NETWORKings
Antioch Charter Academy
Aug 16-18 Minimum Day – dismissal at 12pm
Newsletter for Antioch Charter Academy/TLCS Stakeholders
Volume 28, Issue 1, August 14 , 2023
Dear ACA Families,
Welcome back to school! It is very exciting to see all of the returning families and to welcome all the new families to ACA. Teachers and staff have been hard at work planning a great school year. As always, we are thinking of new ways to make the curriculum more meaningful for the students we teach.
Once, I met with a family that made a point to bring a group of people to our orientation meeting. They brought a parent, a grandparent, two cousins, and an uncle. They stated they did this intentionally, so that we would SEE how committed they all are to supporting the student and the school.
My hope is that this year every one of you will feel you can SHOW your support for your child(ren) by showing up at ACA– through volunteering for the Parent Network, through giving your time teaching electives, through helping in the garden, raising ideas and funds for a new sports field, and through participating in network events.
I hope you show your support by volunteering in the classroom, perhaps be a level- parent leader, help with special days at school, drive for study trips, attend parent education events– come out at night to support student created fundraisers.
Finally, since ALL of you amazing humans have something within you to share with the ACA community, something that would MAKE US BETTER, feel free to show us, and share your gifts with us. Our school not only wants to unlock the gifts within your child, but we want to unlock the gifts within our community members and families.
Have a wonderful school year!
Sincerely,
Edna Heller, Co-Administrator
ANNOUNCEMENTS 
Annual Pastries for Parents: On the first day of school (Aug 16) the Family Network will be hosting our annual Pastries for Parents starting at 8:15AM. During Pastries for Parents you will be able to hear about how you can support ACA students and teachers, volunteer for activities, vote on this year’s budget, and get something to eat & drink! See the attached flyer for details!
Elective Help! We are busy setting up electives for our 4-8th grade students for the first trimester (8/28 – 11/9). Our afternoon elective program begins Monday, August 28th and runs from 2-3pm 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 an 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:
Art: crafts, sewing, knitting, crocheting, fine art, ceramics, photography, woodworking, etc
Indoor: board games, chess, strategy, role playing, etc.
Outdoor: basketball, volleyball, kickball, soccer, flag football, whiffle ball, dodgeball, etc
Cooking (always a big hit): simple cooking skills, baking, cake decorating, microwave recipes, airfryer recipes, juicing, multicultural, etc
Language: ASL, Spanish, etc
Movement: yoga, dance (line, zumba, hip hop, modern, etc), pilates, etc
Science: rockets, fun experiments, technology, building things, etc
Other: gardening, drama/acting, debate, and the list can go on and on – teach what you enjoy doing!
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. We want this to be a good experience for all! All volunteers will need to have a Livescan fingerprint on file with our office (school will pay the fee).
Please contact the school by Friday, August 18th if you are interested, or if you have any questions about this program.
Thank you!
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! Look for the email from your student’s classroom for the code – each age grouping has their own!
UPCOMING & ONGOING SCHOOL EVENTS 
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!
Spiritwear: Gear up for the school year with Antioch Charter spirit wear! Enjoy a 30% discount across our entire website during the back-to-school sale. With hundreds of designs waiting for you, shop now and get your order in just 10-12 business days! Shop at https://1stplace.sale/14399
Sale Dates: August 8th – September 7th
Offer: 30% off all merchandise and free shipping over $75
Antioch Charter Links:
Store Link: https://1stplace.sale/14399
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 the second Friday of each month at 3pm. The board welcomes and encourages all ACA families to attend the meetings. Check with the calendar below to find out the next meeting.
Family Network Wish List: We have created a Family Network wish list on Amazon. If you’d like to donate any of these “Wish List” items we would greatly appreciate it. These items are needed throughout the school year. Pick the items and pay for them and Amazon will ship directly to the school.
*ALL DONATIONS COUNT TOWARD YOUR FAMILY SERVICE HOURS AS WELL!
*ANY DONATION YOU ARE ABLE TO MAKE IS FULLY TAX DEDUCTIBLE.
ACA I Family Network – Amazon Gift List – Amazon Gift List
Thank you for your support!
Dining for Dollars: Eat out and raise $$ for our school! Our first event is with Panda Express on October 31st. Look for details as it gets closer!!
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/
Volunteers Needed: Want to help, but not sure where to start??? Then sign up on TrackItForward to find out how you can help!!! https://www.trackitforward.
Contact the ACA Family Network if you have any questions or need help accessing track it forward Acafamilynetwork@
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!!! 
Aug 16 FN Pastries for Parents & Opening Day Flag Ceremony – 8:15am
Aug 16-18 Minimum Day – dismissal at 12pm
Aug 23 Wednesday Enrichment Program begins
Aug 22-24 Back to School Nights
Aug 25 Vision Testing (certain grades)
Aug 28 Electives begin (4-8th grade)
Aug 29 Hearing Testing (certain grades)
Sept 4 No School – Labor Day
Sept 7 Charter Council at 4pm (all welcome)
Sept 8 Family Network at 3pm (all welcome)
Sept 14-15 Minimum Days – dismissal at 12pm
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. Reminder – no outside food delivery services are allowed on campus.
Absences, Tardies, Leaving Early: 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!
Clothes Donation Bin: As some of you may have seen, we have a clothes donation bin in our parking lot now. Not only is this a great way to have our unclaimed lost and found items find a new home, but it is actually a form of fund raising for the school. When people donate clothes, the owners of the bin, Tree Machine, will give money to the school. Keep this in mind as you start doing some Spring cleaning.
