• Coordinator Meetings Scheduled for 2008-2009
• Area Businesses Rally to Support Adopt-A-School
• Golfers Hit the Greens for Adopt-A-School
• Area Businesses Support Nucor Steel Tuscaloosa Adopt-A-School Tennis Tournament
• Women's Doubles Teams Hit the Courts for Adopt-A-School
• Tuscaloosa City School System Opens Three New Schools
• Tuscaloosa County School System Opens Three New Schools
• Adoption Ceremonies Held for New Partnerships
• Regions Bank Provides Support for Collins Riverside Middle School
• Woodland Forrest Elementary School and Partners Establish LEADER Awards
• Adopt-A-School Partners Help Teachers and Students at Vance Elementary
• Partnerships Provide Health Screenings for Pre-K Students
• Tuscaloosa City School System Places School Calendars on Website
• Kimberly Tucker New Junior Achievement Program Manager
• Read for the Record
• PLEASE REMEMBER...

Coordinator Meetings Scheduled for 2008-2009

Adopt-A-School Coordinator Meetings provide partnership coordinators with training, networking opportunities and information about specific areas of the Adopt-A-School programs. 

In an effort to provide specific and meaningful training for the coordinators, the coordinator meetings were redesigned during the 2007-2008 School year to focus on a specific topic.  The coordinators enjoyed the new format and the 2008-2009 coordinator meetings will follow a similar format. 

The first coordinator meeting for 2008-2009 is scheduled for Tuesday afternoon, September 30^th.  The “Best Practices” Meeting will highlight specific programs from various partnerships.  Coordinators will have the chance to learn first hand about successful partnership activities and network with other coordinators. The September 30^th meeting will be from 3:30-5:00PM at the Tuscaloosa City Board of Education, Regions Room. 

Additionally, other scheduled meetings and the topics are:

¨      Thursday, November 13, 2008:  3:30-5:00PM  – “Curriculum, Cultural, Character Enrichment” – Place TBD

¨      Thursday, November 20, 2008:  11:30AM-1:00PM – “Creating Career Awareness” – Hilton Garden Inn

¨      Thursday, January 29, 2009:  11:30AM-1:00PM – “Planning for AAS Week” – Place TBD

¨      Tuesday, March 24, 2009:  3:30-5:00PM – “Round Table Discussions” –  Place TBD

Coordinators are encouraged to attend any or all of the coordinator meetings.  Registration forms are sent to all coordinators.  Other interested in attending should contact Carolyn Tubbs (391-0556 carolyn@tuscaloosachamber.com ) or Loo Whitfield (391-0563 or loo@tuscaloosachamber.com )

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Area Businesses Rally to Support Adopt-A-School

In addition to Nucor Steel Tuscaloosa, title sponsor for the tournament, many area businesses provided support to the Adopt-A-School Program through the annual golf tournament. As well as providing support as an adopter or sustainer, Ellis Architect, Harrison Construction Company,  JVC America, Learning Experiences, McGiffert & Associates, NHS Management, Phifer Incorporated, Planit Solutions, Tuscaloosa Toyota and The University of Alabama all served as Eagle Sponsors for the tournament. 

Thanks to these 2008 Nucor Steel Tuscaloosa 
Adopt-A-School Tournament Hole Sponsors

AFFLINK Alabama Credit Union Almon Associates, Inc. Bryant Bank DCH Health System Ellis Architects, Inc. Energen Resources Corporation Hardsteel, Inc. Harrison Construction Company Hunt Refining Company JVC America, Inc. Learning Experiences, Inc. McGiffert & Associates, LLC Michael H. Echols & Associates, PC New York Life NHS Management, LLC Northriver Dental Associates Nucor Steel Tuscaloosa, Inc. Pat’s Florist & Gourmet Baskets, Inc.

