Click here https://www.smore.com/n/ydxek for the mobile-friendly link.

Greetings WE Families,

I hope this finds you all comfortably back into the routine of a five day school week. Short weeks (long weekends) are always a welcome break. However, adding the craziness of inclement weather sure makes parenting more challenging. Thanks for all you do to support our work when At-Home learning takes place. I can say here at WE, the students came back on Monday ready to dive into the work of school. As I make my way through classrooms, I continue to cherish the joyful learning environments from class to class.

I want to speak to a few important topics:

• Communication is a key to our school success. We try to streamline the number of individual correspondences that are sent to your inbox. This Thursday newsletter is where we try to share school and district-wide information. To offer another way to access the school newsletter, Teachers have started to add a link to their weekly newsletters. Hopefully this offers more assistance in accessing the necessary classroom, school and district updates.

• I want to thank the parents that have provided their input regarding the text selection for our WE Build Bridges School Expedition. The feedback has been an important part of our decision making. We would like to extend the opportunity and provide continued access to the links and clarification for the text use. Look for an email with directions for providing input. However, the form and slides with the books are available in this newsletter. It is also available for access on our website. As we continue to broaden our conversations about building bridges, I want to invite parents to attend our next Coffee Chat after our Community Circle on February 2nd. We would like to share more about the topics and book choices and continue conversations. Join us for a cup of coffee and conversation.

It is always great to be a Westchester Wolf. Have a terrific weekend.

From your grateful principal,

Christine Knox

School Leadership Team: SLT is an advisory team, please feel free to reach out to any of us if you feel that there are opportunities for improvement that you would like to share with us. You can ask your questions or share your ideas here in the SLT Q & A form.

Community Circle/Coffee Chat Dates:Mark your calendars:

November 17th- NO Coffee Chat

December 15th- EL Dimension of High Quality Work

February 2nd- WE Belong Family Engagement

March 1st

March 29th

April 26th

May 22nd - Our last day of school ( No Coffee Chat)

We invite you to provide your feedback on the following books. Feel to leave comments on a few or all.

Charles Waters is a children's poet, actor, and co-author of Charlotte Huck Honor Book, Can I Touch Your Hair? Poems of Race, Mistakes, and Friendship. His poems have appeared in various anthologies including One Minute Till Bedtime and The National Geographic Book of Animal Poetry.

He will be presenting his newest book, Be A Bridge to students at Westchester Elementary. Written in rhyming verse, the book describes different ways in which readers can "be a bridge," from welcoming a new student to listening respectfully when someone else is talking to standing up to a bully to comforting a classmate who is upset. This title is an anchor text for our "We Builds a Bridge" lessons.

Families may order copies of his books, Be A Bridge or Dictionary for A Better World. Please scan the QR code (left) to place your order by Wednesday, January 31. Mr. Waters will personalize and sign each book. 15% of sales go to support Westchester. Both books are $19.99 each.

These books & more are available at www.braveandkindbooks.com. Thank you for supporting your local, independent bookstore!

​​​​​​​Help our teachers and staff have a special break throughout the day by stocking the teacher’s lounge! Items can be purchased directly from the Amazon Wishlist below (or purchased locally and brought to school!). Thanks so much for your support of our staff!

The Infinite Campus Parent Portal has resources to help families monitor and add funds to their child(ren)’s food service balance, including automatic recurring payments and low-balance notifications. The Portal is also the preferred way to apply for federal free or reduced-priced meal benefits. The Portal support page includes several guides on these topics and more, including walkthrough videos.

City Schools of Decatur's upcoming Early Release Day is Wednesday, January 31.

Pre-K - 12:15 PM

Lower Elementary - 12:50 PM

Upper Elementary - 12:15 PM

Middle School - 1:45 PM

High School - 1:35 PM

College Heights' infant through preschool program will remain on its normal schedule.

The remaining schedule of Early Release Days includes the following dates:

Wednesday, January 31

Wednesday, February 28

Wednesday, March 27

Wednesday, April 24

Schools will communicate more specific details related to the schedule for the day, dismissal, and extracurricular activities.

Arabic I Chinese I Pashto I Somali I Spanish I Swahili

Dr. Whitaker will host her winter series of listening sessions around the City Schools of Decatur to listen and learn from students, staff, families, and community leaders. Initial sessions were held in the fall as part of the first phase of Dr. Whitaker’s three-phased entry plan into the district entitled GEM - which focused on gathering information, reviewing the findings to envision a plan forward, and maximizing the results.

The meetings will be held virtually and in person. Here is a list of the sessions:

Winter Listening Sessions:

• Wednesday, February 21 - Oakhurst in Gym at 5:30 p.m.

• Tuesday, February 27 - Beacon Hill in Media Center at 5:30 p.m.

• Friday, March 1 - Virtual at 11:30 a.m. https://csdecatur.zoom.us/j/91210511997

Join the Fun at Decatur’s Premier 5K Event: Register Now for the 22nd Annual Tour deCatur!

The Decatur Education Foundation is thrilled to announce the 22nd Annual Tour deCatur 5K and One-Mile Fun Run. Join us on Saturday, March 16, 2024, for a day of family-friendly fun surrounded by your Decatur community. Registration for the 5K, the one-mile Fun Run, and the Tot Trot is now open! Secure your spot today:

https://bit.ly/Tour-deCatur-2024

As DEF's largest fundraiser, the Tour deCatur plays a crucial role in supporting programs that address issues such as racial and economic inequity, food insecurity, behavioral health, and learning differences. Please email Kamela@decatureducationfoundation.org if you’re interested in volunteering and supporting the event. See you at the starting line!

Run With the Dogs 5K (RWTD5K)

Sign Up Now for Run With the Dogs 5K and One-Mile Pup Trot

RWTD5K is a Peachtree Road Race qualifier and a fundraiser for Decatur Bulldog Boosters. All proceeds go to support athletics at DHS and BHMS. Be sure to grab your friends and join us for this great community event on January 27. Find out all the details about the 5K and free, one-mile Pup Trot HERE and register soon to secure your coveted t-shirt!

Special thanks to our event sponsors:

• Ava's Grilled Flatbread Crisps (Primary Sponsor)

• Amy Widener (Presenting Sponsor)

• Bad Daddy's Burger Bar (Associate Sponsor)

• Chad and Christina Carter Real Estate (Associate Sponsor)

• Chick-fil-A North Decatur (Associate Sponsor)

• Dynamo Swim Club (Associate Sponsor)

• Gracie Jiu-Jitsu Decatur (Associate Sponsor)

On March 9, 2024, Decatur Bulldog Boosters (DBB) will host our annual Bulldog Bash at Legacy Park to support athletics at DHS and BHMS. The adult-only fundraising event features food trucks, bands and a silent auction – all to raise money for Decatur Athletics.

Please save the date and look for more information to come. In the meantime, we are looking for donations for the silent auction. Donated items are tax-deductible and can include anything from gift cards and art to products, services, trips and experiences. This is a great way to market your business while supporting Decatur Boosters.

Click HERE to make a donation and follow us on Instagram

Westchester newsletters

Email: bnation@csdecatur.net
Website: https://www.csdecatur.net/Westchester
Location: 758 Scott Boulevard, Decatur, GA, USA
Phone: 404-370-4400
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/westchesterelementarycsd