Dear ACS Families,

The ACS staff and I have been working hard to create our School Improvement Plan (SIP). Our SIP contains three main goals which are:

• By September 2008, ACS will improve CSAP scores by 10% in Reading, Writing, Math and Science. Students will make a 10% “shift” increasing their CSAP scores in an academic area from partially proficient to proficient or proficient to advanced without any student in that academic area “dropping” into a lower performance category.
• ACS will align our Core Knowledge curriculum with district/state standards. The staff will re-dedicate themselves and commit to teaching all topics in the Core Knowledge Sequence at their grade levels. This commitment ensures consistency and helps avoid serious gaps in our instruction. The ACS staff will develop a school-wide plan to teach all topics in the Core Knowledge Sequence during the 2007/2008 school year.
• The Technology Coaches, Technology Teachers and grade level/content area teachers will collaborate to plan instruction that provides activities that result in student learning and understanding. Teachers will use technology in their classrooms at least twice a month and learn how to better implement technology in their classrooms.

If you are interested in learning more about our SIP goals, please plan on attending a SAC (School Advisory Council) meeting on October 10 at 5:00!

In part, due to our goals, the Governing Board has allowed for a calendar change. We are changing the November 12th teacher in-service date to November 9th. Students will NOT be in school on November 9, 2007 but will go to school on Monday November 12, 2007. The ACS staff will be at a Core Knowledge Conference in Colorado Springs on 11/9/07. This conference will help us achieve our second SIP goal!

The Governing Board also approved $55,000 for new technology in our building. The teachers will be receiving a new computer with a flat screen monitor. ACS will also be getting new servers, switches, and an e-mail software upgrade. The ACS staff would like to thank the Board and parent community for your support!

As always, thank you for your support of our staff, your students, and our school. Our school, in part, is only as successful as our parent involvement and support!

Sincerely,

Yvette Brown
Academy Charter School Dean
browny@academycharter.org

Important Dates

• September 28 Teacher In-Service Day
• September 29 Preschool Playground Construction
• Student Count October 1-5 Please have your students at school this week!
• Calendar Change- No school on November 9th. We will have school on November 12!

Fun Fact

The game Yahtzee got its name by a Canadian couple who developed it while on their yacht.

Fun Website

Fall Fever
http://games.funscholl.com/game.php?g=1060&category=0&level=7

Dear Families and Friends of ACS,

Here’s a few of the things that have been going on this week:

• Our 6th, 7th, and 8th graders have been busy campaigning for Student Council positions. This Thursday, 9-27-07, we will be combining our Middle School Virtue Assembly with the campaign speeches. Students will be voting after the speeches and we should know who our representatives are the following Monday. Once this is done, STUCCO can begin to plan their events for the year which will include school-wide fundraising events for needy causes, middle school dances, and middle school movie nights.
• Mrs. Rolle, our Counseling Intern, will be announcing the 8th grade Peer Counselors during our Virtue assembly today. They will begin their training very soon. We are very excited about this new program at ACS.

October is going to be a busy month, so I’d like to take this time to share with you what’s going on in the next few weeks!

• 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 librarian will be giving you more details in this week’s newsletter so be sure to find the flyer!
• Parent teacher conferences are approaching and our teachers in grades K-5 will be sending out sign-up sheets today in student Friday folders. During these conferences, teachers will be going over the SSLP’s, Report Card, 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 25th. Friday, October 26th, will be a “drop-in” day where parents can come by and visit with their student’s middle school teachers. Conferences will be “arena” style in the Gym. Our Specials’ teachers will have a sign there indicating where you can meet with them. We will be mailing out conference sign-up timeframes to those students who are being requested for individual conferences on Thursday. If you receive one of these requests, please return them to the office so we can align these conferences with elementary siblings and with the teachers. You will be notified by mail of your confirmed conference time. Please note: If you want to schedule a specific time to meet with a middle school teacher, please call the office the week of October 8th to schedule a time.
• Remember that parent/teacher conference days are early release days and students are released at 12:40 on Thursday, October 25th, and Friday, October 26th. Conferences run from 1:40-6:00 p.m. each of those days.
• Harvest Parties will be held this year on Friday, November 2nd. 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.
• Although it seems early to be thinking about this, I wanted you all to be aware of the timeframes when the state CSAP testing will occur this year. These are the window dates for CSAP Reading in third grade and for the rest of CSAP testing for grades 3-8.

CSAP Window Dates:

• Grade 3 Reading Only:
  02/18/08 through 02/29/08
• Grades 3-10: The rest of the tests
  03/10/08 through 04/11/08 Please remember that we have Spring Break the week of March 16th and will need to finish testing when we return from break.