Planit Solutions, Inc. Randall-Reilly Publishing Carol Jackson Realty South Phifer Incorporated Rustys Team at Realty South Sam’s Club #6435 Sealy Management Company, Inc. Southern Pipe & Supply Company, Inc. Tanner & Guin, LLC The Bank of Tuscaloosa The Radiology Clinic The University of Alabama Thompson Tractor Company TTL, Inc. Tuscaloosa By-Pass The Employees of Tuscaloosa Toyota Tuscaloosa Toyota Wal-Mart Supercenter #715 West Alabama Bank

 

2008 Nucor Steel Tuscaloosa Tennis Tournament Donors

Thanks to these businesses for donations of goods and services

 

Alabama Credit Union Alabama Discount Golf BFGoodrich Manufacturing Black Warrior Methane Bryant Bank Buffalo Rock Company/Pepsi-Cola Capstone Bank Coca Cola Enterprises “CCE” The Credit Union of Alabama, FCU First National Bank of Central Alabama Greene Beverage Company, Inc. Hampton Inns of Tuscaloosa Henger Rast Mortgage Jason’s Deli Krispy Kreme Doughnut Co. Kwik Kopy Printing

Northport Medical Center Publix #1075, Northport Publix #75, Lake Tuscaloosa Randall-Reilly Publishing RealtySouth Rite Aid Distribution Center Sam’s Club #6435 Spiller Furniture Associated Stores The Perfect Touch The Radiology Clinic The Tuscaloosa News TuscaBlue Tuscaloosa Toyota Wal-Mart Supercenter #715 WTBC 1230 AM/Catfish Country WVUA 7

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Golfers Hit the Greens for Adopt-A-School

Thanks to Title Sponsor Nucor Steel Tuscaloosa and Eagle Sponsors Ellis Architect; Harrison Constructions Company;  JVC America; Learning Experiences; McGiffert & Associates; NHS Management; Phifer Incorporated; Planit Solutions; Tuscaloosa Toyota; and The University of Alabama, the Eighteenth Annual Nucor Steel Tuscaloosa Adopt-A-School Benefit Golf Tournament was held on September 25th  at the County Club of Tuscaloosa.  Twenty-nine teams participated representing twenty-two area public schools

 
The Tri Cities Convenience Store team of Don Thomaston, Troy Lowery, Russell MacDonald and Nathan Richardson shot both the lowest gross and net score of the tournament, thus claiming rights for Woodland Forrest Elementary School to display the winning trophy at the school until next year's tournament.  The victory also gave Woodland Forrest Elementary School $500 in prize money.

Prizes galore produced many smiling faces for this year's participants.  In addition to the Tri Cities Convenience Store team, prizes were also awarded to eleven other teams playing in the morning and afternoon flights: 

	Morning Net Winners	Morning Gross Winners	Afternoon Net Winners	Afternoon Gross Winners
1st Place	Walter Gary	Don Thomaston	Jeff Gregory	Don Lewis
	Andrew Hudson	Nathan Richardson	Shaun Smith	Andrew Lewis
	Rob Livingston	Russell McDonald	Wayne Reach	Jonathan Foster
	Jake Case	Troy Lowery	Keith Ryan	Kirk Kelly
2nd Place	Jimmy Hardy	Chuck Bracknell	Joe Taylor	Joshua Glass
	Byron Abston	Hal Rozzelle	Tom Deloughery	Justin Tidwell
	Ronnie Lett	AD Sanders	Charles Fanetti	Rodney Bell
	Leon Brown	Birl Martin	Justin Allen	Mike Schoultz
3rd Place	Frank Dykes	Ray Willikie	Michael Nixon	Mike Echols
	Steve Swofford	Tommy Wilcox	Mike Mitchell	Spencer Burchfield
	Jim Lankford	Gary Harris	David Reynolds	Steven Kimbrell
	Tom Monk	Ryan Shoe	Chuck Bracknell	Robert Kuhn

Prizes for Closest to the Pin for morning and afternoon flights included these proud golfers:  Troy Lowery, Ronnie Lett, Nathan Richardson, Rick House, Will Humber, Kirk Kelly, Chuck Bracknell and Robert Kuhn.  Longest drive winners were Don Thomaston and Rodney Bell.

