Weekly Update
October 20, 2022
Dear Winnona Park Community,
Lesley Cortright, parent of former WPES students, and owner of Wander Photography, will be on campus to photograph the students and classes of Winnona Park! For more information about Lesley or to see her work, please visit www.wanderphotography.com. All individual and class proofs will be available for purchase online. Here is the schedule for the morning photo shoots:
Monday: McElveen, Tavel, Lambert, Simpson
Tuesday: Blackmon, Hicks, McCool, Reid, Baerman
Wednesday: Westbrook, Pitts, Miller, Eason
Have a great weekend!
Sincerely,
Greg Wiseman
Principal, Winnona Park Elementary School
Fall Book Fair is next week - Monday, October 24th through Friday, October 27th
We are SO excited about our Book Fair next week.
Check out these Book Fair FAQs for details about the Book Fair. Use this link to sign up for a volunteer spot. If you need to bring your student to one of the morning or afternoon cashier spots, I will have a special place in the library for them to hang out. And please do not hesitate to email me if you have any questions. Ilene Zeff - izeff@csdecatur.net.
Tomorrow’s Community Circle - Kindergarten
We invite parents of kindergarten students to Community Circle tomorrow morning. Gather by the cafe door near the pond after drop off and you will be let in from there.
Parent's Night Out on Saturday, November 5th from 6:30 pm - 11 pm
Our Parent Night Out event tickets are on sale and the silent auction is live. Anyone can come to the event on Nov 5 at 6:30. There will be outdoor spaces as well as a lot of fresh air. We will even have a s’mores fire pit!
There will be dinner, beer/wine tasting and LOTS of arcade style games along with some friendly competition.
Buy tickets here and check out the auction items here:
https://event.auctria.com/733f14c8-3c43-4209-bd76-87dea1a85d29/
Struggling to find childcare to join us for the Parents Night Out? We are so excited to confirm a perfect partnership with Camp Scene! Sign your kids up for evening camp and you get to enjoy a Parents Night Out benefiting WPES! See all the details below:
While parents attend the fundraiser for WPES, campers ages 5 and up can enjoy activities at Camp Scene from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. on Saturday, November 5. Cost is $40 per camper and includes Mellow Mushroom pizza and a campfire — featuring hot cocoa and S'mores.
Below is the link for new families who do not have an existing account with Camp Scene. A family account must be created to have access to the Parent Portal for all registration links to all our current offerings.
New family enrollment link
Here is the link for existing families who have a family account:
Checkout our website for additional event information, tickets, auction and raffle
A big shout-out to our students who read 36,886 minutes during our Read-a-Thon!
Thank you to families, friends, and neighbors who have already contributed to this fundraiser. If you have not had a chance to contribute yet, we are collecting funds through October 21st! We have raised 73% of our goal, but still have a ways to go. You can support an individual child’s campaign or use this link to make a donation directly to the PTA- https://winnonaparkpta.org/product-category/read-a-thon/. The Read-a-Thon is one of our most important school fundraisers, with proceeds supporting many PTA initiatives at Winnona Park, including teacher stipends, diversity committee events, and free yearbooks for all students.
The PTA Fundraising Committee Needs You!
We are looking for 3-4 volunteers available to support our fundraising efforts for our first annual Parent’s Night Out, benefiting WPES. The role would include obtaining raffle and auction items, securing donations, assisting in organizing volunteers and ticket sales ahead of the event on Saturday, November 5, 2022. If interested please email adriana@aalevents.com
Low Lunch Balance
As you may know, the school nutrition department has a serious debt related to meal charges within the district. In order to work toward reducing the debt, parents and staff will begin getting negative meal balance communication on Friday, October 21, 2022. The school nutrition department will continue to send these low-balance communications weekly through the automated infinite campus messenger. If parents have any questions or concerns, please contact Nekee Mathis at nmathis@csdecatur.net.
