Welcome back! I hope everyone had a wonderful and restful spring break!

Your child’s school experience and success each year is very important to us. As we prepare to make class lists for next year, please know that you can place your trust in your child's teacher(s) and staff to make careful, thoughtful placements. The process for placement in a class for the next school year takes many hours. We are very intentional and deliberate as we place students.

We value your input on this! If you wish to share information for us to consider regarding your child, please consider completing the 23-24 GL Parent Input Form by Friday, April 21st. Please do not request a specific teacher but feel free to share characteristics that are important for your child.

Congratulations to CSD's Young Author Contest Winners! Elliott Scott is the City Schools of Decatur, District Kindergarten Winner of the 2023 Young Georgia Authors Contest and Lucas Stinson is the City Schools of Decatur, District Second Grade Winner of the 2023 Young Georgia Authors Contest. Congratulations to these two Glennwood students for winning for the district! We are very proud of you!

Elliott is in Ms. Ronco's class and Lucas is in Ms. Marquez's class. These students along with their families will be recognized at the April 18 CSD Board of Education Meeting.

The Young Georgia Authors (YGA) writing competition has encouraged K-12 Georgia students to develop an enthusiasm for writing for over 20 years. This prestigious competition is sponsored by the Georgia Language Arts Supervisors and the Georgia Regional Education Service Agency Network, with the support of the Georgia Department of Education.

Warmest regards,

Holly Brookins, PhD

Principal

hbrookins@csdecatur.net

Kids can be very hard on themselves. So can adults! This can lead to negative self-talk and easily giving up on current and future endeavors. The good news is that this fixed mindset can be countered. Please join GSU school counseling intern, Drew Wilson, on Friday, April 14th at 9:00 AM (following Community Circle) in the Media Center to discuss facilitating the opposite of a fixed mindset: Growth mindset. We will cover some of what the students have already learned about growth mindset in school and introduce some things you as parents can do to help foster it. We will also discuss ways that you as a parent can practice a growth mindset in order to model for your children. Coffee and light pastries will be provided by the Glennwood PTA. Please reach out to Drew Wilson at dwilson114@csdecatur.net with any questions.

Hello families of rising Glennwood kindergarteners! We are looking forward to meeting you for our Rising K-Day at Glennwood on Thursday April 20th. Please make sure you have registered your child for kindergarten for the 2023-24 school year prior to Rising K-Day. We are offering morning and afternoon times for your visit. Please sign up here to join us for a 30-minute time slot. During your visit, we will conduct a brief basic skills screener with your child, provide a short overview of what to expect in kindergarten at Glennwood, and do a school tour. We look forward to seeing you soon!

I am excited that Glennwood Elementary will be hosting a blood drive with the Red Cross on May 16th. Please sign up to donate blood if you are able.

As a reminder, please provide a change of clothes that can be kept in your child's locker. The playground is muddy, kids spill things, and all kids, even the 2nd graders, have bathroom accidents. The school has a very limited supply of extra clothes and underwear. If your child needs a change of clothes, and we do not have something to fit, we will call you to bring in a change. Having an extra set in their locker will alleviate interrupting your day and will help the child return to class asap.

If you have any older clothes that you were planning on donating, pants and shorts for both boys and girls, we will gladly take them!

As always, if you have questions, please reach out by email at ebarrington@csdecatur.net or 404-371-4435

Nurse Beth

PTA Board Nominating Form 2023-2024

Do you want to get involved with Glennwood? Join the PTA board or help the PTA by being a chair! The current PTA is accepting nominations for the board and has some vacant spots for the 2023-2024 school year. Please complete the Nominating Form if you would like to join the PTA Board or chair or join a PTA Committee, by Friday April 28.

Interested in learning more? Please email Co-Presidents, Leslie Sessley and Kelly Stinson at: President@glennwoodpta.org

Staff Appreciation Monthly Snack Table: Kindergarten hosting "Spring"-themed brunch table for April

Calling all kindergarten families! Kindergarten is hosting a "spring"-themed brunch table for our staff in April. We are collecting funds for a fresh brunch of bagels, coffee, juice, fruit, and mini-donuts. You can sign up below to donate funds to the PTA's paypal (treasurer@glennwoodpta.org) (please mark your donation as for the "Staff Appreciation April Snack Table") or sign up to bring something here. The PTA will use the funds collected to order fresh bagels and coffee on the day of the brunch.

We are also requesting volunteers to help with cleaning up, so please consider volunteering an hour of your time. Please drop off all donations to Ms. Reynolds at the front desk Monday, April 17-Wednesday, April 19th during school hours. We will host the snack table on Thursday, April 20th.

