Academy Family Newsletter

Hello Academy Parents and Guardians,

Please come out to Literacy Night on March 2, 2023 at 6:00p.m.

The Book Fair will be open next week as well. Students will visit the Book Fair once to make a wish list and the next day to shop. The Book Fair will be open during Literacy Night as well.

We are on the countdown to ACAP testing. Testing will be the first week of April.

Course Selections- 2023-2024 School Year- This is due March 3, 2023

Course Requests for 5th-7th grade have started going home. Please look over the classes your child choose for the 2023-2024 school year. The Course Requests Forms are attached below.

Please email Ramona Calhoun if you do not have access to your child's grades and information in Powerschool. Last week, information went home about registration for the 2023-2024 school year. Please complete the Powerschool registration using the Snapcode emailed and sent home.

Please, Please, Please send in absence excuses. Please try to have your child in school daily. Everyday counts for learning success.

Please remind your child of the NO CELL PHONE POLICY. We want to focus on learning and not managing the cell phones daily. Thanks for your help and support.

Please continue to discuss with your child the importance of completing assignments on time and staying focused during learning times. We are excited to see all of the progress our students will make this nine weeks.

Arrival and Dismissal Expectations

In the morning, there are two arrival points - carline and bus. Students should NOT be dropped off in the front parking lot unless it is after 8:00 am. The earliest arrival time is 7:30a.m.

PLEASE, PLEASE do NOT drop students off in the front of the school unless after 8:00a.m. Then, you must sign them in. We have seen several students running across the parking lot before 8:00a.m. This is not one of the supervised drop off locations. Buses drop off in the front loop. Car riders need to drop off in the car line area. If you have questions, please let us know.

AAA Way

This month we are highlighting our Dismissal Expectations. Please remind your child. The playbill is below.

Important Spring Dates

Thursday, March 30th- Kite Day

Saturday, April 15th- Fine Arts Festival

Thursday, May 11th- Fun Day

Wednesday, May 24th- Half Day, Stars and Clowns performance- LAST DAY OF SCHOOL!

ACAP Vocabulary Words of the Week- (We are keeping these words another week.)

1. eerie- (adj.) strange and frightening

2. unanimous- (ad.) all powerful

3. grueling- (adj.) exhausting; very tiring; arduously severe

4. swagger- (n.) a strut; to walk or conduct yourself in a bragging, conceited way

5. audacious- showing an impudent lack of respect

6. clad- clothed

Have an awesome weekend!!!

Our Best Always!

Kitrise Torain

AAA Middle, Principal

kitrise.torain@hsv-k12.org

Dr. Evelyn Coffey

AAA Elementary, Principal

evelyn.coffey@hsv-k12.org

Another great source of information - Join our Facebook Group page Academy for Academics and Arts! Join Twitter @AAAMiddle

Congratulations to our Stella Star Students of the week – February 27-March 3, 2023. We are so proud of their commitment to excellence. #WhyAAA #OurBestAlways

6th Grade

Jaxon Burroughs

Molly Heenan

7th Grade

Chad Robinson

Zoey Couch

8th Grade

Zoey Couch

Mylah Boone

Cedric Pollard

❏Pre-K- Wednesday, May 17, 2023 @1:00p.m.

❏K and 1st Grade- Wednesday, May 17, 2023@9:00a.m.

❏2nd and 3rd Grade- Thursday, May 18, 2023 @9:00a.m.

❏4th and 5th Grade-Friday, May 19, 2023 @9:00a.m.

❏6th and 7th Grade-Monday, May 22, 2023 @9:00a.m.

❏8th Grade-Tuesday, May 23, 2023 @9:00a.m.

8th Grade Celebrations- Girls wear white/ Gentlemen wear black/ blue/ khaki pants with a white shirt and tie/ bow tie.

1. Guest Readers - Academy for Academics and Arts: Read Across America - Guest Readers (signupgenius.com)
   

1. Book fair sales - Academy for Academics and Arts: Spring Book Fair (signupgenius.com)

Please remember these important magnet dates.