As a reminder, some people may have charges even if they have been approved for free or reduced meal benefits because charges made occurred prior to the approval of the free and reduced application. Additionally, some charges are from prior to the pandemic. A free and reduced lunch application may be completed anytime during the school year. Currently, the district policy does not ask that students be turned away from receiving a meal; however, a child's meal balance will continue to grow when they receive a meal while they have no funds in their student lunch account. Currently, the District has an overall debt of $40,000.00.
Halloween at School
There are a number of fun activities that teachers plan to recognize Halloween the last weeks of October. However, on the 31st of October, we ask that students come to school wearing clothes they normally wear to school and not dress up in costumes. Save that for trick or treating after school.
From Nurse Jen and the Department of Public Health
Please click here for the latest information on this year’s flu activity in Georgia.
Do you have a Change in your Dismissal Plans?
Plans change and emergencies happen. If something comes up that changes your child’s normal dismissal routine, please complete this form by 1:00. Do not email your teacher, just complete the form. You will find this form under each teacher’s email signature and on the WP website under “Families>Dismissal.”
Show your WPES Spirit!
At WPES we wear our support every Friday! Make sure your family gets your Spirit Wear before it's gone! Numerous adult and kids t-shirt options plus kids hoodies for the cold weather to come! Please include your child’s name and teacher in the notes section when checking out.
The online store is available at https://winnona-park-es-pta.square.site/
Join the Fabulous WP PTA
The WP PTA Rocks! As you can see from the events above, they are super-involved in all back to school activities and much, much more. The PTA works to enhance the educational experience of all Winnona Park students by supporting teachers and staff, organizing fundraisers for items not covered by the school budget, and planning and hosting community-building events. Through fundraising efforts, the PTA supports many offerings and initiatives including classroom libraries, teacher and parent grants, field trips and guest speakers for all students, facility enhancements, and various community-building events. Click here to view the PTA welcome letter to learn so much more about the WP PTA.
CSD News and Announcements
Superintendent Search - Virtual Input Meeting
Thank you to all of the community stakeholders who participated in the community engagement session that was held on September 28 for the superintendent search. GSBA will conduct a virtual community input meeting via Zoom on October 24 from 6-7:30. The information for the meeting is below:
Register in advance for this meeting:
https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZErcuutrT8uH93BsKyIlb33Ifd0lpA_qi5b
After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.
Nutrition Department
Nutrition Department will start sending negative meal balance communication to Parents and Staff on Friday, October 21, 2022. These efforts to send the low-balance communications will continue weekly through the automated infinite campus messenger. Some accounts may have had outstanding balances prior to being approved for free or reduced meal benefits. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact Nekee Mathis at nmathis@csdecatur.net. or (470) 237- 0368 ext 7607.
Note: A free and reduced lunch application can be completed anytime during the school year. Currently, the district policy allows students to receive meals, not extra items, for example, i.e. bag of chips. However, a child's negative meal balance will continue to incur debt as they receive meals.
Special Education Meeting - Family Support Program
Ms. Nicole Brickhouse, Family Support Manager for InCommunity, will share information about Family Support Funding and an overview about InCommunity Organization. The City Schools of Decatur's Special Education Department is excited to welcome this wonderful well-established organization to our district.
Who is eligible to access funding?
Individuals ages four and up with a diagnosed developmental disability living in Georgia at home with their families, and are not currently receiving a NOW/COMP Waiver, are eligible for Family Support Services. *Funding is disability based, not financial needs based.
Target Audience: Parents of students with an IEP Pre-K through 12th Grades
Date: October 20, 2022
Time: 6-7 pm
Virtual Meeting RSVP here or email Cheryl Grant at cgrant@csdecatur.net
Run With the Dogs (RWTD) 2023 registration is now open!
Join us on Saturday, January 28, 2023 for Run With the Dogs, a Decatur tradition now in its 19th year.
