Weekly Update

August 28, 2025

Dear Winnona Park Community,

We look forward to seeing you at Curriculum Night this evening from 6:00-7:15. Parents (this is not a student event) are invited to the school to learn about the curriculum, instruction, grading, and assessments for the first semester in their child’s classroom. There are two identical 30-minute sessions for parents with more than one student.

Sincerely,

Greg Wiseman

Principal, Winnona Park Elementary School

Thursday, August 28 - Curriculum Night - 6 - 7:15 PM

Friday, August 29 - Kindergarten Families at Community Circle

Monday, September 1 - Labor Day - No School

Wed., September 3 - First Grade CogAT Testing through Friday, Sept. 5th

Friday, September 5 - First Grade Families at Community. Circle

Wednesday, September 10 - Walk and Roll the School

Friday, September 12 - Second Grade Families at Community Circle

Saturday, Sept.13th - Support our Community Circle Band at the Battle of the Bands. 2 - 8 PM.

Friday, September 19 - Kindergarten Families at Community Circle

Monday, September 22 - Friday, September 26 - Fall Break - No School

Thank you so much to Ms. Simpson's class families for the delicious breakfast this week! We really appreciate you taking such great care of us.

Parents will automatically receive CSD Weekly, which includes their child's school newsletter, via the email address they registered in the CSD parent portal. Interested community members, or extended family, may sign up for the CSD Weekly by clicking here.

Please note that when you sign up as a 'community member,' even though the form below asks for your phone number, you will not receive text messages or phone calls.

We welcome kindergarten parents to Community Circle tomorrow morning! There is only a little room in the cafe to invite all parents at once, therefore, we invite one grade level at a time each week, starting with kindergarten parents tomorrow. I’ve placed all Community Circles for the year on the WP calendar, highlighting which grade level’s parents may attend.

If you are attending Community Circle, please gather by the pond outside the cafe after morning drop-off. Parents will be let into the cafe at the appropriate time. We will go over the parent expectations in the cafe, but here are some of the highlights:

• All parents enter and exit through the cafe door near the pond.

• Stand along the outside perimeter of the cafe. Please spread out.

• Younger siblings (if brought) stay with a parent, not with WP child’s class.

• Be present, sing along, and participate. Please stay off phones and chat with your friends before and after Community Circle.

• Put phones away. Don’t post school activities on social media.

• Don’t impede classes as they exit by chatting with your child. Teachers want to get to their classes with the same number of kiddos they left with.

Our students have been learning about Emma Gatewood, who, in 1955 and at 67 years old became the first woman to solo hike the entire Appalachian Trail.

We're also tracking the progress of my son, Ari, who has hiked the AT, the Pacific Crest Trail, and is now on the Continental Divide Trail. Students have enjoyed seeing his journey in photos, on our library map and also sharing many of their own hiking stories! I love that so many have been on the Cherokee Trail at Stone Mountain. Hiking is a great way to get out in nature and away from screens!

From September 3-5, all 1st-grade students will be taking the Cognitive Abilities Test (CogAT). Unlike traditional achievement tests, which measure how well a student has learned the curriculum, the CogAT assesses a child’s ability to reason abstractly and recognize patterns and relationships in the world around them. Teachers can use CogAT scores to better understand a child’s pattern of cognitive strengths and weaknesses. Our school district also uses CogAT scores to screen for cognitively gifted students.

Each fall semester, the gifted review team looks at existing student data to discuss students’ needs and determine if further evaluation for gifted identification is needed. If you are interested in having the team discuss your child’s needs, you may complete a Recommendation for Review Form (found at the website below) and turn it in to the Gifted & Talented Specialist at your child’s school before Wednesday, October 1, 2025. No additional information is needed. The Gifted & Talented Specialists for Winnona Park Elementary are Martina Baerman and Michele Stroud. For more detailed information about the review process and to obtain a copy of the Recommendation for Review Form, please contact the Gifted & Talented Specialists for your school at mbaerman@csdecatur.net or mstroud@csdecatur.net or visit this site.

If you are interested in learning more about what gifted services at WP look like, and what the process of gifted evaluation entails, please join Ms. Baerman and Ms. Stroud for a coffee chat at WP on Tuesday, September 16th 8:15am - 8:45am. The information session will be held in Trailer D.

The Decatur Education Foundation is hosting a fun event called The Battle of the Bands! BOTB will be held Saturday, September 13th from 5-8pm on the lawn at Legacy Park. All CSD Community Circle bands (and other bands) will perform, and we encourage WP families to attend for a fun night of music and community-building. At Battle of the Bands, the band with the loudest fans will win a prize (a music grant, a trophy, and of course bragging rights) for their school! Our fabulous Community Circle band takes the stage at 6:00PM.

