Eagle Edition
February 4, 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
Monday, February 8
GL SLT Meeting at 4:00 pm
Friday, February 12
Virtual Community Circle
Ms. Bettis's Class Hosting
February 15-19
Winter Break
Where Learning Takes Flight
February Design Principle: Diversity and Inclusion
"If you want to go quickly, go alone. If you want to go far, go together."
~African proverb
Hello Glennwood Families!
We are off to a good start with our new transitions. Whether virtual or in-person, we want our kids to continue to have an excellent Glennwood education! As a new principal to Glennwood and the district, this is my first experience with having children in the school building. I can’t wait for the day that we can all be here together!
Update on virtual learning
I have been jumping into our Google Classrooms as often as I can. It is always great to see our kids’ smiling faces and to check out all of the fun activities that the teachers are doing with them to keep our kids engaged and their learning on target. For some of our larger virtual classes, we have added additional support teachers and staff who help with small groups, building relationships and connections with our kids and facilitating lessons. The support teachers are our EIP staff, specials team and other staff members. We are so grateful to them for wearing this additional hat and supporting our virtual teachers and students! It has been a wonderful partnership and collaboration. It has also worked out well that all of our students are able to meet back up in the virtual afternoon with their original teacher and classmates- I think it has been an added bonus to be able to make new friends and keep the “old”. :)
Update on in-person learning
It has been amazing to watch the kids being so careful about social distancing- they really pay attention to the visuals on the floors and remind one another, when needed. They also have done a great job with mask-wearing and being conscientious about hand-washing and sanitizing. The teachers and staff spent much time reviewing the routines and procedures to ensure the kids know just what to do and they have really picked all of the changes up quickly.
Speaking of routines, a reminder that arrival time is 8:00am-8:20am. After 8:20am, your student is considered tardy. It is so much nicer for the kids to come in and have a moment before getting down to a busy day of school. We have also been so efficient with the dismissal routine that we have found that almost all of our students are picked up by 12:00pm. I’d like to encourage you to pick up your students by 12:00pm.
Thank you to families and caregivers for demonstrating respect and modeling safe behaviors for our students as you come to the school for arrival and dismissal. I see everyone in masks and practicing social distancing. Our behaviors as adults have such impacts on our kids. They are always watching and taking their cues from us.
Regarding dismissal, if anyone other than immediate family (such as nanny, aunt, uncle, friend) will be picking up your child on a regular basis, please contact Mrs. Hearn so she can add that person’s name and contact number to Infinite Campus. We want to ensure that we are dismissing children safely.
General Updates
CSD has added a FAQ section to their website. There is good information here- please take a moment to review. This page also shows the communication protocol and what to expect in the event of a quarantine. Always reach out to me and Nurse Beth if you have any questions about possible exposures or quarantine. Communication is always important but even more so right now!
Thank you, families, for all you are doing right now. I know I have told you this many times but I am a parent, too. My kids are 8 and 9 years old. And it is not easy right now, whether virtual or in-person. My heart is with you and with our staff and students. You are doing a good job and we are in this together as one Glennwood community.
Warmest Regards,
Dr. Brookins
Staff Spotlight
My name is Beth Barrington, and I am so excited to be the nurse at Glennwood Elementary this school year! I have lived in Decatur for the last 13 years, and I have two children in the school system. My oldest is at Talley in 5th grade and is a graduate of Glennwood, and my youngest will be in kindergarten next year. The school has been near and dear to my heart for many years now.
In over 20 years as a nurse, I have worked primarily in pediatrics in a variety of settings including primary care, urgent care and PICU (pediatric intensive care). I love being a nurse and the diversity of different specialties within nursing. The last year or so has certainly been challenging, and I am looking forward to the day that all students will be back in the school building. Please feel free to reach out if you need anything or have questions, and I will support you in any way that I can.
You can reach me by email ebarrington@csdecatur.net or by phone 404-370-4435.
Important Information About Gifted Review
Each year the gifted review team looks at existing student data to discuss students’ needs and determine if a further evaluation for gifted identification is needed. If you are interested in having your child reviewed and possibly evaluated for gifted services eligibility, you may complete a Recommendation for Review Form (found at the website below) and turn it into the Gifted & Talented Specialist at your child’s school before March 8th. No additional information is needed. The Gifted & Talented Specialist for Glennwood is Susanna Shewan. For more detailed information about the evaluation process and to obtain a copy of the Recommendation for Review Form, please contact the Gifted & Talented Specialist for your school at sshewan@csdecatur.net
SLT Meeting - Feb. 8
All are welcome to the next Glennwood SLT Meeting is scheduled for Monday, Feb 8th, at 4:00 pm. The meeting link is: meet.google.com/nie-knws-wmz.
