• March 4-8: Book Fair Week & Read Across America Week
  
• March 5: Charlotte's Web Family Movie Night
• March 7: Spanish Club
• March 8: End of the 3rd 9 weeks
• March 13: Report Cards go home
• March 15: Elearning for students - School PD Day
• March 25-29: Spring Break! School is Closed!

We are so excited about our book fair week! You will find the events listed below. It will be a fun week focused on literacy and will be the culmination of our school wide reading of Charlotte's Web!

We have had the best time with our school wide reading of Charlotte's Web! This children's literacy classic has kept us entertained and made us think about many life lessons such as perseverance and the importance of friendship.

We appreciate your involvement and support throughout this experience and we look forward to watching the Charlotte's Web movie together tomorrow night!

KINDERGARTEN REGISTRATION for the 2024-2025 school year opens on Monday, March 4. Visit acs-k12.org/kindergarten to learn more and complete the online registration process. Computers, assistance, and assistance in Spanish are available at the ACS Central Office on Mondays - Fridays from 8:00 AM - 3:30 PM. If you have any questions about Kindergarten Registration, please call (256) 233-6600.

INSCRIPCIONES DE KINDERGARTEN para el año escolar 2024-2025 abren el lunes 4 de marzo. Visite acs-k12.org/kindergarten para obtener más información y completar el proceso de registro en línea. Computadoras, asistencia y asistencia en español están disponibles en la Oficina Central de la ACS de lunes a viernes de 8:00 AM - 3:30 PM. Si tiene alguna pregunta sobre la inscripción de Kindergarten, llame al al (256) 233-6600.

Preparing children for success begins early. Research shows that children who attend pre-k are more successful when they start school!

Athens City Schools is proud to offer two Pre-K programs: Alabama First Class Pre-K Program and Eagles Nest Inclusion Pre-K. Each program has its own unique admission requirements, application, tuition, and selection process. The Alabama First Class Pre-K is a program providing effective, high-quality, early childhood experiences that prepare children for school success and lifelong learning.

Eagles Nest Inclusion Pre-K is an inclusive program that incorporates a mixture of exceptional needs students in a classroom with their traditional peers. The Eagles Nest is located at iAcademy at Athens Elementary.

Learn more about each program and apply at acs-k12.org/prek.

Dear ACS Families,

We are experiencing a shortage of bus drivers, just like schools across the nation. One factor contributing to this is that a large number of students are not following bus rules, causing drivers to feel they cannot offer safe transportation.

It takes all of us- students, parents and school employees- working together to solve this. We are asking for your help! Bus transportation is a privilege, not a right. Misconduct on the bus is a safety hazard and may result in a student losing bus privileges, resulting in parents assuming the responsibility for transportation to and from school.

Parent Expectations:

• Parents are responsible for the safety of the student to and from the bus stop.
• Students should be at the designated stop when the bus arrives. A target pick-up time will be given with a 10 minute window. The child should be at the designated stop 10 minutes before the target pick-up time.
• Students shall only board and unload from the bus at the designated stops as stated on their bus forms. Designated stops are determined by the Transportation Supervisor.
• A parent or guardian should be at the bus stop for all kindergarten students. It is preferred that a parent be at the bus stop for all elementary students.
• Parents should educate their children on their bus stop location and safety.
• Students shall not bring any article on the bus that cannot be held in the lap. Large school projects, large band instruments, large amounts of fundraising products, etc., should be transported in parent vehicles.
• Students shall not bring any type of glass container, live animal, inflated balloon, ball, bat, or anything that could be used as a weapon on the bus.
• Parents shall not board a school bus for any reason.

Student Expectations:

• Students should find a seat promptly after boarding the bus. Once seated, they should remain in that seat until the bus comes to a full stop. No walking, moving around, standing, or crawling under/over seats will be allowed while the bus is in motion. Seat assignments may be issued by bus drivers at any time.
• Unless there is an emergency, students should not attempt to talk to the bus driver while the bus is in motion.
• Students should use their inside voices- never shouting or making loud noises that may distract the driver.
• Students shall be silent when the driver speaks on the intercom and when the bus approaches a railroad crossing- until the crossing is complete.
• The school system's Cell Phone Policy and Student Acceptable Use Policy for Use of Technology are applicable during bus transport and will be vigorously enforced on the bus. Students should not take pictures or videos while on the bus.
• Food must be secured inside the backpack and cannot be eaten on the bus. No juice is allowed on the bus, even in backpacks. Gum is not permitted.
• Students will not put any part of the body out the window or throw any objects out the window or within the bus.
• Students shall not scuffle, fight, or make threats while riding the bus.
• Vandalism of a bus is prohibited.
• Students should make every effort to keep buses clean.

The primary considerations of the transportation program shall be the safety and welfare of our students. The bus stop and bus are extensions of the school in which the student attends. Misconduct will be subject to disciplinary actions.

