The Next Governing Board Meeting is October 9 at 6:00 PM

Dear Family and Friends of ACS,

This is a stressful time for you and your student(s), and Academy Charter School staff. Recent reports of school violence in our own state, Wisconsin and now in Pennsylvania are upsetting to all of us. The Governing Board and ACS staff wants to reassure you that your student’s safety is a priority here at ACS.

Academy Charter School has several safety and security measures currently in place. All of our school exterior doors, except for the front doors, are to remain locked at all times. In past Newsletters I have asked parents to please enter through our front doors to come into the building or go out of the building, no matter when you are coming, to volunteer, carpool, etc…When you go out a side door, you can potentially also let someone else in, and if you don’t know that person, how do you know they are not a safety threat! Please use our front doors when entering the building so our front office can watch who is coming in our school and leaving our school. ACS will be a much safer place because of this one safety measure. You are also required to sign-in at the front desk if you come into the building after morning carpool or before afternoon carpool. Exterior security cameras are being installed and you may notice Douglas County Sheriff’s Department and the Douglas County School District Safety and Security will be more visible presence in and around our schools. As parents you can also help us with safety and security. The more visibility we have in and around our schools, the better. We ask that you and your children stay alert and report any person or situation that appears to be out of the ordinary to our office, myself or law enforcement.

Attached to this letter, you will find some information adapted from the American Psychological Association. It may be useful when helping your student(s) deal with traumatic events like school violence reports.

MS Parent Reminder- Seventh and Eighth grade students may assume the responsibility for bringing to school and administering their own medication providing they carry only enough for one day. Students using poor judgment in carrying and taking their own medication will have such medication confiscated by school personnel, and parents or guardians will be notified. A structured plan will then be developed for the administration of the medication. Please adhere to the above guidelines for everyone’s safety.

Don’t forget to nominate a teacher for the 2nd Annual Apple Awards! The purpose for this prestigious nomination process is to honor teachers who have demonstrated a superior ability to foster excellence in education while contributing to the continuous improvement of student learning and school environment. If you would like to nominate a teacher, please follow the key points below:

• Nominations will be accepted from September 18th through October 27th
• Nomination forms can be printed from our website or picked up in our office
• Please turn the nomination form back to our office when you have completed it adhering to the dates above

All schools will have a representative and these representatives will move to the feeder area level. From this level, two semi-finalists will be chosen, one elementary and one secondary.

Dates to Remember:

• Thursday, October 5- Girls Volleyball Game- home- 4:00 & 5:00
  October 5- Boys Soccer Game- home- 4:30
• Friday, October 6- Elementary Believe Assembly, 8:50, Cafeteria
• Tuesday, October 10- Boys Soccer Game- home- 4:00
• Wednesday, October 11- Girls Volleyball Game- away- 4:00 & 5:00
• Thursday, October 12- Dress Down Day!
  October 12- End of First Quarter
  October 12- Girls Volleyball Game- away- 4:00 & 5:00
  October 12- Boys Soccer Game- home- 4:00
• Friday, October 13- Staff Work Day- No Students
• Monday, October 16- MS Specials First Rotation for Second Quarter
  October 16- Beginning of Second Quarter
• Tuesday, October 17- Book Fair Preview Day
• Wednesday, October 18- Book Fair Preview Day
  October 18- Girls Volleyball Game- home- 4:00 & 5:00
• Thursday, October 19- Parent/Teacher Conferences-early dismissal @ 12:40; conferences from 1:40- 6:00
  October 19- Book Fair!
• Friday, October 20- Parent/Teacher Conferences-early dismissal @ 12:40; conferences from 1:40- 6:00
  October 20- Book Fair!
• October 23- 27- FALL BREAK!! School Closed!
• (Sunday, October 29- Daylight Savings Time)
• Monday, October 30- Girls Volleyball Game- away- 4:00 & 5:00
• Tuesday, October 31- Harvest Fest Parties

Have a great weekend!

Kindra Whitmyre-Nelson
Dean of Academy Charter School
email: nelsonk@academycharter.org

Dear Families and Friends of ACS,

October is going to be full of many different events so I’d like to take this time to share with you what’s going on in the next few weeks!

