Westchester Weekly
All-Star Newsletter January 21, 2021
Principal's Corner
I hope I'm not the only person who feels renewed following this morning's rain. I feel like it washed away the weight of planning for our transition and enabled me to charge up. It's a monumental week for our nation and it has been a monumental week at WE as well. I'm not claiming perfection by any means, but I'm very proud that our crew came together to design and implement a plan that meets the needs of our virtual and in-person learners.
This has been quite a year, but we want to capture as many bright moments as possible. That's why WE're gearing up for picture week. Yes, this year we will have picture week instead of picture day so that we can be as cautious as possible to ensure the safety of everyone involved. Student pictures will take pictures outside the week of February 1. The masked photographer will stand beneath a tent outside the school and each student will be positioned beneath another tent across from the photographer. The student will only be unmasked long enough for the photographer to take the student's picture. The schedule is detailed below.
Monday, Feb 1: K in-person learners will take pictures from 9:00 - 11:00. K virtual learners can come and take pictures from 1:00 - 4:00.
Tuesday, February 2: 1st grade in-person learners will take pictures from 9:00 - 11:00. 1st grade virtual learners can come and take pictures from 1:00 - 4:00.
Friday, February 5: 2nd grade in-person learners will take pictures from 9:00 - 11:00. 2nd grade virtual learners can come and take pictures from 1:00 - 4:00.
Friday, Feb 26: Student re-takes! In-person learners will take pictures from 9:00 - 11:00. Virtual learners can come and take pictures from 1:00 - 4:00
This year, we will have a Westchester Memory Book instead of a yearbook. WE know that families may have experienced financial strain, so we want to be considerate and attempt to reduce expenses. Parents, please let me know if you have experience with graphic design and you are available to assist with developing our memory book. WE'd love to have you on our design team. WE need you!
Thanks to our generous PTA, WE have showered our staff with appreciation all week. Each day was themed with a different token of appreciation. Would you mind sending a card or an email as an expression of appreciation for our team tomorrow? I appreciate the WE staff so much and I appreciate you too! Westchester wouldn't be the same without either of you!
Kindly,
Kimberly R. Watson, PhD
Principal
Westchester Elementary School
(404) 370-4400 Phone
(404) 370-3844 Fax
Upcoming Calendar Events
January 22nd- Virtual CC with Ms. Bigham's Crew
February 1st-5th- Picture Week
February- Black History Month is celebrated
February 5th- Virtual CC with Ms. Bigham's and Mrs. Querubin's Crews
February 9th- BOE meeting at 6:30pm
February 11th- WE Parent Lunch 12:00pm-1:00pm
February 14th- Valentines Day
Flybrary Update
OPTION 1: Thursday 10:00 AM-3:00 PM -Books will be bagged and labeled with the student’s name and placed on the front doorsteps for pick up during designated hours.
OPTION 2: Thursday In Person Delivery to classrooms- Books will be deliverd to students' classroom.
*Books must be reserved by 8:00pm am on Tuesday for pick-up or delivery on Thursday.*
News from our Nurse: Prior to In-person Schooling
Dear CSD Families:
Please complete the Daily Home Screener for Students Student Self Screener each day before sending your child to school.
STOP: Stay home if you responded Yes to any questions related to COVID-19 symptoms.
GO: Attend school when all answers are NO.
Contact your school nurse to report a confirmed or probable diagnosis or potential exposures the school should be aware of.
If a child presents to the clinic with COVID-19 like symptoms during school hours.
Children who present to the clinic with symptoms of illness will be evaluated by the school nurse.
If a child has any COVID-19 like symptoms they will be sent home.
As outlined in the CSD Parent COVID -19 compact, children must be picked up within 1 hour of notification.
If a child presents with 2 low risk symptoms or 1 high risk symptom they must be evaluated by a healthcare provider before being allowed to return to school.
The nurse will provide written instruction regarding when children can return to school based on their symptoms.
Please contact your school nurse if you have any questions or concerns.
Thank you for doing your part in keeping students and staff safe and healthy.
Nurse Garrison
Community Circle Dates- THIS FRIDAY!!!!
Here are the upcoming dates:
1/22
2/5
2/26
Dine out/in Fundraiser
Have you tried Jimella's cookie sandwiches and treats? If you have, time to order more! First timers, get ready for yum!
Take care of all your Valentines by ordering AND give back to the Westchester PTA at the same time.
Emily Holden
Owner
Decatur Business Association State of the City Address
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 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.
Preparing for Postsecondary Transition
What comes to mind when the words postsecondary transition are mentioned? Maybe SAT/ACTs, graduation, college applications or employment opportunities? All of these things are a great start, but for students with disabilities, postsecondary transition may need to be more broad. Depending on a student's level of impact and how their disability manifests, families will need to start planning earlier for this transition.
