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.

It's hard to believe it but we are about halfway through the spring semester. May will be here before we know it. Please ensure your child(ren) are at school each and every day, as attendance is so important to student success.

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

Mike Daria, Ed. D.

TCS Superintendent

AgScience has long been offered to high school students at the Tuscaloosa Career and Technology Academy. But, now through a pilot class this semester, it's open to a group of students with special needs from Central and Northridge high schools.

The students get hands on experience working with the animals, including chickens, fish and rabbits. And, the students taking the course can use it to work towards career certification, just like any other student at TCTA. This is a first for the program.

"We have started a new pilot program for our special needs students, to get them a change of location, engaged with our animals, and hopefully get some of them certified for their graduation requirements," said Carl Hughes, who teaches the class.

Students learn how to work with animals, which will possibly help them gain employment in the agricultural fields or in the field of veterinarian science, Hughes said. Students are learning about animal handling and animal interaction, nutrition and animal care.

"We had the opportunity to bring some of our higher functioning students to TCTA to experience the hands-on activities and get the experience of dealing with the animals," said Samantha James, a special education teacher. "They love the class and they talk about it all the time."

Northridge High School student CJ Judge said he looks forward to the class every morning.

"The reason I like to come over here every day is because I like to learn how to hold the animals and learn how to take care of them, and stuff like that," Judge said.

Watch more about the class in the video below.

Big congrats to the Northridge varsity cheerleaders, who placed 17th out of 92 squads at the UCA National Cheerleading Championship in Orlando!

Ms. Trina Crockett, secretary at Central High School, is our Everyday Amazing shout-out recipient from a fellow colleague!

"Ms. Crockett is more than a secretary, she is the heart of our school. Every day, she handles a hundred different fires that pop up with poise and grace. When I’ve made mistakes, she shows me kindness in helping resolve them. Often she is the last in the building to leave, volunteering to work past school hours to make sure the day ends on a successful note. I could never imagine what Central’s day would be like without her as the center of everything. I can do my job because she’s so amazing at hers!" - submitted by Allison Mudd.

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

First Class Pre-K programs are accepting online pre-registration applications for the 2024-2025 school year! You must be zoned for the Tuscaloosa City Schools to attend. For more information, visit the prek enrollment page here.

The Tuscaloosa City Schools have some of the best and brightest teachers. We want to ensure we retain our staff and continue to hire the best educators out there for Tuscaloosa's children for the foreseeable future. Pay is an important part of supporting those who do so much for our families and students, especially during a national teacher shortage. Due to rising costs of inflation, the district needs to increase revenue to recruit and retain amazing educators, providing the current level of programs and services, while also expanding programs to become the premier school system our community deserves.

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 voters within the Tuscaloosa city limits 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, solely for the Tuscaloosa City Schools. The last time local tax rates were increased to support the Tuscaloosa City Schools was in 1986.

The new revenue would benefit three areas:

• School safety: ensuring there are school resource officers in each and every school during the school day and beefing up security infrastructure.

• Educator Excellence: retaining and recruiting the best and the brightest educators through competitive pay and benefits.

• Premier Student Programs/Services: Making sure that the current programs continue, and rigorous academic opportunities and student programs are expanded.

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

Studio 106 from The Tuscaloosa Fine Arts Academy at Paul W. Bryant High School held a combined concert with The Governor's Own 151st Army Band on Feb. 12. Some of the songs they performed included "Just the Two Of Us" and "Take Me Out". Watch the video below to see some of their performance.

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)

Entries from two TCS schools were selected to go on to the state competition in the Governor's App Challenge.

Woodland Forrest Elementary School students created "The Best Learning App" for the purpose of helping students learn different subjects in a fun way if they are struggling in class.

An entry from Paul W. Bryant High School was called "Matilda" and is an app that focuses on mentoring and teaching inclusively diverse audiences.

Watch the videos below to see the students describe their app.

Alberta School of Performing Arts student Khloe Covington said loves her school because of its supportive, family environment!

The annual Mayor's Cup 5K will be held in downtown Tuscaloosa on April 27, 2024. Register by March 1 and get the early bird registration discount of $20! 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.

Do you live or work north of the river? Does your child go to Rock Quarry Elementary, Northridge Middle School, Northridge High School or Verner Elementary? If so, you may want to sign up for traffic text alerts regarding the McWright's Ferry Road extension project.

The Tuscaloosa County Road Improvements Commission (TCRIC) and the City of Tuscaloosa have launched a new website and text updates service for the McWright’s Ferry Road extension project. If you would like to receive traffic information and relevant construction updates directly to your phone, you can sign up by texting MCWRIGHT to 888777.

The new website (Tuscaloosa.com/roads) also has:

• Live traffic cameras
• Registration for neighborhood-specific text updates
• Interactive maps
• Project updates
• FAQs
• Project overview

For any questions, or to report any issues, the City asks that residents call Tuscaloosa 311.

#BlackHistoryMonth provides an opportunity to celebrate the countless achievements of African Americans that have shaped our nation’s history.

We are grateful for the opportunity to recognize this month in partnership with our TCS community.

Meet Stefani Delgado, a junior at Paul W. Bryant High School diving into Dual Enrollment! With courses in Orientation, Biology, History, and English, she's paving her way toward becoming an orthodontist.

Stefani found her college-level courses intriguing and aligned with her standards. She says every biology assignment fueled her interest in science, offering a glimpse into college coursework expectations.

Transitioning from expecting high grades to understanding the challenge, Stefani values the experience DE provides and encourages her peers to sign up! Find out more about dual enrollment opportunities in the Tuscaloosa City Schools by clicking 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!"