NETWORKings
Antioch Charter Academy
Newsletter for Antioch Charter Academy/TLCS Families and Staff Volume 27, Issue 10, October 24,2022
Dear ACA Families,
Mrs. Zaccardi mentioned how ACA’s study trips are one of the greatest things we do at our charter. I would like to expand on WHY they are so important to your child’s intelligence and future.
Let’s talk about the science behind these “being there” experiences.
Study trips at every level are set up to engage all of the student’s senses, because the brain prefers receiving input in this fashion. Research shows that the first three years of a child’s life should be filled with enriching experiences provided by the parents or caretakers.
These experiences create connections in the brain that form the foundation for spoken language, reading, comprehension or written language, writing, and problem solving (Leslie A. Hart, Human Brain and Human Learning).
After a student enters ACA we provide enriching experiences for our students as part of the curriculum through our study trips. These study trips elicit maximum activation of student’s brains.
Parents play an important part of the study trip experience-they provide funds, transportation, and support. Our charter school is an alternative choice in Antioch that is lucky to have teachers who work hard to set up many study trips, that has parents who support them, and that has students who appreciate and learn from them.
I hope everyone enjoys their study trips in the upcoming days and weeks and remember; study trips are not just a day away from the classroom, they are the “being there” experiences that really help students to develop understanding and build intelligence.
Sincerely,
Edna Heller, Co-Administrator
GENERAL ANNOUNCEMENTS 
October 28th & 31st Holiday Events (school is still required, but all events are optional)
October 28th – Haunted House: Our annual Middle School “Haunted House” fundraiser will run from 3~3:45pm. This is an age appropriate haunted house put on by the Middle School class. Cost is $2 per student.
October 31st – Costume Parade & Trick or Treating. Around 11:30am, there will be a costume parade & School Families”Trick or Treating” around the campus. Parents are welcome to come watch. Students who do not want to participate will have a supervised room set-aside for them where they can play board games during the activities, or they can be signed out by a parent/guardian at 11:30am. This is a minimum day – pick up time is at 12pm.
Both days are normal school days for all students, except students will be able to wear their costumes to school on the 31st, if they choose. No masks, weapons, or gore are allowed. Students must still be able to participate in learning, so no costumes which would hinder school work (school dress codes still apply).
Electives: We want to take this opportunity to give a “Shout Out” to our wonderful 1st trimester elective volunteers: Mr. Ferguson, Mr. Cortez, Mrs. Taylor, and Ms. Evers. One of the reasons our school is successful is because of people like you who are willing to invest in our students!
Believe it or not, it is time to start planning for our 2nd trimester (November 28 – March 10). Afternoon electives for our 4-8th grade students starts on Monday, November 28th, and run from 2:05-3pm on Mon, Tues, Thurs, & Fridays (Fridays are for Middle School students only).
We are looking for adults who are willing to teach/supervise an assortment of activities. The elective program at our school is vitally important part of our curriculum. These classes offer students the opportunities to explore new areas of interest, opening their minds to new possibilities for themselves. Our hope is to offer at least 9 different options for students to choose from on each day. This is only possible if our wonderful ACA community volunteers to help!!
Ideas for classes are: arts & crafts, sewing, language classes (ASL, Spanish, etc), sports (basketball, kickball, soccer, softball, ultimate frisbee, volleyball, etc), cooking, gardening, yoga, photography, drama, board games, extra work time, and the list can go on and on – teach what you enjoy!
If you can donate an hour of your time, once a week for the next trimester, to help teach or supervise a class, please let us know ASAP!!! You can also team up with a friend to teach a class, and you do not need to have a student in the 4-8th grade classes to help!!
If you are interested in teaching a 2nd trimester elective, respond to this email, or let the office know by today, Monday, October 24th!
