The Sandbox

• August 29: Kona Ice Day
• August 30: Early Release - Pep Rally on the Square
  
• September 2: NO SCHOOL - Labor Day Holiday
• September 9: Chocolate Bar Sale Kickoff
• September 10: iAcademy Parent Night
• September 17: School Picture Day

Every year we hold a "virtual meeting" to share information about being a Title 1 school with families! Our Title 1 teachers this year are Lori Carter and Angela Sullivan. Please click the button below to see the information and let us know if you have any questions!

Our PTO (Parent Teacher Organization) is selling a school t-shirt! You can print the order form below and send it in with your money in your child's gold folder. An order form was sent home in your child's gold folder last week. Each grade level t-shirt will be a different color and students will wear these shirts on school spirit days and field trips. All orders must be in by August 30th!

We wanted to share a few reminders about some of the more common health concerns and when your child should stay home from school! We appreciate your help in keeping our students healthy at school! You can read the entire illness policy in the student handbook by clicking HERE.

• Fever: A student with a fever over 100 degrees should not come to school. Students must be fever free for 24 hours (without the use of Tylenol or Advil) before returning to school.
• Vomiting: If a student has vomited (thrown up), they must not return to school until they have not been vomiting for 24 hours.
• Diarrhea: If a student has had diarrhea 2 or more times they should stay home and not return until they've been 24 hours with no more diarrhea.
• Strep Throat: A student can return with a doctor's note and needs to have been on antibiotic for at least 24 hours.
• Lice: Students must have received lice treatment and have no evidence of live lice when checked by the school nurse.

All medications must be given to the school nurse and the appropriate forms filled out before any medication can be given. Call the office for more information!

It's time for our first reading challenge of the year and this 9 weeks will be the Reading Olympics! This is a reading challenge to encourage our students to focus on their reading goals for this year. We hope this will greatly increase the volume of students’ reading. The challenge will last from August 12th through October 3rd. Students have an opportunity to earn individual prizes as well as a prize for their PK-3rd grade color team!

Individual Prizes:

1. When 50% of their AR reading goal is met = USA pencil

2. When their AR reading goal is met= USA ink pen

3. When the student earns 20+ points= USA bracelet

4. The top three readers in each class will receive a goodie bag filled with a free book and prizes.

**The top three readers will be determined by their AR points and their average on October 3rd at 2:30.

Team Prizes:

Each AES PK-3rd grade Color Team will be represented on our “Reading Olympics” bulletin board in our hallway. The Team with the most gold medals by October 3rd at 2:30 will receive a popsicle party and a banner with their team colors displayed in the hall trophy case. Every 25 AR points=a gold medal.

Pre-K and Kindergarten classes can earn a gold medal for their their team by reading 25 picture books to their class and completing a reading log.

School starts every day at 7:45am!

Our doors open to students at 7:15am. Students may be dropped off beginning at that time. All students need to be at school NO LATER THAN 7:45.

The carline door will be locked at 7:45 and you will need to come into the main office after that time to check your child in. If students arrive to school after 7:45 they are considered tardy. A parent MUST walk them in at that time to check them in!

Anytime you come to our campus during the school day, please come to the main entrance and ring the doorbell for assistance. Please do not try to enter through any other door.

Checking In or Checking Out

If you need to check in or check out your child, please come to the main entrance and ring the doorbell. Our office staff will buzz you in. Come into the office. We have a QR code posted and a website where you can electronically check in or check out your student. You may do this on your own phone or we have an iPad available.

Anytime you arrive after 7:45 am you will need to come inside to check your child in.

Our teachers communicate with families in a variety of ways.

• Each day students bring home a GOLD FOLDER in their backpack. This folder contains important information for students from the teacher. Please check the Gold folder daily and make sure to send it back to school every day.
  
• SeeSaw is an online tool we use to communicate your student's work and information from the class. Your teachers sent home information on joining your child's class Seesaw.
• Email is a great tool for communicating with your child's teacher. Please know that they may not be checking email during the day so if there is something time sensitive call Mrs. Carr in the office at 256-233-6609. Any afternoon transportation change must go through Mrs. Carr in the office or you can send a written note in your child's gold folder.

