This has been a STARRIFIC school year! As we begin preparing to close this amazing school year, I want to share that our students have worked diligently with their teachers and peers each day. I want to thank all parents/guardians and community leaders for all your support this school year! Your support and feedback have been invaluable to our school's success. Union's staff members are dedicated to the success of all students at Union Elementary School. I am honored to serve as your principal this school year. I am looking forward to another STARRIFIC school year. We will finish these next weeks SHINING like Bright STARS!

• May 2-6: Teacher Appreciation Week
• May 2-13: GA Milestones Assessments (Gr. 3-5)
• May 4: CHAMPS (5th Grade)
• May 5: Kindergarten Field Trip to The Museum of Arts and Sciences
• May 5: Pre-K field trip to the Museum of Aviation
• May 6: WIG Day
• May 9-13: STAR Testing (Gr. K-2)
• May 16: 5th Grade Field Trip to Savannah, GA [Trolley Tour & Tybee Island Marine]
• May 16-18: STAR Testing (Gr. 3-5)
• May 18: CHAMPS Graduation (5th Grade); Field Day (K-2) 9:00 AM - 11:30 AM
• May 19: Field Day (Gr. 3-4) 9:00 - 11:30 AM
• May 20: Field Day (Gr. 5) 9:00 - 11:30 AM
• May 23: Awards Day (K-2) 9:00 AM; Awards Day (Gr. 3-4) 1:00 PM
• May 24: 5th Grade Ceremony (9:000 AM)
• May 25: Last Day for Students (Half-Day -- students dismissed at 12:30 PM)

The Union Star students that met all of the goals for the month of March were celebrated at WIG Day on April 8th. Our teachers contributed in the fun by wearing bright wigs to celebrate our students success!

Parents, please make sure that students place their student identification badges in a safe place until our next school year. New student ID badges will not be re-issued next year.

Parents serve an important part in your child's test taking abilities, especially in the upcoming Georgia Milestones. Please contact your child's teacher or our Family Engagement Facilitator (Ms. Reid) for more information. Here are some ways to assist your child:

• Help your child prepare for their test through practice tests.
• Talk to your child about their worries or concerns.
• Send them to bed early.
• Give them a healthy breakfast.
• Get them to school on time.
• Send them off to school with positive encouragements.

We love our Union Star Teachers! We feel so incredibly blessed to have such an amazing teaching team at Union Elementary. They truly go above and beyond to ensure our kids have the best care and education. Please join us in celebrating our teachers for all their hard work and dedication. Show your child's teacher how much you love them by doing something thoughtful for them this week.

Career Day was held on Friday, April 22nd, and it was amazing! Our students enjoyed visiting the various stations with a variety of information. The featured companies were Georgia Power, The Georgia State Patrol, Bibb County Sheriff, Bibb Fire Department, The SWAT Team, The Fort Valley State University Agriculture Department, and Project Aware. Each station of careers was interesting and our students thoroughly enjoyed it. A special thanks to Ms. Griffin, our school counselor, for organizing a fun and informative event for our Union Stars.

Superstar Friday is a monthly activity that our students strive to be a part of. Students are only able to participate in this event if their behavior has been good and they've met their academic goals. This time consists of music, dancing, snack options for purchase, and picture taking. It's a huge party! We partied hard on Superstar Friday in April and can't wait to do the same in May.

Our Curbside Chat for parents was held on April 28th so that parents may obtain information about the upcoming Georgia Milestones Test. Ms. Reid, our Family Engagement Facilitator, enjoyed showing parents how to obtain practice tests/tutorials for students in grades 3-5, while giving out refreshments for all of our Union parents in the carpool.