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

Thank you so much to everyone who joined us for Curriculum Night! We really appreciate the wonderful turnout and the very positive feedback we received regarding our slightly new format this year. It was great to hear that the streamlined evening was helpful and informative as you connected with our team and got a glimpse into your child’s daily learning.

We also had a FANTASTIC turnout for our very first Garden Gnomies of the year last Friday! It was wonderful to see our Eagles so excited about spending time in the garden. I especially loved watching their faces light up as they carefully selected which flowers to cut and arrange into their own beautiful bouquets. Thank you to everyone who helped make it such a special afternoon!

Here are a few important updates, celebrations, and reminders for the week ahead:

Welcome to Our New SLT Member!

We are excited to announce that Justin Chavez has been elected as our newest parent representative on Glennwood’s School Leadership Team (SLT)! Justin is dad to a kindergartener and a 1st grader here at Glennwood. We are so grateful to him for stepping into this role and look forward to his partnership as we continue working toward our school’s strategic goals.

Community Circle – This Friday!

We can’t wait for our next Community Circle this Friday, hosted by Ms. Jones’s 2nd-grade class!

• Doors Open for Families: 8:18 AM

• Community Circle Starts: 8:30 AM (promptly in the auditorium)

As a reminder, we ask that all attending family members stand around the perimeter of the auditorium so our students can sit together with their classes in the center.

❗❗NEW THIS YEAR - Important Parking Update for Community Circle Days:

Please note that parents and guests should NOT park in the church parking lot across the street. While we love being great neighbors with the church and helping each other out whenever possible, our Friday morning gatherings overlap directly with their preschool arrival times. To ensure a safe, smooth, and productive morning for both of our school communities, please utilize street parking or park in designated public areas nearby and walk over. Thank you so much for your cooperation and neighborly spirit!

No School on Monday - Labor Day!

Please remember that there is no school on Monday in observance of Labor Day. I hope all of our families get to enjoy a relaxing, restful long weekend together. Take some extra time to unplug, make memories, and curl up with a good book!

Attendance Matters - Every Day Counts

As we settle into the rhythm of the school year, I want to reiterate the vital role strong attendance plays in student success - academically, socially, and emotionally.

• Did you know? Missing just 2 days of school each month adds up to nearly a full month of lost learning by the end of the year.

• Attendance Visual: We’ve included the Georgia "Attendance Matters" visual in this edition of the Eagle Edition as a quick reference for how absences accumulate over time.

Health & Travel Reminders

• When to Stay Home: While consistent attendance is key, healthy students are key too! If your child is sick, please keep them home to rest, recover, and keep our classrooms healthy. Use your best judgment, and feel free to reach out to Nurse Alta by calling the school or alta.crawford@csdecatur.net if you have questions or updates.

• Family Vacations: We kindly ask families to plan vacations during official CSD school breaks whenever possible. Your child’s consistent presence in the classroom builds their momentum and sense of belonging in our Crew!

Thank you for your continuous involvement, thoughtful feedback, and dedication to making Glennwood such a joyful community. I look forward to seeing many of you on Friday morning at Community Circle!

In partnership,

Bill Howard

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

Our second Walk & Roll will be Friday, September 4th, and is a fantastic part of the Georgia Safe Routes to School initiative, encouraging our Eagles to walk, bike, or roll their way to the classroom! ✨💙

We’ll have 3 “Walking School Bus” routes where students, parents, and staff can trek to school as a team! 🚌🚶 Everyone is invited to join—volunteers will be on hand to make sure every student arrives safely.

Every participant gets to add a marble to the jar at the school entrance—help us reach our goal to earn extra recess for the whole school! 🛝🎉

Questions or want to help lead a walking bus? Reach out to Amanda McMillan at srts@glennwoodespta.com! 📧✨

The City Schools of Decatur will administer the BASC-BESS Universal Screener from October 1–30, 2026. This brief screener helps schools identify students who may benefit from additional behavioral, social-emotional, or wellness support. The BASC- BESS is not a diagnostic assessment; it is one tool used to help us identify needs early and provide appropriate support. Families who do not want their child to participate may complete an Opt-Out Form by Friday, September 18, 2026.

Last week (and continuing this week), I began a classroom lesson on financial literacy with the students and introducing our Eagle Buck School Store, which will kick-off next month in all the grades. The lesson specifically focused on earning, spending, budgeting, and saving. The students enjoyed playing various financial literacy games, such as Wants Vs. Needs, and answering Would You Rather questions with partners. We read books related to financial literacy and ended the lesson with another game called Spend, Save, Or Earn? I introduced the school store and some of the different options for students (both extrinsic and intrinsic). We also brainstormed some new ideas for our Eagle Buck Coupons and connected this with demonstrating our schoolwide SOAR Norms. Please consider signing-up to help out in the Eagle Buck School Store! Students may also use their earned Eagle Bucks to shop at the Eagle Bookstore in the media center. 🦅

Each fall semester, the gifted review team reviews existing student data to discuss students’ needs and to determine whether further evaluation for gifted identification is needed. If you are interested in having the team discuss your child’s needs, please complete this Recommendation for Review Form by Wednesday, September 30. No additional information is needed. For more detailed information about the review process, please contact the Gifted & Talented Specialist for your school, Susanna Shewan, at sshewan@csdecatur.net or visit our website’s FAQ page.

