W.E.stchester Weekly
News from the Principal
Greetings WE Families,
Wow! It was a wonderful first day of the 2025-2026 school year. It is so hard to believe that this group of 2nd graders were just the little kindergarteners. The time between kindergarten and 2nd grade certainly goes by quickly. It has truly been a joyful day at Westchester today.
Thank you to everyone for your patience as we got PickUp Patrol working. There are a few students who do not have plans in the App. This is our default for transportation plans. Once you set that plan, you may make changes before 2:00 each day. We will rely on this information for dismissal.
Here are a few resources that you will want to review.
The Grading Handbook and Quick Facts Hand-out grades 6-12, 3-5, and 1-2. This is helpful information for our grading procedures. You will be able to see your child’s grade in the Parent Portal.
You will be amazed at the progress your child will show this year in Early Literacy. It is truly an incredible journey to becoming a skilled reader. Our teachers continue to develop a deeper understanding of the Science of Reading and the best practices for teaching reading. You will be hearing more about our literacy instruction and the use of our Fundations and Wit & Wisdom curricula later this month. Our work is guided by the new Georgia Early Literacy and Dyslexia Act (HB 307) that was signed into law in April 2025. This new law aimed to merge and clarify the early literacy and dyslexia requirements previously established by Senate Bill 38 in 2019 and the Georgia Early Literacy Act (HB 538) in 2023. This also includes the 2025-2026 Dyslexia Informational Handbook (revised July 2025) for parents and educators.
Mark your calendars for these upcoming events.
August 28, 2025: Curriculum Night
August 29th, 2025: Community Circle - all are welcome
From your very grateful principal,
Christine Knox
.
First Day of School Smiles!
Calendar of Events
Coming Home This Week!
Your student is coming home with a car rider tag and additional tags if you requested them by yesterday. Please place these cards on your rearview mirror if picking your student up in the carpool line.
Also, your student is coming home with their lunch count number and a practice page with the keyboard. It is very important that they practice this number so that they can begin memorizing it. (it is also used in their Google Account login so it is also helpful for you to memorize it, too. Thank you for your support.
Annual update
Reminder: Infinite Campus Credit Card Processing Fee Update
CSD is pleased to continue offering credit card payments as a convenient payment method for school-related fees. In line with standard industry practices, CSD imposes a transaction fee to cover the processing costs charged by credit card companies for accepting these payments. During the 2024-25 school year, CSD capitalized on the increase in electronic check transactions ($0.35 per transaction) to reduce the Infinite Campus credit card processing fee from a flat rate of $4.00 to $2.50 per transaction.
However, credit card companies impose a fee of 3.5% or more on the total transaction amount for credit card payments rather than a flat fee. The difference has created a gap between the fees charged by CSD and the actual credit card processing costs incurred by the district, leaving the district to cover the additional expenses for each credit card transaction.
Effective July 1, CSD will shift to a retail merchant model for credit card processing. This change will involve moving from a $2.50 flat fee to a 3.5% percentage-based fee for all CSD credit card transactions. The transition means there will be a charge of $3.50 for every $100 credit card transaction. We encourage electronic checks, as these fees will remain $0.35.
The transition to a percentage-based fee supports the district's financial sustainability and aligns the fee structure with actual processing costs. It also allows CSD to maintain credit card payment options without diverting funds from other educational priorities.
Newsletters are posted on the Website!
Reminders
School Lunch Policy: Please be sure to maintain a positive lunch balance for your child. This will help us avoid any unexpected lunch changes for students. Check your Parent Portal frequently to make sure your child has adequate funds for the cafeteria. You may also find the Parent Portal app (for Apple or Android) to be more convenient.
Click here to view this week's edition of the CSD Weekly.
Westchester Elementary School
Who to Contact: Please see who the best contact is for your questions for a quicker response.
Website: https://www.csdecatur.net/Westchester
Location: 758 Scott Boulevard, Decatur, GA, USA
Phone: 404-370-4400
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/westchesterelementarycsd