Falcon Family Updates

With Thanksgiving approaching, I am especially grateful for the partnership we share in supporting OUR students. Thank you for the morning encouragement, the conversations after school, and the time you spend helping your children succeed. Your support matters!

This week, I encourage you to ask your child, “What did you learn today, and can you show me?” Read together, let them explain how they solved a math problem, or talk about something that challenged them. These small conversations help children take pride in their learning and let them know we are all cheering them on.

Our Falcon Five Core Values of Perseverance, Respect, Inquisitive, Disciplined, and Empathy guide how we learn and treat one another. Ask your child how they practiced one of these values at school. Whether they kept trying during a difficult assignment, asked a thoughtful question, or showed kindness to a classmate, those choices deserve to be celebrated!

Please continue to make attendance a priority as we work toward our 95% attendance goal. We still have important learning to do before the holiday break! Arriving on time and staying for the full school day helps our Falcons make the most of every opportunity.

Thank you for allowing us to be part of your child’s story. Let’s make it a great week at University Place!

Growing Tomorrow’s Leaders Today!

AIM HIGH, FLY HIGHER!

With Love, Kindness, & Falcon Pride

Mrs. Brittany Grayson

Principal, University Place Elementary

🦅 Growing Tomorrow’s Leaders Today

Falcon Families, we need your partnership to help our students SOAR! Every school day is filled with opportunities to learn, grow, build friendships, and make progress. We are seeing an increase in late arrivals and early check-outs, and it is important that we work together to make every minute of instructional time count. Arriving late or leaving early means our Falcon Leaders miss valuable lessons, classroom activities, and learning experiences that cannot always be made up. Our school day begins promptly at 7:55 a.m. and ends at 2:40 p.m. We understand that unexpected situations happen, but we strongly encourage families to establish consistent routines that support on-time arrival and full-day attendance. Whenever possible, please schedule appointments and other activities outside of school hours so your child can take full advantage of the learning opportunities each day brings. Strong attendance habits build responsibility, consistency, and a foundation for success. Let's make being present a priority and give our Falcon Leaders every opportunity to reach their full potential!

STRIVE FOR FIVE! Be Here Every Day. Arrive on Time. Stay All Day. Be Ready to Learn. Every minute matters, and every Falcon counts! 🦅❤️🖤

Great things happen when families and schools come together! We’re inviting all of our Falcon Families to join the University Place Elementary PTA and help make our school an even more amazing place to learn, grow, and succeed! PTA membership is a fun and meaningful way to stay connected, support exciting school activities, share your ideas, and create memorable experiences for our Falcon Leaders. And the best part? You don’t have to do it all to make a difference! Whether you attend a meeting, volunteer at an event, share a suggestion, or simply become a member, your involvement matters. As we continue our Passport to Excellence journey, we want YOU on our team! Let’s work together, build connections, and make this school year unforgettable! One School. One Falcon Family. Endless Possibilities! Join the PTA and help us Grow Tomorrow’s Leaders Today! ❤️🖤🦅

Kindergarteners in Mrs. Anderson's class are celebrating the season of gratitude by thinking, writing, and sharing the things they are thankful for! Our young Falcon Leaders are putting their writing skills to work as they record the people, places, and special things that make them grateful, then add their thankful thoughts to their very own Thankful Turkey! 🧡 It's a sweet reminder that even the smallest Falcon hearts have BIG reasons to be thankful. We love seeing our students grow as writers while learning the importance of gratitude! ❤️🖤

Second graders in Ms. Tejada's class are putting their math skills to work as they learn to identify coins and count money! Through hands-on practice, our Falcon Leaders are strengthening their ability to recognize pennies, nickels, dimes, and quarters while adding coin values to determine different amounts. It's always exciting to see our students making real-world connections and building confidence in their math skills. Way to make every cent count, Falcon Leaders! ❤️🖤

