The Bobcat Blaze
April 21, 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 28........................................................Early Dismissal for Students (11:00 am)
- April 29........................................................Bobcat Benefit
May
- May 2.............................................................SC Ready Writing
- May 3.............................................................SC Ready Reading
- May 4.............................................................Last Day of CRP
- May 5.............................................................Fireflies Game Night
- May 8.............................................................PTO Meeting 6-7
- May 9.............................................................SC Ready Math
- May 11............................................................SCPASS Science
- May 24...........................................................5th Grade Promotion, Radius Church
- May 26...........................................................End of the Nine Weeks, Last Day of School
Principal's Message
Happy Friday Bobcat Families!
We ended this week with a blast! Today was Field Day. The weather was perfect and the energy was at its peak. Thank you to staff, students, parents, and even neighbors for helping us to make this great event a success.
Next week is our Spring Book Fair. Please see information in this newsletter regarding how you can help donate funds electronically to students who may be unable to purchase books. Our goal is to get a new book in the hand of EVERY A.C. Moore student.
CRP Families, please note that the last day for this year's CRP program is Thursday, April 27th.
Also on Thursday, April 27th is our Spring Fling event from 5:30 - 7:30pm at the school. Please join us for food trucks, games, and performances!
Lastly, please note that Friday, April 28th is an early release day. Elementary students will be released at 11am. We ask that you ensure your student knows how they are going home if it is different than their normal mode.
Have a wonderful weekend!
Principal's Video Message: https://cloud.swivl.com/v/e020925908272110458edb270110a9da
-----Parent News-----
DONATE TO BOOK FAIR
Our Spring Book Fair is kicking off on Monday and it is an exciting week for many of our students to get to shop and build their home libraries. At AC Moore we love reading and would love for all our students to be able to purchase a book. If you would like to help provide a book for a student who may not be able to afford one, you can click the link below and add any amount you would like to give. This eWallet fund will go to our librarian, Mrs. Warren, who will make sure all money is used for students who are not able to buy a book. Thank you for your support of our book fair and our students!
https://shop.scholastic.com/ewallet/fund?lang=en_US&walletId=6949a9da-b190-46c9-917e-5f1777177cb3
Free Lunch Options for Students!😋🍽️
I'm happy to say we have a new option for lunchtime for students. We are striving to get more students to participate in lunch daily. By doing so we are offering all students the option to grab chips, fruit, milk. These items can be picked up at our salad bar daily during lunch. This applies to all students who don't want a full meal. Students who normally bring their own lunch daily can choose this option as well. The salad bar comes with these items daily already to go with their sandwich or salad. Please explain to your students if they don't want everything on the bar or if they have their own lunch, they can get this option.
Mrs. Ja'Leica Colbert
Kitchen Manager
A.C. Moore Elementary
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.
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
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!
Superintendent's Book Club Update
We are so excited to welcome these students to the Superintendent's Book Club for reading 100 picture books or 10 chapter books! As book club members they will receive a special certificate, their picture on a school bulletin board, a free ticket to a Columbia Fireflies game, and an invitation to an end of the year bounce house party during school!
Beginning April 17th students who read the most weekly can also receive a weekly gift certificate to All Good Books in Five Points. Keep it up, Bobcats!
*Newest Members
PreK
Eason
First Grade
Rahini
Second Grade
Aryan, Queen, Webb, Ona, Liam, Elijah, Luke*, Lizeth*
Third Grade
Chaitra, Hooper, Soukaina*, Pippi*, Cora*, Andrew*
Fourth Grade
Emma, Silas, Saunders, Reet, Lucy, Valery, Zyler, Kyndal, Andre, Kalani, Kinsley*, Gaby*
Our afterschool program registration for the 23-24 school year opens on May 1st. Tuition is $55/week and will, with a $25 registration fee. The link to our website is below- all registration is done online. If you are willing, we would love to have the attached flyer and below link shared with families.
Registration for YMCA summer camps have opened, and I am excited that we will have FIVE location offerings this summer.
A.C. Moore is a feeder school to Brennen for this summer's SOAR programs, where we are excited to offer a summer day camp this summer. We also have a brand new Adventure Day Camp option for older students ages 9-13 to go more in-depth in their interest areas, as well as additional options for Friday Fun Days, Counselors-in-Training, etc. I have linked our registration page below, as well as attached flyers for our camp offerings. Thank you for your assistance in getting this information out to families!
Catie Young
Youth Development Director
YMCA OF COLUMBIA
Downtown YMCA
(O) 803.799.9187 ext. 414
-----------School News-----------
-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.
--------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---
6 Ways to Build a Network of Support for Your Child at School
Getting involved in your school community is a great way to help your child succeed. Family engagement improves academic achievement, builds self-esteem, and increases parents’ and caregivers’ confidence in their own decision-making at home and with their child’s teachers. Finding the right way to “plug in” depends on your school’s programs, as well as your family’s interests, talents, and availability. Try these six tips to connect with school staff and other families in your community.
Take a Look at Your Bobcats Engaged in Learning!
--------Community Connections--------
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.
R1 SUMMER SOAR PROGRAMS
Good afternoon Dreher Cluster Family,
I hope all is well with everyone. I would like to invite your communities to participate in our athletic golf tournament this year on April 29th. We would love to have members join us to play or offer sponsorship opportunities.
Our student athletes have been working hard and we would like to give them the very best opportunities and facilities as we can. So far this year we have had every team make the playoffs with the exception of one. Our cross country team has won the State Championship and an individual championship, girls tennis won the region championship and individual State Championship, both boys and girls swim won their region championship with an individual championship, and a host of all state and all region winners from fall and winter sports.
Our spring sports have already solidified region championships in Boys Tennis and Girls Soccer and every team will make a playoff run in the spring.
Thank you for everything that you do and I look forward to seeing you on the links or at our Bloomin' Blues cluster event on the April 22nd. Please click the link below to find out more about our tournament.
https://dreherathletics.com/2023/04/05/dreher-athletic-golf-tournament-2/
Coach Jarvis
Dreher High School Athletics Director
------------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