In the Loop

Upcoming Important Dates:

Monday, March 24 - Friday, March 29 - Spring Holidays

Friday, April 18 - Spring Holiday for Students/Teacher Collaboration Day

PARENTS, Be a HERO in your student's success...remember ATTENDANCE MATTERS!

IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT

In the event of severe weather this weekend, notification of storm shelter openings will be published on the TCS website, www.trussvillecityschools.com as well as our Facebook, Instagram and Twitter pages.

Trussville City Schools will open the following locations:

Cahaba Elementary (enter historic front porch doors)

Magnolia Elementary (enter front office entrance)

Paine Elementary (enter front office entrance)

Hewitt-Trussville Middle School (enter baseball road entrance, park in the tennis parking lot and follow signage)

NO PETS WILL BE ALLOWED IN SHELTERS

In accordance with the Principal Act, we are seeking to understand the school experiences of administrators, instructional staff, students (Grades 5-12), and families through the Alabama School Climate Surveys.

These surveys are a coordinated effort with school administrators to survey instructional staff, students, and parents. We encourage survey participation so that we can meet the data collection requirements of the law and learn how to support school climate improvement. These surveys are designed to seek the viewpoints of the different school community groups.

Trussville City Schools is thrilled to introduce Sunday Family STEM Camps and Summer STEM Camps for our rising 1st - 5th grade students - offering engaging, hands-on experiences for students and families to explore science, technology, engineering, and math in fun and meaningful ways!

Spots are limited, so be sure to fill out your application soon! We will email the status of your application by March 31st for Funko Pop 3D Design and by April 14th for all other camps. Application will close at midnight on April 11th.

Sunday Family STEM Camps, 2:00–4:00 PM at the BOE, Participants: up to 10 family pairs

Designed for family pairs (one child and one adult), these Sunday afternoon sessions provide unique opportunities to create and innovate together:

• Funko Pop 3D Design & Printing (April 6, 13, and 27) – Design your own collectible in Tinkercad and bring it to life with 3D printing! (This camp will run for 3 Sundays, with April 6th running from 2-4 pm and April 13th and 27th running from 2-5 pm)
• Animated Art with Hummingbird Robotics (May 4, 11, 18, 25) – Combine creativity and robotics to build interactive, animated artwork with Hummingbird robotics kits.
• Ocean Rescue with VEX Go (June 8, 15, 22, 29) – Engineer and code solutions to ocean conservation challenges with VEX Go robotics kits.

Summer STEM Camps 8:00 AM–12:00 PM, Monday-Friday at a local school, Participants: up to 20 students

These weeklong summer camps are for students only and provide immersive experiences in STEM:

• Move It! Shake It! with VEX 123 Robotics (June 9-13) – For rising 1st and 2nd graders, this camp explores movement and coding through fun introductory-robotics challenges using VEX 123 robotics.
• Village Engineering Construction & Mars Math Expedition with VEX Go (July 7-11) – For rising 3rd, 4th, and 5th graders, this camp combines robot-creation, coding, and a little old-fashioned problem-solving to spark young innovators’ curiosity using VEX Go robotics.

Submit your application to attend the April Funko Pop experience by March 28th and we will communicate with you by the end of the day on March 31st. For the remaining STEM Camp opportunities, submit your application by April 11th, and we will communicate with you by the end of the day on April 14th. Applications will close at midnight on April 11th.

For more information, contact April Chamberlain or Rachel Brockman.

We are excited to explore, design, and create with you!

The HTHS Broadcast Academy Needs Your Help!

Our students have entered a national contest with Teen PSA and need your support for regional voting. This year's theme is avoiding victimization.

Helping is easy:

- Visit this link: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/AL25region1

- Watch the 30-second PSAs (click "Click Here")

- Vote for your favorite and share why you chose it

You'll be impressed by what our Huskies are creating—thank you in advance for supporting them with your vote!

