Dolphin Echo March 2015

Important Dates

March: 17 ­ Zaxby’s Fundraiser 4:00­9:00pm 18 ­ Report Cards 27­ Michael P White visiting illustrator at SSC 30 ­ April 3 SPRING BREAK April: 7 ­ 1st Grade Musical, 6pm 13­16 ­ ACT Aspire Testing (3rd and 4th grades) 21­ Kindergarten Registration 4­6pm 24 ­ Inclement Weather Day Save the Date! May1st, Family Fun Fair

A Note from Dr. Scholl Welcome to the last nine weeks of the 2014­15 school year! How time flies! We will not have to make up the weather days since it was declared a state of emergency, so at this time we still have April 24 as a day out of school. I would like to get some feedback from the SSC families about how we are doing and how we can improve to be the best school possible! Please take a moment to complete the survey. Just click on the link: http://goo.gl/forms/lLrwKnL6dQ Do you have or know of a student who will be in Kindergarten next year? If so, mark your calendar for April 21 4:00­6:00pm for Kindergarten Registration! More information coming soon!

PTO News On behalf of the PTO, I would like to send thanks to everyone who sent in items for the teacher snack room, parents who volunteered to keep classes during the luncheon, and room parents who coordinated a special month for their teacher. We could not have done it without you! Thanks to everyone for making Teacher Appreciation Month such a success! PTO By Law Update The PTO Board has voted to approve the following changes to our By Laws. These changes will be voted on at the General PTO Meeting on April 7, 2015. Change Article X Section 11 Current Section 11: The community liaison/ fellowship events shall:

Represent SSC at HPTC meetings and share report with the board in the event neither the president nor vice­president can attend;

Represent SSC at necessary community events; Organize and facilitate school wide events aimed toward fostering a

sense of community and pride in our school. Add

Be responsible for teacher care and needs; Perform other delegated duties as assigned by the organization.

Thanks, Tonia Ballintine, PTO President Financial Update: Your PTO dollars at work! Since October 1, 2014, the PTO has contributed $38,200 to SSCES!!! Fundraising Update: Mark your calendars!!! The annual Family Fun Fair is Friday, May 1, 2015. We are currently looking for businesses to help sponsor our event, or vendors to display their goods/ services. All of the donations we receive help the PTO to reduce our costs and provide more to our teachers and staff at South Shades Crest. The deadline to submit a sponsor is April 10th.

BOX TOPS: Keep sending in your box tops every month!!! Every box top adds up to help our school!! PUBLIX: Continue to use your Publix card every time you shop. We have received over $600 in donations from Publix this year ­ all thanks to you!! TARGET: Do you have a Red Card? Did you know that if you link your card to our school (online at Target.com/redcard), Target will donate 1% of all your purchases back to the school? RECYCLE: We are still accepting used cell phones and small ink cartridges to recycle. Help our students be Resourceful, Responsible & Recycle!!

FUNDRAISER PTO Fundraiser night at Zaxby’s, John’s Hawkins Parkway, Tuesday, March 17th, 4:00­9:00pm

Counselor’s Corner

Third and fourth graders will be participating in the ACT Aspire, a comprehensive assessment, April 13­16. In order to maximize students’ performance, listed below are a few suggestions for parents to follow: 1. Ensure child gets to bed at an appropriate time. 2. Awake at a time that does not require a child to rush, that could increase anxiety. 3. Eat a healthy breakfast. 4. Reassure child that this test does not affect his/her grades, and do not discuss the test in excess. 5. Arrive to school on time. Please try not to make any appointments during testing times. ACT Aspire Testing Schedule Monday, April 13th, 7:50am ­ 9:30am (Reading) Tuesday, April 14th 7:50am – 9:30am (Math) Wednesday, April 15th 7:50am ­ 9:00am (English) Thursday, April 16th 7:50am – 9:30am (Science) If you have further questions, please contact your child’s teacher or me. (439­3022) Shonteria Culpepper

Music News First Grade Rock and Roll Musical, April 7th at PTO meeting, 6:00 p.m. in lunchroom

PE News Striking unit, learning skills that help in a variety of life sports such as golf, tennis, and racketball. We also have a concentration in softball and baseball skills. The eye hand coordination just got more involved! Jump Rope for Heart was a big success! Thank you to all that supported this worthwhile organization… so many of us are, or have been, affected by heart disease. Proud of all the Mercedes Kids Marathon runners! They sure looked good sporting those medals! We are having a “boot” epidemic!!! Please send those tennis shoes for PE!

