A Piece From The Principal's Puzzle

March

24-28 - Bookfair

28 - Kite Day during P.E. Classes

April

1 - ACAP Testing Begins at Blossomwood (Grades 2-6)

Dear Blossomwood families,

Huntsville City Schools (HCS) is taking another step forward in promoting the safety of students and staff by introducing advanced weapon detection systems at all elementary schools across the district starting this Monday, March 17.

At Blossomwood Elementary, the safety of our students and staff is always our top priority, and beginning Monday, March 17, this implementation will mean that instead of three entry points we will have one entry point moving forward as we only have one weapons detection system. Therefore, arriving a few minutes earlier than usual will be helpful to everyone.

Morning Arrival Procedures:

• Laptops/Chromebooks Out of Backpacks: All students must remove their laptops from their backpacks before passing through the detectors. We will have a designated table at the detectors where a staff member will assist by sliding laptops through for easy retrieval.
• Walkers: Walkers will need to use sidewalks to walk and enter through the car line door on the side of the building.
• Bus Riders: Buses will unload in the car line area. Therefore, unloading will take a few minutes. Students should remove their laptops before exiting the bus and carry them with arms crossed close to their chest to ensure they are secure as they walk into school.
• Car Riders: We ask that students (who can) have their backpacks on and laptop in hand, carrying them with arms crossed close to their chest to ensure they are secure when exiting vehicles to keep the line moving efficiently. Younger students will receive assistance from staff upon entry.
• As usual, we will close the gate for the car line at approximately 7:55 am as this allows cars inside the gate to be processed and students to enter prior to 8:00 am.
• The car line door will close promptly at 8:00 AM as the detection system will be moved to the front entrance. It will take 5-10 minutes to move and recalibrate the system.
• At approximately, 8:10 am, the weapons detection system will be ready for the front lobby to become our one entry point for the remainder of the school day.
• With buses now unloading students on the car line side of the building, we ask all families to use extra caution - It is ILLEGAL to pass a school bus that is loading or unloading students.

Visitor Entry & Late Arrivals

• Students arriving between 7:55 and 8:00 AM, after the car line gate closes, must be walked by a parent to the front door. Students should NOT go to the front entrance before 8:00 AM.
• Visitors arriving between 7:30 and 8:00 AM will need to check in using Raptor to obtain a sticker, then they will need to walk to the car line entrance to go through the detector to enter the building.
• If you arrive at 8:00 AM or later, you must enter through the front entry doors and the detectors.

Pre-K Families

• Pre-K Drop-Off Location Unchanged: Pre-K students will continue to be dropped off at the same location. They will not go through the weapons detection system.

• Older Siblings of Pre-K Students: If your Pre-K child has an older sibling attending Blossomwood, they must enter through the car line entrance on the side of the building or be dropped off in the car rider line.

While this adjustment may take some time to get used to, please know that it is a proactive step toward ensuring a safe and secure environment for all of our students.

Please use the link for a brief informational video about the Opengate system.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GZOv4lpI5Y4&authuser=0

Thank you again for your help and support. Feel free to reach out should you have any questions.

Congratulations to the following classes for winning an attendance trophy by having the highest attendance percentage for their grade level in the month of February 2025.

Thank you for helping to get your student to school and on time each day!

As part of our Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) program, we recognize students that demonstrate our P.A.W.S behavior as well as the character word of the month. The character word for February was "loyalty," and according to their teachers, the following students displayed this in and out of the classrooms. Congratulations to everyone!!!

Kindergarten - Ryker Brown & Ella Grace Grasham

1st Grade - Kyren Orr & Blaine Alexander

2nd Grade - Jayna Luckhart

3rd Grade - Layla Rice & Kiera Tharp

4th Grade - Frank Lockwood and Justice Clark

5th Grade - Alexander Trott and Carmen Perryman

6th Grade - Javare Bright and Taliya Williams

Mrs. Williamson’s class - Nehemiah Pettus

We want to say congratulations again to our first graders! They have been participating in our Pawsome Readers program which is designed to encourage our students to read, read, read during a specific period of time; roughly 6 weeks. With each book completed either at home or school, the student received a piece of colored paper or "link" on which they could write the title of the book, etc. Then, they would fold and connect their links to form a chain that we placed in the hallway.