First of all, I’d like to thank the Student Council for arranging and planning a wonderful Middle School Fall Ball last Friday evening! The decorations looked fabulous, the music was great (Our former math teacher, Mr. Orcutt was the D.J.) and students had a great time! I’d like to thank all the students who put in all the hard work for this event!

PTO will be having their kick-off assembly for the “Believe” campaign this Friday, October 6th, at 8:50 for our elementary students. This is always a fun assembly and the students are so eager to see what kind of prizes they might win for being top sellers in this PTO fundraiser!

The Scholastic Book Fair will be here in the next few weeks. It will be held the week of conferences so don’t forget to stop by and see the great collection of books that will be there! Our librarians will be giving you more details in this week’s newsletter so be sure to find their flyer!

As a reminder, parent-teacher conferences are approaching and our teachers in grades K-5 have sent out sign-up sheets. These sheets were due by today, October 5th. As a reminder, during these conferences, teachers will be going over the SSLP’s, Report Cards, and ILP’s (if applicable). If you have more to discuss with your teacher than what can be covered in the 20 minute time frame, please be sure to set up another time to meet with your teacher while you’re at conferences.

In middle school, we have a set day for “scheduled appointments” which will be on Thursday, October 19th, and on Friday, October 20th, will be a “drop-in” day when parents can come by the middle school and visit with their student’s teacher(s). We had several reasons for this change and I would welcome any feedback after conferences regarding this change. Parents will be called for “scheduled appointments” to meet with middle school teachers next week, October 9th. Please note: We are trying to align scheduled middle school conferences near their elementary sibling time frame as best as possible. If you are not called for a “scheduled” appointment, you can come on Friday during the drop-in times of 1:40-6:00 or you can request to meet with your middle school student’s teacher on Thursday when we have scheduled appointments. Please let your teacher know!

Remember that parent/teacher conference days are early release days and students are released at 12:40 on Thursday, October 19th, and Friday, October 20th. Conferences run from 1:40-6:00 p.m. each of those days.

Harvest Parties will be held this year on Tuesday, October 31st. Elementary teachers will be sending out information regarding what time their class party will be held, as well as how to help in either this week’s newsletter or in next week’s letter. Middle School is working to finalize their plans and I will be providing you more information in next week’s newsletter regarding this.

Thank you for all your support of ACS, its staff, and of course, our students!

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

We are tallying up your hours logged so far, and many of you are off to a very good start and have logged lots of hours. I will be putting the names of everyone who has logged hours in a hat and we will draw for a free dinner at a local restaurant. Watch for the drawing results the week of October 16th. If you haven’t logged your hours yet, please get them up to date as soon as you can.

I have had a good response for projects done at home and will be calling on these folks when I have projects to be done. We will be having Vision and Hearing screening coming up on November 1st and 2nd . I will need a lot of volunteers to help me—you can help in the morning session or afternoon session. Please let me know if you would like to help with these screenings.

Jaynee Hodgkins did a wonderful job arranging and working on our flu clinic today—thank you, Jaynee! I would also like to thank Robin Grue for making another beautiful flower arrangement for our counter—what a talented designer!

Thanks for keeping our volunteer team going!

Anne Belfrage
Volunteer Coordinator
belfragea@academycharter.org

Helping Children Cope with Traumatic Events

Tips for Parents

WHAT CAN PARENTS AND CAREGIVERS DO AFTER A TRAUMATIC EVENT?

