Dear Claxton Caregivers,

We’re in the home stretch of an incredible school year, and the energy at Claxton is high! This week's Week at a Glance is full of important updates as we close things out—grade-level celebrations, our much-anticipated Variety Show, key reminders about transportation for next year, summer learning resources, and ways you can jump into upcoming volunteer opportunities.

💥 A huge shout-out and heartfelt THANK YOU to our amazing FTO and to Coach LaPorte for making Field Day such a joyful and memorable experience for our students. Your creativity, organization, and enthusiasm brought so much joy to our school community!

As we wrap up the year, we hope you'll join us in celebrating your child’s growth and accomplishments by attending their End-of-Year (EOY) showcase or celebration. These moments are a special part of closing the year together.

Inside this edition, you'll also find info about the GLOW Dance for 3rd–5th graders, how to support our amazing staff during promotion ceremonies, and how to stay involved with our FTO next year. Be sure to check out the spotlight on student projects from CIRCLE and details about a powerful upcoming community event in support of public education.

🐝 Check out this week’s Pollinator for all the details!

With gratitude,
Corey Simons

EOY Dates:

🎓 June 2, 10:00–12:00 – 1st Grade End-of-Year Celebration
🎓 June 3, 1:15–2:20 – 4th Grade End-of-Year Celebration
🎭 June 4 – Variety Show
🎓 June 4, 12:45–2:00 – 3rd Grade End-of-Year Celebration
🎓 June 5, 9:30–11:30 – Kindergarten End-of-Year Ceremony
🎓 June 5, 12:00–2:00 – 2nd Grade End-of-Year Celebration
🎉 June 6 – 5th Grade Promotion, 5th Grade Walk @ 8:15 AM, Half-Day & Last Day of School!

Planning for next school year? If your child will be riding the bus when school begins, please complete the 2025–2026 Transportation Request Form by June 29, 2025.

👉 [Transportation Request Form 2025–2026]

✅ Who Should Complete This Form?

• Students who will regularly use ACS bus transportation

• Students with new school assignments or address changes

• New bus riders for the 2025–2026 school year

🚫 Who Should NOT Complete This Form?

• Students receiving special transportation services (please contact your child’s teacher or caseworker)

• Out-of-district students (ACS transportation is only available within district boundaries)

🚍 Important Guidelines:

• Only home addresses listed in Infinite Campus are eligible for bus service

• No bus stops will be made at workplaces or convenience locations

• Students may only ride their assigned bus – no passes for alternate routes

• Temporary bus passes may be issued for emergencies, at the discretion of school administration

• Dual placement, sports, and extracurricular travel are not eligible for transportation service

🕐 After-School Program Notes:

• Bus transportation to approved ACS after-school programs is not guaranteed during the first 10 days of school

• Stops to non-home locations or with fewer than 10 students may be limited

• After-school transportation requests will be reviewed after capacity audits

📧 What Happens Next?
You’ll receive an email by August 8th with your child’s bus assignment.
Details on how to sign up for Student Bus Planner Alerts through the Chipmunk Bus Planner App will also be included.

🔹 Note: All submissions will be verified through Infinite Campus before processing. Late forms will be reviewed, but transportation on the first day of school cannot be guaranteed.

Thank you for partnering with Asheville City Schools Transportation – we’re proud to provide safe, reliable service for our students!

This month, we're highlighting the incredible final projects students have been working on in CIRCLE. From creative collaboration to thoughtful problem-solving, these projects reflect the hard work and imagination of our learners—and the care and guidance of their teachers. We're proud to share a glimpse into this meaningful work as we wrap up the school year!

— With gratitude,
Mrs. Kathleen Turner, NBCT

If your student is participating in the Variety Show, we have an important run-through on Tuesday at 8:30 AM, followed by the full performance on Wednesday at 8:30 AM. Please make sure your child brings any instruments, props, costumes, or lyric sheets on both days so we can rehearse and perform smoothly. We can’t wait to see their talents shine!

Looking for ways to keep your child engaged and supported over the summer? Asheville City Schools has compiled a collection of free and low-cost summer learning and enrichment opportunities for students and families.

