Eagle Edition
Hello Glennwood Families,
We’ve had another great week at Glennwood, full of learning, laughter, and growing connections. It’s been a joy to see our students settle into their routines and continue building community with their classmates and teachers.
We’re especially excited for a few upcoming events that bring our whole school family together!
First Community Circle – Friday Morning!
We are thrilled to host our first Community Circle of the school year TOMORROW! Ms. Marquez’s class will be kicking us off, and they’ve been hard at work preparing for the big day—we even held a full run-through on this morning to make sure everything is just right.
Here are a few reminders for families attending Community Circle:
Doors will open for families at 8:18 a.m. (after student arrival is complete.) Please enter through the exterior, carpool doors near the auditorium.
Community Circle begins promptly at 8:30 a.m. in the auditorium.
Families, please stand along the perimeter of the auditorium (inside all yellow taped areas) to leave space for students to sit in the center with their classes. Siblings who are visiting must stay with their parents.
Families will be dismissed after Community Circle first. Please wave goodbye or blow a kiss to your child and exit promptly because our students will need to get back to class as quickly as possible.
We can’t wait to gather together and celebrate our Glennwood community. A full schedule of upcoming Community Circles is posted on our school website so you can plan ahead for your child’s hosting date!
Walk & Roll – Friday Morning!
Friday is also our first Walk & Roll event of the year! We encourage students to walk or bike to school as part of this fun and healthy tradition. With the support of our incredible staff and parent volunteers, we’re working to make Walk & Roll accessible and safe for all who participate. Thank you to parent volunteer, Amanda McMillan, for returning to her role as GL's Walk and Roll Coordinator for Safe Routes to School!
Curriculum Night – Thursday, August 28
Please join us next Thursday, August 28, for Curriculum Night here at Glennwood. We’ll begin the evening at 5:30 p.m. with our PTA General Meeting, followed by classroom visits where families will learn more about curriculum, classroom routines, and the exciting learning ahead this year. We hope to see you there!
URGENT: SLT Nominations Needed by August 22!
We are currently seeking parent nominees for three open positions on our Glennwood School Leadership Team (SLT)—and as of today, we have no nominations submitted. We need your voice on this important team!
The SLT is a diverse group made up of staff, parents, a community member, and a district representative that helps guide school improvement efforts and support the provisions of the District Charter. Terms are two years, and meetings are not a big time constraint. This is a great opportunity to represent the parent voice in supporting our schoolwide goals and initiatives.
A special thank you to Emily McDowell, Matthew Pearl, and Leslie Sessley for completing their two-year terms—your service is deeply appreciated!
We’ve extended the deadline to Friday! If you’re interested in serving or nominating someone else, please complete the nomination form by Friday, August 22. If you have questions, feel free to reach out to me directly at bill.howard@csdecatur.net. We would love to have new voices at the table to help shape Glennwood’s future!
Superintendent’s Student Advisory Council – Apply by August 22
If you have a student who is eager to lead and share their voice, please encourage them to apply for the Superintendent’s Student Advisory Council! Students selected will meet with Dr. Whitaker at the Wilson Center to discuss topics important to students across the district.
Applications are due by Friday, August 22 at 5:00 p.m., and selected students will be notified by August 29. Apply for the Superintendent's Student Advisory Council here.
Thank you for being such incredible partners in this work. Glennwood continues to thrive because of the care, involvement, and energy our families bring each day. I look forward to seeing many of you at Community Circle and Walk & Roll tomorrow morning!
In partnership,
Bill Howard
Principal, Glennwood Elementary
Birthday Recognitions in Community Circle
Student and staff birthdays will be recognized in the first Community Circle for each month. This Friday we will be recognizing all July and August birthdays. We call students to the middle of the circle and sing the Glennwood Birthday Song to celebrate. If your child has a birthday and misses Community Circle on their designated day, please know that we also recognize them on their birthday during morning announcements.