• Reassure children that they are safe and that trustworthy people are in control. As in all things, parents and caregivers are important role models. Your reactions and responses to traumatic events will affect how your children deal with those same events. It is okay to let children know that you are sad or hurt by an event, but, it is important that they see you in control and feel your sense of security and resolve to protect them.
• Spend extra time with the children and help them return to their normal routines as quickly as possible. To help increase a sense of security, try to maintain family schedules for daily activities such as eating, playing, and sleeping. If a child needs more physical contact with you for a period of time, be available. Physical affection is very comforting to children who have experienced trauma. If possible, avoid unnecessary separations from your children immediately following a traumatic event. Build extra family time into your daily schedule and delay extended time away, such as travel, if at all possible.
• Talk to the children, answer their questions. They may ask— or may be wondering—”Is that going to happen to me?” Or “Is that going to happen to Mommy or Daddy?” These children should be reassured with information about the steps that the adults in their lives are taking to keep them safe. Children may also have questions about death and dying. You should answer their questions as truthfully as possible at a level they can understand.
• Give children the amount of information that you believe they can understand. This often involves turning off news reports of the event and significantly controlling or limiting their exposure to threatening images on TV. In the days after September 11, many families appropriately turned off the television news because the repeated videos of airplanes flying into the World Trade Center towers and horrific scenes around plane crashes were too upsetting for their children. Furthermore, children may not understand what they are viewing. For example, very young children believe re-runs of the event are more events happening around them. In addition to monitoring media images, monitor your conversations about the event, as conversations; too, may be troubling for your children.
• Help children express their feelings. Immediately after a traumatic event, help your child calm down by showing that you can calm yourself. Suggest that the child draw a picture of his or her feelings or use a doll or stuffed animal to talk to, with you, about the event. Listen to the child’s description of events and talk to him or her in a calm, loving way. Sometimes helping your children find a positive way to cope with what has happened can help in the healing process. Examples include sending a special picture to a helper (police, fire, and rescue), sending a card or drawing to a child touched by the event, or making something special for the daycare center/classroom.

SHOULD I SEEK PROFESSIONAL HELP?

Try to be sensitive to your child’s emotional state, even if he or she cannot talk effectively about feelings. Changes in behavior, appetite, and sleep patterns can be signs of a child’s grief, fear, or discomfort. Many children who witness or experience a traumatic event show short-term changes in behavior and emotional control, and, with your reassurance and support, most will cope well and resume their usual activities. Others, however, may show long-lasting psychological difficulties. You should seek professional help if your child continues to be depressed or angry, seems “numb,” avoids particular situations or places, or remains focused on the event for over 1 month. Immediate help may be needed if your child’s reactions are significantly interfering with daily functioning.

WHEN WILL THINGS GET BACK TO NORMAL?

It is important to realize that there is no one standard response to traumatic events. Children will react to and recover from such events on their own timetables. The same is true for the adults in the children’s lives who may also be suffering from the aftereffects of violence or some other traumatic event.

Remember, traumatic events are difficult for all of us, especially for children. They can have a lasting emotional impact. If you or your children have experienced a recent trauma, try to understand these strong yet normal reactions and allow time for healing. It is a time when you need extra patience with yourself and with your children. Find ways to emphasize how you keep your children safe and secure. Most importantly, show them they are loved.

Adapted from: American Psychological Association

Calendar

September Teacher Breakfast

Thanks to all those you helped for the teacher breakfast. Your help was much appreciated and so was your food! Thanks to:

• Sharon Hunter
• Sue Parks
• Deb VanSicklin
• Cinzia Bale
• Jean French
• Cali Hanson
• Terrie Willis
• Kelly Brown
• Jenni Schaffer
• Paula Freeman
• Staci Searle
• Cori Ruth

Fundraising

The Entertainment/Gold C Fundraiser ended September 13th. If you have not turned in books or sales funds, please do so as soon as possible.

We are excited about our new fundraisers this year, starting with the Winter Festival in December. We will be pre-selling wreaths, garland and trees in October, along with the Believe Catalog to gear up for the holiday season. Our Fundraising Committee has been working hard all summer to bring us these great fundraising ideas and have already put a lot of thought and manpower into them. They still need a lot of help, so please contact a Board Member and get on a committee to assist with the Winter Festival.

Restaurant Nights

Restaurant Nights this school year will be for the benefit of specific grades and departments. Any funds generated above the $150 allocated by the PTO will be disbursed for the benefit of that grade/department. October’s Chick-Fil-A Restaurant Night (10/19) will be for the benefit of our First Grade classes. Everyone is welcome to participate and, First Grade Families, this is a great chance to show your school spirit by literally putting your money where your mouth is!

August's Chick-Fil-A Restaurant Night raised $120 for the 8th Grade. The 8th Grade will be given another chance during December, since their August night occurred so early in the new school year and wasn't advertised as well as we would have hoped.

August's Applebee's Restaurant Night raised $206.37 for the Computer Departments.

