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West Elementary School

We Experience Success Together

September 2026 Newsletter

Posted Date: 08/27/26 (10:09 AM)
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West Elementary Newsletter

September 2026

The logo features the letters 'W' and 'E' in gold with white outlines on a black background.

Open House 2026

A man in a suit and a woman in a blazer stand with a mascot wearing a jersey with '95' and striped pants.
A group of smiling people pose with a mascot in a school hallway.
Five educators stand together in front of a bulletin board with colorful decorations and text.
Six women stand together in front of a backdrop with the West Elementary School logo.
Two smiling women stand in front of a colorful mural depicting a street scene with awnings and flowers.
Five women stand together in front of a backdrop of black and gold balloons.
Six women in matching black t-shirts stand in front of a banner that reads "WEST IS BEST", decorated with black and gold balloons.

Thank You!

Several individuals and businesses around Cullman provided meals for our teachers and made donations toward our school's sponsor's t-shirt. Thank you for your continued support of Cullman City Schools and West Elementary.
Desperation Church
First National Bank
A dark grey t-shirt with 'CULLMAN' and a tiger logo on the front.
Logos of various businesses including Premier Bank, Dr. Matt Dellinger Dentistry, Mitch Smith Chevrolet, and Culpepper Auto Sales.
 
Spirit Shop Order Link

September

Attendance Awareness Month

Dear West Elementary Families,

We want to thank you for your continued partnership in helping our students have a successful school day. One important way families can support student learning is by ensuring that students arrive at school on time each morning.

Students are expected to be in class and ready to learn by 7:55 AM. Any student who arrives after the 7:55 AM tardy bell will be considered tardy. Tardies are cumulative over each nine-week grading period.

Excessive tardiness can be detrimental to an individual student and can also disrupt the learning environment for the entire class. Even a few minutes of missed instruction can add up over time and impact a student's academic progress.

Additionally, students miss valuable instructional time when they are checked out early. We strongly encourage parents and guardians to schedule appointments when possible outside of the school day and to pick up students at the normal dismissal time.

We appreciate your help in making sure your child arrives on time each day and remains at school for the full instructional day.

Thank you for your continued support of West Elementary School and our commitment to providing every student with the opportunity to learn and succeed.

Sincerely,

Dr. Chad Shannon
Principal
West Elementary School


 
Build Good Habits of Attendance
Infographic titled 'Help Your Child Do Well in School: Build the Habit of Good Attendance' with tips and a calendar.

September Dates & Events

United Way Hat Day event poster with "HAT DAY" in large blue letters, featuring various hats and donation information.
9/1/26 United Way Hat Day

9/7/26 Labor Day (School Closed)

9/17/26 Fall Picture Day

A stylized illustration of a roaring big cat's head with green eyes and sharp white teeth.
9/4/26 CHS Cheer Spirit Items Before School

9/11/26 CHS Cheer Spirit Items Before School

9/18/26 Progress Reports Go Home

 

Fall Picture Day Information

Information about Picture Day on Thursday, September 17, 2026, with instructions in English and Spanish.
A flyer displays various photo package options with prices and sizes, including 'Family Package', 'A', 'B', 'C', 'D', 'E', 'F', and 'G'.

Cullman High Cheer Clinic

Please join the Cullman High School cheerleaders for the 2026 Cullman Cheer Youth Clinic fundraiser on the field at Oliver Woodard Stadium! All K-6th graders are invited Friday, September 4th, from 4:30-7 PM to join this fun fundraising event.

You will drop off your participant at the CHS Main Gym at 4:30 PM. Your child will learn cheers, chants, and dances to perform on the field before the game. Participants will wear the provided t-shirt and eat dinner with the cheerleaders before the game. Varsity cheerleaders will escort participants to the field. Parents will meet us on the CHS field at 6:40 PM.

***The payment deadline is Thursday, August 27th by 5:00 PM to receive a participant t-shirt to wear on the field. The cost is $60 each. Participants can register at the door, but no t-shirt will be provided. We can't wait to see your cheerleader@ Please use this link to pay.

CHS Cheerleader Spirit Items

Gameday Items

Friday will be a Black & Gold Day! Wear your black and gold colors to school as the Bearcats take on Hartselle for their first home game. High school cheerleaders will be at our school from 7:15 to 8:00 AM on Friday, selling items for students to purchase before school begins.

