Eagle Edition
January 27, 2022
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
Friday, January 28
Virtual Community Circle
Specials' Classes Hosting
Monday, January 31
Young Author Submissions Due
Friday, February 4
3rd Annual African American Read-In
8:30 am
Monday, February 7
SLT Meeting - 4:30-6:00 pm
February 7-11
Virtual Parent Teacher Conferences
February 10 and 11
Early Release Days at 12:50 pm
Friday, February 11
Virtual Community Circle
First Grade Classes Hosting
February 14-18
Winter Break
February 22
2.22.22 Day! - Tutus, Ties and Tennis Shoes
Where Learning Takes Flight
January Design Principle: Primacy of Self-Discovery
"Knowing yourself is the beginning of all wisdom."
~Aristotle
Hello Glennwood Families!
It has been a great week at Glennwood! We exceeded our Read-a-Thon goal- that is so exciting! Read below for more details from PTA. Huge thanks to our students and families!
Surveillance testing began again yesterday at Glennwood. We tested over 80 students and staff and had 0 positive cases which was welcome news. Testing was very fast and efficient. If you would like to register your child to test, here is the LINK.
Stay warm out there! Spring isn’t too far away!
Warmest regards,
Dr. Holly Brookins
Principal
Young Author Competition Submissions Due Jan. 31!
Read-a-Thon: Thank you for your support and participation!
Read-a-Thon was a great success! We raised more than $9,000 to fund various important projects and initiatives that benefit all our crew, and we more than doubled our minutes' goal by reading more than 33,000 minutes! We had 16 Super Readers that read more than 12 hours! Way to go, Glennwood! (Final results will be announced at Community Circle this Friday.) A special shout out to Jen Lewin, our chair for this awesome fundraiser for PTA! Thank you everyone!
Kick Off to Celebrating Black History, Our History Month at Glennwood
As part of Black History, Our History month, we wanted to share some of the ways that we are celebrating at Glennwood and in our community and also invite you to join us. While we know that the month of February is a time to reflect upon and celebrate Black History- both the achievements of Black people and their central role in our history. We want to emphasize that learning about Black History is learning about our history. This month-long celebration doesn’t start and end in February. The contributions and achievements of Black people and their central role in history is part of the rich fabric of our American history. It is not separate but interwoven, and embedded throughout all aspects of our lives and should be studied and celebrated all year long.
Glennwood’s 3rd Annual African American Read-In
In an effort to make literacy a significant part of Black History Month, the Black Caucus of the National Council of Teachers of English created African American Read-Ins more than 30 years ago! To kick off Black History Month here at Glennwood, we will host our 3rd Annual African American Read-In on Friday, February 4th, Each Glennwood classroom will virtually host a special guest who will read aloud a selected book written by an African American author. The goal is that all staff, students, and guest readers are reading, listening to, discussing, and celebrating the work of African American authors during that time.
Black History, Our History Choice Board
The Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) subcommittee of Glennwood’s PTA has put together a choice board filled with activities centered on Black History, Our History, for families to engage with throughout the month of February. These activities are meant for you to explore on your own time with your family. Please use this link to access the choice board. A big thank you to our DEI committee, including Natasha Vorspel-Reuter, Leslie Sessley, Aichuan Kwong, and GL staff member Dee Anna Rittenhouse for taking the time to put together this wonderful resource!
Throughout the month of Black History, Our History
Additionally, teachers will be building in activities, stories, and discussions around Black History all month long using a variety of resources including 28 Days: Moments in Black History That Changed the World by Charles R. Smith Jr.. Each week of February we will host a contest called Mystery Person. Each day a staff member will read clues to students about a famous African American person. The students will learn something new about that person each day and will be provided the opportunity to submit a name by the end of each week. The mystery person will be revealed each Friday and a student’s name will be drawn for a weekly prize.Next week, I will teach the 2nd lesson in an Equity Unit in Kindergarten and 1st grade. We began last week by learning about different types of families, how families show caring, and why they are important to us. In the following lessons, we will learn about similarities and differences and getting along.
Bus Driver Appreciation
The City of Decatur is promoting Love My Bus Month this year by celebrating our School Bus Drivers! During the month of February, we will recognize our bus drivers with a small appreciation bag of swag items and a shout-out in our city newsletter. We are also hoping to share a thank you video from students and would love your help creating the video. To participate, have your bus rider student record a short video with answers to one or more of the below questions and email it to Sam Pratt at spratt@gacommuteoptions.com by February 4th. We know the pandemic changed how many students get to school so current and pre-pandemic bus riders are welcome to participate. Please share this with anyone who might want to share an appreciation with our City of Decatur School Bus Drivers.
