Director's Letter August 22, 2025

Shelly Smith
Aug 22
4 min read

Dear ACA Community,

Let’s Go 2025-26!

As summer winds down, we are excited to invite you to our Back to School Day on Wednesday, August 27th from 9:00am–1:00pm!

While this event is optional, we hope you'll drop in and take advantage of the many resources and opportunities available as we gear up for the new school year. It’s a great way to get organized, connect with staff and other families, and start the year off strong - before our official first day of school on Tuesday, September 2nd. Check out the flyer below!

Over the summer, we have hired some fantastic new staff members! Our warmest welcome to Glenda Golter (Elementary ES), Emily Buck (Curriculum Room), Christiana Zollner (Orchestra Director), Renee Elting (Elective Classes), Joel Cochran (High School History), Heather Kiersey (Registrar), Alessandra Hansen (Spanish and HS Language Arts) Mandi Tompkins (Front Desk AM) Katie Matthis (Elementary Classes) and Erin Mayfield (Art). Our thanks to them for saying , ‘Yes’ to the ACA adventure!

Yearbooks are here! Flipping through mine reminded me of what a great group of students and families we have here at ACA. Looking forward to getting re-aquainted in about 10 days!

Something new and exciting will be Free Meals at ACA, beginning the first day of school. As we launch this brand new adventure for the first time, keep in mind that there will be a learning curve for our new kitchen staff. The process will improve as we all work together!

Check out the September Breakfast and Lunch Menu

If you’ve read the new and improved Student Handbook, you may have noticed the term ‘Learning Guide’. At ACA, the role of a Learning Guide is essential for student success in our personalized learning model, serving as the dedicated adult—typically a parent, but possibly another family member or designated responsible adult—who is physically present to supervise, monitor progress, and support the student's daily and yearly educational journey. Learning Guides provide hands-on guidance, assist with curriculum implementation, foster an engaging learning environment, and offer personalized instruction aligned with the student's Personalized Learning Plan (PLP). ACA supports Learning Guides through our ESes—if you need guidance in this role, we're here to help!

Many thanks to the volunteers who have been lending a hand over the summer! Robert Bruders has built 14 new desks for the Independent Learning room. Students will have access to headphones and work spaces where they can be productive in a quiet study space. Some ACA parents, grandparents, students and siblings moved a lot of furniture and filled a 30 yard dump box this week! Tom Snyder assembled a beautiful new bass rack for the orchestra room. If anyone has a bit of time, Mr. Edson would appreciate it if a volunteer could drop by room 116 and assemble a simple chair rack for the music room…tools provided! Thanks everyone!

Mrs. Fillipello is organizing LOTS of really fun gatherings for all ages and interests this year!

Get ready for "ACA Outings" for 25-26! We had a blast last year together at shows, museums, swim/play days, Oaks Park & more! Please fill out this survey to give feedback and to sign-up for alerts/updates by email. 25-26 ACA Outings Survey

Save the date for:

-Friday 9/19, 10:30-12 Intro to Golf Clinic at The Children's Course. 2nd grade-adult. $15.

-Sat. 10/4, 7pm. Thorns Soccer Game. $24 per seat in Sec. 202.

Here's a preview of other plans taking shape.

Hello 9th grade families,Your student is invited to ACA’s 9th Grade Welcome Workshop on Weds. Aug. 27, 9am–12:30 during Back to School Day.

The Class of 2029 will enjoy tips from older students, fun activities, and pizza! See attached flyer/registration form for details and please register by Mon. Aug. 25. so we plan enough pizza. Questions? Contact the ACA office or Colleen Filippello (colleenfilippello@aca.k12.or.us). See you there!

Over the next few weeks, we’ll be cleaning up our electronic Student Information System (Synergy). During this time we ask for your patience when requesting any school record related information. Thank you!

There have been some questions about the Governor’s new cell phone ban in schools. The ACA Board of Trustees is required to adopt a policy that is fully in effect by January 1. For the time being, ACA will continue to follow our current policy which is that phones are to be turned off and stored in backpacks during class unless the teacher grants phone access during class for educational purposes.

The summer staff has worked long hours getting ready to launch the new year. We have

Remember to check the calendar on our website often, AllianceCharterAcademy.org and don’t forget to log your Volunteer hours here Volunteer Time Log.

Have a wonderful summer break and thank you for being part of the ACA family!

Go Eagles,

Shelly Smith

ShellySmith@aca.k12.or.us

Executive Director

“The mission of Alliance Charter Academy is to nurture the innate curiosity of our students, ignite their passion for learning, and prepare them for lifelong success through personalized learning and the collaboration of school, family, and community.”