Updates and Info from Dr. T

Happening at Farley this week—DIBELS (K-3) & i-Ready Reading (4-5) Benchmarks. Also - Fund Raiser Kickoff (Monday; rescheduled).

DIBELS is a quick check that helps teachers see how students are developing important early literacy skills. It is given several times during the year and helps us identify students who may need additional support, as well as students who are ready for additional challenge. DIBELS is not a grade—it is one of several tools teachers use to monitor reading growth and guide instruction.

i-Ready is an online Reading and Math program that helps teachers understand what students know and what they are ready to learn next.

Students take a short Diagnostic several times during the year. The questions adjust to each child, so some will feel easy and others challenging—that’s normal!

Teachers use i-Ready to:

• Identify strengths and areas for growth
• Plan instruction and support
• Monitor progress throughout the year
• Provide personalized Reading and Math practice

Join the Farley PTA – Just $7!

Support our students, encourage our teachers, and help make great things happen at Farley. Your $7 membership makes a difference, and everyone is welcome to join—parents, grandparents, family members, and community supporters.

Last year, Math was a major instructional focus at Farley. With support from our fundraising efforts, we were able to provide after-school Math tutoring and additional support from a Math Interventionist. We are excited to share some of the progress our students made:

• Across Grades 3–5, Math proficiency increased from 50.3% in 2025 to 54.4% in 2026.
• The percentage of students reaching Level 4, the highest performance level, increased from 20.1% to 26.5%.
• The percentage of students at Level 1 was reduced by nearly half—from 20% to 11%.
• We also saw strong growth among students from one year to the next. Our Grade 3→4 cohort Level 1s decreased from 32% to 14%. Our Grade 4→5 cohort increased proficiency from 58% to 66%, with Level 4 growing from 32% to 44%.

This year, we will continue building on our Math progress while expanding our instructional focus to include Writing.

To help fund tutoring and intervention opportunities for our students, Farley students can participate in The Mega Blast fundraiser. Learn more here.

More information about The Mega Blast will come home this week. Thank you for helping us continue to provide additional learning opportunities for our Falcons!

🏈🐘 Principal: Stewart Thorson (DrT) stewart.thorson@hsv-k12.org

Assistant Principal (& 504s): Mrs. Christy Lang (christy.lang@hsv-k12.org)

Administrative Assistant: Mrs. Lorinda Ward (lorinda.ward@hsv-k12.org)

📫 Email Attendance Notes to Ms. Lisa Folden (lisa.folden@hsv-k12.org)

Counselor: Mr. Alex Gregg (alexander.gregg@hsv-k12.org)

🏃🏻‍♂️Coach Wilkins (mark.wilkins@hsv-k12.org)

Reading Specialist: Amanda Perry (amanda.perry@hsv-k12.org)

Math Coach: Rachel Pierce (rachel.pierce@hsv-k12.org)

Literacy & Dyslexia Specialist: Mrs. Chasity Lindsey (chasity.lindsey@hsv-k12.org)

Media Specialist: Amber Cescutti (amber.cescutti@hsv-k12.org)
Collaborative Specialist K-2: Mrs. Angela Bargas (angela.bargas@hsv-k12.org)

Collaborative Specialist 3-5: Ms. Allison Jones (allison.jones@hsv-k12.org)

Gifted & Talented Specialist: Ms. Laura Green Nelson (laura.nelson@hsv-k12.org)

Cafeteria Menus: https://www.ezschoollunch.com/p/Huntsville/menu

Transportation: https://www.huntsvillecityschools.org/page/transportation

August

28 - PBIS Parties

September

7 - Labor Day

14-18 Book Fair

15 - Grandparents Lunch

October

2 - Custodian Appreciation Day

5-9 Fall Break

23-31 Red Ribbon Week

30 - PTA Trunk or Treat

• Morning drop-off starts at 7:30AM. Students will report to the cafeteria for breakfast at 7:30AM. At 7:45PM, students are released from the cafeteria to their classrooms. Students arriving after 7:45AM that wish to eat breakfast will visit the cafeteria and quickly make their way to their classrooms. Independent work, i-Ready adaptive instruction, and AR/Reflex time begins at 7:45AM.
• After 8:00AM, students arriving must be accompanied by a parent to the front entrance and signed in as late.

• Dismissal begins at 2:30PM. We do not allow student check-out after 2:00PM except in the rare emergency situation. Please schedule doctor’s appointments and other potential conflicts to avoid check-outs after 2:00PM. 3rd - 5th walkers and bike riders will dismiss a few minutes prior to 2:30PM. Bicycle riders must wear a helmet). Skateboards are not allowed on campus.
• Keep your car tag visible for our staff to enter your child’s number into our dismissal app.
• Picking up K-1 students, please use the outside/ left lane of the drive and wait for the crossing guard to direct you to cross over to the right lane. All parents should drive to the end of the awning, so we can load five to six cars at a time.
• Picking up 2nd-5th grade students, please use the inside/right lane of the driveway and wait for the staff to direct you to the left lane to exit the campus.
• If you need to come in the school, you must park in the parking lot and enter the building at the front entrance.

With the demolition and closure of the older part of the building, please be aware:
All traffic, cars, vans, and buses now use our main entrance including PreK parents.

Pre-K arrival takes place at the South Entrance (located at the intersection of the Grade 3–5 hallway) from 7:30–7:45 a.m.

Parents may:

• Park along the curb near the South Entrance, or
• Park in the parking lot and walk their child to the South Entrance.

For everyone's safety, children should exit only from the passenger side of the vehicle.

State policy requires all Pre-K parents to walk their child into the building and sign them in each morning.

Students arriving after 7:45 a.m. are considered tardy. Families arriving after that time must:

• Park in the front parking lot.
• Enter through the Front Entrance.
• Complete the visitor security process.
• Escort their child to the Pre-K classroom for sign-in.

Pre-K dismissal begins at 2:00 p.m. at the Kindergarten Entrance. During inclement weather, dismissal may be relocated to the Front Entrance.

Parents may:

• Use the bus cutoff lane to access the Kindergarten Entrance and park along the curb. Please pull forward as far as safely possible.
• Park in the front parking lot or another available space and walk to the Kindergarten Entrance to sign out their child.

All Pre-K students must be signed out by a parent or authorized adult. PreK parents may loop back into the car line if picking up older siblings.

After 2:15 p.m., regular K–5 dismissal is underway, and building access may be restricted for student safety. Parents arriving after 2:15 p.m. should not park along the main entrance curb and may experience delays while dismissal traffic clears.