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Falcon Flyer

Important Events & Dates from F.AVE

Falcon Flyer  Important Events & Dates from F.AVE
Falcon Flyer Important Events & Dates from F.AVE

April 3, 2025 April 3, 2025

In this Issue

Ms. Hanson's Notes

  • Coffee Chat & Cast Blast Tomorrow
  • F.AVE Good Equity Troublemaker Award - Ms. Meagan Ferguson
  • CSD District Teacher of the Year! - Ms. Edwin Ellis
  • Coffee Chat - TOMORROW, April 4
  • Rising 6th Grade Information
    • Softball Tryouts
    • Rising 6th Grade Social
    • BHMS Cheerleading Tryout Information
  • Upcoming Events Calendar
  • 3rd Grade Transition Information

F.AVE News

  • GR& Reads Book Club Sign Up for April
  • Specials Spotlight - PE
  • Art Exhibition - April 1-3 - HAPPENING NOW
  • F.AVE Game Hawkers Podcast S2, Ep19 - 4th Graders Audrey & Heath
F.AVE PTO News
  • Last Call for Yearbook Dedications - Deadline Extended to TOMORROW, April 4
  • New Spirit Wear Coming Soon!
  • Spring Picnic Coming Up!
  • Upcoming Dine-Outs - Wheelhouse & Smiley's
  • Sponsor's Corner - Green Orthodontics
CSD News
  • Enrollment Information for Kindergarten and new students

Community Partner News

  • Community EID Celebration at Glennwood
  • After School Options for School Year 2025-2026


Scroll down to learn more!

Ms. Hanson's Notes Ms. Hanson's Notes

We hope some of you are able to join us tomorrow for our Coffee Chat in the morning and for our school Cast Blast celebrating Women's History Month! Our coffee chat will be hosted by our assistant principal, Ms. Stewart, and she will discuss the upcoming Georgia Milestones and how you can help your child be successful.


Cast Blast Schedule:

  • 4th Grade: 7:55 - 8:45
  • 5th Grade: 8:30 - 9:20
  • 3rd Grade 9:35 - 10:25


Just one more day until our break begins! I hope everyone enjoys a fun, safe, and relaxing week. We look forward to welcoming you back to the Ave on April 14!

Congratulations to Meagan Ferguson and Edwin Ellis!

Meagan Ferguson has been selected as F.AVE’s Good Equity Troublemaker (GET) Award recipient. This award recognizes those who courageously tackle difficult challenges while guiding others through the learning process with care. Meagan exemplifies this spirit—she consistently puts students first and embraces the hard work required to create an inclusive learning environment. Her leadership is unwavering, rooted in her deep belief that All Means All. Whether speaking with staff, students, or parents, she leads with honesty, integrity, and a steadfast commitment to doing what’s right.

Ms. Ferguson & Ms. Hanson holding her award plaque

Edwin Ellis has been named CSD Teacher of the Year! Previously recognized as F.AVE Teacher of the Year, Ms. Ellis continuously goes above and beyond to support students. In addition to her role as a gifted education teacher, she co-leads the Continental Math League and WordMasters programs, coordinates our after-school tutoring program, and founded Falcon Friends, a school-based mentoring initiative. Her dedication to student success is truly inspiring!


Congratulations again to both of these outstanding educators!

Dr. Whitaker, Ms. Newton-Scott, Ms. Burton, Ms. Hanson, and Ms. Ellis holding a banner congratulating Ms. Ellis on being names 2026 CSD District Teacher of the Year
Coffee Chat, Friday, April 4, Join us as we discuss the upcoming georgia milestones test and how best to support your child. We will cover testing basics and handling test anxiety. 7:45 - 8:30 am.
Rising 6th Grade Information
Click this button for Rising 6th Grade Information
Spring into 6th Grade Social Night, Beacon Hill Middle School, Friday, April 18, 4:30 - 6:00pm, join us for food, fun, music, and to learn more about beacon hill!
Club Softball Tryouts, Rising 6th - 8th Graders, Friday May 9th, Oakhurst Park, 4:30-6:00, contact coach anderson, strikezonegary@bellsouth.net

