In the Loop

Superintendent Dr. Pattie Neill served as a keynote speaker at the Trussville Veterans Committee 2022 Flag Ceremony on Friday, May 6, 2022. This ceremony was the culmination of a months-long initiative by the committee to provide American flags for each TCS classroom. Committee member Chad Carroll led the ceremony, which included veterans, city officials, school board members, principals, and others. To add an extra touch, the American flags provided to TCS were flown on a KC-135 Air Refueling Mission. This mission refueled eight Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptors. Official certificates of Mission were presented in conjunction with the flags. See coverage of the ceremony here. View additional photos of the ceremony here.

Registration will open Monday, May 9, 2022 for rising Juniors and Seniors only. Parents of these students will soon receive an email with registration instructions and a snapcode specific to their student(s). The snapcode is necessary to complete the registration process via the PowerSchool registration platform. If rising junior and senior parents do not receive this snapcode, please contact Lauren Cooley, registrar at Hewitt Trussville High School on Monday by calling 205-228-4001. Along with general registration for the upcoming 2022-2023 School Year, the online registration process specific to Juniors and Seniors allows for the reservation of a parking decal. For this to occur, registration must be a) complete; b) approved; and c) payments for decal and drug testing must be submitted.

ACAP (Alabama Comprehensive Assessment Program) Summative testing for Grades 2-8 concluded this week. As a district, a total of 17,077 tests were administered covering the areas of ELA (English Language Arts), Mathematics, and Science. This year’s standardized testing overall went very smoothly, according to District Test Coordinator Mrs. Stephanie Rosetta. Many ask the question – why so much testing? End-of-year testing provides a summative assessment of how far students have grown academically from the start of the school year in August. See more insight on testing and when to expect your child's test results.

The Trussville City Schools Central Office Ribbon Cutting Ceremony was last week, and I want to personally thank everyone who attended and celebrated with us. Support from the Mayor, City Council, local, state and national government, along with the community-at-large means the world to us. On behalf of the Trussville City Schools Board of Education, we thank you for helping us maintain a level of success that continues to be among the top school systems in the state. Our new building is a reflection of our excellence in education. Working together means winning together! -Dr. Pattie Neill, Superintendent (Photo gallery of ribbon-cutting)

Hewitt-Trussville High School students continue to shine at the Academy of Craft Training (ACT). Zayden Davis and Ryan Carr were selected as ACT’s March/April Employee of the Month for Building Construction and HVAC. They scored the highest based on ACT’s employability scale. McKinlee Lewis was selected as February's Employee of the Month for Building Construction. He scored the highest score based on ACT’s employability scale.

All employees of the month receive special, on-site recognition and gifts from ACT industry partners. With a capacity of 250 students, the Academy of Craft Training is a public/private partnership between the commercial construction industry and the State of Alabama’s K-12 Career and Technical Education System. Its mission is to recruit, educate and guide high school students for educational and employment opportunities in the construction industry.

See more about ACT via its website.

Paine Elementary School held an Adaptive PE Spring Fling Event for the two K-5th grade self-contained exceptional education classes and the three preschool exceptional education classes. The event began with a Spring Hat parade down the 3rd and 5th grade hallways. The classes then rotated through various activities that addressed the skills they have been working on throughout the school year in their Adaptive PE classes. Events included a Spring-themed relay race, obstacle course, ring toss, knock the cans, bowling, colored egg sort, tattoos, and egg toss. The activities were run by members of the HTHS Service Association, with additional support provided to each student by a PES 5th Grade Paine Pathfinder. The event culminated with a Bubble Extravaganza on the playground. -Submitted

Students and staff at Magnolia Elementary recently celebrated Autism Awareness Spirit Week. This week was the grand finale to Autism Awareness month, a time set aside to increase understanding, acceptance, and appreciation for people with autism and to build a diverse, accepting and kind learning community. During Magnolia's Autism Awareness Spirit Week, the following days were observed: 1) Magnificent Mind Monday: Students and staff wore fun hats or wild hair. 2) Neurodiversity Tuesday: Students and staff wore rainbow or tie-dyed colors to school. 3) What's Your Passion Wednesday: Students and staff dressed to represent things they love. 4) Autism Acceptance Day: Students and staff wore blue, red, or gold to show acceptance. 5) Sensory Friendly Friday: Students and staff wore their most comfy clothes. In the words of Fran Box, teacher, "The week was a great way to promote awareness and diversity!" - Submitted

Paine Elementary students Devon Hawthorne (3rd grade) and Reese Walkenbach (5th grade) were both honored at a special ceremony on May 5 at Children's Hospital for their artwork submitted to the Alabama Center for Architecture's 2022 "dreamARCHITECTURE" Design Your Dream Hospital Contest. Hawthorne earned 3rd place overall (3rd grade category) and Walkenbach earned Honorable Mention (5th grade category) among more than 2,000 entries submitted by students across metro Birmingham. Artwork by Hawthorne and Walkenbach will be on display for one week at Children's Hospital. Mrs. Angela Santiago teaches art at Paine Elementary School and helped facilitate this process.