Thank you for your continued support of this fun-alicious fundraiser that directly impacts the grades and departments at ACS!

Budget Requests

Budget Request deadline for the Nov. 9 meeting is October 26. Please remember, all budget requests must have completed its process and be in the PTO Board’s possession two weeks prior to a budget meeting. For more information, contact a PTO Board Member.

Teacher “Wish Lists”

Don’t forget to check out the teacher “Wish Lists” located on the ACS website. This is a great way to support the teachers and departments for the extra needs and wants that make the teachers jobs easier and more creative, and ultimately make our students learning experience even more fun.

Scholastic Book Fair Coming!

Go wild about reading and come to the Reading Rain Forest Scholastic Book Fair October 18-20! From award-winners and bestsellers to picture books and favorite series, the Book Fair is filled with hundreds of books that will take you on new adventures. We will have an exciting selection for all ages. Students will come to the Book Fair for a preview time (where they will make out a “wish list”) and can make purchases during school hours or during parent/teacher conferences. This is also a great time to grant teachers’ wish lists and stock up on books for the holidays. The book fair will be open the following hours:

• Wednesday, October 18 8:30-4:30
• Thursday, October 19 8:30-6:00
• Friday, October 20 8:30-6:00

For added fun, students may dress as a favorite jungle animal or a book character on Friday, October 20th. Come join the fun! We welcome volunteers who would like to help. Please sign up outside the library or call Janet or Alice.

This year's Annual High School Fair will be held at Platte River Academy. Click here for more info.

• Middle School Initiative Committee – Kickoff Meeting
  What: Focus is to support and promote the ACS Middle School by taking suggestions and input from parents and teachers, and then work on strategies to meet these goals.
  When: Friday, October 13, from 4:00 to 6:00 p.m.
  Where: ACS Conference Room
• Advanced/Gifted Program Strategic Committee – Kickoff Meeting
  What: Discuss the need of an Advanced/Gifted Program at ACS
  When: Thursday, October 19, from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m.
  Where: ACS Conference Room
• Life-Long Learning Strategic Initiative Committee – Kickoff Meeting
  What: To set up a long term plan for providing higher education at ACS
  When: Wednesday, October 18, from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m.
  Where: ACS Conference Room

• What: To increase communication between parents and administration, and promote positive PR about ACS
  When: Thursday, October 12, from 6:30 to 9:00 p.m.
  Where: Location to be announced

ORIGINAL WORKS ARTWORK
COMING HOME THIS WEEK!

A packet containing your child’s artwork, Original Works product brochure and order form will be coming home in this week’s Friday Folder. With the holidays just around the corner, we hope you’ll find that perfect one-of-a-kind gift for your family members and friends. Be sure to check out the new items - ornament, hand towel, night light and a newly designed key chain! They are amazing. Posters and product samples are on display at the school. Please stop by and take a look!

To ensure we get the products back in time for the holidays, orders will be due on October 12th. All proceeds will go to the art department to help buy additional art supplies for our students. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact Ms. Huskins or call Cindy Hazlehurst (303-688-9134).

Thank you for your support!
Cindy Hazlehurst
ACS Original Works Coordinator

Here at ACS, we offer boys and girls basketball for 6th-8th graders. There is a parent information meeting on Thursday, November 2 at 6:15 in the cafeteria. If your child is interested in playing, please plan on attending.

Practice will begin on Monday, November 6, in order to be ready for the first games, which are on November 28. If your child is planning on playing basketball, he/she must have a physical form signed by your doctor in order to practice. Forms are available in the office.

We are in need of assistant coaches for our boy’s basketball teams. If you are interested, please contact Lisa Arnell at arnelll@academycharter.org.

PTO will be providing lunch for the staff on Parent-Teacher Conference days on Thursday, October 19th, and Friday, October 20th. This is an easy way to get some volunteer time logged and to show your appreciation to the teachers and other staff members at Academy Charter. There are sign up sheets posted on the PTO bulletin board in the lobby of the school. If you have questions or concerns, please call Allyson Ford at 720-344-0105 or contact her at allyson4D@hotmail.com. Thanks for making this a special lunch!

Are you registered to vote?

