The Bulldog 12.5.24

Note from Mrs. Lockwood

Welcome back from the break! It always warms my heart to see the hallways bustling with positivity and excitement for learning. It is my hope everyone had a great holiday break. We’ve had a great week of teaching and learning.

This week we began mid-year STAR math and reading assessments. STAR is a computerized adaptive test that helps teachers, parents, and administrators improve learning for all students and make informed decisions to promote a child's academic growth. Students take the STAR test in the fall, winter, and spring. By taking it 3 times a year, teachers and parents are able to see how their student is growing in the areas of reading and math throughout the school year. We will use this data to help us make informed instructional decisions for our students. The tests will be administered by classroom teachers and proctors in their classrooms. STAR family reports will be shared before the Winter Break.

Our annual Marketplace is next weekend! Please come out and shop with the amazing vendors. It’s going to be a fantastic two days of shopping, food, & fun!

Events at a glance:

• Friday, December 13 - Saturday, December 14: Decatur Holiday Marketplace
• Wednesday, December 18; 5:30: PTA Meeting
• Thursday, December 19: Early Release Day
• Friday, December 20: Teacher Work Day
• Friday, December 20 - Monday, January 6: Semester break
• Tuesday, January 7: Students return to school

K-12 students will take the STAR Early Literacy, Reading and Math Assessments 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 assessments upon completion.

Grab a friend and join us! We need all sorts of volunteers (parents, family, neighbors, teachers and students) to make this event happen. Clairemont students can take photos, be greeters, be concierge, help decorate, or sell beverages in the café!

Parents are a critical set of volunteers, and you can pick what you want to do – Sell raffle tickets? Help decorate the café? Be a troubleshooter or concierge for artists? We have a spot just for you!

We’re also looking for Clairemont Crew to help unload our classrooms, setup, load in artists and transform our little school into an amazing artists marketplace, then help with breakdown, load-out and put the classrooms back together.

Just a few hours of effort on Friday afternoon or Saturday evening ensures a WONDERFUL event. Sign up to volunteer here!

Check out @decaturholidaymarketplace on Instagram for a preview of some of the amazing vendors!

Our students truly lit up the stage Thursday evening with their performance of Dinosaurs Before Dark: The Musical. Students from all grades worked hard learning their lines, songs, and choreography. We had a full house of families and friends there to cheer on our performers and it was a wonderful night all around! Thank you again to Melissa Lawrence for directing and choreographing the show and Monica Nelson for her musical direction.

Thank you to Ms. Wade for running camera club this semester! Our students learned a lot and had a great time. Camera club will be back in the spring! Stay tuned for the dates. Please get in touch with Sarah Wade if you have any questions or would like your student to join. 225-892-7007/ sarahwade2013@gmail.com

Stay up-to-date with all the Clairemont PTA news and see pictures of our fun events by following the PTA on Facebook and Instagram. You can find all things Clairemont PTA, as well as the form to join, at the Clairemont PTA website.

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