Agenda
- Public Comment
- PTA Update
- Updates to Action Items
- Principal's Report
- SLT Chair update
Yearbooks, Yearbooks, Get Your Yearbooks!
Yearbook ordering time is upon us families; we’d LOVE to see all your photos from both virtual and face to face learning activities, but our photo supply is a bit scarce. The 2020-2021 school year is one that will “go down in history,” and we want to capture the memories. Feel free to share your pictures in the Glennwood Elementary School (Decatur, GA) Parents Page Facebook group OR email them to natasha@vorspel-rueter.com. Be sure to include your child’s first & last name as well as their (original) teacher’s name & grade.
YEARBOOK PICTURES
We have an opportunity for virtual and in-person students to have socially distanced school pictures taken. If your child is an in-person learner and you would like to decline your child having their picture made, please email your teacher.
The photographer will be set up outside with two tents, six feet apart. The photographer will use a lens that can zoom in from a distance. He will be under one tent and as each child is photographed, they will step underneath the 2nd tent. They will briefly remove their mask for the picture only.
After the pictures have been taken, we will receive a link that will be shared with parents. Parents will use the student's ID number to login and view/purchase the pictures.
Picture Day 1: Wednesday March 3rd - In person students 9:00am & 11:00am and Virtual Students 1:00pm & 3:00pm
Picture Day 2: Thursday March 4th - In person students 9:00am & 11:00am and Virtual Students 1:00pm & 3:00pm
For families who would prefer to take their own portrait at home, we will gladly accept those for the yearbook. Please email your pictures to natasha@vorspel-rueter.com; be sure to include your child’s first and last name as well as their original teacher’s name and grade. The deadline to submit a portrait is March 12th, 2021. Here are some fun “portrait from home ideas” that you can do with your student: https://memorybook.com/documents/portrait_ideas.pdf (Please note, if your child doesn't attend the in-person photo session and doesn't upload a portrait from home, she/he will not have a headshot photo in the yearbook.)
YEARBOOK PURCHASES
The 2020-2021 Glennwood Yearbook is now on sale for $20. Orders must be completed by April 6th, 2021 via the Glennwood PTA website. To order a yearbook, go to: Store – Glennwood Elementary PTA (glennwoodpta.org). It is an important Glennwood PTA tradition that every student and staff receive a yearbook. If you would like to contribute this effort, please consider donating a yearbook to a student or staff. You can donate a yearbook for $20 here: Store – Glennwood Elementary PTA (glennwoodpta.org)
DEDICATIONS:
Create Yearbook DEDICATIONS for your child or teachers – the DEADLINE to purchase is March 16th, 2021
**Please note that dedications can only be placed online via the Memory Book website.**
To purchase a dedication:
Step 1
Create a login (or enter the login information from last year) by going to this link: https://www.memorybook.com/online-pay/parent-pay/
Step 2:
Enter our school code 189401
Step 3:
Create/design your dedication
Pricing for Dedications is as follows:
$15.00 for 1/8 page
$20.00 for 1/4 page
$35.00 for 1/2 page
Yearbooks are expected to be delivered on or around mid-May. More details to come!
Read-a-Thon Wrap Up:
A big thank you to all who participated in this year's Read-a-Thon! We are so pleased to announce that we exceeded both our "Minutes Read" goal as well as our fundraising goal this year!
All students who created a Read-a-Thon Campaign Page on the PTA website have a prize bag waiting for them in the media center bin outside the main entrance to Glennwood. The prize bags are organized alphabetically by grade. Additional prizes for students who logged at least 15 hours of reading during Read-a-Thon will be available after Winter break. Those students, the grade-level winners, and the overall school winner will be announced at Community Circle on Friday, February 12.
From the CSD Special Education Department: Parent Survey
The Georgia Department of Education is requesting that parents who have a student with an IEP complete the Special Education Parent Satisfaction Survey. If you have more than one student who has an IEP, please fill out a separate survey for each student. This survey helps to guide our district and state toward a more meaningful collaboration, which helps to bring about good outcomes for our students' education. For questions concerning the survey please email Cheryl Grant cgrant@csdecatur.net. Thank you in advance for taking the time to complete this survey.