We have the carline ending by 3:25p.m. If you pull in after this time, please go to the front office to sign out your child. Here are a few things that will help:

1. Please pull into the line in which you would like to exit. Pull in the line closest to the school if you are turning right onto Sparkman. Please pull in the second line if you plan on exiting left on Sparkman. THANK YOU!
2. Please do not yell at our faculty and staff. They are working hard to get your child to you in the safest way possible.
3. Display your child's name in the windshield, even as you pull up to the loading area. It is difficult to see names that are on the dash board.
4. Carline tags can be displayed on the sun visor with clips or rubber bands. Please keep the car tags in your sun visor until you are completely out of carline.
5. Being distracted by a cell phone, slows the line down more than one might realize. Please stay off the phone in carline.
6. The front line turns right on to Sparkman and the back line turns left on to Sparkman.
7. Pull up as far as you can.
8. Pull up as close as you can to the car in front of you.
9. Bus transportation is available to zoned schools. Most of the buses drop off at their first stop by 3:25 PM.
10. Afterschool tutoring pick up - Parents MUST park and walk to the door to check their child out.

Thank you for your patience! We can't wait to see how much this process improves next week. :)

1. The front circle is for BUSES ONLY in the afternoons!
2. Please do not park your car on the circle.
3. We have buses that drop off and pick up students every day between 2:30 and 4:30.
4. The curbs around the circle are not for car pick up and drop off, they are for buses only!

Cell phones must be powered off while students are in the building. Students will receive consequences based on the HCS Behavior Learning Guide if phones are on.

Please talk with your child to make sure they understand this procedure.

Thank for your support! Our students have been following the No Cell Phone Policy.

ELA:

Stricklin- We are finishing our narrative writing unit. All narratives must submitted to the ‘Publish Your Narrative’ assignment on Schoology by midnight, February 27, 2023. On Tuesday, February 28, students will have a chance to read and write comments on each others narrative stories. It will be an amazing celebration day!

Up next: We will be starting our argumentative writing unit as well as reading about Malala Yousafzai. Through several texts about Malala we will be learning about the genre of argumentative texts as well as writing argumentative short constructed responses and five paragraph essays.

Week 1: February 27 - March 3, 2023

• 2/27 - Library Day with Mrs. Levert!

• 2/28 - Narrative Publication Celebration Day

• 3/1 - Recognizing Genre (McGraw Hill)

• After learning about the genre of an argumentative text, students will be able to recognize features of argumentative texts.

• 3/2 - Setting a Purpose for Reading (McGraw Hill)

• After reading and discussing a model, students will be able to establish a purpose for reading assigned texts in order to improve reading comprehension.

• 3/3 - First Read: “I Am Malala: The Girl Who Stood Up for Education and Was Shot by the Taliban.” (McGraw Hill)

• After an initial reading and discussion of the text, students will be able to identify and restate the text’s key ideas and details.

Week 2: March 6-10, 2023

• 3/6 - Finish First Read: “I Am Malala: The Girl Who Stood Up for Education and Was Shot by the Taliban” and Author’s Purpose and Point of View. (McGraw Hill)

• Author’s Purpose and Point of View - After reading and discussing the model of close reading, students will be able to dermine an authors point of view and purpose in text and explain how it is conveyed.

• 3/7 - Connotation and Denotation (McGraw Hill)

• After rereading and discussing a model of close reading, students will be able to determine the meaning words and phrases as they are used in a text, including connotative meanings.

• 3/8 - Close Read: “I Am Mala: The Girl Who Stood Up for Education and Was Shot by the Taliban.” (McGraw Hill)

• After engaging in a close reading and discussion, students will be able to analyze the author’s purpose and point of view in order to participate in a collaborative conversation and write a short argumentative response.

• 3/9 - Close Read: “I Am Mala: The Girl Who Stood Up for Education and Was Shot by the Taliban.” (McGraw Hill)

• After engaging in a close reading and discussion, students will be able to analyze the author’s purpose and point of view in order to participate in a collaborative conversation and write a short argumentative response.

• 3/10 - E-Learning Day: Finish argumentative response and turn it in. (McGraw Hill)

We will begin to write our own argumentative essays the two weeks after spring break!!!

