ROCKET REPORT

Kindergarten Registration is now open for the 2024-2025

*3/25-3/29 Spring Break

Important Upcoming Dates in April

Elementary ACAP Testing Dates 2024

*Wednesday, 4/3/24 2nd & 3rd Grade ELA

*Thursday, 4/4/24 2nd & 3rd Grade ELA

*Friday, 4/5/24 Make Up Testing

*Monday, 4/8/24 2nd & 3rd Grade Math

*Tuesday, 4/9/24 2nd & 3rd Grade Math

*Wednesday, 4/10/24 4th & 5th Grade ELA

*Thursday, 4/11/24 4th & 5th Grade ELA

*Monday, 4/15/24 Make Up Testing

*Tuesday, 4/16/24 4th & 5th Grade Math

*Wednesday, 4/17/24 4th & 5th Grade Math

*Thursday, 4/18/24 Make Up Testing

* Week of 4/22/24 Make Up Testing

From April 3-18th, grades 2-5 will participate in the state ACAP assessment (see flyer below.) I have no doubt that our students will perform very well because they have been working hard with their teachers all year long. This is a terrific opportunity for our students to "show off those brilliant minds." However, to maximize our results, we need your help with the following:

1) Please do not check your child in late or check them out before 1 pm.

2) Help them to eat a good breakfast with protein and not high in sugar

3) Ensure they leave phones and watches at home. No one is permitted to bring digital devices (except Chromebooks for testing) into the test room. Please see the full student digital device policy here.

4) Cheer on your child and remind them they just need to do their best. They have worked hard all year long so there is nothing to worry about during testing. Thank you for being your child's most important cheerleader!

Go Rocky Ridge!

Mrs. Jackson, Dr. Uswatte, and the rest of the RRES staff

To access the form, please go to : https://forms.gle/2Rvq41wYJcZiiRna7

Thank you,

Dr.Uswatte

To access the survey please go to: https://forms.gle/K52YWjMsiLPnRJ739

Wishing a very happy birthday to Mrs. Higey, our amazing Registrar here at RRES. On this special day, we want to take a moment to celebrate you and express our heartfelt gratitude for your hard work and dedication. May your day be filled with joy, laughter, and all the things that make you happy. Have a great one!

Hello Hoover City Schools parents! Below is a link to an ANONYMOUS needs assessment. In order to best meet the mental health needs of students in our district, I am asking that you take a couple of minutes to fill out this assessment. The information we collect will help us to look at what is needed in our schools.

Thank you so much for participating in filling this out, and feel free to contact me with any questions! Here is the link to the Needs Assessment.

Thank you!

Kathryn

Parents, please include a subject line when sending emails to RRES. This will help ensure that your email is directed to the correct person. Thank you.

Hi Parents!

To help us manage larger in-person events, keep our schools safe and encourage all family members to be involved, Hoover City Schools is using a new software called Circool. This software will help us ensure entry into our school during events is safe and efficient. It’s really easy to use!

Through Circool, we can invite you to school events. You’ll use your phone to RSVP, which gives you a QR code for your quick entry ticket. You can even invite close family and friends (where applicable) to events if you want! When you enter the school for the event, you will show your ticket on your phone (or your ID if you forgot your phone) to our school staff at the door. Our staff will scan your electronic ticket as you come in.

What you need to know now:

• On February 28th, you should have received an email to activate your Circool account, along with additional instructions. The subject line read “Hoover City Schools invites you to Circool”. We also sent you a Quick Start guide and help videos.

• We will be using Circool for all large events and field trips. If an account is not created, please understand that you will need to come to the office at least 20-30 minutes prior to the event/field trip to be checked through the Raptor system we currently use.

If you have any questions, you can email us at khigey@hoover.k12.al.us, shbrown@hoover.k12.al.us, duswatte@hoover.k12.al.us or support@circool.com.

Thank you so much for your involvement in our schools!

Sincerely,

Dilhani J. Uswatte, Ed.D

tel 205-439-2900

On April 8, 2024 around 2:00 p.m., the Birmingham area will be able to see a partial solar eclipse. We have purchased solar eclipse glasses for our students to be able to view the solar eclipse for 15-30 minutes.

The purchased solar eclipse glasses are:

- Armed by CE and ISO Certified: Tested to meet the international standard.

- Independently tested and verified by ICS Laboratories under the most current standard ISO 12312-2:2015(E) for filters for direct observation of the sun.

- Filter 100% ultra-violet, infrared, and 99% of intense visible light, offering both unparalleled safety and comfort for the best viewing experience.