First Fridays: First Fridays take place every 1st Friday of the month during the school year, at Skipolini’s in Antioch at 4pm. Come and have dinner with your family while making new friends from our ACA community! **Bring the flyer to Skips and ACA will receive 10% of your purchase total!**
FAMILY NETWORK (FN) HAPPENINGS 
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 is planning a Fair on November 5th. We need vendors! If you or someone you know would like to purchase a space, contact Cory at acafamilynetwork@
Family Network Meetings are usually the second Tuesday of each month. The board welcomes and encourages all ACA families to attend the meetings. Check with the calendar below to find out the next meeting.
Pasta Fundraiser: Order Fun Pasta all year long and ACA will get 35-40% of the proceeds! Order online and make sure to select Antioch Charter Academy I as who you are supporting! https://funpastafundraising.
Annual Give: Would you like to support whole school activities, all the classrooms, and have less fundraisers??!!! Then make a tax deductible donation…donate here via PayPal → https://www.paypal.com/us/
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.
Family Network Volunteer Opportunities
Popcorn Fridays Volunteers Needed 
We need volunteers to help out with popcorn sales each Friday 2:30pm – 3:30pm
Help set up, make popcorn, sell candy/popcorn and clean-up
REMINDERS & FYIs 
Parking Lot Safety – Let’s Keep ALL Our Students, Staff & Families SAFE!
SLOW DOWN
Everyone needs to use crosswalks!
Listen to the staff’s instructions – they are trying to keep everyone safe, and to keep drop off/pick up running smoothly.
Do not tell your students to cut through the parking lot to reach you – cars that are backing up may not see your student. Students should be picked up using the carpool lane, or using the crosswalk, they can walk to their cars which are parked on the street/in front of the park.
When it is your turn to enter the carpool lane, pull all the way forward, so up to 6 vehicles can load/unload their charges at a time.
Do not move forward in the carpool lane until all children have entered/exited their vehicles in front of you – a fender bender could severely injure a child who is partially in a vehicle.
When leaving the parking lot, please drive the speed limit so our students walking to school are safe.
Thank you for keeping everyone safe – remember picking up/dropping off is only a few minutes out of your day, but an injury could last a lifetime!!
Yearbook Fundraiser
: Every Wednesday morning the yearbook staff will be selling donuts in front of the gate from 7:50-8:10. We are doing this to fundraise to purchase yearbooks for the 8th graders, the school and the yearbook staff. Extra money will go to lowering the price of the yearbook for everyone! Donuts are priced from $1-3.
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 open to the public – all are welcomed!
School Lunch Order Form – https://forms.gle/
You MUST order meals in advance in order to receive them or else we may not have a meal available for your student. Breakfast and Supper will be the same for all students, while lunch has a menu that you can choose one entree from.
Absences, Tardies, Leaving Early – 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. Please make sure to check into the office if your student arrives late. If your student needs to depart early, the person picking up the child must call the office at (925) 755-7311 so the office can retrieve the student prior to walking into the office to sign out their student.
Remind: This is another way for the school to quickly inform you on what is happening on campus. Never miss another minimum day schedule, or a whole school event. You can receive messages through email or through texting – you decide! If you have not signed up yet, please contact your student’s classroom for the code – each grouping has their own code!