School Bus Rider Questions:
1. What do you like most about your bus driver?
2. Why do you like riding the bus?
3. Why is riding the bus important for keeping our air clean?
Run With the Dogs 5K is Almost Here!
Run With the Dogs is this Saturday! Online registration has closed, but you can still register in person at any of the packet pickup times. Here are the options for registering in person and for picking up your race number and T-shirt if you are already registered.
Thursday, January 27 at Fleet Feet Decatur, 431 W. Ponce de Leon Avenue
10 am - 6 pm
*Packet pickup will be available inside the store. Take advantage of a 15% in-store discount that day, and all day Saturday and Sunday with race bib.
Friday, January 28 (DRIVE-THROUGH) at Renfroe Middle School
5 pm - 7 pm
*Enter the driveway from Kings Highway for drive-through packet pickup.
Saturday, January 29 (RACE DAY) at Renfroe Middle School
7:30 am - 8:30 am
*Look for signs for onsite packet pickup.
Thank you for supporting Run With the Dogs, the largest annual fundraiser of the Decatur Bulldog Boosters. The Booster Club supports 1,000 student-athletes on 45 teams representing 14 different sports at Decatur High School and Renfroe Middle School through annual team grants.
For more information on Run With the Dogs, click here.
MTSS Department Presents CSD Super Saturdays for K-5
Please complete the form to register your K-5 CSD student(s) for a Super Saturday session.CSD teachers and highly recommended staff will conduct engaging hands-on enrichment activities with small groups (1:10) of students on one (1) Saturday per month. The instructional focus will change from month to month (Math, STEM, ELA/Reading, etc.). All sessions will run from 9:00 am- noon. This is FREE to all CSD K-5 students, but space is limited based on teacher availability. Registration will close at noon on the Friday before the session OR when all spaces have been filled. You will receive a confirmation email from Google upon successful registration. REGISTER HERE
GA DOE Survey for Parents
Does Your Child Need a Coat?
Does your child need a coat?
The winter months are here and we want to make sure our CSD students stay warm!! We have winter coats for students who need them!!
If your student needs a coat this winter, please use the link to fill out the Coat Request Form. It's simple and quick. Once the form has been processed, you will receive additional information.
If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out to me at phardnett@csdecatur.net or Willie Washington at wwashington@csdecatur.net.
CSD Virtual Roundtable Opportunity - Thursday, January 27, 2022 - 6:00pm - 7:30pm
Want to learn more about the programs available in CSD to support students??
- ESOL & Federal Programs
- MTSS
- Special Education
- Equity & Student Support
Submit questions here (* Question submission is still open)
Save the Dates! There are two great family-friendly events coming soon that both benefit DEF:
- Mead Road Mardi Gras Parade on Saturday, February 26th and the 20th Tour deCatur 5K on Saturday, March 12th! To register a community Krewe for the parade, please visit www.meadrdmardigras.org. Registration for the Tour deCatur 5K and one-mile Fun Run will begin on February 1st at www.tourdecatur.com.
- DEF is teaming up with the counselors at Talley Street and Renfroe Middle School to keep the snacks stocked. We are also accepting donations to our weekend backpack program which provides supplemental food for students who need it. If you'd like to help with a donation, click HERE for links to each school's Amazon Wish List. Your orders will go straight to the schools.
DEF Volunteer Opportunities
- As a Virtual Pals tutor -- we need tutors to be paired with a 2nd- 8th grade Decatur student for a one-hour weekly session. Click here to apply.
- As a Virtual Pals Coordinator -- we need one person who checks in with the tutor pairs on a weekly basis. Time commitment is 1 hour per week. Email muslimo@decatureducationfoundation.org to apply.
- As an AIM Mentor -- we need adult male and female mentors to be paired with a third-grader to have new experiences and find their passions. The time commitment is just 2-4 hours per month.
- As a REACH Mentor – we need just one more adult male to mentor an 8th-grade student who has been nominated by his teachers for the REACH GA program. REACH mentors help their mentees through the rigors of high school and college applications. Time commitment is just 2-4 hours per month.
If you've got a little extra time to share your life wisdom with a Decatur student, we've got opportunities! Please visit www.decatureducationfoundation.org/mentoring to learn more and apply.
Please join the Decatur Parents Network for our February 2nd Virtual Speaker Series at 7:00 p.m. This month's topic is Where is Your Family Going...Developing a Mission for Your Family and a Vision for Your Children?
For more information and to register for this event, visit the website HERE.