Before and After School Timelines

Arrival and Dismissal Information

Before School
7:00-7:30 Early Morning Care
7:30-7:45 Drop Off
7:45-7:55 Scheduled Classroom Arrival 
7:55 Tardy

After School
2:55 Begin Dismissal of Students
2:55-3:10 Scheduled Dismissal 
3:20-5:30 Extended Day Program

 

Arrival

3rd & 4th Grade Drop Off

  • Between 7:30 - 7:45 AM, 3rd and 4th-grade students report to the lunchroom. 
  • Students can eat breakfast or sit and wait until 7:45 AM when they report to their homeroom.  
  • If you have a 5th-grade sibling who attends West Elementary, you can drop all your children off at the Rosemont Avenue entrance. 
  • Please note that if you arrive before 7:30 AM, some parents will drive around the barricade to drop off for Extended Morning. At 7:30 AM, our police officer will remove the barricade and allow you to drive up to the awning to drop off your child.
  • Students arriving after 7:55 will need to be accompanied to the office by an adult.

5th Grade Drop Off

  • 5th-grade students can be dropped off in the Gym Parking Lot between 7:30 and 7:45 AM, moving west to east on 3rd Street.
  • 5th-grade students can have breakfast in the gym or wait until 7:45 AM to report to their homeroom. Our lunchroom staff will be providing breakfast for 5th graders in the gym.
  • If you have a younger sibling who attends West Elementary, you can drop all your children off at the Rosemont Avenue entrance. 
  • Students arriving after 7:55 will need to be accompanied to the office by an adult.
Aerial view of a school campus with labeled roads: McNabb Road SW, 3rd Street SW, Rosemont AVE, and Highway 278.

Dismissal

3rd Grade Pick Up

  • Please have the car tag with the student and teacher names visible for teachers to call inside the school for your student.
  • 3rd Grade homerooms dismiss at 3rd Street SW. Mrs. Chambers (3rd Grade), Mrs. Dial (3rd Grade), Mrs. Free (3rd Grade), Mrs. Kallhoff (3rd Grade), Mrs. Lewis (3rd Grade), and Mrs. Noblett (3rd Grade).

4th Grade Pick Up

  • Please have the car tag with the student and teacher names visible for teachers to call inside the school for your student.
  • 4th Grade homerooms dismiss at Rosemont. Mrs. (4th Grade), Mrs. Griffith (4th Grade), Mrs. Madden (4th Grade), Mrs. Needham (4th Grade), Mrs. Meharg (4th Grade)

5th Grade Pick Up

  • Please have the car tag with the student and teacher names visible for teachers to call inside the school for your student.
  • 5th Grade homerooms dismiss at the Gym Parking lot. Mrs. Baldy (5th Grade), Mrs. Bland (5th Grade), Mrs. Tucker (5th Grade), Mrs. Bradley (5th Grade), Mr. Smitt (5th Grade)
Aerial view of a school campus with labeled streets and grade levels.

ParentSquare Information

Parent/Guardian Resources

WES School & Teacher Communication

As you prepare for the 2026-2027 school year, please download the ParentSquare App. This app will be the main source of communication from our district, local schools, and teachers. 

 

Child Nutrition Program

School Lunch

LINQ Connect is a secure online platform that helps families manage school-related payments and
information—all in one place.
With LINQ Connect, you can:
• View and pay school fees through the Online Store
• Add funds to your student’s meal account
• Monitor meal balances and cafeteria purchases
• Set up automatic recurring payments
• Transfer funds between your students
• Set low balance alerts
• Submit free and reduced-price meal applications online
• View daily breakfast and lunch menus

Cullman City Schools offers free breakfast for all students during the 2026-2027 school year, promoting health and learning.
 

Travel Planning Guide

Our CCS family travel guide highlights important dismissal and holiday dates for our school. As you plan vacations, appointments, and other events for the upcoming year, please take note of the days when Cullman City Schools will be closed. We encourage families to schedule trips and appointments around these dates whenever possible, as this helps minimize missed instructional time.

Thank you for your continued support of West Elementary! We look forward to a great school year ahead!

Stay Connected to West Elementary

Parents, check out the calendar link above to keep up with all the important upcoming events on the WES Activities calendar.




 

A school calendar for Cullman City Schools, FY 2026-2027, displays monthly views from July 2026 to June 2027 with color-coded holidays and key dates.
 

Dr. Chad Shannon, West Elementary Principal

Phone: 256-734-4271
Twitter: @CShannonWES_P