College Heights Connection

Dear Families,

We have had another wonderful week. I am always amazed at how quickly the students learn their new routines. Children continue to successfully transition from home to school. One of my favorite parts of my job is to see the big smiles on our students' faces as they arrive at school in the morning. The staff is working hard on creating a sense of safety and classroom community.

We are still noticing some challenges with Pre-K morning carpool. Parents should remain in their cars. A staff member will transition your student from the car to the building/cottage. The buses typically arrive on campus by 7:25 a.m. If you arrive before 7:25 a.m., please make sure you are not blocking the carpool lane. The buses need to have plenty of room to pull up to the front of the building. At no time should parents park in the fire lane.

We have a lot of useful and important information in this week's newsletter. Pre-K parents, please remember to read through details of our first early release day. I wish you all a great weekend (hopefully with no rain).

Have a great weekend,

Principal Garland

August 21 - Curriculum Night (6-7 p.m.)

August 27 - Pre-K Early Release Day (12:15 p.m.)

August 29 - Child Find (8:30 a.m.-12:00 p.m.) PREREGISTRATION REQUIRED

September 1 - Labor Day (no school)

September 12 - Coffee Chat on Curriculum and Assessment (8:00 a.m.)

September 22-26 - Fall Break (no school for Pre-K and Preschool Special Education students)

October 1 - Fall School Tour

October 27-31 - College Heights Literacy Week

Experience a day in the life of a College Heights Chick! We warmly invite you to join us for Curriculum Night on August 21 as we share a typical day in your child's exciting learning journey. Your child's teacher will share insights into the daily schedule, classroom routines, expectations, and provide valuable tips to support your child's success this year. Let's connect and build a strong partnership for your child's educational growth!

Choose one of the convenient 30-minute sessions below:

• Session 1: 6:00- 6:30 p.m.
• Session 2: 6:30-7:00 p.m.

To best accommodate families with multiple children at College Heights, the same informative session will be repeated during both time slots. This allows you to attend Curriculum Night for each child and learn about their classroom experiences.

PLEASE NOTE: Curriculum Night is for adults only.

We look forward to seeing you!

On five days during the school year, all CSD schools will release students two hours early so that teachers and staff are able to have meetings, participate in professional learning, and hold parent conferences.

The Pre-K early release schedule is as follows:

• Two hour early release. Students eat lunch at school.
• Bus riders will be dismissed between 11:45-12:00 p.m.
• Walkers/car riders and community after school programs will be dismissed beginning at 12:15 p.m.
• Families enrolled in community after school programs should contact the program directly on their early release details.
• Students enrolled in the College Heights aftercare program will remain in their rooms for rest time and will transition to their aftercare location at 2:30 p.m.
• Early release days generally fall on the last Wednesday of the month, but some early release days occur just before a holiday or break. The 2025-2026 dates are: 8/27, 10/22, 12/19, 1/28, and 3/25.
  
• Students in the 0-3 tuition program are not released early; they attend for the entire school day as usual.

Please reach out to Caretha Hall if you have any additional questions.

The College Heights Advisory Council was established to function as an advisory body to the administration and partners of the school with very specific roles. The advisory council is represented mostly by parents, along with community stakeholders, staff, and administrators. Together, they advise and make recommendations on matters related to school improvement and student achievement, are responsible for maintaining a school-wide perspective on crucial issues, and act as a link between the advisory council members and the school community and families. We appreciate their commitment to the success of College Heights.

Garrett Womble, 0-3 Parent Rep/Council Chair

Join us on Friday, September 12 at 8:30 a.m. in the library for a casual conversation about your child's learning journey here at College Heights.

• Learn how our intentional instruction and assessment practices support your child's growth and learning.

• Discover the role of oral language skills in building a strong foundation for reading.

• Understand the importance of play in fostering cognitive, social, and emotional development.

Preschool Child Find is part of the City Schools of Decatur’s system for identifying children suspected of having delays in development. If a young child is not meeting typical developmental milestones, or if someone is concerned about the child’s growth or learning, Child Find teams will assess how the child plays, learns, speaks, behaves, and moves. The purpose of the screening (informal assessment) is to determine if there is a significant delay and a need for early intervention.

Children between the ages of 3-5, who are not yet in kindergarten, and who live within the City Schools of Decatur boundaries, may be referred by the parent/guardian at any time when a family member, doctor, or childcare provider has a concern about the child’s development. Please contact the school to register or if you have any questions.

Upcoming Child Find dates:

• Oct 24, 2025
• Dec 12, 2025
• Feb 27, 2026

*Spanish classes will begin after Labor Day.

Lauren Bock, Music (one- and two-year-olds, Preschool, Pre-K)

Rosalie Ezekiel, Zumba (Pre-K)

Welcome to Zumba Kids! You may wonder what we do in Zumba class? It is 25 minutes of high-energy, kid-friendly choreography and music that encourages coordination, flexibility, self-control, stamina and sportsmanship. Most of all, our class is fun! Every class starts out with a warmup routine. Then we do several choreographed dances of a variety of styles, balancing repeat work with learning new material. The class ends with a dance party where every student has the opportunity to be the leader, followed by a cool down that consists of yoga stretches and mindful breathing. Everyone participates at their own level, engaging their imagination along the way!

Gissel "Gigi" Barbecho-Hidalgo, Spanish (Preschool and Pre-K)

College Heights wishes to extend a huge thank you to parent Andy Jones. Through his role as owner of Intown Ace Hardware, Andy helped the school devise solutions for keeping mosquitoes away from our little ones during the warm months to ensure safe outdoor play. We appreciate you, Andy, and Intown Ace, everyone's favorite place!

Read the August 14, 2025, issue of the district-wide newsletter, CSD Weekly here.

Spirit Week is just around the corner, and now’s the perfect time to grab your College Heights spirit wear! Whether you or your little one is rocking it at school events or out in the community, you'll be ready to shine in style.

🧢 Bonus Perk: $5 from every purchase goes directly to support our amazing PTO — so you’re not just showing school spirit, you’re giving back too! 👕

👉Don’t wait — snag your gear now and let’s make this year the most spirited one yet!

Link: https://checlc.ptboard.com/school/cm?mid=6422

All recent issues of the College Heights Connection are available here.

Older issues of CSD Weekly may be found on CSD's district newsletter webpage.

College Heights Early Childhood Learning Center cultivates an atmosphere where children take their first steps in building an authentic love of learning through developmentally appropriate practices in an environment that fosters family and community involvement.