Falcon Family Updates

I hope everyone enjoyed the long weekend and had some time to relax with family!

As we get back into our routine this week, I want to remind everyone how important it is for our students to be at school each day and on time. Every day of learning matters, and we don't want our students missing out on valuable instruction. If your child is absent, please remember to send an excuse when they return. As a reminder, parents are allowed to submit up to five parent notes per school year to excuse absences. Please keep this in mind as we work together to make sure our students are at school and learning each day!

I also want to encourage ALL of our families to get involved by joining our UPES PTA! We need YOU! Our school is stronger when our parents, grandparents, and families are involved. Whether you have a little time or a lot, there is a place for you! We want to build a PTA that supports our students, teachers, and school, but we cannot do it without your help!

Thank you for trusting us with your children each day. We appreciate your continued support and look forward to another great week at University Place!

Growing Tomorrow's Leaders Today!

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! 🎉Friday, we are showed Mrs. Grayson just how much she means to our UPE family! From celebrating her favorite things to sharing thoughtful surprises, we want her to feel the love and appreciation she deserves. We are so thankful for her leadership, dedication, encouragement, and the heart she pours into University Place Elementary each day. Thank you, Mrs. Grayson, for helping our Falcon Leaders and staff continue to grow, soar, and strive for greatness! 🦅❤️🖤 We are so lucky to have you leading our UPE family!

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 Falcon Leaders enjoyed a wonderful Hispanic Heritage Assembly celebrating the rich cultures, traditions, contributions, and history of Hispanic and Latino communities. It was a joyful opportunity for our students to learn, celebrate, and appreciate the diversity that makes our school community so special! 🦅✨

Mrs. Williams’ third-grade Falcon Leaders had an exciting opportunity to dig deeper into the fascinating world of fossils! 🦴✨ We were thrilled to welcome Cory Cooper, Eva's dad, as a special guest who shared his incredible fossil collection with the class. Students learned how fossils are discovered, how rocks and minerals form, and how different materials can change over time. Mr. Cooper shared the stories behind his fossil artifacts and gave students an up-close look at these amazing pieces of Earth’s history. Our Falcon Leaders were curious, engaged, and full of great questions! A huge thank-you to Mr. Cooper for sharing his knowledge and helping bring learning to life! ❤️🖤🦅

The magic of reading is taking flight in Ms. Shilkrot’s first-grade classroom! Our Falcon Leaders are using their magical E reading wands to blend words with long vowels and a silent E at the end. 📚🪄

These young readers are practicing their skills and getting ready to impress the Reading Fairy, and their parents! We love watching our first graders build confidence, strengthen their reading skills, and discover just how magical reading can be! ❤️🖤🦅

On October 6th, National Coaches Day, we celebrated the amazing coaches who help our Falcon Leaders show up, grow, and soar! ❤️🖤🦅 A special shoutout goes to our fantastic PE Department for encouraging our students to stay active, build teamwork, and always give their best. We’re also celebrating our incredible Instructional Coaches, who support our teachers, strengthen instruction, and help move our school from good to GREAT! Thank you to all of our coaches for motivating, encouraging, and inspiring others to reach their full potential. We appreciate you!

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

Our overall attendance rate is currently 94%, just below our schoolwide goal of 95%! We’re celebrating 5th Grade for taking the lead at an outstanding 98%, followed by 3rd Grade at 96% and 1st and 2nd Grade at 95%! Way to soar, Falcons! Now, it’s time to close the gap! 4th Grade is at 93%, Pre-K is at 92%, and Kindergarten is at 88%. We need every grade level working together to reach our 95% goal. Every missed day means a missed opportunity to learn, grow, build relationships, and make progress.

Falcon families, we need your partnership! Our goal is 95% attendance for EVERY grade level, not just our schoolwide average. Let’s make consistent attendance a priority and encourage our students to rise to the expectation. Together, we can get back on track and soar beyond the goal!

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. 12th & 13th-No School
• Oct. 16th-Report Cards Go Home
• Oct. 19th-Health Hero Flu Clinic
• Oct. 20th-Make-up Picture Day
• 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