Eagle Edition

Bill Howard, Principal ~ Jill Tolsma, Instructional Coach ~ Michelle Reynolds, School Manager

Email: bill.howard@csdecatur.net
Location: 440 East Ponce de Leon Avenue, Decatur, GA, USA
Phone: 404.370.4435 * Website * Facebook

We look forward to seeing you this evening at our PTA Meeting and Curriculum Night, from 5:30–7:10 p.m. This is a parent-focused event (not intended for students) where you’ll learn more about the curriculum, instruction, grading, and assessments planned for the first semester. There will be two identical 30-minute classroom sessions so that families with more than one child can visit multiple classrooms.

Thank You for a Wonderful Community Circle!

A huge thank you to everyone who joined us for our first Community Circle last Friday! It was my very first experience with this Glennwood tradition, and I now completely understand why so many of you have spoken so fondly about it. The energy, student leadership, and sense of community were truly special. I can’t wait to see more of these joyful gatherings throughout the year.

Let’s Win Battle of the Bands – Saturday, September 13! Show your Eagle Pride!

We’re also getting excited for the upcoming CSD Battle of the Bands on Saturday, September 13 from 2:00–8:00 p.m. This fun event brings all schools in the district together in friendly competition—and we’re aiming for a repeat victory this year!

Last year, our incredible Flock of Eagles helped lead us to first place, earning Glennwood a $1,000 music grant. Let’s do it again! We need as many of our students and families as possible to come out, represent Glennwood, and cheer loudly. Your presence helps us win—so mark your calendar and spread the word!

Thank you, as always, for your continued support and partnership. Whether it’s showing up for Curriculum Night, cheering at Battle of the Bands, or helping build a culture of belonging through Community Circle, your involvement makes all the difference.

In partnership,
Bill Howard
Principal, Glennwood Elementary

bill.howard@csdecatur.net

From September 3-5, all first-grade students will be taking the Cognitive Abilities Test (CogAT). Unlike traditional achievement tests, which measure how well a student has learned the curriculum, the CogAT assesses a child's ability to reason abstractedly and recognize patterns and relationships in the world around them. Teachers can use CogAT scores to better understand a student's pattern of cognitive strengths and weaknesses. Our school district also uses CogAT scores to screen for cognitively gifted students.

Each fall semester, the gifted review team looks at existing student data to discuss students’ needs and determine if further evaluation for gifted identification is needed. If you are interested in having the team discuss your child’s needs, you may complete a Recommendation for Review Form (found at the website below) and turn it into the Gifted & Talented Specialist at your child’s school before Wednesday, October 1. No additional information is needed. The Gifted & Talented Specialist for Glennwood is Susanna Shewan. Please use this LINK to find a copy of the Recommendation for Review Form. If you have any questions, please contact Susanna at sshewan@csdecatur.net or visit CSD's gifted program website.

Thank you to parents who volunteered to fill the vacant positions for the School Leadership Team for the 2025-26 school year! Each Glennwood family will have the opportunity to cast a vote for the SLT election. There is ONE vote per STUDENT at GL. If there are multiple adults in a household, please coordinate your vote so that there is only one per GL student. The three candidates with the highest number of votes will be the new parent representatives on the SLT.

Please cast your vote using this Google Form. Bios for each candidate may be found HERE. Please vote by 8:00 pm on Friday, August 29. The new parent representatives will be announced via eBlast by Monday, September 1st.

This week, I began a food-themed lesson on social-problem solving in Kindergarten. For our mindfulness activity, we did food-themed dance moves like juggling grapes or spaghetti legs. This was followed by fun, food Would You Rather questions (E.g., would you rather have a tree that grows hamburgers or pizza?). Then we read author/illustrator David Shannon's book No, David! to discuss appropriate and inappropriate class behaviors in school. Finally, we ended the lesson with a social-problem solving game and some funny food jokes! The kids had a blast! I will continue with more fun counseling lessons in class soon!

Important information to know if your child has an itchy scalp and you suspect it is LICE:

What are lice? Lice are parasitic insects that reside and lay eggs near the scalp. Adult lice are the

size of a sesame seed and are brownish. The egg cases of lice (nits) are laid close to the scalp and

are extremely small; approximately the size of a knot in thread. Nits are tear-shaped and attached

firmly to the hair shaft. Head-to-head contact with an already infected person is the most common

way to get lice. Lice do not fly, jump, or hop. They crawl.

What to look for: If your child complains of an itchy or “tickling” scalp or you observe scratches/sores on the scalp, check for lice or nits. If you are unsure what to look for, please contact the school nurse for assistance. When checking your child, pay close attention to the nape of the neck and the area behind the ears.

What do I do if my child has lice? If your child has lice, please inform the school. Once you have

initiated treatment of your child for lice, s/he can return to school. Please note: It is important to

check your child’s hair daily for 10-14 days after treatment to remove any nits you may have missed. Your school nurse can discuss treatment options with you if you need guidance.

