Anniston City Schools

December 19, 2024

Mission Statement:

To empower, inspire, support, and prepare our students for the world.

Vision Statement:

To become a premier educational system.

Greetings Anniston Community,

I hope this holiday season is filled with joy, love, and cherished moments with your family and friends. As we embrace this festive time of year, I want to extend my warmest wishes for a happy and fulfilling holiday season.

May the new year bring prosperity, peace, and continued success in all your endeavors. Thank you for your unwavering commitment to the education and empowerment of our students. Together, we are making a meaningful and lasting impact.

This past year, we achieved a remarkable milestone in our students' academic progress. All our schools earned a grade of C, which means none of them are in a needs-improvement status. This impressive jump in test scores reflects the dedication and hard work of our students, teachers, and administrators. I could not be more proud of their efforts and achievements.

As we prepare to welcome the new year, I am deeply grateful for the Anniston community's continued support of our schools. Together, we are inspiring and empowering our students to reach new heights.

With gratitude and best wishes,

Dr. D. Ray Hill
Superintendent, Anniston City Schools

Discover how our district and schools performed in the latest Alabama State Department of Education (ALSDE) Student Achievement Report. Simply click the links below to access the report, search for Anniston City Schools, and find the performance details for your specific school.

ELA Proficiency

https://www.alabamaachieves.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/RD_SP_202488_2023-2024-Participation-and-Proficiency-ELA_v1.0.xlsb

Math Proficiency

https://www.alabamaachieves.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/RD_SP_202488_2023-2024-Participation-and-Proficiency-Math_v1.0.xlsb

Science Proficiency

https://www.alabamaachieves.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/RD_SP_202488_2023-2024-Participation-and-Proficiency-Science_v1.0.xlsb

In a heartwarming gesture to spread holiday cheer, Dr. Barber, Senior Director of Secondary Curriculum & Instruction, recently visited several elementary schools, delighting students with a festive celebration. At GSE, students were treated to a magical Polar Express ride, where the atmosphere was enhanced with a sprinkle of festive flurries, bringing the holiday spirit to life. The event was a wonderful way to engage young learners and create lasting memories as they celebrated the season together.

The Ambassadors made a special visit to Anniston Health and Rehab Services, bringing joy and spreading holiday cheer to the residents. The highlight of the visit was their heartfelt caroling, as they sang holiday classics that lit up the room and brought smiles to everyone’s faces.

The gift bags, thoughtfully prepared by the Ambassadors, contained small but meaningful tokens of care and appreciation. This thoughtful gesture, combined with their willingness to give their time and talents, beautifully embodied the true spirit of the season: kindness, connection, and community.

Our goal was to ensure that the residents felt loved and remembered during the holidays. Spending time with them and witnessing their joy made it all worthwhile. This event underscored the importance of reaching out to those in long-term care facilities, particularly during the holidays when feelings of loneliness can be especially profound. It’s a reminder that even small acts of kindness can bring immeasurable happiness to others.

The Anniston City School Board of Education proudly recognized the outstanding achievements of Coach Young and the Lady Bulldogs' flag football team at tonight’s meeting. The team was celebrated for their remarkable talent, dedication, and teamwork throughout a standout season. Their hard work on and off the field has set a new standard for excellence, and the board expressed their admiration for the athletes' perseverance and sportsmanship. The event highlighted the team's success and the growing enthusiasm for flag football within the Anniston community.

Comprehension is understanding what you read. It is the goal of reading. It is the thinking process readers use to understand what they read. Strong vocabulary, background knowledge, and an understanding of how language works are keys to comprehension.

This activity only requires fun and a great imagination.

1. Use the link below to access the story "Back to School Blues". Before sharing the story with your student, read the story and identify words that may be a challenge to your student.

back-to-school-blues-third-grade-reading-comprehension-worksheet.pdf

2. With your student, read the title and look at the picture, together. Ask your student what they think the story will be about.

3. Plan to read the story 3 times with your student to build comprehension.

4. The first time you read the story, have your student follow along with you. Stop at various places in the story and ask questions such as:

• Who are the characters in the story?
• What do you think will happen next?
• Where do you think this story takes place?
• What is the problem so far?
• What do you think will be a good solution?

5. The next day, read the story again, taking turns with your student as you read a section of the story. Focus on vocabulary words in the story that may have been challenging to your student. Have discussions about the words and talk about where you may hear the word(s) again.

6. The following day, read the story a third time and have your student make a connection about how they feel about going back to school. Try changing the ending to the story to make it fun and exciting.

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Build Fluency with the Alphabet!

This activity allows students to practice reading with expression and appropriate phrasing using the alphabet!

Materials

• paper or notecards
• pencils or markers

1. Write the letters of the alphabet on individual notecards or in a line on a piece of paper. You can start with a few letters and build up to the entire alphabet, if needed.
2. Insert punctuation marks after each letter. Practice reading the first few letters together with expression based on the punctuation. (ex: A! B. C? D! E. F? G.)
3. Have your student practice reading the alphabet to you with expression! You can change the punctuation each time you do the activity together.
4. Once your student is successful with this activity, you can then practice phrasing and expression by writing the alphabet in "letter phrases" separated by punctuation. Practice reading the phrases together with expression, then have your student read the phrases to you. (ex: ABC. DEF? GH! IJK. LM! NOP. QRS? TUV? WX. YZ!)

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IXL

During winter break, encourage your child to log into IXL and complete practice exercises in reading and math to keep their skills sharp.

ACS Facebook page

Important Dates

December 23-January 3

Winter Break - No School

January 6-7

Teacher In-service - No School

January 15

Martin Luther King Jr. Observed