In Douglas County School District, our Board of Education’s vision is to produce students who acquire the knowledge and abilities to be responsible citizens who contribute to society. What better way to model that behavior for young students than to exercise your right to vote.

This year, Douglas County is offering its residents new voting equipment! The County continues to try to meet the needs of busy people with busy lifestyles! This year’s election has three different ways for residents to vote! But, don’t waste time, deadlines are approaching.

In the County, you can vote via absentee ballot, register for early voting, or visit one of the many vote centers located throughout the County. The General Election date is November 7, 2006. If you have recently moved or had a change in name, you must complete the Voter Registration/Change of Information Application and sent it to the Election Department to ensure you get to vote and your vote counts. Key dates are:

The County website offers a quick and easy way to check to ensure you are registered to vote in this November’s election. Go to www.douglas.co.us/clerk/douglasvotes/ and click on “Am I registered?” The website also allows you to download Change of Information Applications and Absentee Ballot Applications. Additionally, you can find information and a list of all 29 voting centers available for your vote. If you want to vote in an election, you are required to mail or deliver a voter registration application form to your County Clerk and recorder no later than 29 days before the election in which you want to vote. Make your vote count!

Additional information about upcoming elections issues can be found on Douglas County School District’s website at www.dcsdk12.org, or you can contact the Communications Office at 303.387.0033.

On September 14, 2006, sixty-nine members of the Class of 2008 were inducted into the IB program at the annual IB Induction Reception. We congratulate each one for the decision and commitment they have made for their high school education.

APPLICATION DEADLINE
Dec. 1, 2006

The deadline for the completed application to be submitted to participate in the IB program for the 2007-2008 school year is DECEMBER 1, 2006. Any 8th, 9th or 10th grade student may download an application from the Douglas County High School IB website in November and submit it to the IB office for consideration. (If you are currently in the IB program you do NOT need to submit another application to continue).

Three informational meetings are offered: October 19th at Cresthill Middle School in the Commons; November 2nd and November 30th at Douglas County High School (North Commons). All meetings will be at 7 P.M. These meetings are a wonderful opportunity for parents and students to get an overview on the program and hear from students who are currently navigating their way through IB. Often we have guests on the student panel who have graduated with the IB diploma and are currently participating in college.

Feel free to call Steven J. Fleet, IB Coordinator at 303-387-1131 or Deborah Wick, IB Secretary at 303-387-1109 for further information.

On October 21, at the Douglas County Events Center, you are invited to come and get to know our Special Olympic athletes, families, and friends, as well as the Douglas County Community. Click here for a flyer with more information on this event.

Head injuries occurring both at home and school are very serious. It is important for school staff and parents to communicate when these injuries occur. Symptoms from head injuries may last minutes, hours, days or even months depending on the severity of the injury. Sometimes the student may experience difficulty with focusing and memory associated with schoolwork. Close communication between parents, doctors, teachers and other school staff is critical to ensure the student’s physical and learning needs are met. Cumulative head injuries especially when very close together can put the student at more risk of complications.

We have guidelines in place for head injuries occurring at school. The injured student is escorted to the health room and is observed for 30 minutes. During this time the student is watched closely for severe headache, nausea/vomiting, altered level of consciousness and pupil changes (unequal, constricted or dilated). Ice may be applied to the injured area while the student is resting. Parents are notified both in writing and by phone call. It is very important that phone number information is kept updated by parents. The head injury sheet that is sent home contains helpful suggestions for home treatment and when to call your doctor. In most cases the student is able to return class. The teacher is notified of the injury in writing as well and will continue to watch the student for any changes. If a physician sees the student, a physician’s note would be very helpful to staff once the student returns to school. Information regarding physical activity restrictions (PE and recess), specific diagnosis, or any prolonged symptoms would help school staff and teachers.

Many students participate in sports outside of the school day and on weekends. Accidents during these times also may occur. If your student has a head injury outside of school, whether seen by a physician or not, please let the office staff or teacher know. If there are any activity restrictions, please bring the school a copy the physician’s note.

By working together, we can identify students who are at risk for cumulative head injuries and who may need both physical and classroom modifications.

Be Healthy!

Stacey Barlow, RN
School Nurse Consultant
Pager 720-284-9825