The Bobcat Blaze
March 31, 2023
+++We Are AC Moore STRONG+++
SCHOOL VISION
Every AC Moore student will enter middle school reading at or above grade level.
SCHOOL MISSION STATEMENT
We collaboratively empower students to be accountable and successful.
STAFF CORE VALUES
Passion: Embracing and nurturing our school community
Intentionality: Purposeful, Present, & Prepared
Accountability: Growth Over Ego
Student Pillars of Leadership: PreK - 2
Respect
Cooperation
Community
Responsible
Self-Control
Caring
Trustworthy
Student Pillars of Leadership: 3rd - 5th
Respect
Collaboration
Citizenship
Responsible
Self-Discipline
Empathy
Integrity
April
- April 1..........................................................RCSD 1 Teacher Job Fair (details below)
- April 3..........................................................SIC Meeting (5:30-6:00)
- April 3..........................................................PTO Meeting (6:00-7:00)
- April 5-7.......................................................Earthshine Retreat for 5th Graders
- April 10-15...................................................Spring Break, No School for Teachers & Students
- April 19........................................................Bobcats Rising Family Event 5:00 - 7:00pm
- April 18........................................................Interims
- April 21........................................................Field Day
- April 22........................................................Bloom with the Blues (details in the Community Connections section below)
- April 28........................................................Early Dismissal for Students (11:00 am)
- April 29........................................................Bobcat Benefit
Principal's Message
Happy Friday Bobcat Families!
We wrapped up yet another great week here in Bobcat Country with a movie celebration for our students. This was in honor of them reaching their Booster fundraising goal. We hope they enjoyed it!
Thank you to our families who participated in Literacy Night on Thursday. It was great seeing you all!
Next week our 1st-4th grade students will participate in a dance experience with well-known choreographer Terrance Henderson. We can't wait to welcome him back to our campus. Our 5th grade students will take their overnight trip to Earthshine on April 5-7th. I am excited for them to have this experience and know they will represent our school proudly. If your 5th grader is not attending, they can still report to school and will be with a substitute completing daily assignments.
You should have received information from the district regarding the Child-ID Kits. We have them available in the office by request.
Please ensure any Field Day related forms have been returned ASAP so we can plan properly.
Reminder that Spring Break is April 10-14th and our campus will be closed.
I look forward to seeing your students back here next week and wish you a wonderful weekend!
Principal's Video Message: https://cloud.swivl.com/v/603a7aa8f33f3ca18d9d1694ae237099
-----Parent News-----
March 27, 2023
Dear Parents and Guardians:
I am excited to announce that our school and all other Richland One schools have enrolled with the STOPit anonymous incident reporting system as part of the district’s efforts to support safe learning environments for students and staff.
STOPit is an online reporting tool designed to deter and mitigate bullying, cyber abuse and other inappropriate behaviors. It consists of an app and a back-end incident management system for school administrators. This program teaches students, parents and staff how to recognize the signs of at-risk behaviors and gather information and report, and it allows administrators to assess, manage and resolve incidents.
Our students will be able to use the STOPit app to report incidents anonymously. They will have the power to help put an end to harmful and inappropriate behavior they see online through social media and other means. Students also can use STOPit to reach out for help if they or a peer are facing a personal crisis or experiencing bullying, abuse or are otherwise in need of assistance.
No student information is needed to use STOPit. The only way personally identifiable information will be accessible through STOPit is if a student voluntarily includes it within the content of a report or message.
The STOPit app will be downloaded on all district-issued student laptops. It also will be accessible through our school website and the district’s website. Students also can download the STOPit app on their smartphones and other personal devices at no cost.
Our school team has been trained, and students will be trained to use the STOPit app before Spring Break. The app is scheduled to go live April 3. Click the link below to view the STOPit student training video:
STOPIT STUDENT TRAINING VIDEO (ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS)
If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact me.