📘 Explore the ACS Summer Resources Google Site
You'll find activities, local programs, academic support, and more to help make this summer fun, enriching, and stress-free!
👉 Click here to visit the ACS Summer Resources Site

📎 Printable Flyer for Families
A flyer with summer resource highlights will also be included in report cards—keep an eye out!
👉 Click here to view the flyer

Let’s make it a great summer of learning and fun! 🌈

Hey families! We’re getting ready for our GLOW DANCE for 3rd–5th graders, and we could use a few helping hands! The kids will be at the Glow Dance from 1:00-2:20 pm on Monday, June 2nd. We’re looking for volunteers to help set up, decorate, work the photo booth, and clean up after the fun. This is a special celebration of all our students’ hard work during EOG testing, and we want to make it an awesome afternoon for them. If you’re able to lend a hand, we’d be so grateful—thanks for considering helping out! ♡

Calling all ACS and BCS students, parents, community members, teachers and staff! March with us! You’ve shown up in so many ways the past two months. From rallies, to school board meetings, to the town hall, and most importantly paying attention and fighting for our public schools. This march allows us to celebrate and defend the future of public education here in Buncombe County one last time before the final budget vote happens.

What’s at stake?

On Tuesday June 3, The Buncombe County Commissioners will take an extremely consequential vote on the education budget. 120-180 school staff positions across ACS & BCS are at stake.

All options are still on the table, from massive cuts to a fully funded budget, and many commissioners have not committed one way or the other. We need the county commission and our entire community to know: our kids can’t afford anything less than no cuts.

What to expect on Tuesday:

That’s why we are taking our cause to the streets and marching through downtown to make sure the entire Buncombe County Community knows what’s at stake for our public schools.

And then, we’ll take our cause straight back to the commission meeting to fill the room and hold the commissioners accountable to to fully fund our schools as they take their final vote.

4pm: Meet at Gantt Plaza to march through Pack Square and other areas of downtown with high foot traffic, ending back at the County Commission building.
4:45pm: Pack the room at the County Commission meeting

5pm: Commission meeting

Promotion Ceremonies - Thu 6/5 and Fri 6/6 - We could use a few more volunteers to set up and clean up the Kindergarten and 5th Grade promotion ceremonies, especially from K and 4th Grade families! Sign up sheet is here.

Yearbooks - We have just a couple more yearbooks left! Grab yours by purchasing through our website -- they will be delivered to classroom teachers. And big thanks to Claxton parent Jessica Hunter -- this year was her TENTH(!) year creating the Claxton yearbook!

"Sign" Mr. Garrity's Yearbook - We will miss Mr. Garrity so much! FTO will print farewell messages from students, families, and staff to put inside Mr. Garrity's yearbook -- add your message here!

Next Year! Our FTO events and programs can't happen without team members to plan and lead these efforts. We are always looking for new ideas and team members (see this year's team descriptions here), so please reach out to claxtonfto@gmail.com with feedback or interest in helping with an FTO project or event next year. Big thank yous to this year's team leads, and our many event volunteers!

Parents and caregivers want their children to thrive in school—to be engaged and excited about learning, to build meaningful relationships with their teachers and peers, and to develop the knowledge and skills they need to succeed academically.

However, understanding what children should know and be able to do by the end of each grade—and how to have meaningful conversations about it with their children and teachers—hasn’t always been easy.

These Family Guides take the guesswork out of the process. They provide clear, practical information and tools to help parents and caregivers support their children’s learning in literacy and math—the foundation for all academic success.

With these Guides, families can take an active role in their children’s education, advocate effectively, and build strong partnerships with teachers. By working together, students, families, and educators create the support system children need to truly thrive.

We want to celebrate the outstanding achievements of our ACS staff every day. If you know a staff member who has gone above and beyond as a dedicated CREW member or demonstrated exceptional qualities that align with our Three Promises—Creating a Sense of Belonging, Engaging in Challenging and Relevant Material, and Making Every Second Count—please fill out this form to nominate them. Let’s recognize the incredible work happening at Claxton!