Weekly Update

February 6, 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 10, 11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. (virtual)

• Feb. 7 - Community Circle - First Grade Families; Living Museum with first grade students

• Feb 10 - PTA Meeting - 5:30 PM in the Media Center

• Feb. 14 - Community Circle - Second Grade Families; Living Museum with second grade students

• 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

• Feb. 28 - Community Circle - Kindergarten Families; Living Museum with kindergarten students

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.

Thank you to our PTA for purchasing books for our library and classrooms in honor of Black History Month. Students have loved the story and if you're interested in viewing it at home, here is a link .

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 is looking for parent volunteers to help out with first graders' reading fluency. Ideally, volunteers will meet with students twice a week on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 8:10-8:30 in the Media Center. It is possible for us to accommodate volunteers who can come once a week or even or be available as a substitute on occaision. The program will run for eight weeks from February 25th until April 24th, with training sessions for new volunteers on Tuesday, February 25th and Thursday, February 27th from 8:00-8:45 am. All parents are welcome. Please email Ali Stoner at alimstoner@gmail.com with questions.

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/

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Important Dates:

• February 10: PTA Meeting

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!

Tour deCatur Registration is Open!

Get ready, get set, get registered for Decatur Education Foundation's 23rd annual Tour deCatur! Sign up at www.tourdecatur.com!

The fun happens on Saturday, March 15, at the Decatur High School stadium. This year, in addition to the 5k (a Peachtree qualifier), the 1-Mile Fun Run, and the adorable Tot Trot (for our friends ages four and under), DEF is offering a "None-Run" for anyone who wants to support Decatur kids without breaking a sweat! This is DEF's largest fundraiser and supports programs and initiatives that remove obstacles, provide opportunities, support educators, and strengthen the Decatur community!

To prepare for the race, all K-2 elementary schools in the district are participating in the iRun program, which teaches students the fundamentals of fitness skills that make running, jogging, and walking enjoyable and safe and prepares them to run the one-mile fun run in March. For more information about DEF's initiatives and how you can get involved, please visit www.decatureducationfoundation.org.

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.