Taft Tiger Newsletter: April Edition
Farewell to Mrs. Alicia Donahee and Welcome Ms. LaDonna Walker!
We are grateful to Mrs. Alicia Donahee for her dedicated service as our secretary over the past few years; her hard work and commitment have been vital to our school community, and we wish her the very best in her next chapter. At the same time, it is an absolute pleasure to extend an extremely warm welcome to our new secretary, Ms. LaDonna Walker. We are thrilled to have her join our team and can’t wait for her to experience the heart and energy of the "World's Greatest Elementary School."
Important Dates & Reminders:
- April 29: No School for Students (Staff Professional Development)
- M-STEP Testing: Assessment season for grades 3–5 begins this month.
A Message from Mr. Cox:
Testing season is officially here! As our 3rd, 4th, and 5th-grade Tigers prepare for the M-STEP, we want to ensure every student feels confident and ready. Success on these assessments starts at home. We ask that families help students focus on test-taking strategies, maintaining proper nutrition, and ensuring they get a full night’s sleep before testing days.
To support our school-wide focus on literacy, we were thrilled to provide $25 to every student to purchase new books during our recent Book Fair! Please make sure your child is reading these new books at home daily to sharpen their skills and foster a love for learning.
Attendance & Instructional Time
Our district and county are currently monitoring absences, late arrivals, and early dismissals as part of a County and District initiative to prevent educational loss.
- Protect Instructional Time: We have noticed a high volume of students being signed out early each day. Every minute counts; early dismissals cause students to miss critical instruction.
- Arrivals: Please ensure your child arrives on time so they can start their day with their peers and teachers.
Safety & After-School Procedures
To keep our Tigers safe and our operations running smoothly, please adhere to the following:
Parking Lot Safety
It is vital that all parents follow established parking lot rules. Specifically, do not enter the staff/bus lot. Unauthorized vehicles in this lot cause significant safety concerns and delay our bus routes. Please use the designated parent loops only.
After-School Pickup
Please be on time to pick up your child. It is extremely important that students are collected promptly at dismissal, as we do not have the personnel to provide supervision after school hours.
Note: Contractually, staff are not required to remain after school hours. If you are unable to pick up your child at dismissal, please enroll them in “Champions” which is an after-school latchkey program (for a cost) to ensure they are supervised.
Thank you for your continued partnership in making Taft Galloway a great place to learn!
Brandon C. Cox
Principal