A Piece From The Principal's Puzzle

February

5 - Progress Reports Sent Home

7 - Family Glow Dance at Blossomwood (5:30 to 7:00 pm)

14 - 1/2 day for Students & Valentine's Parties

17 - Presidents' Day (No School)

Our school Greenpower Team continues to practice and prepare for the upcoming "Goblin Car" Spring races at both Hazel Green High School and the one for all Huntsville City elementary schools which will be held at Grissom High School. The team is comprised of a group of 4th, 5th and 6th graders that are led by teachers, Mrs. Chelsea Carter and Ms. Brandi Baugh.

Greenpower Overview:

"The focus of the Goblin Greenpower Program is teaching students to work collaboratively and understand foundational concepts in STEM. Goblin Greenpower Students learn critical lessons in areas such as tool use and safety, effective communication, time management, critical thinking, and teamwork. Participants also learn foundational concepts necessary for understanding the purpose and structure of technical schematic layouts through the build process, basics of aerodynamics through the body design, and the general nature of team project completion."

In a nutshell, our students construct their team's car, learn to make repairs and adjustments as needed, and drive the small battery powered car while learning a great deal of math and science!

We will be sharing more updates about the upcoming competitions as they draw nearer.

Go Panthers!

Experts believe all children can enjoy reading. It’s just a matter of finding the right materials.

Before your next library visit, consider these six things:

1. Company. Kids who “don’t like” to read often take pride in reading to others. Bring along a younger sibling, a grandparent or a favorite stuffed animal.
2. Your child’s hobbies. Can you find an irresistible book about baseball, video games or crochet? Ask the librarian for suggestions.
3. Different genres. Perhaps your child would like to read a mystery, a how-to book or a biography. Consider everything.
4. Alternatives to books. Your child might prefer shorter materials, such as articles, comics or recipes. All of these count as reading.
5. Other media. Help your child find an audiobook to listen to while doing chores or riding in the car.
6. Activities. See if your local library hosts read-aloud times, or has reading-related activities and games for children on its website.

Reprinted with permission from the February 2025 issue of Parents make the difference!® (Elementary School Edition) newsletter. Copyright © 2025 The Parent Institute®, a division of PaperClip Media, Inc.

We had a great time last Friday with a special Grades 3-6 students vs. teachers kickball game to celebrate student effort and performance on the mid-year i-Ready benchmark! It was a great time celebrating students that not only gave their best effort but also grew since the initial benchmark in August. Each student also received treats from the concession stand such as chips, a drink, and a Blow-pop. Lower grade students also received special treats and recognition, too!

As you are probably aware, the flu is really making an impact in our community right now. Our school nurses have shared a guide in both English and Spanish that may help your family to avoid catching the flu. Please see below for the link to the guides.

The main function of the house system is to develop a sense of identity or belonging and to celebrate achievements. Schools with a structure or system like this cite the positive impact it has on the educational experience and school culture. Students report how it helps them form friendships and closer bonds with peers, and teachers share that students seem to enjoy seeing a connection with students in other classrooms as well as other grade levels. As a school, we also believe our new House System supports our school mission statement and vision.

During the first week of school or upon enrollment, all of our students and staff have the opportunity to digitally "spin" the wheel to randomly sort each student into one of four groups or houses — Emerald, Garnet, Onyx, or Sapphire.

Our House System is designed to:

1. Create school-wide community by creating opportunities for students to connect to staff and students in other classes and grades that share their house. Older students become natural leaders by mentoring and supporting younger students. Mentoring also extends to teachers and school staff members who are also assigned to a house.
2. Create a culture of belonging as students are recognized for accomplishments both academically as well as their choices related to behavior.
3. Emphasize building character through a reward system that goes beyond earning a piece of candy for doing something good. Each individual achievement adds to the collective house/group, making the reward hopefully more meaningful and social.
   
4. Provide opportunities to praise and accentuate positives for both individual students and collective groups of students.