The Bulldog, April 16, 2026

Note from Mrs. Lockwood:

We had a wonderful first week back from Spring Break! It was great to see smiling faces, busy hallways, and active classrooms!

We are in the last month and a half of school, and this is a busy time. We have a number of events planned, so if your schedules allow, please participate where you can.

Please read the following health notice. CL Health Notice

Events at a glance:

• Thursday, April 16; 4:00-7:00: Spirit Night at Jeni's
• Friday, April 17: Walk & Roll
• Friday, April 17: School Crew
• Monday, April 20 - Friday, April 24: Book Fair and Spirit Week
• Tuesday, April 21; 5:30 - 7:00: Spring Carnival Book Fair Night
• Friday, April 24: Community Crew
• Saturday, April 25; 9:00-1:00: Spring Community Day
• Friday, May 1: Field Day
• Monday, May 4: Author Visit for 1st and 2nd
• Tuesday, May 5 - Thursday, May 7: Star Testing for all grades
• Friday, May 8: Community Crew
• Friday, May 8: 2nd grade Day at the Park

Join us Thursday, April 16th for Spirit Night at Jeni's between 4:00 - 7:00. Come have some ice cream and hang out with your friends while supporting the PTA!

It's book fair time! Students will have a chance to preview the book fair on Monday or Tuesday, and may bring money any day next week to shop. We accept cash, checks made out to Clairemont Elementary School. We also take credit cards if an adult is present or the student has a signed note with the amount they are allowed to spend. Families are welcome to shop any time during school hours! And all families are invited to the Spring Carnival next Tuesday evening when the book fair will also be open.

In addition to shopping in-person at the bookfair, families can shop online (www.littleshopofstories.com/shopbookfairs), and Clairemont will get credit for the sale. Use the coupon code CLAIREMONT at checkout. Families can browse by category at the link above or just search for specific books in a series or a book club selection!

We're celebrating book fair week with a school-wide spirit week!

Monday - Cozy Reading Day - wear your pajamas or comfy clothes

Tuesday - Reading is Magical - Capes, crowns, unicorns, wizards, wings, whatever makes you feel magical!

Wednesday - Genre Day - Are you a character in a mystery? Maybe a science fiction, sports, or historical fiction story?

Thursday - Dress for your favorite setting - Do you belong on the beach, in a jungle, in space? Get creative!

Friday - Vocabulary Day - Choose an amazing, outstanding, extraordinary word and come dressed like it. We will show off our vocabulary costumes at Community Crew that day!

The Spring Carnival will be Tuesday, April 21st from 5:30-7:00. The book fair will be open that evening, and we'll have games, prizes, tattoos, origami, Legos, and Kona Ice! New this year: order ahead dinner from Moe's to be delivered that evening during the carnival. Enjoy a picnic dinner while you shop and play, with proceeds from dinner benefitting PTA! See Moe's details below.

We need just a few parents to help work the fair during the Spring Carnival on the evening of the 21st. If you are able to help, please CLICK HERE to volunteer.

PTA is partnering with Moe's for an on-site spirit night! Order ahead and Moe's will deliver a taco box to the school on Tuesday, April 21st during Spring Carnival. Each taco box is $39.99 and feeds 4-6 people. You can bring a blanket and have a picnic on the playground, or take your box home to the whole family.

CLICK HERE to place your order or click on the image above.

We have an exciting author visit coming up for our 1st and 2nd grade students. Drew Brockington, author of the popular Catstronauts series, will be here Monday, May 4th for a book talk and signing. If you would like to purchase a book to be signed, please return your order form by next Monday. This is a quick turnaround but we want to make sure the books arrive in time for his visit.

If you need a new order form, please click the link below! You can also email Ms. D at whitney.derosa@csdecatur.net.

It’s family day at CATSUP HQ, and Major Meowser is waiting for his dad-cat to make a BIG entrance. Anycat who’s anycat knows who Buck Meowser is—the first cat to ever orbit Earth. He’s a CatStronauts legend! Major's in for quite a shock, though, when CATSUP announces Buck is making a grand return, this time joining the CatStronauts on their mission to remove space junk from Earth’s orbit. Perfect time for father-son bonding, right?

Well...Major and Buck can’t stop ruffling each other’s fur! But when the safety of their spacecraft is threatened, can these two put their paws together to make this mission a success?