As you can see from the pictures below, they read a lot of books!

Special thanks to all of our parent volunteers that helped to hang the links in the hallway, and of course thank you to our PTA and teachers for helping organize and support such a wonderful program! We even had a parade through the school with other grade levels cheering on the first graders! Keep up the excellent work, first graders!

ACAP, which stands for the Alabama Comprehensive Assessment Program, is an online assessment designed to provide students, parents, teachers, administrators, and Alabama residents with information regarding student progress toward mastery of the Alabama Course of Study Standards.

• Students in grades 2-6 take assessments covering English language arts and math.
• Students in grades 4 and 6 are also tested in science.
• Each April all 2nd - 6th grade students will take the assessment. Below are resources to help parents understand what will be tested and there is a link to an online practice website that will show you examples of what the online test will look like.
• Students may also use the practice test to learn how to use the online testing tools so they may become proficient in the testing format.
• We encourage families to spend a few minutes reviewing the ACAP Practice Testing Portal as it will not only ease the level of stress often associated with testing but it will positively impact the students' scores.

Online practice link

• ACAP Practice Testing Portal - Then, click on the ACAP Summative Online Training Tools box

Returning from Absence(s)

• Within two days of returning to school from an absence, students must bring in a signed and dated note to the attendance office from their parent, guardian, or doctor stating the reason for the absence.

Checking Out:

• Please arrange all appointments after school or during school holidays. Students will not be allowed to check out after 2:00 p.m. as the staff begins ‘end of the day’ procedures and preparation for dismissal.

Travel:

• Family trips and vacations should be planned around the school calendar. Absences due to family trips or vacations are unexcused and a student will not be allowed to make up daily class work, assignments, and homework upon the student’s return to school. The student will be allowed to make up all tests and exams.

ABSENCES:

• Additional information and Huntsville City Schools’ (HCS) Guidelines for student absences may be found online (www.huntsvillecityschools.org)
• A written excuse should be sent to the teacher within two (2) days of an excused absence or the absence will be coded as unexcused.
• HCS Student Services monitors absences through electronic records. After five (5) unexcused absences or ten (10) total absences - whether excused or unexcused - parents will be contacted by a social worker. Reports must be made to the Office of Pupil Services for an excessive number of tardies.
• Questions concerning the school system’s attendance policy may be directed to HCS Student Services (256.428.6890). Alabama’s rigid state laws regarding student attendance govern HCS attendance policy.
• Feel free to e-mail Mrs. Cottrell, our office manager, your child’s excuse (sherri.cottrell@hsv-k12.org).

Concerns about Student Learning, Teacher Procedures and Instruction

• If you have concerns, talk with your child’s teacher(s) FIRST as she/he best know your child’s work at school. If resolutions cannot be made in a meeting with the teacher(s) first, and you need to talk with an administrator, call the school to arrange a return call or to request group conference. During the school day the principal is often in classrooms.

Each year we encourage our students to continue learning during the extended breaks such as Spring Break. This Wednesday your child will bring home a sheet in his/her Blossomwood folder with the directions for participating in the voluntary Spring Break Learning Challenge which includes a reading, math, and family event challenge.

More specifically, one ticket can be earned for completing the reading challenge, one ticket can be earned for completing the math challenge, and/or one ticket can be earned for completing the family challenge. To be clear, a student can do one, two, OR all three challenges. We will be giving away several donated prizes including gift cards for ice cream, wireless headphones, etc.

Please see below for additional details.

The record sheet (on the back) for the Challenge is due on Monday, March 17, 2025 to Dr. Scott. An adult signature is required at the bottom of the completed sheet.

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.