Sincerely,
LaQuana Aldridge
Principal
A.C. Moore Elementary
Field Day is Almost Here!🥇🎽🏆
T-shirt and fun run registration forms were sent home this week. If you would like for your student to run in the fun run or if you want to purchase a field day t-shirt, please submit your order forms and registrations to Mrs. Whetstone no later than Thursday, April 6th.
Attention 5th Grade Parents
Start Strong Summer Program
Richland One is offering a one-week Start Strong Summer Program for ALL rising 6th – 9th graders. This in-person program is designed to provide students with literacy and numeracy strategies that will help support their learning when they return to school in the fall. Students will meet some of their new teachers and learn about school expectations. During the program, students will participate in engaging activities and have opportunities to receive incentives. Students will be assessed to determine their progress on content and skills learned in the summer program. There is no cost to attend the Start Strong Summer Program.
Additional details about the Start Strong Summer Program are listed below:
Attendance
- Students are expected to attend the program in-person, every Monday-Thursday, July 17 - 20, 2023.
Schedule
- The daily schedule will be 9:00am- 3:00pm.
- Transportation:
- Transportation will be provided based on PowerSchool Address. Transportation must be requested below.
- Car riders can be dropped off at 8:30 am and must be picked up no later than 3:15 pm. Car riders not picked up on time may be withdrawn from the program.
Meals
- Breakfast and lunch will be provided each day.
Rising 6th, 7th, and 8th grade students will attend Hand MS.
Rising 9th grade students will attend at Dreher HS.
https://forms.office.com/r/HP95PvSFVw
Complete the registration form by Monday, April 24 at 12:00 PM. If you have multiple R1 students, you must complete a form for each student attending. If you have questions or concerns, please contact canisha.fletcher@richlandone.org.
Superintendent's Book Club
It's that time of year again! The Superintendent's Book Club will begin March 6th and will go through Friday, May 5th. As part of this district wide challenge, preK-5th grade students will track their reading on provided book logs. Once they have read 100 picture books or 10 chapter-books, students will be official members of the Super Intendent's Book Club and will receive schoolwide recognition and an invitation to a school-wide celebration. In addition, those who join the book club by Tuesday, May 2nd will receive a free ticket to AC Moore Night at the Columbia Fireflies Stadium! More prizes for our top schoolwide readers will be offered as well as an invitation to a district celebration for top readers in the district! Happy Reading!
Dear Richland One Parents/Guardians,
The South Carolina Department of Education (SCDE) is utilizing a climate survey for accountability/report cards this year as in the past. The delivery model for the survey will be the same as last year, with students in grades 3-12 taking the survey in the PowerSchool Student Portal and parents completing the survey in the PowerSchool Parent Portal.
Students will create a Student Portal account (if they don’t already have one) to access the survey when it becomes available. We will ensure that they still have access if they already have an account. Schools will assist students in grades 3-12 (especially third-graders) in creating and/or accessing their accounts.
Parent climate surveys are in the PowerSchool Parent Portal. If you do not currently have a Parent Portal account, please contact your student’s school, and they can assist you in setting up an account.
The climate survey will be available at 8:00 a.m. on Monday, February 27, 2023, and the survey will close at 5:00 p.m. on Friday, April 14, 2023.
The schedule for students to complete the surveys will be between Wednesday, March 1, 2023, and March 31, 2023.
If you, as a parent/guardian, cannot gain access to the survey in the Parent Portal, please click on this link and complete the form.
Thank you.
Karen E. York
Executive Director of Communications
Richland County School District One
Registration for YMCA summer camps have opened, and I am excited that we will have FIVE location offerings this summer. The flyers for traditional camp and adventure camp [ages 9-13] are below.
Catie Young
Youth Development Director
YMCA OF COLUMBIA
Downtown YMCA
(O) 803.799.9187 ext. 414
-----------School News-----------
A Bobcat Shout-Out to...📣
...A. C. Moore's Arts Programs!
A.C. Moore Elementary School awarded Arts in Basic Curriculum School Certification.
Columbia, S.C. – A.C. Moore Elementary School has been awarded ABC School Certification by Arts in Basic Curriculum Institute for exemplary efforts to provide quality, comprehensive arts education to all students.
