NETWORKings
Antioch Charter Academy
Newsletter for Antioch Charter Academy/TLCS Families and Staff Volume 27, Issue 26, March 13, 2023
Hello ACA Families!
I hope you had a restful weekend. Daylight Savings Time happened on Sunday and can be a tricky adjustment for kids as well as adults.
Last week we had a full week of Spirit Days, and you may be wondering who plans those fun days and comes up with those creative ideas.
Well, it’s your children that do!
At ACA all students are part of what we call a “School Family”. Each School Family consists of about 10 students, at least one student from each grade level. Each month the School Families meet to socialize, play games, plan school events, and more.
The Middle Schoolers in each School Family are responsible for preparing and leading any activities for their School Family.
When we have assemblies or other school events such as our Halloween parade, the students gather in their School Families.
The students and staff at ACA feel that the School Families have been a great way to build a bond across all the grades levels for the students.
The students and staff want to thank the families at home for helping your students participate in the Spirit Days throughout the year. The students plan these themselves and can get very excited about them. As always, we couldn’t do this without your support.
Have a great week!
Sarah McLean
ANNOUNCEMENTS 
Dining for Dollars: Join us for dinner March 17th at ANY Panda Express restaurant nationwide. This makes it very easy for family and friends to support our school. Please share the fundraising link with anyone and everyone who might like to participate. Apply code 912829 in the Fundraiser Code box during online checkout at www.pandaexpress.com or via App
Independent Study: Please remember to request an “Independent Study” or “IS” every time you email/call to report an absence. This helps the school, which helps your student! Thank You!
CAASPP Testing 2023: Beginning this April, students in grades 3-8 will once again participate in the statewide administration of the California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress (CAASPP).
These online Summative Assessments measure what your child knows and is able to do. They include many different types of questions that allow students to interact with the assessment items. Results help identify gaps in knowledge or skills early on so your child can get the support he or she needs to be successful in school. This year, your child will take the following tests:
Smarter Balanced Assessments (SBA): Grades 3-8, and 11. The Smarter Balanced ELA and mathematics tests reflect California’s rigorous academic standards and allow students to demonstrate analytical writing and critical thinking skills as well as their knowledge of facts.
California Science Test (CAST) or California Alternate Assessment for Science (CAA for Science): Grades 5, 8, and 11 (Grade 12 if not previously assessed). California’s Next Generation Science Standards (CA NGSS) call for students to think and work like scientists and engineers-asking questions and learning through hands-on investigation and discovery. The CAST measures students’ achievement of these standards through the application of their knowledge and skills of the Science and Engineering Practices, Disciplinary Core Ideas, and Crosscutting Concepts.
California Alternate Assessments (CAA): Grades 3-8, 11 Students who have an IEP that designates the use of an alternate assessment are eligible to take the CAAs in ELA and mathematics. The goal of the CAA is to ensure that students with the most significant cognitive disabilities attain increasingly higher achievement levels. Students with the most significant cognitive disabilities, as designated in their IEP, are eligible to take the CAA for Science. The CAA for Science consists of three embedded performance tasks based on alternate achievement standards derived from the CA NGSS.
Exemption: Please note that a parent or guardian may annually submit to the school a written request to excuse his or her child from any or all parts of any test provided for the school year, pursuant to Education Code section 60640.
ACA Testing Days 2023
Elementary: ELA CAT May 8 & May 9
Math CAT May 11 & May 12
Math PT May 15 & May 16
ELA PT May 18 & May 19
Intermediate:
ELA CAT May 4 & 5
Math CAT May 22 & 23
Math PT May 25 & 26
ELA PT April 27 & April 28
SCIENCE April 20 & April 21
Middle:
ELA CAT May 15-18
Math CAT May 15-18
Math PT May 25-26
ELA PT May 1-2
SCIENCE April 24 & April 25
UPCOMING & ONGOING SCHOOL EVENTS 
First Fridays: First Fridays take place every 1st Friday of the month during the school year, at Skipolini’s in Antioch at 4pm. Come join and have dinner with your family while making new friends from our ACA community! Let us know if there is another restaurant we should try out for this!
