Decatur Education Foundation. For more information about Decatur Education Foundation and to register for Tour Decatur visit the Tour Decatur Race Roster website. If paying the registration fee is a barrier for your family to participate, please email your child’s PE teacher and request a comp code which will allow you to register at no cost.

Feel free to contact Carrie Beauchamp with questions regarding iRUN at cbeauchamp@csdecatur.net.

Winnona Park parents have the opportunity to take the new Georgia School Climate Survey. Each parent or guardian is invited to take the family version to answer questions about the current school or schools you have a child or children attending. If two or more children attend the same school, please only complete one survey for that school.

The survey measures what you think about how the school engages with families. Answers are not linked to names in any way. When typing answers, please do not give names or information that you don’t want to share with this school. Data will be shared with school leaders to help improve the school and will be published on the GaDOE website.

Please help by sharing your honest opinion on this 22-question survey. To take the survey, please click this link.

For more information about the surveys, please review this presentation from the Georgia Department of Education.

Stay connected with upcoming events: https://www.wpespta.org/

Find us on:

Facebook

Instagram

Important Dates:

• February 10: PTA Meeting

Current Volunteer Opportunities:

• Decatur Lunar New Year

WPES Yearbook: Candid Photos

The WPES Yearbook Committee wants to see all you've been doing in school this year! Please email your photos of Winnona Park Wildcats in action to yearbook@wpespta.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

Join the PTA and Support the School with our New Membership Drive

Thank you to everyone that has already joined the PTA this year. As a reminder, joining the PTA is an annual event. We’ve also combined our membership drive with a fundraiser, asking families to make a donation. All contributions from this annual drive will directly benefit our students and teachers by supporting essential programs. The funds will cover:

• All field trip costs for the year

• Support educational initiatives like the community garden, STEAM materials, Books-in-a-Bag, and DEI programs

• Teachers will also receive a stipend for classroom materials at the beginning of the year

• Ongoing teacher and staff appreciation activities

• Yearbooks for every student

• School social events

• And so much more!

Your generous donation will ensure that these programs thrive and that our children continue to have enriching educational experiences. And your PTA membership is included in all levels.

Visit our website for more information or select your membership level!

Plans are underway for another amazing event to raise money for Decatur Athletics – The Bulldog Bash! Save the date for this year's event on Saturday, March 22, at Independent Distilling Company. The event will feature a live online auction that includes everything from artwork and experiences to trips, restaurant gift cards, sporting event tickets, self-care, and more.

Do you have a connection, talent, vacation home or something unique that can help us raise money for our student-athletes? If so, please fill out this form! More information to come!

The Decatur Prevention Initiative (DPI) seeks the community's help in learning more about community perceptions and concerns regarding underage drinking and substance misuse among Decatur's youth. Please take this anonymous survey to help DPI plan, implement, evaluate and sustain programming.

Email: csikes@csdecatur.net
Website: https://ga02000365.schoolwires.net/site/Default.aspx?PageID=13
Location: 510 Avery Street, Decatur, GA, USA
Phone: 404-370-4490

Newsletter Archives: Read older issues of the Wildcat Weekly by visiting our school website. Click on the link in the top photo or on the "Newsletter" button in the middle of the page. Older issues of CSD Weekly may be found on CSD's district newsletter webpage.