Dear Family and Friends of ACS,

If there is a ‘Delayed Dismissal’ due to lightning before carpools starts, our educational assistants and students are required to stay in the building, and carpool will not start until the lightning ends. If you see lightning in the sky while waiting for carpool to start, please understand that for safety reasons, carpool will not be starting until the lightning has ceased. We will not allow staff or students to exit the building when lightning is present. In this case, it is your choice whether you would enter the building to retrieve your student(s), or wait safely in your car until the lightning stops. If lightning starts after carpool has already started, then you will be notified that carpool will stop until the lightning ends. Again, it would be your choice whether you would want to come and retrieve your student(s) or wait until the lightning ends. ACS encourages all parents to wait safely in their car until the lightning has ended, and please understand that we do not penalize parents or students for waiting to pick up students and retrieving them late due to lightning.

There are a lot of new dates below, so please mark these on your calendar and have a terrific weekend!

A Look Ahead:

• Friday, April 21- PTO Breakfast
• Friday, April 21- 2-5 Charlotte’s Web Book Club, 3:45, Library
• Friday, April 21- 3-8 Progress Reports go home
• Friday, April 21- MS and Specials Newsletter goes home
• Week of April 24- Read, Write, Now Week!
• Monday, April 24- Thursday, April 28- Office Appreciation!
• Tuesday, April 25- Author Visit for Read, Write Now Week, Ann Nagda
• Tuesday, April 25- Girls Soccer Game- away- 4:30
• Tuesday, April 25- Orchestra Ensemble, Library, 6:30
• Thursday, April 27- Bring your Son/Daughter to Work Day
• Thursday, April 27- Extra Dress Down Day for 8th Grade Graduation- asking for a $2.00 donation for Graduation Committee, but it is not required!)
• Thursday, April 27- Scholastic Book Fair starts- Buy one get one free!
• Thursday, April 27- Elementary Virtue Assembly, 8:50, Cafeteria
• Thursday, April 27- MS Virtue Assembly, 2:50, Cafeteria
• Thursday, April 27- Girls Soccer Game- home- 4:00
• Thursday, April 27- 3-5 Talent Show, 5:30, Gym
• Friday, April 28- Testing Day- Students by appt- regular hours and professional dress by all staff!

A Look Way Ahead:

• Tuesday, May 2- Scholastic Book Fair Ends!
• Tuesday, May 2- Girls Soccer Game- home- 4:00
• Tuesday, May 2- K-1 Spring Program, Gym, 6:30 pm
• Monday, May 8- Friday, May 12- Teacher Appreciation Week!
• Tuesday, May 9- Band Program, Gym, 6:30 pm
• Saturday, May 13- Education Expo- register as soon as you can!
• Tuesday, May 16- 2-3 Spring Program, Gym, 6:30 pm
• Wednesday, May 17- 6th Grade Prince and the Pauper plays, 9:15, 11:30 and 1:45
• Tuesday, May 23- 4-5 Spring Program, Gym, 6:30 pm
• Thursday, May 25- Extra Dress Down Day- for the proposal to the Board
• Thursday, May 25- 8th Grade Graduation, Gym, 6:30Friday, May 26- Kindergarten Graduation, Gym, 9:00

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

Dear ACS Families and Friends,

We have a lot of events coming up in the next few weeks and I thought I would share them with you!

Tryouts for the upcoming 3-5 Talent Show were a huge success! Students in grades 3-5 are busy rehearsing and practicing for the performance. Mark your calendars, as the 3-5 Talent Show will be hosted by Mrs. Runyan in the ACS gym on Thursday, April 27th.

Our next Book Fair will be held from Thursday, April 27th, through Monday, May 1st, in the ACS library. Mrs. Zoetewey has information regarding this under the banner, “Book Fair” later in the newsletter.

Parents of 8th Graders: We still need your help! Mr. Hall is preparing the 8th grade graduation video and he needs some “baby” pictures of each of our 8th grade students. These pictures can be anywhere from infant to 3-4 years of age! Please send the pictures in a marked, sealed envelope and turn them into the office. We want to be sure ALL of our 8th graders are included, so please send those photos in! Your pictures will be returned once the video is completed! Thank you to those who have already sent your photos in and we’re anxiously waiting to see the rest of our 8th grade graduates!

The Middle School Student Council is in full swing with their fundraising campaign which will help support the battle against Leukemia and Lymphoma. Each ACS classroom has a special container where students are collecting their loose ‘”change.” The class with the most money collected will be honored with a special luncheon sponsored by the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. More details are outlined under the “Student Council” banner later in the newsletter.

The next middle school dance will be held this Friday, April 21st. It will be an 80’s theme. More information regarding prices and times can be found under the Student Council Banner.

Our next musical event will be the Orchestra concert on Tuesday, April 25th, at 6:30 p.m. in the Elementary Spanish room. The rest of our musical performances for the spring are listed below:

• Tuesday, May 2nd, K-1 spring program, 6:30 p.m.
• Tuesday, May 9th, Band Spring Concert, 6:30 p.m.
• Tuesday, May 16th, 2-3 spring program, 6:30 p.m.
• Tuesday, May 23rd, 4-5 spring program, 6:30 p.m.

