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 have an action-packed weekend and a spirited week ahead, and I can't wait to celebrate with our entire school community!

This Saturday is our annual Fall Fest from 9:00 AM - 1:00 PM, and we hope to see all of our Eagle families out for a morning of fun, food, and connection! Adding to the excitement, our Book Fair officially opens this Saturday as well. Whenever Book Fair week rolls around, I am instantly transported back to my own elementary school days. I still vividly remember the magic of those Scholastic bookcases being wheeled into our library, and the pure joy of perusing the shelves to pick out my next great read. Those moments of discovering a new story are memories I cherish to this day, and I hope you and your Eagles get to build some of those same joyful memories together shopping for books this week!

Looking ahead to next week, we will be celebrating Red Ribbon Week and Socktober! Be sure to scroll down and check out the graphic and read all the details of both celebrations in this edition.

We also have an Early Release Day on Wednesday, October 28, which coincides with one of our favorite autumn traditions: our annual Book Character Parade! We are so excited to see which storybook characters our Eagles choose to bring to life. Please channel all of your student's dress-up enthusiasm into their book character outfits for Wednesday's parade, as this will be our designated day for festive dressing next week.

As we look ahead to next Friday, we know everyone will be so excited for Halloween and trick-or-treating on Saturday, but we kindly ask that you help us keep the focus on learning throughout the school day. Please remember that costumes and candy should be kept at home on Friday. Additionally, Glennwood will not be hosting in-class Halloween celebrations, and, to protect the health, safety, and dietary needs of all our students, no goodie or treat bags to share may be sent to school. Thank you so much for your partnership in keeping our school environment safe, healthy, and focused for everyone.

Please keep in mind that Tuesday, November 3, is a Digital Learning Day, and students will learn from home that day. This day is specifically designed to give our community time to participate in the local election, and we strongly encourage every eligible adult to take time to vote and let your voice be heard! Consider discussing the voting process with your child at home - it’s a powerful lesson in civics and community involvement. Our teachers have put together a selection of fun, engaging lesson options for students to complete while at home, and we will be sending full details home in student folders next week.

Finally, please mark your calendars for our Thanksgiving Luncheon celebration- that will take place on November 10, 2026. More information will be communicated regarding exact times, but I wanted everyone to have the date in advance for planning purposes.

Thank you for your incredible partnership, energy, and support in making Glennwood such a vibrant place for our children. See you at Fall Fest this Saturday!

In partnership,

Bill Howard

bill.howard@csdecatur.net
Proud Principal, Glennwood Elementary

Purchase Fall Festival tickets here. If you need financial assistance with your tickets please reach out to Principal Howard at: bill.howard@csdecatur.net

You asked and we listened! Parents will now have the opportunity to pre-purchase Bookfair Bucks with Little Shop of Stories so that students may shop at the book fair cashless in the event parents are not able to shop with their child. Scan the QR code above for more information or check HERE.

Little Shop will also offer shopping online. Be sure to put in the code GLENNWOOD at check out so that our school earns a portion of the sales. If you order online, you will need to pick up the books at Little Shop once your order arrives.

FAMILIES RECEIVED BOOK FAIR CATALOGS LAST WEEK!🤩 Also, new this year, you can start previewing the books before the book fair actually begins. Note: The insert in the middle of the book has the wrong date for our book fair. It's actually October 24-30. Apologies for any confusion.

Starting the week of October 26th, students can bring in clean, unused men’s, women’s, and children’s socks, as well as toiletries, such as shampoo & conditioner, toothpaste, deodorant, soap, and hand sanitizer amongst other things, to donate to Decatur-area Emergency Assistance Ministry or DEAM.

Additionally, throughout the week, we will be doing Red Ribbon Week theme days. This year’s theme is Make A Difference. Be A Hero. Make healthy choices. There will be a list of theme days throughout the week and other fun Red Ribbon Week activities going on at GL!

Let’s make this the best Socktober and Red Ribbon Week ever! If you have any questions, you can reach out to Mr. Blase!

In accordance with National Bullying Prevention Month, I taught a lesson on social problem solving, conflict resolution, and bullying. We began with a fun food-themed dance party followed by a mindful moment with a giant squishy. We then played a Would You Rather game. Students got to choose a book on conflict resolution. We concluded the lesson with a digital food fight game (Pizza Vs. Spaghetti) with social problem, conflict resolution, and bullying scenarios. The students had a blast! November is National Career Development Month. I will share more info about some of the activities that we will do. As always, don't hesitate to reach out if you have any questions.

If you haven't viewed your child's photos yet, please use the link below and your child's student ID number as the access code to log in. Retakes are also online now!

https://rogercannonphotography.accessmyevent.com/Glennwood_F26

Read this week's CSD Weekly for district-wide news and information.

Every donation helps the PTO invest in our students, teachers, and school community. We help fund many offerings and programs such as teacher grants, field studies, facility improvements, and classroom needs. Sign up here.

Order here: https://www.glennwoodelementarypto.org/spiritwear

A Season of Giving, a community initiative that provides holiday gift assistance to local children and seniors. Please consider including this information in your school newsletter or sharing it directly with families who may benefit from this opportunity.

The deadline to apply for gift assistance is October 31.

Make the Season Brighter – Apply, Sponsor, Donate!

A Season of Giving is a neighbor-led effort bringing holiday joy to local children and seniors through personalized gifts.

Apply for Gift Assistance – Deadline: October 31

We're thrilled to support children through 12th grade again this year!

Apply Here

Want to Give Back?

• Sponsor – Choose a wish list and shop for a child or senior.

• Donate – Let us do the shopping with your contribution.

• Volunteer – Lend a hand and help spread the joy!

Questions? Contact School Counselor, Jonathan Blase at jblase@csdecatur.net.