Eagle Edition
April 22, 2021
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
Friday, April 23
Virtual Community Circle
Kindergarten hosting
April 26-30
Teacher Appreciation Week
(Sponsored by GL PTA)
May 4-7
MAP Testing (See schedule and info below)
Monday, May 10
Lunch Bunch Author/Illustrator Visit with Greg Pizzoli at 12:30 pm (Livestream)
May 10-14
Spring Book Fair with Little Shop of Stories
Friday, May 14
Glennwood Virtual Talent Show
Where Learning Takes Flight
April Design Principle: Collaboration and Competition
"Friendships born on the field of athletic strife
are the real gold of competition. Awards
become corroded, friends gather no dust."
~Jesse Owens
Hello Glennwood Families,
During the week of May 3rd, we will be administering the Measures of Academic Progress (MAP) test. MAP is a computerized adaptive test which helps teachers, parents, and administrators improve learning for all students and make informed decisions to promote a child's academic growth. In a typical school year, students would take the MAP 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/or math throughout the school year. Because we will only take the MAP test this school year in the spring, we will use this data to help us make better-informed instructional decisions for next year and to see trends in our longitudinal data over time as it connects to our goals as a school.
We will administer the MAP test to our K-2 in-person students in the morning, May 4- 7. Virtual students whose families indicated interest in taking the MAP test on the district-sent survey will take MAP in-person ONLY in the afternoon. MAP will not be administered to any students virtually.
Kindergarten and first grade students will take the MAP math test in 2 sessions over 2 days. Second grade students will take the MAP reading and math tests in 2 sessions over 2 days. The tests will be given by classroom teachers in their classrooms. All COVID safety precautions will be followed and all Chromebook devices will be sanitized between administrations.
Schedule for Glennwood’s In-person students:
May 4th:
K students- 8:30-9:00 (session 1)
1st grade students- 9:15-9:45 (session 1)
May 5th:
K students- 8:30-9:00 (session 1)
1st grade students- 9:15-9:45 (session 1)
May 6th:
2nd grade students- 8:30-9:30 (reading)
May 7th:
2nd grade students- 8:30-9:30 (math)
___________________________________________________________________________________________
Schedule for Glennwood Virtual students who have opted to take the MAP test in-person:
May 4th:
Kindergarten:1:00-1:45
First grade: 2:00-2:45
May 5th (as needed- only for K/1 virtual students who did NOT finish their test the day before):
Kindergarten: 1:00-1:45
First grade: 2:00-2:45
May 6th:
Second grade: 1:00-2:00 (reading)
May 7th:
Second grade: 1:00-2:00 (math)
Parents, if you have any questions please reach out to me.
Thanks so much,
Jill Tolsma
Instructional Coach
This week, I began a unit of 3 lessons in the classrooms focused on our EL Education Habits of Scholarship. This first lesson specifically focused on Collaboration. I came across quite a number of resources and information in terms of teaching and working with students on collaboration. This is one of those skills that needs to not only be taught but also practiced and incorporated in a student's life again and again (whether in school or out). In particular, I wanted to focus this lesson on effective communication and how to respectfully disagree with others, as students indicated that these were challenging areas for them. I utilized books and videos in order to unpack these areas for students and we had a good discussion about what are the qualities that we want to demonstrate as a good teammate. Next week, I will begin a lesson on Perseverance followed by a lesson on Craftsmanship. More information will follow!
Staff Spotlight - Jill Tolsma
Hello Glennwood families! I'm Jill Tolsma, the Instructional Coach here at Glennwood. As the Instructional Coach, I wear a lot of different hats, but, let's talk about those hats in a minute. First things first. My favorite food is spaghetti- like the super traditional kind they serve in old Italian restaurants with exposed brick walls and signed photographs of every well-known person who's ever dined there. I think kids are the greatest kinds of people on earth and I feel so very lucky to get to spend my days with them. I'm really looking forward to the time when ALL of our students can be back in the building. If I weren't spending my days with kids, I would've chosen travel writing as my profession- the idea of traveling the world, seeing all the places, and the people, and eating all the foods. It's my kind of dreamy. One of my goals in this lifetime is to visit every national park in the U.S.