If you do not wish your child to participate, please notify your child's homeroom teacher by Friday, April 5th.

Meredith Barker

S.T.E.A.M. Teacher

Rocky Ridge Elementary

We are excited to focus on our nursery rhyme, "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star" and our fingerplays, "Five Little Monkeys Jumping on the Bed" and "Five Little Monkeys Teasing Mr. Alligator." We pretended to be an alligator and "chased" monkeys which was a fun gross motor game. We used fine motor skills to create a star and a monkey craft. We are looking forward to a wonderful Spring Break.

March 19th was the first day of spring! We are using this opportunity by jumping into a study on weather and the season of spring. As we study all things weather and spring, we will learn concepts and skills in literacy, math, science, social studies, the arts, and technology. We’ll also use thinking skills to investigate, ask questions, solve problems, and test our ideas.

We had a great week before Spring Break in Kindergarten! In phonics, we reviewed our letters and sounds, as well as sight words we have learned so far. In reading, we started talking about weather and seasons and got to write about our favorite season in our opinion writing. In math we are working on our addition and subtraction skills we have learned, and also working on fluency to 10! In social studies, we are talking about our new season, spring! Speaking of spring, we hope you all have a safe, and happy Spring Break!

Happy almost Spring Break! First graders have learned about the sound "or" sound (as in corn) this week in phonics and how to spell it using -or, -oar, or -ore. We are also enjoying reading about the sun, moon, and stars in reading and have been working to create mental images while we read, use the illustrations in a book to help describe events in the story, identify the narrator, and distinguish between fiction and non-fiction texts. In math we began Topic 10 which is all about adding tens to a two-digit number. In writing we have been exploring poetry and will begin writing our own poems soon. In science, we are studying biomimicry which is using nature as inspiration to solve a human problem, such as looking at a turtle's hard shell to design something to protect our brains while riding a bike. If you have not paid the field trip fee for our two spring field trips, please contact your child's teacher immediately, as this money was due today. We hope everyone has a fun and safe Spring Break and Easter holiday and we will see you in April!

Second grade will be taking the reading ACAP on Wednesday (4/3) and Thursday (4/4) when we return from Spring Break. We will take the math ACAP on Monday (4/8) and Tuesday (4/9) of the following week. Please encourage your child to eat a good breakfast on these days. We will be beginning the assessments promptly at 8:00. Admittance after the test has started is prohibited, so please ensure that your child arrives at school on time. We hope that everyone has a restful and fun Spring Break! Thank you parents for your unwavering support!

The 3rd graders have been busy this week getting ready for the ACAP! Thank you to all the parents for remembering to send in students' chromebooks and chargers! In spelling and grammar, we are working on affixes; the students are working hard on both prefixes and suffixes. In writing, we are working on the goal that writers read instructions closely and writers make a plan to use their time wisely. Math time is spent understanding equivalent fractions. We wish everyone a fun filled exciting spring break! Remember, we start ACAP testing on Wednesday April 3rd. Let's help our students by making sure they get plenty of sleep, eat a hardy breakfast, and arrive at school on time, if not early!

To help students ZAP the ACAP we will have the following dress up days:

Wednesday April 3rd - Crazy Sock Day as We "Sock It" to testing!

Thursday April 4th - Sweatshirt and Sweatpants Day as We Don't Sweat the Test!

Monday April 8th - Sunglasses Day as We Stay Cool and Collected!

Tuesday April 9th - Hat Day as We Take Our Hats Off to Testing!

In reading this week, we are determining themes of a poem, analyzing the author's use of figurative language, and determining the meaning of multiple meaning words. In math, students will be writing decimals for fractions, locating decimals on a number line, comparing decimals, adding and subtracting decimals, adding fractions with denominators of 10 and 100. In science, students will be taking a deeper dive into the four different spheres of the earth. We are also gearing up for ACAP by doing some text dependent writing practice and exploring the online tools with second grade.

As you read this, the 5th grade is in Mentone at Nature's Classroom. Please remember to pick your student up at 3:20 pm on Friday, March 22.

In reading, we read a passage about different types of storm drains. We answered questions and compared / contrasted them. Then, in science, the students had to complete a Storm Drain STEAM challenge. They had to retrieve several important items using only what they could find in a nearby "trash can." It all had to be completed in 50 minutes before their "flight" left.

5th grade started taking their recorders home a few weeks ago. There are several songs and videos that the kids can practice with. They can access the song site here: https://sites.google.com/hoover.k12.al.us/rockyridgemusic/instruments/recorder-karate-4th-and-5th-grade

4th grade will start taking their recorders home starting next week. They may practice with the same website (see link above). Kids are encouraged to work ahead!

