Eagle Edition
September 10, 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
Friday, September 11
First Virtual Community Circle - Ms. Jolley's Class Hosting
Week of September 14
STAR Reading Testing Begins
Monday, September 14
GL SLT Meeting - 4:00-5:30 pm
Wednesday, September 16
Lunch n' Learn - 11:45-12:30
via Google Meet
Topic: Tech Support Q & A
PTA's Diversity Equity, and Inclusion Committee First Meeting at 8:00 pm
via Zoom
Thursday, September 17
Room Parent Meeting at 6:00 pm via Zoom
Week of September 21 - Week of September 28
Parent Conferences
Where Learning Takes Flight
September Design Principle: Success and Failure
"I've failed over and over again in my life and that is why I succeed."
~Michael Jordan
Hello Glennwood Families,
We will be scheduling virtual parent-teacher conferences during the weeks of 9/21 and 9/28. We look forward to a rich discussion about the academic and work habits-related progress your child demonstrated throughout the first six weeks of school. You should receive an email/notification from your child's teacher with information for how to sign up for a parent-teacher conference some time tomorrow, Sept. 11th. Be sure to record the time and date of your child’s conference on your personal calendar. Missed conferences may not be able to be rescheduled promptly.
At this conference, your child’s teacher will share overall impressions on how your child is adapting to the virtual routines of the classroom, the behaviors your child exhibits that promote virtual learning, as well as results from formative and universal screener assessments that we have administered.
This conference will be the official method for communicating the progress your child is making for the first term of school.
Thank you so much for collaborating with us! We look forward to partnering with you so that we can support your child's continued growth and success.
Warmest regards,
Holly Brookins, PhD
First Virtual Community Circle Tomorrow!
We will have Community Circle every other Friday this school year. On the Fridays we do not have Community Circle scheduled, students will attend their regular crew meeting with their teacher. A BIG SHOUT OUT to Ms. Jolley and her class for hosting the first Community Circle of the year!
STAR Reading Testing Begins Next Week
Next week your child will take the STAR Reading test. This test is a computer-adaptive test that measures reading skills. Teachers will be sending more information about the STAR Reading test schedule in their classroom newsletters! Please see the attached guides for more information about this assessment and how it will be used with your student.
Helpful Links:
Glennwood's FLYbrary Heading Into Week Three! Have you signed up?
First, thank you for signing up for FLYbrary. We hope that this will bring lots of smiles to your children as they check out books from the library. Second, thank you for your patience with the process. We are still working on ironing out a few issues. Here are a few helpful reminders:
1. GL FLYbrary only runs on Tuesdays.
2. Please remember that all books must be placed on hold by the cutoff time of 12:00 pm on Mondays.
3. PICK UP Participants - Books will be placed outside on the front doorsteps on Tuesdays from 11:30 am -3:30 pm. If they are not picked up during those hours, they will be returned to the media center. You will be able to pick them up again the following Tuesday.
4. BUS DELIVERY Participants - Please make sure you are following the bus on the app tracker. If you missed your bus stop delivery for pick up, your books will be placed outside the school on front doorsteps until 3:30 pm on Tuesday. If they are not picked up, we will pick them up and try sending them again on the bus the following week.
5. You may return books anytime to the school and place them in the bin permanently located on front doorsteps. If you prefer returning the books via the bus delivery service, please fill out THIS FORM by 12:00 pm on Mondays so that your bus stop will be added to the roster.
6. Remember that students can only have a maximum of four books checked out at a time. They may continue to place books on hold, but until the four checked out books are returned, we cannot check out more. Also, if another student places the same book on hold and has a cleared patron record, we'll have to check the books out to them. In other words, the holds are first come, first served.
Sign Up for the Glennwood FLYbrary here. Please watch this video tutorial on how to place books on hold.
Please recycle! Your books will be delivered in a plastic bag. Please return your books in the same plastic bag so that we may recycle these week to week.
Thank you again for participating and for your patience and flexibility. If you have any questions regarding GL FLYbrary, please email Mrs. Rittenhouse at drittenhouse@csdecatur.net or Mrs. Dishman at adishman@csdecatur.net.
Detailed information about signing up for bus delivery is in the pdf document below and also on our website.
Bike and Be Well – Wed., September 16
Calling all Glennwood Eagles to bike, walk, scoot and MOVE. In conjunction with Wellness Wednesday and in lieu of our usual Walk & Roll (which are on hold while we all learn from home) we are joining together with the other CSD elementary schools for a “Bike and Be Well” event. And, it’s as simple as 1-2-3 to participate!
1- Next Wednesday, just get out for a family walk or bike ride around Decatur (or wherever your family likes to get their move on).
2- Snap a pic of your family biking, walking, scooting (don’t forget your helmets!).
3- Post your picture on Facebook to the Glennwood Elementary School (Decatur, GA) Parents Page using the hashtag, #BikeandBeWell.
It would be wonderful to see all of your smiling faces out moving your bodies, being safe and having fun! Let’s make this a big success Glennwood!! If you have any questions or thoughts, don’t hesitate to reach out to Amanda McMillan, Glennwood Safe Routes to School/Walk & Roll Chair at almcmil@gmail.com.
PTA Directory:
Did you know the PTA provides a password-protected Online Directory of all Glennwood students who opt in to be included? This can be a handy tool to connect with classmates. We encourage every Glennwood student to be included in the online directory. Signing up is easy! To register your student(s) for the online directory, visit www.glennwoodpta.org
-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. to the directory.
Don't miss out on being included!
