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.

We've had some incredible student successes to celebrate this semester, from robotics to girls wrestling to students developing an award-winning app. You can read about those recent wins below. We are proud of the work these students do each and every day, and their successes are proof of their hard work, and also proof of the dedication of their parents and their teachers who have supported them along the way.

We are proud of the progress we are making in the Tuscaloosa City Schools, and thank you for your continued support.

Mike Daria

TCS Superintendent

Two Woodland Forrest Elementary 5th grade students, Alaina Cooper and Eden Hudson, won 1st place in the Governor's App Challenge! They won the elementary division for the entire state of Alabama. Their app, The Best Learning App, aims to help students enjoy learning more by connecting users to a variety of games vetted by them for each subject to ensure maximum fun and engagement. Way to go!

Congratulations to Northridge High School junior Elizabeth Rosenstiel for winning the National High School Coaches Association's High School Nationals in the 132 lb weight class. Elizabeth was one of 48 wrestlers in her weight class and had a 6-0 record over the three-day event to become the first national champion from Alabama. Elizabeth also won a 6A state title in January.

Verner Elementary and Northridge High School secured top awards at the Alabama Robotics Competition April 6—for Verner Elementary, it was the second year in a row the school secured first place.

About 300 K-12 students from across Alabama competed in the event, which was hosted by The University of Alabama College of Engineering. The competition introduces students to computer science and teaches basic programming skills through interactive challenges. Teams are judged on their programming skills by writing programs onsite to navigate their robots across a series of obstacle courses.

Of the 14 teams that placed in the competition, seven were from the Tuscaloosa City Schools. In the K-5 category, in addition to Verner Elementary 5th graders placing in first place, Central Elementary placed fourth and Rock Quarry Elementary placed fifth. In the middle school category, two teams from Northridge Middle school placed, taking both the second place and third place awards. And in the high school category, Northridge High School won first place while Paul W. Bryant High School won third place.

“We are proud of all of our students that competed in this event, and the fact that so many of our students placed in this high-level competition is evidence of the importance we place on robotics and STEM education in the Tuscaloosa City Schools,” said Mike Daria, TCS superintendent.

Verner Elementary robotics teacher Haley Day said that her school had two teams, one for 4th graders and one for 5th graders, but it was the older team’s strategic thinking that helped them get first place.

“They knew their strengths and weaknesses and they definitely played to their strengths,” Day said. “One thing I really love about these competitions is the lack of communication between the coaches and competitors. This puts all the success into the hands of the students working through the challenges. I can prepare them to the best of my ability, but when the competition starts it's all on them.”

The Northridge High School team worked hard to get the first-place billing and won $30 gift certificates along with the award, said NHS robotics coach Michele Fuller.

“Our students are very talented and motivated,” Fuller said. “They have worked together for the past three years and won many awards at Shelton State Best Robotics and the Sea Mate Competition held on Dauphine Island. We are so proud of them.”

In recent years, robotics has expanded in TCS, and now every school in the system has a robotics program, including all elementary schools.

WOW 2.0, an event at Shelton State Community College held by West AlabamaWorks is a great opportunity for seniors throughout the region to interview with numerous companies and secure employment for the summer, during college or to start a career. Dozens of seniors from Northridge High School, Central High School and Paul W. Bryant High School took advantage of the opportunity to start their futures and received job offers on the spot! Watch the video below to learn more:

"Transition Jags", students from Northridge High School, are learning customer service skills and how to work with money. They are now selling coffee to staff and students from the "Ridge Express Coffee Cart" twice a week to work on these new skills. Learn more about the effort by watching the video below:

A big thanks to our TCS Superintendent Student Advisory Board, which consists of 12 students from every high school. The students, who are nominated by their principal, meet with Superintendent Mike Daria a few times a year to discuss issues such a student involvement, academic rigor and school safety. The students stay part of the group until they graduate. Thank you to our AMAZING students!

The Northridge High School Boys Indoor Track team was recognized Tuesday by the Tuscaloosa Board of Education for their first place win this semester in the 2024 Alabama High School Athletic Association Indoor Track and Field Championships.

The Northridge boys, coached by Jeff Sparks, finished first overall in Class 6A. The Jaguars finished with 82 total points, 30 points ahead of the second-place squad. Two Jaguars took home individual state titles:

• Anglin Young in the boys 3,200-meter run (9:37.79) and
• Khiyon Lewis in the boys triple jump (45-08.50).

"We just had some young man who pulled it all together and did what the season's standings were," Sparks said. "They were able to do it (at the state meet). You know, I told them 'All you have to do is what we've been doing all season on that day,' and it'd come out in our favor.

"We had a good meet, so we are excited."

Students who are part of the TCS Mustangs basketball team received a standing ovation during the Tuscaloosa City Board of Education meeting Tuesday. The team was recognized for their first-place in in the Special Olympic State Basketball Championships in Montgomery in March. There were 17 teams from Alabama that competed in five divisions.

The TCS Mustangs team had players from Northridge High School and Paul W. Bryant High School.

• The Mustangs won 40 - 33 in the semi-final match against the Buckhorn Bucks and
• Beat the TRC (Montgomery Therapeutic Recreation Center) Tigers 55 - 33.
• Senior Charmari "CJ" Judge was the MVP scoring 24 and 44 points respectively.

Suzanne Halcomb, a pre-K Rock Quarry Elementary School teacher, recently received a shout-out from appreciative parents:

"Ms. Halcomb has been truly amazing working with my son! I was worried as he entered pre-K that it was going to be some problems. My son has been filled w joy from the moment he met his teacher. She’s loving, caring, attentive, and supportive not only to her children but the parents as well! We love Ms .Halcomb and we appreciate everything that she does for us!" - submitted by Kristin Avery and Karter Giles

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

Would you like to see year-round arts and music instruction in the elementary schools, a greater variety of world language instruction, or even driver's ed classes brought back into our schools?

From robotics to the arts to career and technical education classes, providing premier student programs and services is a continuous focus for the Tuscaloosa City Schools. We are committed to offering rigorous academic opportunities for all students while enhancing our existing services to be a premier school system for our city.

To address rising inflationary costs, the district must increase revenue to maintain our current standards and elevate programs to meet the expectations of our community. Our students and their future employers rely on us to deliver excellence.

Last October, the Board of Education unanimously voted to seek a tax referendum to present to voters in fall 2024. If city voters approve a tax referendum, 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 per year for TCS, starting in 2025. The last time local tax rates were increased to support the district was in 1986.

For more details on the referendum, please visit www.tuscaloosacityschools.com/referendum.

Seventh-grader Michael McClain loves the positive relationship between teachers and students at Tuscaloosa Magnet Schools-Middle!

If your child will be five years old on or before Sept. 1, 2024, then it’s time to kick off the kindergarten experience by getting registered with Tuscaloosa City Schools!! For more information about enrollment, visit: https://shorturl.at/bnGKN

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 now for $25 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!"