Estelle- We continue our novel study of Amina’s Voice. Please see the table below for the activities and assignments scheduled for the next two weeks: (List is below.)

Math:

Social Studies: As we race towards Spring Break, we will work on wrapping up our WWII chapter and then learning about the Cold War Era. The students will have a test over ten -ISM vocabulary words on Monday, February 27 and a Chapter 11 - WWII Test on March 03. There will be test reviews available on socrative.com, room name: Hester. We will not have a Chapter Test over Chapter 12 - The Cold War, but will instead have a section Quiz on Flocabulary that we will complete on the virtual day before Spring Break.

Science - Please collect cardboard shoe boxes. We will be making pinhole projectors the last few weeks of school.

We will wrap up our study of the Sun-Earth-Moon system. We are studying specifically the topics of Tides and the Sun as Earth’s energy source. Please see the table below for specific activities and assignments. Please keep in mind that Science investigations cannot be made up. All investigations are completed in class.

ELA: It’s the home stretch to spring break! We are starting a two week long research project where students will research on a topic and write a persuasive essay arguing their side of the debate using the rhetorical strategies and techniques they have learned in class. This project/paper will be the final test grade of the quarter. It is really important that students turn in every part of the project (as we’ll have check-ins throughout the 2 weeks) instead of just the final paper. While students are researching and writing, I will be pulling small groups to review standards in preparation for the students’ upcoming ACAP and IReady testing. As a reminder, all work must be submitted by the following Monday at 8:00 a.m. to receive credit. No work can be submitted past the end of the quarter deadline, so it is imperative that students stay on track with this final project.

Math: (Newsletter is below.)

Science:

We are having a test on Wednesday March 1st over DNA and cellular reproduction. Study guides were handed out the week of February 21st. We will then be learning about Genetic Mutations and Genetic Modifications to finish the quarter. Please make sure that you are submitting your assignments on time as we are getting closer to the end of the quarter. Reminder that late work will not be accepted except in cases of absences.

Social Studies: We are currently learning about how people affect the environment we live in. Students are learning how to take what we are learning in class and apply it to current events. Specifically we are learning about the train derailment in Ohio and how that is affecting the environment. Students will continue to monitor the news about the situation as it is released. For the rest of this quarter we will continue to dive into biodiversity and work our way into population and migration. Students should also expect a Map test before spring break covering the 50 states. We have looked at this some already and the students have resources on schoology they will be able to use to study. They will also be provided study time during class. Just a reminder that late work is not accepted except in cases of absences.

ELA:

Math:

8th Grade Accelerated Math: Greetings! We will continue exploration, inquiry ,application and real world connection with Scatter Plots and Line of Best Fit and Volume through bell work, quick writes, stations(group work) etc…We will also explore reflections, translations and dilations including application in real world situations etc…through hands on practice and partner activity. Students will complete station activities to review standards in preparation for upcoming assessments. Students should be completing at least 2 iReady lessons per week. Classwork should be completed during class time. Homework is a means to reinforce and offer extended practice to master standards. Students will have homework 1-2 days during the week. Please have students check Schoology daily for assignments and updates. Classwork assignments are typically posted in class as well. Students should have their computer fully charged, pencil, paper/notebook, ruler and calculator (if possible) with them daily for class. Have an amazing week! :-)

8th Grade Regular: Greetings! We will continue exploration, inquiry ,application and real world connection with Scatter Plots and Line of Best Fit and Volume through bell work, quick writes, stations(group work) etc…We will also explore reflections, translations and dilations including application in real world situations etc…through hands on practice and partner activity. Students will complete station activities to review standards in preparation for upcoming assessments. Students should be completing at least 2 iReady lessons per week. Classwork should be completed during class time. Homework is a means to reinforce and offer extended practice to master standards. Students will have homework 1-2 days during the week. Please have students check Schoology daily for assignments and updates. Classwork assignments are typically posted in class as well. Students should have their computer fully charged, pencil, paper/notebook, ruler and calculator (if possible) with them daily for class. Have an amazing week! :-)

Science: Hello to all of my AAAmazing students!!! These next few weeks will be a continuation in our study of Physics (with a lot of focus on energy and how it moves) and a time to review all standards taught throughout the year for ACAP testing. Students will begin science review station activities for Chemistry on Monday, February 27th to focus on atomic bonding, periodic table info, chemical reactions, and atomic structure (to start).

