Eagle Edition

Holly Brookins, PhD, Principal ~ Summer Clayton, Assistant Principal ~ Jill Tolsma, Instructional Coach

Email: hbrookins@csdecatur.net
Website: https://www.csdecatur.net/glennwood
Location: 440 East Ponce de Leon Avenue, Decatur, GA, USA
Phone: 404.370.4435
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/gleagles/?modal=admin_todo_tour

What a fun day today meeting our rising kindergartners and their families! Thank you to everyone who attended K-Day! 2023 and thank you to all of our staff who helped to facilitate this important day. We look forward to see the ECLC rising K students' visit to Glennwood on May 17 as well.

Your child’s school experience and success each year are very important to us. As we prepare to make class lists for next year, please know that you can place your trust in your child's teacher(s) and staff to make careful, thoughtful placements. The process for placement in a class for the next school year takes many hours. We are very intentional and deliberate as we place students.

We value your input on this! Tomorrow is the deadline to complete this form. If you wish to share information for us to consider regarding your child, please consider completing the 23-24 GL Parent Input Form by Friday, April 21st. Please do not request a specific teacher but feel free to share characteristics that are important for your child.

Warmest regards,

Holly Brookins, PhD

Principal

hbrookins@csdecatur.net

Join the Glennwood DEI Committee for "Cocktails & Conversation: Caring for Yourself and the Planet" on Friday, April 21 from 6:30 - 8:30 at Camp Scene! In honor of Earth Day, this event is focused on environmental action and connection within our community. Childcare, cocktails, and a food truck with food for purchase!

Attendance is limited. Please RSVP to secure your seat! bit.ly/cocktailsandconvo421

It’s already that time again - Walk & Roll to School Day!! Please join us on your feet, your bike or your scooter (don’t forget those helmets!) and let’s show CSD how Eagles SOAR! Students who walk, bike or scoot will continue to enter at their grade specific doors, where they will be counted, using our traditional marbles, by their staff door monitors, and can pick up their incentives. Don’t forget, each marble counts towards students earning extra school wide recess, with announcements made at Community Circle! For additional details (including our three Walking School Bus Routes) and a full Walk & Roll schedule for the year, please visit the Glennwood website: https://www.csdecatur.net/Domain/530

Contact Amanda McMillan (almcmil@gmail.com) with any questions!

Thank you to all of the families that submitted videos for their students; they are looking fabulous! We had an overwhelming response and it is taking a bit of time to go through all submissions. If you have not received an email confirming receipt of your child's video by the end of the weekend, please contact our music teacher, Ms. Pierce, at kpierce@csdecatur.net.

We also invite all families, whether or not your child has a video in the Talent Show or not, to join us for a viewing of the show on April 28 at 6pm in the Auditorium.

Additionally, I wanted to include a photo of all the amazing shoebox floats that students created for the Great Kindness Challenge. These were absolutely incredible! They have been on display outside the library. The different ideas that students came up with that can better our community were truly inventive. Congratulations to all our students for helping make Glennwood a Kindness Certified School for 2023!

PTA Board Nominating Form 2023-2024

Do you want to get involved with Glennwood? Join the PTA board or help the PTA by being a chair! The current PTA is accepting nominations for the board and has some vacant spots for the 2023-2024 school year. Please complete the Nominating Form if you would like to join the PTA Board or chair or join a PTA Committee, by Friday April 28.

Interested in learning more? Please email Co-Presidents, Leslie Sessley and Kelly Stinson at: President@glennwoodpta.org

Glennwood’s Staff Appreciation Week is rapidly approaching- May 1-5!

The PTA has been busy planning and will be hosting several fun events for our staff throughout the week. The PTA will take care of most of the events, but we encourage all students to send in a thoughtful card/letter for their teachers as part of the week's activities. We hope you will join us to thank our amazing staff for all their hard work this year!

-Here's the lineup:

•Monday: Grab N' Go Fruit Smoothies for Staff (Provided by PTA)

•Tuesday: Spa Day: Mini Chair Massages for Staff and a chance to win a raffled one-hour full body massage with Glennwood parent and professional masseuse Jamie Heart (Massages sponsored by PTA)

•Wednesday: Students send in a thoughtful card/letter for your teachers (can be purchased or homemade); Grab N' Go ChickfilA biscuits (Provided by PTA)

•Thursday: Staff Car Washes; free car washes provided on-site by professional car washer and Glennwood parent volunteers. We need you, parents, to help with the car wash! Please sign up here to help. No experience necessary-we'll show you what to do. Please come help us pamper our staff!

•Friday: Catered Lunch for all Staff (Provided by PTA)

If you have any questions, please reach out to Haley Stevens (haleycstevens@gmail.com) or Samantha Bryan (samantha.chopp@gmail.com)

Attention second-grade families! Save the date for Glennwood's annual Second Grade Moving Forth Ceremony and Picnic. On the morning of Tuesday, May 23, we'll gather at the school to celebrate our second graders' accomplishments and wish them well as they move on from Glennwood. The ceremony will be followed by a family picnic at Glenlake Park, and we hope you will join in on the fun!

Please stay tuned for more details as well as opportunities to volunteer. Contact Anya Robinson (bream5@hotmail.com) or Cristina Stevenson (cristina.stevenson@gmail.com) with questions or to get involved in planning this special day.