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!
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 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.
See’s Candy Fundraiser: We are excited to partner with See’s Candies Yum-Raising! Buy now and order some delicious chocolates. It’s simple, and you’ll love the selection.
No sign-up or minimum required. Ground Shipments (Up to 6 business days)
Yumraising Exclusive:
Up To $39.99 
$7.95
$40 – $69.99 
$5.95
$70+ 
Free
See’s Candies Yum-Raising – Antioch Charter Academy – ACA’s Spring Chocolates 2023
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/
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
MARK YOUR CALENDAR
March 13 3rd Trimester Begins – new electives (4-8th) start
March 15-17 MS Internships – off campus
March 17 Dining for $$ Panda (nationwide)
March 23 MS to Farm (small group)
March 23 Prim/Elem Study Trip – Chabot
March 29 Whole School Experience – Shakespeare
April 4 FN Meeting (all welcome) – 3pm
April 5 Minimum Day – dismiss at 12pm
April 6 MS to Farm (small group)
April 6 Charter Council meeting (all welcome) – 4pm
April 7 First Friday at Skipolini’s – 4pm
April 10-14 Spring Break – no school
April 20 Cougars in Action – whole school clean up
REMINDERS 
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!!
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. Please remember to request an “Independent Study” or “IS” every time you email/call to report an absence. This helps the school, which helps your student!
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 Yearbook – ACAMemories@
Social Media – Accounts are set to private; you need to request to join our groups.
Instagram Antioch Charter – https://www.instagram.com/
Facebook ACA Family & Friends – https://www.facebook.com/
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???
Members at Large: Everyone!
Email: ACAFamilyNetwork@
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!
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 meals, and/or need to talk with someone regarding any struggles your student(s) may be facing.
Contra Costa Crisis Center (call 211): https://www.crisis-center.org/
Contra Costa Health Services: https://cchealth.org/
First 5 of Contra Costa County: http://www.first5coco.org/
CocoKids East County: https://www.cocokids.org
Surviving Parenthood Resource Directory for Contra Costa County: https://capc-coco.org/wp-
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
Academia autónoma de Antioquía
Boletín para las familias y el personal de Antioch Charter Academy/TLCS Volumen 27, número 26, 13 de marzo de 2023
¡Hola familias de ACA!
Espero que hayas tenido un fin de semana reparador. El horario de verano pasó el domingo y puede ser un ajuste complicado tanto para niños como para adultos.
La semana pasada tuvimos una semana completa de Días de espíritu, y es posible que se pregunte quién planifica esos días divertidos y presenta esas ideas creativas.
Bueno, ¡son tus hijos los que lo hacen!
En ACA todos los estudiantes son parte de lo que llamamos una “Familia Escolar”. Cada familia escolar consta de aproximadamente 10 estudiantes, al menos un estudiante de cada nivel de grado. Cada mes, las familias de la escuela se reúnen para socializar, jugar, planificar eventos escolares y más.
Los estudiantes de secundaria de cada familia escolar son responsables de preparar y dirigir cualquier actividad para su familia escolar.
Cuando tenemos asambleas u otros eventos escolares como nuestro desfile de Halloween, los estudiantes se reúnen en sus familias escolares.
Los estudiantes y el personal de ACA sienten que las familias escolares han sido una excelente manera de crear un vínculo en todos los niveles de grado para los estudiantes.
Los estudiantes y el personal quieren agradecer a las familias en casa por ayudar a sus estudiantes a participar en los Días de Espíritu durante todo el año. Los estudiantes los planifican ellos mismos y pueden emocionarse mucho con ellos. Como siempre, no podríamos hacer esto sin su apoyo.
