Core Notes

Dear TCS Families,

Below you will find some important reminders and news about things going on from around the Tuscaloosa City Schools. Please take a moment to read through the information below, and especially take note about the summer learning registration deadline this week for elementary and middle school students. It is a free program for families and has been nationally-recognized for excellence. We'd love for as many students to participate as possible.

Next week is spring break, and the Tuscaloosa City Schools will be closed March 11-15. I hope your children have a safe and happy spring break, and return rested and ready to finish out the spring semester strong. Remember, attendance is important. It's critical that your child is in school each and every day to be successful.

Thank you again for your support of the Tuscaloosa City Schools!

Mike Daria, Ed. D.

TCS Superintendent

Did you know that the TCS summer learning program has been nationally recognized for excellence?

Did you know that the TCS summer learning program, in recent years, has been 100% free for families?

AND, did you know that THIS FRIDAY is the last day to register your child for the 2024 Summer Learning program for the elementary/middle school grades? (High school level registration to occur later.)

Make sure you register your TCS child(ren) for this amazing program, which helps reduce summer learning loss while ensuring children have high quality, educational experiences during the month of June. Summer learning for 2024 will start May 30 and end July 3. Summer learning will mirror a regular school day hours, 8 a.m. - 2:45 p.m. and transportation will be provided, if requested upon registration.

Each school has distributed their registration link for summer learning, through school social media, principal newsletters or teacher emails. If you cannot find the registration link online or via email, contact your child's school.

Don't miss out on TCS summer learning 2024!

A team from the Tuscaloosa City Schools will be competing in the national JROTC Leadership and Academic Bowl for the second year in a row.

The Paul W. Bryant Marine Corps Junior Reserve Officers' Training Corps, which this year is made up of members from Northridge High School, is one of only eight teams in the nation to advance to the final competition. The competition includes an all-expense paid trip to Washington, DC. in June.

“I’m really excited for this team because they are so young,” said Senior Marine Instructor Jason York. “Most of the teams at the championship will be composed entirely of upperclassmen, some of whom have multiple appearances at the competition. To have a team that is all freshmen and one junior is a great accomplishment for them and will hopefully be the start of a long run.”

The team successfully navigated two intense elimination rounds of online competition to claim their spot at the national championship, earning top scores out of the 141 MCJROTC academic teams that competed.

Team captain and 11th-grader Faith York is the only returning member from last year’s squad that qualified for the national championship for only the second time in the Bryant JROTC program’s history. She is joined by all-freshmen teammates Caleb Schemel, Helen Hall, Camilla Fleming, and Adriana Mulul-Ralios.

“I’m happy to get another chance to compete in DC because the whole competition experience was amazing, and I hope to reconnect with some of the friends I made there,” said Faith York. “Going for the first time last year to compete, everything was a little overwhelming and intimidating, and we didn’t do as well as we wanted to. But I learned a lot and am definitely feeling more confident about our chances this year, especially with the dedicated team we have.”

The JROTC Leadership & Academic Bowl is a nationally-recognized competition created exclusively for JROTC students. The competition tests cadets on their knowledge of core curriculum such as math, science, and language arts as well as current events, citizenship, leadership skills and financial literacy.

The competition is sponsored by College Options Foundation, a non-profit organization dedicated to enriching the academic development of high school students and assisting them in their preparation for higher education, using academic competitions, college exam study guides, college admissions tutorials, and personalized counseling.

Congrats to the Tuscaloosa Magnet Schools-Middle students who recently competed in the Central Alabama Regional Science and Engineering Fair! There were four teams who received a first-place trophy:

Maddie Lee and Lillie Rearden: Medicine and Health

Laryn Word: Environmental and Earth Science

Ela Melouk: Math and Computer Science

Aeesha Mulani: Chemistry

A team of 7th graders placed 2nd in Environmental and Earth Science: Layla Waller and Sofia Hubener

A team of 8th graders placed 3rd in Engineering: Neil DeLaire, Henry Bearden and Aniketh Kalyan

Also, Aeesha Mulani was the only middle school student in the fair to win a special award from the Association of Women Geoscientists!

Way to go TMSM!

Sharnetha Jackson, of Eastwood Middle School, was recently recognized from the parent of a student. By simply taking the time to listen and offer encouragement, she is helping change a student's life through mentoring and positive interactions.