Next week will also be a time for students to refocus their focus on successfully completing each assignment in every class by the due date. Please make sure your children bring their own colored pencils and markers for certain station activities such as the “Word Wall Construction” and “Map it Out! Concept Mapping”.

Students will need to be prepared with all necessary materials (science notebook, writing utensil, and computer) for all classes EVERYDAY! Let’s Zap that ACAP!!!!

Social Studies: We are jumping head first into a unit I know the students are excited about. From now through spring break (maybe ever a little after it) we will be focusing on the ancient Greek world and all the amazing history and art surrounding it. From stories of the famous Gods and heroes of old, to important pieces of art, we will cover everything. On another note, your students have been working on creating a historical Facebook page for their Black history month assignment and it is due this Friday evening 2/24/23. Please make sure you have them turn it in no later than 11:59 pm on the 24th. I am excited to see how they made the person they selected come to life in a new and fun virtual way. We are also spending a good bit of time in class really focusing on historically based informational texts in order to be better prepared for the ACAP in the coming weeks. While the content matter of history may not be specifically listed on the test, the skills we practice will most definitely be used on the English Language Arts section. Due to this, I have been introducing DBQ’s. If you have a high schooler, you most certainly recognize these and how rigorous they are. These combined with other learning methods should give the students not only a better chance of scoring higher on the ACAP but also a leg up for next year in high school. I wish everyone the best of weekends and I look forward to this new unit with your students!

Creative Writing - Our creative writers are moving forward with their poetry unit writing a number of different genres of poetry per week as well as continuing their workshop submissions and reviews. Students are looking forward to hosting an open mic in April where they will read/perform some of their original pieces. More details to follow.

Media Arts - 7th & 8th grade -

Media Arts - 6th Grade- Students are currently working to create a series of digital badges for use on social media platforms. Students will work to incorporate the important universal themes into the artwork. Students will also balance graphic elements with typography. We will reflect on final designs and message efficacy.

AAA Theatre -

• Comedy of Errors

• Last Day to Purchase CoE T-Shirts - TODAY, Friday, 2/24 @ WhyAAA.org/MS-Theatre

• Purchase your Program Ad today! - Deadline - March 8th

Theatre Performance Classes

• Introduction to Theatre

• We are working on building scenes.

• Theatre I

• We are studying Japanese Theatre and building Bunraku Puppets.

• Theatre Production

• We had a super time at ThesFest 2023! 23 awards! We are striking and cleaning.

Technical Theatre Classes

• Students are learning how to sew using several different hand stitches.

Stars & Clowns: Week 1: February 27 - March 3

Stars and Clowns will continue to work on choreography and music for their upcoming competition.

Clowns: Week 2: March 6 - 10

3/6 - Music and Choreography

3/7 - Music and Choreography

3/8 - Spring Makeup Day 1

• Students will work on their spring makeup designs in class. They are welcome to bring their own art supplies. I will provide colored pencils and/or crayons.

• Students will create three makeup designs. We will then discuss and choose the best options that go with their costume theme.

3/9 - Spring Makeup Day 2

• Makeup Designs are due!

• Students will need to bring their makeup on this day. Please, help your student make sure they are not missing anything because it will need to be replaced before March 8.

3/10 - E-Learning Day: Makeup Practice

• Students will need to practice their makeup, take a picture, and post it to the assignment on Schoology.

Stars: Week 2: March 6 - 10

3/6 - 3/9 - Music and Choreography

3/10 - E-Learning Day: Gather all check list items for Stars, take a picture, and post it on the assignment on Schoology. If any pieces are missing, they will need to be replaced by March 22.

Music

Strings-

Band - All band students attending the Atlanta competition trip, please notice the payment dates that are posted below. Students interested in participating in the Solo & Ensemble Festival, your music will be ready in the upcoming week. Parents, please have students continue working on all sheet music pieces as we are preparing for the Atlanta competition.