Your child's school attendance is very important! Here are a few things to note about attendance:

• School starts at 7:45! Students are tardy after 7:45 - you need to come inside and sign them in at the office if they are tardy.
• If your child misses school - you will receive and automated phone call and email informing you of their absence. This is a reminder for you to send in an excuse note. Occasionally if you check your child in after 8:30 you may still receive this call.
• You may also receive a letter in the mail to remind you about sending in a note to excuse the absence.
• All notes may be sent in through the child's gold folder or you may email Mrs. Carr directly at vickie.carr@acs-k12.org
• If your child has 5 or more unexcused absences in a semester you will be referred for an early warning attendance meeting to inform you of the truancy process.
• Each student has 5 parent notes they can use per semester. After those 5 have been used for an excused absence, all further absences in a semester require a doctor's excuse to be counted as excused.
• All of the attendance policy for Athens Elementary can be found in the student handbook on pages 14-16. This can be found on the website by clicking HERE.

Please make sure that whoever is dropping off or picking up your child know's the procedures!

Carline:

• Stay in your car the entire time. If you need to buckle or unbuckle your child, you will need to pull into a parking spot.
• Only enter campus off of 3rd Avenue. Do not enter carline off of Madison Street.
• Follow the directions of the school staff.
• Have your child ready to get out of the car at morning drop off. Students kindergarten age and up should open their own door and exit to the sidewalk when your car stops at the drop off area.
• When you are exiting the drop off area, wait for the cars in front of you to pull into the left lane to exit the Parking lot.
• Make sure to have your green or orange hangtag displayed in your window. Pre-K please also display yours during morning carline.

Bus Pickup and Drop Off:

• Make sure your child knows their bus # and where they go when dropped off.
• If your child is kindergarten age, there MUST be someone waiting on them at the bus stop.
• All bus riders have a bus tag on their backpack. Do not remove this tag.
• Buses sometimes run early or late depending on traffic. Buses may be running up to 10 min early or late so make your plans accordingly.
• Make sure to read the bus rules and expectations in the student handbook on pages 45-46. You can read it on the school website by clicking HERE.

We hope this school year is off to a great start for your family, and we welcome your support of the Parent Teacher Organization (PTO)! We are so excited about the events, fundraisers, and projects we have planned for this year. PTO works collaboratively to support our teachers, students, and families. PTO fundraisers and dues help fund materials for classrooms, AR reward days, field trips and Field Day, just to name a few! Any parents or guardians can join PTO!

We have several upcoming events that we would love for you to participate in. We are always looking for volunteers to help as well. Our next meeting will be August 20th at 6:30pm. We will be in the planning stage of our Fall Festival, so please join the meeting to help make this festival a fun night for our school community!

For more information about PTO and to get updates about upcoming events, please join our Facebook page and GroupMe chat (QR codes are below). Lastly, if you haven’t paid your yearly dues ($10 per family), you can pay those at the September meeting or send them to school with your child in an envelope marked “PTO.” Checks should be made out to Athens Elementary – please note “PTO dues” on the memo line. You can also print the volunteer sign up form and send it to school in your child's gold folder. We are looking for volunteers, including room moms for each class!

We look forward to working with all of you!

Thanks,

PTO Leadership Committee

• For Morning Arrival: All car riders for pre-k through 3rd grade (except those assigned to the special education carline) need to enter the campus off of 3rd Avenue. You will then drive around campus using the LEFT lane. Do not block any entrances or exits! Drop off begins at 7:15 and ends at 7:45. After that time you need to come check your child in at the main office. All entrances are closed to parents except from 3rd Avenue.

• For Afternoon Dismissal: All cars should only enter the campus off of 3rd Avenue and use the LEFT lane only. Pre-K students should be picked up NO LATER then 2:15. All K-3 parents need to wait to arrive to campus until pre-k carline is finished (2:15). Do not block any entrances or exits!

• For ALL carlines (Pre-k, Special needs, and K-3) parents should STAY in your car during morning and afternoon carline times. If you need to buckle your child, pull all the way up to the end of the carline area or park in a designated parking spot.

