Alberta Smith Elementary School

09/06/2026

Hello Shark Families,

We hope you are enjoying the four day weekend! We are getting settled into our routines and being reminded of our Shark Expectations. Please review these expectations with your shark by asking them what they mean (they are listed in Shark Bytes) and remind them they apply on the bus as well.

Here are your Family Shark Bytes for the week ahead.
https://docs.google.com/document/d/15YiFOHnSOi2d4C4DVqsDCjVIYJSgnuAtCpDGiMXz35Q/edit?tab=t.0

Our Back to School Nights are quickly approaching! The Meet and Greet provided the opportunity for you and your shark to meet the teacher and drop off school supplies. Back to School Night is an opportunity for teachers to discuss academics and expectations with our parents and guardians. The first Back to School Night, Sept. 8th, is for parents of students in grades 3-5 and Sept. 15th is for parents of students in grades K-2. You will go to your child's classroom at 6:00 to hear from teachers.

Enjoy the rest of this long weekend and we will see your shark Tuesday and you Tuesday night if you have a child/children in grades 3-5!

Thank you for your partnership,
Dr. Kline and Mr. Shook

Alberta Smith Elementary Family Shark Bytes September 6, 2026 To access the Family/Student Handbook click the link: Family/Student Handbook To access the Family Shark Bytes Archives, click the link: Archives To access the September PTA Newsletter, click the link: Newsletter Announcements W...

08/30/2026

Hello Shark Families,

We had a FINTASTIC first week of school! It was wonderful seeing our sharks' smiling faces return to the building :)

Thank you for your patience with the buses as some were later than others. Now that we're starting to get settled in, and with safety being our priority, we have discussed many items in the Announcements section of this week's Family Shark Bytes. Bailey Bridge is a very busy road in the morning with five schools being within a few miles of each other. We need to get our staff and students in safely without causing a traffic line on Bailey Bridge. Please do not arrive in the parking lot (loop or parking spaces) before 8 and pick up your sharks by 3:15 each day. Please also read about dismissal changes and picking up your shark early. All of these items are in our Family Handbook which is linked at the top of Shark Bytes.

We have included a link to a document in Shark Bytes to help explain our house system. All of our new sharks are now sorted into houses. Our kindergarten sharks will be sorted in a few weeks when they are more familiar with school. We will be wearing house colors each Monday and school colors/spirit wear each Friday this school year.

We are looking forward to having ALL of our sharks at school this week. Our older sharks will be taking the MAP tests soon so be sure to look at those dates for grades 3-5. As a reminder, there is NO SCHOOL Friday this week or Monday, Sept. 7. All important dates will always be listed in the calendar section.

Thank you for your partnership as we look forward to a great school year! https://docs.google.com/document/d/16X05rxQq9f30EuG3oTT5dr6BzjTZpGIyrahUbxjETbo/edit?tab=t.0

Dr. Kline and Mr. Shook

08/24/2026

Hello Shark Families,

Welcome to the 2026-2027 school year! Thank you for attending our Meet and Greet Thursday. Smith Family Shark Bytes will be emailed every Sunday at 5 PM and will include a calendar for the week, upcoming events, announcements, and links where you can find school and CCPS information. Inside the newsletter, we are including information about transportation, dropping off your shark, and joining the PTA. We realize that there is a lot to read at this time of year and many of you have children at multiple schools, so we are highlighting some of the most important things in this week's message.

-The buses will be running late the first few days of school. This happens every year as drivers are learning their routes and there is added time due to traffic. Please be patient.

-We need your help if you are dropping off your shark at school. We must follow our safety procedures. Please do not arrive before 8:00 AM (8:10 is preferred) in the loop or in parking spaces.

Arriving earlier to sit and wait creates the line that backs up to Bailey Bridge Road, makes the wait time longer, prevents our staff from being able to get into the parking lot, and blocks emergency vehicles. In fact, the front loop is the fire lane and cannot be used for parking - only drop off and pick up. If you arrive on time, we can flow and go!

-ALL STUDENTS in grades K-5 must be dropped off in the front loop. The gravel lot by the bus loop is reserved for our youngest sharks that are 3 and 4 years old and need more assistance getting out of the car. More drop off information is included in the link in Shark Bytes, so please review that information as well.

-The doors open and students enter the building at 8:10 each day. The tardy bell rings at 8:30. Students should be in their classroom seats when the bell rings at 8:30. Allowing your shark to ride the bus means they will never be counted tardy. If you bring your shark to school and there are no adults standing outside, your shark is tardy and you must park in the lot, then walk and sign them in. The front loop is the fire lane and there is No Parking. The loop will be coned off after the bell rings each morning.

-If you are picking your shark up from school, please do not arrive in the parking lot before 2:45 for dismissal. A line will quickly back up Bailey Bridge Road since, as stated above, the front loop is also our fire lane and cannot be used for parking - only drop off and pick up. Emergency vehicles must have access. Thank you for your help.

