Falcon Family Updates

I hope everyone had a wonderful weekend! We are ready for another great week at UPES. Thank you for continuing to support us and partner with us each day!

We are especially excited about Parent Visitation Day on Wednesday, October 7! We can’t wait to welcome our families into the building and give you a chance to visit your child’s classroom and see some of the great things happening at UPES.

A quick attendance reminder: Every day matters! Please make sure our students are at school, on time, and ready to learn each day. If your child is absent, don’t forget to send a parent note or doctor’s excuse when they return.

Have an amazing week, UPES! I can’t wait to see many of you on Wednesday!

With Love, Kindness, & Falcon Pride
Mrs. Brittany Grayson

Principal, University Place Elementary

🦅 Growing Tomorrow’s Leaders Today

October is National Principal's Month, and we are excited to celebrate our amazing principal, Mrs. Brittany Grayson! 🎉 Mrs. Grayson leads with heart, vision, and Falcon pride, working each day to support our students, staff, and families and help make University Place Elementary a place where everyone can learn, grow, and soar. We invite our Falcon Leaders and families to help us celebrate Mrs. Grayson throughout the month! As you see her around campus, take a moment to share a kind note, a word of encouragement, or a simple congratulations. These small gestures are a wonderful way to show our appreciation for all she does for our school community. Let’s fill her month with Falcon love and appreciation! Thank you, Mrs. Grayson, for helping us continue Growing Tomorrow’s Leaders Today! 🦅❤️🖤

We need our Falcon Families to help us address the increasing number of late check-ins and early check-outs. While we understand that occasional circumstances arise, frequent late arrivals and early departures are having an impact on student learning and instructional time. Regular, full-day attendance is essential to student success. The school day begins promptly at 7:55 a.m. and does not end until 2:40 p.m. Students need to be here on time, remain at school throughout the instructional day, and take advantage of every minute available to learn, grow, and lead. Even a few minutes missed each day can add up to significant lost learning time over the course of a school year. We are asking families to make on-time arrival and full-day attendance a priority. Please schedule appointments and other activities outside of school hours whenever possible. Together, we can help our Falcon Leaders build strong habits, maximize their learning, and Strive for Five!

Be here. Be on time. Stay all day. Every minute matters. 🦅❤️🖤

Our Falcon Leaders soar higher when families and schools work together! We invite all families to join the University Place Elementary PTA and be part of making a difference for our students and school. PTA membership is a wonderful way to stay connected, support school activities, share ideas, and help create meaningful experiences for our Falcon Leaders. You don’t have to attend every meeting or volunteer at every event—every voice, every idea, and every bit of support matters! As we continue our Passport to Excellence journey, we’d love to have YOU along for the ride! ❤️🖤🦅

Join us in Growing Tomorrow’s Leaders Today!

Our Pre-K and Kindergarten Falcon Leaders are already showing us what leadership looks like! ❤️🖤 These students have been recognized through our Positive Office Referrals for making great choices, showing kindness, following directions, being responsible, and demonstrating positive leadership throughout the school day. We love catching our youngest Falcon Leaders doing the right thing and making a difference! Keep shining, Falcons, we’re Growing Tomorrow’s Leaders Today! 🦅✨

Our UPES Robotics Team is officially underway! Our Falcon Leaders have started practices and are already putting their creativity, teamwork, problem-solving skills, and perseverance to work. As they learn, build, test, and tackle new challenges together, we can’t wait to see the ideas they develop and the amazing things they accomplish! We are so proud of our robotics stars and excited to watch them build something GREAT! 🤖❤️🖤🦅 Growing Tomorrow’s Leaders Today!

Happy National Custodian’s Day to the amazing people who help keep University Place Elementary clean, safe, welcoming, and ready for learning each day! We are so grateful for Mr. Davis, Ms. Thomas, and Ms. McMiller and all they do for our Falcon Leaders and staff. Their hard work often happens behind the scenes, but the impact they make is seen throughout our school every single day.

