McCalla Elementary School

New Teacher Orientation ✏️📘👏 We're so excited to greet our new educators and officially bring them into the JEFCOED family! You're joining a district committed to Inspiring Change and Creating Impact, one student at a time. We're so glad you're here!

Special thanks to Leslie Chatta and Shernell Lewis, our 2025-2026 Teachers of the Year, for sharing powerful words of encouragement and inspiration. We're also grateful to Gardendale High School, along with our many staff and volunteers who helped make the day such a success!

Supply lists are now available just in time for the upcoming Tax Free Weekend. See the attached supply lists for each grade.
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/146pK4wWoLgMVZ56f5wF76LuQFOaTyuQQ?usp=drive_link

We're looking for a 3rd grade teacher and a counselor to join our McCalla family.
Come be a Yellowjacket!

🎨Creativity was on full display at the Alabama Art Education Association Summer Board Retreat!🎨

Some members of our JEFCOED family were in attendance, and enjoyed a full schedule of exciting activities! Our educators painted Honey Bears with artist Jayne Morgan, toured the Birmingham Museum of Art and took part in a Shibori dyeing workshop at ArtPlay!

Members of our JEFCOED family in attendance include:
🎨Ashley Culwell, Shades Valley High School
🎨Jack Vest, McCalla Elementary
🎨Mary Jane Coker, McAdory Elementary

We're looking for new members to complete our team. If you, or someone you know is looking for a new school family, consider becoming a Yellowjacket. https://bit.ly/4kMzJ5k

Last week our @mccallaelem Robotics Team visited Brose manufacturing plant in Tuscaloosa. Check out their pictures and see what Brose had to say about the day.

Shout out to our fabulous Speech Language Pathologists, Catherine Grizzard and Hailey Baker! You ladies are amazing. Thank you for all you do to help our students be the best they can be.

From our Art Teacher, Mr. Vest: Please join me in congratulating the following students whose artwork was featured in the Mary Ann Culotta Jefferson County Schools District Visual Art Show: PRE-K: Brielle Munford KINDERGARTEN : Ashton Hawkins, Nasir Grimes, Courtlyn Champion, Callie Walden, and Jaxon Parker 1st GRADE: James Hunter Lawley, Kaleb Hutchins, and David Thompson 2nd GRADE: Julian Castrejon, Camila Zand, Mikiyah Grace, and Nahomi Nava Terrazas 3rd GRADE: Baylee Millender, Zachary Bell, Monica Perez-Garcia, Lauryn Steele, Cassidy Martin, and Kimberly Davila Lopez 4th GRADE: Tucker Huddleston and Miriam Robinson 5th GRADE: Elvira Dominguez Huitron, Tanna Madden, Mason Reynolds, Abby Jo Eaton, Cadence Clampet, Kynnedi Hoskin, Kariene Madison, Genesis Lara, and Aubrey Sylvas

McCalla welcomed seniors from McAdory High School yesterday for their Senior Walk through our school. Congratulations Seniors! Once a Yellowjacket, Always a Yellowjacket!

Thank you to our coaches, PTA, and volunteers for making our 2025 field day a success! Check out some of our favorite moments from the day and share your own.

Field Day is quickly approaching & we're throwing a sale! We will have a ONE DAY ONLY buy one, get one free Scholastic bookfair. Don't forget to set up an eWallet or transfer your spring book fair change to this fair. Visit https://www.scholastic.com/bf/mccallaelementaryschool.

Mrs. Tonya Thomas is McCalla's JEFCOED Strong Winner for pushing through and persevering after a terrible car accident last school year. She embodies strength and dedication to her students and we are so proud to call her a McCalla Yellowjacket! The JEFCOED Strong Award is a new honor that any non-administrative employee is eligible to receive. Employees at each school are asked to nominate co-workers who they think demonstrates the theme for the 9 weeks. The fourth nine weeks theme was "The Finish Line." The criteria for selection was an employee that stays committed, pushes through challenges, and reaches the finish line with impact. Each school has a committee who selects a winner for that campus. The school winners are entered into a selection pool, and two district winners are randomly selected to win a $100 visa gift card. That drawing will be Tuesday April 29th.

