College Heights Connection

Dear Families,

As we gear up for the end of the school year, planning is officially underway for one of our favorite spring traditions! Field Day is arriving on May 8. This day is a huge success because of your help, and we have several ways for you to get involved (check out the details below). Trust us—with a petting zoo on the schedule, you won’t want to miss out!

Calling all Creatives! 🎨 We are looking for a parent with graphic design experience to collaborate with us on refreshing our school logo. If you’re interested in sharing your talents to help shape our school’s visual identity, please reach out to me directly.

Thank you for your continued support and for making our community so special.

Have a great weekend,

Principal Garland

April 1 - Spring School Tour

April 6-10 - Spring Break (school closed for all students)

April 16 - K-Day (Pre-K)

April 24 - Preschool Art Show

April 30 - Pre-K field trip to K-2 schools

May 4-15 - Parent Conference Window

May 8 - Field Day (rain date May 12) click HERE to volunteer

May 19 - Pre-K parade

May 22 - Last day of school (Pre-K)

Click HERE to volunteer!

This year's Field Day is scheduled for Friday, May 8 (rain date May 12) from 8:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.

Get ready for one of the most exciting days of the school year—Field Day! Our annual Field Day will be held on May 8 from 8:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. (rain date May 12). It's a wonderful day filled with fun, healthy competition, and teamwork, and we need your help to make it a huge success for all our students.

We rely heavily on parent volunteers to ensure the day runs smoothly and safely. Your participation makes a significant difference in the quality of this experience for every child.

We have 3 ways you can volunteer:

1. Group Chaperone (Walking Group Leader)

This role involves walking around the Field Day stations with a small group of students (typically 3–4 children). You will help keep your group together, ensure they transition safely between activities, and encourage them as they participate. This is a great role for parents who want to spend the day actively moving and engaging directly with the children. To chaperone a group of students in your child's class, please contact your child's teacher directly.

2. Station Runner (Activity Monitor)

This role involves managing one of the planned Field Day stations. Responsibilities include explaining the activity, managing equipment, and keeping the children enthusiastic. Specific instructions for each station will be provided upon arrival. Click HERE to volunteer for a station runner position.

3. Donations (Snacks)

Unable to volunteer? Consider donating kid-friendly snacks or small bottles of water no later than May 1.

If you are interested in volunteering, please sign up by April 24 so we can finalize assignments and ensure adequate coverage.

To ensure the safety of all students, City Schools of Decatur requires all volunteers and chaperones to have a current background check on file. This is especially important for anyone who will be with students without a staff member present.

How to get a background check:

• Schedule an appointment: Background checks are conducted at 2635 Talley Street, 2nd Floor. There is a $35 fee (cash or check made out to City Schools of Decatur) for the background check, and it must be turned in to the front desk at College Heights before you go for your background check. You can book an appointment using this link: https://calendar.app.google/du9yW1Gg8SV6pjGp8

• Important scheduling note: Appointments are typically available on Mondays and Wednesdays. You can schedule an appointment up to 21 days in advance.

• What to bring: Please bring your driver's license with you to your 10-minute appointment. You will also fill out a short form.

• Results: The information is submitted to the GBI, and results are often returned within 24 hours.

Come and be a part of the fun!

Complete our parent climate survey* and provide College Heights with valuable feedback, and the class with the highest percentage of completed surveys wins a popsicle party! Click the link to start the survey.

*This survey is specific to College Heights; it is not a district survey.

Spring has sprung in the College Heights library! Pre-K and Preschool enjoyed The Very Impatient Caterpillar. Pre-K students learned about nonfiction books, which are "real and true" books that contain information, facts, and photographs about real people, animals, places, activities, and more. Students were encouraged to check out nonfiction books that match their interests.

Thank you so much for supporting the Spring Book Fair. The fair raised a whopping and record-breaking $6,500! Little Shop of Stories will donate 20 percent of that total back to our school. These funds help support early literacy initiatives here at College Heights, including new books for the library.

This week's books

Bear Can't Sleep by Karma Wilson, illustrated by Jane Chapman

The Cars and Trucks Book by Todd Parr

Is This a House for Hermit Crab? by Megan McDonald, pictures by Katherine Tillotson

Pre-K students got up close and personal with some amazing animals through an in-house field trip this morning with Party Animals Atlanta. This fun experience connected with their current learning unit, Pet Study. Students had the opportunity to touch and see several animals - reptiles, amphibians, insects, and mammals - and ask lots of questions about their habitat, food preferences, and much more.

Read the March 26, 2026, issue of CSD Weekly, the district-wide newsletter.

Because this year’s auction was such a tremendous success, next year is already set up beautifully—and we’re looking for a few new leaders to step in and shine. The best part? You won’t be doing it alone. We have experienced PTO members ready to guide you every step of the way.

We’re currently seeking:

• Assistant Treasurer (with next year’s Treasurer, Robbie Reese, ready to mentor you)
• Auction Chair for 2027 (it comes with a dedicated parking space)

This is your chance to make a meaningful impact and help keep the momentum going. So… who wants ’em? Don’t all sign up at once. 😉

Please email Lauren Elliott, PTO President, with any questions.

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.