Messages from the Secondary Principal

Dear Parents, It was great to see so many Middle School parents at the Cougar Cup this past week. Our student volleyballers, soccer players, and cheerleaders represented our school well and were great sports and hosts to the visiting schools. We look forward to the same positive outcome this week during the High School events. Please come and cheer on the Cougars! We also look forward to seeing you at the Family Picnic this coming Saturday between 11:00 and 4:00. There will be plenty of food and activity options, and the new playground built with funds from last year's Gala will finally be finished and open for use. Please come and enjoy some social time with other ACS families. This is the final academic week for this academic quarter. Students will be studying hard and completing end-of-quarter projects and assessments as well as preparing for Classroom Without Walls the following week. Please mark your calendars for Parent-Teacher-Student conferences on Thursday, October 26. We...

Dear Parents, Classroom Without Walls (CWW) is getting closer. I appreciate your patience as we continue to work through a new approach to trip coordination. This has resulted in some confusion and frustration due to late adjustments as we figure out the details for each trip. Informational meetings (via Zoom) are being scheduled for this week, and those meetings will be recorded and shared for those unable to attend. Despite the late planning, we anticipate that students will enjoy and benefit from these unique experiences. The Cougar Cup tournament begins this week with Middle School volleyball and soccer matches with some of our neighboring schools. I invite you to come and cheer on our ACS teams. Not only do these games provide great exercise for our students, they also provide opportunities to practice teamwork and good sportsmanship. No matter the outcome, I know that our Middle School athletes will do their best and be proud of their effort and also be congenial hosts for the vi...

 Dear Parents, This week all Middle School students will be taking the Measure of Academic Progress (MAP). This important assessment, which students take 2-3 times each year, is linked to our curriculum and provides valuable information about learning and growth in the areas of English language arts and mathematics. Teachers use this assessment data to make adjustments to their instruction and tailor their teaching to students' needs. We also use the results to measure our students' learning against that of students in other similar schools in our region, and subsequently make adjustments to our curricula. Parents will receive individualized reports of student learning growth, and will be able to observe their child's growth over time. Please direct any questions about the MAP assessment to your child's teachers. In just a few short weeks students will venture off for Classroom Without Walls, our annual experiential learning opportunity. By now all parents should have r...

Dear Parents, I'm sure that many of you know that last Thursday was Mariel Ballesteros' last day at ACS. She has decided to focus in another direction, and she will be missed by all of us. We wish her the best in the next chapter of her life. We are in the process of searching for a new Secondary Assistant, but in the meantime please address any requests to Martha Asebey in the main office. If you haven't done so already, please check your email and respond to the Classroom Without Walls survey. Your response is only to help us with planning; no commitment is expected until you have the full trip details. Dates and times for informational meetings are coming soon. Grade 6-11 trips will be scheduled during Monday-Friday, 2-6 October. Only the grade 12 trip extends to 7 October. During the week of 11-15 September, all students in grades 6-8 will take the Measure of Academic Progress (MAP) exams. The results of these exams do not impact class grades, but they do provide import...