Thank you to our bus drivers who get our students to school safely every day. We appreciate you more than you know.

Congratulations to our Epic Treasure Chest winner - Abel Cockriel. The Book Blast is going strong as we approach these last few days of the event. It’s not too late to complete your Treasure Map, earn your prizes, and help your child’s teacher earn a shopping spree to purchase books and supplies for the classroom! When 60% of the classroom students register and invite 10+ friends and family members, that teacher will earn a $100 shopping spree. If ALL the classroom students invite 10+ friends and family members, the teacher will earn a $200 shopping spree. Visit https://app.booksarefun.com/MccallaES35022 to participate! #booksarefun #bookblast #bookblastadventures #giveliteracy #kids #read ​ ¡Felicidades a nuestro ganador final del Cofre del Tesoro - Abel Cockriel! ¡La Book Blast está en pleno apogeo mientras nos acercamos a los últimos días del evento! Todavía estás a tiempo de completar tu Mapa del Tesoro, ganar tus recompensas y ayudar a que el maestro de tu hijo gane una racha de compras para adquirir libros y material escolar para el salón de clases. Cuando el 60% de los estudiantes del salón se registren e inviten a 10+ amigos y familiares, ese maestro ganará una racha de compras de $100. Si TODOS los estudiantes del salón invitan a 10+ amigos y familiares, el maestro ganará una racha de compras de $200. ¡Visita https://app.booksarefun.com/MccallaES35022 para participar!

Congratulations to our final Treasure Chest winner - Ariyah Goodgame. The Book Blast is going strong as we approach these last few days of the event. It’s not too late to complete your Treasure Map, earn your prizes, and help your child’s teacher earn a shopping spree to purchase books and supplies for the classroom! When 60% of the classroom students register and invite 10+ friends and family members, that teacher will earn a $100 shopping spree. If ALL the classroom students invite 10+ friends and family members, the teacher will earn a $200 shopping spree. Visit https://app.booksarefun.com/MccallaES35022 to participate! ​#booksarefun #bookblast #bookblastadventures #giveliteracy #kids #read ​¡Felicidades a nuestro ganador final del Cofre del Tesoro - Ariyah Goodgame! ¡La Book Blast está en pleno apogeo mientras nos acercamos a los últimos días del evento! Todavía estás a tiempo de completar tu Mapa del Tesoro, ganar tus recompensas y ayudar a que el maestro de tu hijo gane una racha de compras para adquirir libros y material escolar para el salón de clases. Cuando el 60% de los estudiantes del salón se registren e inviten a 10+ amigos y familiares, ese maestro ganará una racha de compras de $100. Si TODOS los estudiantes del salón invitan a 10+ amigos y familiares, el maestro ganará una racha de compras de $200. ¡Visita https://app.booksarefun.com/MccallaES35022 para participar!

McCalla Elementary Field Day Beach Bash 2025- May 9th McCalla Elementary PTA Calling all  Volunteers!   Please review the available slots below and click on the button to sign up. We encourage you to sign up for a volunteer time OPPOSITE of when your child will attend Field Day so you can enjoy playing with your child!   **PLEASE NOTE: NO SIBLINGS will be allowed to attend. Please sign in at the office as a volunteer when you arrive at the school. Teachers will stay with classes the entire day except during lunch. Lunch volunteers will be in each teacher's classrooms to monitor students as they eat their lunch. 1 adult volunteer will need to pick up sack lunches for that class in the lunchroom. Pre-K, Kindergarten, 1st, and 2nd grade will play from 9:00-11:00am Everyone will have lunch from 11:00-12:00 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade will play from 12:00-2:00pm Click on Sign Up Genius to Volunteer: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0F49ABAD22A5F8CE9-56303988-mccalla?useFullSite=true#/