The HTHS choirs traveled to State Choral Performance Assessment in Pelham on Friday, March 7. All three choirs earned superior ratings from all judges—including several perfect scores—and were awarded the Alabama Vocal Association’s Distinguished Musicianship Award.

The first-ever TCS Math Team Elementary Competition brought together some of our brightest young mathematicians from Cahaba, Magnolia, and Paine Elementary Schools for a day filled with problem-solving, teamwork, and friendly competition. The energy in the room was contagious as fifth-grade students tackled three intense rounds of math challenges: Computation Situation, Team Scramble, and Math Forum.

Each round tested their ability to think critically, collaborate under pressure, and apply their math skills in new and creative ways. The competition was incredibly close, with all three schools earning top placements. The narrow point differences between teams proved just how talented and well-prepared these students were.

Recognizing the Coaches and Mentors

Behind every great team is a great coach, and the dedication of our math team coaches was celebrated in a special way. Sara Wessel, Amanda Pennington, Anna Walker, and Maggie Burns were honored for their leadership and commitment to preparing their students for this competition. Their dedication and support have played a key role in developing strong problem solvers.

Middle school math team coach Samuel Crowder also joined the event, connecting with students and sharing exciting opportunities for continuing their math journey in middle school. High school math mentors Jacob Carmichael, president of Mu Alpha Theta, and Libby Armstrong, senior vice president, inspired students by discussing what it means to be part of a math honor society and the opportunities that await them in high school.

Celebrating Our Math Champions

After an exciting competition, students enjoyed refreshments and an awards ceremony to recognize their achievements. Each school had teams that placed among the top five, making it a well-balanced and competitive event. While medals and awards certificates were handed out, the true prize was the experience gained, and the confidence built through solving challenging math problems. Congratulations to all the students who were chosen to participate. Your perseverance and enthusiasm for math made this event a huge success!

Be sure to check out the pictures below of our hardworking teams and top-placing competitors.

Families recently visited Cahaba for Open House on Thursday, March 6, exploring classrooms and connecting with teachers. Students proudly shared their goals and achievements through school projects and data notebooks, highlighting their hard work. They explained their progress in reading, math, and science, showing off writings, artwork, and hands-on projects. Many enjoyed demonstrating what they’ve learned, from solving math problems to presenting research. Students were also able to share their accomplishments on the Wall of Fame. It was a great night for family/school connection.

Thank you to all who attended and continue to support our students’ success!

Our 7th grade Geography students at HTMS are diving into Latin American culture with a special Latin American Art Day! They’re creating vibrant “God’s Eye” crafts, shimmering tin art, and colorful Day of the Dead masks — all while learning the cultural significance behind each tradition. It’s an exciting, hands-on way to explore the art and history of the region!

This week, third grade students at Paine Elementary had the opportunity to hear from Mrs. Karen Wood and learn more about fossils! Such a great interactive experience for our students!!

Students in Ruth Fiore's first grade class at Magnolia Elementary recently enjoyed a morning of "flashlight reading," a special time to curl up with a great book and truly enjoy the experience of reading. Miss Fiore made it even more exciting by providing students with glow-in-the-dark necklaces and miniature finger reading lights. Principal, Dr. Phyllis Faust, joined the fun of flashlight reading with the students, as well!

Thirteen teams from the HTHS Engineering Academy participated in the Central Alabama Regional Science and Engineering Fair at UAB on March 1st. These senior design students worked hard all year to solve their selected problems. Three teams will move on to present their project at the state science and engineering fair at Auburn University in April.

Noah Pearson, Maddox Springer, and Shubh Patel received first place in the energy and transportation category for their creating inserts that go inside shoes and generate power while you are walking.

Logan Lochte and Michael McKnight received honorable mention in the Energy and Transportation category for their chainless bicycle cvt system.

Sophie Cate Jones and Harmony Hawkins received honorable mention in the Energy and Transportation category for their baby seat system that prevents kids from being left by accident in hot cars.

