Antioch Charter Academy
January 28-29 Minimum Days – school ends at 12pm
Newsletter for Antioch Charter Academy/TLCS Families and Staff Volume 25, Issue 20, January 25, 2021
Hello ACA Families!
This week is a busy one for ACA! First, we have the Great Kindness Challenge. The Great Kindness Challenge (GKC) is a proactive and positive bullying prevention initiative that improves school climate and increases student engagement. The Great Kindness Challenge is one week devoted to performing as many acts of kindness as possible on campus (or virtually). Using the provided checklist of 50 kind acts, students accept the challenge and show the world that KINDNESS MATTERS! This will be our third annual GKC and we are in fact a Kindness Certified School! Along with acts of kindness, discussions, and activities, we will hold a GKC Spirit Week! The themes of each day are:
– Monday: Peace, Love, and Kindness (60’s Day)
– Tuesday: Groovin’ With Kindness (70’s Day)
– Wednesday: School Spirit (Wednesday Shirt)
– Thursday: Kindness is Rad (80’s Day)
– Friday: It’s Cool to be Kind (90’s Day)
Be sure to check out ACA’s Family and Friends Facebook page for any other GKC inspiration or information! Attached at the bottom of this email you can also find the GKC checklist. We would also LOVE to see your spirit too! Share your spirit outfits and/or acts of kindness on ACA’s social media sites. If you are not on social media, or would like to share your photos with our Year Book, please send you pictures to ACAmemories@
Secondly, this week also marks School Choice Week! This is when we celebrate being a school of CHOICE! The celebration will look a bit different since we are mostly virtual, and that is OK! We would love to hear what our students love most about ACA! Students can share their thoughts during class meetings or on our ACA Family and Friends FB page. Be sure to read your student’s classroom/level newsletter for any other information regarding School Choice Week and GKC.
I hope everyone has a wonderful week and I look forward to seeing all the love, kindness, and awesome looks on our social media pages!
With kindness,
Mrs. Cerecedes
GENERAL NOTES
WASC: Our school is participating in a two-day virtual visit from a WASC committee on February 1st and 2nd. The visit focuses on our continued school improvement, the progress made towards our Schoolwide Action Plans, and our goals for the next 3 years!
During our visit, committee members (2) will have an opportunity to join our online classes to observe our students engaged in learning.
The committee will also meet with representative teachers, students, and parents. If you are interested in participating in the parent discussion group, please contact me at kevinfuller@
2020-21 Lottery: The ACA lottery for the upcoming 2021-22 school year, will be held on March 2, 2021. If you have a student, or know of a student who is interested in our school, an application must be filled out and put into the lottery process.
FYI: No student is automatically accepted into the school because he or she has a sibling already attending ACA. All new students, including TK & Kindergarten, must submit an application by March 1st, to be included in the school’s lottery. Applications for ACA & ACA II can be filled out online at https://antiochcharteracademy.
Middle School News (Community Challenge Groups & Volunteer Club Elective): Thank you for all your support for our Middle School Cause groups. Here are 2 activities that are currently being held:
F.A.M.: We will be fundraising for Shelter Inc by selling Candy Grams. Please go to the link for the order form. You can purchase a candy gram for a friend, your child, and/or a teacher! You can pay for the candy gram with cash/check by dropping it off at the ACA school office, or mailing it to the office (must arrive by February 5th; make checks to ACA). Once you complete your order & pay by Feb. 5th, the recipient will be notified through email that they were sent a candy gram. They will be asked to pick their candy gram up from the school. Thank you for your support! All candy gram order forms & money need to be turned in by February 5th. Candy grams will be available to pick up from the 10th to the 12th in the multi-use room. https://docs.google.com/forms/
d/e/ 1FAIpQLSclscUQDuKxjiXnVUnYnaxP 5-N5Qltquq-ty34KQFrBZEVsiA/ viewform?usp=sf_link The Volunteer Club is interested in helping out St. Jude! Go to this link https://www.amazon.com/stjude?
pldnSite=1, and if you purchase an item, the proceeds will go to St. Jude!
2020-21 Yearbook: The Yearbook Elective needs your help! We need pictures of your students doing school activities so we will be able to create a yearbook that is full of amazing school memories! If you have any pictures of students participating in school related activities please send them to ACAMemories@
Lifetouch Pictures: Your last day to order school pictures is May 1, 2021. Attached to this email is a 10% off coupon for pictures. If you have any questions, please contact the school office.
FAMILY NETWORK (FN) NEWS & INFORMATION
The ACA Family Network is made up of ACA adults who volunteer for fundraisers and social events for the enrichment of our children. The money we raise goes back to our school for study trips, family activities, assemblies, and classroom supplies. If you have a child/grandchild/niece/nephew/
Family Network Meetings are usually the first Thursday of each month. Meetings will be held by Zoom until we can go back to campus. The board welcomes and encourages all ACA families to attend the meetings. The meetings are not just for board members, but for all ACA family members.
