Eagle Edition
January 14, 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, January 15
Virtual Community Circle
Ms. Rose's kindergarten class hosting
January 16-29
Reading Takes You Places!
Sponsored by GL PTA
Monday, January 18
MLK Holiday (No School)
Tuesday, January 19
Where Learning Takes Flight
January Design Principle: Primacy of Self-Discovery
"All of our dreams can come true if we have the courage to pursue them."
~Walt Disney
Hello Glennwood Families!
By now, you should have heard from your child's teacher effective January 19. If you have not, please reach out to me. Please know that whether your child will be in person or virtual, we will work to ensure that an incredible Glennwood experience is had by all.
Our PTA is beyond amazing, and we are asking for everyone's support once again this year with our annual read-a-thon. The beautiful read-a-thon logo (pictured above) was created by Glennwood students Raleigh and Stevie Daniels. Please carefully review all read-a-thon details below, and let's get excited about reading and supporting our PTA!
Glennwood Read-a-Thon Starts This Saturday!
The Glennwood Read-a-Thon 2021, “Reading Takes You Places!” starts this Saturday! The Read-a-Thon is a fundraiser for Glennwood that encourages students to read and have fun! Due to COVID, this year’s Read-a-Thon will serve as the PTA’s main fundraiser. Our goal is to raise $9,250. We encourage every student to read, read, read! All reading must be done outside of school hours. Don’t forget online programs such as Raz Kids or Epic! count also (for students who are not yet reading on their own, being read to by an adult counts as well).
To participate:
(1) Log into your PTA account at https://glennwoodpta.org/ and create a Read-a-Thon Campaign Page for your student. It’s super easy – there’s even a Read-a-Thon link in the blue bar that goes across the top of the PTA website home page.
(2) Have students share their Campaign Page via email and/or on social media with friends and family who wish to sponsor and donate. The PTA has extended the deadline for students to create a Campaign Page to 8:00 a.m., Saturday, January 16th; all students who do so by this time will be entered into a drawing on January 29th for a gift card to either Brave and Kind book store or Butter and Cream.
(3) On Saturday, January 16th start reading! Students will use their Campaign Page to log in their daily reading minutes. To log in reading minutes, go to https://glennwoodpta.org/peer-to-peer/ or to https://glennwoodpta.org/ and click on “Read-a-Thon” and click on your child’s campaign. Students can log minutes read each day outside of school hours on their individual Campaign Page.
*Prizes will be awarded to all participants with special recognition for the student who reads the most minutes per grade and the student who reads the most minutes for the school. Additionally, all students who read over 15 total hours will be recognized with a commemorative medal. The PTA has provided daily reading themes (completely optional) here: Peer-to-Peer – Glennwood Elementary PTA (glennwoodpta.org)
For additional information, visit: Read A Thon 2021 Info to Families.pdf - Google Drive or visit Peer-to-Peer – Glennwood Elementary PTA (glennwoodpta.org)
Thank you for your support!
Warmest Regards,
Dr. Brookins
GL Technology Devices Survey January 2021
As we prepare for some of our students to return to school in person, there are many things you can do at home to make the transition as smooth as possible. As you know, all students that are returning to the building for learning, are required to wear a face mask. Please pack a few cloth face masks in your child’s backpack in case the one they are wearing needs to be replaced while at school. We will have extra cloth and disposable masks available for any student that does not have one or if the mask needs to be replaced. Proper face masks fit the child well, cover the nose and fit below the chin. Also, there should not be gaps on the sides of the mask. Masks with exhalation valves are not permitted.
Please discuss with your child the importance of wearing a face mask, good hand washing and maintaining distance from others. Please practice putting on and removing face masks by touching the straps and avoid touching the front of the mask. Remind them to avoid touching their face when possible. If your child needs to sneeze or cough, it is recommended to do so into the elbow area even with face masks on. Lastly, practice good handwashing at home for about 20 seconds (length of singing the Happy Birthday song twice). This video attached is a great summary for mask-wearing.
I am so excited to meet those students who will be on campus next week! If you have any questions, you may contact me at ebarrington@csdecatur.net
Nurse Beth
Carmen Agra Deedy Books Still Available for Purchase
Little Shop of Stories is offering four of Carmen's books for sale including the newest one that she shared with GL students, Rita and Ralph's Rotten Day. You will find more order information on the flyer HERE. You will order the books directly through Little Shop of Stories. All purchases will receive free delivery or school pick up along with a personalized and a signed bookplate from Carmen Deedy for each title purchased.
