Eagle Edition
August 27, 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
Calendar of Events
Monday, September 7
Labor Day Holiday (No School)
Wednesday, September 9
No Wellness Wednesday (Regular virtual learning day)
Friday, September 11
First Virtual Community Circle
Where Learning Takes Flight
August Design Principle: The Responsibility for Learning
"The price of greatness is responsibility."
~Winston Churchill
Greetings from Dr. Brookins
Dear Families,
Can you believe we are almost at the end of our 2nd week of virtual learning? I hope it feels like you are starting to get into the rhythm and flow. I have been spending time in CREW meetings, in classes and in SEE learning. I cannot tell you how impressed I am with our staff and our students. It has been amazing to see how the teachers are able to dissolve the screen and engage our learners! I have loved watching the students practice proper online etiquette including using mute and unmute appropriately as they participate in class- they are doing much better with this piece than many adults, including me!
It is certainly an interesting time to come onboard as a new leader at a new school. I have spent a lot of time getting to know our faculty and staff via one-on-one virtual meetings, staff meetings and trainings. My next goal is to begin to get to know our students and families. Building relationships is a cornerstone of my leadership philosophy and I want to get to know all of you better!
Typically, you would see me outside each morning during arrival and dismissal greeting every student by name! I make it my personal goal to know all of our students’ names. Knowing someone’s name allows you to connect with that person and lets them know that they are important to you. I want my students to know that they are important and they matter to me (to all of us!). I also want to get to know our families! Look for more information to come from me regarding opportunities for things like student lunch bunch sign-ups with me and Lunch and Learn opportunities where the admin team will answer some of your burning questions about virtual learning and other topics!
In the meantime, thank you for continuing to show us grace, kindness and compassion as we move through these unfamiliar waters and create engaging and effective learning for our students. Always feel free to reach out to me with questions or concerns or if you need assistance with something. As I have been meeting with classes, I always tell them that being a principal means that I am a helper at the school, and I am here to help all of you!
Thanks so much for your continued support. I have loved my time at Glenwood so far- what a special place! Stay safe and well!
Dr. Holly Brookins
Virtual Learning Help
Guardian Notifications for Google Classroom
Late last week, we began emailing invitations to guardians to receive guardian summary messages from Google Classroom. These invitations went to the primary email address for people identified as a child's guardian in the Infinite Campus Parent Portal. For additional information on guardian notifications, you can visit the Virtual Learning Help & Knowledge Center's Tech Help page (under the For parents section). Parents may receive guardian notices to any email address. Please click here for additional information on what the guardian invites look like. And FAQ is also available.
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.
In an effort to support family engagement and participation in the learning process for students as we are learning virtually, we have prepared content guides for each grade level and core content. Please follow the link below to review the content pacing for your child’s learning.
Tech Tip for Parents - Check out this calming podcast for children.
The Calm Kids Podcast - Stories by kids, for kids to unwind and go to sleep relaxed and happy.
City Schools of Decatur Introduces FLYbrary
Although CSD has eBooks and will continue to promote them, we want to ensure access to books for all CSD students.
FLYbrary will begin September 1st - Sign Up for the Glennwood FLYbrary here. You must complete this form to participate.
FLYbrary Basic Procedures
Students may reserve books for checkout using the hold feature on Glennwood’s Destiny Discover website, which can be found on our Media Center page, under Media Center Card Catalog. Please watch this video tutorial on how to place books on hold.
Check-out period will be 3 weeks.
Students may check out 4 books at a time.
Books will be available for pick up at Glennwood or your designated bus stop on Tuesdays.
Books may be returned to the school anytime and placed in the cooler on the front doorsteps of the front entrance to the school.
OPTION 1: PICK UP AT GLENNWOOD ON TUESDAYS BETWEEN 11:30-3:30 PM Books will be bagged and labeled with the student’s name and placed on the front doorsteps for pick up during designated hours.
OPTION 2: FLYBRARY BUS DELIVERY ON TUESDAYS - Books will be bagged and labeled with the student’s name and available for pick up at designated bus stops (refer to bus schedule on the app mentioned below).
*Books must be reserved by 8:00 am on Tuesdays for pick up or delivery on that day.*
Bus Delivery
CSD's transportation department is now using the Predictable Ryde Bus tracking app.
If you need to find your bus route/zone during virtual school, you can find that on the CSD school zone map found here. To register and set up your Predictable Ryde Bus Tracking App:
Next, after registering, please see the instructions here to properly set up your app. *Please have your student ID number ready in order to register. If prompted for a registration code, use: DECATUR.
Then, open your app and become familiar with it before the first day you plan to track your bus route.
No Wellness Wednesday the Week of Labor Day
8:30-9:00 Kindergarten students
9:15-9:45 1st Grade students
10:00-10:30 2nd Grade students
How Does My Child Attend the SEE Learning Session?
Students will report to their homeroom Google Classroom at the designated time for their grade level session. A SEE Coach/Co-Teacher will be leading the live session in their Google Classroom. No new Google Meet link is needed - simply report to the homeroom teacher's Google Classroom tomorrow at the designated time listed above.