 
In addition to Woodland Forrest's cash prize, $500 also went to Tuscaloosa County High School for having the most golfers representing a secondary school and Verner Elementary received $500 for having the most golfers representing an elementary school.  Lloyd Wood Middle School received the $500 prize money for the random drawing from all schools represented in the tourney.

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Area Businesses Support Nucor Steel Tuscaloosa Adopt-A-School Tennis Tournament

In addition to Nucor Steel Tuscaloosa, title sponsor for the Adopt-A-School Tennis Tournament, many area businesses also provided support to the Adopt-A-School program through this annual event. As well as providing support as an adopter or sustainer, Ellis Architect, Harrison Construction Company, JVC America, Learning Experiences, McGiffert & Associates, NHS Management, Phifer Incorporated, Planit Solutions, TuscaloosaToyota and The University of Alabama all served as Eagle Sponsors for the tournament. 

2008 Nucor Steel Tuscaloosa Tennis Tournament Donors
Thanks to these businesses for donations of goods and services

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Women's Doubles Teams Hit the Courts for Adopt-A-School

The sixteenth annual Nucor Steel Tuscaloosa Adopt-A-School Tennis Tournament was held on September 18^th at Indian Hills Country Club. Thanks to Title Sponsor, Nucor Steel Tuscaloosa, and Eagle Sponsors, Ellis Architect, Inc; Harrison Construction Company; JVC America; Learning Experiences; McGiffert & Associates; NHS Management; Phifer Incorporated; Planit Solutions; The University of Alabama; and Tuscaloosa Toyota, the benefit tennis tournament generated important funding for the Adopt-A-School Program. 

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Tuscaloosa City School System Opens Three New Schools

The Tuscaloosa City School System celebrated ribbon cutting ceremonies at three middle schools this month: Westlawn Middle School, Rock Quarry Middle School, and University Place Middle School.  All three schools were funded through the county-wide one-cent sales tax.  Board members, Central Office administrators, local dignitaries, and the system’s stakeholders attended each of the three events to show their support for the work being done in the system, as well as tour the brand new facilities.

On September 10, Westlawn Middle School celebrated with a ribbon cutting ceremony at the new facility located at 1715 Martin Luther King, Jr. Boulevard, the site of the old Central High School-West campus.  The facility sits on 16.4 acres and encompasses more 111,000 square feet of floor space with a capacity for 700 students. The state-of-the-art school contains administrative offices, media center, cafeteria, and 24 classrooms, six specialty classrooms, computer lab, career tech lab, family consumer science lab, art rooms as well as a band room, choral room, and 800-seat gymnasium.

Four days later, the Rock Quarry Middle School community had their day with a grand opening event.  The facility sits on 18 acres and encompasses more 37,370 square feet of floor space with a capacity for 400 seventh and eighth grade students in the middle school addition.  The sixth grade is housed in a wing of the elementary school. There are 12 regular classrooms and 4 elective classrooms.  Other features include administrative offices and 360-seat gymnasium with electronic scoreboard and sound system. The library/media center and cafeteria are shared with the elementary school.  Special features of the school include a main entrance set off by a large clear canopy structure, covered bus drop-off area, and beautiful landscaping.

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Tuscaloosa County School System Opens Three New Schools

The Tuscaloosa County School System was excited to open three new schools on August 7, 2008—Lake View Elementary, Northport Elementary, and Duncanville Middle. All three new schools were funded by the Tuscaloosa County temporary one-cent sales tax.

Each school held an open house and dedication program involving members of the Tuscaloosa County Board of Education, members of the county legislative delegation, local municipal officials and other elected officials, administration from the respective schools, and a representation of the school’s student body.

Lake View Elementary is located in eastern Tuscaloosa County and services students in Kindergarten through fifth grade.  Currently, the school has 615 students and a capacity of 800.  At Lake View, there are 37 classrooms, 2 common areas, 4 special education rooms, a large cafeteria, and 1 multi-purpose room.  The total cost of the project was approximately $12 million.  The grand opening and dedication ceremony was held on August 17, 2008. 