Our Falcon Ambassadors were proud to represent University Place Elementary in the 3rd Annual Veterans Day Parade at the Tuscaloosa VA! These outstanding student leaders had the special opportunity to show their appreciation and gratitude for the brave men and women who have served our country. Their participation was a wonderful way to demonstrate patriotism, leadership, respect, and the importance of honoring those who have sacrificed so much for our freedom. We are incredibly proud of our Falcon Ambassadors for representing UPES with such pride and Falcon spirit! Thank you to all of our veterans for your service and sacrifice! ❤️🤍💙

❤️🖤 Our Pre-K Falcon Leaders are learning to SOAR! Our littlest Falcons are making BIG strides as they are recognized through our Positive Office Referrals for showing their Falcon PRIDE! Whether they are practicing Perseverance by trying again, showing Respect to friends and teachers, demonstrating Inquisitiveness by asking questions, using Discipline to follow directions, or showing Empathy by caring for others, these little leaders are putting our core values into action! We are so proud of our Pre-K Falcons for making great choices, sharing kindness, and building leadership skills one day at a time. Keep shining, little Falcons! Your journey to greatness is just getting started! We’re Growing Tomorrow’s Leaders Today! ❤️🖤🦅

This month, enjoy reading Llama Llama Gives Thanks with your child and talking about the many things that make us feel thankful! Ask your little reader what Llama is thankful for, who helps Llama, and what makes Llama happy. Then, create a “Thankful Llama” by drawing a llama and adding five things your family is thankful for. For children ready to write, use the sentence starter, “I am thankful for _____ because _____.” This is a wonderful opportunity to build literacy skills while reminding our Falcon Leaders that even the smallest moments and acts of kindness are worth celebrating. ❤️🖤🍁

Check out the link below to play Leaping Lily Pads at home with your child! In this interactive game, students help a frog leap along a number path by adding and subtracting 1 or 2. It’s a fun, quick way to help your child connect counting with adding and subtracting while building their mental math fluency. Ask them to explain how they know which way the frog should jump!

Gratitude shines brightest when we put it into action! As Falcon Leaders, we can show appreciation by recognizing the hard work of others, offering encouragement, helping without being asked, and taking time to thank the people who make our school a wonderful place to learn and grow. Whether it’s a kind note, a thoughtful gesture, or a simple “I appreciate you,” our actions can brighten someone’s day and remind them that they matter. Let’s continue to look for opportunities to spread kindness, celebrate others, and lead with grateful hearts. When gratitude becomes a habit, kindness becomes our superpower! ❤️🖤✨

🌟 Weekly Challenge: Look for an opportunity to show appreciation to someone at school or at home this week. What can you do to make that person feel valued and appreciated? Remember, Falcon Leaders make a difference through the little things they do every day!

❤️🖤 Our Falcons are continuing to SOAR with an overall attendance rate of 96.40%, soaring above our schoolwide goal of 95%! 🎉🦅 A special shoutout to 5th Grade for leading the way with an outstanding 98%! 1st and 4th Grades are close behind at 97%, while Kindergarten, 2nd, and 3rd Grades are meeting our goal at 95%! Way to soar, Falcons! We are proud of our Falcon Leaders and families for continuing to make attendance a priority! Every school day matters and provides valuable opportunities to learn, grow, build friendships, and reach new goals. Let's keep this momentum going and encourage every Falcon to rise to the expectation! Remember, our goal is 95% attendance for EVERY grade level, not just our schoolwide average. We still need to give Pre-K an extra boost as they work toward reaching that 95% 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? We encourage our Falcon Families to use the Vacation Planner and schedule special trips around the school calendar whenever possible. Planning ahead allows our Falcon Leaders to enjoy meaningful time with family while minimizing missed instructional time. Every school day is an opportunity to learn something new, build important skills, and make progress toward success. Let’s work together to make attendance a priority and keep our Falcons present, engaged, and ready to learn! Consistent attendance helps every Falcon continue to learn, grow, and soar! Plan Ahead. Be Present. Make Every Day Count! 🦅❤️🖤

