The Bulldog, September 18, 2025

Note from Mrs. Lockwood:

Another wonderful week at Clairemont Elementary!

As a reminder, next week is Fall Break. School will be closed Monday, September 22, through Friday, September 26, 2025. School will reopen on Monday, September 29, 2025. It is my hope that everyone has a wonderful fall break. I cannot wait to see everyone back in the building on the 29th, rested and recharged!

I'm excited to introduce our newest SLT members, Abigail Ruth and Maya Shweiky. They are fantastic additions to our team, each offering a unique perspective and strong support for Clairemont Elementary.

Families, I'm pleased to introduce Community Crew & School Crew. Please read the following letter detailing how we will organize and celebrate moving forward.

Tomorrow, I will host my first Coffee Chat of the year. Join me immediately following Community Circle. I look forward to sharing the overall good work happening at Clairemont, including our achievement data and instructional priorities. I hope to see you there!

Events at a glance:

• Friday, September 19: Principal's Coffee Chat; 8:45
• Monday, September 22 - Friday, September 26: Fall Break
• Monday, September 29 - Friday, October 10: Family-Teacher Conferences
• Monday, September 29 - Friday, October 3: Homecoming Spirit Week (see graphic below)
• Monday, September 29: Musical Rehearsals start
• Thursday, October 2: Flu Shot Clinic (see below for details)
• Friday, October 3: Walk and Roll and School Crew
• Friday, October 3: DHS Homecoming parade and game
• Friday, October 10: Community Crew
• Saturday, October 11: Read-a-thon starts

Dear Families,

You are invited to our upcoming Fall Family-Teacher Conferences! This is a valuable opportunity for us to connect, discuss your child's progress, celebrate their strengths, and set goals for the rest of the school year.

During the conference, we will:

• Hear your child's interests in and out of the classroom

• Review your child's academic efforts and social interactions in the classroom

• Share literacy and math work samples and assessment results

• Plan for any areas of growth for your child this year

Conference Window: Monday, September 29th - Friday, October 10th

Time: Various appointment options are available before, during, or after school hours.
Location: In person at Clairemont or virtually via Google Meet

Conference Length: Typically 20-25 minutes; plan extra time for an in-person conference
Scheduling: The last day to sign up for a conference appointment is Sunday, September 28th.

Choose your child's teacher below to schedule an appointment via Sign-Up Genius:

K - Bermudez

K - Gilbert

1 - Bigham

1 - Fowler

2 - Schmidt

2 - Smiley

We look forward to partnering with you to support your child's success. Please don't hesitate to reach out with any questions.

Hello Clairemont Families,

We have completed auditions for our annual Clairemont Musical, Willy Wonka KIDS! Well done to our Clairemont Players! We are so excited and want to congratulate your child for being a risk taker. Kindergarten, first, and second grade students stood in front of their peers, teachers and parents to sing all by themselves! If your child auditioned this week, they are invited to join our musical. If you have not already filled out a Parent Info Form, please CLICK HERE to do that.

If your child has a speaking part in the musical that requires a book, one will be given by Friday, September 19. Group singing parts will not need a book. I will provide the sheet music for these students instead of a book. Our first rehearsals will take place on Monday and Tuesday, September 29-30 from 2:45 to 4 p.m.. Please make sure that you adjust your child’s dismissal to “Other - Musical” on Pick Up Patrol on the days they have rehearsal. ALL cast members should plan to attend rehearsal the first week after the break. A more detailed rehearsal schedule will be sent out then, and not everyone will need to be at every rehearsal.

This year, we are asking for a $20 donation to help cover the cost of snacks for rehearsal, t-shirts, and costumes. This can be in the form of cash or a check made out to Clairemont Elementary and turned in to Ms. Nelson or Ms. D. If this cost is prohibitive, please talk to Ms. Nelson or Ms. D. All students are welcome to participate, regardless of ability to pay.

We are also looking for parent volunteers to join our Musical Committee! If you are interested in helping with rehearsals, tickets, props, costumes, staging, or organizing of any kind, please CLICK HERE or reach out to the musical committee at the following email addresses. If you can't be on the committee, but would be able to help at rehearsals, CLICK HERE to volunteer for the first week.

Monica Nelson mnelson@csdecatur.net - Music Director

Melissa Lawrence melissa.lawrence10@gmail.com - Director

Whitney DeRosa whitney.derosa@csdecatur.net - Set/Props/Communications

Busola Akinbote oluyemib@gmail.com - Rehearsals/Backstage

Stephanie Castillo stephanie.castillo@csdecatur.net - Rehearsals/Stage Crew

Thank you for your support of our Clairemont Elementary Musical!

Willy Wonka - Oliver Bennett

Charlie Bucket - Grayson Zachery

Candy Man - Ethan Kirkland

Grandpa Joe - Laith Hasan

Phineous Trout - Mateen Sharifi

Cameraman for Phineous Trout - Sid Patel

Veruca Salt - Louisa Wolf-Martinez

Violet Beauregarde - Tamadia Traoré

Mike Teavee - Aydin Akbik

Augustus Gloop - Aumari Canady

Ms. Teavee - Eloise Ennis

Ms. Beauregarde - Mirra Godbee

Mr. Salt - Pranav Shankar

Ms. Gloop - Joey June Britt

Ms. Bucket - Caroline Woodruff

Mr. Bucket - Anania Retta

Grandma Josephina - Ava Armstead

Grandma Georgina - Rylen Boudreaux

Grandpa George - Henok Retta

James - Ryan Bahraini

Matilda - Annalise Ruth

Oompa Loompa 1 - Liya Akinbote

Oompa Loompa 2 - Hadley Myers

Ooompa Loompa 3 - Summer Gordon

Oompa Loompa Chorus

Leona Wall-Price, Rosalind Slifka, Ashton Jordan, Nia Thompson, Journee Champion, Ava Armstead, Violet Laney, Roscoe Ulrich, June Germany, Isra Osman, Ne’Vaeh Epps, Courtlin Moore, Rylen Boudreaux