At home I live with my 8 year-old daughter, Audrey, our puppy Charlie, our 2 cats- Little Kitty and Ling Ling, and my spouse, Adam. We stay over in Reynoldstown near the Atlanta Beltline. We feel very fortunate to have bought a house here- long before the hustle and bustle and popularity of this place. Who knows, maybe we'll live here forever if my travel writing job doesn't work out. We love hiking, hanging out with our friends, and playing soccer with our soccer-loving dog whose official nickname is Charles Jojo Puptinez and who plays a mean game of soccer.
Back to the hats. As the Instructional Coach at Glennwood, I often get asked by strangers what it means to be an instructional coach. It basically means that I work with teachers and staff to try to make Glennwood the best place it can be. We collaborate on instructional goals and I work to support staff to reach their goals and support their students. I feel incredibly fortunate to get to work with the Glennwood staff and community!
PTA Seeking Board Member Nominations for 2021-2022 School Year
We are currently accepting nominations for the PTA Board Position for the Glennwood PTA for 2021-2022 school year. The board meets once a month (schedule is flexible) and supports the school through social events, fundraising, and providing outreach/support to our teachers and staff. The PTA is a fun way to be involved at Glennwood! No experience necessary! Please consider serving. The PTA Board Election will take place April 30, 2021.
Currently, the following positions are available:
-Secretary of Communications
-Fundraising Chair
The PTA has put together an informational video about the Board and what each position entails. We hope you'll take a look here: https://vimeo.com/525010205
If you're interested in serving on the PTA Board next school year or would like more information about any of the positions, please contact Haley Stevens at haleycstevens@gmail.com or president@glennwoodpta.org
Glennwood Staff Appreciation Week: Next Week, April 26th-30th
The Glennwood Staff Appreciation Week will take place next week, April 26th-30th. We hope you will join us in showering our staff with our gratitude! Details have been shared through the room parent communications, so please refer to that information regarding how you can participate. If you have any questions regarding how you can help or the event itself, please contact president@glennwoodpta.org
Step Up for Teachers!
It's that time of year again -- time to Step Up for Teachers! And what a year it's been. Show your favorite teacher just how much you appreciate their hard work during this unprecedented school year with a loving tribute. Just go to www.stepupforteachers.com make a $25 donation and leave your tribute. We'll notify the honored teacher or CSD staff member and deliver a "We Step Up for Teachers" yard sign to your door in the coming weeks. The Step Up campaign supports our teachers in the classroom through Teacher Innovation Grants. Let's show them some love! Together, we make a difference for #ourschools, #ourteachers, and #ourkids. As a special gift from DEF to our DHS seniors, we are giving every member of the senior class of 2021 a “Congratulations Class of 2021” yard sign. It’s a little something to brighten a lackluster final year of high school. Details about sign pick-up are coming soon.
DYC Presents Carpool Cinema
The Decatur Youth Council is hosting a free outdoor movie activity at Decatur Legacy Park on Saturday, April 24. Admission begins at 7 p.m. Showtime is at dusk (around 8:20 p.m.) We will be showing Disney's Lilo & Stitch.
If you plan to attend the outdoor movie screening, be advised that:
- You must view the movie from your vehicle. Walk-up viewing is not allowed at this activity to help us maintain a safe, socially distanced environment.
- You must practice social distancing at all times if you exit the vehicle.
- Parking spaces will be first come, first serve.
- Portable restrooms will be available in a designated area of the park.
- Concessions will not be available to purchase. Each ticket includes a snack bag for four with popcorn, water, and candy.
- Consider picking up dinner from a local restaurant to enjoy while you wait for the movie to begin.
Tickets are free, but availability is limited to the first 50 ticket holders. One ticket per vehicle. Tickets are available at https://www.freshtix.com/events/dyc-presents-carpool-cinema
Questions? Contact DYC staff liaison, Meredith Roark, at meredith.roark@decaturga.com.
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.