The Bulldog 3.6.25

Note from Mrs. Lockwood

Teaching and learning are in full bloom, although it’s still a bit chilly outside!

Spring group pictures will happen next Wednesday, March 12th. Use this link to prepay for class photos.

I’m pleased to share that Clairemont will receive a new roof! The roof project will take place over Spring Break; April 7th-11th. I want to create awareness within the community before the project begins. To the greatest extent possible, please refrain from using the playground, green space, and/or pavilion during that week to ensure a safe work environment for everyone.

Families, I need your help. There is still time to complete the School Climate Survey. Please take a moment to complete the survey. So far we have 15 completed family surveys. Let’s work together to showcase Clairemont’s perspective! It only takes 5-10 minutes. Your input is valuable and greatly appreciated! Georgia School Climate Survey

Events at a glance:

• Wednesday, March 12: Class Photos
• Thursday, March 13: Spirit Night at Chick-fil-A; 5:00-7:00
• Friday, March 14: Talent Show; 1:20
• Saturday, March 15: Tour Decatur
• Wednesday, March 19: PTA Meeting; 5:30-7:00

Dear Clairemont Family & Friends,

We would love to see our Clairemont CREW show up and show out for one of Decatur’s largest community running events, Tour Decatur 2025! Families and friends of all CSD schools are invited to support or participate in the 5K Road Race, 1 Mile Fun Run and/or the adorable Tot Trot, Saturday, March 15th at Decatur High School. Registration is OPEN, so sign up now!

For more information regarding, registration, location, running events & times, please visit www.tourdecatur.com. If paying the registration fee is a barrier for your family to participate, please email Coach Jolly for Tour Decatur scholarships at ajolly@csdecatur.net.

The Georgia Kindergarten Inventory of Developing Skills 2.0 (GKIDS 2.0) is a yearlong, progression-based formative assessment. GKIDS 2.0 is aligned to Georgia's state content standards for kindergarten and is organized around big ideas and learning progressions.

The GKIDS 2.0 Individual Student Report (ISR) provides information on your child’s overall performance in kindergarten. An ISR detailing your child’s midyear progress was sent home in today’s communication folder.

Please contact your child’s teacher with questions about their progress. For additional information about GKIDS 2.0, please see the attached parent flyer.

Only two more rehearsals before the big show! Talent show rehearsals will take place from 3-4 p.m. on Tuesday and Wednesday, March 11th-12th.

The talent show will be at 1:20 p.m. in the auditorium on Friday, March 14. All families are invited!

If you have any questions, please direct them to Ms. Nelson or Ms. DeRosa. We can't wait to see your talented students!

Thanks to Ms. Bigham and the Decatur Education Foundation, our school now has two new hydroponic planters! Kindergartens all got a chance to plant a new plant this week. They are growing lettuce and herbs, and all students will get a chance to visit the baby plants each week in the media center.

If you missed community circle last week, you missed something special! We had the great pleasure of welcoming several musicians from The Guitar Shed last Friday. They took us on a musical trip to New Orleans through the history of jazz. Thank you to Ms. Nelson for arranging this (and performing!) and to PTA for sponsoring the wonderful event.

The City of Decatur offers the Animal Crackers program at all K-2 school sites and the Whiz Kids program at all 3-5 school sites. Enrollment for incoming students is done through a lottery process, which opened on February 20 and closes on April 18, 2025. The lottery spin will be April 25, 2025. Full details on registering for the afterschool lottery are on the City of Decatur website at How to Register for 25-26 Lottery on the Forms and Documents page. Contact the Out-of-School Time Division for more information at dprd@decaturga.com or 404-377-0494.

Families can find various afterschool options for students for the 2025-26 school year on the CSD website.

Stay up-to-date with all the Clairemont PTA news and see pictures of our fun events by following the PTA on Facebook and Instagram. You can find all things Clairemont PTA, as well as the form to join, at the Clairemont PTA website.

The 2025-2026 CSD enrollment opens on Monday, March 3, for rising Kindergarten students or students new to CSD. Registration may be completed entirely online. Find more registration information here.

New Families: See CSD's Key Contacts & Resources for Families, available in multiple languages.

REMINDER: If your currently enrolled student has a sibling who will be new to CSD for the 2025-2026 school year, you must register this new sibling via the Parent Portal.

1. Select "More" from the menu in the Parent Portal.

2. Select "Annual Data Update."

3. Select "2025-2026 New Student Registration."

As part of the enrollment process, you will also need to email residency documentation to CSD's district enrollment specialist, Patrice Moore, at pmoore@csdecatur.net, as the Parent Portal will not allow you to change or upload this field. Information about required residency proof documents is available on the CSD website. Please contact pmoore@csdecatur.net or 404-371-3601 x1063 for assistance.

To maintain the health and wellness of school-aged children and adolescents, the state of Georgia requires that students receive vaccinations for vaccine-preventable diseases before and while attending school.

The CSD School Health Team continuously assesses the immunization status of all CSD students. Parents/guardians of students with expired immunization certificates, Form #3231, or invalid immunization documentation will receive a notification from the school clinic team requesting that the student obtain the required vaccinations for school attendance. A medical exemption on Form #3231 with a current expiration date should be noted, if applicable. See the Georgia Department of Health's child and adolescent vaccination schedule.

According to the Georgia Department of Public Health, a valid immunization certificate, Form #3231, or a notarized Affidavit of Religious Exemption, Form 2208, is required for school attendance. If a certificate marked with a "Date of Expiration" expires on the date indicated, a current certificate must be submitted within 30 days of expiration.

Adherence to this guidance is crucial. Being adequately vaccinated safeguards the health and well-being of individual students and contributes to the school community's overall safety and vitality. Additionally, ensuring students are immunized creates a protective barrier that minimizes the risks of outbreaks within the school population. Please contact your child’s school clinic team with any questions.

To help prevent the spread of COVID-19, support strong school attendance, and encourage safe in-person learning, the U.S. Department of Education, in partnership with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, is offering free, rapid, at-home COVID-19 tests to school districts for distribution to students, staff, and families. Starting this week, free COVID-19 test kits will be available in school clinics for pickup from the school nurse.

Plans are underway for another amazing event to raise money for Decatur Athletics – The Bulldog Bash! Save the date for this year's event on Saturday, March 22, at Independent Distilling Company. The event will feature a live online auction that includes everything from artwork and experiences to trips, restaurant gift cards, sporting event tickets, self-care, and more.

Do you have a connection, talent, vacation home or something unique that can help us raise money for our student-athletes? If so, please fill out this form! More information to come!

The Decatur Prevention Initiative (DPI) seeks the community's help in learning more about community perceptions and concerns regarding underage drinking and substance misuse among Decatur's youth. Please take this anonymous survey to help DPI plan, implement, evaluate and sustain programming.