MES students put together backpacks for students in the Houston area that lost all due to Hurricane Harvey destruction.

Parent E-Tip!!  Policy and Procedures on Student Absenses and Tardies

PBIS Procedures:

-All excessive check-ins or check-outs (more than twice per/week or missing more than 2 hours of class time per/week) should be addressed by the teacher. If the student has excessive unexcused check-ins and check-outs, it will their grade since missed classroom work cannot be made up. The teacher should address this with the parent and student.

-If a student is absent 3 or more days in a week, teachers should call the parent/guardian to check on student. Teachers should remind the parents that they have 2-days to return an excuse for the student’s absence(s) or the absence(s) become unexcused and late work cannot be made up or accepted.

Tardy Procedures:

1.) After the student receives 6 late check-ins (tardies), administration will assign the student 1-day of in-school intervention (ISI).

2.) After the 8^th tardy, the administration will assign the student 1-day of ISI.

3.) After the 10^th tardy, the administration will assign the student 1-day of ASD.

4.) After each addition tardy, the administration will assign the student a day of ASD in addition to a mandatory parent conference.

Parent Volunteer Registration (click here)

 Volunteer Programs

Background Screening

In order to best address the issues of screening/background checks for Volunteers in the Tuscaloosa County School System, we need to clearly define the different levels of volunteer work.  Some of our volunteers help with clerical work, assist teachers with bulletin boards, tutor students, provide teachers with duty-free lunch, serve as chaperones on field trips, and assist with extracurricular programs. Some volunteers have minimal contact with students and are always under the supervision of a teacher, while other volunteers have direct contact with students with minimal supervision from a certified school employee.  Consequently, the spectrum of volunteer work at the local school can be extremely broad. Three categories of volunteers were identified.

1. Volunteer/visitors (level 1)who enter a school or one-time event of the school and have little or no direct unsupervised contact with children.  Examples might include non-classroom assistants, PTA/Booster Club functions, guest speakers, Grandparent lunch day, etc.
2. Volunteers with classroom exposure (level 2)who work with children as room parents, lunchroom monitors, classroom tutors and are always under the direct supervision of certified personnel.
3. Volunteers with restricted exposure (level 3)to children and may be indirectly supervised by school staff. This may include student volunteers, interns, one-on-one tutors, overnight chaperones and extracurricular program volunteers.

Level 1            (RAPTOR SCREENING)       

1. Be sponsored or approved by a school or district employee.
2. Provide some form of current government issued photo ID.
3. Sign in on a “Volunteer/Visitor sign-in Program” at the school office
4. Required to display a volunteer/visitor ID badge provided by the school

Level 2 

1. All level one requirements 
2. Complete a volunteer orientation program with the building Principal/designee (at most schools, will be the teacher/club sponsor/coach coordinating the activity).
3. If required, extracurricular program volunteers must comply with any applicable rules and/or regulations for that particular program (ie. AHSAA).

Level 3

1. All level one and two requirements
2. A complete background check through Employment Screening Services ($15.00 and completed online). Each school should have a link to the online program on its homepage. A completed background check is emailed to the principal/designee at the school. Volunteers may receive a TCSS volunteer badge with a principal’s approval.

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UA Football players Bo Scarbrough and Rashaan Evans visit MES fifth grade students, offering fantastic mentoring.

              Congratulations to Matthews Elementary Educators.  Pictured, from right to left, Mr. James Smith, winner of Tuscaloosa County Support Employee Award; Ms. Andra Craig, Nominee for Jacksonville State Hall of Fame Teacher of the Year, and Mrs. Laurie Presley, Nominee for Alabama Teaccher of the Year and winer of the Tuscaloosa County School System Representative for Alabama Teacher of the Year; Principal Dr. Tripp Marshall. 

Tuscaloosa Alumni Chapter of Kappa Alpha Psi mentors school 5th grade students on the art of tying a tie. Pictured mentors are Rev. H.P. Thomas, Rev. Greg Morris, Daboris Lanier, and David Hood.

"Libby Listens" program. This is a motivational and learning activity in which 2 very tame and trained rescue dogs, Libby and Levi, come out and let the children read to them.  The children were excited to meet the dogs, learn about the Metro Shelter, discover the difference between a tame dog and a wild dog and READ! 

               Books and Balls program, directed by William Tunnell, presented each student with a book and a ball.  A special visit from Santa Claus was quite a treat for all.  Our very own Lathum Cheatum played a soulful rendition of Away in A Manger, with Miss Geralyn Conner at CCA emcee.

    Students at Matthews Elementary who exemply the 7 Leader In Me Habits were rewarded with a Positive Behavior Talent Show....