College Heights Connection

Dear Families,

As we approach the Thanksgiving holiday, I want to take a moment to express my sincere gratitude for the incredible community we have at College Heights. Your support and dedication to our school family are truly special.

I am grateful for our hardworking staff who inspire our students every day. I am thankful for our supportive families who partner with us to provide the best possible education for their children. And of course, I am most grateful for our wonderful students who bring joy, curiosity, and a love for learning.

As we gather with family and friends to give thanks, please remember to take some time for yourselves to rest, recharge, and enjoy the simple pleasures of life.

Wishing you all a warm and happy Thanksgiving,

Principal Garland

In preparation for the 2025-2026 school year, City Schools of Decatur needs accurate information on your child's Kindergarten home school placement. Please complete this quick survey by Sunday, December 1. If you have already completed the survey there is no need to resubmit.

Kindergarten Home School Survey Link

Monday, December 2 through Friday, December 13

Teachers are looking forward to partnering with you at our fall conferences! They will discuss your child's social-emotional development, classroom transition, and set learning goals for the second semester. Your input is invaluable as we work together to support your child's success. Please see teacher and classroom communications for conference sign-ups. Teachers will be sharing a parent conference agenda and your child's fall narrative report prior to the start of conferences.

Order forms and payments for individual school photos are due TOMORROW. Please turn them into the basket at Ms. Caretha's desk.

Please help support our school-wide service project. Students love to help, and service projects can teach them about their role in their community and the importance of helping others as well as compassion and a sense of social responsibility.

Details are included below. We will collect items through Friday, December 6.

Pre-K students heard the story Sharing the Bread: An Old-Fashioned Thanksgiving by Pat Zietlow Miller, illustrated by Jill McElmurry (who illustrates the beloved Little Blue Truck books). We talked about our plans for the upcoming holiday and the importance of spending time and sharing a meal with loved ones.

This Week's Books

Bear Says Thanks by Karma Wilson

The Duck Never Blinks by Alex Latimer

Thanks for Thanksgiving by Julie Markes, illustrated by Doris Barrette

Sometimes Rain by Meg Fleming, illustrated by Diana Sudyka

If You're Hoppy by April Pulley Sayre, illustrated by Jackie Urbanovic

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.

Firefighter Visit

A big thank you to the City of Decatur Fire Department for visiting College Heights on Wednesday. Pre-K students got to hear about what firefighters do and how we can help our families stay safe. And best of all, they got to walk all around and inside the big fire truck!

Community Circle

Once a month, all Pre-K classes gather for a celebration called Community Circle. Each Pre-K class takes turns hosting and demonstrating their learning. Families of the host class are invited to attend. We usually have a special guest – the College Heights Chick! This month was hosted by Ms. Tereva's and Ms. Bauer's classes and they shared a song about community helpers.

Pizza Field Trip? Yes, Please!

Ms. Sanders' Pre-K class took a walking field trip to Mojo Pizza in Oakhurst Village. The highlight of the visit was watching the pizza chefs throw the dough in the air!

A Perfect Team!

Congratulations to Ms. Kellie and Ms. Lucretia for their perfect score of 100 on yesterday's surprise health inspection. We are so thankful for our College Heights nutrition team!

Pre-K students will take the STAR Early Literacy Assessment during the winter assessment screening period of December 2-6 and December 9-13. CSD measures results from this winter assessment screening period against results from the previous fall screening period to track growth and adjust instruction to best meet students' individual needs. These assessments are crucial for ensuring your child's continued success.

Families may use these directions to opt-in to receive the results of the STAR Early Literacy assessment upon completion. For questions, please contact Erynn Mathews-Davis, Instructional Coach.

City Schools of Decatur appreciates the contributions of parents, students, and staff. Here are three important surveys that are open or will open prior to winter break. Please take a few moments to make your opinion count!

1. 2026-2027 District Calendar Input Survey (Expires 12/4/24)
   Thank you for your continued partnership in evaluating the academic calendar options for the City Schools of Decatur. Please review the proposed 2026-2027 Academic Calendar and provide feedback using the links below. The estimated completion time is 5-7 minutes.

2. First-Semester Teacher Engagement Survey (Expires 12/6/24; for teachers only)

3. Coming Soon! School Climate Survey (Opens 12/2/24)

Mark your calendars for Saturday, February 8, 2025 at 7 p.m. for the College Heights Auction!

In addition to marking your calendar, the auction committee is seeking donations from our community. We have an ambitious fundraising goal this year, and each company sponsorship, in-kind donation and item will make a difference for our school.

If you respond 'yes' to any of the following questions, we hope you'll consider supporting the auction!

• Do you own or work at a company that would sponsor our event at any level?
  
• Do you have a personal or professional skill or service that could be donated to the silent auction like photographer, landscape architect, interior design etc.?
• Do you know a person, business or organization that you'd be willing to connect us to for the auction?

Feel free to email collegeheightsauction@gmail.com and thank you in advance!

Your 2024-2025 Auction Committee,

Stephanie & Daniel Cho, Lauren Baker, Kat L, Chris Warfield, Amber Womble

Decatur, you ABSOLUTELY blew us away last Thursday! Thank you for celebrating the return of Supper & Sips with us! You helped us raise a record number in one night... more than NINETY THOUSAND DOLLARS in support of Decatur’s kids! Thank you for ALL the ways you show up for DEF so that we can continue to show up for our kids. Visit our website and follow DEF on Facebook and Instagram to learn more about the important work we’re able to support in our schools and in our community, thanks to the generosity of this Decatur community of ours.

Giving Tuesday is right around the corner! There are countless worthwhile organizations to donate to, but when you give to the Decatur Education Foundation, your support directly impacts kids, teens, and educators right here in our community. Your tax-deductible gift provides essential needs for CSD families struggling with food insecurity, supports student mental health initiatives, provides arts infusion programming in our schools, and allows us to support our amazing educators through Teacher Innovation Grants! Through your generosity, we've been able to do so much good work in our community, and with your continued support, we'll be able to do so much more! Visit DEF's website to learn more about how you can get involved!

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

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.

November 11 - December 6 - College Heights Service Project item collection

November 22 - Early Release Day (Pre-K)

November 25-29 - Thanksgiving Break (Pre-K/Preschool special education)

November 27 - School closed at noon (0-3 program)

November 28-29 - Thanksgiving Break (0-3 program)

December 2-13 - Fall Parent Conferences

December 19 - Early Release Day (Pre-K)