Click here for more information and to purchase tickets.

I want to let you know that CSD is initiating a new Visitor Management System at all schools that is a part of our Centegix Safety System. We will be getting equipment that will check in all visitors to the building through a state-issued ID or driver's license. This extra safety measure will notify our front office if there is an individual who does not need to be on our campus.

• All visitors must show their valid state-issued ID/driver's license when checking in as a volunteer, classroom visitor or attendee for a school event.

• Please make sure you have proper identification when you enter the building.

• All visitors must enter and exit through the front lobby.

• Once your ID has been scanned, you will receive a lanyard with a Centegix badge. This must be scanned, then worn when the visitor is in the building.

• Upon checkout, the badge must be scanned again, returned, and the visitor is checked out.

• Parents checking their child in late or checking out early (or just dropping something off) need not follow this new protocol, but still use our existing Checkmate kiosk outside the front door.

Read the August 28, 2025, issue of the district-wide newsletter, CSD Weekly here.

The Georgia Office of the Commissioner of Insurance and Safety Fire and the Georgia Fire Sprinkler Association invite students in grades K-5 to submit a poster of original artwork related to fire safety to be featured in the 2025-2026 Fire Safety School Year Calendar.

Posters must be 17" x 11" and in landscape format. Please include the following information on the back of the submission: student name/grade, school name, teacher name/phone/email, and principal name/email. Mail posters by Friday, September 19, to Amanda Jones, 2 MLK Jr. Drive, West Tower, Suite 707, Atlanta, Ga 30334. After mailing, email safetyed@oci.ga.gov with your name, school name, number of submissions, and the date you mailed them. Email safetyed@oci.ga.gov with questions.

Stay connected with upcoming events: https://www.wpespta.org/

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Support the Wildcats: Join the PTA

Help us kick off a strong year at Winnona Park! The PTA Family Donation Program fuels classroom resources, enrichment opportunities, teacher support, and the community events our families love. Whether it’s a one-time gift or a recurring monthly donation, every amount makes a difference. Many employers also offer matching gifts—a simple way to double your impact.

Give today: wpespta.org/familydonation. Thank you for supporting our Wildcats! 💜🐾

Help Stock Nurse Jen’s Clinic

Our school clinic serves every Wildcat, and we’re running low on essentials.The easiest way to help is by purchasing from Nurse Jen’s Amazon Wish List—items ship straight to the school. Thank you for supporting the health and comfort of our students!

Wish List: Purchase Today!

Volunteer for the Morning Reading Program (Sept 2–Nov 20)
We’re excited to relaunch our Morning Reading Program and need parent volunteers to read with students on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 8:00–8:30 a.m. The program runs from Tuesday, Sept 2 (after Labor Day) through Thursday, Nov 20.

• Ideal commitment: Both mornings each week to work consistently with the same student.

• Subs needed: Can’t do every week? Join our substitute volunteer list to fill in as needed.

• No session: Tue, Nov 4 (digital learning day).

• Celebration: Thu, Nov 20 with donuts, juice boxes, coffee—and Little Shop of Stories gift cards for students.

Join us in making reading joyful and accessible for every Wildcat! Sign up: wpespta.org/volunteer

Help Us Fill Key PTA Roles: Communications, Spirit Wear & Yearbook (K + 2nd)
We’re building a strong team for the year and need a few parent volunteers to make it happen:

• Spirit Wear: Support online orders; help keep Wildcat gear stocked and organized.

• Yearbook: We especially need a Kindergarten and a 2nd Grade parent to help collect photos and ideas for class pages.

If you enjoy writing, organizing, or snapping photos at school events, we’d love to have you. Sign up online—thank you for supporting our Wildcats!

New Spirit Wear: Dancing Wildcats Tee (Online Only!)

Meet our newest Winnona Park spirit wear: a super-soft heather tee featuring a row of dancing Wildcats—a playful nod to the Grateful Dead. It’s perfect for Friday spirit days, field trips, and community events. Available in youth and adult sizes while supplies last.

Shop now: https://www.wpespta.org/spirit-wear

Proceeds support WP PTA programs—thank you for showing your Wildcat pride!

Email: csikes@csdecatur.net
Website: https://winnonapark.csdecatur.net/
Location: 510 Avery Street, Decatur, GA, USA
Phone: 404-370-4490

Newsletter Archives: Read older issues of the Wildcat Weekly by visiting our school website. Click on the link in the top photo or on the "Newsletter" button in the middle of the page. Older issues of CSD Weekly may be found on CSD's district newsletter webpage.