Northport Elementary School, adjacent to Tuscaloosa County High in Northport, serves students in Kindergarten through second-grade only.  The creation of Northport alleviated overcrowding at Huntington Place Elementary School.  Northport Elementary has 417 students, and it has a capacity for 800.  It has 41 classrooms, with a computer in each room.  It also features an art room, music room, a large cafeteria and a courtyard. The total cost of the project was $12.3 million.  The grand opening and dedication ceremony was held on August 10, 2008.

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Adoption Ceremonies Held for New Partnerships

Several new partnerships recently held official adoption ceremonies.  Tuesday, September 9, 2008, was an exciting evening for the students, parents, and staff of Huntington Place Elementary School as Pritchett-Moore, Inc. and Huntington Place Elementary officially united together to become Adopt-A-School partners.  Lin and Wilson Moore, of Pritchett-Moore, Inc. were on hand at the ceremony to complete the signing of the adoption certificate. Both Huntington Place Elementary and Pritchett-Moore, Inc. are very excited about this new partnership and are currently hard at work making plans for the rest of this promising new school year.

Rock Quarry Middle School’s adoption ceremony was held on September 14, 2008 at the ribbon cutting ceremony for the new school.  Superintendent Dr. Joyce Levey and Mayor Walt Maddox were both on hand as representatives from Alabama Credit Union and Merrill Lynch signed the adoption certificates, signifying their commitment to Rock Quarry Middle School.  Faculty, staff, parents, and children alike are excited about the new partnerships and the future of Rock Quarry Middle School. 

Finally on Tuesday, September 16^th, Northport Elementary School was formally adopted by The Credit Union of Alabama, FCU and Northport TaeKwondo Academy.  Lucy Sellers, principal welcomed the entire student body, faculty, staff and guests.  Loo Whitfield, Director of Adopt-A-School gave a brief explanation of what it means to be adopted and led the student body in a pledge to help and support each adopter.  Signing the adoption certificates were:  Michael Holt, Northport TaeKwonDo Academy; William Roberts, The Credit Union of Alabama, FCU; Scott Collins, Northport City Councilman, District 5; Mrs. Whitfield and Mrs. Sellers.  After the signing of the certificates, Mr. Roberts presented a check from The Credit Union of Alabama, FCU in the amount of $1000 to Mrs. Sellers for additional swings for the playground.  Both Northport Elementary and the business partners are looking forward to a busy and productive year.

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Regions Bank Provides Support for Collins Riverside Middle School

Robert Kuhn, local President of Regions Bank, and Robert Smith, Adopt-A-School coordinator for Regions Bank, recently attended the Collins Riverside Middle School PTO meeting and presented the school with a $2,500 donation.  The donation will be used to kick off a new computer lab capital campaign.  School faculty and staff identified the need for the new computer lab as a major need for Collins Riverside.  Regions Bank was able to provide the initial donation for the campaign and will continue to partner with the PTO to help raise additional funds. 

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Woodland Forrest Elementary School and Partners Establish LEADER Awards

The Woodland Forrest Elementary School faculty and staff are excited about the successful start of a new year and especially the establishment of the student LEADERship Awards Program.   

The first LEADERship Assembly was held in September and Adopt-A-School Partners were on hand to join in the celebration.  Nicole Nolen from RBC Bank and Buddy Fordham from Thompson Tractor helped recognize the students by presenting them with a “Woodland Forrest LEADER” hat. 

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Adopt-A-School Partners Help Teachers and Students at Vance Elementary

Southland International Trucks, Vulcan Materials, and Mercedes Benz U.S. International are all supporting the Vance Elementary school wide Reading Initiative in 2008 by supplying each teacher with $33.00 to purchase nine books throughout the months of October-May. Each month a student from each classroom who has made the most achievements in reading will be named “Reader of the Month” and will receive a book and certificate for their hard work.