Lunch Room News Thanks to all that helped participate during our celebration of “National School Breakfast Week” the week of March 2nd-6th. We LOVE being able to help provide Breakfast to our students-as we all know results in them being able to “make the grade” every day. We are wanting to continue a higher “trend” of Breakfast participation as we move through the rest of the year. Remember, students receiving free or reduced meals also have this benefit for Breakfast meals. Please continue to encourage our students to participate in the School Breakfast Program each and every day! We are starting our spring menu on March 16th. We have a few new Breakfast items that we will be serving as well as new Lunch entrees. We are excited about offering some different options so please encourage students to join us for Breakfast and Lunch! Our special birthday celebrations are going GREAT! Remember, each student that participates with a reimbursable Lunch tray will receive a Rice Krispie Treat in honor of all the students that had a birthday in that month. The celebration day for this month is on Monday, March 23rd (as we will be on Spring Break on March 30th). We hope that all students will join us for Lunch as we continue this festivity! Stephanie Orman, CDM/CFPP, CNP Manager South Shades Crest Elementary School 3770 South Shades Crest Road Hoover, Alabama 35244 Office #: (205) 439-3029

Thank you parents for participating in the Dr. Seuss Book Fair! It was a great way to kick off our author study! We have enjoyed some Dr. Seuss classics such as Cat in the Hat and Green Eggs and Ham, but we are also exploring some of his lesser known work. Some of these include To Think That I Saw It on Mulberry Street, A Color of My Own and Gertrude McFuzz. Many classes wrapped up their “Fairy Tale” unit and have started reading stories that help kids with visualizing, an important reading strategy they will use throughout their life. Some great visualizing books are: Fireflies, The Sunflower House and A Night in the Country. Each kindergartener is busy writing stories! We continue to talk about adding detail, listening and writing the sounds they hear and creating illustrations that match that page. During math workshop, we continue to use math tools to help children actively engage in their mathematical thinking. We are working with the number 6 and 10. The classes also began talking about doubles and “fair share” numbers. Science has been spent building and creating structures using different materials. This challenges their thinking and helps them becoming problem solvers.

The first grades have been studying the weather. We enjoyed a visit from James Spann. He showed us the types of weather equipment used to predict the weather and showed us how the weather occurs. We have been working on non­fiction writing. We are studying about writing an effective introduction to a piece and how the story concludes with a satisfactory ending. First graders are learning about place value, a crucial skill for understanding later addition and subtraction. We are continuing to take numbers apart to 20 and putting numbers back together in various ways. We are working to understand many different strategies for addition and subtraction. We have enjoyed a unit on Dr. Seuss. We have been using the Dr. Seuss books to learn about character changes in a story and identifying the beginning, middle, and ending of a story. We enjoy finding and using rhyming words in our own writing!

What’s Happening in Second Grade?

In reading, we are learning all about dialogue and how to determine who is telling the story. In math, we are working on solving addition and subtraction two digit numbers. In theme, we are starting our farm to table unit. Over the next two weeks, all second graders will have the chance to take a field trip to the Golden Flake Factory to learn how potatoes become potato chips. Also, our field trip to the Birmingham Children’s Theater has been rescheduled for April 14th. New permission slips are being sent home this week.

How ironic…Was it not about this time last year that we experienced a period of bad winter weather? Snowmageddon ring a bell. Well, I’m done with cold weather! Guess what? Spring Break is just around the corner. In reading, we are working with a book study of The Chocolate Touch. We will read each chapter of the book and analyze it via the comprehension strategies we have learned throughout the year. The book is a retelling of the classic tale of King Midas, which teaches the students moderation and good choice making. Vocabulary will be taken from the text. This book has a wonderful and expansive vocabulary.In math, we are still working with fractions. Specifically, we are working on ordering fractions on a number line, identifying unit fractions, and finding equivalent fractions. In writing, many of us are still working with biographical writing. In addition, we are studying verbs in grammar. In content, we are studying simple machines. Our field trip to the McWane Center (which was cancelled due to weather) will extend this unit. We will see many simple machines incorporated into many complex machines there when we reschedule. Thank you for your support!

In Social Studies the students completed a scrapbook of their famous Alabamian. The scrapbooks were both enjoyable and informative. The 4th graders will continue to share their knowledge of their Alabamian during our Wax Museum, in April. Our study of Alabama continues as we research the causes and effects of both the Great Depression and World War II. The students will have the opportunity to expand their knowledge and answer inquires as the 4th grade travels to Montgomery! More information on the field trip will be sent at a later date.

The 4th graders have focused their writing on informative essays. They have directed their attention on the three strongest, or most significant, characteristics of their Alabamian. Based on the students’ research, they will focus on providing evidence to support the three chosen characteristics. The 4th graders are eagerly working to complete the essay and share with their peers. In Math, our study of fractions will lead into a decimal unit. We will be learning how to represent decimals, how they relate to fractions, and use them in different numerical sentences. Be on the lookout for decimals in your everyday routines! In Reading we are continuing close reads. Reading and analyzing informational text will further our ability to use nonfiction text features, understand author’s purpose, and determine the difference between fact and opinion. We are also continuing to work on our CAFÉ goals during independent reading time.

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, sex, immigrant or migrant status, non­English 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.

Dr. Barbara Mayer, IDEA Coordinator Mrs. Marley Stephens, Section 504 Coordinator Dr. Debra Smith, Title I Coordinator Mrs. Tammy Dunn, Title II Coordinator Dr. Barbara Mayer, Title III Coordinator Mrs. Melody Greene, Title IX Coordinator Hoover City Schools 2810 Metropolitan Way Hoover, AL 35243 (205) 439­1000

EQUAL EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY

(Board policy, 5.13.1) 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, age, disability, national origin, citizenship, and religious preference. 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:

Mary Veal, Equal Opportunity Employment Coordinator Hoover City Schools 2810 Metropolitan Way Hoover, AL 35243 (205) 439­1000 www.hoovercityschools.net