We conclude Black History Month in the music room with DRUMS! All grades will be playing this week - upper grades will learn a simplified African groove and younger grades will play drums to various African folk tales.

Keep the music playing…

• Mr. Hallman

Side Salads are COMING BACK after the Break!

We have worked hard looking to find some beautiful greens and we have done just that!!

So, be on the lookout. Thursdays and Friday in April & May for yummy side salads!!

Have a great break & see you back in the Cafe for breakfast!!

Kindly ensure that your child reaches their classroom by 7:45 AM. Any later and they will be marked as tardy.

Title One Reading Club Newsletter

Rocky Ridge K-3 families!

The year is in full swing and you may have received information from your child's teacher about their progress in reading. As a K-3 student in Alabama's public schools and at Rocky Ridge Elementary WE strive to make sure your child has supports in place so that they may make progress in reading across all grade levels. Please take some time and watch the Alabama Literacy Act presentation video. There are also additional pieces of information included for you to use to support your child at home. At the end of the presentation, there will be a QR code that you can use to ask any additional questions you may have after you have watched the presentation and read the additional handouts.

Thank you!

Erica Robinson, Rocky Ridge Reading Specialist

1. Alabama Literacy Act Presentation for K-3 Families (video)

Spanish Literacy Act Presentation

SPANISH VERSION - HOOVER Parent Literacy Act In...

Presentation, no video with sound/voice

3. YouTube Video Alabama Literacy Act Overview

Erica Robinson

Reading Specialist/Coach

Rocky Ridge Elementary

M.A., Early Childhood Elementary

205-439-2953

erobinson@hoover.k12.al.us

ARI’s Back-to-School Newsletter for families is available now. There is a link for the newly updated My Child Can! resources within the newsletter. These are valuable for your families to support their children’s literacy learning at home. We encourage you to make families aware of the value of these resources.

I’m looking forward to a fantastic year!

ARI’s Back-to-School Newsletter

https://www.smore.com/4xru6-ari-s-back-to-school-newsletter

Parents/Guardians

Head lice often cause unnecessary absenteeism from school for students each year. When students are sent home with head lice, not only do they miss school, but parents must often miss work to treat their child and clean their home. Head lice outbreaks are costly for everyone.

More information regarding head lice can be found by clicking this link. https://www.cdc.gov/parasites/lice/head/gen_info/faqs.html

Please help us do a better job of controlling head lice by:

• Teaching your child not to share combs, brushes, caps, etc.

• Checking your child for head lice and/or nits once each week. If you find lice or nits, treat at once with a lice-killing product and manually remove the nits. You may wish to consult your physician for special circumstances or instruction.

• Notifying the school nurse if your child has evidence of head lice or nits or if their head has been unusually itchy.

To check your child, start at the back of the head at the hairline and slowly part small sections of hair while looking closely for small pearly eggs (nits) attached to the hair near the scalp. The eggs are not easy to remove and do not flick off like dandruff.

Thank you for your cooperation in helping us address this problem. It is our goal to keep your child healthy and attending school. If you have questions or concerns, please contact our school nurse, Mrs. Hadaway at 205-439-2930 or by email at ehadaway@hoover.k12.al.us

All medications must be provided and delivered by the parent or guardian to the school nurse/health room.

Students should never have any medications in backpacks, lunch boxes, etc. The ONLY exception is emergency medication such as asthma inhalers, epi pens, etc., prescribed and documented by the student's physician and approved by the SCHOOL NURSE prior to student having the medication at school.

Mindfulness and Movement

Mar/Apr Class

Grades K-5

Join Mrs. Sanford for 5 weeks of breathing, stretching, and mindfulness techniques! We will take time to decompress after a long school day and flow through purposeful stretching. Register and pay today before the spots fill up! Please send your form back to school and go pay on MySchoolFees.

Thursdays

$135 for 5 sessions

3:00-4:00PM - You will pick up your child at 4pm in the upper parking lot of the school by the stairs.

Dates: March 14th, 21st, April 4th, 11th and 18th.

Student Name:_______________________Homeroom:______________

Parent Name:_______________________Phone Number:____________

Pickup: will be at 4:00pm in the upper parking lot by the stairs. Only one late pickup is allowed per camp session. After the second late pickup, your child will no longer be able to attend camp.

Dress Code: Please try to send your child in appropriate athletic clothing for this class! He/she will need to be able to move freely for stretching/yoga.

