This Week at West Elementary School December 5, 2022

Extended Day Canceled for Tuesday, December 13, 2022

We are canceling Extended Day on Tuesday, December 13, 2022. We will be having an inspection on the Dehumidifier project at 3:30 PM, and we will need all students off campus during the inspection.

Early Release Day - Tuesday, December 20, 2022

Parents, students will be released from school on Tuesday, December 20, 2022, at 11:30 AM. This is the last student day before our Christmas Holiday Break. We will serve breakfast and lunch on this day. We will not have Extended Day on this day. We will follow your child's normal dismissal procedures on this day. Please notify your child's teacher before Tuesday, December 20 if there is a change in their dismissal for this day.

DIBELS and iReady Testing

Parents, our mid-year DIBELS (reading proficiency testing) and our iReady formative assessments testing (Reading and Math) are taking place this week. These tests are not for a grade, but, rather, they give our teachers, coaches, and parents valuable information on how our students are making progress on the state learning standards. We are encouraging our students to do their best. At the end of the year, we want to show off all of our learning.

Super Citizen Assembly with Liberty's Legacy

On Wednesday, December 7, our 2nd and 5th-grade students will have their culminating assembly on their citizenship lessons this semester with the 2nd and 5th Grade students from East Elementary. Our 2nd and 5th-grade students have been learning about the traits of a good citizen, and each grade will recognize two Super Citizens from the Cullman area in the assembly. This program is sponsored by local businesses through an organization, Liberty's Legacy, to promote the qualities of being a good citizen.

2nd and 4th Grade Students' Vision Screening - Tuesday, December 13, 2022

Vision Research will conduct a vision screen for our 2nd and 4th Grade students on Tuesday, December 13. The screen takes a photograph of the child's eye and can screen for vision problems. A form with an explanation of the screening will be sent home on Monday, December 5. If you want your child to be screened, you will not have to send anything back. If you wish to opt-out of the screening, please follow the directions on the form, sign the form, and return it to your child's teacher.

Christmas Parties - 2nd and 3rd Grades

Our 2nd Grade students will have their Christmas parties on Friday, December 16 at 1:15 PM in their classrooms. Our 3rd Grade students will have their Christmas parties on Monday, December 19 at 1:15 PM in their classrooms. Your child's homeroom teacher will be sending home information about the parties.

Change in 4th Grade Arrival Procedures for the Second Semester

4th Grade Parents, we will begin dropping off 4th Grade students in the morning at the Gym Parking Lot on Wednesday, January 4, or the first day of the Second Semester. This does not change 4th Grade students' Dismissal Procedures in the afternoon. 4th-grade students will still be picked up after school at the Rosemont Avenue entrance to the school. If your 4th-grade student eats breakfast each morning, they still can be dropped off at the Rosemont entrance. If your 4th-grade student has a younger sibling in the 2nd or 3rd grade, they can still be dropped off at the Rosemont entrance. 4th Grade students dropped off in the Gym Parking Lot will exit their vehicles and enter the gym from 7:25 - 7:45 AM. After 7:45 AM, 4th-grade students will be dismissed by the staff member to their homerooms. We are making this change so that 4th-grade students will not have to assemble in the hallways in the mornings before school. This brings us more in line with our normal arrival procedures from before the pandemic. 5th and 6th Grade parents, please be aware of the additional parents dropping off in the morning beginning January 4. We do not feel that this will cause a problem with students arriving at school on time, but we think that it will help with our overall traffic in the morning.

Change to the Dismissal Timing for the Second Semester

Parents, if you pick up your child in carline, we are going to make a slight change in our procedures for the second semester. Beginning Wednesday, January 4, instead of students coming out to dismissal in waves, we are going to wait until the 2:55 PM bell rings before our students leave to go to carline. During the past two years we sent homerooms to their dismissal areas at 2:47 PM, 2:50 PM, and 2:53 PM, so that we would not have as many students out in the halls. With this change, you may notice that students will not be in position until about 2:57 or 2:58 PM. Please be patient as we make this change.

Lunchroom Guidelines for Outside/Restaurant Food

Parents, if you bring food from a restaurant into the lunchroom for your child, please pack that food into a container that does not have the restaurant logo on it. West Elementary receives monies from the Federal School Lunch Program, and outside food in the lunchroom violates their nutrition guidelines. If you forget to pack the outside food in a plain container, ask Mrs. Dixon in the office as you enter the school. She can provide a container to pack your lunch.

Visiting Campus

Parents, we have enjoyed seeing more parents on campus for events, meetings, and eating lunch with your child. A couple of reminders for visitors to campus. All visitors need to sign in with Mrs. Dixon in the main office and receive a visitor's badge. Visitors should go directly to the area that they are visiting (classroom, lunchroom, etc.). This helps us keep up with who is on campus. Again, it is nice to have you with us more this year.

Thank you Parents and Friends for your support of the West Elementary School Book Fair