Please mark your calendars as our last testing day for the school year will be held next Friday, April 28th. I would like to thank the parents who have already signed up or called in for a testing time!

• Elementary Parents: The elementary teachers have their sign up sheets outside their classrooms, so be sure to stop by and reserve your testing spot.
• Middle School parents: Middle School testing will be similar to the testing at the beginning of this year. Some of our students will be individually tested, while others will be tested in a group. We need you to please call our office to schedule a time for your student to come in for testing. ALL Middle School students need to come in for this testing day. The office will let you know if your student will be tested individually or in a group, the times available and how long the testing will take.

Last but not least, Six Flags-Elitch Gardens in conjunction with Mix 100 is offering an incentive for students who have straight A’s. On Friday, June 9th, 2006 bring your report card or proof of grades to Six Flags Elitch Gardens before noon and you’ll get in that day for FREE! Call Elitches for more information and details at 303-595-4386.

Thank you again for you support of ACS, our staff and our students!

Kendra Peters
Assistant Dean of Academy Charter School
email: petersk@academycharter.org

I want you to know that I really appreciate all the hours you put in here at the school. We will be having a special breakfast in appreciation of all our volunteers on Thursday, May 4th. Please mark this date on your calendar and plan to come and have a wonderful breakfast in your honor. We will be serving breakfast from 8:00 – 9:00 in the school cafeteria—please plan to be our guests!

Jackie Radcliffe needs folks to help with the PTO staff breakfast tomorrow. Please call Jackie at 303-663-7498 and let her know how you would be willing to help—this is an easy way to get hours from your own home!

I need a couple of volunteers to help with spring picture day on Wednesday, April 26th. Please let me know if you can help out on this day.

Thanks again for “Making a Difference” at ACS!

Anne Belfrage
Volunteer Coordinator
belfragea@academycharter.org

• Classes will be choosing a time to drop everything and read so that the whole school will be reading around the clock. Be sure to wear your 50’s outfits!

• “ Journey into Writing.” Ann has traveled to all 7 continents doing research on her books about animals. She has also worked with animals at the Denver Zoo. She incorporates math into many of her books, showing everyday uses of math, no matter what your career. Ann has written both fiction and non-fiction books and has a wonderful presentation for all ages. All presentations will be in the gym and parents are welcome to attend!
• 9:00-10:00 K-1st (p.m. K welcome)
• 10:00-11:00 2nd -3rd grades
• 11:00-11:30 Book signing
• 11:30-12:30 Author/staff luncheon in library
• 1:00- 2:00 4th -5th grades
• 2:00- 3:00 6th -8th grades
• 3:00- 3:30 Book signing

• Share with your class why this is one of your favorite characters/books.
• Also the Buy One, Get One Free Book Fair begins!

Monday, May 1 – Last day of Book Fair

Charlotte's Web Book Club

Charlotte's Web Book Club for 2nd-5th graders on Friday, April 21st from 3:45-4:45 in the library. Students must sign up for the book club on my Library News bulletin board.

EDUCATION EXPO ALERT!!

We are concerned that the mail may have lost some registration forms that were mailed to families or that may have been mailed back to the school. Please check the list below of the families that have registered for the Expo. If your name is not on the list and you mailed in a registration form, please contact Misty O’Leary at 303-688-6631 as soon as possible.

Pennies For Patients

Don’t Forget the Pennies For Patients Change Drive, April 10th-24th.

A Student Council change drive benefiting the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. All money raised will go toward blood cancer research and support of patients! Bring your spare change into your classroom or homeroom to help support this wonderful cause!

Middle School 80's Dance

Click here for more information regarding the dance.

Mrs. Solita’s 6th grade Language Arts classes will be performing The Prince and the Pauper, one of their core literature pieces. Performance will be held at three different times on Wednesday, May 17th. The first block will perform at 9:15; the second block will perform at 11:30; and the third block will perform at 1:45. Parents of 6th graders are cordially invited to come and enjoy their budding actors and actresses perform this touching story which explores “walking a mile in someone else’s shoes”.

Spring Picture Day Coming

Skow Photography will be here on Wednesday, April 26th, to take our class pictures and individual student pictures should you want a special spring portrait (students may wear their choice of clothing for these spring individual pictures). Everyone will be included in the class group pictures. They are also offering a Secure Kids option that includes your student’s fingerprint image and an individual portrait image on a 10” x 5” Secure Kids Security Form.

Information was sent home in last week’s Friday folders. Please mark this date on your calendars.

Six Flags Elitch Gardens Night

Douglas County School District is having a special night at Six Flags again this year on Friday, May 5th, 4:30 p.m. to 10:00 p.m.. The Douglas County Educational Federation sets up this private night for our school district to go and enjoy all the fun at Elitch’s when it is not so crowded. Tickets are only $20.00 (regular admission is $44.99)—what a deal! Please come to the school office to purchase your tickets. Academy Charter does receive a portion of the proceeds from this event.