The Principal's Nook

TCTA Families,

We are off to a strong start at TCTA! As we move into another week, our students are settling into routines, building relationships, and beginning to experience all that their programs have to offer. There is an exciting energy throughout our building as students learn, explore, and grow in preparation for their futures.

Thank you for your continued partnership and support. We look forward to building on this strong beginning and creating even more opportunities for our students to grow, achieve, and discover what is possible.

Here’s to another Prepared. Proven. Premier. week at TCTA!

Sincerely,
Richjetta Branch
Principal, TCTA

We are only two weeks into the semester, and our students are already experiencing some incredible learning opportunities across TCTA!

As schedules continue to settle and students become acclimated to their programs, our teachers are working diligently to create classrooms that are engaging, welcoming, and aligned with the expectations students will encounter in the workforce.

Throughout the building, we are seeing Premier Learning in Action! Students are:

• Following industry safety procedures and wearing appropriate PPE in our labs.
• Practicing workforce expectations, including professionalism, attentiveness, and appropriate use of personal technology.
• Learning and applying technical and industry-specific vocabulary.
• Developing media production skills by shooting and editing video.
• Demonstrating student leadership by welcoming visitors, explaining procedures, and modeling safety expectations.
• Preparing for industry safety assessments using multiple learning strategies and resources.
• Visiting local businesses and learning directly from professionals in our community.
• Using hands-on activities, competitions, and simulations to strengthen technical knowledge and skills.
• Analyzing instructional resources and beginning the process of lesson planning.
• Preparing food for community events and demonstrating the professionalism expected in the culinary industry.

We are especially proud that these experiences extend beyond technical skills. Our students are learning how to communicate, collaborate, lead, problem-solve, work safely, and meet professional expectations—skills that will serve them well regardless of the path they choose after high school.

We are off to an exciting start, and this is only the beginning! Thank you, families, for partnering with us as we prepare students to be Prepared. Proven. Premier.

TCTA is committed to preparing students for the workforce, whether it is after high school, college, or the military. Our emphasis on workforce readiness skills is a critical component of our moto: Prepared. Proven. Premier. We will hosting student orientations to make expectations visible for all of our students once the schedule change process is complete and student schedules are finalized.

For the safety of our students, please note that any students who do not have a ride at the 3:20 dismissal will be required to ride the bus back to their home school. For questions, please contact Ms. Martin at pmartin@tusc.k12.al.us.

To comply with state legislation (SB92), the Tuscaloosa City Schools system is now phone-free. That means all personal electronic devices belonging to students—including phones, laptops, iPads, and smartwatches—must be turned off and stored away during the school day. TCTA is embracing this opportunity to prepare students for the workforce.

On last school year, TCTA participated in the single-point entry safety checks on a monthly basis. We are continuing our participation on this school year. Those checks are performed at all high schools and are staffed by a security firm hired by TCS. An administrator is on site during the checks in a support capacity. We are asking parents to pick up items that are confiscated by the firm.

In addition to the single-point entry checks, TCTA administrators and team members perform metal detector and cell phone checks daily. Any phones found in use by students will be retrieve by administration and parents will be asked to pick up the phone on the first offence. Subsequent offences will result in disciplinary action as descripted in the code of conduct.

We want to be sure you never miss important updates from your child’s school! If you haven’t already, please download the free ParentSquare app and sign in to your account.

Parents who log in can see all school news in one place—including upcoming events, announcements, and messages from teachers—making it easier to stay informed. While you may still receive information by email or text, signing in to your account ensures you get the full ParentSquare experience.

Let’s stay connected—your involvement makes a difference.

Here is the link to that tutorial. Parent/Guardian 101: Support Your Student with ParentSquare

Email: webmaster@tusc.k12.al.us

Website: https://www.tuscaloosacityschools.com/tcta
Location: 2800 Martin Luther King Boulevard, Tuscaloosa, AL, USA
Phone: 205.759.3649
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tctatuscaloosa
Twitter: @TCTATuscaloosa