Skip to main content

West Elementary School

We Experience Success Together

November 2026 Newsletter

Posted Date: 10/26/26 (07:00 PM)
View Original Post

West Elementary

November 2026 Newsletter

A light blue and a carved orange jack-o-lantern sit on a hay bale outdoors.

Red Ribbon Week

October 26th-30th

Dress Up Days

Monday, October 26- Wear Red
Tuesday, October 27- Favorite Decade
Wednesday, October 28- Athleisure Wear
Thursday, October 29- Favorite Team
Friday, October 30- Costume (West Fest 12:00-2:30)

We encourage all students to participate in the dress-up days for Red Ribbon Week while following the Cullman City Schools dress code. On October 30th, please avoid wearing Halloween costumes that could be frightening to some students. We look forward to a fun week!

West Fest

Friday, October 30th (12:00 - 2:30)

Chocolate Sale Winners
  • The homeroom pizza party will be during the designated grade-level lunchtime at the picnic areas.
  • Bland
  • Meharg
  • Kallhoff
(Everyone will be dismissed at 11:55 to their initial areas)
3rd grade will start their rotation at the Football field
4th grade will start their rotation at the Nesmith field
5th grade will start their rotation at the Gym.
 
(West Fest)
  • 12:00 - 12:45 (1st area time)
  • 12:50 - 1:35 (2nd area time)
  • 1:40 - 2:30 (3rd area time)
(Football field → Nesmith field → Gym → Football field)
  • Gym: Carnival Games, Popcorn, Cotton Candy, Face Painting (Art/Music Room)
  • Nesmith: Basketball, Games, and Water Balloons (Mr. Shannon)
  • Field: Inflatables, Obstacle Course, Inflatable Slide, Velcro Inflatable, and Games. 

Veterans Day Celebration

Monday, November 9th (8:30 - 9:30)

We look forward to celebrating the veterans of our armed forces and their families, beginning with a welcome in the West Elementary lunchroom at 8:30. This will be followed by a light breakfast and honoring their service to our country.

If your family has a service member you would like to attend our ceremony, please complete the Google Form below.
Veterans Day RSVP

CHS Dancer For A Day

 CHS DANCER FOR A DAY! 

 Calling all future Bearcats in K–6th grade! 

Come spend an exciting afternoon with the Cullman High School Dance Team at our Dancer for a Day clinic! This is a fundraiser supporting our CHS Dance Team, and we can’t wait to dance with you! 

 Here’s what’s included:
 Learn a dance routine to perform at halftime of the varsity boys basketball game!
 Learn stand dances and cheer on the Bearcats!
 Receive a FREE T-shirt!
 Enjoy dinner with the CHS Dance Team!
 Participate in fun activities and make new friends! 

**No previous dance experience required!**

 Thursday, November 5th
 4:00 PM
 CHS Auxiliary Gym
 Cost: $60 per dancer
 Performance during halftime of the varsity boys basketball game!

 HOW TO REGISTER:
Complete the registration form using the link below. Once you submit your form, you will be sent the GoFan payment link to complete your $60 registration.

We can’t wait to dance, cheer, and show off our Bearcat pride with you! 

Thank you for supporting the CHS Dance Team!
Registration Link

West Elementary PTA Information

Thank You for Your Support and Participation!


Thank you to all our families for your support and participation in our chocolate fundraiser! Your involvement is essential to making activities and rewards possible for our students, and we truly appreciate your ongoing support of our school. Students who sold the required two boxes of chocolate will have the chance to throw water balloons at me during Red Ribbon Week. The winning homerooms will also celebrate with a pizza party on October 30th.

Thank you again for supporting our school and helping make this fundraiser a success. We appreciate your partnership and look forward to celebrating our students' hard work and achievements!

October/November Dates & Events

10/26-10/30 Red Ribbon Week
10/30 West Fest (12:00 - 2:30)
11/9 Veterans Day Breakfast
11/11 School Closed
11/12 3rd Grade Field Trip (link)
11/13 Progress Reports Go Home
11/17 3rd Grade Thanksgiving Lunch
11/18 4th & 5th Grade Thanksgiving Lunch
11/19 James and the Giant Peach Performance (CHS)
11/23-11/27 Thanksgiving Break
A November 2026 school lunch menu calendar with autumn leaf illustrations and daily meal options.

AR Reading Incentives

 Important Starting Points:
  •  3rd Grade: Students must reach 10 AR points to receive their first prize.
  •  4th–5th Grade: Students must reach 20 AR points to receive their first prize.
After reaching their first milestone, students can continue working toward the next point levels and earning additional rewards! 
Please encourage your students to keep reading, taking their AR quizzes, and working toward their next milestone. Every point counts, and we want to celebrate their hard work and love of reading! 
A few reminders:
  •  Points must be earned through AR quizzes.
  •  Rewards are based on the point levels shown on the chart.
  •  Students can stop by the library when they reach a new milestone to receive their reward.
  •  Encourage students to keep reading after earning a prize and see how far they can go!

WES Yearbook Information

A colorful promotional flyer for 5th grade honor ads, priced at $45.00, with a deadline of January 15, 2027.
A promotional graphic announces yearbooks are on sale for $35.00, featuring graduation caps, a camera, and a yearbook illustration.
Yearbook Link

Alabama Literacy Act

What is the Alabama Literacy Act

To implement steps to improve the reading proficiency of public-school kindergarten to third grade students and ensure that those students are able to read at or above grade level by the end of the third grade by monitoring the progression of each student from one grade to another, in part, by his or her proficiency in reading.​
A flyer titled 'Family Literacy Resources' features QR codes for Phonemic Awareness, Phonics, Fluency, Comprehension, and Vocabulary, plus a YouTube Series logo.
An informational poster titled 'RECURSOS DE ALFABETIZACION FAMILIAR' with five QR codes for phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, comprehension, and vocabulary.
 

Family & Community | ARI Newsletter for Education

The Alabama Reading Initiative (ARI) is a statewide K-3 initiative committed to supporting the development of high-quality instruction that will prepare all students with the literacy skills needed to meet or exceed grade-level standards. The goal of the ARI is to significantly improve reading instruction and ultimately achieve 100% literacy among public school students. Read more here
Conversations in the Car
Grocery Store Conversations
 

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