What happens if my child is found to have lice at school? The school nurse will notify the

parent/guardian of the findings (infestation of lice, nits, etc.):

● Inform the parent/guardian that the student may remain in school until dismissal unless the

child’s itchy scalp interferes with classroom engagement and the parent prefers immediate

student pickup and dismissal.

● The parent/guardian will receive instructions to begin treatment for head lice/nits removal

before returning to school the next day and continue treatment per the manufacturer's

instructions.

● The school nurse will conduct a head lice check upon the student’s return to school the

following day.

● School-wide head lice communication will be sent in the newsletter to inform the school

community.

How can I prevent lice? To prevent lice, minimize head-to-head contact. Teach children to minimize

contact with other students. For example, “fist bump” or “air hug” as a greeting (rather than hugging). Discourage sharing items such as hats, brushes, headbands, coats, and scarves. Wearing mousse, gel, or oil in your hair (applied close to the roots of the hair) and wearing hair pulled back in braids or pigtails also helps decrease the chances of getting lice. Classroom checks of students have proven ineffective in predicting/assessing cases of head lice in schools. As a result, CSD is not enforcing this practice.

For additional information on head lice, please click on the following link: Head Lice. Please contact Nurse Alta at alta.crawford@csdecatur.net with any concerns or questions regarding lice or health-related issues. Thank you for your help with this pesky problem!

CSD is initiating a new Visitor Management System at all schools that is a part of our Centegix Safety System. We will be getting equipment that will check in all visitors to the building through a State-issued ID or driver's license. This extra safety measure will notify our front office if there is an individual who does not need to be on our campus.

• All visitors must show their valid state-issued ID/Driver's license when checking in as a volunteer, classroom visitor or attendee for a school event.

• Please make sure you have proper identification when you enter the building.

• All visitors must enter and exit through the front office.

• Once your ID has been scanned, you will receive a lanyard with a Centegix badge. This must be scanned, then worn when the visitor is in the building.

• Upon checkout, the badge must be scanned again, returned, and the visitor is checked out.

• Parents checking their child in or out but not remaining in the building need not follow this new protocol, but still follow our Checkmate system in Infinite Campus.

This new safety procedure is now in effect. This is a safety protocol that we must follow with consistency, even though our front office staff know our families and many of our visitors.

Read the August 28, 2025, issue of the district-wide newsletter, CSD Weekly here.

The Georgia Office of the Commissioner of Insurance and Safety Fire and the Georgia Fire Sprinkler Association invite students in grades K-5 to submit a poster of original artwork related to fire safety to be featured in the 2025-2026 Fire Safety School Year Calendar.

Posters must be 17" x 11" and in landscape format. Please include the following information on the back of the submission: student name/grade, school name, teacher name/phone/email, and principal name/email. Mail posters by Friday, September 19, to Amanda Jones, 2 MLK Jr. Drive, West Tower, Suite 707, Atlanta, Ga 30334. After mailing, email safetyed@oci.ga.gov with your name, school name, number of submissions, and the date you mailed them. Email safetyed@oci.ga.gov with questions.

We’d love to feature your special Glennwood moments in this year’s yearbook! Send your photos to yearbook@glennwoodespta.com as you capture all the special moments. Don’t forget to include your student’s name, grade, and class. Let’s capture the memories together!

We value your input! If you have any ideas or feedback to help us shape the year, please fill out this form.

We're also looking for a DEI Chair and a Co-chair for 2nd Grade Graduation (ideally a current first-grade parent interested in leading next year). If you're interested in either of these roles or would like to volunteer in general, please email us at president@glennwoodpta.com.

We have NEW and vintage spiritwear available! Purchase online & items will be delivered via backpack – all sales go towards our fundraising efforts for the school!

If you are a Glennwood Elementary parent, friend or relative and your place of business would like to become a corporate sponsor for our school, we would love to have your support! Funds raised through corporate sponsorships benefit students, teachers and the entire school. This is also great exposure and advertising for your business! E-mail Candice Lang at fundraising@glennwoodespta.com for more information.

Consider Mabel’s Labels for your labeling needs! The original waterproof name label for kids that’s dishwasher safe, laundry safe, with free standard shipping and 100% satisfaction GUARANTEED. Visit https://mabelslabels.com/ for more information.

Please find a revised copy of our Glennwood Quick Help Tools below. Some of the QR codes were broken on the one sent last week. We will send a replacement copy in your child's communication folder, or you may download a new PDF copy below. Thank you, and apologies for the confusion!

Passive fundraisers to support Glennwood Elementary include the Kroger Community Rewards, Box Tops for Education, Mabel’s Labels, and Minted to name a few. More information on the PTA website: https://glennwoodpta.ptboard.com/school/cm?mid=5444

Stay up-to-date with all things Glennwood and tag us! Our PTA Facebook Page on IG and FB, as well as our parents page: Glennwood Parent's Page