Candy Man Kids/Squirrels

Korede Akinbote, Andy Lawrence, Rex Abele, Hasan Dandashly, Emma Dizon, Warren Head, Porter Magusiak, Kavya Schnaffer, Justin Shoemaker, Claudia Marquez, Samantha Smith, Edward Martin, Lenore Nelson, Holland Leathers, Asrina Osman, Elijah Rehanek

Help us get in the Homecoming spirit after the break as we get ready to cheer on our Decatur Bulldogs Friday, October 3rd. All students are invited to participate in a spirit week!

Monday - Pajama day

Tuesday - Twin with your bestie, or with a group!

Wednesday - Superhero day - wear a cape or t-shirt showing off your favorite superhero

Thursday - Sports day - rep your favorite team

Friday - Show off your Clairemont or DHS school spirit

Walk, ride your bike, scoot, or join the walking school bus to get to school the Friday after Fall Break. As students arrive to school that Friday, they will get to put a marble in a cup representing their class. The classes with the highest percentages walking and rolling will be celebrated at Community Circle the following week!

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 Clairemont Elementary is Tom Seetoo. For more detailed information about the review process and to obtain a copy of the Recommendation for Review Form, please contact the Gifted & Talented Specialist for your school at tseetoo@csdecatur.net or visit the following website: https://www.csdecatur.net/our-district-5f/departments/teaching-and-learning/gifted-and-talented-services

Dear Parents/Guardians,

Clairemont is committed to supporting the emotional and mental well-being of all our students. We are offering a small counseling group for students who may be experiencing high levels of anxiety or stress. This group will provide a safe, supportive space where students can learn coping skills, build emotional resilience, and connect with their peers in a structured environment led by Ms. Pratt, school counselor.

Details of the Anxiety Management Small Group:

• Who: 1st & 2nd grade students who could benefit from learning more about managing anxiety.
• When: Sessions will be held once a week for 30 minutes during Specials or WIN time for 6 weeks. The group will start in October.
• How to Join: If you believe your child may benefit from this group, please use the following link to complete the group sign up form: https://forms.gle/4rPKXaFxppjNJVv49

If you would like more information, or if you have any questions, please contact Ms. Pratt at cpratt@csdecatur.net or 404-370-4450 ext. 4181.

Kindergarteners got to help plant seedlings in one of our four hydroponic planters last Friday! This amazing project led by Ms. Bigham helps the students have an up close and in person view of how plants grow and what they need to thrive. Stop by this planter in the front hallway to check on our plant babies. Students will all get a chance to sample the edible plants when they are ready to harvest!

1st grade girl: Breakfast was so good today! We had pancakes and chocolate chip milk!

Teacher: What are you going to do next? (I was referring to the next math activity)

Kindergarten girl: We're going to go outside and my skin turns brown from the sun because I'm Puerto Rican (with the biggest smile on her face)

Teacher: That's awesome!

Hey Clairemont Crew!

We invite you and your family to join us here at the school for this wonderful community tradition. All proceeds from the event support learning initiatives for Clairemont students & teachers. Follow us on Facebook or Instagram for the latest updates. This year's Marketplace will be held at Clairemont Elementary School on Friday, December 12th from 5:30pm-9pm and Saturday, December 13th, from 10am-5pm.

VOLUNTEER HERE

Want to help with the Marketplace? We rely on all of our Clairemont parent volunteers and our Clairemont Bulldogs to put this fundraiser on its feet. It takes the whole CREW to pull off this wonderful tradition! Please email Marketplace Chairperson Melissa Godbee at decaturholidaymarketplace@gmail.com for more information or if you would like to be more involved with any of the preparations such as; DECORATING TRANSFORMATION SOUP SERVICE BOOKING LIVE MUSIC SOCIAL MEDIA SPONSORSHIPS

Read the September 18, 2025, issue of CSD Weekly, the district-wide newsletter.

To avoid constantly asking parents to send in money throughout the year to cover various classroom costs (e.g., learning celebrations and classroom celebrations), we would like to collect classroom funds at one time.

We are suggesting a one-time donation of $10–20 per child but appreciate any amount you are comfortable giving. This is not an official request from the school, and contributions are totally voluntary and optional.

This year, to make the funds equitable, the Clairemont Room Parent Coordinator is collecting one Class Fund Pool that they will divide equally among all classes. These funds go directly to supporting teachers by providing equal funds for teacher birthday, holiday, teacher appreciation, and end of year gifts. If you would like to contribute, please donate via Venmo to @cgensler(confirmation code 2277) by September 30th, 2025. Please put “Clairemont Room Fund” as a note when sending in your donation, so that we will know what it’s for.

Carrie Gensler is the room parent coordinator and will confirm receipt of contributions. Please contact her if you have any questions or concerns. Please also contact her if you need another method of payment besides Venmo.

Carrie Gensler

Cgensler88@gmail.com

4047712277

Signing up as a member allows you to fully access our website and add your bulldog to the directory along with classes and groups/clubs. This membership supports our school and the National and State PTA by paying annual dues that help us operate. We use PTA funds to support teacher grants and school events. A portion of the $10 serves as dues paid to the National and State Parent Teacher Association which is our governing organization.

Click on the image below to RSVP!