NETWORKings
Antioch Charter Academy
Newsletter for Antioch Charter Academy/TLCS Stakeholders
Volume 30, Issue 3, September 2, 2025
Dear ACA Families,
I would like to take this opportunity to introduce myself. My name is Diana Mulligan, and I am excited to be the new elementary teacher at ACA. I previously taught 1st, 3rd, and 4th as an intern within the Antioch Unified School District. I cannot express how excited I am to be able to experience the elementary school years with your child.
I have always wanted to be a teacher since I can remember, but life took me down a
different path after graduating from California State University, Sacramento in 2006. There I attained a bachelor’s degree in English. After becoming a parent in 2011, I realized that teaching was still the career that I wanted to pursue. In 2019, I became a substitute teacher, and in 2020, I began my dream to become a teacher. In June of 2025, I attained my teaching credential through UMASS Global-California.
I was born and raised in Antioch, and grew up in the house that my father was raised in. Even though I moved to Sacramento for college, I came back home to Antioch. I live with my daughter, Payton, while taking care of my father. We love animals, in fact we have 7 cats: Rosetta, Lucifer, Vidia, Baymax, Oliver, Iridessa, and Figaro. Yes, they are all named after Disney characters! We are huge Disney fans!
Now that you know a little more about me, I cannot wait to get to know the ACA families.
Sincerely,
Diana Mulligan
HIGHLIGHTS
With Deep Gratitude to Our Volunteers!
Our school has the most generous and dedicated volunteers. We want to give a tremendous shout out to The Baca Family for taking the time and care to repaint our gates and The Rogers Family for replacing and installing all the backpack hooks—your hard work has made our campus brighter, more welcoming, and full of pride! We also give our deepest thanks to Ms. Nissinen, whose passion and countless hours in our garden have created a beautiful, thriving space for our students to learn and enjoy. And a huge thank you to Ms. Behbahani for teaching life-saving techniques at our summer camp—your knowledge and dedication have given our students valuable skills they can carry with them for a lifetime.
Your efforts don’t just make our school look amazing—they show our students the power of community, kindness, and giving back. We are beyond grateful for all that you do! 
Afternoon Electives for 4-8th graders begin this week!
Family Dance on Thursday, September 25th! This event will take place at the school from 5:30-7pm. Come have fun with your children, meet other ACA families and support the school. See attached flyer for details!
Picture Day is coming on Tuesday, September 16! You can place your order on mylifetouch.com using your Picture Day ID: EVTP2T7SK. Order before midnight on Picture Day to get FREE shipping! Your child can also bring their completed flyer with cash or check on Picture Day. Orders after Picture Day must be placed online only on mylifetouch.com.
ACA & ACA II 6-8th Grade Basketball Season has started. Come cheer on our Wildcats!! The schedule is attached.
MARK YOUR CALENDAR – Lots Happening!!!
Sept 2 Hearing Testing (certain grades)
Sept 2 1st Trimester Electives Begins (4-8th grade)
Sept 5 Family Network Meeting (all welcome) @ 3:15pm
Sept 9 Vision Testing (certain grades)
Sept 10 Costco Lunch FUNdraiser
Sept 11 Charter Council Meeting (all welcome) @ 4pm
Sept 16 School Picture Day (all grades)
Sept 18 MS Study Trip – iFly
Sept 25 ACA Family Dance – watch for details
Sept 25-26 Minimum Days – dismiss at 12pm
Oct 1 Costco Lunch FUNdraiser
Oct 2 Charter Council Meeting (all welcome) @ 4pm
Oct 3 Family Network Meeting (all welcome) @ 3:15pm
Oct 6-10 October Break – no school
UPCOMING & ONGOING SCHOOL ANNOUNCEMENTS
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) 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/
**If you have any questions, Family Network will be on campus every Friday selling Popcorn!**
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. See attached document for this school’s year schedule
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
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/
Spiritwear: Antioch Charter spirit wear! 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
Volunteers Needed
Want to help, but not sure where to start??? Sign up on TrackItForward to find out how you can help!!! https://www.trackitforward.
Contact the ACA Family Network if you have any questions!
Acafamilynetwork@
REMINDERS
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. No 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!
REMIND: This App 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 (example from last year: a power outage that required early dismissal!). You can receive messages through email or through texting (recommended) – you decide! Ask your student’s teacher for their classcode!
Clothes Donation Bin: is a great way to have our unclaimed lost and found items find a new home, and 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. The bin is for clothes only. Please make sure to bag the clothes before you put them in the bin. Thank You.
Parking Lot/Carpool
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
Chair: Yessika Berrios
Co-Chair: Pedro Ramos
Secretary: Brooke Farrington
Treasurer: Salena Killion
School Volunteer Coordinator: OPEN
Social Chair: Zaren Reed
Fundraising Chair: Marissa Hernandez
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.
