Alma Public Schools will be closed on Tuesday, February 18, 2025, due to winter weather. Plan A will be in effect: all offices and campuses closed, no school for students, and evening activities canceled. Updates for Wednesday, February 19th will be provided as soon as possible. Stay safe!
We’re proud to be a Purple Star School District at Alma! This means we’re committed to supporting students and families connected to our nation’s armed forces. To celebrate, we’re selling Purple Up t-shirts to wear every Friday in April! Let’s show our support by wearing purple! Check out the details below on how to get your shirt!
LINK: https://www.purpleupalma.com/#/
This is a friendly reminder about the upcoming make-up day on Monday, February 17, 2025 (Presidents' Day). To compensate for the missed school day due to inclement weather, this date has been designated as a make-up day, along with Monday, March 17, 2025. Please mark your calendars accordingly. For the full district calendar, please visit our website: www.almasd.net. Thank you for your understanding!
Exciting news, Airedale fans! Former Alma Varsity Boys Basketball Head Coach, Stan Flenor, is officially a Hall of Famer! He’s set to be inducted into the Arkansas High School Coaches Association Hall of Fame, and we’re throwing a celebration in his honor! Join us on Tuesday, February 25, 2025, as we recognize Coach Flenor during halftime of the varsity boys' basketball game against Van Buren. Plus, don’t miss the special reception before the games in the Hospitality Room! Let’s pack the arena and show Coach Flenor some love — congratulations, Coach!
Sip Into Something Sweet This Valentine’s Day! 🍓🥛
This Valentine’s Day, show your love for school food with a refreshing treat — strawberry milk! It will be available at all school locations on Friday, February 14th, so don’t miss out!
Did you know?
✅ Strawberry milk is a great source of protein, calcium, and potassium.
✅ Flavored milk can actually help kids consume less sugar overall.
✅ It provides the same essential nutrients as white milk — with a fun twist!
Be sure to grab a carton and enjoy this sweet surprise! Will you be trying it? Let us know! 💕
Literacy in Action! We’re putting the spotlight on literacy with the help of Mrs. Reeves, our District Literacy Specialist! Whenever exciting literacy moments happen in our classrooms, we’ll be here to share them with you. First up: Miss Shores' 1st Grade Class! As a first-year teacher, Miss Shores is already making a big impact! She led her students through an engaging lesson on phonemic and phonological awareness — key foundational skills for becoming strong readers. Her students were all in, fully engaged in the learning process! Next up: "Show Down" in Action! In this fun and interactive activity, students secretly wrote their answers on whiteboards before revealing them to Miss Shores. This exciting game, part of the Skills Block in the EL Curriculum, gave students a chance to practice previously taught phonics skills while Miss Shores collected data to track their progress. Way to go, Miss Shores and her 1st graders! Stay tuned for more Literacy in Action! 🚀📖
Slam Dunk Story Time keeps growing and thriving! This past Friday, between the girls' and boys' varsity basketball games, more than 75 excited kids gathered for an energetic and fun-filled story time. The event emphasized the power of community, with Dr. Urrutia serving as the guest reader. Kids left with big smiles, a sweet treat, and a brand-new book to take home. Mark your calendars for January 7, when Alma's mayor will be our special guest reader!
Join us on Friday, January 24th, during halftime of the varsity boys basketball game to honor Dr. Schlabach for his dedicated service to the Alma community and the Airedales. A reception will be held in the Arena Hospitality room at 5:15 PM before the games.
The Alma School District is making great progress with the Alma Forward 2040 initiative. As part of this effort, we are working to craft a new mission statement or slogan that embodies the district's values and vision. Staff members were invited to share their input, and this week, teacher representatives from each campus participated in a focused workshop to refine the ideas. During the session, the group reviewed various components of the Alma Forward 2040 initiative, identifying key words that resonate with our mission. They then worked in two teams to develop slogans of eight words or less based on these concepts. Through further discussion, the focus was narrowed to statements of six words or less. Each team selected their top two statements, and the group voted to determine the final two slogans to present to the entire staff for consideration. The next step will be a staff-wide vote, and we’re eager to share the final outcome with the public soon. In the meantime, check out our teachers collaborating on this meaningful project!