The Glennwood Birthday Book program gives you the opportunity to both honor your child on their birthday and help our library collection continue to grow. To honor your child with a birthday book donation, simply complete this form and payment by Friday, September 4.

We welcome friends or other family members to participate in this program, as well. Families are not limited to one book. After receiving your donation, your child will choose a new library book during his/her birthday month during library time. (July and August birthdays will be celebrated in September and June birthdays will be celebrated in May.) We will affix a book dedication label to the inside of the book your child chooses, indicating that the book is donated in their honor to our library.

Your child may keep the new book for two weeks before he/she must return it to the library. This book checkout will be in addition to their regular library book(s). Each participant will have their picture taken with their new book, and we will send the picture to you as a token of our appreciation. THANK YOU TO ALL THE FAMILIES WHO HAVE ALREADY PARTICIPATED!🤗

Birthday Book Fundraiser Registration Form

Electronic Payment Link via GL PTO

We recognize all GL students' birthdays on the last week of every month during library time. Questions? Contact Ms. Rittenhouse at drittenhouse@csdecatur.net.

Purpose & Commitment: The Superintendent's Student Advisory Council is designed as a two-way system of communication between students and the Office of the Superintendent. Students on the council are asked to share their perspectives and experiences with the Superintendent on a variety of issues. Students are also asked to attend each meeting (see dates below). Meetings will be held at the Wilson Center after school in the Superintendent's Office.

CSD is recruiting students to serve on the Superintendent's Student Advisory Council for the 2026–2027 school year. Please read the information below for more details.

Elementary (K-5) Student Council: The Elementary (K-5) Superintendent's Student Council will be made up of two students from each lower elementary (K-2) school and two students from each upper elementary (3-5) school. The K-5 student council will meet at the Wilson Center from 3:15 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. on the following dates:

• Tuesday, September 29, 2026
• Tuesday, December 1, 2026
• Tuesday, January 19, 2027
• Tuesday, March 16, 2027
• Tuesday, May 4, 2027

The application process begins on Monday, August 10. If your child would be interested in applying, before proceeding with this application, please make all efforts to ensure the student submitting it is logged into their CSD Google Workspace account via the CSD Launchpad.

Superintendent's Student Advisory Council Application (2026-2027)

The deadline to submit an application is Friday, September 11, 2026. Applicants will be notified of their acceptance status by Friday, September 18, 2026.

Student and staff birthdays will be recognized in the first Community Circle for each month. On Friday, September 4, we will be recognizing all September 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.

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

CSD has opened a survey to examine the priorities of Pre-K families in Decatur, including location, transportation, and changing community needs. All families and community members are invited to take the survey, regardless of their children's ages.

School principals recommended parents from their respective schools to participate in a working group to assist CSD in determining how best to engage with families, staff, and the broader community about Pre-K accessibility, and how to use community feedback to inform decisions about potential Pre-K locations. This survey is the committee's first community touch point.

The committee will use survey feedback data to define the community's values and priorities regarding any potential changes to Pre-K locations. The data will be used to make a recommendation to the Board of Education at the December board meeting. Data results will be posted. Community members can follow along and view upcoming survey findings, insights, and decision outcomes directly on the Pre-K Access Project webpage.

Please take the survey here through September 16:

English: https://tally.so/r/jaA2Y4

Spanish: https://tally.so/r/jaAY5R

Somali: https://tally.so/r/VLOAaj

Dari: https://tally.so/r/J9vZOz

PTO today! 💚🦅 Become a member by September 3rd (TODAY!) & be entered into a drawing for 2 VIP seats for the rest of the year for Community Circle!

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 https://www.glennwoodelementarypto.org/membershi

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

As you capture those precious Glennwood moments throughout the year, don’t forget to share them with us! Send your photos to yearbook@glennwoodespta.com along with your student's name, grade & class, and your child might be featured in this year’s Glennwood Yearbook!

We need parent volunteers to make this program possible! No gardening experience is required! Just a willingness to have fun, encourage students and enjoy time outdoors. Whether you can stay the full two hours or just part of a session, we will be excited to have you! Please sign in at the front office with your ID before joining us in the garden.

Sign Up to Volunteer Here

Your contributions help cover the cost of seedlings, tools, garden maintenance supplies, and other materials we need to make the program a success.

When donating, simply select “Garden Gnomies” in the category dropdown.

Donate Here