Marca Tigner, CSD Transition Specialist and Cheryl Grant, CSD Parent Mentor will present Preparing for Postsecondary Transition. Mrs. Tigner and Ms. Grant will give a step by step checklist to guide students and their families to a successful transition. Small incremental actions taken now while students are in school can help create positive outcomes for students with a disability.
Target Audience:
- 9th -12th grade students/families
- All levels of impact/disability
Preparing for Postsecondary Transition (Virtual Meeting)
Date: January 27, 2021
Time: 5:30-6:30
RSVP to Cheryl Grant cgrant@csdecatur.net
Staff Shoutouts!
Each month, the District Dispatch features shoutouts from parents and students to our excellent teachers and staff at one of our schools. This month we are featuring Westchester Elementary School teachers and staff.
If you would like to shoutout your child’s teacher or a staff member, send an email to Sarah Jones at sjones1@csdecatur.net. Also, at the end of the school year, nominate your child’s teacher for the Extra Mile award. Keep an eye out for more information on how your student can nominate a teacher or staff member as we get closer to the end of the school year. You can find the past shoutouts on this page https://www.csdecatur.net/shoutouts.
Take Action Tuesdays!
Take Action Tuesday is a new weekly spotlight where CSD spotlights our students for their good deeds in our community. #OurKids are truly making the world a better place in so many ways and each Tuesday we will salute one student for their fantastic work. We need your suggestions! Do you know a CSD student who is working to make the world a better place in small or big ways? Let us know! Complete this form (https://forms.gle/WJaPFJZ8ojTtNCVK8) and they may be highlighted next week! Please be sure to include a photo!
News from Decatur Bulldog Boosters
Run With The Dogs 5K race will take place virtually from January 23-31, 2021. The 5K is an annual fundraiser of the Decatur Bulldogs Boosters, which supports the athletic programs at Decatur High School and Renfroe Middle School in Decatur, GA. You can register at http://www.rwtd5k.com. Runners who register by January 11 will receive their race t-shirt by January 23 and be entered into a special prize drawing. The Decatur Bulldog Boosters raise money annually to meet the needs of student athletes, including uniforms and equipment. These funds are used to support 685 student athletes on all 25 teams representing 14 sports at Decatur High and Renfroe Middle Schools. Decatur Bulldog Boosters needs your support now more than ever. We need as many RWTD5K participants as possible! http://www.rwtd5k.com
CSD Nutrition
Please note: Our last day of bus meal delivery will be this Friday 1/15/21. We will send extra food home on Friday 1/15/21 to cover the breakfast meals on Tuesday 1/19/21.
We will no longer be using our pre-order system starting on Monday 1/19/21. As K-5 students return to in-person instruction we will continue to offer meals FREE to all students until the end of the 2020-2021 school year. Meal pick-ups for our virtual learners will continue for any student ONLY at our Decatur High School TakeOutSpot during the same 10:30 AM-12:30 PM time frame. Students in our CSD buildings will be offered daily take-home meals as they exit their school. These meal bags will contain both lunch for the current school day and breakfast for the following school day. We ask that all students remember to take meals, as it helps support our school nutrition program. If your child needs a vegetarian meal or has a special diet concern please complete the online survey on our website as soon as possible. We will ensure that these meals are available at the student’s designated school site for in-person students and at Decatur High for virtual students.
Please check out our CSD webpage (https://www.csdecatur.net/nutrition) and our Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/CSDschoolnutrition) as we continue to finalize our plans for January 19th and on.
Decatur Education Foundation News
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 become 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.
Important CSD Contacts
Here are few other webpages that might be helpful to parents are:
Important CSD Contacts: https://www.csdecatur.net/domain/1658
www.csdecatur.net/opening - a repository for all documents, announcements, and communications about how CSD is handling the 2020-2021 school year.
www.csdecatur.net/nutrition - How to order meals
www.csdecatur.net/transportation
www.csdecatur.net/bustracker - How to sign up for the new Predictable Ryde Bus tracking app used for meal delivery, soon for the Fly-brary, mobile book delivery and when in-person learning resumes to track students on their buses
https://virtual.csdecatur.net/tech-help (how parents and staff can put in a tech support request)
https://virtual.csdecatur.net/students - classroom login information
https://virtual.csdecatur.net/parents - Virtual Learning Handbooks
********************************************************Please check our weekly newsletters, emails as well as your student's Google Classroom for all upcoming news and events.
Westchester Elementary School
Email: bnation@csdecatur.net
Website: https://www.csdecatur.net/Westchester
Location: 758 Scott Boulevard, Decatur, GA, USA
Phone: 404-370-4400