Slam Dunk Storytime was a slam dunk success, nearly tripling in size at Tuesday night’s varsity basketball games! The energy was off the charts, and we’re pumped to keep the excitement going. Huge shoutout to Alma Primary School Media Specialist Amanda Shores for being our MVP guest reader — she totally rocked it! 🏀📚🎉
Livestream Sponsorships - Be part of the Airedales action! Is your business interested in becoming a livestream scoreboard sponsor? Here’s your chance to connect with the community and support the team! As a sponsor, your business will enjoy: Your logo displayed on the livestream scoreboard during game day (example below). Public Service Announcements (PSAs) throughout the broadcast. Social media shout-outs to boost your visibility. Don’t miss this opportunity to support the Airedales and showcase your business. Contact Jerrod Burns at mburns@almasd.net or (479) 632-4791 to get started!
Last week at the Varsity basketball game, we kicked off our very first Slam Dunk Storytime! This new initiative is a fun way to encourage reading while students enjoy the excitement of the game. We invited all children to join us in the hospitality room for a brief read-aloud session, not just those from our home team. We’re thrilled to report that the event was a huge success, with 16 children in attendance, all of whom were fully engaged and excited throughout the story. Mr. Bullard did an outstanding job reading aloud, keeping the young audience captivated. After the story, the children received a treat from Scruffy to enjoy during the game. If you missed it, no worries! Slam Dunk Storytime will be held at every home varsity game, with new guest readers each time. We hope to see you there!
January marks School Board Appreciation Month! We want to express our sincere thanks to the devoted members of the Alma School District Board of Education for their steadfast dedication to our students, staff, and community. Your leadership and vision truly make a difference each day! Let’s take a moment to acknowledge their hard work and service!
The Christmas festivities at Alma School District have come to a close! Thank you for making this season so special. We hope your break is filled with rest, relaxation, and plenty of fun. Wishing you all a happy holiday season, and we look forward to seeing you back on campus on Tuesday, January 7th.
Last week, the Skokos Performing Arts Center-Alma celebrated their recent membership with the Fort Smith Regional Chamber of Commerce with a ribbon-cutting ceremony! We are incredibly proud of this amazing venue and everyone who contributes to making it such a special place for our community. If you haven’t already, be sure to check out their incredible lineup of entertainment and events by visiting skokospac.org. Don’t miss out on all the great performances — they’re worth seeing!
Gingerbread Fun at Alma Primary School! The holiday spirit was in full swing today as our kindergarten classes dove into a sweet and festive activity — creating gingerbread masterpieces! With icing, candy, and creativity flowing, the students had a blast bringing their gingerbread creations to life. To make the day even more special, some families joined in the fun, sharing laughter and making cherished memories together. What a delightful way to celebrate the season! Great job, kindergarteners! 🎄🍭🎉 For more images, be sure to visit the Alma School District Facebook page!
The generosity of our community continues to enrich the students of the Alma School District. Last week, the Hand to Hand Foundation brought joy to many families by organizing a toy giveaway at the Alma High School campus. Additionally, around 120 students benefitted from the Shop With a Cop program this past Saturday, made possible by the Alma Police Focus Group, local law enforcement, and numerous donors. Several of our dedicated counselors, including Brandi Brogan, Kristin Wagner, and Torie Goode, played a significant role in ensuring the success of this initiative. A heartfelt thank you to everyone in the district and the community for your contributions to these efforts.
All Alma School District campuses and offices will be CLOSED for the WINTER BREAK from Monday, December 23, through Friday, January 3, in observance of the Christmas and New Year's holidays. ASD employees will resume work on Monday, January 6, and ASD students will return to school for the second semester on Tuesday, January 7. On behalf of the Alma School District, we wish everyone a joyful and safe winter holiday break.
Mark those calendars! The Airedales are throwing a TOY TOSS party! Students can bring a toy and get in for free!
Although the Thanksgiving celebrations have come to an end, we just HAD to share these adorable snapshots from one of the Thanksgiving programs at Alma Primary School! In the week leading up to Thanksgiving, the kindergarten classes hosted a fun performance for their friends and family. A special thank you to the teachers who made it all happen! Sweet moments turned into memories.
