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

It is hard to believe that we have reached the final days of the school year! What an absolutely incredible, joyful, and milestone-filled year it has been.

First and foremost, I want to extend a deeply personal thank you to all of our families. Thank you for your unwavering partnership, your constant support, and for so warmly welcoming me into the beautiful Glennwood community. This school is a truly special place, and that is entirely because of the dedicated, loving, and passionate families that make up our Crew. I also want to give a huge shout out to our amazing PTA - your tireless dedication, energy, and creativity have elevated every single school event and initiative this year. I could not have asked for a better community to lead, partner with, and support this year.

We wrapped up the week with two incredibly powerful milestones that perfectly capture the spirit of Glennwood:

• 2nd Grade Moving-On Ceremony (Wednesday): It was a beautiful, bittersweet moment celebrating our 2nd-grade Eagles as they prepare to take flight to their next adventure. They have grown so much academically and socially, and I know they are ready to do amazing things. We are going to deeply miss our 2nd-grade families as you move on to the next chapter! Please remember that you are always welcome back to Community Circle whenever you need a good dose of that Glennwood spirit. Once an Eagle, always an Eagle!

• Senior Walkthrough (Today): There wasn't a dry eye in the building this morning as we welcomed back graduating high school seniors who started their educational journeys right here in these hallways. Seeing our current little Eagles line the halls to cheer on the big Eagles was a wonderful reminder of the lasting impact of the foundation started at Glennwood.

I want to wish every single one of our families an amazing, safe, and sun-filled summer break. Enjoy the extra time together, play outside, and rest up!

While school doors may be closing for a couple of months, brain growth never stops. I highly encourage all of our kiddos to find fun ways to keep learning over the summer. Most importantly, remember to pick up a good book! Whether it's reading under a tree, visiting the local library, or sharing a bedtime story, keeping those reading muscles strong is the best way to prepare for the fall.

Thank you again for a phenomenal school year. I am already looking forward to seeing our returning Eagles in August!

In partnership,
Bill Howard
Proud Principal, Glennwood Elementary

Don't fall into the summer slump with reading! Here is the link to our GL Summer Reading Resources: https://canva.link/gl-summer-reading-2026. It has info on local summer reading programs and fun activities for families to complete over the summer.

This month in PE, we worked on team-building activities that helped us use our critical thinking and collaboration skills to succeed. We did a challenge trying to get a ping pong ball down a ramp of tubes without dropping it, a giant Connect 4 relay, and a Crossing the River Hula Hoop game.

All of the Universal screening Assessments (STAR Math, Early Literacy, and Reading) have been completed. These computerized adaptive tests help teachers, parents, and administrators improve learning for all students and make informed decisions to promote a child's academic growth. As a part of the Georgia Early Literacy legislation, you will receive a letter, along with the STAR reports, in your child’s Thursday Communication folder today, May 21, 2026. The letter will communicate whether an academic risk has been identified or not. This allows us to identify needs and begin to plan for the appropriate interventions for next school year.

What’s the difference between the STAR Early Literacy assessment and the STAR Reading assessment?

The Star Early Literacy assessment evaluates the foundational components of reading development, including phonemic awareness, phonics, vocabulary, and comprehension, for students in Pre-Kindergarten to 3rd grade. This streamlined assessment generally requires 10-15 minutes to administer and is conducted with the assessment being read aloud to students. Students who achieve a score of 853 or higher are classified as "probable readers".

The Star Reading assessment evaluates the independent reading capabilities of students in grades K-12. This assessment delves into various aspects, including word knowledge, comprehension strategies, text meaning, and analysis of the author's craft. It is important to note that the assessment is not administered orally; students are required to be independent readers. The duration of the assessment typically ranges from 25 to 30 minutes. It is common to observe a decrease in scores from the Early Literacy assessment to Star Reading, reflecting the increased complexity of the latter. All Glennwood 2nd-grade students and some 1st-grade students took the STAR Reading assessment. Kindergarten students did not take the STAR Reading assessment.

For more information on your child’s overall scaled scores on each assessment and their domain scores within each subject, please click here. You may find the STAR Family Information helpful as well.

If you have any questions about your child’s scores, please contact your child’s teacher or our Instructional Coach, Jill Tolsma, at jtolsma@csdecatur.net.

Read the May 21, 2026, issue of CSD Weekly, the district-wide newsletter.

We are going to have a book swap for teachers and staff where each teacher or staff member can choose a book and keep it (and if they want to bring it back at the beginning of the next school year to keep the trading going)!

If you have books around your house that you would like to donate, please donate them to the bin located inside the front office (ask Ms. Reynolds if unsure).

Please ensure the books are donated by Thursday morning, May 21st. Please only donate adult books that you would want to read!

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 Parents' Page

Skip the store lines and order your child’s pre-packed school supplies now for next year at Talley! Online ordering is open through 5/21 at http://www.EducationalProducts.com/shoppacks using school code TAL345.

Paper order forms (for cash/checks) are available to print here: [www.talleypto.org/key-events/its-time-to-order-school-supplies] and will also come home in folders next week. Supplies are delivered directly to your child’s classroom before the first day of school. Questions? President@talleypto.org”