Director's Letter February 21, 2025

Feb 215 min read

Dear ACA Community,

Let me start by saying ‘Thank You’ to our dynamite students! I have been pulled aside numerous times this month by people who wanted to share stories of ACA students being AWESOME. So many good reports of kindness, respect, and helpfulness! To quote a staff member, “There seems to be a strong and positive sense of inter-student support and camaraderie.” Well done, everyone!

We have a lot of activities to talk about this week so enjoy reading!

There are a couple of opportunities for volunteers with special skills to make a difference at ACA. If you have connections to a plumber or someone with plumbing skills, we need a sprayer installed in the art room sink. We have the part. Art is messy and the sprayer will help with cleanup. Also, if there are any volunteer video producers out there, ACA would really benefit from a promotional video that could be used in targeted student recruitment campaigns and financial ‘asks’. Any leads, let me know!

ACA’s newly formed Garden Collective has been making plans to revitalize our garden space this year. In cooperation with PTO, the group is planning a garden clean up party on March 3 at 3:30pm If you are interested in helping, please sign up at this LINK Bring your gardening tools of choice and meet in the garden. Snacks will be provided! The group would also appreciate donations of (tape and label free) cardboard for the garden beds. Spread the word!

ACA’s stellar Science Department is hosting another Science Fair on Thursday, April 10! Some students spend many weeks on their projects, so it's not too soon at all to start planning. ESes have packets for students and can help them register for the Fair, or scroll down to the flyer below for more details and a registration link. The students do a great job sharing their exhibits!

The ACE Parent/Student Meeting for Juniors and Seniors interested in joining will be hosted by Mr. Wynne on Thursday, February 27th at 3:40 in room 109. ACE stands for Alliance College Experience and is one of our Early College programs. If you have questions, contact ChadWynne@aca.k12.or.us or talk to your ES. This is a great opportunity for students who are in good academic standing and are ready for college courses.

Along those lines, Clackamas Community College’s Career Technical Education Showcase takes place on April 8 from 3:30-6:30pm. Students are invited to learn about exciting CTE programs like manufacturing, health care, welding and automotive technology. There will be hands-on demonstrations, information booths, financial aid and tuition waiver resources and networking opportunities. By attending, you could win one of 25 free tuition waivers each covering up to 4 CCC credits! Register at this LINK

Clackamas County Health Services is offering primary care services to all K-12 students in the Oregon City School District. In addition to primary care, other services include vaccinations, laboratory testing and access to a behavioral health therapist. Appointments are required and services are provided regardless of the ability to pay. They are located at Oregon City High School at 19761 S. Beavercreek Rd., Oregon City, OR 97045. Please call 503-785-8772 to make an appointment. Their website is https://www.ochspioneers.org/health-center

For more information you can reach out to winonahiserote@aca.k12.or.us

This is the part where I ask a favor for ACA. As you know, ACA is a charter school and that means our school has to prove, every year, that we deliver a quality education to our students. Based on our charter agreement with our District sponsors, ACA student scores on the annual state assessments are compared to scores of District and State (average) students. As a rule, ACA students outperform their peers (we win!) and because of this, we are allowed to exist. The test results prove to the world that our quirky little school has a good thing going by giving a snapshot of how our school is performing in key areas. This data also helps with decisions that will improve instruction and show how well we are teaching and supporting our students.

It helps identify system strengths and areas where growth is needed across time to evaluate curriculum, instruction, and class offerings. All that to say, we are testing our program to see how we stack up and a side benefit is that you and your child’s ES will get individual student data as well. So my ‘ask’ is that your students take part in state assessments.

State testing is scheduled during the month of April at ACA. All students in grades 3-8 and 11 are expected to participate in state testing for ELA and math. Students in grades 5, 8, and 11 will also take the science test. We ask that each family check their testing schedule and rsvp through the form provided. Mrs. Lute and Mrs. Kimball are doing a great job of planning efficient, low-stress test sessions. Parents, thank you for your help and flexibility in making this happen!

Gentle Rule Reminder: None needed this week…y’all are doing great!

Our lovely office staff, Ms Jenny and Ms Darian, have a few valuable lost and found items in the office. If you are missing jewelry, phones, earbuds, etc. please stop by and check with them. Hopefully we can reunite these items with their owners.

PTO has launched ACA’s second annual Read-A-Thon! Last year was very successful with lots of great participation. Let’s make Year 2 even better!

Families can stock up at the virtual PaperPie book fair, which ends on 2/24. Huge thanks to the Coyle family for their donation to the ELA department and PTO!

K-5 Students can pick up their Read-A-Thon packets from their ES, or older students at the PTO desk. The time is now to set a reading goal and reach out to friends and family, to ask to be sponsored!

Prizes, rules, a calendar, and much more can be found attached to your packet- make sure to put your name on it and keep it safe! Happy reading!

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 weekend, and thank you for being part of the ACA family!

Go Eagles,

Shelly Smith

ShellySmith@aca.k12.or.us

24-25 Executive Director

“Our mission is to personalize learning through a collaboration of family, community and school; to nurture the innate curiosity of all our students; to ignite their passion for learning; and to prepare them for lifelong success.”