Annual Give: Thank you to everyone that has donated! Let’s keep it up! donate here via PayPal → paypal.me/ACAfamilynetwork
AmazonSmiles: Shop at Amazon? Shop at Amazon’s fundraising site, smile.amazon.com and they will donate back to ACA. We are registered as The Learner Centered School, Inc.
REMINDERS & ONGOING INFORMATION
Grab & Go Meals: Thanks to an extension of the Summer Feeding waiver from the USDA, all students from ACA I & II (and any siblings 18 and under) may pick up a bag containing FREE breakfast, lunch, supper and a snack M-F from any one of our 12 feeding sites. The waiver is good through the 2020-21 school year. Please visit https://www.antiochschools.
Charter Council: the Charter Council is our governing board. The board meets usually on the second Thursday of the month @ 4PM. Please check the calendar for the next meeting date/time, or call the office at 925-755-7311 to confirm. These meetings are currently on Zoom, and open to the public – all are welcomed!
Absences and Tardies – Daily Attendance is expected: If your student will be absent, or tardy, please call the office at 925-755-7311, or email your student’s classroom, before 8:00am. Even though we are currently doing Distance Learning, roll is still taken EVERY DAY.
Updates on Distance Learning and Reopening: Distance Learning for most levels will continue until the February break. This means the majority of students will be distance learning through the mid February. We continue to evaluate the situation and are working to prepare the site and staff for in person learning, with the introduction of phased in student cohorts in a safe manner.
Finished clay projects can be dropped off to the multi-use room, during Office Hours. Mrs. Taylor (art teacher), will fire the projects for the students. Please place your labeled student’s project, in the designated boxes for their group, in the multi-use room.
Need Assistance? The following organizations are available to help!
Shelter Inc. COVID 19 and Eviction Prevention Hotlines: COVID 19 hotline for those affected by the COVID-19 virus: rental assistance, payment of utility bills, funds for food or necessities; Eviction Prevention – due to crisis. Call 211 or go to https://shelterinc.org/
programs/covid-19-hotline.html Contra Costa County Office of Education (Supplies available upon request for students in unstable housing):Headphones for distance learning, Hygiene kits, School supplies (crayons, markers, colored pencils, glue sticks, construction paper, pencils, lined paper), Reusable cloth mask (plain white, or Crayola colors for elementary)
Contra Costa Crisis Center (211): https://cccc.
myresourcedirectory.com/
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Calendar
January 25-29 School Choice Celebration Week
January 28-29 Minimum Days – school ends at 12pm
Jan 31-Feb 2 WASC Progress Report (Virtual Visit)
February 4 FN Zoom Meeting @ 3:30pm
February 5 Minimum Day – school ends at 12pm
February 8 No School
February 11 Charter Council Zoom Meeting @ 4pm
February 15-19 No School – February break
March 2 ACA Lottery for 2021-22 School Year
March 12 2nd Trimester Ends
March 15 3rd Trimester Begins
March 15-19 Minimum Days – school ends at 12pm
CONTACT INFORMATION
School Phone – 925-755-7311
School Address – 3325 Hacienda Way, Antioch 94509
School Website – www.AntiochCharterAcademy.org
ACA Office – ACAOffice@
ACA Family Network – ACAFamilyNetwork@
ACA Elementary – ACAElementary@
ACA Intermediate – ACAIntermediate@
ACA Primary – ACAPrimary@
ACA Middle School – ACAMiddleSchool@
ACA I & II Special Education – SPED@antiochcharteracademy.org
ACA Newsletter – ACANewsletter@
ACA Memories – ACAMemories@
ACA Hot Lunch Program – ACALunchProgram@
Twitter & Instagram Accounts – #AntiochCharter; @AntiochCharter
Parent Network Board & Contact Info
Co-Chairs: Lydia Moon and Kelly MacCallister
Secretary: Brooke Farrington
Treasurer: Beth Rottier
School Volunteer Coordinator: Salena Killion
Social Chair: Janika Barnes
Fundraising Chair: open
If you’re interested in an open position please email ACAFamilyNetwork@
We need help to make this year amazing for OUR KIDS, the school families, teachers and staff
Members at Large: Everyone!
Private Facebook Group: www.facebook.com/groups/
Email: ACAFamilyNetwork@
VISION AND MISSION STATEMENTS
Our Vision To provide a learning environment where students of all socio-economic levels and ethnic backgrounds embrace education, exhibit compassion, and accept personal responsibility
Our Mission The mission of the Antioch Charter Academies is to facilitate academic and personal growth of TK-8th grade students of all socio-economic levels and ethnic backgrounds. ACA enables 21st century students to become literate, self-motivated, innovative, lifelong learners, and compassionate, collaborative active citizens. We nurture and support a partnership of students, teachers, families and the community; embrace individual strengths; and build upon research informed educational best practices including Montessori, multiple intelligences, brain-compatible teaching, and multi-age groupings with small class sizes.
Antioch Charter Academy is Fully Accredited for Grades K-8 by the Schools Commission of the Western Association of Schools and Colleges