-Due to the time required to prepare for dismissal, no early dismissals will occur after 2:30 PM.

-Please read the Family Handbook that is linked. Details are given about all Alberta Smith topics :)

Here are your Shark Bytes for the first week of this fabulous new year!
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1WbcwgjmHp9U2Pf7MZzpktirsMy1jMwLer_sYP_62QZ8/edit?tab=t.0 =h.n448phnragyk

We look forward to seeing everyone soon!

Dr. Kline and Mr. Shook

Alberta Smith Elementary Family Shark Bytes August 23, 2026 To access the Family/Student Handbook click the link: Family/Student Handbook Announcements If you are new to Alberta Smith, welcome to the Shark Family! We hope you enjoyed our Meet and Greet/Supply Drop Off. Our next back to sch...

08/16/2026

Hello Shark Families,

Since the calendar is in a different format this year, we wanted to make sure you have all the days off, breaks, and early releases in one spot. We hope this helps as you make plans and schedule appointments!

08/16/2026

Hello Shark Families,

Our Meet and Greet Day is almost here! Although you can see your child's teacher name in ParentVUE, please remember that we have students still being registered and changes can occur. You will receive an email from your child's teacher Wednesday evening to tell you their name and room number. Make sure you have that information so you will know where to drop off supplies Thursday evening. After dropping off supplies, you will meet the teacher at the bus loop.

Speaking of ParentVUE…Synergy has updated its ParentVUE and StudentVUE mobile apps. You will need to use the latest version of the app to access your account.

To update:
-Open the Apple App Store (iPad/iPhone) or Google Play Store (Android).
-Search ParentVUE (New) or StudentVUE (New).
-Tap Update.
-Illustrated instructions for Activating the ParentVUE Mobile App are available on the CCPS website.

We are sending you a map of where grade levels will be located Thursday. Due to limited parking, we have staggered times based on your last name. If your family has multiple last names, pick which time works best for you :)

Here is the Meet and Greet Map with details of the evening.
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1TnMVwrUaSNihS4L4zDk2Ium4Y01uhOn579qsKb2K-ig/edit?tab=t.0

We will be sending a Family Shark Bytes next Sunday with LOTS of information, including the Parent Drop Off process. Please look out for the Family Shark Bytes email every Sunday at 5 PM.

We look forward to seeing you Thursday!

Dr. Kline, Mr. Shook, and the Alberta Smith Staff

Alberta Smith Elementary School WELCOME BACK! DATE: August 20, 2026 WHAT: Meet and Greet & Supply Drop Off WHO / WHEN: Last Names A - L (5:00 - 5:45 PM ) and Last Names M - Z (6:00 - 6:45 PM) WHERE: -Teachers will be located in the Bus Lo...

05/25/2026

Hello Shark Families,

Although it was a bit chilly, we only had a few sprinkles and LOTS of fun on Field Day! Thank you to those who volunteered so that we could have many activities for our sharks; thank you to our PTA for providing Kona Ice; and a huge thank you to Mrs. Latura for all of her planning and organizing. It was a fantastic day thanks to our Shark Community!

We hope you are enjoying the Memorial Day Weekend! Now that we start school in August, Memorial Day means the beginning of the last week of school! There is no school Monday, and Wednesday is our 5th Grade Celebration. There was a calendar change a few months ago since we had so many snow days this year - which made Thursday a full day and an Early Release Day Friday, the last day of school. We go to school FULL DAYS Tuesday through Thursday. As a reminder, NO PAPER REPORT CARDS will be sent home this quarter. Report Cards will be visible in ParentVUE starting June 4.

It's hard to believe this is our last Family Shark Bytes for the 25-26 school year!
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Cb_e5dlthHZ6nhuoBDJXY2MHOYEDMHAYhVGM8rVBFz8/edit?tab=t.0

THANK YOU for volunteering for events this year! We look forward to seeing you and having you volunteer during the 2026-27 school year! Please save the date for August 20, our Meet and Greet/Supply Drop Off. Details will be sent later this summer but it will be held from 5-7 PM. Look for Summer Shark Bytes with more information about next school year.

THANK YOU, families, for your support and partnership and have a wonderful summer!

Dr. Kline, Mr. Shook and the Alberta Smith Staff

Alberta Smith Elementary Family Shark Bytes May 24, 2026 To access our Family Hub, click the link: Family Hub To access the Family Shark Bytes Archives, click the link: Archives SOL Testing Information SOL testing continues this week for our 3rd-5th grade students who need to make up or ret...