Hello future Talley Tiger parents and students! We are so excited to have you as a part of our crew for the 23-24 school year. We have a couple of events that we hope will get you excited and help with the transition to upper elementary school. To begin, we look forward to hosting our rising third graders on Tuesday, May 16th (Winnona Park) and Wednesday, May 17th (Clairemont/Glenwood). The students will be given a tour of the school by our student House leaders and will see inside a 3rd grade classroom.

In addition, all rising 3rd grade parents are invited to an information night on Wednesday, 5/17 from 6-7. It will include meeting 3rd grade teachers, learning more about the school, and taking a tour.

We look forward to meeting you and your children next month. Should you have any questions or concerns about next year, please reach out to me at bheaton@csdecatur.net.

Billy Heaton

Principal

Talley Street Upper Elementary

CSD Budget Survey Results

Thanks to all who participated in the parent-led, anonymous survey a few weeks ago. As promised, we are sharing the results of the survey. These results were also shared with the CSD school board and Dr. Fehrman on March 28th.

It has been our pleasure gathering this vital community feedback. Click here to view the results from the survey.

Kristin Ebersold, India Epps, Patricia Liscio, Richard Malerba, Samantha McMahan, Kunle Oguneye, Weonhee Shin, Natalie Jo Williams, Sara Weathersby, and David Custer

Extra Mile Awards

Students: Do you know a teacher or CSD employee who has gone “the extra mile” this year? Nominate them for the CSD Extra Mile Award! The Extra Mile Award is an annual award that allows students to show appreciation for the teachers or staff they feel go above and beyond what is expected of them.

Students (not parents) at any grade level can write an essay describing how their teacher (or staff member) goes the extra mile (parents can help younger children write the essay). The essays should be detailed and describe how the employee goes above and beyond.

Click here to submit a nomination. The deadline is May 31.

These awards will be presented at the CSD Opening Day Celebration in July.

Questions? Contact cburnett@csdecatur.net or 404-371-3601

CSD Special Education Department

This month we are hosting a Parent Engagement Meeting for families of students with IEPs on the topic of Supplemental Security Income (SSI). Please share the following with families:

Supplemental Security Income (SSI) Meeting

WHEN: Thursday, April 27th, 6-7pm

WHERE: This is an online event.

WHO: Parents of students that are served through an IEP (ECLC- 12th).

MORE INFORMATION

Ms. Alicia Lipscomb, Public Affairs Specialist, for the Social Security Administration will share an overview of how to access SSI for individuals with a disability.

• What is SSI?

• How do parents apply for their student?

• What does it mean to qualify for SSI?

• What comes with the SSI benefits

• What recourse do families have if denied the benefit?

Click here to RSVP or email Cheryl Grant, cgrant@csdecatur.net

DHS SGA Earth Day 5K

The DHS Student Government Association (SGA) is hosting their inaugural SGA Earth Day 5K at Legacy Park on April 29, 2023 at 3:00 p.m. Proceeds from this event will support SGA’s future sustainability efforts and the Decatur Track and Field. Bring the family and enjoy sprint races and activities, music, prizes, and food vendors.

It's time to Step Up for Teachers! The yard signs are being ordered and will be available for pickup soon! www.stepupforteachers.com is live and ready for your tributes to CSD teachers, paraprofessionals and staff. For a small donation, you leave a message of appreciation, we'll notify the honored person and post it on our website. For a gift of $50 or more, you can select between a "We Step Up" or a "Class of 2023" yard sign. If you would like a sign but cannot contribute, please email drew@decatureducationfoundation.org with your tribute and your sign preference. Together we make a difference for our teachers,

our schools and our kids.

Nominate a Hero

Do you know a CSD teacher, paraprofessional or employee who has shown extreme care and compassion for a student at a time of great need or crisis? We are currently accepting nominations for the Clarence Strickland Make A Difference Award HERE. Nominations are due by April 20th and the recipient will be recognized at our scholarship event on May 15th.

Care to help Decatur students and combat food insecurity? You can donate to our Lighten the Load Weekend Backpack program which provides supplemental food to Decatur families who need it. The snack pantry ensures that no one at the middle school goes hungry during the school day. Here are the wish lists for both programs:

Beacon Hill Middle Snack Program: /a.co/d0HJHTr

Weekend Backpack Program: https://a.co/6Etc74W

Tickets now on sale! Amplify Decatur is hosting their Spring Concert in the Square on Saturday, April 29th and DEF is so pleased to be one of the beneficiaries. The line-up is chock full of some amazing musicians – check them out and purchase tickets here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/amplify-decatur-music-festival-tickets-527859721637.

If you’d like to enjoy live music for FREE, consider volunteering at the concert! There are spots at every time of day available. Click here to sign up: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/904084caba628abff2-amplify1#/ Your evening of live music will support DEF, Decatur Cooperative Ministry and Giving Kitchen.

Come see some of our talented Decatur High musicians perform at No Ordinary Joe! Benefitting DEF’s behavioral health initiative, Joe’s Fund, No Ordinary Joe will feature Decatur High School’s Exploring Music Club members for an evening of live music at Waller’s Coffee Shop on Thursday, May 4th starting at 7pm. Tickets are now on sale at www.decatureducationfoundation.org/noordinaryjoe: $25 for adults/$10 for students. Big thanks to Waller’s for donating their space!