Behavior Expectations: if there are ANY behavior issues while attending camp, your child will not be allowed to continue attending camp. This will make sure that all the kiddos participating will have the best experience possible.

Parent Signature______________________________________

Parent email:________________________________________

Special Occasion Treat Suggestions

All the items we sell in the cafeteria are ‘Smart Snack’ approved. Parents will often purchase treats for their child’s birthday celebration through our CNP Department during lunch service. This often consists of low-fat ice-cream and/or baked chips.

What NOT to bring for a Snack/Celebration

Please do not send candy, cake, cookies, soda, donuts, cupcakes or regular chips for snack. These are foods of minimal nutritional value (FMNV) and can have a negative influence on children’s health and behavior. Effective, July 1st , 2014, every snack that you bring in for your child must meet the ‘Smart Snacks’ criteria. See link for product calculator in the Resource section below to help determine if your snack is approved. Feel free to call the CNP Department at 205-439-1062 if you have any questions.

https://www.smore.com/148z5

If an absence is planned, a completed Anticipated Absence Form/Formulario de Ausencia Anticipada MUST be submitted to the school office at least three (3) days in advance of the absence. This form is to be used for full day or partial day absences.

Excused Absences: Absences are excused for the following reasons:

1. illness

2. death in the immediate family

3. inclement weather

4. legal quarantine

5. emergency conditions as determined by the Principal/Designee or Superintendent/Designee

6. permission of Principal and consent of parent

When a student returns, the parent must provide in writing within three (3) days of the student’s return to school an excuse which includes the following:

1. a written statement from the parent or doctor stating the reason for the absence

2. the date of the absence(s)

3. the parent’s signature

After nine (9) absences in a year, Hoover City Schools may not excuse other absences unless verified by a physician explanation.

A form for anticipated absences can be found on the school’s website.

Unexcused Absences: Any absence that does not fall under the category of Excused Absence is recorded as an Unexcused Absence. Any student with 5 (five) unexcused absences during the school year may be referred to Early Warning Court in the court division of the student’s school zone.

All photos of excuses can be sent to rresattendance@hoover.k12.al.us

https://www.smore.com/q5cmj-counselor-s-corner

(Notice of Nondiscrimination for Mass-Distributed Publications/Mass Communications)
Updated 2022

EQUAL EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES

(Board policy, 6.6) No student will be unlawfully excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination in any program or activity offered or sponsored by the Board on the basis of race, ethnicity, color, disability, creed, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, immigrant or migrant status, non-English speaking ability, or homeless status. All career and technical education opportunities are offered to all students regardless of race, color, national origin, sex, or disability. The district also provides equal access to the Boy Scouts and other designated youth groups.

Mrs. Claire Jones-Moore, IDEA Coordinator
Mrs. Terri Coleman, 504 Coordinator

Mrs. Natasha Flowers, Title I Coordinator
Mrs. Natasha Flowers, Title II Coordinator

Mrs. Natasha Flowers, Title III Coordinator

Dr. Terry Lamar, Title IX Coordinator

Hoover City Schools
2810 Metropolitan Way
Hoover, AL 35243
(205) 439-1000

EQUAL EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY

(Board policy, 5.14.1) The Board is an equal opportunity employer. Personnel actions and decisions will be made without regard to factors or considerations prohibited by federal or state law (as such laws may from time to time be amended), including but not limited to race, gender, gender identity, age, disability, national origin, citizenship, religious preference, pregnancy, genetic information, political affiliation, military service, sexual orientation, or other non-merit based factors. Subject to the limitations set forth in 4.6.2, the general complaint (grievance) policy (4.6.1) may be used to present any complaint alleging unlawful discrimination or harassment. Inquiries regarding compliance and complaint procedures can be directed to:

Mrs. Kristi Williams, Equal Opportunity Employment Coordinator

Hoover City Schools
2810 Metropolitan Way
Hoover, AL 35243
(205) 439-1000

Hoover City School 2023-24 Calendar

https://www.hoovercityschools.net/calendar

ANTICIPATED ABSENCE FORMS - If it is necessary for your student to be gone from school they must complete an Anticipated Absence Form and turn it in within 3 days of the absence. Forms are also available on our school website.

DRESS CODE GUIDELINES - Hoover City Schools Dress Code

BUS INFORMATION - Visit our Transportation webpage to see our Web Query in which you can input your home address. When you enter your home address, your current bus stop information will be displayed. *If the results do not show a bus stop for your home address or if the assigned bus stop is more than 2/10 of a mile from your home address, select and fill out a “TRANSPORTATION REQUEST” form so that a bus stop can be created for your student.