Eagle Edition
January 21, 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
Through January 29
Reading Takes You Places!
Sponsored by GL PTA
Friday, January 29
Virtual Community Circle
Ms. Mason's Class Hosting
February 15-19
Winter Break
Where Learning Takes Flight
January Design Principle: Primacy of Self-Discovery
"You miss 100% of the shots you don't take."
~Wayne Gretzky
Hello Glennwood Families!
I hope that whether your child is enrolled in virtual learning or in-person learning, your child is having a great week! Please remember that although we are not technically in the “first” week of school, we have had some changes and things are new. With changes, it takes time to get back into the routine. Our students, parents and teachers will soon be in a great flow. As we see where tweaks need to be made, we are doing so. My “door” is always open, and I appreciate your feedback, ideas and suggestions. This is a team, and I want to make sure we are working together!
Warmest Regards,
Dr. Brookins
A Few Reminders for In-person Learners
Acceptable face coverings are cloth or disposable masks that fit well over the nose and mouth. Just a reminder that neck gaiters, masks with exhalation valves or bandanas are not acceptable alternatives. Please review with your child that masks need to cover both the mouth and nose and to avoid touching the front of the mask.
If your child has a health condition that needs to be monitored or possibly treated at school, please ensure that the proper medication (prescription medications require the pharmacy label with the student’s name and directions of use) is in the school health clinic, and that the medication is not expired. If your child needs medication at school, a medication administration form and health care plan must be submitted to the school nurse.
Nutrition services are providing breakfast and lunch to any child in the district every day for no charge through the end of this school year. It is encouraged for all children to take advantage of this program. If your child has food allergies or has other dietary needs (ie. vegetarian), please visit the CSD nutrition page and complete the form so your child can be provided with appropriate meals for consumption at home.
As always, you can reach me by email at ebarrington@csdecatur.net or by phone at 404-370-4435
Nurse Beth
In-Person Procedure Reminders
For in-person families, a few reminders to help smooth out our processes:
- Arrival is from 8:00-8:20am and takes place at the various designated entrances. After 8:20am, students are considered tardy. Families should bring students to the front door and ring the bell. Please make every effort to arrive on time. I know that I feel so much better when I have time to settle in and begin my day in an organized fashion! Thank you for being vigilant about arrival time.
- Dismissal begins at 11:50am. We have a very small group of students to dismiss right now, so it goes rather quickly. Please be on time to pick your child up at the designated spot. If dismissal has ended, please come to the front door and ring the bell. Please make every effort to arrive on time for dismissal.
- Families who are car riders, please be vigilant as we have many walkers on the premises.
Glennwood Read-a-Thon is Underway!
The Glennwood Read-a-Thon 2021, “Reading Takes You Places!” is off to a great start! This year's Read-a-Thon began January 16th and will continue until Friday, January 29th.
The Read-a-Thon is an important fundraiser of the PTA that encourages all students to enjoy and excel in reading while participating in a friendly competition for prizes while having fun! Due to COVID and an inability to host our in-person fundraisers this year, the Read-a-Thon will serve as our main fundraiser for this school year and our goal is $9,250. Together we can make it!
Read-a-Thon funds will support many of the PTA’s usual projects, including teacher innovation grants, building improvements, teacher appreciation events and gifts, supplies (school supply kits and Kindergarten t-shirts), and so much more! In this most unique year, funds will also be used to provide personal protective equipment (PPE) and other supplies needed for teachers, staff, and students to return to school, as well as host virtual events, such as the dance party and playdates, to keep our community connected from afar.
We encourage all students to participate and will be providing fun daily reading themes to keep students motivated to READ! To view the daily themes, visit: Peer-to-Peer – Glennwood Elementary PTA (glennwoodpta.org) To participate, Log into your account at https://glennwoodpta.org/ and create a Read-a-Thon Campaign Page for your student. Students can share their Campaign Page via email and/or on social media with friends and family who wish to sponsor and donate. Don’t have an account? No problem. Our Read-a-Thon site will have you logged on and setting up a campaign in minutes. Just go to https://glennwoodpta.org/peer-to-peer/ for easy, step-by-step instructions. Don't forget to log minutes read each day outside of school hours on your student's 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; all students who read over 15 total hours will be recognized with a commemorative medal.
For additional information, visit: Read A Thon 2021 Info to Families.pdf - Google Drive or visit Peer-to-Peer – Glennwood Elementary PTA (glennwoodpta.org)
From the CSD Special Education Department
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 City of Decatur
Decatur Business Association State of the City Address
Tuesday, Jan. 26 • 5:30 p.m. • Online via Zoom
The event is free, but registration is required at https://zoom.us/j/94674745516?pwd=dCtJSWN6Qk0rcmlHbGFwZitiVXB1Zz09.
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.
From Decatur Education Foundation
As CSD rolls out its plans for the spring semester, DEF will 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. 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.
As part of DEF's commitment to becoming an anti-racist organization in both action and in words, we are looking at our relationships with Black parents/guardians and parents/guardians of children who identify as Black to learn how DEF can better engage and support your family. If you identify as a Black parent or guardian or a parent or guardian of a child who identifies as Black and you are part of the City Schools of Decatur community, please take a moment to fill out this survey which will help us understand what matters to you and how we might work together to support kids.
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.