Kindergarten students at Cahaba Elementary presented their first music program Thursday, April 28th. The musical theme was Under the Sea. Students dressed in ocean themed costumes and sang many nautical numbers under the instruction of music teacher, Tina Fortenberry. The night was concluded by a magical black light presentation that transported parents and friends under the sea. Congratulations to all the kindergarten students for a job well done! -Submitted

It’s no secret that Paine’s enrollment continues to grow. That enrollment has increased by a few just this week with the arrival of baby chicks in Mrs. Heather Cates’ Kindergarten class. It's all part of a study of habitats and life cycles – one in which the students have profound interest. Prior studies included those of plants, butterflies, rainforests, oceans and more. Now, the habitat/life cycle study has pivoted to chickens. See more on this exciting, project-based learning. See more on the Paine Elementary School website.

The HTHS National Art Honor Society recently completed its annual community service project. Students in the Honor Society collaborated with Serving You Ministries (SYM) to provide art supplies and crafts to low-income students and families. According to its mission, "SYM serves the Birmingham community and areas in need through a Christ-centered and sincere attitude, SYM provides hope to families through sustainable solutions assisting in education, child care, job readiness, safe and affordable housing, health and nutrition, and crisis relief through partnerships with volunteers and other nonprofits." -Submitted

• Softball Hosts Area Tournament
• Baseball Advances to State Quarterfinals
• Boys Soccer Set for Playoff Game
• Outdoor Track and Field: Sectional Recap
• Girls Golf Competes at Sub-State
• More!

See all the latest news in this edition of Tracking the Huskies!

The newly-formed Leadership Trussville seeks applicants for its inaugural class. Those interested in learning more about the application process and all the time commitments Leadership Trussville entails may visit Leadership Trussville's official website. According to its mission statement, "Leadership Trussville [exists] to encourage and educate an annual class of qualified and highly motivated individuals who want to strengthen their leadership skills, deepen their sense of civic involvement, and be more involved with ideas and initiatives to better our community while learning first-hand about the issues and needs in Trussville." Leadership Trussville is a non-political, non-governmental, independent 501(c)3 nonprofit governed by a Board of Directors. Jason Gaston, Public Relations Supervisor for Trussville City Schools, serves as Vice-President for Leadership Trussville on the Board of Directors.

YMCA Afterschool Childcare Program registration for the 2022-23 School Year opened on April 18. The YMCA of Greater Birmingham offers its Afterschool Childcare Program on-site at all TCS elementary schools. Details and contact information for the program are listed below. The YMCA Afterschool Childcare program is designed to help children succeed developmentally and academically. At the Y, children cultivate the values, skills, and relationships that lead to better achievement in the classroom, positive behaviors, and enhanced social skills. Learn more about the YMCA's Afterschool program on this website. For more information on specific sites and programs, please see the following:

Cahaba: Elizabeth Robertson | Site Director | erobertson@ymcabham.org

Magnolia: Fred Hatcher | Site Director | fhatcher@ymcabham.org

Paine: Jailyn Hale | Site Director | jhale@ymcabham.org

Briana Williams | Area Director | bwilliams@ymcabham.org

Ben Moffatt | Associate Executive Director | bmoffatt@ymcabham.org

Billing & Online Account Questions | childcare@ymcabham.org

General questions? childcare@ymcabham.org

May 12, 6-8pm Teens only - We will watch a NAMI presentation called "Ending the Silence" and then counselor Christa McCrorie will talk with us about stress management and mental health in general. Info on the Trussville Public Library website. Check our events calendar on our website for further details. -Submitted by Trussville Public Library

2022 Youth Football Camp – Monday, July 25th – Wednesday, July 27th

The Hewitt-Trussville Youth Football Camp is a three (3) day camp. It will be divided into groups by grade to receive as much individual instruction as possible. Designed for kids to improve in the fundamentals of their position and have fun! All kids entering K – 6th are welcome. Cost is $110/camper paid online ONLY using link provided on this registration form. https://forms.gle/beLRjgqqd38zq4a3A

2022 Elite Passing Academy - Monday, June 20th – Wednesday, June 22nd

The Elite Passing Academy is designed to give athletes the opportunity to work with coaches who have expertise in their position. We will work on fundamentals for each position in the passing game – Quarterbacks, Running Backs, Receivers, and Tight Ends. All kids entering 4th – 8th grades are welcome. Cost is $110/camper paid online ONLY using link provided on this registration form.

https://forms.gle/pAwud6AdBpiVDQiD6

Visit this PDF link for more information on how to become involved in Trussville Parks and Recreation's 2022 Summer Tennis Evening Clinics, in partnership with the Trussville Racquet Club.

Here are a few shortcuts to important resources listed on the TCS District website:

• TCS Bullying Reporting Form
• Special Education - Parent Rights (Section 504)
• TCS Character Education Program - P.A.C.E.

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