MARK YOUR CALENDAR
Oct 24 Makeup Picture Day
Oct 27 8th Grade Girls Empowerment Day
Oct 28 MS Annual Haunted House FUNdraiser – 3pm
Oct 31 Minimum Day – dismissal at 12pm
Oct 31 School Families Trick or Treat & Costume Parade
Nov 1 No School – teacher workday
Nov 3 MS to Farm (EE) – group B
Nov 4 First Fridays at Skipolini’s @ 4pm
Nov 8 FN Meeting (all welcome) @ 3pm
Nov 10 Charter Council (all welcome) @ 4pm
Nov 11 No School – Veterans Day
Nov 14-18 Minimum Days – dismissal at 12pm
Nov 17 MS to Farm (EE) – group C
Nov 18 End of 1st Trimester
Nov 21-25 No School – Thanksgiving Break
Nov 28 2nd Trimester begins
Dec 1-2 MS Study Trip to Los Angeles
Dec 2 First Friday at Skipolini’s @ 4pm
CONTACT INFORMATION
School Phone – 925-755-7311
School Address – 3325 Hacienda Way, Antioch 94509
School Website – www.AntiochCharterAcademy.org
School Lunch Order Form – https://forms.gle/
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@
Twitter & Instagram Accounts – #AntiochCharter; @AntiochCharter
Parent Network Board & Contact Info
Co-Chairs: Corey Cruz
Secretary: Brooke Farrington
Treasurer: Sarah Glenn
School Volunteer Coordinator: Salena Killion
Social Chair: Yessika Berrios
Fundraising Chair: open…can you help???
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@
Need Assistance – it is OK to ask!
Antioch Charter Academy: call the school office (925-755-7311) if you need help finding school supplies, figuring out how to get school lunches, and/or need to talk with someone regarding any struggles your student(s) may be facing.
Contra Costa Crisis Center (call 211): https://cccc.
Contra Costa Health Services: Mental Health Wellness & Education on how to address “Disappointment,” reduce “Stress” and maintain a “Positive Attitude”
Mental Health Wellness & Education :: Behavioral Health
888-678-7277 [available 24/7]
Contra Costa Crisis Center: Services and Resources for Teens
Coping With Stress During Infectious Disease Outbreaks – What You Should Know
Services and Resources for Teens :: Behavioral Health
800-833-2900 (24/7)
The National Child Traumatic Stress Network:
Fact Sheet on COVID-19 along with Age Appropriate Coping Strategies
Parent/Caregiver Guide to Helping Families Cope With the Coronavirus Disease 2019
Parent Anonymous:
Statewide Online Tutoring Program: Students in California, with or without a library card, will be able to access HelpNow through links on their local library’s website or through the State Library’s. Go to Digital Resources | Contra Costa County Library (ccclib.org) Click “Brainfuse HelpNow”.
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
Estimadas familias de ACA,
La Sra. Zaccardi mencionó cómo los viajes de estudio de ACA son una de las mejores cosas que hacemos en nuestra escuela autónoma. Me gustaría ampliar el POR QUÉ son tan importantes para la inteligencia y el futuro de su hijo.
Hablemos de la ciencia detrás de estas experiencias de “estar allí”.
Los viajes de estudio en todos los niveles están configurados para involucrar todos los sentidos del estudiante, porque el cerebro prefiere recibir información de esta manera. Las investigaciones muestran que los primeros tres años de la vida de un niño deben estar llenos de experiencias enriquecedoras proporcionadas por los padres o cuidadores.
Estas experiencias crean conexiones en el cerebro que forman la base para el lenguaje hablado, la lectura, la comprensión o el lenguaje escrito, la escritura y la resolución de problemas (Leslie A. Hart, Human Brain and Human Learning).
Después de que un estudiante ingresa a ACA, brindamos experiencias enriquecedoras para nuestros estudiantes como parte del plan de estudios a través de nuestros viajes de estudio. Estos viajes de estudio provocan la máxima activación de los cerebros de los estudiantes.
Los padres juegan un papel importante en la experiencia del viaje de estudios: proporcionan fondos, transporte y apoyo. Nuestra escuela chárter es una opción alternativa en Antioch que tiene la suerte de tener maestros que trabajan arduamente para organizar muchos viajes de estudio, padres que los apoyan y estudiantes que los aprecian y aprenden de ellos.
Espero que todos disfruten de sus viajes de estudio en los próximos días y semanas y recuerden; Los viajes de estudio no son solo un día fuera del aula, son las experiencias de “estar allí” que realmente ayudan a los estudiantes a desarrollar la comprensión y desarrollar la inteligencia.
