The Bulldog 10.31.24

Note from Mrs. Lockwood

Another great week of teaching and learning at Clairemont! It’s hard to believe we are wrapping up the month of October. Today’s Treat & Read was a huge success. Students and staff came in their favorite book character. We had a great time celebrating literacy in style!

November is National Family engagement month. A positive school-family connection is a key contributor to student success. Families, thank you for your continued support and dedication to our Clairemont kiddos! I am excited to share a family fun night. Friday, November 15th we’re hosting our first ever Fall Family Sing Along movie night! Students will vote on our movie selection next week. I will share the chosen feature film in next week’s newsletter. Tickets are $5 each. For families of four or more, a flat rate of $20. Movie tickets include a movie snack pack. You can begin purchasing your tickets Monday, November 4th. Please sign and return this form. You will also be receiving a copy of the form in your student's red folder today.

Next Tuesday is Election Day. Therefore, Tuesday will be a digital learning day. School will be closed Tuesday. We will resume normal operations Wednesday, November 6th. You will receive a digital learning day choice board. Students will not need technology devices to complete any of the activities. You will receive a copy of the digital choice board from your child’s homeroom teacher.

Our annual Thanksgiving luncheon is Wednesday, November 13th. Luncheon tickets are $5 each. Tickets can be purchased through the Infinite Campus parent portal. You also have the option to make a cash payment. You may send payment in with your child. Payments will be accepted Monday, October 28th through Friday, November 8th.

Events at a glance:

• Tuesday, November 5: Digital Learning Day
• Thursday, November 7: Camera Club, 7:30 p.m.
• Thursday, November 7: Spirit Night at Butter & Cream, Noon-10 p.m.
• Wednesday, November 13: Thanksgiving Feast
• Friday, November 15: Fall Family Sing Along Movie Night, 5-7 p.m.
• Wednesday, November 20: PTA Meeting, 5:30-7 p.m.
• Thursday, November 21: Magic Tree House: Dinosaurs Before Dark - The Musical, 6 p.m.

Congratulations to Brittany Miller, who was just voted the Professional Employee of the Year for this school year. If it seems like she is everywhere at once, it's because she is! Ms. Miller is our stellar sub, emphasis on stellar! She covers all positions in the school, knows every student by name, and is vital to our school days running smoothly. Thank you, Ms. Miller for all your hard work and dedication to our children!

Clairemont is proud to announce that we have received three grants from the Decatur Education Foundation to support our students this school year! Ms. Lori Bigham wrote a grant for a new hydroponic plant system so first grade students can continue to learn about, grow, and taste various leafy vegetables and plants. Ms. Holly Howell is receiving new djembes, which will be used in an extracurricular drum circle to build social emotional learning and resilience with our students. Ms. Monica Nelson and Ms. Whitney DeRosa are receiving funding to build and create the sets and costumes for our upcoming musical, The Magic Treehouse: Dinosaurs Before Dark.

We are so thankful to the Decatur Education Foundation for supporting our teachers by awarding Teacher Innovative Grants. By making a one time donation or by being a monthly giver, you too can continue to support funding for classroom initiatives. Check out decatureducationfoundation.org/donate to learn more!

Our first "Treat and Read" day was a treat indeed! Angela Williams from Communities in Schools visited all classes and passed out gifts to remind students to always keep trying! We enjoyed guest readers and had so much fun seeing teachers in their book character costumes!

Camera Club meets on the following Thursdays from 7:30-8 a.m.:

November 7

December 5

Come and take pictures with us! Cameras will be shared for those students who do not have a camera. We will focus on a different topic each week (i.e. take pictures of different things each session).

Contact Sarah Wade to RSVP or if you have questions at (225) 892-7007 or 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.

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!

Mac Barnett and Shawn Harris, creators of the graphic novels The First Cat in Space, are visiting FAVE on Wednesday, November 6. CLICK HERE for more information and reserve your spot!

Grab your friends and neighbors and help us celebrate the return of Decatur Education Foundation's highly-anticipated fall FUNdraiser - Supper & Sips! Join us on Thursday, Nov. 14th, from 6-10 pm at The Chapel on Sycamore for an evening of food, fun, and fellowship - all for a good cause. The Supper provides crucial support for DEF, allowing us to continue our work addressing unmet needs, providing enriching opportunities, and supporting our educators.

Get your tickets today! Interested in sponsorship opportunities? Email Meagan@DecaturEducationFoundation.org.

DEF was founded more than 20 years ago by a group of residents who wanted to ensure that EVERY student in CSD had what they needed to learn and thrive. Today, DEF's mission remains focused on Decatur's kids and educators, and we are still 100% reliant on the support of the Decatur community. DEF puts the community's contributions where they will have the biggest impact on our students, and DEF's Step Up Circle is a special group of supporters that allows us to operate programs like Lighten the Load, Teacher Innovation Grants, behavioral health support, arts programming, and so much more. There are also benefits - for both businesses and individuals - to joining DEF's Step Up Circle (beyond the warm and fuzzy feeling you get from supporting Decatur's kids!). Visit https://decatureducationfoundation.org/step-up-circle/ to learn more about the different giving levels.