Weekly Update
March 13, 2025
Dear Winnona Park Community,
It is time for our second grade parents to begin thinking about their child’s transition to third grade. Don’t worry, everything will be fine once they leave little ol' Winnona Park! On Tuesday morning, April 15, our second graders will visit the school to which they are zoned. On the evening of Wednesday, April 16, parents are invited to learn about F.AVE and Talley Street. Starting at 6 p.m., each school will host its new crop of parents so they can learn more about their child’s future school. Please mark your calendars now.
Sincerely,
Gregory Wiseman
Principal, Winnona Park Elementary School
Important Dates
March 14 - Community Circle with second grade families
March 16 - Community Garden Workday
March 21 - Community Circle with kindergarten families
March 24 - 28: Teacher and Staff Appreciation Week
March 26 - Early Release Day. Students are dismissed at 12:50 PM
March 28 - Community Circle with first grade families
April 4 - Community Circle with second grade families
April 7 - 11 - Spring Break
April 14 - PTA Meeting
April 15 - Talley and F.AVE Field Trip for Second Grade
April 16 - Walk-n-Roll; Talley and F.AVE meetings at 6 PM
From the Animal Crackers Aftercare Program
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.
PE News - Tour Decatur and Field Day
Let’s celebrate our health and physical wellness. Two fun events are coming soon and we would love to see you there.
Saturday, March 15 - Tour Decatur, Fun Run and 5K. www.tourdecatur.com
Friday, May 9 - Field Day - Volunteers can sign up HERE.
From Dr. Hicks - Recess Bingo Coming Soon
Recess Bingo is coming to a playground near you! Once per week this Spring, I’ll join each grade level at recess in an effort to encourage them to earn a Recess Bingo. Goals of Recess Bingo include asking to join a group, being a good sport, and playing a game you don’t like. Overall, I’m hoping this is a fun way for students to improve their social skills and practice skills we’ve learned together throughout the year in the real world. I’m working my way around classes to tell them about this bingo challenge. I’d love for you to talk with them about how they use bingo stamps!
District News
Annual School Climate Surveys Due March 31
Winnona Park parents have the opportunity to take the Georgia School Climate Survey through March 31, 2025. These surveys are the measures by which GaDOE determine each school’s climate, and the results are a part of each school's CCRPI results. Schools with fewer than 15 family responses or less than 51% of student and staff participation will lose one star from their overall School Climate Rating. Your voice is valued and vital! To take the survey, please click this link.
Enrollment Open for New Students and All Rising Kindergarteners
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.
Immunization Requirements
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.
Free Rapid Antigen COVID-19 Self-Tests
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.
Winnona Park PTA
From Our PTA
Stay connected with upcoming events: https://www.wpespta.org/
Find us on:
THIS SUNDAY: Garden Workday!
Join us for our next Garden Workday at Winnona Park on Sunday, March 16, 12 - 3 PM! Whether you have a green thumb or just love being outdoors, we’d love your help sprucing up our school garden. Our main project will be setting up our new storage shed. Bring the whole family and let’s dig in together!
WPES Yearbook: Candid Photos
The WPES Yearbook Committee wants to see all you've been doing in school this year! Please email your photos of Winnona Park Wildcats in action to yearbook@wpespta.org. We love photos of school events, field trips, student groups, and school work! Important: Please include student names and teacher/grade in your email if known.
🎉🐯 Join the Fun at Talley TigerFest! 🐯🎉
Winnona Park families, mark your calendars! Talley TigerFest is happening on Saturday, March 29, from 11 AM - 3 PM, and you won’t want to miss it! 🎡🎶
As Talley’s biggest fundraiser of the year, this carnival-style festival is packed with exciting games, live music, an obstacle course, a bounce house, and a silent auction—all while supporting the school that many Winnona Park students will eventually attend. It’s a great chance to check out the school and have a blast!
Tickets are available online!
Kids (2-18): $20 (includes games, prizes, and inflatables!)
Adults: FREE!
Let’s show up and support our future Talley Tigers!
Join the PTA and Support the School with our New Membership Drive
Thank you to everyone that has already joined the PTA this year. As a reminder, joining the PTA is an annual event. We’ve also combined our membership drive with a fundraiser, asking families to make a donation. All contributions from this annual drive will directly benefit our students and teachers by supporting essential programs. The funds will cover:
All field trip costs for the year
Support educational initiatives like the community garden, STEAM materials, Books-in-a-Bag, and DEI programs
Teachers will also receive a stipend for classroom materials at the beginning of the year
Ongoing teacher and staff appreciation activities
Yearbooks for every student
School social events
And so much more!
Your generous donation will ensure that these programs thrive and that our children continue to have enriching educational experiences. And your PTA membership is included in all levels.
Visit our website for more information or select your membership level!
City Schools of Decatur Community Partners
About Us
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.