Principal's Message 08-23-22
Dear Blossomwood Families,
The first three weeks of school have been great. I have enjoyed seeing our more than 620 students back inside the building. As we continue to get into a regular routine at home and school, it is a great time to remind our children about the importance of putting themselves in a position to be successful. Here are a few daily reminders that will prove helpful:
1) Good Daily Hygiene (including but not limited to brushing one’s teeth at least 2x per day)
2) Ample Sleep (Research supports children needing at least 8-10 hours of sleep each night.)
3) Reading every night for at least 15 minutes. (This can include reading independently or with someone else).
4) Pack their Backpack the night before going to school.
5) Practicing basic math facts. (Regardless of age, the automaticity of basic math facts is a requisite for success.)
STAR Testing and i-Ready Testing
As your student may or may not have shared, our local means of monitoring student progress and success is slightly changing this year. For example, students will take a new assessment called i-Ready this week, again at mid-year, and end of the year.
1) ACAP will continue to be the annual state standardized testing instrument used in the spring for grades 2-6.
2) STAR - Moving forward, STAR will only be given at the beginning of the year to determine the Accelerated Reader level for each child in grades K-6. This will help us to get each child started with checking out books from our school library on their reading level. Most students completed this effort last week.
3) iReady - i-Ready is an online program that we will use to monitor student progress multiple times during the year, and it is applicable in reading and mathematics as it helps teachers determine each student’s needs, personalize their learning, and monitor progress throughout the school year.
- i-Ready allows your teacher(s) to meet your student exactly where they are and provides data to increase your student’s learning gains. i-Ready consists of two parts: Diagnostic and Personalized Instruction.
- The i-Ready Diagnostic is an adaptive assessment that adjusts its questions to suit your student’s needs. Each item a student sees is individualized based on their answer to the previous question. For example, a series of correct answers will result in slightly harder questions, while a series of incorrect answers will yield slightly easier questions.
i-Ready Personalized Instruction provides students with lessons based on their individual skill levels and needs, so your student can learn at a pace that is just right for them. These lessons are fun and interactive to keep your student engaged as they learn.
For more information on iReady, please watch this brief 2-minute video in English or in Spanish.
Daily Meals at Blossomwood
Don't forget all students at Blossomwood are welcome to free breakfast and lunch from our cafeteria.
- If your child would like breakfast, please remind them to come directly to the cafeteria upon arrival. It is best if they are at school by 7:45 am so they have time to eat in the cafeteria and get to class prior to 8:00 am.
- If you have questions about your child’s lunch account, please email our cafeteria manager Sheila Shockley.
Daily Attendance is Important for Your Child's Success
Being at school every day is vital to the success of each and every child. In addition, our school is required to have an overall attendance rate of at least 95% for the entire school year. Therefore, please do your best to have your child at school and on time each day.
HCS Policy 6.1.2 Absences Due to Family Trips
- The purpose of this policy is to ensure that students remain in school and do not miss out on valuable instructional time and important learning opportunities.
- Absences due to family trips or vacations are unexcused and a student will not be allowed to make up daily class work, assignments, and homework upon the student’s return to school.
- Huntsville City Schools encourages students and families to review the Huntsville City Schools’ online calendar and to schedule family trips and vacations when school is not in session.
Parent Survey
In an effort to improve instructional practices, Blossomwood Elementary is conducting a Parent Survey. Please take a moment to complete the survey. Your responses will be anonymous, and your honest opinion is appreciated.
Everyone Loves a Parade
Thank you to everyone that was able to participate in last Saturday's Celebrate Education Parade. It was a fun time for all as we celebrated our children with schools from all across Huntsville!
Bradley A. Scott, Ed.D.
Principal