Upcoming Events At a Glance

April

Arab-American Heritage Month

National School Library Month

Autism Awareness Month


Thursday, April 3: Assistant Principal Appreciation Day


Friday, April 4: National School Librarian Day


Friday, April 4, 7:45 - 8:30am: Coffee Chat in F.AVE Cafeteria


Friday, April 4: School-wide Cast Blast


  • 4th Grade: 7:55 - 8:45
  • 5th Grade: 8:30 - 9:20
  • 3rd Grade 9:35 - 10:25


Friday, April 4: 4th Grade Field Trip to Zoo Atlanta


April 7 - April 11: Spring Break Holiday


Tuesday, April 15: Rising 3rd Grade Visit - Winnona Park & Westchester


Wednesday, April 16: Rising 3rd Grade Visit - Oakhurst


Wednesday, April 16, 6:00 - 7:00pm: Rising 3rd Grade Parent Night


Thursday, April 17, 5:30 - 7:00pm: PTO Spring Picnic


Friday, April 18, 4:30 - 6:00pm: Spring into 5th Grade Social Night at BHMS


April 21 - April 25: PTO Spring Fundraising Week


Monday, April 21- Monday, April 28- GMAS Testing


  • Monday, April 21: ELA Section 1
  • Tuesday, April 22: ELA Section 2
  • Wednesday, April 23: ELA Section 3
  • Thursday, April 24: Math Section 1
  • Friday, April 25: Math Section 2
  • Monday, April 28: Science Section 1 & 2 (5th grade only)


Wednesday, April 23: Administrative Professionals Day


Wednesday, April 30: Early Release Day - dismissal at 12:15


Looking Ahead:

Tuesday, May 13th- Rising 6th grade visit to Beacon Hill

Friday, May 16th- Field Day

Wednesday, May 21, 2025

  • 8:30 - 10:15: CWilliams/O'Keefe, Terry, Wise, HStewart/Sanchez
  • 11:30 - 1:15: DiGiacomo, RStewart, Vickery/Johnson, Miller
Rising 3rd Grade events at fave. Student events on April 15 (Westchester & Winnona Park) & 16 (Oakhurst). Parent event on April 16 in FAVE multipurpose room from 6-7pm

F.AVE News F.AVE News

GR8 Reads Book Club Sign Up - April

Click the image below to sign up for our last GR8 Reads Book Club meeting of the year! We will meet on April 16th and students will have a choice of what to read this month. They can choose between two of the most recent children's book award winners:

  • 2025 Newbery Medal Winner: The First State of Being, by Erin Entrada Kelly
  • 2025 GA Children's Book Award Winner: Hands, by Torrey Maldonado

flyer for great reads book club - Hands deals with issues of abuse is is recommended for ages 10 and up.
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Spotlight on Specials - PE

In PE, our 3rd graders are learning the skills to play Invasion Games, our 4th graders are practicing the skills that are needed to play Invasion Games, and our 5th graders are practicing skills & learning strategies to be successful in Invasion Games.
balls lined up in gym
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students playing with hula hoops
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CSD Art Exhibition - April 1-3 4pm - 7pm at the solarium 321 w hill street, decatur, ga 30030

CSD K-12 Art Exhibition Celebrates Youth Art Month

Youth Art Month is a national observance in March that celebrates the importance of art education and encourages the creative expression of young people. CSD teachers and students are celebrating the monthlong observance with exhibits of their artwork April 1-3 from 4-7 p.m. at the Solarium. Special thanks to the Decatur Education Foundation, Decatur Arts Alliance, and The Solarium for their funding and support.

F.AVE Game Hawker Podcast S2, Ep 19

4th graders Audrey & Heath join us again to discuss I Survived: The Attack of the Grizzlies by Lauren Tarshis. They read both the graphic novel and novel versions of this story. Tune in to learn more about the real life events behind this story, why the I Survived books are so popular, and get some advice on wilderness safety. Click the image below to listen.


In addition, we have had a few authors respond to our podcasts. If you'd like to see author responses, click here!

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F.AVE PTO News F.AVE PTO News

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Yearbook - 5th Grade Dedications

LAST Chance! Deadline extended to Friday, April 4 at Midnight


Attention fifth grader families! To honor our fifth grade students who are moving on from F.AVE, the PTO is offering a FREE tribute in the 2024-25 yearbook for all fifth grade students. Use the online form below to submit a photo and personal message for your fifth grader! Please email us at yearbook@favepto.org with questions. Thank you!


Click: https://forms.gle/tZi6mPvbFsfBMVHE6


Or Scan QR Code

Spiritwear Update!!

New Spiritwear being debuted at the Spring Family Picnic!