• Anytime you are on campus and park - you must park in a designated parking space! This includes if you are walking to drop off or pick up your child. Do not park on the city streets to walk your child to the door.

• Latchkey pickup will be at the back of the gym off of Houston Street at the bus awning. If your child has not been picked up by 3:10, they will be taken to latchkey. There is an $8/day charge for latchkey services. You must fill out the application to secure your child's spot in latchkey.

Find out if your family qualifies for Free and Reduced Lunch by completing the Free and Reduced Lunch Application. Only one application is necessary per family. Families must re-apply each school year to potentially receive this benefit. Click Here or visit acs-k12.org/nutrition to apply.

2024-2025 ACS Student Daily Lunch Pricing:
$2.75 - PAID (Family does not qualify for free or reduced lunch)
$0.40 - REDUCED (apply to see if your family qualifies)
$0.00 - FREE (apply to see if your family qualifies)
ALL students receive breakfast each day for free!

Remember, families who do not qualify for Free and Reduced Lunch should plan to pay the $2.75 daily lunch rate. If you have any questions or need help with your Free and Reduced Lunch Application, contact Dr. Tandy Blackwell, Director of Child Nutrition, at Tandy.Blackwell@acs-k12.org or (256) 233-6600. Paper applications are also available at acs-k12.org/nutrition.

Be ready for the first day of school - apply to see if your family qualifies today!

We do offer after school care through our Latchkey program. We have a limited number of spots available. If you have participated in latchkey in the past, you will need to fill out a new application for this year. Our latchkey teachers for this year are Mrs. Timberlake and Mrs. Lillian.

Latchkey will begin the first day of school this year. For latchkey applications, please check out our website by clicking HERE.

We know that communication is vital to parents and students and it is something we take very seriously at iAcademy.

This newsletter will be a great source of information for you regarding all things related to iAcademy. We will send it out through our Blackboard communication system every Monday throughout the school year. It is sent via text, email, Twitter, Facebook and posted on our website as well.

We also send out reminders about upcoming dates/events through the Blackboard communication system. If you are not receiving these communications, please call the office and speak with our registrar Vickie Carr. If you have signed up via email and haven't received them, check your spam folder. If they are coming to your spam you may need to add our emails to your address book. There is also an app you can download. Information on the app is at the bottom of this newsletter.

We use Facebook and Twitter as a one-way communication where we can post announcements because we cannot monitor the social media posts during the day. If you need us, the best way to reach us is via phone or email. Please don't ever hesitate to reach out to us!

Principal - Amanda Tedford - amanda.tedford@acs-k12.org

Assistant Principal - Nick Looney - nick.looney@acs-k12.org

If you are receiving emails & messages from iAcademy and would like to no longer receive them - follow the link below to find out how to "opt out". There is also information on this page about how to use the app and verify and update your contact information!

Click HERE for opting out and communication info!

Link to Online Free and Reduced Application

Link to Online Meal Payment

Link to Menus & ACS Child Nutrition Page

We are so thankful for the support of our wonderful Partner in Education!

Never miss a weather alert, school closing or important update. Download the ACS mobile app to stay connected at all times. Use the app to check calendars, lunch menus, and receive "push" notifications about school events and weather emergencies. Download the free app today at the App Store for iPhones or Google Play for Android devices. Search "Athens City School System."

Be sure to allow alerts, pushes and banners in your phone settings under "notifications" to properly receive notifications. In the app settings, please select the schools from which you wish to receive updates. Contact our office with any questions. 256.233.6600.

Email: amanda.tedford@acs-k12.org
Phone: 256-233-6609
Twitter: @awtedford

Email: nick.looney@acs-k12.org
Phone: 256-233-6609

Some links on this page will let you leave the school and school district site. The linked sites are not under the control of the school/district, and the school/district is not responsible for the contents of any linked site or any link contained in a linked site, or any changes or updates to such sites. The school/district is providing these links to you only as a convenience, and the inclusion of any link does not imply endorsement of the site by the school/district.

Email: amanda.tedford@acs-k12.org
Website: https://aes.acs-k12.org/
Location: 515 North Madison Street, Athens, AL, United States
Phone: (256) 233-6609
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/athenselementary
Twitter: @AthensElem