Attendance is required in these sessions however, if a student misses a SEE session, they will have 48 hours to complete the lesson in order to have their attendance counted. Makeup assignments will be sent via the SEE Google Classroom with the video links posted.
To ensure students have a full academic week during the week of Labor Day, student schedules will not include Wellness Wednesday on September 9th. The academic schedule will shift one day (i.e., Monday classes will be held Tuesday and Tuesday classes will be held Wednesday).
This week, the SEE Learning facilitators began the first formal lesson of SEE Learning. All SEE Learning lessons begin with a mindfulness component, and this week we focused on the breath. Afterward, we did an insight activity where students identified things that they have in common and differences that they experience. We moved from a very surface level (e.g., "Who enjoys pizza?") to a much more subtle level where we realize that we are all the same in wanting happiness and wanting to avoid pain. Students were then asked about a time that they showed kindness to others or kindness was shown to them. We will follow-up more with this next week.
Creativity and Critical Thinking Classes
Hello Glennwood Families,
This week I had the privilege of beginning Creativity and Critical Thinking classes with all of your little ones. The goal of these classes is to implement enrichment activities that engage all students in the challenge of a new thinking skill.
At Glennwood, we believe that creativity and critical thinking is essential to student success, because it provides opportunities for students to think critically and to become more comfortable in taking intellectual risks.
These classes will be delivered either live or pre-recorded every week to each grade level. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me. sshewan@csdecatur.net
I look forward to working with all of your children.
Best,
Susanna Shewan
Medication Form Update from the School Health Team
In anticipation of in-person learning, the City School of Decatur School Health Program would like to make parents & guardians aware of a change in the procedure for medication administration. For any student who requires medication to be administered during school hours, the Authorization for Medication Administration form must be completed in its entirety. This authorization form has been updated and now requires an authorized prescriber to complete and sign the designated area before prescription medication can be administered at the school. Please note, a physician’s signature will be required for any over the counter medication that is to be administered outside of the manufacturers guidelines. The schools will no longer accept the old Authorization for Medication Administration form. The new form may be found on your school’s website. The complete medication guidelines can be found in the District Handbook. We encourage parents to be prepared by having the required documents and signatures in place prior to the start of in-person instruction.
*Over-the-counter medications, when taken on a regular basis or at a dosage at prescription strength, will require a physician’s note that in essence “prescribes” these nonprescription medications.
PTA Membership Drive:
Over the summer, the Glennwood PTA transitioned to a new website in an effort to improve efficiency and better support our students, teachers, and families. The new site will make it easy for you to gather information, volunteer, and engage. We are especially pleased to announce that it will include a password-protected directory of students and parents, to help you stay even more connected during these unprecedented times. Very simply, visit www.glennwoodpta.org to register (following the instructions below) and provide information for the directory, if you wish to be included (please note that creating an account on the website does NOT register you as a PTA member; this just registers you for access to the website material).
Click My Info/Sign In
New User? Click here to register
The password is: soareagles
Follow the prompts to set up a user account and add students/teacher assignments/etc.
While you’re there, please consider joining the PTA for $20 per individual adult, and, if you're able, making a donation to provide valuable support for our students and teachers for the 2020-21 school year. Membership dues and donations will be used to support the PTA’s mission to make every child’s potential a reality by engaging and empowering students, families, and communities in education. Dues will directly support our community and the initiatives, events, and services we offer throughout the year. Our goal is to have 100 percent participation in the PTA this year (financial assistance is available upon request). To pay your dues, please visit: https://glennwoodpta.org/join/ If you have any questions, please reach out to president@glennwoodpta.org We thank you for your support!
Volunteers Needed:
The PTA is seeking the following Board and Chair Positions:
-Community Outreach and Development- PTA Board Position; one monthly meeting (via Zoom currently) required; works with PTA Board to oversee community outreach and fundraising opportunities for the school. No previous experience necessary.
-Co Chair for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Committee-The objective of this Committee is to help promote and enhance spaces at our school community where everyone is appreciated and celebrated. The group will be listening to the voices and needs of all families at Glennwood and aims to be intentional about modeling and promoting the building of meaningful relationships among members of our diverse school community. The Chair(s) will be responsible for leading a monthly meeting and working with the Committee to host (virtual) events that foster a sense of community (both at Glennwood and at the CSD level) and promote conversations on the topics of diversity, equity, and inclusion. If this work speaks to you, please consider volunteering for this very important position at our school.
If interested, please contact president@glennwoodpta.org
After School Clubs (Virtual):
Glennwood has a few virtual after clubs available. To view the opportunities, visit https://glennwoodpta.org/custom-page-2/ (Please be aware that these clubs are NOT sponsored by Glennwood or City Schools of Decatur (CSD), nor will there be a Glennwood staff person present during the class. Glennwood nor CSD are liable and do not specifically endorse these classes.)
City Schools of Decatur Contact Directory
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*