Congratulations, Jeniyah Johnson, for being our 3rd Book Blast Treasure Chest winner! Way to go! There is still time to win the Epic Treasure Chest by inviting 10+ family members or friends: https://app.booksarefun.com/MccallaES35022. Let’s keep up the momentum to help build our students’ home libraries! ​ If you’d like to support our school and help all our students have access to more books, please donate here: (Community Contribution Link). Your support truly makes a world of difference in their education! #GiveLiteracy #BookBlast #bookblastadventures @go.booksarefun #goread #lovebooks Felicidades, Jeniyah Johnson, por ser nuestro tercero ganador del Cofre del Tesoro de la Book Blast! ¡Excelente trabajo! Aún hay tiempo para ganar un Cofre del Tesoro invitando a 10+ familiares o amigos: https://app.booksarefun.com/MccallaES35022. ¡Mantengamos el impulso para ayudar a construir las bibliotecas en casa de nuestros estudiantes! ​ Si deseas apoyar a nuestra escuela y ayudar a que todos nuestros estudiantes tengan acceso a más libros, por favor dona aquí: (Community Contribution Link). ¡Tu apoyo realmente marca una gran diferencia en su educación

Hey parents! Thank you all for making our 3rd Book Blast campaign such a success so far! We have given away all of our prizes at this time BUT your student will still receive a prize box for signing up when we get our books at the end of the event. Please do not think we will leave anyone out. We will distribute books and prizes as soon as they are available. It will take a couple of weeks after the close of our Book Blast to get all the materials in. We PROMISE we will hand out all prizes when they arrive. Thank you again for helping us get books into our students' homes!!!

Checkpoint achieved! The 2nd winner of the Book Blast Treasure Chest is DeAuri Westbrook. Congratulations! More treasure awaits ahead…. If you haven’t yet, register and enter contact info for 10+ people to support your adventurer’s home library and for the chance to unlock the next Treasure Chest: (RegistrationLink). ​ #readingadventure #literacymatters #booksaretreasure #BooksAreFun ​ Español: ¡Punto de control alcanzado! El segundo ganador del Cofre del Tesoro de la Book Blast es DeAuri Westbrook. ¡Felicidades! Ahora, ¡más tesoros te esperan por delante! Si aún no lo has hecho, regístrate e ingresa la información de contacto de 10+ personas para apoyar la biblioteca en casa de tu aventurero y tener la oportunidad de desbloquear el próximo Cofre del Tesoro: https://dxmejt6b.r.us-east-1.awstrack.me/L0/https:%2F%2Fapp.booksarefun.com%2FMccallaES35022/1/010001961a1ad5d5-7626228f-3379-41db-901d-6f6778ab59e4-000000/c0NFN_nI8EGOLaC7vdO4l7sQFX0=421

Wow - our Book Blast is off to a great start! Congratulations to Antonio Garcia for winning our first drawing prize: a Book Blast Treasure Chest! Our quest to level up our readers has never been so much fun! We’re blasting through our adventure to earn as many books as possible for our students. Register now and invite 10+ contacts to be entered into the drawings for our remaining Treasure Chests! ​ #booksarefun #bookraiser #bookblastadventures #epictreasurechest #treasure @go.booksarefun ​ Español: ¡Guau - nuestra Book Blast ha tenido un comienzo fantástico! ¡Felicidades a Antonio Garcia por ganar nuestro primer premio del sorteo: un Cofre de la Book Blast! ¡Nuestra misión de mejorar a nuestros lectores nunca ha sido tan divertida! Estamos avanzando a toda velocidad en nuestra aventura para ganar la mayor cantidad de libros posible para nuestros estudiantes. ¡Regístrate ahora e invita a 10+ contactos para participar en los sorteos de nuestros Cofres del Tesoro!