Eagle Edition

Bill Howard, Principal ~ Jill Tolsma, Instructional Coach ~ Michelle Reynolds, School Manager

Email: bill.howard@csdecatur.net
Location: 440 East Ponce de Leon Avenue, Decatur, GA, USA
Phone: 404.370.4435 * Website * Facebook

We had an incredible first day of school, filled with smiles, excitement, and a sense of new beginnings! From the smiling faces at morning arrival to the warm welcomes inside each classroom, it was clear that our Eagles were ready to SOAR. Our teachers spent the day building strong classroom communities, getting to know their students, and guiding them through important routines and procedures to set a strong foundation for the year ahead. It was also a joy to greet so many of you during arrival—it’s always a highlight to see our children walk in with excitement and confidence. We’re off to a fantastic start to the 2025-2026 school year!

Please save the date for Curriculum Night on Thursday, August 28 from 5:30-7:15 pm. We will begin with our first PTA General Meeting of the year at 5:30 pm. Please plan to arrive early enough to hear about our amazing PTA and all that they have planned for the school year. We have an incredibly dedicated group of parents that have been working hard to ensure this school year is a success. Following this meeting, you will have the opportunity to visit your child's classroom and hear more from their teachers about the upcoming school year and what students will be learning.

Thank you to everyone who has completed their Annual Data Update. If you haven't already, please take a moment and review and update your child and family's information as soon as possible so we have the most current data. Here's how:

The Annual Data Update for returning CSD families is open and the update was due on July 30! The ADU is how families verify or update critical communication and health information, and do sign-offs for the handbook and code of conduct. Please visit the annual update page for more information, or log in directly to the Infinite Campus Parent Portal. Help make OUR school the first to reach 100% completion! If you need assistance accessing the Parent Portal, click Login Help or contact our school manager Michelle Reynolds at mreynolds@csdecatur.net.

If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to reach out. The entire Glennwood staff looks forward to partnering with you for an amazing school year.

Sincerely,

Bill Howard

Principal

bill.howard@csdecatur.net

Glennwood Crew rocked CSD's Opening Day! Staff were inspired and motivated through laughter by guest speaker David Edward Garcia as well as a hilarious welcome back message from the CSD administrators.

A very special congratulations to Ms. Amelia Copp, EIP teacher, and Ms. Dee Anna Rittenhouse, Media Specialist, for being presented the CSD Extra Mile Award! Students and their families have the opportunity to nominate staff each year for "their unyielding commitment to inspiring their students to reach ever higher." Thank you to GL students Sam Long and Logan Holdsworth and their families for nominating these two staff members. We are so proud of our crew!

Welcome to new Glennwood staff members: Joe Crabb - Music Teacher, Alta Crawford - School Nurse, Bill Howard - Principal, Shelia Jackson - Stellar Sub, Tracey Lynn - Exceptional Student Services, and Nicole Siegel - Kindergarten. We are excited to have you join our awesome crew!

This form explains City Schools of Decatur’s screening process of identifying students in kindergarten through third grade who might benefit from extra reading support, including those students who may potentially exhibit characteristics of dyslexia. This letter outlines the screening process, next steps, and your right to opt out. Please contact our instructional coach, Jill Tolsma at jtolsma@csdecatur.net if you have any questions.

City Schools of Decatur Board approved a new grading policy during the 2025-26 school year to align with best practices. Please see the CSD 2025-26 Grading Handbook to learn more about the details and implementation. Additional opportunities for discussion and questions will be available during each school's curriculum night.

All CSD Schools have launched the new websites. Please bookmark the new website in your browsers: https://glennwood.csdecatur.net/. All new content will be posted here and the old website will be inaccessible soon. Please pardon our progress as we continue to fine tune the new website. Please let us know if you have questions and contact webmaster, Dee Anna Rittenhouse at drittenhouse@csdecatur.net.

• If you need help with curriculum or academic questions, contact our Instructional Coach, Ms. Jill Tolsma at jtolsma@csdecatur.net.
• If you need help with general school or registration questions, Michelle Reynolds is our School Manager - mreynolds@csdecatur.net or call 404-370-4435 ext. 0.
• For medical-related questions, please reach out to our School Nurse, Alta Crawford at 404-370-4435 ext. 1 or via email: alta.crawford@csdecatur.net
• If you need help with a counseling request, contact our School Counselor, Mr. Jonathan Blase at jblase@csdecatur.net.
• For instructional technology or library questions and communications, contact our Library Media Specialist, Dee Anna Rittenhouse at drittenhouse@csdecatur.net.

We're thrilled to kick off another year at Glennwood and warmly welcome all new and returning families! As your Parent Teacher Association (PTA), our mission is to support the school, staff, and students by fostering an inclusive, engaged, and vibrant community.

Get Involved!

We encourage you to get involved and make a difference! Your participation, whether through volunteering or becoming a PTA Member, directly benefits our students by providing essential supplies and funding educational initiatives.

You can stay up-to-date on all events and announcements by visiting our PTA Website. Please use code FV4WPY to join.

We're excited to introduce this year's PTA Board! We have a dedicated team of returning members and new faces, all passionate about making Glennwood great and ready to serve our community.

We value your input! If you have any ideas or feedback to help us shape the year, please fill out this form.

We're also looking for a DEI Chair and a Co-chair for 2nd Grade Graduation (ideally a current 1st grade parent interested in leading next year). If you're interested in either of these roles or would like to volunteer in general, please email us at president@glennwoodpta.com.

Thank you for your continued support!

Kara Dupuis & Noelle Holdsworth PTA Co-Presidents

PTA Corporate Sponsorships

If you are a Glennwood Elementary parent, friend or relative and your place of business would like to become a corporate sponsor for our school, we would love to have your support! Funds raised through corporate sponsorships benefits students, teachers and the entire school. This is also great exposure and advertising for your business! E-mail Candice Lang at fundraising@glennwoodespta.com for more information.

CSD is pleased to continue offering credit card payments as a convenient payment method for school-related fees. In line with standard industry practices, CSD imposes a transaction fee to cover the processing costs charged by credit card companies for accepting these payments. During the 2024-25 school year, CSD capitalized on the increase in electronic check transactions ($0.35 per transaction) to reduce the Infinite Campus credit card processing fee from a flat rate of $4.00 to $2.50 per transaction.

However, credit card companies impose a fee of 3.5% or more on the total transaction amount for credit card payments rather than a flat fee. The difference has created a gap between the fees charged by CSD and the actual credit card processing costs incurred by the district, leaving the district to cover the additional expenses for each credit card transaction.

Effective July 1, CSD will shift to a retail merchant model for credit card processing. This change will involve moving from a $2.50 flat fee to a 3.5% percentage-based fee for all CSD credit card transactions. The transition means there will be a charge of $3.50 for every $100 credit card transaction. We encourage electronic checks, as these fees will remain $0.35.

The transition to a percentage-based fee supports the district's financial sustainability and aligns the fee structure with actual processing costs. It also allows CSD to maintain credit card payment options without diverting funds from other educational priorities.

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