The Adopt-A-School Partners provided teachers with funds for classroom supplies and each teacher at Vance Elementary received reams of copy paper, compliments of Southland International Trucks. Also, all the Adopters worked together to supply each grade level with a $100.00 field trip fund. The funds will be used to help lower the cost of field trips and cover the cost of the field trip for some students.

Additionally, in and effort to support the attendance goals in making AYP, Mercedes Benz U.S. International donated over 500 Alabama Adventure tickets. Each month, students who have perfect attendance are eligible for a random draw to receive an Alabama Adventure ticket.

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Partnerships Provide Health Screenings for Pre-K Students

The University of Alabama Capstone School of  Nursing recently provided free health screenings for children in nine of the 19 pre-kindergarten classrooms in the Tuscaloosa City School System.  Joining the UA nursing students were volunteers under the leadership of Sally Latham from the Tuscaloosa City Schools Health Occupations Organization, which is located at the Tuscaloosa Center of Technology; FocusFirst, a non-profit vision assessment agency; and UA volunteers.  This is the second year of the partnership between the Capstone School of Nursing and the Tuscaloosa City Schools.  The goal of the partnership is to identify early health issues that may affect young children.  Each year, the screening has been able to reveal issues that may interfere with some of the children’s ability to perform well in school. More screenings for the rest of the children are already scheduled for October and December.

Community businesses also joined in the efforts by providing lunch for the volunteers.  Those businesses include Jimmy John’s, McAllister’s, Quiznos, Sam's Club, and Mill Spring.  Any businesses wishing to send volunteers or donate supplies are encouraged to call Missy Stephens at 205-759-3773.

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Tuscaloosa City School System Places School Calendars on Website

This school year, the Tuscaloosa City School System has added a new feature to its website to provide access to information about events happening in the Tuscaloosa City Schools.  With a click of the mouse, stakeholders can quickly access the calendars from the school system as well as each individual school.  The new feature also allows users to select multiple schools to create a combined calendar that is personalized for their needs.  Also, in order to find out more information about a particular event, users can simply click on the event and its link. The calendars are updated in real time and will allow stakeholders to more easily find events at schools within the system. Try it today! http://www.tusc.k12.al.us/calendar/schoolcal.html

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Kimberly Tucker New Junior Achievement Program Manager

Kimberly Tucker recently joined the Junior Achievement Program as the local District Program Manager.  Kimberly is a native of Tuscaloosa, a product of the Tuscaloosa City School system, and a graduate of the University of Alabama.  She is also an active member of First Presbyterian Church. 

The Junior Achievement Program emphasizes business, citizenship, economics, entrepreneurship, ethics, character, financial literacy, and career development in its curriculum for grades Pre-K through 12.  Junior Achievement Program focuses on key skills that are not typically included in the normal classroom schedule.  Volunteers from the community mentor students and serve as role-models in order to teach the students what they will face in the “real world” after graduation.  Because Junior Achievement’s main subjects involve economics and government, it is usually taught during the social studies block.  The program currently has 14 schools involved, including 6 schools that joined the program just this year. Schools interested in having the Junior Achievement Program and volunteers interested in presenting the program should contact Kimberly Tucker, 205-759-3576 or ktucker@tusc.k12.al.us

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Read for the Record

The Tuscaloosa Public Library System is participating in the national Read for the Record campaign. On Thursday, October 2, 2008, the Tuscaloosa community is asked to read Corduroy by Don Freeman.  Read for the Record is a national campaign to promote reading among children and adults. Each year a different title is selected by a committee to be the centerpiece of the campaign.

A reading of Corduroy will take place at all three branches of the Tuscaloosa Public Library on Thursday, October 2, 2008:  the Main and Weaver-Bolden Branches at 10:00 a.m. and the Brown Branch at 3:30 p.m.  Stories, activities and crafts will also be offered. For additional information, contact the Main Branch at 205-345-5820 ext. 231.

All families, schools and local organizations are encouraged to support the program and enjoy the book, Corduroy!

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PLEASE REMEMBER...

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