Sinceramente,
Edna Heller, coadministradora
ANUNCIOS GENERALES
Eventos festivos del 28 y 31 de octubre (todavía se requiere la escuela, pero todos los eventos son opcionales)
28 de octubre – Haunted House: Nuestro evento anual de recaudación de fondos “Haunted House” de la escuela secundaria se llevará a cabo de 3 a 3:45 p. m. Esta es una casa embrujada apropiada para la edad creada por la clase de secundaria. El costo es de $2 por estudiante.
31 de octubre – Desfile de disfraces y truco o trato. A las 11:30 am, habrá un desfile de disfraces y “Trick or Treat” para las familias escolares alrededor del campus. Los padres son bienvenidos a venir a ver. Los estudiantes que no quieran participar tendrán una sala supervisada reservada para ellos donde podrán jugar juegos de mesa durante las actividades, o un padre/tutor puede firmar su salida a las 11:30 am.
Ambos días son días escolares normales para todos los estudiantes, excepto que los estudiantes podrán usar sus disfraces en la escuela el 31, si así lo desean. No se permiten máscaras, armas o gore. Los estudiantes aún deben poder participar en el aprendizaje, por lo que no deben usar disfraces que obstaculicen el trabajo escolar (aún se aplican los códigos de vestimenta escolar).
Electivas: Queremos aprovechar esta oportunidad para dar un “Agradecimiento” a nuestros maravillosos voluntarios de electivas del primer trimestre: Sr. Ferguson, Sr. Cortez, Sra. Taylor y Sra. Evers. ¡Una de las razones por las que nuestra escuela tiene éxito es por personas como usted que están dispuestas a invertir en nuestros estudiantes!
Lo crea o no, es hora de comenzar a planificar nuestro segundo trimestre (del 28 de noviembre al 10 de marzo). Las clases optativas de la tarde para nuestros estudiantes de 4.º a 8.º grado comienzan el lunes 28 de noviembre y se llevan a cabo de 2:05 p. m. a 3 p. m. los lunes, martes, jueves y viernes (los viernes son solo para estudiantes de escuela intermedia).
Estamos buscando adultos que estén dispuestos a enseñar/supervisar una variedad de actividades. El programa electivo en nuestra escuela es una parte de vital importancia de nuestro plan de estudios. Estas clases ofrecen a los estudiantes la oportunidad de explorar nuevas áreas de interés, abriendo sus mentes a nuevas posibilidades para ellos mismos. Nuestra esperanza es ofrecer al menos 9 opciones diferentes para que los estudiantes elijan cada día. ¡Esto solo es posible si nuestra maravillosa comunidad de ACA se ofrece como voluntaria para ayudar!
Las ideas para las clases son: artes y manualidades, costura, clases de idiomas (ASL, español, etc.), deportes (baloncesto, kickball, fútbol, softball, ultimate frisbee, voleibol, etc.), cocina, jardinería, yoga, fotografía, teatro, tablero. juegos, tiempo de trabajo adicional y la lista puede seguir y seguir: ¡enseña lo que disfrutas!
Si puede donar una hora de su tiempo, una vez a la semana durante el próximo trimestre, para ayudar a enseñar o supervisar una clase, ¡háganoslo saber lo antes posible! ¡También puede formar equipo con un amigo para enseñar una clase, y no necesita tener un estudiante en las clases de 4-8 grado para ayudar!
Si está interesado en enseñar una electiva del segundo trimestre, responda a este correo electrónico o informe a la oficina hoy, lunes 24 de octubre.
Primeros viernes: los primeros viernes se llevan a cabo cada primer viernes del mes durante el año escolar, en Skipolini’s en Antioch a las 4 p.m. ¡Ven a cenar con tu familia mientras haces nuevos amigos de nuestra comunidad ACA! **¡Lleva el volante a Skips y ACA recibirá el 10 % del total de tu compra!**