Sonnie Hereford Families,

We are continuing to march through ACAP with our boots on the ground! 2nd and 6th Grade students will complete make-up testing, so please ensure they attend school.

2nd through 6th Grade will complete Math Sessions and our goal is to finish strong before e-learning day, April 18th. Thanks for your support in preparing scholars for ACAP success! We are WILDCAT Ready!

Yearbooks can be ordered by scanning the QR code below. Surprise your scholar with a "Shout Out" by purchasing an ad to congratulate them on a successful school year.

Please view the weather awareness poster contest information below. The contest ends on April 18th.

Have a great week!

Assistant Principal Grant

• April 7 - April 17 - ACAP Testing

• April 16 - Parent Party (1:00 p.m.)

• April 18 - eLearning Day

• April 29 - K for a Day (8:30 a.m.)

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Hello Sonnie Hereford Families,

Particularly parents of 3rd grade students. This is a reminder about the Alabama Literacy Act and its pathways to promotion. Students will not automatically be promoted to 4th grade next year, unless one of those pathways to promotion is satisfied. Please review the document below to learn more about promotion.

If you have any questions or concerns, please reach out to me or your child's teacher. Students have already begun to take ACAP Summative and Literacy Act Portfolios have been collected throughout the school year. There is also the opportunity to attend summer learning and pass the ACAP Supplemental assessment if needed. We want all of our scholars to be promoted to the next grade and reading on grade level!

Happy Reading,

Mrs. Tomes

Greetings Hereford Elementary School Families,

We have completed our second week of ACAP Testing! Second grade through sixth grade students and teachers did an amazing job! If you have a second or sixth grader who was out last week, please make sure they are at school this week so that we can complete make-up testing.

This week, we will work on all Math sessions in grades 2nd-6th. Attendance is very important! Challenge your child to be at school each day this week so that he or she can get all testing complete before the e-learning day on Friday April 18th!

Since we are approaching Easter weekend, pick up a bag of jellybeans and try out some of these activities with your children!

Activity 1: Estimation, place value, graphing, rounding, and computation.
Preparation: For this activity, provide each student or pair of students with a small bag of jellybeans. Don't count the jelly beans. All bags should contain a similar -- but random -- number (perhaps 40-60) and color selection of jellybeans. Following are some math activities students might do with the bags of jelly beans.

· Estimation. Students estimate the number of jellybeans in their bags.

· Place value. Each student or student pair folds a sheet of math paper in half, labels the left side of the sheet TENS and the right-side ONES. Students then count out 10 jellybeans on the ONES side of the sheet. Each time they get to 10 jellybeans in that column, they set aside all but one of the jellybeans; they move that one jellybean into the TENS column to represent a group of 10 jellybeans. At the end of the activity, students figure out how many groups of 10 jellybeans they contain. Ask: How many single jellybeans are left over in the ONES column? How many jellybeans did the bag contain in all? In the previous activity, how far off from the actual number of jellybeans was your estimate?

· Graphing data. How many jellybeans are in the bag? Students count and chart the number of each color jellybean. They might create a graph -- a pictograph, a bar graph, or another type of graph -- from the data collected. Which color jelly bean was the most common in the bag? The least common?

· Rounding off and estimation. Students or pairs of students report their final tallies. Record those tallies. Teach students how to estimate the total number of jellybeans by rounding off each tally to the nearest ten. How far is the estimate that was arrived at by rounding off each student's/group's tally?

· Computation -- addition. After students have done the individual/pair calculations, pair each student with another student or each pair of students with another pair. Students then repeat the activities above, combining their data with that of their new partner or pair. After that activity is completed, combine the data to create whole-class data and display the data in chart and/or graph form. Expand the place value computations above to include a sheet with a 100s column.

We can’t wait to see you on Monday for another week of learning!

Thank you,

April M. Draine

Counting Collections at Home

Counting isn’t just for Kindergarten! Counting Collections can help kids with math skills at any grade level. Here are some tips:

1. Choose a collection of any item at home (cheerios, cotton balls, pennies, buttons, markers, etc.)
2. Estimate how many objects are in the collection. Ask your child: What number would be too low? What number would be too high? What strategies can we use for making estimates?
3. Count! This is where the magic happens! It’s important for every kid to count the collection together. Older counters shouldn’t tell younger children how to count. To encourage conversations, you can ask questions like: How are you going to count the items? What tools might be helpful to help you group your items? You can use different things to help you count, like number charts, trays, cups, or number lines. Is there another way you could group the items to count? Will you get the same number if you arrange the objects differently? Which way is faster? Which way is more accurate?
4. Record. Ask each child to write down how they counted. For younger children, this can be as simple as drawing a picture and writing down how many. Ask: How does your picture (or equation) show how you counted?

Counting Collections is one of my favorite math activities! It is fun for kids and promotes creative thinking with numbers. I can’t wait for you to try it at home!

Go Wildcats!

Rebecca Ramsey

Families,

National Poetry Month is celebrated every April in the United States to honor the art of poetry. It was started in 1996 by the Academy of American Poets to encourage people to read, write, and enjoy poetry. During this month, schools, libraries, and communities hold special events like poetry readings and contests. It's a great time to explore different types of poems, from fun rhymes to deep feelings. By celebrating National Poetry Month, we can discover how poetry can express our thoughts and emotions in creative ways!

Below is one of the many poems written by Shel Silverstein, one of the most known children's poets.