• Nov. 9th-13th-World Kindness Week
• Nov. 11-No School-Veteran's Day
• Nov. 16th-20th-Book Fair
• Nov. 17th &18th-Thanksgiving Lunch
• Nov. 20th-Holiday Pictures (pre-pay only)
• Nov. 23rd-27th-Fall Break
• Dec. 1st-17th-AimsWeb & P2P Testing Window
• Dec. 1st-14th-Sandy Hook 14 Days of Action
• Dec. 18th-Sing a Long; Half Day for Students
• Dec. 21st-Jan. 5th-Winter Break

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

Being a Falcon Leader means putting our core values into action every day! Through Perseverance, Respect, Inquisitive, Discipline, and Empathy, we strive to make responsible choices, treat others with kindness, show curiosity, stay focused, and demonstrate care and understanding. Our Code of Conduct and dress code outline the expectations that help create a safe, respectful, and positive learning environment for everyone. We encourage our Falcon Families to take a few moments to review these expectations with your child and discuss how our core values guide the way we learn, interact, and make decisions each day. When we live our values and take ownership of our actions, we strengthen our Falcon family and create a culture where every student can learn, grow, and soar! Know the Code. Live Our Values. Make Positive Choices. Lead Like a Falcon! 🦅❤️🖤

Check out our Special Education Newsletter for helpful updates, resources, and important information to support our Falcon Leaders and families!

• The safety and well-being of our students, staff, and visitors remain our TOP PRIORITY at University Place Elementary. Creating and maintaining a safe, secure learning environment requires everyone’s commitment and cooperation. To ensure the safety of our entire Falcon family, the following expectations are NON-NEGOTIABLE and will be consistently enforced:

  • Visitor Check-In: ALL visitors must report to the front office and sign in through our RAPTOR visitor management system before entering beyond the front lobby. A valid, state-issued photo ID must be presented for screening.

  • Student Check-Out: A valid, state-issued photo ID is REQUIRED any time a student is checked out. No exceptions.

  • Student Phone Calls & Food Deliveries: Students will not be permitted to receive phone calls or food deliveries during the school day.

  • Transportation Changes: Transportation changes will NOT be accepted over the phone. All changes must be communicated through approved written procedures.

  • Afternoon Check-Out: Student check-outs will not be permitted after 2:00 p.m. This cutoff allows us to maintain safe and orderly dismissal procedures. NO EXCEPTIONS!

  • Safety Drills: Safety drills will be conducted monthly to ensure students and staff are prepared for emergency situations. Drills may include, but are not limited to, backpack searches, fire drills, lockdown drills, and severe weather drills.

  • Disruptive Behavior: Disruptive behaviors that compromise a safe and productive learning environment will not be tolerated and will be addressed in accordance with the Tuscaloosa City Schools Code of Conduct.

  • Threats to Self or Others: Any threat involving harm to oneself or others will be taken seriously and addressed in accordance with the Tuscaloosa City Schools Code of Conduct, as well as applicable state laws and mandates.

  • Enforcement: All established safety expectations, procedures, and disciplinary measures will be strictly enforced. These expectations are in place to protect EVERY member of our school community.

  Our commitment to safety is a shared responsibility! We appreciate our Falcon Families’ understanding, cooperation, and continued support as we work together to keep University Place Elementary a safe place to learn, grow, and soar! 🦅❤️🖤

It’s time to bring the energy and show our Falcon spirit! As our Falcon basketball teams take the court, let’s fill the gym with excitement, encouragement, and plenty of school pride! We encourage all our Falcon Families to wear their red and black, bring their biggest cheers, and show our players what it means to have an entire school and community behind them! Let’s pack the stands, make some noise, and cheer our Falcons on every step of the way. One team, one school, one Falcon family! 🦅❤️🖤🏀

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