The South Carolina Arts Commission grant will enable the Arts Programs to offer arts focused education programs to Bobcat students during the 2023-2024 school year. This funding helps us achieve our mission of enriching the education experience for students. ABC Certified Schools maintain an arts-rich learning environment. They are unique in that arts education is not only appreciated but valued as integral to the school’s vision of student development.
All ABC Schools must have an approved arts education strategic plan that outlines the commitments of resources, personnel, and partnerships that will be required and maintained over five years. Such commitments require grant-writing, partnerships with local cultural organizations, and specialized professional development. According to Dr. Kim Wilson, ABC Institute Director, “ABC Certified Schools believe that the arts are an essential component in the basic curriculum and are central to student development. Each school is unique but all understand how to make meaningful connections to art in all aspects of life and learning, understand how an arts-rich environment inspires creativity, and the role the arts play in defining our students’ diverse cultures but defining a schools’ inclusive culture.”
Designation of ABC School is achieved through a rigorous certification process. “Being certified as an ABC School means your school is ready and willing to serve as a model for others across the state and across the nation,” said Director Wilson. “ABC Schools know the “why” to their often unconventional and courageous choices. They can provide the pedagogical rationale, evidence and data to support those choices, and models of practice to clearly communicate the benefits of the arts to others.”
A Special Thank You to Mr. Clamp and Ms. Helms for their hard work in preparing the documentation for submission!
-Parent and Family Engagement-
-------Parent Reminders-------
Need to Report an Absence for your Student? Click Below
Assignments for COVID Related Absences
For the 22-23 school year, students that are absent due to illness will receive any missed and/or make-up assignments upon return to school. They will have 5 days to return the completed work to their teacher. This is in accordance with AC Moore's typical absence policy. Devices and extended absence assignments will not be sent home this year. Virtual check-in sessions with students will also not occur. Those practices and procedures were in place as a result of Richland One's response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Bobcat Families--Please note that the neighbors directly across from the front of the school are having difficulties getting their trash picked up when vehicles are parked in front of their homes and along the edge of their yard. Your courtesy and consideration would be greatly appreciated in addressing their concerns. When visiting the school, please park in the visitors parking area at the corner of Etiwan Avenue and Rosewood Drive and along the street in designated parking spaces.
Important Carline Pick-up and Drop-off Reminders
In an effort to keep the carline safe for students and staff, it is requested that the following carline procedures be followed during the morning and afternoon carline.
- Please pull as far forward to the end of the carline (towards Rosewood Dr.) before stopping your vehicle to allow your student to enter/exit through the gate; do not stop at the main entrance to let students out of or into the car.
- Students are to get out on the passenger side of the carline only, not from the driver side, side facing the road.
- Parents should remain in the car and allow school staff to assist the students into or out of cars.
COMMUNITY EVENTS
See the monthly newsletter below from the Equity & Excellence in Education Parent Support Program sponsored by the Columbia Urban League. The Equity & Excellence in Education program aims to unite, educate, empower, and uplift parents through education, support, and awareness for the betterment of their child’s success. They serve parents with students that are in K5-12th grade.
--------Nurse's News--------
DONATIONS NEEDED
Hello A.C. Moore Families,
Are you looking for another way to support our school? Please consider donating small bottles of water to our Health Room. Anything you can give - at any time during the year - will be greatly appreciated.
Thank you!
Nurse Robinson
---Wellness Watch---
Take Down Tobacco National Day of Action
On March 31, Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids and youth advocates across the country will demand action to protect their communities from tobacco and vaping. Learn how you can get involved by making your voice heard on the Take Down Tobacco National Day of Action.
Take a Look at Your Bobcats Engaged in Learning!
--------Community Connections--------
------------DISTRICT NEWS------------
Connect with Us
Website: www.richlandone.org/Domain/26
Location: 333 Etiwan Avenue, Columbia, SC, USA
Phone: (803) 343-2910
Facebook: www.facebook.com/acmooreelementary
Twitter: @ACMooreBobcats