Author-illustrator Drew Brockington tests the CatStronauts with everything he’s got—space litter, environmental peril, and of course, pawesome puns!

Our first grade book groups recently finished reading Ricky Ricotta and the Jurassic Jackrabbits from Jupiter and used that book to study plot structure and plan their own comic books. They plotted out a conflict, rising action, climax, and resolution, and this week started illustrating their own comic flip books. They've got some exciting stories to tell!

Read the April 16, 2026, issue of CSD Weekly, the district-wide newsletter.

Our Spring Community Day for Clariemont is scheduled for April 25, 2026 from 9 am - 1 pm. Join us for light gardening, grounds clean-up, and painting.

As always, kids are welcome, and we will have light refreshments for participants. Registration is here.

Thanks to all who help in the fall too! You may have noticed that many of the daffodils we planted bloomed in early March.

Signing up as a member allows you to fully access our website and add your bulldog to the directory, along with classes and groups/clubs. This membership supports our school and the National and State PTA by paying annual dues that help us operate. We use PTA funds to support teacher grants and school events. A portion of the $10 serves as dues paid to the National and State Parent Teacher Association, which is our governing organization.

On Saturday, April 18 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., Legacy Park will host Community Day, a gathering designed to bring neighbors together while spotlighting the many local organizations working to build a greener, more connected Decatur. Presented by Legacy Decatur, the nonprofit stewards of Legacy Park, the event will feature the Decatur Environmental Sustainability Board’s annual Earth Day Festival, along with exhibits, demonstrations, and opportunities for residents to learn practical ways to reduce their environmental footprint and get involved locally.

Community Day reflects the broader role Legacy Park has grown to play in Decatur — not just as a preserved green space, but as a campus where nonprofits, educators, and community builders collaborate on environmental stewardship, social connection, and neighborhood wellbeing.

“Legacy Park exists because a community came together to protect something meaningful,” said Madeleine Henner, Executive Director of Legacy Decatur. “Community Day celebrates that spirit. It’s an opportunity for residents to meet the organizations doing important work here, learn practical ways to live more sustainably, and connect with neighbors who care about the future of our community.”

Visitors will be able to explore exhibits, participate in activities, and connect with a wide range of organizations working on environmental, cultural, and community initiatives. Attendees will also be able to browse a selection of organic and handmade products offered by participating vendors and community groups.

Participating organizations and activities include:

• The Grief House, seed sharing and kid’s crafts
• Global Growers Network, foraging
• L’Arche Atlanta, organizational info and collaborative art activity
• Refugee Women’s Network, organizational info
• Compassionate Atlanta, love notes and re-usable bags
• Wild Nest Bird Rehabilitation, bird education
• Decatur Book Festival, book-themed coloring
• Paint Love, pop-up shop of free art supplies and kits
• Global Spokes, bike tune-ups
• Tai Chi 4 LIFE Cooperative, plant sales and sharing
• DeKalb Symphony Orchestra, quartet performance
• Georgia Arborist Association, tree giveaway
• Decatur Arts Alliance, “Absurdity” art exhibition
• Amphibian Foundation, educational critters
• Decatur Community Habitat, plant swap

Vendors:

Camilla and Elena's Closet, gently used clothing and accessories Alex Cameron Woodworking, wooden goods with natural finish and no stains B Buckets, mosquito buckets and biodiversity; DIY on-site bucket decorations Beech Hollow Wildflower Farm, small pots of Piedmont native plants and educational information Joyful Jarra, package-free, non-toxic, clean-ingredient home and body products Phamcliff Farms, carnivorous plants Oakhurst Guinea Pig Rescue, animal shelter bringing a few piggies to show off Avondale ACTion, an Indivisible Group, sharing information about environmental issues impacting our area (e.g., data center policy, PSC policy impact on gas company expansion, Okefenokee Swamp redesignation to protect against mining operations)

Food:

• Refugee Women's Network Chefs Club
• Heaps Pies
• Hapa Kitchen

In addition, Trellis Horticultural Therapy Alliance will host its Spring Plant Sale and

Open House, offering plants for sale and information about therapeutic horticulture and

accessible gardening practices.

Legacy Decatur hopes Community Day will serve as both a celebration and an invitation — a chance for residents to discover the people and organizations helping cultivate a more resilient and environmentally responsible community.

More information about the event can be found at: decaturlegacypark.com/community-day