The Sandbox

• January 15: Report Cards Go Home
• January 20: Martin Luther King, Jr. Day - NO SCHOOL
• February 14: Parent Conference Day

Welcome to the 2nd Semester! We had a wonderful 1st semester and lots of learning happened!

This week your child's report card from the 2nd 9 weeks as well as their I-Ready reports from our most recent winter benchmark testing for reading and math. Please take a look at your child's progress. If you have questions or concerns, please reach out to your child's teacher to talk with them or schedule a conference.

Hello everyone!

I’m Mrs. Vega and I’m so excited to be the English language teacher at Athens Elementary School. I have lived in Athens most of my life and I’m extremely proud to be an Athens Golden Eagle! I have a Master’s degree in Early Childhood education and am thrilled to be teaching in the community that I call home. I’m happily married and together we have two wonderful children. I know this will be a great year and I can’t wait to meet you!

Reminders about winter weather!

• Make sure your child is dressed warm at the bus stop while waiting!
• Make sure to label your child's coat with their name and talk to them about keeping up with it at school!
• We will continue to go outside for recess when the temp is above freezing so make sure your child is dressed warm and has a coat!

If you have a need for a warm coat, please email Mrs. Renee our counselor at Renee.kennedy@acs-k12.org.

Each month our school focuses on one of the 6 components of our school and district vision of a Portrait of A Graduate. Our focus for January is "Collaborator". You can support your child's growth as an effective collaborator by fostering key skills like communication, empathy, teamwork, and problem-solving. Here are some strategies you can use at home:

1. Model Collaborative Behavior

• Demonstrate respectful communication, active listening, and compromise in your interactions with family members and others.
• Include your child in family decisions, showing them how to express ideas and work toward solutions together.

2. Encourage Team Activities

• Involve your child in extracurricular activities like sports, group projects, or clubs where teamwork is essential.
• Provide opportunities for group playdates or community service projects.

3. Promote Empathy and Respect

• Teach your child to understand and respect others’ feelings and perspectives by asking questions like, “How do you think they felt about that?”
• Read books or watch shows with collaborative themes and discuss the characters’ interactions.

4. Develop Problem-Solving Skills

• Encourage your child to resolve small disagreements with siblings or peers by discussing the problem and brainstorming solutions together.
• Celebrate their efforts when they successfully navigate conflicts.

5. Foster Communication Skills

• Practice turn-taking in conversations and encourage your child to express their thoughts clearly.
• Role-play scenarios where they practice listening, sharing ideas, and responding constructively.

6. Celebrate Team Success

• Praise not only individual achievements but also efforts made as part of a team.
• Highlight how their contributions help the group succeed.

7. Provide Open-Ended Play Opportunities

• Offer games, puzzles, or building activities that require cooperation to complete.
• Encourage them to collaborate with siblings or friends to build something or solve challenges.

8. Discuss and Reflect

• After group activities or teamwork experiences, talk about what went well and areas for improvement.
• Ask questions like, “What did you enjoy about working with your team?” or “How could you help even more next time?”

By guiding your child through these steps, you can help them build the interpersonal skills needed to be an effective collaborator now and in the future.

You can learn more about Portrait of A Graduate by clicking HERE.

Just a quick note about sending in treats for classrooms for birthday celebrations, etc. Please make sure to arrange this ahead of time with your child's classroom teacher. All treats that are sent to school must be store bought - no homemade treats may be sent to share with the class for any celebration including class holiday parties. We do have a few food allergies so please check with your child's teacher about what is allowed in their classroom!

Make sure to not that there will be no student checkouts after 2:30pm unless there is prior principal approval. Checkouts at dismissal time pose a major disruption to the classroom as teachers are finishing with end of the day instructions and ensuring that all students are dismissed safely according to their afternoon plan. You may email Mrs. Tedford at Amanda.tedford@acs-k12.org for approval.

If you need to make changes to your child's afternoon dismissal plan, you must send in a note to your child's teacher in their gold folder or call Mrs. Carr in the office before 12pm. No changes accepted after 12pm. Teachers are teaching during the day and may or may not see a Seesaw message or email.

We love when parents and family members join our students for lunch! A few things to remember:

• All visitors must enter sign in at the main office
• Only approved family members on the child's check out list may join them for lunch.
• No outside food is permitted in the lunchroom! Please don't bring in bags or boxes from restaurants.
• You may bring a treat for the child's class but please make these arrangements ahead of time with the teacher. No balloons are permitted in our building.

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!

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.

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