Coming Soon! New Spirit Wear, available in person on April 17th at spring picnic and online April 18th

Spring Family Picnic

Mark your calendars for our last school-wide family social - April 17th 5:00-7:00!

DJ Cain will be entertaining the crowds, plus Grindhouse, Little Tex Tacos and Kona Ice will be available for purchase.

Spring Family Picnic on April 17 from 5:00 - 7:00 PM on the lower field. Join the FAVE community for our last family social of the year! There will be food for purchase, staff marketplace, DJ and more!

Upcoming Dine-Outs

We have two wonderful opportunities to support local restaurants AND support FAVE! You don't want to miss these two dine outs:

  • May 8th: Wheelhouse
  • May 15th: Smiley's Burger Club

Wheelhouse Dine out for Fave - Thursday, May 8 from 5:00 to 1:00 pm. Guests must mention Fifth Avenue upper elementary to the host or on the phone if doing a call in order. Parking is limited. Additional parking at Eye Physicians next door, at Walmart lower level parking deck, at Mattress Firm/T Mobile across the street. Please check Wheelhouse's Facebook or Instagram for daily specials.
Dine out for FAVE at Smiley's Burger Club on Thursday, May 15 from 11:00 AM to 9:00 pm - dine in or call in for to go, online orders are not eligible, be sure to mention the fave dine out
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Sponsor's Corner - Green Orthodontics

Green's Orthodontics: At Green Orthodontics, our mission is to provide our patients with orthodontic treatment of exceptional quality in a welcoming, professional environment. Your smile and confidence are our priorities, and we are honored to be a part of this journey.


The PTO would like to give one huge, final shout out to Green's Orthodontics, for stepping up to be one of our Plume Prestige sponsors!! We rely on the community's support to support our beloved school and students - we wouldn't be able to do what we do without the support of people like Dr. Green and his team!

District News District News

Enrollment Begins for New Students and All Rising Kindergarteners

2025-2026 CSD enrollment is now open 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.

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Join Curriculum & Cuisine Night for Literacy Updates

CSD's Teaching & Learning and ESOL & Federal Programs departments invite families to Curriculum & Cuisine Night to learn about important updates to CSD's literacy curriculum and discover ways to support their child's learning at home. The event will feature a delicious selection of dishes inspired by Swahili, Dari, and Mandarin cultures. RSVP here or email Tiffany Lundy at tlundy@csdecatur.net with questions.


Curriculum & Cuisine Night: Thursday, April 17, 5-6:30 p.m., Wilson Center, 125 Electric Avenue

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Families Invited to Provide Feedback on Social and Emotional Learning Standards

The Student Support Services division invites families and community members to a virtual, collaborative discussion on the proposed CSD K–5 standards for Social and Emotional Learning skills. These standards are designed to help students develop critical life skills such as managing emotions, making responsible decisions, building positive relationships, and setting and achieving goals—skills that support their success in school and beyond.


During this meeting, we will share the proposed CSD SEL K-5 standards, discuss the importance of these skills for student development and invite your feedback to ensure the standards reflect the needs and values of our community. Your voice is essential as we work to finalize these standards before they are implemented in the 2026-2027 school year.


Virtual SEL Discussion: Tuesday, April 29, 3:30 p.m., join via Google Meet

Community Partners News Community Partners News

Join us at our community eid celebration on April 19 from 2:00 to 4:00 pm at Glennwood Elementary for fun activities and delicious desserts. Please bring a canned good for our donation station. Most needed items are canned fruite, pasta sauce, hearty soups, tuna fish, jelly, baked beans, canned veggies, canned chili, and canned beef stew.
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Afterschool Options 25-26

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.

Basic Incident Response Protocol
Falcon Flyer - Previous Issues
Fifth Avenue Upper Elementary Seal graphic
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About Us

Principal

Lynn Hanson

lhanson@csdecatur.net


Assistant Principal

Meagan Ferguson

mferguson@csdecatur.net


Assistant Principal

Shannon Stewart

sstewart@csdecatur.net


School Manager

Malik Morrow

mmorrow@csdecatur.net


Bookkeeper

Shronda Edwards

sedwards@csdecatur.net


Who Do I Contact?

Email: fave@csdecatur.net
Website: https://www.csdecatur.net/FAVE
Location: 101 5th Avenue, Decatur, GA, USA
Phone: (404) 371-6680

Please do not reply to this newsletter. See the Who Do I Contact link above and direct your inquiries to the correct individual.

Corinne Smith
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