PTA Membership and Sponsorship Drive now through September 30:
The Glennwood PTA Board's goal is to have every family join the PTA this year. The PTA membership and sponsorship drive is going on now through September 30. Dues are $20 per individual adult (financial assistance available); if you're able, please consider making an additional 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. To pay your dues, please visit: https://glennwoodpta.org/join/ Additionally, if you would like to become a corporate sponsor of the PTA or know of a business that would, please visit: https://glennwoodpta.org/view/become-sponsor/
If you have any questions, please reach out to president@glennwoodpta.org We thank you for your support!
PTA's Diversity Equity, and Inclusion Committee First Meeting, September 16, 8pm:
The Glennwood PTA's Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Committee is having its first meeting of the year on Wednesday, September 16 at 8pm on Zoom. All are welcome to attend. The DEI Committee seeks to promote and enhance spaces at our school community where everyone is appreciated and celebrated. Join us to discuss Glennwood's equity initiatives, work priorities and other important topics for the school year.
The meeting will take place on Zoom Wednesday, September 16 at 8:30pm.
Zoom link:
https://zoom.us/j/99469088303?pwd=Wjh6aXNZUXczZHhSYU5kZklSMW5DQT09
Meeting ID: 994 6908 8303
Passcode: 797267
Room Parent Meeting Thursday, September 17, 6pm:
A meeting of all classroom parents will take place Thursday, September 17th at 6pm via Zoom. Room parents' roles and responsibilities will be discussed. We thank everyone who has volunteered to be a room parent. A few classes are still in need of a room parent, so if you're interested, please check with your teacher.
Glennwood Equity Statement
RACIAL EQUITY STATEMENT
Glennwood Elementary School aims to be a place where everyone is honored and celebrated, feels safe, and flourishes socially and academically in a supportive, non-threatening environment. We believe diversity, social justice, and inclusivity are integral to a child’s development and strive to feature these fundamental values prominently in our curriculum. The Glennwood Elementary staff, School Leadership Team, and PTA are deeply disturbed by both past and current displays of racism demonstrated around our country and in our own school district. We actively seek to understand when any members of our community are hurting, to lean into difficult conversations, and to be anti-racist. We commit to building policies and practices that ensure equitable treatment and dismantling those that systemically perpetuate inequities for our students and families.
EXAMPLES OF CURRENT WORK
We stand firmly committed to the fight for racial equality and equity, and as part of the ways that we stand behind this work, Glennwood has led several initiatives at the school level to continuously grow our anti-racist practices and challenge systemic racism, including:
- In the past year, we organized staff study groups that focused on 1) culturally responsive teaching practices, 2) a video study group on the docu-series Race: The Power of an Illusion, and 3) book studies around Dr. Ibram Kendi’s book, How to Be An Anti-Racist and Dr. Robin DiAngelo’s book, White Fragility. Additionally, our staff engaged in work led by the Anti-Defamation League around implicit bias.
- At the start of the 2019-20 school year, we designed and initiated Boys in Action, an after-school club centered on building and affirming leadership skills, confidence, friendships, and a sense of belonging and empowerment among our Black and Brown boys. The club’s inaugural year was co-led by two of Glennwood’s Black male staff members.
Additionally, the Glennwood PTA initiated a Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, (DEI) Committee last year, with an objective to help promote and enhance spaces at our school community where everyone is appreciated and celebrated. The group is listening to the voices and needs of all families at Glennwood through school-wide surveys and committee meetings. It aims to be intentional about modeling and promoting the building of meaningful relationships among members of our diverse school community. With this objective in mind, the committee hosted a cultural night where Glennwood families shared food, clothing, and performances about their culture, and a virtual peace and potluck event to discuss myths of racism.
COMMITMENT
These are just some of the ways that Glennwood has committed to the crucial work of building an anti-racist knowledge base and ensuring equity and community among our staff members and students. We recognize that this journey is long and that we all find ourselves in different places along the continuum. There is much work to do to right the wrongs of racism in our community and in our country, not just when a national movement invigorates people but always. We must continually educate ourselves, and strive to do better not only through our words of commitment but more importantly through our actions. In the words of Maya Angelou, “Do the best you can until you know better. Then when you know better, do better.” Through our own continued learning, Glennwood will always work to do better.
News from City Schools of Decatur
Annual Data Update:
We have moved the typical beginning of the school year household data update, medical forms, opt-out forms, and handbook sign-offs to the parent portal.
It is important for parents or guardians to complete these forms and sign-offs by September 15. Please note, only parents and guardians in the primary household will have access to fill out the information for the annual data update. Please review the 2020-2021 K-12 District Handbook and Code of Conduct and Restorative Practices Handbook prior to completing the update.
Directions for accessing the data update can be found in the graphic below (attached).
For more detailed information, please watch this video.
News from Decatur Education Foundation
DEF is pleased to announce that we are sponsoring one more of Decatur Book Festival’s Virtual Kid events on September 15th!
Sept 15 at 7 pm: Raise Your Voice - a Young Adult Panel brings together five YA authors to discuss how to make yourself heard and to find your place in the world. Panelists include Elizabeth Acevedo, Becky Albertalli, Aisha Saeed, Renee Watson, Brendan Kiely. To register for this presentation, click here.
You can find books from all of these authors at Little Shop of Stories and Brave + Kind Books.
The Madison Avenue Soapbox Derby’s Ramp to Success Fundraiser benefitting DEF continues through September! If you would like to help students and families face the virtual learning challenges ahead, consider donating at http://madisonavesoapboxderby.org/donate/ -- there’s a gift from Oakhurst Market for every donation level!
Virtual Learning Help
Uploading Student Work to Google Classroom
Many Google Classroom assignments require that students upload their work. By configuring the Google Classroom app on an iPhone, parents may help students easily upload their completed work to their classroom and turn in assignments. If you need support in doing this, please review this video tutorial Mr. C created to help families with this virtual learning tool.
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.
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*