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: Janika Barnes
Fundraising Chair: Yessika Berrios
Members at Large: Everyone!
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 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: https://www.first5coco.org/
CocoKids East County: https://www.cocokids.org
Surviving Parenthood Resource Directory for Contra Costa County: https://capc-coco.org/wp-
Be Exceptional: a local program for all ages who have “exceptional needs”: https://beexceptionalprograms.
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
16-18 de agosto Día mínimo – salida a las 12:00 p. m.
Boletín para las partes interesadas de Antioch Charter Academy/TLCS
Volumen 28, Número 1, 14 de agosto de 2023
Estimadas familias de ACA,
¡Bienvenido de nuevo al colegio! Es muy emocionante ver a todas las familias que regresan y dar la bienvenida a todas las nuevas familias a ACA. Los maestros y el personal han estado trabajando arduamente para planificar un gran año escolar. Como siempre, estamos pensando en nuevas formas de hacer que el plan de estudios sea más significativo para los estudiantes a los que enseñamos.
Una vez, me reuní con una familia que se propuso traer un grupo de personas a nuestra reunión de orientación. Trajeron a un padre, un abuelo, dos primos y un tío. Dijeron que hicieron esto intencionalmente, para que VEAMOS cuán comprometidos están todos para apoyar al estudiante y la escuela.
Mi esperanza es que este año cada uno de ustedes sienta que puede DEMOSTRAR su apoyo a su(s) hijo(s) presentándose en ACA–a través del voluntariado para la Red de Padres, al dar su tiempo enseñando asignaturas optativas, al ayudar en el jardín, recaudando ideas y fondos para un nuevo campo deportivo y participando en eventos de la red.
Espero que muestre su apoyo ofreciéndose como voluntario en el salón de clases, tal vez sea un padre líder de nivel, ayude con días especiales en la escuela, conduzca para viajes de estudio, asista a eventos educativos para padres, salga por la noche para apoyar las recaudaciones de fondos creadas por los estudiantes.
Finalmente, dado que TODOS ustedes, humanos asombrosos, tienen algo dentro de ustedes para compartir con la comunidad de ACA, algo que NOS HARÍA MEJORES, no duden en mostrárnoslo y compartir sus dones con nosotros. Nuestra escuela no solo quiere desbloquear los dones dentro de su hijo, sino que también queremos desbloquear los dones dentro de los miembros de nuestra comunidad y sus familias.
¡Que tengas un maravilloso año escolar!
Atentamente,
Edna Heller, coadministradora
ANUNCIOS
Pasteles anuales para padres: el primer día de clases (16 de agosto), Family Network organizará nuestros Pasteles anuales para padres a partir de las 8:15 a.m. ¡Durante Pastries for Parents, podrá escuchar cómo puede apoyar a los estudiantes y maestros de ACA, ser voluntario en actividades, votar sobre el presupuesto de este año y obtener algo para comer y beber! ¡Vea el volante adjunto para más detalles!
¡Ayuda electiva! Estamos ocupados organizando asignaturas optativas para nuestros estudiantes de 4.º a 8.º grado para el primer trimestre (28/8 – 9/11). Nuestro programa electivo de la tarde comienza el lunes 28 de agosto y funciona de 2 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 importante 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!
Ideas para las clases:
Arte: manualidades, costura, tejido, ganchillo, bellas artes, cerámica, fotografía, carpintería, etc.
Indoor: juegos de mesa, ajedrez, estrategia, juegos de rol, etc.
Al aire libre: baloncesto, voleibol, kickball, fútbol, flag football, whiffle ball, dodgeball, etc.
Cocina (siempre un gran éxito): habilidades simples de cocina, horneado, decoración de pasteles, recetas de microondas, recetas de airfryer, jugos, multicultural, etc.
Idioma: ASL, español, etc.
Movimiento: yoga, baile (línea, zumba, hip hop, moderno, etc), pilates, etc.
Ciencia: cohetes, experimentos divertidos, tecnología, construcción de cosas, etc.
Otros: jardinería, teatro/actuación, debate, y la lista puede seguir y seguir: ¡enseña lo que disfrutas hacer!
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 un equipo con un amigo para enseñar una clase, y no necesita tener un estudiante en las clases de 4º a 8º grado para ayudar. ¡Queremos que esta sea una buena experiencia para todos! Todos los voluntarios deberán tener una huella dactilar Livescan archivada en nuestra oficina (la escuela pagará la tarifa).
Comuníquese con la escuela antes del viernes 18 de agosto si está interesado o si tiene alguna pregunta sobre este programa.
¡Gracias!
Recuerde: esta es otra forma en que la escuela le informa rápidamente sobre lo que está sucediendo en el campus. No te pierdas otro horario de día mínimo, o un evento de toda la escuela. Puede recibir mensajes a través de correo electrónico o mensajes de texto, ¡usted decide! Busque el correo electrónico del aula de su estudiante para obtener el código: ¡cada grupo de edad tiene el suyo propio!
EVENTOS ESCOLARES PRÓXIMOS Y EN CURSO
Charter Council: El Charter Council es nuestra junta directiva. La junta se reúne generalmente el segundo jueves del mes a las 4 p. m. Consulte el calendario para conocer la fecha/hora de la próxima reunión o llame a la oficina al 925-755-7311 para confirmar. Estas reuniones están abiertas al público, ¡todos son bienvenidos!
Ropa de espíritu: ¡Equípate para el año escolar con la ropa de espíritu de Antioch Charter!