Eagle Edition

Glennwood artists worked with art teacher, Elizabeth Karp, to create this beautiful display of an eagle SOARing to flight. Be sure to stop by sometime this school year to get a picture with your SOARing eagle! (The display is located on the main floor by the elevators.)

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 are rolling right along through September, and the energy in our building continues to be fantastic! Our Eagles are settled into their daily learning routines, diving into exciting projects, and showing up every day ready to learn and care for one another as a Crew.

FINAL CALL: Superintendent’s Student Advisory Council Applications!

This is our final, big push for our student leaders! If your child has been thinking about applying for the Superintendent’s Student Advisory Council, now is the time.

This is an incredible opportunity for our Eagles to step into a district-level leadership role, share their unique perspectives directly with district leaders, and help advocate for positive experiences across all Decatur schools. Please encourage your student to apply - we would love to see strong Glennwood representation on the council this year! You can find application details and the submission link further down in this edition of the Eagle Edition.

September Awareness Campaigns

September is always a busy and meaningful month at Glennwood. We want to take a moment to highlight several important awareness campaigns taking place this month that support the well-being, growth, and vibrant diversity of our students and community:

• Student Attendance Matters: Strong, consistent attendance remains foundational to academic success and community connection. Every single day your Eagle is here on time makes a difference!

• National Literacy Month & Georgia Reads Week: We are celebrating the joy and power of reading across all grade levels. Encourage your child to share what book they're currently diving into at home! We have some fun activities planned for later this month so continue to check out our Eagle Edition for fun updates.

• Arts in Education Week (September 13–19): We are so proud of how creativity flourishes in our building through visual art and music. We celebrate the invaluable role the arts play in developing well-rounded, expressive learners. We thank Ms. Karp and Mr. Crabb for all the wonderful and enriching experiences they bring to our Eagles!

• National Suicide Prevention Month (SEL & Student Supports): Caring for the whole child is at the heart of our mission. Throughout the month, we emphasize Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) and ensure our students know where to turn when they need support. Our counselor, Jonathan Blase, along with our entire staff, is always here to support students in crisis and foster a safe, caring environment for everyone.

• Hispanic Heritage Month (September 15 – October 15): Over the next month, we look forward to recognizing, honoring, and celebrating the rich histories, cultures, and contributions of Hispanic and Latino communities through learning activities and shared stories.

Thank you for your ongoing partnership, positivity, and commitment to making Glennwood such a joyful place to learn and grow. Have a wonderful weekend!

With gratitude and excitement,

Bill Howard

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

The elementary years are a critical time for developing strong reading habits and foundational literacy skills. In this episode of Raising a Reader, explore practical strategies and resources that help kindergarten through third-grade students grow into confident, capable readers!

This is all part of the activities CSD is doing for Decatur Reads and Dyslexia Awareness weeks coming in late September/October!

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.

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.

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.

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

See you at our next percentage night at Willy’s on Sept. 16th! Make sure to scan the barcode or use the code for Glennwood Elementary PTO to get a portion of the proceeds!

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

Glennwood’s Eagle Bucks School Store is up and running! Students have been hard at work earning Eagle Bucks, and now we could use some parent volunteers to run the sales. Our school counselor, Mr. Blase, will oversee and make sure the store is stocked, handle logistics, etc.

The school store is open monthly. Kindergarten and 1st grade are first thing in the morning from 8:00-8:30 and 2nd grade is in the afternoon from 2:10-2:40. This is a great way to help the school, interact positively with the students, and help them learn the values of good money management and character education.

Please check-out the sign-up schedule to see if there are dates and times that work for you to volunteer. Feel free to sign-up for multiple dates and times if it works for you: https://www.signupgenius.com/.../10C0849ADAC2CA4F8C43...

Contact Mr. Blase with any questions -- jblase@csdecatur.net

Thank you for helping with the Staff Appreciation efforts of stocking the staff break room at Glennwood in September. Please deliver the donated items to Ms. Reynolds between September 15-16th. We will be cleaning and stocking up the lounge on September 17th.

Sign up here- https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0849ADAE2EA5FEC52-65738472-help

If you are unable to purchase items, but would like to donate funds towards helping us stock the break room, the PTA is also collecting monetary donations. Donations can be made here - https://www.glennwoodelementarypto.org/donations by indicating the money is for Staff Appreciation and we'll take care of it for you. If you have any questions, please reach out to Emily McDowell or Nydia Almond (staffappreciation@glennwoodespta.com).

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

Join the DHS Color Guard for Youth Night on Friday, September 18, 2026. Open to all K-8th-grade students, participants will pair up with a DHS Color Guard buddy to learn a routine at practice on Tuesday, September 15, 6-7:30 p.m., enjoy dinner with the team, and perform together in the pregame show. The $30 participation fee covers student admission and dinner. Register here by Thursday, September 10, to guarantee an event t-shirt.