Resources For Families: Parent Resources
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
Antioch Charter Academy
Boletín informativo para las partes interesadas de Antioch Charter Academy/TLCS
Volumen 30, Número 3, 2 de septiembre de 2025
Estimadas familias de ACA:
Quiero aprovechar esta oportunidad para presentarme. Me llamo Diana Mulligan y estoy emocionada de ser la nueva maestra de primaria en ACA. Anteriormente, impartí clases de 1.º, 3.º y 4.º grado como becaria en el Distrito Escolar Unificado de Antioch. No tengo palabras para expresar mi emoción por poder compartir los años de primaria con su hijo/a.
Siempre he querido ser maestra, pero la vida me llevó por un camino diferente después de graduarme de la Universidad Estatal de California en Sacramento en 2006. Allí obtuve una licenciatura en Inglés. Después de ser madre en 2011, me di cuenta de que la docencia seguía siendo la carrera que quería seguir. En 2019, me convertí en maestra sustituta y, en 2020, cumplí mi sueño de ser maestra. En junio de 2025, obtuve mi credencial de maestra a través de UMASS Global-California.
Nací y crecí en Antioch, en la casa donde creció mi padre. Aunque me mudé a Sacramento para ir a la universidad, regresé a Antioch. Vivo con mi hija, Payton, y cuido de mi padre. Nos encantan los animales; de hecho, tenemos siete gatos: Rosetta, Lucifer, Vidia, Baymax, Oliver, Iridessa y Fígaro. ¡Sí, todos llevan nombres de personajes de Disney! ¡Somos grandes fans de Disney!
Ahora que me conocen un poco más, estoy deseando conocer a las familias de ACA.
Atentamente,
Diana Mulligan
DESTACADOS
¡Con profunda gratitud a nuestros voluntarios!
Nuestra escuela cuenta con los voluntarios más generosos y dedicados. Queremos agradecer enormemente a la familia Baca por tomarse el tiempo y el cuidado de repintar nuestras puertas y a la familia Rogers por reemplazar e instalar todos los ganchos para mochilas. ¡Su arduo trabajo ha hecho que nuestro campus sea más luminoso, acogedor y lleno de orgullo! También agradecemos profundamente a la Sra. Nissinen, cuya pasión e incontables horas en nuestro jardín han creado un espacio hermoso y próspero para que nuestros estudiantes aprendan y disfruten. Y un enorme agradecimiento a la Sra. Behbahani por enseñar técnicas para salvar vidas en nuestro campamento de verano. Su conocimiento y dedicación han brindado a nuestros estudiantes valiosas habilidades que les acompañarán toda la vida.
Sus esfuerzos no solo hacen que nuestra escuela luzca increíble, sino que también muestran a nuestros estudiantes el poder de la comunidad, la amabilidad y la solidaridad. ¡Estamos sumamente agradecidos por todo lo que hacen!
¡Las clases optativas de la tarde para estudiantes de 4.º a 8.º grado comienzan esta semana!
¡Baile familiar el jueves 25 de septiembre! Este evento se llevará a cabo en la escuela de 17:30 a 19:00 h. Ven a divertirte con tus hijos, conoce a otras familias de ACA y apoya a la escuela. ¡Consulta el folleto adjunto para más detalles!
¡El Día de la Foto es el martes 16 de septiembre! Puedes hacer tu pedido en mylifetouch.com usando tu ID: EVTP2T7SK. ¡Haz tu pedido antes de la medianoche para obtener envío GRATIS! Tu hijo también puede traer el folleto completo con efectivo o cheque el mismo día. Los pedidos posteriores solo deben hacerse en línea en mylifetouch.com.
La temporada de baloncesto de 6.º a 8.º grado de ACA y ACA II ya ha comenzado. ¡Ven a animar a nuestros Wildcats! El calendario está adjunto.
¡MARCA TU CALENDARIO! ¡Hay muchas cosas que hacer!
2 de septiembre: Prueba de audición (algunos grados)
2 de septiembre: Comienzan las asignaturas optativas del primer trimestre (4.º a 8.º grado)
5 de septiembre: Reunión de la Red Familiar (todos bienvenidos) a las 15:15 h
9 de septiembre: Prueba de la vista (algunos grados)
10 de septiembre: Almuerzo recaudador de fondos de Costco
11 de septiembre: Reunión del Consejo de la Escuela Charter (todos bienvenidos) a las 16:00 h
16 de septiembre: Día de la foto escolar (todos los grados)
18 de septiembre: Viaje de estudios de la escuela secundaria – iFly
25 de septiembre: Baile familiar de ACA (esté atento a los detalles)
25 y 26 de septiembre: Días mínimos – salida a las 12:00 h
1 de octubre: Almuerzo recaudador de fondos de Costco
2 de octubre: Reunión del Consejo de la Escuela Charter (todos bienvenidos) a las 16:00 h
3 de octubre: Reunión de la Red Familiar (todos bienvenidos) a las 15:15 h
6-10 de octubre: Vacaciones de octubre – No hay clases