September is National Suicide Awareness and Prevention month. As such, we are providing a resource to families on the topic of suicide prevention. The topics of lessons this month have aligned with emotional wellness. As your school counselor, I have individually met with every student new to Glennwood to introduce myself, get to know them a little bit, and tell them how they can reach out to me if they ever need it. Additionally, I have taught classroom lessons on how to handle frustration as well as celebrating the diversity of who we are. This latter lesson is meant to foster a sense of positive well-being, which offers resiliency in life when things get tough. I will follow-up with another lesson in October on how to deal with worries. Although this month is Suicide Awareness and Prevention month, our efforts to support students and families are ongoing. Throughout the year, we will address wellness, emotional awareness, and healthy coping skills as well as fostering connections to support both in and outside of school. Please don't hesitate to reach out should you have any questions.

Is your child part of the AANHPI and/or APIDA community? Consider becoming part of the Sidekick program at Glennwood ES.

To foster a sense of support and connection within the CSD AANHPI/APIDA community, Decatur HS student mentors will be grouped into pairs and matched up with Glennwood elementary students.

There will be ~7 in-person sessions occurring monthly on Fridays between 11:30 and 12:30 starting this fall (Sept or Oct) and going through April. Meetings will be held at the Glenwood ES campus.

Each session typically includes get to know you games, team work activities, art work, and high five friendship cheers.

This program is free and open to all identifying AANHPI/APIDA students at Glenwood ES.

The program is an initiative supported by CSD's Department of Equity and Student Services and Decatur HS's Asian Student Union. This will be our 3rd year of Sidekicks since beginning in the '21 - '22 school year.

The program is coordinated by Ms Beth Lewis, a 15 year teacher veteran of CSD and Decatur HS, and mom of 3 CSD children including a current Glenwood kindergartner. Ms Lewis is of Japanese descent (mother is from Tokyo) and also sponsors Decatur HS's Asian Student Union.

Please complete the Google form HERE by Sept 15th. Questions - please reach out to Ms Lewis at elewis@csdecatur.net.

PTA Spirit Night at Raging Burrito

Please join us for our next Spirit Night on October 11th at Raging Burrito! Join us at the restaurant or get takeout. Please see their menu here.

Thank you for your support and we look forward to see you all there!

Become a member of the PTA

By becoming a PTA member you are expressing your concern for our children. By joining the PTA, you are getting involved by showing your support and you let your child know you care about education and about Glennwood.

The last day to become a member is Friday, September 30th! To join, please visit our website!

Communications Leader Needed

Hello Glennwood Community! The PTA will be in need of a Communications Chair. If you like to stay up to date about the PTA and school events, this role is for you!

Our communications chair gathers information from our committees and sends out weekly PTA updates to the school’s Media Specialist, Dee Anna Rittenhouse and also to our Room Parent Coordinator Sara Loya. This person also updates our Facebook page with current PTA information and our PTA website. This role has the support of the PTA president.

Experience is not needed! Please reach out to Nydia Almond at: president@glennwoodespta.com if you have any questions. We’d love to have you on the board!.

Romp & Read

Please join us this Sunday for a Romp & Read Playdate from 2pm to 3pm.

In celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month, please bring your favorite book and/or treat to share.

We hope to see y’all there!

Questions? Please email our DEI committee (Nichole Rodriguez and Ashley Page) at DEI@glennwoodespta.com

This month, Ms. Thaker was awarded the Decatur Education Foundation's Teacher Innovation Grant for the project "Play for All: Increasing Inclusivity at Our School Playgrounds ". The project will fund the installation of durable communication boards at the playgrounds of all of CSD's lower elementary schools (Glennwood, Clairemont, Oakhurst, Westchester, and Winnona Park). The goal of the project is to install playground communication "core" boards that will foster inclusivity and facilitate social interactions for all of our students, including students with communication disabilities. We hope that the boards will serve to generate discussion and understanding amongst all of our students about the many different ways they and their peers communicate – beyond just verbal speech. Installation of these signs also honors the fact that all of our students are valued members of our school community and deserve access to communication and social opportunities across the school environment.

Have you ever wondered how CSD students new to the country learn or how teachers can communicate with them? We have an amazing ESOL team and department that works tirelessly to assist our students, but sometimes the process of getting information translated and/or having a live translator can take time. In this time, the information to share with our families and students might become irrelevant. So, with that in mind, I applied for, and received, a grant for all of the CSD schools to be able to improve communications with our families and students! This is where the Pocketalk translator will bridge the gap. We will have one in every school with the ESOL department and team to work with our students. What is also amazing is that every language represented in CSD, except one, is supported in some way. I am so excited for this grant to directly impact our 5-Year strategic plan for CSD in helping ALL students feel connected while breaking down the inequities around language access in the classroom and with families. It can also reimagine what school can look like for those who do not speak English, especially in some of the schools where no one else speaks their first language. I am so very excited to start using these devices with our students and families!

- Lindsay Crownhart

A Season of Giving is a neighbor led organization which helps purchase gifts directly for local children and seniors!

To apply for assistance, please complete an online application at https://aseasonofgiving.org/child-application/ by November 4th.

**NEW** Applications may be submitted for any child ages infant through 12th grade!

If you are not in need of assistance, please consider supporting our efforts. To become a donor for A Season of Giving, complete the form at https://aseasonofgiving.org/sponsor/. To volunteer, complete the form at https://aseasonofgiving.org/volunteer/.