Choir - All choir students attending the Atlanta competition trip, please notice the payment dates that are posted below.

Solo & Ensemble for the 8th grade Women’s Choir Ensemble is Tuesday February 28th at First Baptist on Governors Drive. We will travel by bus to and from the competition. We will wear our black choir dresses and black dress shoes. Hopefully, our new dresses will be here. But if not, we’ll wear the old choir dresses.

UAB Honor Choir Festival will be March 6, 2023. The AAA Women’s Choir will be one of the featured choirs that will be singing at the festival. Please return all Honor Choir permission slips by Friday March 3rd.

University of Montevallo Honor Festival will be held Mar 21, 2023. Registration is $30.00. I have 10 spots available. Whoever pays first will go. Information will be forthcoming to all paying students.

Visual Art- 3rd, 5th, & 6th Period Art are working on a new project called, “Memorabilia.” In this lesson, students will create sculptures of memorabilia that represent their families, communities, or hobbies, using air-dry clay. They will add details with acrylic paint in the style of contemporary artist Katherine Morling and present their artwork in a themed exhibit.

7th Period Art are working on a project called, “The Numbers of Climate Change,” where students will explore the work of artists who portray data visually and research and collect data on the indicators of climate change. Students will design a three-dimensional number that communicates their data using paper-mache and mixed media.

Dance- Students have been practicing for our upcoming show ‘The Wiz”. Rehearsals are on Tuesday’s and Thursday’s from 3:30-5:30p.m. February 28th POPPY GIRLS ONLY. March 2nd MAIN CHARACTERS ONLY. (Dorothy, Lion, Tin-Man, and Scarecrow) Students will also be performing in the Black History Month Program on February 28th. Dress rehearsal will be February 27th at 1:20pm. They are responsible for bringing black leotards, black leggings, black compression shorts, and flesh toned tights.

We are happy to accept any gift card donations ($5-10) to use for Teacher Door Prizes. Donations can be dropped off at the front office.

Chromebook chargers are available for purchase for $30 each. The chargers may be picked up at the front office. Prior to pick-up, you can pay the charger fee with a Credit Card/Debit payments via MySchoolFees: www.myschoolfees.com. Sign in as GUEST, Select AAA Elem (or Middle), Select Public, Select Chromebook Charger $30, be sure to list child’s name in the COMMENTS. Or you can pay the $30 fee at the time of pick-up with cash or check. All checks should be made payable to Academy for Academics and Arts Elementary (or Middle) School. If you have any questions, please contact the school at 256-428-7600 and speak to Erica Dillard or Ingrid Lawler, Bookkeepers.

Grades and Coursework - Contact the teacher first please firstname.lastname@hsv-k12.org

Data Generalist: Ramona Calhoun at Ramona.Calhoun@hsv-k12.org

Attendance - Ramona Calhoun at Jahshay.McKeller@hsv-k12.org

Cafeteria and Nutrition - Norma Martin at norma.martin@hsv-k12.org

School Counselor - Debbie Smith at debbie.smith@hsv-k12.org

Nurse - Christina Darby at Christina.Darby@hsv-k12.org

Librarian & Technology - Brenda Levert at brenda.levert@hsv-k12.org

Elementary Principal - Evelyn Coffey at Evelyn.Coffey@hsv-k12.org

Middle School Principal - Kitrise Torain at kitrise.torain@hsv-k12.org

Elementary Admin Assistant- Mary Christopher at Mary.Christopher@hsv-k12.org

Middle School Admin Assistant- Erica Dillard at Erica.Dillard@hsv-k12.org

February

February 27-March 3- Read Across America Week

PK-5th grade and 6th-8th grade Arts Magnet school in the Huntsville City School District.

Email: Kitrise.Torain@hsv-k12.org
Website: https://www.huntsvillecityschools.org/schools/academies-academics-and-arts
Location: 4800 Sparkman Drive Northwest, Huntsville, AL, USA
Phone: 256.428.7600
Facebook: facebook.com/AcademyforAcademicsandArtsElementary
Twitter: @AAAMiddle