It is already time for us to start getting ready for Parent/Teacher Conferences! Our Parent/Teacher Conference letters will be going home the week of September 26th. Our elementary conference letters will have a conference day and time that you will be able to either accept or decline; if the time indicated does not fit your schedule and you do decline, there will be an area that you will be able to write in another time that will fit your needs. As usual, our elementary conferences are limited to twenty minutes. In this allotted amount of time your teacher will be reviewing your students SSLP and First Quarter Report Card. This is a perfect time to ask questions about your students SSLP expectations and their grades; however, in this short amount of time, it is too hard for our teachers to also reply to concerns you may have about a particular incident or other issues. If you do have concerns, please inform your student’s teacher that you do need another meeting to address your concerns and a meeting will be set up at your convenience. Thank you for your support.

In our middle school, conferences will look like they did last year. Thursday, October 27th, will be an open day for parents to rotate to the different classrooms and discuss each student with his/her teachers. This procedure worked well last year and even though parents have to wait at times to visit with a teacher, most of our parents really liked the freedom to move throughout different classrooms at their convenience and time frame. Friday, October 28, scheduled conferences that are set up with individual students and their parents will take place. You will be contacted for a conference through a conference letter sent home that will indicate a time and a teacher you are to meet with. You will be able to either accept or decline the scheduled appointment. If the time indicated does not fit your schedule and you do decline, there will be an area that you will be able to write in another time that will fit your needs. If you would like to request a conference with a specific teacher, you can also sign up for an open time once the Friday schedules have been posted which will more than likely be on Thursday. These conferences are limited to twenty minutes and it is a great time to discuss your student’s grades with the teacher and discuss a student success plan if necessary.

There has been an amendment to one of our MS Policies that is in our Parent Handbook. In the Parent Handbook it states that we will not accept late work from students. The MS Teachers and I discussed this and have decided that in order to keep students responsible, but also understanding that we all do make mistakes, we have changed that policy and it now should read as:

Late work will be accepted, but only if turned in the next time you have the class that the work is late for. The late work will only be accepted it if is a ’working’ day late and will be given 50% less credit than it would have originally received if turned in on time. Exceptions will be given by teachers at their discretion. If you do believe you have an extenuating circumstance, it is the parent’s responsibility to contact the teacher(s) so that the necessary accommodations can be made for the student. In the case of a test has being missed due to an absence, the parent(s) must contact the teacher(s) to arrange for the test to be taken within two days. In order that instructional time will not be interrupted, the missed test will be taken after school or at a time specified by the teacher.

This policy is located on page 24 in your Parent Handbook, please note this change.

Dates to remember:

• Friday, September 23- Teacher In-service Day- No School
• Monday, September 26- 3rd Specials Rotation for First Quarter- MS Only!
• Volunteer Opportunity to help our PTO with a staff breakfast- Friday, September 30
• Thursday, October 13- Dress Down Day and End of First Quarter
• Friday, October 14- Teacher Work Day- No Students
• Week of October 17- 21- Fall Break- School Closed
• Monday, October 24- Beginning of Second Quarter
• Thursday, October 27- Parent/Teacher Conferences
• Friday, October 28- Parent/Teacher Conferences
• Saturday, October 29- Fall Carnival, 10:00- 4:00!

I hope your weekend is a good one!

Kindra Whitmyre-Nelson
Dean of Academy Charter School
email: nelsonk@academycharter.org
web: http://www.academycharter.org/deannelson

Wow! We really have a good group of parents at Academy Charter. I see many of you coming in regularly now to help in the school and it is great. You are sending your students a message about school and how valuable their education is by being involved here at their school.

I have an at home project for anyone that would like it--making Dress Code samples. If you are interested, please get in touch and I will explain the details.

Thanks to Doug Davis, Carolyn Kouts and Shannon Saviers picture retake day was successful--hectic, but successful! I couldn't have done it without your help--thanks again.

If you are wondering where you can get involved at ACS, please take a look at the information that is coming home in Friday folders this week. The PTO carnival folks need lots of volunteers for this fun event--please contact Katherine Titus at 720-733-2658 to find out what you can do.

Remember, you are "Making a Difference" at ACS!

Anne Belfrage
Volunteer Coordinator
belfragea@academycharter.org

ORIGINAL WORKS IS BACK!!!!

This great program is back and just in time for the holidays! Mrs. Marsh-Rose and Ms. Heiberger have our children working on a special project in art class. Original Works will take these works of art and turn them into beautiful full color products, such as magnets, mugs, journals, shirts and much more. Posters and samples will be on display in the lobby for you to see. Your child’s artwork, information about the program, and how to order these products will be in the October 7th Friday Folders. Orders will be due on October 14th to ensure we receive them in time for the holidays.

This is a great opportunity to purchase one-of-a-kind gifts for family members and friends, as well as help raise money for the art department. If you have any questions about this program, please do not hesitate to call Mrs. Marsh-Rose, Ms. Heiberger or Cindy Hazlehurst (303-688-9134).

Thank you for your support.