Thank you for taking pride in our school, caring for our campus, and helping make UPE a place where everyone feels welcome.

We appreciate you more than you know! 🦅❤️🖤

Let’s give a HUGE Falcon shoutout to our amazing custodial team! 🎉

Get ready for a little spooky fun with Creepy Carrots! by Aaron Reynolds! Families are invited to read the story together and pause along the way to talk about the characters, problem, and solution. Then, let your Falcon Leader’s creativity shine by designing their own creepy carrot and writing a short creepy carrot story! 🥕📝 This is a fun way to build reading comprehension, creativity, and storytelling skills while enjoying a favorite seasonal read together at home. We can’t wait to see what creepy creations our Falcon Leaders dream up! 🦅❤️🖤

Our Falcon Leaders can keep their math thinking going at home with an Awesome Aquariums challenge! Students will use tape diagrams to interpret comparisons and show how two quantities are related. Encourage your Falcon Leader to draw a tape diagram, solve the problem, and explain how they know their answer is correct. Look around your home for opportunities to compare quantities—books, toys, snacks, or even collections of coins! We love seeing our Falcon Leaders think mathematically, explain their reasoning, and make real-world connections! 🦅❤️🖤

Responsibility is about taking ownership of our choices and our actions. It means being prepared, following directions, completing our work, and taking care of ourselves, others, and our school. As Falcon Leaders, we show responsibility by doing our part, keeping our commitments, and making choices that help our school community thrive. This week, let’s challenge ourselves to take ownership, follow through, and be dependable, even when no one is watching. Remember, responsible leaders can be counted on!

Challenge: Show responsibility in the little things! 🦅❤️🖤

We’re celebrating the 50th Day of School on Wednesday, October 21st, and we’re going back to the 1950s! During PE, our Falcon Leaders will enjoy a fun 50th Day Dance featuring music, movement, and plenty of school spirit! Students are invited to dress in their best 50s attire. Think poodle skirts, leather jackets, letterman jackets, rolled-up jeans, scarves, and other retro looks! Get ready to rock, roll, and celebrate 50 days of learning and growing! We can’t wait to see our Falcon Leaders dressed to impress as we Rock Around the Clock! ❤️🖤🦅

*There is no additional charge for this event. It is just a fun dress up day.

Our United Way Coin Drive is rolling on through September and October, and our Falcon Leaders are proving that even the smallest contributions can make a BIG difference! Every penny, nickel, dime, and quarter helps us give back and make an impact in our community. Let’s keep those coins coming and continue to show the power of Falcon Leaders working together to make a difference!

Small coins. Big hearts. BIG impact! ❤️🖤🦅

#UnitedWay #CoinDrive #FalconLeaders #PassportToExcellence #GrowingTomorrowsLeadersToday

We’re proud to celebrate an overall attendance rate of 95.09%, keeping our schoolwide average at our 95% goal! 🎉 A special shoutout to 2nd and 4th Grade at 96% and 3rd and 5th Grade at 95% for meeting or exceeding the goal! Our focus now is getting every grade level to 95% or better! Kindergarten and 1st Grade are currently at 93%, while Pre-K is at 88%. We know our Falcon Leaders can rise to the expectation, and every day makes a difference. Being at school consistently gives students more time to learn, grow, build relationships, and experience success. 95% attendance should be our goal for every student, not just our schoolwide average. Let’s work together to close the gap and make every school day count! Be here every day. Arrive on time. Stay all day. Be ready to learn. Strive for Five! ⭐ Together, we’re Growing Tomorrow’s Leaders Today! ❤️🖤🦅

Planning a family getaway? Be sure to check our Vacation Planner and plan those special trips around the school calendar whenever possible. A little planning ahead helps our Falcon Leaders enjoy important family time while protecting valuable instructional days. Let’s work together to keep our Falcons present, engaged, and ready to learn so they can continue to learn, grow, and soar all year long! 🦅❤️🖤 Plan It. Be Present. Make Every Day Count!