We’ll be back at Beacon Hill Middle School for the 5K and Pup Trot, and we are pleased to announce that this year’s race is an official qualifying event for the Peachtree Road Race!
If you think you have the perfect dog to be featured on this year’s t-shirt, please enter the Face of the Race contest. Just post a photo of your dog, plus a blurb about why your dog should be selected as the Face of the Race, to www.facebook.com/RWTD5k or on Instagram with the hashtag #RWTD5K.
All contest entrants must register for the race for their dogs to be considered. Photos can be submitted until November 7. Four finalists will be selected by the volunteer race committee, and voting on these four finalists will begin November 11. The Face of the Race winner will be announced November 18.
Run With the Dogs 5K is an annual fundraiser of the Decatur Bulldog Boosters and supports the athletic programs at Decatur High School and Beacon Hill Middle School. All race participants will receive the coveted long-sleeved T-shirt designed by local artist Adam Pinsley.
Click here to register. For more information, visit rwtd5K.com.
Connection Sessions
Connection Sessions are conversations between CSD's Equity Director, various invited guests, and the CSD POGM* community. During each session, community members are introduced to a person who is integral to supporting the school system while we discuss thoughts, interests, and concerns regarding City Schools of Decatur. Each session uses a racial equity lens - always asking the question - "What does race have to do with this?"
These sessions may not always have the answers, but they provide an opportunity for members of Decatur's POGM community (as well as all others) to explore perspectives, pose questions, and share thoughts.
Each meeting starts at 6 pm. Access it by using the following link: https://tinyurl.com/2yuj2tbs.
November 14th, 2022 - Courtney Burnett, Chief of Staff, CSD
December 19th, 2022 - Karen Newton-Scott, Principal, FAVE
* People of color, despite being minoritized in the US, are a global majority. Thus, previously entitled BIPOC Connection Sessions, the name of this event is now Connection Sessions for POGM (People of the Global Majority). There is conflict regarding the use of the term BIPOC and this article details many relevant concerns. In short, the term BIPOC, which stands for Black, Indigenous, and Other People of Color, elevates some cultures over others in a way that does not reflect the respect each culture deserves.
District-Wide Intervention Information
If you have questions about interventions, please contact Erica Godfrey, District Intervention Specialist & MTSS Coordinator, at egodfrey@csdecatur.net. You can register for Super Saturdays here.
Community Partner Announcements and Updates
Decatur Education Foundation
We are having a big party to celebrate our 20th Anniversary, and everyone’s invited to enjoy an adult evening of dinner, drinks, and dancing! Mark your calendar for Soiree in the City on Saturday, November 12th from 6-10 pm, and purchase your tickets today at www.decatureducationfoundation.org/soiree. It’s the perfect excuse to get dressed up and go out on the town for a great cause! We’ll enjoy a seated harvest dinner by Little Farmhouse Cafe, live music from Maxwell Street, and a full array of cocktails and mocktails. See you there!
Meaningful volunteer opportunities are available! DEF is seeking volunteers to be tutors and mentors. Tutors are needed to help students from 2nd – 8th grades for one hour per week. We are also gearing up to re-launch our AIM Scholars mentoring program in January for which we need 20-30 adult volunteers. If you would like to learn more about these programs and sign up, please visit www.decatureducationfoundation.org/mentoring.
Season of Giving
A Season of Giving/Christmas Decatur is back to its traditional method of neighbors purchasing gifts directly for local children and seniors!
To apply for assistance, please complete an online application at https://aseasonofgiving.org/application/ by October 28th.
If you have any trouble with the form, questions, or concerns, please email us at aseasonofgiving@decaturga.com or leave a message on our voicemail (404.378.8068).
If you do not need assistance, we would love your help!
Donors will purchase gifts from an individual wish list specific to a child (through 8th grade) or senior citizen. If you would like to be a donor, please complete our online form.
If you would like us to do the shopping for you, please donate directly at https://legacydecatur.org/give/ and select A Season of Giving!