Eagle Edition
December 10, 2020
Glennwood Elementary ~ Where Learning Takes Flight
Holly Brookins, PhD, Principal ~ Jill Tolsma, Instructional Coach, Karen Hearn, School Manager
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
Eagle Happenings
Where Learning Takes Flight
December Design Principle: Empathy and Caring
"Our human compassion binds us one to the other- not in pity or patronizingly, but as human beings who have learned how to turn our common suffering into hope for the future."
~Nelson Mandela
Hello Glennwood Families!
By now, you have likely seen that CSD will have an option for families to return to school on January 19th, if they choose. You can read more about this decision here- please be sure to review it carefully as there is a lot of important information included in this communication. I know that this is a difficult and exciting time for families, all rolled into one, as now you have a big decision to make. Rest assured, no matter what you choose, CSD teachers and staff are amazing and will continue to do their very best for your child each day. Some highlights from the communication:
Please log in to the Parent Portal to make your selection (once logged in, click More and then Learning Choice Survey – click here for video directions). Due Sunday, December 13. Please make this a priority as it will help us plan!
The in-person option will be a 3.5-hour academic day with students eating (provided) breakfast and lunch at home, afternoon asynchronous learning and virtual specials. The general schedule can be found in our plans for return to in-person learning. (Reminder that these plans were developed and vetted by our GL Covid Readiness Team. The team will meet again in January to review and make any tweaks before our return).
The virtual schedule is still being determined but will likely be very similar to the in-person schedule.
Teachers will be fully in-person or fully virtual. There will be no concurrent teaching and learning.
At Glennwood, our in-person classes will have no more than 12 students based on classroom size
Students may be assigned a different teacher for academics based on our numbers and teacher accommodations. We will make every effort to group students by school (if virtual) and class so that they will see familiar faces.
The fully virtual option will work in a similar manner to current virtual learning using Google Classroom.
Click here for more information on our plans for return to in-person learning.
Click here for more information from City Schools of Decatur, including the CSD COVID-19 Safety, Facilities, and Healthy Schools Manual.
As always, please feel free to reach out to me with any questions or concerns. Enjoy your break and we will see you in 2021! I hope it is a year of peace, happiness and relief for all of us.
Warmest Regards,
Dr. Brookins
Help Needed with Community Food Drive
The PTA is partnering with the SLT to support a school-wide food drive for the Decatur-Area Emergency Assistance Ministry (DEAM), a local food bank right across the street from our school. We invite all families to consider donating non-perishable items to the food drive; donations will be accepted through mid-morning on Wednesday, December 16th at Glennwood (please place items in a box by the side door, near carpool drop off) or can you drop off items directly at DEAM on Wednesday mornings from 9am-12noon outside the DEAM Office (515 E. Ponce de Leon, in Holy Trinity). (Financial donations are also welcomed; please visit: https://www.deamdecatur.org/contribute). For a list of DEAM's most needed items this month, please see: https://www.deamdecatur.org/ Thank you to all who participate!
We had a great first week of the food drive! Please remember to bring food donations to Glennwood by December 16 to support Decatur families in need.
If you have any questions or would like to help please contact Stuart Andreason, StuartAndreason@gmail.com
Save the Date: Glennwood Read-a-Thon, January 2021:
The Glennwood Read-a-Thon, the PTA's main fundraiser this year, will take place shortly after we return from the holiday break, so mark the date now: January 16-29th, 2021. The theme this year is "Reading Takes You Places!" and as always, we will have prizes for the top readers. Our goal is to have every Glennwood student participate in the event. More details about the event will be shared when we return from the holiday break.
Help the PTA While you Shop:
While many of the PTA’s usual activities have been reimagined, we are still actively working to serve our Glennwood community. School supplies, teacher appreciation, virtual events, and PPE are just some of the ways we’ve been working to support our community this year. Without the PTA’s annual fundraisers, and as we all hunker down for the holidays, here are a couple ways you can raise funds to support our students, teachers, and an eventual safe return to the building, just by going about your daily routines.
These programs do not cost any extra money on your behalf, but over time, they will add up to make a difference!
When you shop at smile.amazon.com, Amazon will give .5% of your eligible purchases to a charity of your choice…namely, Glennwood! Every item available for purchase on Amazon is also available on AmazonSmile at the same price. You will see eligible products marked "Eligible for AmazonSmile donation" on their product detail pages.
Please visit smile.amazon.com and select “Glennwood Es PTA” as your designated charity to start earning money for Glennwood!
PUBLIX PARTNERS
Did you know every shopping trip to Publix can earn money for Glennwood? Simply sign up for Club Publix, select Publix Partners, and choose our school (you can search easily by zip code). Enter your phone number or pay with the Publix app every time you check out, and Publix will donate directly to Glennwood’s PTA.
Superintendent's Town Hall Meeting for Today is Canceled
We apologize for scheduling the town hall today, December 10 during Hanukkah. This meeting has been canceled. After the work session and the board meeting, and now the recency of this communication, we want to ensure families have enough time to process and consider these plans. Rather than continuing with today’s scheduled town hall, we will schedule our next town hall meeting when we return from holiday break.
From the Clairemont PTA
The 2020 Decatur Holiday Marketplace will be virtual this year and held from November 27th at 8 am through December 11th at 5 pm! We are so excited to carry on the tradition of this wonderful community event which is in its 29th year. In light of the current COVID pandemic, we have decided to make this year's event virtual. During this time, all of the artists' sites will be available for shopping online and will be conveniently located on our www.clairemontpta.org website. A description of the shop and owners along with a few wonderful photos of their craft will be available to preview. If the artist is able to ship their wares after purchase, they will do so, and if not, for our local customers, we will have a special pick up day at the school on December 12th from 10-12. Meaning Clairemont is bringing the marketplace straight to your house! To shop Clairemont's Holiday Marketplace, just visit www.clairemontpta.org.
From CSD Equity and Student Support Department
www.ActionforHappiness.org for #DoGoodDecember! Below is a calendar of how you can share kindness all month long! This initiative asks us all to look beyond our differences and help each other and they remind us that every act of kindness matters.
Decatur CREATES Leaders at Glennwood Who S.O.A.R.
S.O.A.R.
Show Self-Control
Offer Kindness
Act Responsibly
Respect Others
*SOARIN' image created by GL art teacher, Kasey Burkhalter*
Virtual Learning Help
If you need to complete a request for a tech ticket, please follow this LINK. Before entering a tech ticket, please check on the CSD's Tech Help Support Page for parents and students first.