05/17/2026

Hello Shark Families,

Our annual Field Day is Friday! Please remember that due to parking availability and for the safety of our sharks, visitors are not allowed on Field Day - only volunteers who are registered through the office. Since we have LOTS of volunteers and limited parking areas, please carpool with a friend or neighbor if possible. Please make sure your child comes to school with sunscreen on, wearing appropriate clothes and sneakers, and brings a water bottle, hat, sunglasses, etc. Kindergarten and new students will get their FREE field day shirt on Friday and will change into it before Field Day starts. We ordered the shirts last year larger with the hope that sharks could wear them 2 years in a row. Your shark can wear last year’s field day shirt or their house color shirt.

We have a couple of family events this week! Tuesday at 6 is our Spring Concert for Chorus Parents. Wednesday is our Buy One Get One (BOGO) Book Fair Family Night from 3:30-6 PM. Come get some books to read over the summer!

We will also complete our final lockdown drill of the school year this week. Fire, tornado, earthquake, bus and lockdown drills prepare our sharks for emergency situations to ensure their safety.

As we enter the last two weeks of school, we want to keep as much structure as possible. This week we had several tardies and early dismissals. If your shark doesn't ride the bus, they should be in their seats when the bell rings. What may seem like only a few minutes has them walking into class after the teacher has already begun the day and leaving early disrupts the classroom environment. Please remind your shark, as we are, to follow our expectations each day. Self Control, Honesty, Accountability, Respect and Kindness should be shown everywhere in the building and while on the bus so our fun events will be fun for all.

Here is this week's edition of Shark Bytes.
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1OLyKLExIK5wdAPzZgWFbDNCj0QsIFPG5PH_Ivk3hKMU/edit?tab=t.0 =h.n448phnragyk

Thank you for your partnership,
Dr. Kline and Mr. Shook

Alberta Smith Elementary Family Shark Bytes May 17, 2026 To access our Family Hub, click the link: Family Hub To access the Family Shark Bytes Archives, click the link: Archives SOL Testing Information SOL testing continues this week for our 3rd-5th grade students who need to make up or ret...

05/16/2026

Congratulations, Class of 2026 🎉🎓We wish you the very best! Remember, once a shark ALWAYS a shark 💙🦈

05/10/2026

Hello Shark Families,

We want to wish a Happy Mother's Day to all of our Shark Moms. Thank you for all you do!

We also want to thank you for the donations and gifts for Teacher/Staff Appreciation Week! Nurse Braxton planned an eventful (and delicious) week for us and we are so thankful for our PTA and parents!

Reminders

-The last PTA Meeting of the school year will be Tuesday, May 12th at 6 PM. You can attend in person or online via Google Meet (the link is in Shark Bytes).

-Although we only have 3 more weeks of school, we need our sharks here every day (unless they are sick) since the teachers are finishing the curriculum and we are giving our Math and Virginia Studies SOL tests, as well as retakes and make ups. Please help us remind our sharks that we should continue showing our expectations which are: Showing Self Control, being Honest, being Accountable, Respectful and showing Kindness.

-We are out of school for Memorial Day Monday, May 25, and only have four days of school after that; then it's summer break and vacation time!

Here is this week's edition of Shark Bytes.
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1ymbFAiy9Qu9KkJdE31RKBejB_VBajzXOzeE8eQO2X0M/edit?usp=drivesdk

Thank you for your continued support,
Dr. Kline and Mr. Shook

Alberta Smith Elementary Family Shark Bytes May 10, 2026 To access our Family Hub, click the link: Family Hub To access the Family Shark Bytes Archives, click the link: Archives SOL Testing Information SOL testing continues this week for our 3rd-5th grade students. Please check the dates ...

05/03/2026

Hello Shark Families,

Teacher/Staff Appreciation Week is here! We are so thankful for everything our teachers do for our sharks and we are planning something for them each day this week! Our PTA has created a calendar of items that your child can participate in and that is linked in Shark Bytes.
Also, Wednesday is Nurse's Day, and we want to thank Nurse Braxton and Mrs. Clark for taking care of our sharks when they are injured or sick. THANK YOU to all of our shark teachers and staff!

May is moving at warp speed and we have lots of activities in these last four weeks! Please check the calendar to keep up with what's happening when 🙂

Reminders:

-Due to testing and end of year activities, visitor lunch has ended for this school year. We look forward to seeing you again in September!

-The CCPS Cell Phone Policy that began January 1, 2025 includes smart watches and trackers as well. All devices are to be turned off and stored in backpacks. The policy can be found here.

-While our school office is open until 4, teachers are able to leave by 3:15 each day. If you send an email or call the school after 3:15, your communication will be returned within 24-48 hours. If there is communication after 3:15 on a Friday, it will be returned the next business day.

Here is the latest edition of Shark Bytes!
https://docs.google.com/document/d/11t31j1fB9gpugEuqlSfHHSKuh_LfNpswJEO7j2jwME0/edit?usp=drivesdk

Thank you for your partnership,
Dr. Kline and Mr. Shook