Jason Jiang received third place in the Engineering Category for his traffic light that includes a visual countdown for the yellow light to alert drivers when the light is going to change to red.

Parker Dotson, Victoria Lopez, and Lily Johnson received the NASA Award for their medicine container for astronauts to utilize in space. Their prototype dispenses one pill at a time in microgravity.

Congratulations to all of our outstanding senior design students. We are so proud of how well these students represented Hewitt-Trussville High School and our Engineering Academy!

Cahaba Mentors is an Enrich program for 4th and 5th graders at Cahaba that helps to assist younger students in reaching their highest potential. This year, our Mentor students have been working to help kindergarten and 1st grade students with reading, writing and math along with creating their own lessons on character to teach to their mentees. It is the sweetest thing to watch as our big kids read to our littles, and the older students seem to become “famous” in the hallways of Cahaba to their little friends. The interaction helps to build a culture of warmth and confidence in our building which is one of our ultimate goals.

This weekend HTHS Speech (Cole Steuer, Stefanie Kirsch, Lilee Richards) competed at the Mockingbird District Tournament at Montgomery Academy in Montgomery, AL. This is our National Qualifying tournament where we compete against schools from all over the state. In all of the speech events, only two students qualify for the National tournament.

I am SO ecstatic to announce that Cole Steuer is going to Nationals!! He placed 2nd in Informative Speaking and is the first National Qualifier in Hewitt-Trussville High School history!

Stefanie Kirsch is first alternate in Dramatic Interpretation so she will be headed to Nationals if someone cannot compete.

Congratulations to the 6th Grade Beginning Choir on receiving all Superior Ratings at SCPA and earning the Superior with Distinction award. Well Done!!

Dear Parents and Guardians,

The health and well-being of our students are a top priority here at Hewitt-Trussville High School and we are excited to share an upcoming opportunity for our school community.

The HTHS Focus Club is partnering with two organizations, Heart for Athletes and The Kristoffer Larsen Big Heart Foundation, to provide free heart screenings for our students. The mission of these organizations is to prevent sudden cardiac death in our youth by providing free heart screenings and increasing awareness of preventive and life saving measures.

Consent and Participation:

Participation in the heart screening is entirely voluntary and will only be done with parent permission.

Date and Time of Heart Screening: (at this time we are only able to offer screenings to the first 400 students to sign up)Tuesday, March 18, 2025 from 7:30am-3:00pm in the Small Gym (a few days before the event you and your student will be given a schedule with the times for each student to be screened during that school day)

Benefits of Heart Screenings:

· Early Detection: Identifying potential cardiac issues early allows for timely intervention and treatment.

· Prevention: The screenings contribute to preventing sudden cardiac events, helping to ensure the safety of our students during physical activities.

· Peace of Mind: Parents can have peace of mind knowing that their child’s heart health is being proactively monitored.

Cost:

Thanks to our collaboration with Heart of Athletes and the Kristoffer Larsen Big Heart Foundation, there is no cost for the heart screening, making it a convenient and accessible option for our school community.

What to Expect From the Screening:

· Electrocardiogram (ECG/EKG) – This test is performed while the student is at rest. Electrodes (small patches) are placed on the surface of the skin. The test maps the rate, rhythm and functions of the heart, and prints a tracing for physician review and interpretation.

· Physician review – A board certified pediatric cardiologist will review the EKG and recommend follow up if a problem is suspected.

· CPR/AED demonstration – Each student will participate in a hands-on CPR demonstration and learn how to use an AED.

We believe that the well-being of our students goes beyond the classroom. Initiatives like this contribute to a safer and healthier school environment. We look forward to a successful heart screening event!

Respectfully,

Dana DePew, Lead Nurse

Aaron King, Principal

Under the direction of physical education teacher, Ronda Chrisenberry, students at Magnolia Elementary recently participated in the Kids Heart Challenge. A total of $7,769.42 was raised to support the American Heart Association.

