Eagle Edition
November 19, 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
Eagle Happenings
TODAY
GL Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Meeting
8:30 pm
Friday, November 20
Virtual Community Circle
Ms. Turnipseed's Class Hosting
November 23-27
Thanksgiving Holidays
Where Learning Takes Flight
November Design Principle: Service and Compassion
"No one has ever become poor by giving."
~Anne Frank
Hello Glennwood Families!
Earlier this week, I was in a meeting and the Opening Circle question was, “What are you thankful for this week?”. Of course, I am thankful for my own family and so much more, but my answer was that I am thankful to be the principal of Glennwood Elementary in Decatur. This is truly an incredible school and system, and I am so thankful to be here with all of you. So many families reached out to welcome me, and they have said that it must be hard to be new to a school at this time. And yes, it is hard, and yes, it can be hard for all of us in all of the different roles we fill right now, BUT there is no one I would rather do this with than the students, staff, and families of Glennwood. Speaking of Thanksgiving, your child’s teacher will email you some really great, insightful and culturally responsible resources to teach about Thanksgiving if you would like to review and share some of these with your kids and family!
Also, just a reminder that we need your survey input for the accreditation process. Filling out these two surveys won’t take long and will give us and the accreditation team valuable information as to how we are doing and where we can grow! As an important stakeholder in the Glennwood Community, we value your input. With this in mind, we are asking each Glennwood household to take a few minutes to complete the Culture & Climate Parent Survey and the Community Engagement Survey. We appreciate your participation and feedback. We want to know how we are doing as a school and district. We look forward to continuing a dynamic partnership with you and your student.
Once again, here are the two surveys: Culture & Climate Parent Survey and Community Engagement Survey. Please complete both. It won't take long! Your input is valuable to us.
I hope everyone has a wonderful Thanksgiving Break,
Dr. Brookins
If you would like to watch the presentation, you can click on this link. If you would like access to the resource folder, which includes a copy of the actual presentation, you can access this here. I hope this is beneficial. I look forward to leading more Lunch N' Learns on various topics in the future. I hope everyone has a happy, healthy, and safe Thanksgiving Break!
Glennwood Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Meeting TONIGHT:
The next Glennwood Diversity, Equality, and Inclusion (DEI) meeting is Tonight Thursday, November 19th at 8:30pm on Zoom. All are invited to participate. Zoom details are below.
Thursday 11/19 at 8:30pm
Zoom link here
Meeting ID: 994 6908 8303
Passcode: 797267
Don't Miss Dr. Dude's Superintendent Town Halls!
Join Superintendent Dr. Dude for a conversation on the status of the District’s reopening plans and initiatives. Also, the community will have an opportunity to ask questions via our new thoughtexhange tool which will be used to submit questions and rank previously asked questions. These questions will drive Dr. Dude's town hall topics and the link to thoughtexchange will be available under the announcements section of our CSD home (www.csdecatur.net) page 24 hours prior to the town hall. (Please see information about participation below or view this link to learn more about thoughtexchange.)
Thursday, November 19 | 5:30 p.m. - Zoom Link
Thursday, December 3 | 5:30 p.m.
Thursday, December 10 | 5:30 p.m.
Looking for some awesome Decatur Farm to School SWAG? Look no further! We have freshly designed t-shirts, caps, face masks, and tote bags ready for purchase. All proceeds from merchandise sales will benefit the Wylde Center’s Decatur Farm to School program which includes CSD garden maintenance, CSD mini-grants, DHS summer internships, scholarships to attend conferences, twice-a-year vegetable taste tests, and educator-led programs in the classrooms and gardens.
Pre-order your merchandise before November 23 at the link below and pick up at the Wylde Center’s Oakhurst Garden in Decatur the week of December 14. Customers will be contacted via email with additional instructions when products are ready for pick up. Interested in having your order shipped? Let us know by responding to your confirmation email following your purchase. Thank you for your support!
Holiday Tree, Wreath and Candle Sale at Winnona Park
The Winnona Park PTA is gearing up for its Annual Holiday Tree, Wreath and Candle Sale on December 5, 2020. Buy your item online and have it delivered fresh-cut right to your door December 4-6. This year's fundraiser will feature Fraser fir trees, wreaths, and Hanukkah candles all delivered directly within a 5-mile radius. Pre-Order your holiday items now to ensure free delivery!
From the Clairemont PTA
The 2020 Decatur Holiday Marketplace will be virtual this year and held from November 27th at 8 am through December 11th at 5 pm! We are so excited to carry on the tradition of this wonderful community event which is in its 29th year. In light of the current COVID pandemic, we have decided to make this year's event virtual. During this time, all of the artists' sites will be available for shopping online and will be conveniently located on our www.clairemontpta.org website. A description of the shop and owners along with a few wonderful photos of their craft will be available to preview. If the artist is able to ship their wares after purchase, they will do so, and if not, for our local customers, we will have a special pick up day at the school on December 12th from 10-12. Meaning Clairemont is bringing the marketplace straight to your house! To shop Clairemont's Holiday Marketplace, just visit www.clairemontpta.org.
The CSD COVID-19 Stakeholder Planning Committee (CSPC) will submit their final report of recommendations on Friday, November 20. This report will advise the school district on its response and plans related to COVID-19. You can read more about this committee, find their meeting minutes, their list of members and subcommittee, and their final recommendations once they are published here: https://www.csdecatur.net/cspc.
From CSD Nutrition - Meal Delivery Reminder: There will be no meal deliveries during the week of Thanksgiving Break, Monday, November 23-27. There will also be no meal deliveries during the Holiday Break from, Monday, December 15 through Tuesday, January 5, 2020.
Decatur Education Foundation News
Do you have some positive support to give to a Decatur student? DEF is still seeking some adult male volunteer mentors for their AIM Scholars Mentoring Program. AIM mentors are paired with 3rd-grade students and “meet” regularly throughout the year. In just 2-4 hours per month, mentors help connect their mentees with educational and enrichment activities so they can find their passions and develop life skills. For more information, please visit decatureducationfoundation.org/mentoring
Decatur Strategic Plan 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?”
Here’s the line-up:
Mobility:
Thursday, Nov. 19, 4 – 5:30 p.m.
Housing:
Thursday, Dec. 10, 4 – 5:30 p.m.
Equity & Racial Justice:
Thursday, Jan. 14, 4 – 5:30 p.m.
Climate Change:
January 2021, Date TBD
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.
Decatur Anti-Racism Speaker Series December Speaker
Speaker: Tim Wise
Thursday, Dec. 3 • 6-7:30 p.m.
Tim Wise is among the most prominent anti-racist writers and educators in the United States. He has spent the past 25 years speaking to audiences in all 50 states, on more than 1,000 college and high school campuses, at hundreds of professional and academic conferences, and to community groups across the country. He has trained corporate, government, entertainment, media, law enforcement, military and medical industry professionals on methods for dismantling racism in their institutions.
Visit decaturga.com/speakerseries to register and view recordings of past speakers.
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.