Please refrain from scheduling doctor appointments or extra time for Spring Break during these timeframes as it is very important for students to be in school for testing. Research shows that students who test in their normal classroom environment do better than those who do make-up tests later.

Have a wonderful 3-day weekend!

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

Just a reminder, the preschool playground crew will be starting at 8:00 a.m. on Saturday, September 29th. Even if you didn’t sign up, you can come and they will be finished a lot sooner. This is a good weekend day to get some volunteer hours.

Cindy Hazlehurst needs volunteers to help her label artwork next Wednesday, October 3rd, at 1:30 p.m. If you can help Cindy with this project, please call her at 303-688-9134. This is part of the Original Artworks fundraiser program.

Enjoy this wonderful fall weekend!

Anne Belfrage
belfragea@academycharter.org
Volunteer Coordinator

Schedule Items

September 28 – Teacher Breakfast. See Social, below

Enrichment Dates

Bead Like That Class: October 29 - November 12 (Mondays 4:00 - 5:00, Art
Room)
Mad Science: October 30 - December 11 (Tuesdays 4:00 - 5:00 Elem. Science
Room)
Taekwondo: January 16 - February 20 (Wednesdays at facility - time TBT)
Golf: April - May (exact day and time TBT)

Special Messages

Please click on the following link for very important information about PTO Enrichment, Fundraising, Social Messages, and other Special important announcements and updates..

ACS PTO UPDATES

ORIGINAL WORKS ARTWORK COMING HOME NEXT WEEK!

A packet containing your child’s artwork, Original Works product brochure and order form will be coming home in next week’s (October 5th) 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 - coasters, a message board and a fabric flying disk! They are amazing.

To ensure we get the products back in time for the holidays, orders will be due on October 10th. All proceeds from this fundraiser go directly to the art department to replenish art supplies, fund special classes and more. If you have any questions about this program, please do not hesitate to call Mrs. Huskins or Cindy Hazlehurst (303-688-9134). Thank you for your support!

A special thank you to Cori O’Shea for putting the packets together! You’re awesome.

Toddler Chair Needed

Our preschool is looking for a toddler chair that hooks onto a table—not a high chair—but a small seat that hooks onto a table.

If you have on of these chairs that you would be willing to donate, please contact Jayne Friesen in the preschool.

Thank you.
Jayne Friesen
friesenj@academycharter.org

Saturday, November 3rd, Douglas County School District is sponsoring a Community Night with the Colorado Avalanche. The Avalanche will be playing the Vancouver Canucks at 8:00 p.m. at the Pepsi Center. Tickets are available in the school office for $20.00 each (normally a $25-$38.00 ticket). Let’s support the Douglas County Educational Foundation by enjoying an exciting hockey game!

Do you have unused children’s books in your home?

We need them!

Please Bring Books to School October 1-5

What: Please join our school, Mayor John Hickenlooper and The Fund for Colorado’s Future to participate in Spread the Word, a student-to-student and family-to-family book exchange designed to boost literacy among disadvantaged children by providing them with much needed reading material.

Why: Children cannot learn to read if they have nothing to read. Studies show that low-income children often have little or no access to reading material at home. Ownership of books is a critical factor in every child’s intellectual development. Other children, however, are fortunate enough to have a large collection of books. As they grow out of one age range of books, they often sit unread in bookshelves. Spread the Word encourages children with books they no longer read to give them to children without access to books. This book exchange promotes charity, giving and literacy among all children.

How: During the week of October 1-5, bring in your gently used books and drop them off at the collection box located in your school. (Please do not donate coloring books, text books or adult books.)

Two schools will receive a $1000 library grant!

Thank you for participating in Spread the Word!

The Fund for Colorado’s Future • 475 Seventeenth Street, Suite 1040 • Denver, CO 80202
Tel. 303-860-0160 • Fax 303-860-0170

• Flu Shot $23
• Flu Mist $30
• Pneumococcal Shot $42

• Age Policy: Must be 4 years or older to receive a flu shot. A parent or legal guardian must be present.

• Insurance: No cost for those covered by the following insurance plans: Medicare Part B or Railroad Medicare Part B (when your primary insurance plan), Humana Gold Choice PFFS, Rocky Mountain Health Plans or Secure Horizons. Insurance card must be presented. Other insurances may be accepted.

• Age Policy: Must be 18 years or older to receive a pneumonia shot.

• Insurance: If Medicare Part B or Railroad Medicare Part B is your primary insurance, ask the nurse if you are eligible for a pneumococcal shot at no cost when insurance card is presented.

• Age Policy: FluMist is available to healthy individuals ages 5 - 49 years who are not pregnant. (Lower age restrictions subject to change pending FDA approval.)