Hewitt Trussville Mountain Bike Team, both high school and middle school, race at McClellan Trails in Anniston this Sunday, March 16th. This is an updated schedule based on weather. HTMS races begin at 9AM. HTHS races begin at 12:15 PM. Awards are at 5PM. Visit https://sites.google.com/view/hewittmtb/home for schedule and details for our next race.

The Trussville City Board of Education will hold its February monthly meeting on Monday, March 17, 2025 at 5:00pm. The livestream link to the meeting will be published on the TCS website (www.trussvillecityschools.com) at 4:45pm March 17, 2025.

The Trussville Rotary Daybreak Club is pleased to announce its Don Haisten Student of the Month for March is Lucian Nelson. Lucian is a sophomore at Hewitt-Trussville High School and serves on Student Council and is a member of the National Honor Society. He also plays football for the Huskies and is a Junior Board member for the Troy Ellis Foundation.

Lucian's selection for Teacher of the Month is Mrs. Lauren Deibert, his Spanish teacher. Lucian said, "She starts my mornings off in such a positive way that the rest of my day benefits. She is a dedicated teacher and a joyful person. She makes learning fun and cares about her students."

This week, students from Leadership HT shared their incredible projects with the Rotary Club members. Their thoughtful ideas and outstanding presentations showcased their passion for making a positive impact in our community. Project presentations included:

• Merchant Signs - Helping small businesses with better directional signage from Highway 11
• Sports Media Internship Program - Creating opportunities for students in media coverage of school and local evetns
• Christmas in Trussville - Bringing more holiday magic with extra lights on the Mall
• HTHS Health Initiative - Promoting wellness and healthy habits among students
• Magnolia Park Upgrades - Improving the volleyball court and adding fencing
• Masonic Playground Trash Cans - Keeping our parks clean and beautiful
• Trussville-Themed Mural - Honoring our city with a special artistic tribute

These bright students are shaping the future, and we can't wait to see their projects come to life! Great job, Leadership HT! Thank you to the students and to their school sponsor, Mrs. Amber Benson, for sharing.

March 17, 2025 - 5:00 pm Board Meeting

April 21, 2025 - Board Retreat

April 21, 2025 - 5:00 pm Board Meeting

May 19, 2025 - 5:00 pm Board Meeting

June 9, 2025 - 5:00 pm Board Meeting

All Meetings will be held in the Boardroom of Central Office.

The Board Meeting livestream link will be posted on the TCS Website (www.trussvillecityschools.com) 15 minutes before the meeting start time

on the day of the meeting.

Resources at Railroad

A Community Mental Health and Wellness Fair

Tuesday, March 18th

4:00 - 6:00PM

Railroad Park

Food Trucks, Door Prizes, School Performances, Yard Games, 95.7 JAMZ and MORE!

Sponsored by School Mental Health Coordinators from Birmingham Area School Districts

Trussville Youth Cheerleading Association

Cheer Registration

Fall 2025 Football Season

Upcoming 1st - 6th Graders

Registration: NOW - March 15

Cost: $450

Late Registration (March 16 - March 22): $500

For more information - email: trussvillecheer@gmail.com or visit their social media pages listed above

Trussville Parks & Recreation

Trussville Miracle League

Trussville Parks and Rec is proud to begin our inaugural Miracle League!

Cost: $25

Start: April 2025

Ages: 5 and up, regardless or ability

For more information or to volunteer, please contact Lawrence English at (205) 508-0358 or email him at lenglish@trussville.org

Trussville Spring T-Ball

Registration: Open December 1 - March 16

Cost: $100.00 per person (jersey not included)

Practices will start the week of March 31. Games will start the week of April 21. Final games will be held on May 17. There will be one or two games a week. On weeks with one game, a practice will be scheduled.

For more information: contact Ben Dawkins at (205) 508-0629 or by email to ben.dawkins@trussville.org.

Shortcuts to important resources listed on the TCS District website:

• TCS Bullying Reporting Form
• Special Education - Parent Rights (Section 504)