Dr. Seuss Celebrated at R. L.Young

Mrs. Armstrong and Mrs. Freeman wore crazy hats with their classes to celebrate “Read
Across America”, a national tribute to Dr. Seuss. The classes have activities planned
all week. Monday: wear red and blue and read One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish;
Tuesday: wear green and read Green Eggs and Ham; Wednesday: wear crazy hats and
read The Cat in the Hat; Thursday: read Fox in Socks and wear crazy socks and Friday:
dress up like our favorite Dr. Seuss book character and read Dr. Seuss books all day.
This has been a wonderful time to encourage children to read. And, with Dr. Seuss,
reading is always fun!

A Tour of Talladega High School

Talladega High School is in the touring business, at least for Ellis Junior High 8th graders. The school is taking an early and very personal approach to transitioning incoming freshmen by inviting small groups to receive a firsthand view of a typical day at THS.

Students were welcomed by Career Tech Director, Dr. Trellys Riley and several THS students. Dr. Riley asked students to complete a “Career Clusters Interest Survey” which will serve as a tool for students to better recognize their interests and choose Career Tech courses based on the discoveries. After the completion of the interest survey, she discussed classes that would be interesting to each cluster group.

Principal Darren Douthitt was on hand to welcome students to the high school and answer various questions about dress code, ISI (in-school-suspension), tardies, and other issues. His approach was warm, inviting, and humorous, helping 8th graders to be more at ease. Mr. Douthitt shared that an additional minute had been added so students had more time to go to lockers and change classes. He shared several ways THS students were rewarded such as allowing club t-shirts on Fridays, free dress days, and outside social time after the lunch wave.
Each student received his personal business card and was encouraged to let parents know campus tours would be available during the summer.

Students too shy to ask questions in the large group session had another opportunity to get information from THS students serving as tour guides for the visitors.
These tours put many fears to rest and perhaps increased the excitement for this upcoming freshmen class!

C.L. Salter Celebrates Black History

Over the month of February faculty, staff, and students at Salter Elementary have been learning more about black history. Students completed research projects, created timelines, decorated the school, and presented a program for the school and parents. At our open house/PTO meeting, Mrs. Ensley's and Mrs. Romine's class performed for parents. On Monday February 26, C.L. Salter held its annual Black History Program. Parents were invited and enjoyed a great program produced by students and teachers. A special thanks goes out to our Black History Committee: Ms. Sherryl Fuller, Mrs. Catherine Keith, Miss Jenny Hare, Miss Tashena McGhee, and Ms. Dianne Smith. The pictures show students in action during the program.

Reading Coaches "Shadow" at Young

On February 15th, reading coaches from several school systems in the state spent the morning with R. L. Young's third year experienced reading coach, Nancy Willis. These coaches are part of a professional learning community that receives on-site training periodically throughout the year.

The reading coaches observed Mrs. Willis as she completed the coaching cycle as outlined by the Alabama Reading Initiative. Mrs. Willis lead the coaches through an intensive planning session before teaching a NAEP side-by-side reading lesson with fourth graders.

After a debriefing session with the coaches, Mrs. Willis demonstrated for the group how teachers receive feedback from her concerning lessons taught in their classrooms. The group then observed her modeling a detailed comprehension planning session with all third grade teachers, followed by a Comprehension Toolkit lesson demonstration in one of the classes. The morning concluded with the coaches voicing admiration for the rapport exhibited among the Young teachers and reading coach.

Young Celebrates Black History Month with Local Talent

Mr. Columbus Young, local musician and artist, shared his talents with the second grade classes at R. L. Young Elementary School on February 7, 2007. The second grade teachers, Mrs. Rebecca Armstrong, Ms. Vicki Freeman, Mrs. Diane Hobbs and Mrs. Theresa Vincent decided to focus on the accomplishments and talents of our local African-Americans to celebrate African-American History Month.

Mr. Young brought several of his paintings to share with the students and, delightfully, shared his trumpet talents with us, too! Thank you, Mr. Young. You have help enrich our lives.

On Thursday, February 15, 2007, Mr. Darren Douthitt, principal of Talladega High School read the Patricia Polacco book "Mr. Lincoln's Way"to our second grade classes. Our students listened attentively as Mr.Douthitt read the story and tied in some of his personal experiences as they related to the story.

For those of you that have not read this book, it is a wonderful story of how Mr. Lincoln, a black elementary school principal, helps to erase racial tension in his school while giving them something in which to be proud. Thank you, Mr. Douthitt! Please come back soon. And, by the way, you look like the principal in the book. Our students wanted you to know they said that!

Praise and Pizza- A Good Combination

Alicia Laros, principal of Northside Hal Henderson, has discovered a new way to help teachers recognize students and feed them, too. It's called the Supper Club and it meets monthly at Parigi's on the Square.

Students have to be at their best to be invited and the criteria can be other than academic achievement. Teachers look for students showing an increase in effort, an improvement in behavior, or children that make the classroom a nicer place to be. For students who struggle to make the honor roll, this is a great opportunity to be recognized.

Teachers join the fun and parents are invited to participate, too. Thanks to the generosity of Parigi's, students being honored eat free! This is a great example of how the community and schools can join forces to make a difference in the lives of our children.

I wonder who will be dining with this new club next month?