As always thank you for supporting our media center and reading!
CSD Nutrition Updates for Spring 2021!
Please note: Our last day of bus meal delivery will be this Friday 1/15/21. We will send extra food home on Friday 1/15/21 to cover the breakfast meals on Tuesday 1/19/21.
We will no longer be using our pre-order system starting on Monday 1/19/21. As K-5 students return to in-person instruction we will continue to offer meals FREE to all students until the end of the 2020-2021 school year. Meal pick-ups for our virtual learners will continue for any student ONLY at our Decatur High School TakeOutSpot during the same 10:30 AM-12:30 PM time frame. Students in our CSD buildings will be offered daily take-home meals as they exit their school. These meal bags will contain both lunch for the current school day and breakfast for the following school day. We ask that all students remember to take meals, as it helps support our school nutrition program. If your child needs a vegetarian meal or has a special diet concern please complete the online survey on our website as soon as possible. We will ensure that these meals are available at the student’s designated school site for in-person students and at Decatur High for virtual students.
Please check out our CSD webpage (https://www.csdecatur.net/nutrition) and our Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/CSDschoolnutrition) as we continue to finalize our plans for January 19th and on.
Upcoming Special Education Virtual Meeting - Preparing for Postsecondary Transition
What comes to mind when the words postsecondary transition are mentioned? Maybe SAT/ACTs, graduation, college applications or employment opportunities? All of these things are a great start, but for students with disabilities, postsecondary transition may need to be broader. Depending on a student's level of impact and how their disability manifests, families will need to start planning earlier for this transition.
Marca Tigner, CSD Transition Specialist and Cheryl Grant, CSD Parent Mentor will present Preparing for Postsecondary Transition. Mrs. Tigner and Ms. Grant will give a step by step checklist to guide students and their families to a successful transition. Small incremental actions taken now while students are in school can help create positive outcomes for students with a disability.
Target Audience:
- 9th -12th grade students/families
- All levels of impact/disability
Preparing for Postsecondary Transition (Virtual Meeting)
Date: January 27, 2021
Time: 5:30-6:30
RSVP to Cheryl Grant cgrant@csdecatur.net
Decatur Education Foundation News
As CSD rolls out its plans for spring semester, DEF will be working to continue to support families to ensure our students have what they need to learn and thrive. DEF established Virtual Pals Tutoring Program to provide extra help for CSD students in the 2nd through 8th grades during virtual learning. Participants are paired with a community volunteer tutor who provides basic homework help, tutoring and virtual learning support. We currently have 18 tutor pairs, but have more available spots. If your student would like to enroll in the program, please fill out this application. To see all of our Covid initiatives, please visit www.decatureducationfoundation.org/Covid-19.
Our friends at NaanStop are hosting a pop-up right here in Decatur Thursday, January 14th and donating 20% back to DEF!!! Dine out on authentic Indian food and raise funds for DEF at the same time! Here are the details: Link to menu: https://bit.ly/NSorderDecatur - Pickup/drive-thru at Avery St/Bucher Dr. in Winnona Park neighborhood - Pickup instructions will be sent with confirmation - Pickup will be available between 5pm-5:45pm on Thursday 1-14 - Masks/distancing required at pick up - order in advance before 5pm on Wednesday, 1-13
Take Action Tuesdays!
Take Action Tuesday is a new weekly spotlight where CSD spotlights our students for their good deeds in our community. #OurKids are truly making the world a better place in so many ways and each Tuesday we will salute one student for their fantastic work. We need your suggestions! Do you know a CSD student who is working to make the world a better place in small or big ways? Let us know! Complete this form (https://forms.gle/WJaPFJZ8ojTtNCVK8) and they may be highlighted next week! Please be sure to include a photo!
School Shout Out
Each month, the District Dispatch features shoutouts from parents and students to our excellent teachers and staff at one of our schools. This month we are featuring Westchester Elementary School teachers and staff.
If you would like to shoutout your child’s teacher or a staff member, send an email to Sarah Jones at sjones1@csdecatur.net. Also, at the end of the school year, nominate your child’s teacher for the Extra Mile award. Keep an eye out for more information on how your student can nominate a teacher or staff member as we get closer to the end of the school year. You can find the past shoutouts on this page https://www.csdecatur.net/shoutouts.
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.