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CONSTRUCTION & SCHOOL PLANNING UPDATE
Dear Families,
This past week, the brick was completed on the exterior and all of the windows and doors have been installed! They began work on the interior insulation and will begin the drywall and the exterior siding on Monday. Also, our contractor, Steve Hubrich, shared these pictures that were taken on Wednesday of our site by a drone. Aren’t they fantastic?
I know that all of us, staff and parents, are anxiously awaiting Governor Cooper’s decision on July 1st about the re-opening of schools for the fall. We are developing alternative plans under each scenario to ensure the safety of our students and staff, in addition to meeting the academic and social-emotional needs of our students. Therefore, it is very important for you to complete the ACS Family Survey for the 2020 School Entry Plan to help inform and guide some of our decisions. The ACS Family School Entry Survey needs to be
completed ASAP and by July 4th, at the latest. So far, 171 families have completed the ACS Family Technology Survey. If you haven’t completed the survey about technology, please do so. This survey is providing us with important information regarding your technology resources and needs for potential remote/ virtual learning.
It is very important for you to complete the ACS Family Survey for the 2020 School Entry Plan ASAP.
I know I may be “preaching to the choir”, but as a charter school, ACS has the advantage and the ability to operate in a smaller, safer, more controlled environment. I explained it this way to a parent on Tuesday. I am laser focused on ensuring that our 400+ students and 30+ staff members are safe and that we are meeting the needs of our 400+ children in our care. A
traditional school district superintendent is having to take care of thousands of children and
hundreds of staff members. The ACS students and staff are my only focus and my top
priority! In a traditional school district, if something isn’t working at a school, the principal
will have to wait for the approval of an associate superintendent or superintendent which could take days and possibly weeks. If something isn’t safe or isn’t working, we have the capability to be flexible and quickly implement changes within hours, if needed, because essentially I am our “district superintendent”.
Our virtual “Morning” Meetings have been a huge success! We have 2 additional Kindergarten “Morning” Meetings scheduled for tomorrow. There are still 9 spaces available for the morning session, but the evening session is full. I told many families this past week that the meetings improved my overall mental health. It was such a delight to see all the smiling faces of our students and parents!! Thank you for participating and for all your kind emails and messages. We plan to host more virtual grade level meetings in the coming weeks, in addition to virtual parent information sessions so that we can share our plan for opening school in the fall and answer questions.
MORNING MEETING SIGNUPS
Additional Kindergarten "Morning" Meetings for Monday, June 29th at 10:00 am (9 Spots still available)
REGISTRATION UPDATE
Make sure you have started the Registration Process if your child has been offered a position. Also, tell your friends and family that they can still apply to attend ACS for the 2020-2021 school year. Here is the link to apply: ACS Application
As a parting thought, this past week I was searching for additional resources for our families. I wanted to be sure you knew about NC Kids. NC Kids is a digital library with online books available in ebook, video, and audio formats. The library collection ranges from beginning reader to young adult. You can also access these books on the go with the Libby App from NC Kids. A library card is required in order to borrow books from this digital library. I hope everyone is staying safe and enjoying the summer break.
Best,
Leslie Paynter, M.Ed.
Managing Director
SCHOOLMINT & REGISTRATION
If you have questions about your SchoolMint account or questions about uploading records,etc., please email Jen Adler at jennifera+acs@chartersuccesspartners.com or call 919-479-1442 extension 707.
Jen manages our SchoolMint account and is able to assist with your questions on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.
If you have been offered a spot for your child to attend, I strongly encourage you to accept the offer and begin the registration process ASAP.
Also, make sure that you are contacting your child’s doctor and school offices to access their records for the registration process. If your child’s doctor’s appointment isn’t until the summer, upload all the other documents and in that spot, upload a picture of the doctor appointment date.
As long as status is "Registration in Progress," you will not lose your spot. We understand that it is still difficult to get certain documents and appointments and that many students will not receive a final report card until mid-June.
MY FAVORITE BOOKS FOR THE WEEK:
This Teachable Moment offers a primer on Project Based Learning (PBL) for parents with 21 easy-to-implement, “follow the recipe” PBL projects, informed by educational research and designed for children of all ages and capabilities within your household.
These projects can be used to keep your kids learning, growing, and discovering during school shutdowns and long breaks, all while giving you the space and time needed to stay productive. Here is the link to download the FREE e-book:
PBL Works also has a FREE 45-minute webinar with the authors of This Teachable
Moment, Bob Lenz and Laureen Adams, to help you get started in launching a
project or two with your kid(s) at home. Here is a link to the recorded webinar:
BEFORE & AFTER CARE
The Before and After School information provided by Genesis Athletics is on our website at: Before & After School Care. There is a Registration Form that you can complete. If you have any questions,
or if you would like more information, please contact Evelyn Kreiley at
evelyn.kreiley@gmail.com or at 585-738-7360
Be sure to tell your friends and family that they can still apply to attend ACS for the 2020-2021 school year. Here is the link to apply: ACS Application
CALL FOR EXTRA LEGOs, BLOCKS, BUILDING TOYS & BOOKS
If you are doing “spring cleaning”, we would love to have any extra Puzzles, LEGOS, blocks, and building materials for our LEGO/Engineering class and classrooms. Also, if you have children’s books (all levels) that you are no longer using, please set those aside for us too!
HOW TO TALK TO CHILDREN ABOUT COVID-19
The National Association of School Psychologists has developed this resource for parents regarding how to talk to children about COVID-19. National Association of School Psychologists
LARRY FERLAZZO - NY TIMES BLOGGER - TEACHING K-12 ONLINE RESOURCES
HIGH QUALITY FREE WEBSITES & APPS - High Quality Educational Resources and Apps
FREE BOOSTERTHON RESOURCES - Boosterthon Access Code: AtHome Boosterthon on Facebook
Don’t forget to check our website and Facebook page for previous messages & more school information! www.alamancecommunityschool.net and
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