This Week at West Elementary School April 1, 2024

Welcome Back

Welcome back! It was good to see our students today. It was good to see our teachers and staff today. We picked back up where we left off, and we had a good start to our week. We look forward to a great April and May at West Elementary School. Thank you for your support of our school.

Solar Eclipse on Monday, April 8, 2024

On Monday, April 8, 2024, a solar eclipse will pass over North America, and we will be able to experience the eclipse in Cullman. We will provide an opportunity for students to experience this event at West Elementary School. However, we want to be safe in our viewing of the eclipse. Cullman City Schools has provided eclipse-safe viewing glasses for all students at West Elementary School. We will have students supervised by adults, and they must use their glasses during the viewing of the eclipse. Today, a permission form was sent home to sign if you would like for your child to view the eclipse at school with the eclipse safety glasses under the supervision of West Staff. Please sign and return by Wednesday, April 3, 2024. Parents, if you choose not to send your child to school on Monday, April 8, 2024, you will need to provide a parent note for the absence.

ACAP Large Group Testing Dates

Parents, next week, we will begin our Large Group ACAP Summative Testing for English Language Arts, Math, and Science (Science is 4th and 6th grade only). On April 9 and 10, our students will test in large groups for English Language Arts. On April 16 and 17, our students will test in large groups for Math. On April 18, our 4th and 6th Grade students will take their ACAP Science tests. We need our students to be at school on these days. The testing usually begins around 8:30 AM and concludes around 11:00 AM. For our 6th Grade, they usually begin around 8:30 AM and conclude around 11:45 AM. The Testing Classrooms have requirements (think restrictions on entering and exiting, free from noise and distractions) that we must follow for the test to be valid. Students who test in small groups continue testing through Friday, April 26, 2024. If your child tests early or on a date other than the large group dates, we will let you know in advance the day that they will test.

ACAP Testing Reminders

We want to encourage our students to get a good night's sleep the day before a test, eat a good breakfast the morning before the tests, and work the entire time on the test the day that they take their tests. Students will be reminded that they will not be able to enter a classroom to take the ACAP with a cell phone, smartwatch, Fitbit, calculator phone, or any device that can record information. Students who work the entire time on the test will receive a Golden Ticket. We will have daily candy drawings for the Golden Ticket winners for each grade level. We will also be working toward a day at the Cullman Wellness and Aquatic Center in early May. Please encourage your child to work hard each day. It means so much for your child, our school, and our community.

Digital Device Policy for State Testing

Students shall not possess any digital device within the testing room when participating in the Alabama Comprehensive Assessment Program (ACAP) testing. The possession of a digital device by students participating in ACAP testing is strictly prohibited during the administration of an assessment. If students are found in possession of a digital device, whether powered on or off, during the administration of an ACAP assessment, the device will be confiscated, and the student's test invalidated. If the administrator determines there is reasonable suspicion the device was used to capture, record, share test information, or to facilitate cheating on the assessment, the device will be subject to search pursuant to Cullman City Schools policy for any information directly related to the assessment being administered. Violations may result in disciplinary action by Cullman City Schools in accordance with our Code of Conduct.

Congratulations to the Archery Team

Our 4th and 5th grade Archery Team participated in the Cullman County Tournament on Saturday, March 23, 2024, at Fairview High School. The 4th and 5th Grade team finished 3rd in the Elementary School Division. Congratulations to Tillie H., 1st Place, Isabella M., 9th Place, Cooper B., 12th Place, Brooklynn M., 12th Place, and Mattie S., 14th Place, on their performances in the Elementary School Division. Our Middle School Team, which has 6th-grade students from West Elementary, finished 2nd in the Middle School Division. Congratulations to Addie H., 13th Place, on her performance. The 4th and 5th Grade Team and Middle School Team will participate in the Alabama State Tournament on Friday, April 5, 2024, in Montgomery.

West Students to attend a Rocket City Trash Pandas Game

Parents, West Elementary School will attend a Rocket City Trash Pandas baseball game. The Rocket City Trash Pandas are the minor league affiliate of the Los Angeles Angels Major League team. On Wednesday, April 24, our 3rd and 4th Grade students will attend. On Wednesday, May 8, our 5th and 6th grade students will attend. There is no cost for our students. Each student will have a lunch provided (all beef hot dog, chips, and drink). This field trip is for our students, and we will not have parent chaperones. Students will leave school around 9:00 AM, the game starts at 11:00 AM, and we will return to school around 2:45 PM. Students will ride in a Cullman City Schools bus to the game. We discussed with our students this morning that the game is a fun day. Students can wear hats. You can send sunscreen with your child, but they must be able to apply it. Also, we were not going to go to the merchandise store, so students would not need money. We want to enjoy the game. I talked to the students that we wanted everyone to get to go. If your child has a major discipline referral (In-school or out-of-school suspension) between now and the date that they attend, we will remove them from the trip to the game. We look forward to a great day when we go!

PTA Candy Bar Fundraiser

Thank you for your support of the PTA Candy Bar Fundraiser. We appreciate all that you do to support our school. Thank you to our PTA Officers for their hard work in organizing the fundraiser.

Important Dates

Monday, March 18 - Friday, April 26, 2024 - ACAP Summative Testing Window

Thursday, April 4, 2024 - 4th Grade Enrichment Class Field Trip to Camp Cosby

Friday, April 5, 2024 - West Elementary School Archery Team at State Archery Tournament in Montgomery

April 9 and 10, 2024 - Large Group ACAP English Language Arts Testing

April 16 and 17, 2024 - Large Group ACAP Math Testing

April 18, 2024 - Large Group ACAP Science Testing

April 24, 2024 - 3rd and 4th Grade Students at Trash Pandas Education Day Baseball Game

April 30, 2024 - 6th Grade Field Trip to Space and Rocket Center in Huntsville

May 1, 2024 - All Grades at East and West Elementary Schools STEM Day

Friday, May 3, 2024 - No School (State Track Meet at Cullman High School)

Tuesday, May 7, 2024 - 6th Grade FAWN Field Trip at Sportsman Lake Park

Wednesday, May 8, 2024 - 5th and 6th Grade Students at Trash Pandas Game

Monday, May 13, 2024 - Bearcat Bash Celebration at Cullman Wellness and Aquatic Center

Friday, May 17, 2024 - PE Field Day

Monday, May 20, 2024 - Makeup Field Day

Tuesday, May 21, 2024 - 6th Grade Completion Ceremony at 8:30 AM in the Gym

Wednesday, May 22, 2024 - Awards Assemblies in Gym: 4th Grade - 9:00 AM, 5th Grade - 10:15 AM, and 3rd Grade - 1:15 PM.

Thursday, May 23, 2024 - Last Student Day of School - Early Release Day at 11:30 AM