The Bulldog, October 1, 2026

Note from Mrs. Lockwood:

Welcome back! I hope everyone had a wonderful Fall Break. The weather is cooler, and the leaves are changing; fall is finally here!

Parent-teacher conferences began this week. This is a great opportunity to meet with your child's teacher to understand their strengths and areas for growth. If you need to schedule a conference, please reach out to your homeroom teacher as soon as possible.

October marks the official start of fall and one of our longest stretches of school days. We know this season can bring challenges in maintaining strong attendance, but every day matters for our students' growth and success. I will continue to share our school-wide daily attendance percentage in the weekly newsletter. Remember, our daily attendance goal is 98%!

Friday: NO SCHOOL-FALL BREAK

Monday: 116/127, 91%👀

Tuesday: 124/127, 98% 🎉

Wednesday: 123/127, 97%

Thursday: 122/127, 96%

The photos from our Fall picture day are ready to be viewed! Click on the link below and use your student's ID number to log in. (The student ID is the same as their lunch number.)

https://rogercannonphotography.accessmyevent.com/Clairemont_F26

If you have any problems accessing your photos or any questions about ordering, please contact our school photographer, Charlie Cannon, at cwcannon23@gmail.com.

Tomorrow is Community Crew. We look forward to seeing everyone in the morning. We will have a special performance to celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month. As a reminder, please bring your 'Crew Pass' with you.

Family Literacy Night is next Tuesday, October 6, 5:00-6:30. Come join us for literacy fun. The book fair will be here, along with crafts and character read-alouds. It's going to be a great time!

I am pleased to share that our parent SLT members for this school year are Tatiyana Knight, Matalie Mack and Rebeca Montaner.

Events at a glance:

• Thursday, October 1: Spirit Night at Bad Daddy's Burger Bar

• Friday, October 2: Community Crew

• Friday, October 2: Author Visit

• Saturday, October 3: Community Day

• Monday, October 5 - Friday, October 9: Book Fair

• Tuesday, October 6; 5:00-6:30: Literacy Night

• Friday, October 9: Walk & Roll

• Friday, October 9; 10:00-12:00: Flu Clinic

• Monday, October 12: Teacher Work Day - No School

• Friday, October 16: Community Crew

The month of October is going to be full of literary fun! The Read-a-Thon kick-off will be on Friday, October 2nd during Community Crew. That same day, we have an author visit for the whole school. We have a limited number of extra copies of books for the author visit, so if you missed your chance to order, reach out to Ms. D asap at whitney.derosa@csdecatur.net.

Read-A-Thon is a school-wide event that encourages students to read as much as possible between Saturday, October 3, 2026, and Thursday, October 8, 2026. Students may also be sponsored by friends and family who donate to support their reading efforts. Through the Read-A-Thon, we hope students will build confidence in their reading skills and have fun! Check your student's red folder for a Read-a-Thon packet with more information and minute-tracking sheets.

The Book Fair will be open Monday-Friday, October 5-9. Students will get a chance to preview the book fair on Monday or Tuesday to make a list of the books they like. Then they are able to bring money any other day of the week to shop. Parents are invited to come shop any time! If you would like to shop with your student, please coordinate with the classroom teacher on what time is best.

We also have Family Literacy Night during the week of the Book Fair! Literacy Night is Tuesday, October 6th from 5:00-6:30. The book fair will be open during that time, plus we will have story times, crafts, face painting, and more!

To celebrate all the great reading we'll be doing, students are invited to participate in a literacy-themed spirit week! See below for the theme days.

If you have any questions about any of these literacy events, contact Ms. D at whitney.derosa@csdecatur.net.

Lion King rehearsals are off to a great start! After this week, not all students will be needed at all rehearsals. We will send an email directly to musical families with updates and specific rehearsal schedules each week. If you have not already filled out the Parent Info form, please CLICK HERE to do that.

Be Part of a Beloved Clairemont Tradition!

The Decatur Holiday Marketplace & Café is back, and we need our amazing Clairemont families to help make the magic happen!

For 35 years, this special event has brought our school community together for a festive weekend of shopping, creativity, food, music, and holiday fun. And the Marketplace is made possible entirely by parent and family volunteers!

There are lots of ways to help!
You can volunteer for a single shift, help with setup or cleanup "Transformation", lend a hand in the Café & Bake Sale, welcome shoppers, help behind the scenes, or jump in wherever you're needed.

Whether you have an hour, or a whole day, we'd love to have you on the team!

Come be part of the Clairemont Crew!

Interested in volunteering?
decaturholidaymarketplace@gmail.com

Every helping hand makes a difference!
https://decaturholidaymarketplace.com/volunteer/

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

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.

The Decatur Book Festival returns this weekend featuring panels with award-winning and best-selling national, regional, and local authors, along with book signings, kids' activities, great food, and street fair exhibitors from across the country. It's a celebration of storytelling, inspiration, and community, and we can’t wait to see you there! The book festival and street fair will take over the Decatur square from 10:00-5:00 on Saturday, October 3rd.

Join us for the Kidnote!

Oct 03, 2026, 10:00 AM – 10:45 AM

Decatur Square Stage

Bestselling and beloved authors Katherine Applegate and Gennifer Choldenko return to the Dogtown series with I Am a Good Dog. Metal Head, a robot dog in the Dogtown shelter, longs to find a forever home in the New York Times–bestselling series that has already found a home in readers' hearts.

This event is free and open to the public. No tickets are required, and seating is first come, first served.

Our Path to the Pitch programming, including Friday Night Lights, introduces girls ages 6–14 to soccer in a free, fun, and welcoming environment. The program is especially designed for girls who are new or recently new to the sport. Our goal is to help more girls get a chance to play, build connections, and stay involved in soccer.

Our first sessions begin this Friday, October 2, at the East Lake MARTA Station soccer fields. The attached flyer includes the session details and registration information for families.

Here is a link to the website and registration information: https://decaturfc.com/fnl/

Join the Decatur High School Varsity and JV Cheerleaders during the 2026 Homecoming Week for a mini-camp for all students in grades K-5.

• Camp Dates: Monday, October 19 - Wednesday, October 21, from 4:15 - 6:00 p.m. at DHS

• Performance Date: DHS Homecoming Parade and Game on Friday, October 23

• Cost: $65 (fee includes a t-shirt and fundraising support for the DHS Cheerleaders)

All camp proceeds support the DHS cheerleading program.

Use this link to register and pay for the camp: https://bit.ly/2026MiniCheerCamp.

Registration closes on Thursday, October 8, at 6 p.m. or when the camp reaches capacity at 75 registered and paid participants.

Questions? Contact the coaches:

Coach Courtney Burnett

cburnett@csdecatur.net

Coach Crystal Evans

cevans1@csdecatur.net

decaturbulldogsathletics.com