From Our Nutrition Department
If your child is eating with us and requires vegetarian meals OR has a special dietary need, please fill out this google form: https://forms.gle/eyo5veaaAN8iBczp6
Vegetarian students are required to fill out this online form, and no further action is necessary. For our in-person students: we will have your child's meals labeled with their name at the front office/desk of their school. For our virtual students: we are prepared with the required amount of vegetarian meals at our TakeOutSpot at Decatur High School. Please pick-up meals on MWF between 10:30 AM - 12:30 PM.
Students with special dietary needs are required to return the completed form "Medical Statement for Accommodating Disabilities" to our Food and Nutrition Supervisor at sblack@csdecatur.net. Please note that a healthcare provider must fill out & sign the form. We must receive this completed paperwork before we can begin to make menu accommodations. Only filling out our google form or emailing our department is not sufficient documentation. In the past food allergies have been handled more so by individual schools and nurses, however, we are moving towards having all food allergy documentation come through the School Nutrition Department. If you have a student who is only requesting lactose-free milk, note that the paperwork "CSD Milk Substitution Form" can be filled out by a parent/guardian OR a healthcare provider. Please see our Special Diets webpage for more details: https://www.csdecatur.net/Page/1403
Students with special dietary needs who are learning in-person: we will have your child's meals labeled with their name at the front office/desk of their school. Students with special dietary needs who are learning virtually: we will have your child's meals labeled with their name at our TakeOutSpot at Decatur High School.
Our menus for the remainder of the 2020-2021 school year will be pork-free. Thank you for your patience as we work through new processes this school year.
From the City of Decatur
Decatur Strategic Plan for 202s...
The roundtables process included 800 registrants who contributed thousands of comments. Many of these comments about Decatur’s future were in agreement, but some topics revealed conflicting perspectives about how Decatur should chart its course for the next 10 years.
The 202s will allow for a deep dive on these topics. After hearing from subject matter experts, we will join together in virtual discussion groups to help understand tradeoffs and find balance among differing perspectives. Input will be used to form recommendations on how the Strategic Plan should address these issues. The 202s will seek to answer the question: “What does success look like in a community of 25K people within a metropolitan region of nearly 6 million people?”
Climate Change:
Thursday, February 11, 6-8 p.m.
Speakers will be announced closer to the event. All events will occur on Zoom and will be recorded and available after the meeting. Visit decatur2030.com for details.
DEF News
Load Up with New Books for Winter Break!
DEF is hosting a Covid-safe book sale at Legacy Park’s Cochran Building (the gym) just in time for Winter Break. There’s a large selection of gently used children’s books from toddler to high school at bargain prices! You can sign up for 20-minute shopping slots here.
The Tour Must Go On!
Due to Covid-19, DEF can’t host its annual Tour deCatur 5K and Fun Run in its usual in-person form. This year, we are offering a “Run Where You Are” 5K and Fun Run on the weekend of March 27th. 5K participants can register at www.tourdecatur.com where you can also order an event shirt. We hope this event will encourage the community to go outside to celebrate our health and the onset of spring. For some participants, this year’s Tour could be a goal to achieve or a fun family activity, and for others, it might just be exciting to have something to put on the calendar! 5K participants can submit a photo of their tracked time, and race results will be posted on the race website and on the DEF Facebook page in the week following the race.
The Joe’s Fund Challenge
Decatur Education Foundation and Decatur City Church are excited to announce they have joined forces to launch the Joe’s Fund Challenge! Decatur City Church’s Be Rich Campaign recently donated $25,000 to DEF’s Joe’s Fund which supports our kids’ behavioral health. Joe’s Fund, initiated by the family of Joe Bodine after his death in 2016, has been instrumental in the creation of the Decatur Student Center at Decatur High, as well as the recent expansion of services to Renfroe Middle School.
Together, DEF and Decatur City Church is challenging our community to help us raise an additional $25,000 to double the impact we can make collectively. Your contribution to Joe’s Fund today will help expand the behavioral health programming at the high school and middle school and will allow us to offer behavioral health grants to every K-5 school. Early intervention can help arm our students with the coping skills they need to face future challenges. Help us help our kids. Gifts to Joe’s Fund will ensure that we can continue to react to address the wide and varied needs of all of our kids. To take part in the challenge, please visit www.decatureducationfoundation.org/joesfund. Together, we make a difference!
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.