Wildcat Weekly Update

Greetings Hereford Families,

Parents, we are experiencing an uptick in negative behavior. Please speak with your scholar about appropriate behavior in school and on the bus. I along with one of my assistant principals and our CSO rode two separate buses on Friday due to behavior issues. We will suspend scholars from the bus in accordance with district policy- some for the remainder of the year if they do not sit down, be quiet, watch their language, keep their hands to themselves, and follow bus expectations. Inappropriate bus behavior is a safety issue and puts the lives of those on the bus, sidewalks and roads in danger when the driver has to constantly redirect behavior. We need your assistance with this!

We are taking orders for this year's Wildcat Yearbook. Please use the QR Codeon the flyer or this link, https://link.entourageyearbooks.com/my/SonnieHereford24, to place your order or to purchase an ad for your scholar. Orders can also be placed at school. Yearbooks are specially priced at $20 each.

Have a Great Week!

Principal Williams

April 15th-19th: ACAP Make Up Testing

April 17th: Kona Ice

April 18th: Kite Day (See Flyer Below)

April 30th: K For A Day (See Flyer Below)

May 16th: Field Day

Support Positive Behavior before there is a problem

PBIS is set up with three layers—called tiers—of support. The parent-child relationship is strengthened by loving and positive interactions at each tier.

Tier 1

Tier 1 support is about getting busy before there is a problem. Much like learning to wash hands to prevent getting sick, expected behavior is taught and modeled to prevent unexpected behaviors. Parents can look at their own actions and choices and consider what children will see as examples of being respectful, responsible, and safe.

Tier 2

Tiers 2 and 3 are where adults provide more support for specific behaviors that are getting in the way of relationships or how the child or youth functions. In a school setting, Tier 2 is for students who need a social group or some extra teaching, practice, and reinforcement.

Tier 3

Tier 3 supports include a Functional Behavioral Assessment (FBA) to find out why the behavior is occurring, and an individualized Behavior Intervention Plan (BIP).

Have a great week!

LaVonda Grant

The Alabama Reading Initiative has provided a series of videos to help parents support their students literacy growth at home .Here is a video to help with Phonological Awareness, which is critical for learning to read and spell. Watch for some great ideas to help your reader at home!

Tips for Taking a Math Test

On the day of the test encourage your child with these tips:

Tips for Preparing for a Math Test:

• Get organized. Give yourself enough time to review and practice material without distraction.
• Be clear about what material the test covers. This will help you put together the best study plan possible, so you focus on what you are being assessed on.
• Do not cram – it will not work or pay off. What does work is staying on top of all your school throughout the year, especially the concepts covered in math class. Homework really is your child’s friend. It is how they practice, learn, and get to see what they truly know and where they need support. If they struggle it is not because they are bad at math. They may just need more support in strengthening their math foundation and number sense.
• Review previous assignments, homework & quizzes. Chances are high that you will see similar questions, in similar formats, on your math test.
• Be prepared for concepts presented in a different way. Tests are always a great way to evaluate comprehension thoroughly and push learning forward. An example of this is that “parts of a whole” can be presented as fractions or as percents (%).
• Practice helps you achieve your personal best! Complete practice math tests or a variety of math practice problems to really flex your math muscles.
• Rally your math support system. Your teacher, classmates and even your family can be a helpful resource. Do not be shy about reaching out. If you need help, ask for it.
• Make enough time for fun! Yes, having fun keeps you feeling positive, prevents burnout and helps minimize frustration and stress.

As I mentioned before, spring is one of my favorite times of the year. This week I'd like to share one of my favorite stories that is a great spring read- aloud. Tops and Bottoms by Janet Stevens is the story of a hare who uses his wit to outsmart a lazy bear and maximize his profits during the cropping season. It is also great for helping children to understand the value of hard work.

Click the link to enjoy the story read aloud.

School-Parent Compacts

School-Parent compacts are a written commitment between parents, students, and school to share responsibility for improved student achievement. Every student enrolled in a Title I funded school MUST have a signed school-parent compact on file every school year. We are still missing quite a few School-Parent compacts. Please sign your child’s compact and return it to their teacher. If you need another compact, you can email me (ann.elkins@hsv-k12.org) and I will gladly send another home with your child. Thank you!

My Upcoming Meetings

Parent Advisory Committee Meeting (PAC)

When – Tuesday, April 16, 2024 – 1:00 PM

Where - Hereford Elementary Library

Parent Focus Meeting

When – Wednesday, April 24, 2024 – 9:00 AM or 12:30 PM

Where – Hereford Elementary Library

Hope to see you there!

Are there any topics you would like to see a Parent Focus Meeting on? Please feel free to give me suggestions/feedback at ann.elkins@hsv-k12.org. Thank you!

Ann Elkins

Parent Coordinator

Sonnie Hereford Elementary

Hello Parents,

ACAP Testing continues to go well. Please continue to ensure that your child has a good night's rest. Please also ensure your child is not going to bed with their devices or staying up past their bedtime. We have noticed that some scholars are coming to school extremely tired due to lack of sleep. It is important that all scholars are in the right frame of mind such as being in a good mood, eating a healthy breakfast, and sleeping well the night before. Parents, we appreciate your working with us to help better prepare our scholars for these important exams.

Guidance Class: This week in Guidance Counseling class, your child will learn about taking RESPONSIBILITY. Responsibility is doing our best to do the right thing in all situations. Responsibility is important in all facets of our life. It is important to be responsible with chores, classwork, self-care, and in our relationships with others. We can be responsible with our words and our actions. Being responsible will have many positive consequences. Being irresponsible will prove to have many negative consequences. You can make the right choice to be responsible and to be the best version of yourself. Try to live a responsible life and stand strong for what you believe in so you will have few regrets and few negative consequences. Every good choice makes you stronger, and every bad choice will have a negative consequence even if it takes a while to surface. We are our happiest selves when we are responsible because we reap the benefits of our positive actions. When we make irresponsible choices, we never feel good about that. Even if no one else knows, we will always know. Give yourself the best gift, the gift of responsibility.

Persons with Developmental Disabilities: Marlee Maitlan is an American actress, author, and activist. She is the recipient of numerous awards, including an Academy Award, a Golden Globe Award, and a Screen Actors Guild Award, in addition to nominations for a BAFTA Award, and four Primetime Emmy Awards. Deaf since she was 18 months old, She is the first deaf performer to win an Academy Award, as well as the youngest winner in the Best Actress category. Matlin starred in the police drama series Reasonable Doubts (1991–1993), which earned her two Golden Globe Award nominations, and her guest roles in Seinfeld (1993), Picket Fences (1993), The Practice (2000), and Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (2004–05) earned her four Primetime Emmy Award nominations. For her role in CODA (2021), she won the Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture.

Have a great week.

J.Jewel Johnson-Thorne

School Guidance Counselor

• 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.

Excellence is the Expectation as we Journey to Success!

Email: kelli.eaton@hsv-k12.org
Website: https://www.huntsvillecityschools.org/schools/sonnie-hereford-elementary
Phone: 256-428-7440
Facebook: www.facebook.com/sonnieherefordelementary