• Oct. 1st-16th-P2P Testing Window (2nd-5th grade only)
• Oct. 7th-Parenting Day
• Oct. 9th-Hispanic Heritage Assembly
• Oct. 12th & 13th-No School
• Oct. 16th-Report Cards Go Home
• Oct. 20th-Make-up Picture Day
• Oct. 23rd-First Nine Weeks Honors Day 3rd-5th Grades (Info from teachers)
• Oct. 26th-30th-Red Ribbon Week
• Oct. 30th-Leadership Assembly & PBIS Celebration

We are excited to partner with Neighborhood Bridges, an organization committed to connecting families with the resources and support they need to thrive. Through this partnership, our Falcon Leaders and their families can gain access to valuable community resources and opportunities that help strengthen our school community. We are grateful for organizations like Neighborhood Bridges that help build bridges, create connections, and support our families!

The Tuscaloosa City Schools is now using ParentSquare—a unified platform for all schools, classrooms and district communications. With ParentSquare, you can receive updates via email, text or app; view calendars and RSVP to events; sign up to volunteer; and securely receive student documents like report cards and IEPs. What's even better is you'll get communications from school administrators, teachers, coaches and the district all through Parentsquare.

Check your email or text for an invitation to activate your account, or register at www.parentsquare.com using the same email linked to your student’s enrollment. Download the free app TODAY to stay connected across the district. We encourage every family to join and engage with our school community on ParentSquare. #TCSUpdates #GetConnected #StayConnected #ConnectedForSuccess

Our Falcon Leaders are expected to know the rules, make responsible choices, and treat others with kindness, respect, and integrity. The Code of Conduct and dress code outline the expectations that help keep our school safe, welcoming, and focused on learning. Families, please take a few minutes to review the Code of Conduct and dress code with your child and reinforce the importance of making positive choices each day. When we understand and follow expectations, we create a school culture where every Falcon can learn, grow, and soar! 🦅 Know the Code. Make Good Choices. Dress for Success. Lead with Pride! ❤️🖤

Check out our Special Education Newsletter for helpful updates, resources, and important information to support our Falcon Leaders and families!

Feeling safe at school is a non-negotiable at University Place Elementary. Therefore, we must ensure that our campus is safe at ALL TIMES. Below are a few of our non-negotiables:

• ALL visitors must sign into our RAPTOR system before moving beyond the front lobby to enter the building. This includes having a valid state issued ID in hand.
• A valid state issued ID is required anytime a child is checked out.
• Students are not allowed phone calls or food deliveries on campus.
• Changes in transportation cannot and will not be taken over the phone.
• No students will be allowed to check out after 2:00 p.m. NO EXCEPTIONS!!
• Safety drills will be practiced monthly- including but not limited to backpack searches, fire drills, lockdown drills, and severe weather drills.
• Disruptive behaviors will not be allowed and will be handled according to the Tuscaloosa City Schools Code of Conduct.
• A threat to self or others will also be handled according to the Tuscaloosa City Schools Code of Conduct and State laws and/or mandates.
• All discipline and safety measures will be strictly enforced. NO EXCEPTIONS

It’s time to show up and soar! As our Falcon football teams take the field, let’s rally together and show our players what it means to have a school and community behind them. Encourage your families to wear their Falcon colors, bring their loudest cheers, and fill the stands with Falcon pride! Let’s pack the stands, cheer on our teams, and remind our Falcon Leaders that we’re with them every step of the way! 🦅❤️🖤

Brittany Grayson, Principal

Christina Holman, Assistant Principal

Motto: "Growing Tomorrow's LEADERS Today!"

Email: bgrayson@tusc.k12.al.us

Website: https://www.tuscaloosacityschools.com/Domain/26
Location: 2000 1st Avenue, Tuscaloosa, AL, USA
Phone: 205-759-3664
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/UniversityPlaceElementarySchool
Twitter: @UPES_Leads