Weekly Update

July 31, 2025

For students who eat breakfast at school, please have your child arrive at 8:00 AM so they have plenty of time to get to the cafeteria, eat, and then get to their classroom by 8:15 for Morning Crew. Bus riders usually arrive around 8:05 AM and have time to eat. Please tell your child to go to the cafeteria first, before entering their classroom. Students needing breakfast who arrive after 8:05 miss valuable Crew time with their classmates.

The STAR universal screening assessments (i.e., STAR Early Literacy, STAR Reading, and STAR Math) are computer-adaptive assessments all WP students will take Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. Make-ups will occur the following week. Depending on the student, each morning’s testing session may take around 20-25 minutes.

The STAR Assessment is just one part of the continuous learning cycle to measure your child’s achievement and help teachers plan their next steps. Because each child is different, the assessment provides the teacher with additional insight into what each student knows and what they are ready to work on next. Click here for an FAQ about STAR assessments.

Here is the CSD Grading Handbook, and links to a quick fact sheet for CSD grading practices in each grade band: 1-2, 3-5, 6-12

The WP PTA is seeking 1-3 parents per classroom. There will be a room parent information session on Wednesday, August 6, 2025 at 8:30am. Meet us in the school library to learn more about this integral role. Click here for the Sign-Up Genius. Also, keep an eye out for flyers in the school at the Meet & Greet with the QR code.

Thank you to the 98% of you who have completed your Pick-Up-Patrol dismissal plans. It is of the utmost importance that we know how each student is dismissed every day. Please complete this task today if you have yet to do so. Please call Cathy Sikes, our school manager, if you have any questions.

All students who ride the school bus must register here. Please visit CSD Transportation to view bus routes and other transportation information.

Pick up Patrol Dismissal Routine

WP uses a system called PickUp Patrol to help us track dismissals. PickUp Patrol (PUP) provides you with a convenient way to make changes to your child’s dismissal plans and help ensure that our students are accurately dismissed each day.

How It Works:

1. Parents will enter their child’s regular dismissal time into the system. This is called their Default Plan.
2. Whenever your child is following a plan other than their Default Plan, you’ll submit the change using the PickUp Patrol app.

Examples of a plan change:

• Your child is sick and will not be attending school today.
• Your child has a doctor's appointment and will be leaving early.
• Your child normally rides the bus but is getting picked up today.
• Your child will be arriving late.
• Your child is getting picked up by someone other than you.

1. When the change is submitted, the school will be notified, and we’ll relay the change to your child’s teacher.
2. Register: Next week, you will receive a registration email from “PickUp” with a link to set up your account. The web app is free for parents, and you can use it from your phone or computer. When you receive the registration email, log in right away to confirm your child’s default plan.

Emails or phone calls to Cathy Sikes (csikes@csdecatur.net) will be accepted for dismissal changes for the first two weeks, but starting Monday, August 11, all changes should be submitted by 1:45 PM on the day of the change through PickUp Patrol.

If you ordered school supplies through 1st Day, they will be delivered directly to the school, and the WP PTA will sort and deliver the goods to classrooms. You don’t need to do anything to ensure their delivery (except volunteer with the PTA). If you wish to donate school supplies for the class, or did not already purchase supplies, please find the requested list here. If purchasing the supplies on your own, they can be brought to school during the Meet & Greet or any day during the first week of school. We never want any of our families to feel burdened by school supplies, so if this places an undue burden on your family, please do not feel the need to purchase. We will always ensure that all of our students have adequate supplies.

The nutrition department offers breakfast and lunch daily. For menu information and much more, see: CSD Nutrition. Continue checking back for more updated information. Click here for payment information and instructions on how to apply for free and reduced lunch. Families can also come to the front office for more Free and Reduced lunch information during the Meet & Greet.

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 learn more about the PTA and upcoming events.

A school wide weekly newsletter will be emailed to families each Thursday afternoon. This newsletter is sent to the email addresses in the Parent Portal. Please ensure all data in your portal account is updated and correct. Our brand new website is live and is a great place to get information about our school. Here is a direct link to our school's calendar of events.

• Access the Infinite Campus Portal to Ensure Readiness

◽Schedules ◽ Grades ◽ Lunch Money ◽ Contact Information◽ Test Scores ◽ And More!

Families use the Parent Portal to stay current and provide important information to support their students. At the beginning of every school year, it is critical for families to use the Parent Portal for back-to-school readiness. Find Portal help, visit this webpage, or contact your school’s front office.

• Complete the annual data update before each school year starts, providing current contact, medical, and other information. From the Portal home screen, select More ⇒ Annual Data Update. Find more information about the annual data update here.

• Register for 2025-2026 bus transportation for your student who is remaining at the same school they attended last year, or who is attending a new school this year (entering grades K, 3, 6, or 9, or new to the district). Email routefinder@csdecatur.net for questions.

  • Bus registration: same school
  • Bus registration: new school transition
• Apply for free/reduced-price meal benefits: We encourage all families to apply. Families that previously received benefits must reapply every year. Select More ⇒ Meal Benefits.
• Add money to meal accounts, and set up balance alerts and auto-payments. In the Portal, select Food Service.
  • E-Check payments have a $0.35 fee per transaction.
  • Visa or MasterCard payments have a 3.5% card transaction fee.
• Look up teacher contact information. Select More ⇒ Contact List.
• Request an update to a student's name and/or gender marker. Families requesting an update to a student's name and/or gender marker may now use Infinite Campus for this process. Updates in Infinite Campus enable our district to manage student information more effectively and ensure alignment with state reporting expectations.
• Review CSD's student handbook and Code of Conduct. Additional information is available on the website.
  
• Submit updated health forms found on the health forms webpage if your student has medical needs that the school nurse needs to be aware of.

CSD is pleased to continue offering credit card payments as a convenient payment method for school-related fees. In line with standard industry practices, CSD imposes a transaction fee to cover the processing costs charged by credit card companies for accepting these payments. During the 2024-25 school year, CSD capitalized on the increase in electronic check transactions ($0.35 per transaction) to reduce the Infinite Campus credit card processing fee from a flat rate of $4.00 to $2.50 per transaction.

However, credit card companies impose a fee of 3.5% or more on the total transaction amount for credit card payments rather than a flat fee. The difference has created a gap between the fees charged by CSD and the actual credit card processing costs incurred by the district, leaving the district to cover the additional expenses for each credit card transaction.

Effective July 1, CSD will shift to a retail merchant model for credit card processing. This change will involve moving from a $2.50 flat fee to a 3.5% percentage-based fee for all CSD credit card transactions. The transition means there will be a charge of $3.50 for every $100 credit card transaction. We encourage electronic checks, as these fees will remain $0.35.

The transition to a percentage-based fee supports the district's financial sustainability and aligns the fee structure with actual processing costs. It also allows CSD to maintain credit card payment options without diverting funds from other educational priorities.

Click here to view this week's edition of the CSD Weekly.

Email: csikes@csdecatur.net
Website: https://ga02000365.schoolwires.net/site/Default.aspx?PageID=13
Location: 510 Avery Street, Decatur, GA, USA
Phone: 404-370-4490

Newsletter Archives: Read older issues of the Wildcat Weekly by visiting our school website. Click on the link in the top photo or on the "Newsletter" button in the middle of the page. Older issues of CSD Weekly may be found on CSD's district newsletter webpage.