Media Specialist

Mrs. Hereford

Greetings Sonnie Hereford Family,

Our April attendance incentive started April 1 and lasts until April 30. During those days, like always, students need to come to school every day. Each day that the whole class is present, the class earns a perfect attendance day. Classes get stickers added to their calendars for all their perfect attendance days. For April, classes need 15 perfect attendance days to win a Popcorn Party! Let’s ace attendance and ace life!

Remember to keep up your health:

• Drink lots of water to help keep the inside of your body clean

• Eat lots of fruits and vegetables and limit sugar

• Go to sleep early at night for a good night's rest

• Get exercise, sunlight and fresh air as often as possible

• Maintain a good balance of everything in life and be at peace

Mandisa Thornton, School Attendance Officer

Hello Parents!

As we continue to talk about relationships and communication. We all know with relationships comes some kind of conflict. Here's a list of tips to help navigate conflicts and keep relationships thriving. When we learn how to talk through and handle conflicts appropriately we have a better chance at maintaining healthy relationships. Try and teach these to your scholars. For more information or to see the full list you can visit.

https://wholeheartedschoolcounseling.com

Ms. B

Behavior Specialist

Hereford Families,

Being a good parent doesn't involve doing extraordinary things. It's the little things you do

every day that are what's most important. Here are tips to help your child thrive and grow.

Spend time together - Regularly spend one-on-one time with your child doing something

you both enjoy.

Make education a top priority - Show consistent interest in your child's academic progress

and in what your child is learning.

Monitor technology use - Know the technology your child uses and be aware of where your

child goes online. Provide guidelines and set limits.

Encourage a healthy lifestyle - Have nutritious foods at home and make sure your child gets

plenty of sleep and exercise.

Encourage your child to dream about the future - Talk about the careers people have and

choose a few careers to explore together.

Look for teachable moments - For example, if there's a storm, talk about what causes thunder

and lightning. If you don't know, try to find the answer together.

Spend time together outside - Go for nature walks, hikes, and explore the natural world.

Help your child develop interests and talents - Celebrate the things that make your child

unique!

Prioritize attendance - Regular attendance is crucial for success in school. Attendance impacts

grades, reading skills and social growth. Make sure your child is in school every day!

Be aware - Pay attention to your child's moods, sleeping patterns, and eating habits. These

can be good indicators of how things are going at school and with friends.

Have an awesome week!

Ann Elkins

📍 From the Desk of Your School Counselors

ACAP: As we wrap up another busy week at Sonnie Hereford Elementary, we want to take a moment to celebrate our students' hard work and dedication during the ACAP test. We are incredibly proud of our students' focus and resilience throughout the testing process. Your efforts and perseverance have not gone unnoticed. Keep up the great work, it’s clear that you are all striving for success, and that determination will continue to serve you in the future. Remember to keep up a positive attitude, get a good night’s rest, and eat a healthy breakfast.

Character Word of the Month: Self-Control
This month, our focus in the School Counselor's Office is on Self-Control, a vital character trait that plays an important role in both academic and personal growth. Self-control means the ability to manage our emotions, behaviors, and impulses, especially in difficult situations. It helps us make thoughtful decisions, focus on our goals, and maintain positive relationships with others.

We encourage students to practice self-control in all areas of their lives, whether it’s in the classroom, on the playground, or at home. Some ways to show self-control include:

• Taking deep breaths when feeling frustrated or upset
• Completing tasks before taking breaks
• Listening carefully to instructions
• Being patient and respectful of others
• Setting goals and working steadily towards them

At home, we encourage parents to talk with their children about how they can demonstrate self-control in their daily lives. You can share strategies and support them as they continue developing this important trait.

Looking Ahead
As we continue through the spring semester, let’s keep the momentum going with the same positive attitude and determination that our students showed during the ACAP testing. Remember, every step forward, no matter how small, is a step toward success.

Thank you for your continued support and partnership. We look forward to seeing all of our students grow and thrive this school year!

💙 Your School Counselors

Mr. Reginald Johnson & Mrs. Jewel Thorne

• Supervision of students begin at 7:30 each morning; therefore, students should not arrive to school before 7:30 AM.

• Students who are walkers are to follow the sidewalk leading to the crossing guard and to the front door of the school.

• Students who are walkers should not walk across the Pre-K parking lot without being supervised by parent/guardian.

• Parents who enter Pre-K parking lot (yellow arrows) to drop off Kinder-6th grade students must park and escort student(s) to front of school.

• Parents who enter faculty and staff parking lot (blue arrows) to drop off Kinder-6th grade students must park and escort student(s) to crosswalk.

• School starts promptly at 8:00 AM.

• Students arriving after 8:00 AM are tardy and must have a parent or a guardian sign them in at the main office.

Student check-out ends at 1:45-must have valid identification and listed as a contact in

PowerSchool SIS.

• All students will be dismissed at 2:30.

• Students are either a bus rider, car rider or walker.

• Parents are asked not to congregate near the front door of the school or the pick-up area. You

will be asked to clear the dismissal area- please do so.

• Parents of walkers are asked to meet your children at home or at the crosswalk.

• Parents of car riders are asked to remain in your vehicle in the car line during pick-up.

• Pre-K parking lot (yellow arrows) is reserved only for Pre-K families with Parking Permit displayed.

• WALKERS- in the event of rain, parents are asked to provide child/ren with rain gear or send a written/typed note to teacher to change dismissal to car rider for that day by 1:30 pm.