¡Que tengas una buena semana!
sarah mclean
ANUNCIOS
Cenar por dólares: Acompáñenos a cenar el 17 de marzo en CUALQUIER restaurante Panda Express en todo el país. Esto hace que sea muy fácil para la familia y los amigos apoyar a nuestra escuela. Comparta el enlace de recaudación de fondos con cualquier persona que desee participar. Aplique el código 912829 en el cuadro Código de recaudación de fondos durante el pago en línea en www.pandaexpress.com o a través de la aplicación
Estudio independiente: recuerde solicitar un “estudio independiente” o “IS” cada vez que envíe un correo electrónico o llame para informar una ausencia. ¡Esto ayuda a la escuela, que ayuda a su estudiante! ¡Gracias!
Pruebas CAASPP 2023: A partir de este abril, los estudiantes en los grados 3-8 volverán a participar en la administración estatal de la Evaluación de Rendimiento y Progreso Estudiantil de California (CAASPP).
Estas evaluaciones sumativas en línea miden lo que su hijo sabe y es capaz de hacer. Incluyen muchos tipos diferentes de preguntas que permiten a los estudiantes interactuar con los elementos de evaluación. Los resultados ayudan a identificar las brechas en el conocimiento o las habilidades desde el principio para que su hijo pueda obtener el apoyo que necesita para tener éxito en la escuela. Este año, su hijo tomará las siguientes pruebas:
Evaluaciones Smarter Balanced (SBA): Grados 3-8 y 11. Las pruebas de ELA y matemáticas Smarter Balanced reflejan los rigurosos estándares académicos de California y permiten a los estudiantes demostrar habilidades de escritura analítica y pensamiento crítico, así como su conocimiento de los hechos.
Prueba de Ciencias de California (CAST) o Evaluación Alternativa de Ciencias de California (CAA para Ciencias): Grados 5, 8 y 11 (Grado 12 si no se evaluó previamente). Los Estándares de Ciencias de la Próxima Generación de California (CA NGSS) exigen que los estudiantes piensen y trabajen como científicos e ingenieros, haciendo preguntas y aprendiendo a través de la investigación práctica y el descubrimiento. El CAST mide el logro de los estudiantes de estos estándares a través de la aplicación de sus conocimientos y habilidades de las Prácticas de Ciencias e Ingeniería, Ideas Básicas Disciplinarias y Conceptos Transversales.
Evaluaciones Alternativas de California (CAA): Grados 3-8, 11 Los estudiantes que tienen un IEP que designa el uso de una evaluación alternativa son elegibles para tomar las CAA en ELA y matemáticas. El objetivo de CAA es garantizar que los estudiantes con las discapacidades cognitivas más significativas alcancen niveles de rendimiento cada vez más altos. Los estudiantes con las discapacidades cognitivas más significativas, según lo designado en su IEP, son elegibles para tomar el CAA de Ciencias. El CAA for Science consta de tres tareas de rendimiento integradas basadas en estándares de rendimiento alternativos derivados del CA NGSS.
Exención: tenga en cuenta que un padre o tutor puede enviar anualmente a la escuela una solicitud por escrito para excusar a su hijo de cualquiera o todas las partes de cualquier prueba proporcionada para el año escolar, de conformidad con la sección 60640 del Código de Educación.
Días de prueba de ACA 2023
Primaria: ELA CAT 8 y 9 de mayo
Matemáticas CAT 11 y 12 de mayo
Matemáticas PT 15 y 16 de mayo
ELA PT 18 y 19 de mayo
Intermedio:
ELA CAT 4 y 5 de mayo
Matemáticas CAT 22 y 23 de mayo
Matemáticas PT 25 y 26 de mayo
ELA PT 27 y 28 de abril
CIENCIA 20 y 21 de abril
Medio:
ELA CAT 15-18 de mayo
CAT de Matemáticas del 15 al 18 de mayo
Matemáticas PT 25-26 de mayo