







UPCOMING EVENTS AND DATES​
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Samford Field Trip
This Thursday (9/28) and Friday (9/29), we have a wonderful opportunity for lots of fun at Samford University!
One important note: Student’s will need to bring a picnic lunch from home! Do not send anything that needs to be heated or kept cold (unless you send ice packs). If at all possible, send their lunch in a paper or plastic bag that can be thrown away. Please label anything you send with your student.
We will start out the day by visiting an exhibit from Studio by the Tracks, which is featuring art from two of our students (Lori and Caroline)! We will do a little art appreciation scavenger hunt, and then head out to a picnic lunch on the quad at Samford.
Once we are done, we will head to the theatre to watch Mrs. B.’s production of The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe. Mrs. B. directs our Christmas drama program, and she is amazing. She graciously welcomes us to come see her Samford students around this time each year, and the plays are so fun!
The play starts at noon, and we will be back to school between 2 and 2:15 pm.
There is no cost to this field trip! But please remember to send your student with a picnic lunch on their day to attend. Anyone who attends both days will just get double the fun!
Please let us know if you have any questions!
Recap:
What? The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe play at Samford + Studio by the Tracks
When? Thursday 9/28 and Friday 9/29 from 10:30–2:15
Remember: Bring a picnic lunch from home!
Family Event at ASFA
Save the date for Saturday, February 3, 2024 for Puppy Pals at Alabama School of Fine Arts. We will have twenty free tickets complimentary from ASFA and once those are taken tickets we will have a 50% off code. Stay tuned for more info!
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OTM Miracle League
One of our incredible teachers, Mrs. Cathy, is gearing up for OTM Miracle League and would love to invite your student to play! Games will be played on 10/1, 10/8, 10/15, 10/22, and 10/29. If you are interested, please email Matt.bearden@regions.com.
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Basketball Announcement from Mr. Ethan
Save the dates for our upcoming basketball games! We will play on 10/3 (Tuesday) @ 1PM, 10/13 (Friday) @ 12PM, 10/19 (Thursday) @ 1PM, and 10/25 (Wednesday) @ 1PM. (Note: this is a tentative schedule, so please be aware that changes might occur). We will also host our annual Halloween game on Monday, October 30th and all students are encouraged to wear their costumes! Once we get into competitive games we will post rosters of those who will dress for each game. It will include every student enrolled to attend that day who is on the team, as well as potentially a few more based on numbers needed for the game. Most games will be played at Unless U, but specific details will be announced prior to each game.
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Cheer Announcement from Mrs. Cathy
Please save the above dates for basketball games. Cheerleaders will be able to dress on the days they attend but due to the amount of students interested in participating this year, we are unable to accommodate every student for every game. However, if the need arises, we may reach out and ask if your student would be interested in cheering on a day that he or she does not attend. Mrs. Cathy will also be sending out an important message regarding uniforms via Brightwheel next week, so please be on the lookout for that.
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Service Project for Vestavia Hills Methodist and Trinity UMC Food Share Program
One of our electives this fall focuses on community service. This happens in a variety of ways, but our students have been working hard on developing a service project that they can implement in our community! They have chosen to help make some "Blessing Bags" for families who participate in Vestavia Hills Methodist and Trinity UMC's Food Share Programs.
Our goal is to make bags for both moms and kids of the families that participate in food share programs. This would be a "little extra" for these Moms who are doing so much for their family's needs in challenging situations. Our students have already started writing encouraging notes to go in the bags. For the kids of these families, school and art supplies are a tangible need we can meet.
We will be collecting donations throughout the fall to put into these bags to pass on to families. We ask you to consider partnering with us and supporting our Unless U students who are working on serving our community! The items requested are:
Moms:
Gallon ziplock bags
Small makeup/tote bags (do not have to be new))
Trial/small size shampoo, conditioner, lotion, soap, body wash
Small tissue packs
Nail files
Toothpaste
Toothbrush
Floss
Unused makeup
Small hand sanitizer
Deodorant
Anything else along this theme
Kids:
Crayons
Pencils
Pens
Notepads
Erasers
Colored pencils
Markers
Small books
Anything else along this theme
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DROP IN DAY REQUEST
We are very excited to offer drop-in services for the first time in Unless U history! We are hopeful that this will meet real and concrete needs (and even preferences!) of our families.
Please complete the forms below to let us know which days in the month (starting in the fall semester) you will need for drop-in. The drop-in rate is $60 a day. If you also need Early & After care, this will be an additional $10 for that day. This charge will be added to your Brightwheel account once your request has been approved.
Drop-in days will be approved based on availability and processed in the order they are received. We will process all submissions on the 25th of the month preceding the request. For example, if you requested a day in October we will not process that submission until the 25th of September. We cannot guarantee approval of any dates. The only way to guarantee specific dates is to be enrolled for those days for the semester. Please know that we will do our best to accommodate all drop-in day requests.
HOT LUNCH PROGRAM
We are very excited to announce that Unless U will be providing hot lunches to our students in partnership with Vestavia Hills Methodist Church! For the month of October our order submission deadline is 5 pm, Monday, September 25th. The cost per meal is $4. Once you submit your order for the month, a charge for the number of meals you ordered that month will be added to your student’s Brightwheel account. We will maintain a list of which students ordered on each day, and we can only guarantee lunches if you sign up in advance.
Due to needing to order everything in advance, we will not be able to give refunds if your student does not attend on a day you have ordered lunch at this time.
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SCOOPS SCHEDULE AND UPDATES
There are updates and reminders of Scoops procedures that each student and parent should be aware of. They can be found in full at the bottom of the attached Scoops working schedule. Please make sure your student is dressed appropriately (close toe shoes, hair pulled back in a ponytail, etc.) so they are able to work. If you have any questions, please reach out to Ethan on Brightwheel.