College Heights Connection

Dear Families,

It's been a great first week here at College Heights. Our little chicks are settling into their new classrooms, getting to know their teachers and classmates, and learning new routines. We are so excited to get to know all of our students and families over the coming weeks.

These first few days of school can really take a toll on little ones, so make sure they are getting plenty of rest and lots of hugs. Thank you for trusting us with your sweet children; we are looking forward to a great year of growing and learning.

Have a great weekend,

Principal Garland

Day-of dismissal changes for Pre-K students must be made prior to 1:00 pm and must be communicated to the school, not the classroom teacher, as teachers are not always able to check email during the school day.

Communicate dismissal changes to Caretha Hall by email or preferably by phone at (404) 370-4480.

Experience a day in the life of a College Heights Chick! We warmly invite you to join us for Curriculum Night on 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, expectations, and 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

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!

The health and safety of our students and staff is a top priority at College Heights. We closely monitor weather conditions that may impact outdoor exposure time and follow the Department of Public Health's guidelines for safe and comfortable outdoor play. Please refer to the chart below for more information.

We have a great one page document that lists the appropriate contacts for all your questions and concerns. Click here to access this resource, which is always available on our website by clicking on the Who do I contact? tab under Quick Links.

Pre-K students will experience a variety of off-site field trips this year. Field trips are aligned to instructional goals and provide an opportunity for our students to extend their learning. For the school to budget for entrance fees and transportation costs, we are asking each Pre-K family to contribute a $25 field trip fee. This contribution will cover your student's field trip costs for the entire school year.

Here in the library, we use the power of stories to help grow our amazing brains. Children gain so much from listening to and engaging with books: building language and listening skills, learning how to manage big feelings, understanding and celebrating all the ways we are alike and different, bonding with trusted adults, stimulating creativity and imaginations, and so much more.

Pre-K students will begin visiting the library with their classes in about three weeks. These classes come every Monday for story time and checkout. One, two, and three year old classes visit the library every Tuesday for story time.

Here are the ways your family can connect with the library at College Heights:

Check out books and resources

• 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.

Book Fairs

Volunteer for one of our two book fairs! The fall book fair is the last week of October. The spring fair will be in April. More information will be available soon.

Birthday Book Program

Honor your College Heights student's birthday and support your school library at the same time by "buying" a library book.

After your donation is received, your child will select a brand-new book during their birthday month (if your child had a birthday this past June, July, or August we will celebrate them in September). This book will be added to our library catalog and will feature your student's name, their birthday, and a dedication bookplate with a message of your choice.

Your child will get to take the new book home for two weeks. After that, it will be returned to the library to be enjoyed by other children for years to come. We will email you a photo of your child with their birthday book as our way of saying "thank you" for helping us grow the College Heights library! We will also post these pictures on the bulletin board by the front desk.

Click here to access the online form (many thanks to the College Heights PTO for hosting this program) and email Leslie Joiner with any questions.

Pre-K Checkout Volunteers

In January, Pre-K students will checkout a library book to bring home. We need volunteers to help with the checkout process. It's lots of fun to come when your student's class visits the library. Email Leslie if you are interested.

Book Donations

We gratefully accept gently used board and picture books.

Join the College Heights PTO today! It's free!

The 2024-2025 school year PTO Budget vote will occur August 15 at 7pm virtually. You must be signed up with the PTO to vote, so please be sure to sign up!

At the beginning of every school year, it is critical for families to use the Parent Portal for back-to-school readiness. Action needed:

• Complete the Annual Data Update (ADU). The ADU is how families verify or update critical communication and health information and do sign-offs for the handbook and code of conduct. From the Portal home screen, select More ⇒ Annual Data Update. More information about the Annual Data Update is available at https://www.csdecatur.net/adu, including a tracker showing which school is closest to hitting 100% submission! All new and returning parents must update student information via Infinite Campus.

• Apply for Free/Reduced-Price Meal Benefits. We encourage ALL families to apply. Families that previously received benefits must reapply every year. In the Portal, select More ⇒ Meal Benefits. More information about the meal benefit is available at https://www.csdecatur.net/nutrition.

• Add funds and set up balance alerts and auto-payment for meal account balances. In the Portal, select Food Service.

If you need help with the Portal, visit https://www.csdecatur.net/portalhelp or contact your school’s front office.

Parents and families can request a name change for your student. If you wish to have your child's chosen or preferred name updated in our records, please complete the name/gender change request form. Please note that the updated name and gender marker will be reflected in our Infinite Campus and Google Workspace applications. However, it's important to remember that CSD will only use legal names on official documents such as transcripts requested by outside sources.

If a legal name change has occurred, please contact your child's school to have the student's records updated accordingly. Thank you for your attention to this matter and for helping us ensure that our records are accurate and respectful of each student's preferences.

City Schools of Decatur will make accommodations for children with disabilities whose disability or special dietary need restricts their diet when that need is certified by a licensed physician. Milk intolerance is not considered a disability or food allergy. For modifications or substitutions to the school meals, the school’s Nurse or Nutrition Manager must have a written Medical Statement to Request Accommodations for Disabilities in the School Meal Programs Form on file that is signed by a licensed physician or licensed health care professional who is authorized to write medical prescriptions under state law.

The Accommodations form and the Milk Substitutions form are located here.

Welcome to another great year in City Schools of Decatur! Decatur Education Foundation is proud to be this community's - YOUR community's - local nonprofit dedicated to helping solve the problems that keep Decatur's kids from finding success. DEF hosts community events (a brand new one is coming soon - be on the lookout!) and generates resources from our community to support programs that provide opportunities, address unmet needs, and support educators and students in ALL of our CSD schools. But we can't do it without your help! Support our work by volunteering, attending our events, or making a donation in support of Decatur's kids. Follow us on Facebook and Instagram to learn about upcoming events, and visit our website - www.decatureducationfoundation.org - to learn more about our work and how you can be a part of it! Our community. Our kids. Together, we make a difference.

August 21 - Curriculum Night

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