Cafeteria Times - "Healthy Heart Month"

Talladega City CNP

February is the month of love, so it is only fitting that we make February "Healthy Heart Month."
Why should you be concerned with heart healthy eating? Heart disease is the #1 killer of American men and women. According to the American Heart Association, an American will suffer some type of coronary event every 33 seconds. Individuals with a family history of heart disease are more likely to develop heart disease. Unfortunately we cannot control our genetic make-up. The good news is that changing your daily eating can improve your heart health and lower your risk for heart disease.Studies have shown that signs of heart disease begin developing during childhood. A correlation between high cholesterol and heart disease has been clearly established. Even kids can have high cholesterol. According to the American Heart Association, approximately 10 percent of adolescents between the ages of 12 and 19 have “high” total cholesterol levels. According to the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute, it is important to establish healthy lifestyle habits early in life, in order to help keep the risk of heart disease low. According to health officials, approximately 25 percent of children between the ages of 6 and 19 are overweight. The Bogalusa Heart Study found that children between the ages of 5 and 17 who were overweight were 2.4 times more likely to have elevated blood cholesterol. The study also indicated that of those children who were overweight, more than half had at least one risk factor for heart disease.
Help protect your kids heart—live smart! "KEYS TO A HEALTHY HEART"
· 30 minutes of physical activity each day.
· Eat less than 300 milligrams of dietary cholesterol.
· Limit sodium intake to less than 2400 milligrams.
· Use fresh poultry, fish, and lean meat in place of processed meat.
· Go spicy instead of salty.
· Cook rice, pasta, and hot cereals without salt.
· Rinse canned foods like tuna to remove the sodium.
· Use fat free or 1 % milk products.

Today an Education, Tomorrow a Career

Mayor Brian York signed a Proclamation on Thursday, February 8th designating February 11-17th as Career/Tech Week. Career/Technical Education provides Americans with a school-to-careers connection and is the backbone of a strong, well-educated workforce, which fosters productivity in business and industry and contributes to America's leadership in the international marketplace. Career/Technical Education offers individuals opportunities to learn new skills, which provides them with career choices and potential satisfaction.

The Talladega City School System begins exposing students to career choices through the Career Discoveries Program at Zora Ellis Junior High School. Dr. Trellys Riley, Director of Career/Tech stated, "All education is career education. At some point whether it is after a graduate degree, college, technical school or high school all students must be prepared for a career. In Career/Technical Education we teach students the application of the academics, how to make a living and be a contributing member of society."

Programs at the high school include: Business/Marketing, Family and Consumer Science, Health Science, Computer Electronics, Precision Machining, Welding, Automotive Service and Technology, Pre-Engineering, and Carpentry.

During the ceremony, THS students in the Career/Technical Education Program shared information about various clubs offered.

Reminder on holiday date changes

Back in September, a revision was made to our school system calendar. The change was made because the date of Race Weekend changed. As a reminder, here are those changes:

April 27^th and April 30^th—Both of these are now holidays.

May 4^th and May 7^th—School will be in session both of these days.

C.L. Salter's Sixth Grade Visits JSU

Recently sixth grade students at C.L. Salter visited JSU. Students had the opportunity to visit the library and learn about the campus. In the picture shown on the left students learn about JSU's Fish Hatchery from Dr. Kline.

Student’s Achieving Great Things at Salter!

Students at Salter have been doing great things in the classroom and it is showing throughout the county. Cody Crawford took First Place at the System-wide Superintendent’s Art Contest and his work will be on display at the state level competition in Montgomery, AL.

On February 2, Jakorvius Swain placed third in the Talladega County Spelling Bee. This included all elementary and junior high schools in Talladega County.

At the district Science Fair, three students from Salter Elementary placed first and have earned the right to compete at the regional Science Fair. The students representing C.L. Salter at the regional Science Fair include, Julia Baker, Makayla Montgomery, and Jatonica Whitson.

Congratulations to these students! We are proud of you!

Healthy School Snacks

A mid-morning snack is something students appreciate, but we all want selections which are healthy. This article provides tips for choosing healthy snacks.

Graham School Brick Project a Success

Students, teachers, and other loved ones past and present are being honored through a special project sponsored by the "Society of 1904." A portion of the sidewalk leading to the front entrance of the school has been replaced by bricks. Each brick is engraved with the name of the person to whom the brick is dedicated.

The money raised through purchases of the engraved bricks goes to the Society of 1904. The organization began in 2004, the centennial year for Graham School. Its purpose is to provide educational opportunities for students at Graham beyond what is provided by the school system.

Bricks purchased to this point were set in place during the Christmas holidays. The brick project is ongoing. To learn more about the project or to purchase a brick, contact the school office at 315-5777.

Talladega City Board Members Honored

Hal Henderson Elementary School started the day early on January 26th with a wonderful breakfast to honor Talladega City Board Members. First grade teacher, Melissa Barksdale with assistance from her husband, created a wonderful spread of breakfast treats.

Under the leadership of Susan Haney, Carol Joiner, Debbie Lackey, and Sandy Sims helped to decorate the lunchroom in a festive snowflake theme complete with candles. Teachers across the school pitched in to provide student-made decorations. Mr. Wilson, Henderson's custodian made sure all the tables were set up and everything was shiny clean. Darenda Stephens, a lunchroom staff member helped to provide tablecloths and drinks.

During the meal board members, Central Office staff, students, and Hal Henderson staff previewed a slide show entitled Talladega City Schools...a Hometown Education. A special thanks goes out to teacher Kathy Clay for sharing the LCD machine and smart board for the presentation.

Student Council representatives were in attendance to welcome board members to the school and enjoy the breakfast treats. When asked by the principal, Alicia Laros, what they would like to say about their school, one student said it best. With a big smile on his face, he stated, "We have a great school."

Indeed they do because with this team approach, they provided a very classy event!

Weather is OK. We are having school.

While there is plenty of rain this morning, the roads are free of ice. We are having school today and opening at the normal time!

Thanks for thinking to check here for the information.