This week in 1st & 2nd grade, I began a lesson on finding your voice and being who you are. We started the lesson with a mindfulness breathing activity, followed by a freeze dance game. Then we read the author/illustrator Peter H. Reynold's book Say Something! Students were encouraged to share what they would like to say to the world and how they would say that. Then we did a drawing and writing activity that students were able to share if they felt like it. Next week, I will begin an all-new beginning of the year Kindergarten lesson.
GL School Leadership Team (SLT) for 2025-26 - Nominations Due Friday, Aug. 22
The GL School Leadership Team (SLT) will hold an election for three open parent positions for the 2025-2026 school year. A big shout out to Emily McDowell, Matthew Pearl and Lesslie Sessley for volunteering on the SLT completing a two-year term! We appreciate you!
The Glennwood Elementary School Leadership Team (SLT) is an elected committee consisting of Glennwood parents/guardians, staff members, a community member, and a district representative. The purpose of the SLT is to make decisions that support the continuous improvement of the school in accordance with the provisions of the District Charter. This year we will have THREE parent vacancies on the SLT and will have the SLT election in late August.
If you are interested in filling one of the vacancies, please complete this form. If you have any questions regarding the SLT, feel free to contact Bill Howard at bill.howard@csdecatur.net.
Mr. Bill Howard (GL Principal)
- Venessa Barnes (Parent Volunteer)
- GL Staff Member (TBD)
- District Representative (TBD)
DEADLINE EXTENDED! Nominations are due by Friday, Aug. 22. Thank you in advance for your interest in volunteering your time and serving on the SLT!
CSD New Visitor Management System - Beginning August 25
CSD is initiating a new Visitor Management System at all schools that is a part of our Centegix Safety System. We will be getting equipment that will check in all visitors to the building through a State-issued ID or driver's license. This extra safety measure will notify our front office if there is an individual who does not need to be on our campus.
All visitors must show their valid state-issued ID/Driver's license when checking in as a volunteer, classroom visitor or attendee for a school event.
Please make sure you have proper Identification when you enter the building.
All visitors must enter and exit through the front office.
Once your ID has been scanned, you will receive a lanyard with a Centegix badge. This must be scanned, then worn when the visitor is in the building.
Upon checkout, the badge must be scanned again, returned, and the visitor is checked out.
Parents checking their child in or out but not remaining in the building need not follow this new protocol, but still follow our Checkmate system in Infinite Campus.
Beginning Monday, August 25, we will begin this new safety procedure. This is a safety protocol that we must follow with consistency, even though our front office staff know our families and many of our visitors.
Thank You, Room Parents!
A huge thank you to our amazing Room Parents for volunteering this year! You are such a vital part of what makes Glennwood so special. We truly couldn’t do what we do without your time, energy, and support. 💙🍎 We hope you’ll join us for our Room Parent Coffee Chat in the Media Center after Community Circle tomorrow.
Community Circle Kicks Off This Friday!
Every other Friday parents & special friends of Glennwood Students are invited to participate in what is called "Community Circle." All of the students come together in the auditorium and each class has a chance to host it. We sing songs, hear what other classes are learning about, and celebrate together. You will enter the doors on the back left side of the building.
The Glennwood Calendar has all class lead dates on their calendar here.
📸✨ Share Your Glennwood Memories! ✨📸
We’d love to feature your special Glennwood moments in this year’s yearbook! Send your photos to yearbook@glennwoodespta.com as you capture all the special moments. Don’t forget to include your student’s name, grade, and class. Let’s capture the memories together!
Reminder To Parents- Please Label Student Belongings
Consider Mabel’s Labels for your labeling needs! The original waterproof name label for kids that’s dishwasher safe, laundry safe, with free standard shipping and 100% satisfaction GUARANTEED. Visit https://mabelslabels.com/ for more information.
Give PTA a FOLLOW on Social!
Stay up-to-date with all things Glennwood and tag us! Our PTA Facebook Page on IG and FB, as well as our parents page: Glennwood Parent's Page