Sincerely,

Beth Patton
Superintendent

Being a skillful reader is critical for a student’s overall success throughout school and in life. All students in grades K-3 are administered a state-approved reading screener (AimsWeb Plus) a minimum of three times a year. This screener provides teachers with individual student strengths and deficiency areas to assist with reading instruction and intervention plans.

According to the Alabama Literacy Act, “Commencing with the 2023-2024 school year, third-grade students shall demonstrate sufficient reading skills for promotion to fourth grade. A student scoring at the lowest achievement level in reading on the current state assessment for third grade will not be promoted to fourth grade unless the student meets a good cause exemption for promotion.”

If your child has been identified as having a deficiency in reading in one or more of the following areas: Letter Naming Fluency, Correct Letter Sounds, Nonsense Word Reading, Oral Reading Accuracy, Comprehension, Vocabulary or Sight Word Fluency OR exhibits characteristics of dyslexia, a Student Reading Improvement Plan, or “SRIP” will be developed to ensure that we all work together to help your child progress in reading skills to prevent retention.

Listed below is a variety of resources supporting your child’s reading at Home in grades Kindergarten through 2nd grade. Please click or go to the following links to access resources in the reading categories listed below:

Phonological Awareness

Phonics

Fluency

Vocabulary

Comprehension

As always, if you have any questions or need additional resources or assistance, please let us know. We are in partnership with you in your child’s reading journey.

• 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.

Pre-Covid-19 pandemic, more than 8 million students nationwide were missing so many days of school that they were academically at risk. Today chronic absence has more than doubled. Chronic absence — missing 10 percent or more of school days due to absence for any reason—excused, unexcused absences and suspensions, can translate into students having difficulty learning to read by the third-grade, achieving in middle school, and graduating from high school. It is important for students to be in school!

Here are some things to remember with 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.
• 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 meeting at our Central Office.
• 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

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.

2023-2024 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, beginning August 9, 2023, 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. Also, please note we have a change in how we do our billing! Details are on the latchkey forms. Our latchkey teachers for this year are Mrs. Timberlake and Mrs. Lillian.

Latchkey forms can be found on our AES website or are available in the main office.

Please watch the video below that shows how our carline works. We ask all of those who will be using carline to follow these procedures. Safety of our students and staff is a priority and these procedures help ensure safety for all. Please also follow the directions of staff as you go through carline in the mornings and afternoons.

Carline: Please follow the procedures explained above. Always stay in your vehicle and follow the directions of the staff members.

K-3 Reminders:

• For morning time: K-3 students should open their own car doors and walk toward the carline door entrance. Pre-k students should be ready to exit the car when the staff member approaches.
• Please have students ready in the morning to exit the vehicle quickly.

• For afternoon time: K-3 Students should get in their car and close their own door. Pre-K students will be loaded in the car but staff can not fasten car seat buckles.
• For K-3 Carline - No early arrivers BEFORE 2:15.

Walkers: Children should be accompanied by an adult if they are walking to school. If you drive to campus and walk to the arrival or dismissal door - you must park in a designated parking space. No street parking is allowed.

• FOR MORNING ARRIVAL: All students who are walkers will enter through the South Entrance where the awning is. No adults may walk in the building with the students.
• FOR AFTERNOON PICKUP: Parents may walk up to the barrier/sign on the southeast corner of the campus (under the awning). A school staff member will call for the child on the radio to come meet the parent.

For ALL afternoon dismissal (carline AND walkers) - the person picking up the child MUST have the carline tag provided by the school. If you need a carline tag, please email your child's teacher.

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!

Safety of students and staff is a top priority for us at Athens Elementary! As a result, our building is not be open to parents or visitors during the school day. After the first day of school, parents will not be able to walk their students into class. You must use the carline or bus service.

If you are coming to check your child in or out or drop something off for your child, follow the following procedures:

• Come to the main entrance and ring the doorbell located outside the entrance. A school staff member will ask who you are and what you need.
• If you are buzzed in, proceed into the lobby and you will need to be buzzed in again into the reception area located on the right.
• Visitors will need to wait in the reception area for their child.
• For school and student safety: only approved visitors will be admitted into the building.
• For lunch visitors - no lunch visitors the first few weeks of January. Our staff and students need time to adjust to new lunch procedures before we allow visitors to join us.

Always make sure to bring an ID with you when you come to the office area as you might need to provide it for our school staff.

We will open our lunchtime for parents and visitors to eat with their child on September 5th. This delay will allow our students to learn and become comfortable with the lunchroom procedures and expectations. Thank you for your understanding in this!

Link to Online Free and Reduced Application

Link to Online Meal Payment

Link to Menus & ACS Child Nutrition Page

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: acs-k12.org/AES
Location: 601 South Clinton Street, Athens, AL, United States
Phone: (256) 233-6609
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/athenselementary
Twitter: @AthensElem