"Dear Ms. Jackson, thank you for the love and support you show to all students. I appreciate the love you give to my daughter, especially when she has moments of fear. You reassure her that everything is going to be fine. The time you put in for small group with students who need a little extra help, shows your dedication and commitment to the students. Thank you, YOU ROCK!" - submitted by Vicky Robinson

Submit your own "Everyday Amazing" shoutout about a TCS employee making a positive impact: https://survey.k12insight.com/r/everydayamazing

Strong schools mean strong communities. As the Tuscaloosa City Schools, we are educating tomorrow's leaders, educators, business owners and workers. And it's vital that the Tuscaloosa City Schools be able to provide our children with the education they need and deserve.

In October, the Tuscaloosa City School board unanimously voted to offer a tax referendum in 2024 to allow voters to decide whether to increase property taxes to support TCS. According to the resolution, if city voters approve a tax referendum in fall 2024, the city's property tax millage rate could increase by up to 11.5 mills. If approved, the millage increase would generate around $17.25 million a year starting in 2025 for the Tuscaloosa City Schools. The last time local tax rates were increased to support the Tuscaloosa City Schools was in 1986.

These funds would ensure TCS is able to continue current programs and services, while keeping up with inflation and also setting up the school system for the long-term future.

For more details on what is included in this referendum, go to www.tuscaloosacityschools.com/referendum.

We are less than three weeks away from Celebrate the Arts!! 100 Years of Excellence in Arts Education! Come and celebrate with us, watching student performances and student work, on March 25 at 6:00 PM at the Bama Theatre. Event is FREE to attend, but seating is limited. Doors open at 5:30 PM.

Annalynn Hensley appreciates the opportunity to be involved in athletics at Eastwood Middle School!

Parents, take note! We need your participation to help improve the student and family experience in the Tuscaloosa City Schools.

On March 18, you will receive a link via email for our annual "Culture" survey, which is administered by K12 Insight. This survey is taken annually by staff, students and parents, and examines everything from student and parent involvement to school communications and student experience.

The information from the survey is used for the improvement of our schools and the school system as a whole. The results will be made public later this spring.

Please take the time to take survey once it is released! It will be live March 18-April 1!

May will be here before we know it and so will graduations!

This year, all three TCS high school graduation ceremonies will be held at Coleman Coliseum at UA. For more information about graduations, click here: Graduation - Tuscaloosa City School District (tuscaloosacityschools.com)

The annual Mayor's Cup 5K will be held in downtown Tuscaloosa on April 27, 2024. TCS employees and students can register for only $20 with the code "TCS2024"! Participants can run or walk, but it's more about coming together to support a great cause.

Proceeds from the Mayor's Cup go to benefit Pre-K education in the Tuscaloosa City Schools. Since the inaugural race in 2007, the Mayor's Cup has raised more than $335,000 for pre-K in the city.

To register for the Mayor's Cup, or for more information, click HERE.

Attendance is critical to future success. Please make sure your child is at school, on time, each and every day!

BSN Sports has set up online "swag stores" for our schools where any student, faculty or parent can buy school branded gear. This was a desire that was expressed by students during the Superintendent's student advisory meetings at the high schools last school year.

The "swag" on these sites include a variety of price points, brands, and are in men's, women's and children's sizes, plus they have cups and other items as well. On the main page, they also have gear per sport.

There is also branded gear for the elementary and middle schools, too! To see the middle school and elementary options, on the desktop website, once you have clicked on the type of item to browse, you can go to the sidebar where it says "campus" and then select feeder school, where the items will pop up with other school names. Select the school that you want.

Each feeder zone will receive 10% back of all purchases in the form of a store credit/rebate that can be used for future branded purchases by the school(s). So, support your school and show school pride!

Northridge feeder zone store: NORTHRIDGE HIGH SCHOOL JAGUARS - TUSCALOOSA, Alabama - Sideline Store - BSN Sports

Central feeder zone store: CENTRAL HIGH SCHOOL FALCONS - TUSCALOOSA, Alabama - Sideline Store - BSN Sports

Bryant feeder zone store: PAUL W BRYANT HIGH SCHOOL STAMPEDE - COTTONDALE, Alabama - Sideline Store - BSN Sports

It is important to remember that if you or your child see or hear something concerning, please report it to your school's principal. It can be the first step to saving a situation from becoming dangerous. Again, "See Something, Say Something!"