If you have any questions, please contact Staff Appreciation Chairs, Haley Stevens at haleycstevens@gmail.com or Samantha Bryan at samantha.chopp@gmail.com Thank you!

Save the Date - Glennwood Staff Appreciation Week is May 1-5

Mark your calendars now for Glennwood’s Staff Appreciation Week, May 1-5. The PTA will be hosting several fun events for our staff throughout the week. We will be requesting participation from our students as well as needing adult volunteers throughout the week, so please be on the lookout for more info from your room parents soon. We hope you will join us to thank our amazing staff for all their hard work for our students this year!

If you have any questions or would like to volunteer, please reach out to Haley Stevens (haleycstevens@gmail.com) or Samantha Bryan (samantha.chopp@gmail.com)

Hello future Talley Tiger parents and students! We are so excited to have you as a part of our crew for the 23-24 school year. We have a couple of events that we hope will get you excited and help with the transition to upper elementary school. To begin, we look forward to hosting our rising third graders on Tuesday, May 16th (Winnona Park) and Wednesday, May 17th (Clairemont/Glenwood). The students will be given a tour of the school by our student House leaders and will see inside a 3rd grade classroom.

In addition, all rising 3rd grade parents are invited to an information night on Wednesday, 5/17 from 6-7. It will include meeting 3rd grade teachers, learning more about the school, and taking a tour.

We look forward to meeting you and your children next month. Should you have any questions or concerns about next year, please reach out to me at bheaton@csdecatur.net.

Billy Heaton

Principal

Talley Street Upper Elementary

Extra Mile Awards

Students: Do you know a teacher or CSD employee who has gone “the extra mile” this year? Nominate them for the CSD Extra Mile Award! The Extra Mile Award is an annual award that allows students to show appreciation for the teachers or staff they feel go above and beyond what is expected of them.

Students (not parents) at any grade level can write an essay describing how their teacher (or staff member) goes the extra mile (parents can help younger children write the essay). The essays should be detailed and describe how the employee goes above and beyond.

Click here to submit a nomination. The deadline is May 31.

These awards will be presented at the CSD Opening Day Celebration in July.

Questions? Contact cburnett@csdecatur.net or 404-371-3601

CSD Special Education Department

This month we are hosting a Parent Engagement Meeting for families of students with IEPs on the topic of Supplemental Security Income (SSI). Please share the following with families:

Supplemental Security Income (SSI) Meeting

WHEN: Thursday, April 27th, 6-7pm

WHERE: This is an online event.

WHO: Parents of students that are served through an IEP (ECLC- 12th).

MORE INFORMATION

Ms. Alicia Lipscomb, Public Affairs Specialist, for the Social Security Administration will share an overview of how to access SSI for individuals with a disability.

• What is SSI?

• How do parents apply for their student?

• What does it mean to qualify for SSI?

• What comes with the SSI benefits

• What recourse do families have if denied the benefit?

Click here to RSVP or email Cheryl Grant, cgrant@csdecatur.net

DHS SGA Earth Day 5K

The DHS Student Government Association (SGA) is hosting their inaugural SGA Earth Day 5K at Legacy Park on April 29, 2023 at 3:00 p.m. Proceeds from this event will support SGA’s future sustainability efforts and the Decatur Track and Field. Bring the family and enjoy sprint races and activities, music, prizes, and food vendors.

Two Live Music Events!

Tickets now on sale! Amplify Decatur is hosting their Spring Concert in the Square on Saturday, April 29th and DEF is so pleased to be one of the beneficiaries. The line-up is chock full of some amazing musicians – check them out and purchase tickets here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/amplify-decatur-music-festival-tickets-527859721637. If you’d like to enjoy live music for FREE, consider volunteering at the concert! There are spots at every time of day available. Click here to sign up: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/904084caba628abff2-amplify1#/ Your evening of live music will support DEF, Decatur Cooperative Ministry and Giving Kitchen.

Come see some of our talented Decatur High musicians perform at No Ordinary Joe! Benefitting DEF’s behavioral health initiative, Joe’s Fund, No Ordinary Joe will feature Decatur High School’s Exploring Music Club members for an evening of live music at Waller’s Coffee Shop on Thursday, May 4th starting at 7pm. Tickets are now on sale at www.decatureducationfoundation.org/noordinaryjoe: $25 for adults/$10 for students. Big thanks to Waller’s for donating their space!

Nominate a Hero

Do you know a CSD teacher, paraprofessional or employee who has shown extreme care and compassion for a student at a time of great need or crisis? We are currently accepting nominations for the Clarence Strickland Make A Difference Award HERE. Nominations are due by April 20th and the recipient will be recognized at our scholarship event on May 15th.