Director's Letter October 17, 2025

Shelly Smith
Oct 18
5 min read

Hello ACA Community,

There are many reasons to love ACA with our wonderful students topping the list! They are learning and growing, but also caring for and supporting each other. I was able to make a short presentation to the District school board about ACA’s high school program earlier this week. And I was proud to share that Alliance Charter Academy high schoolers outperformed CAIS, OCSLA, and OC High by a good margin on the spring state tests. But the stats I was most excited to share were our Spring survey results where students and parents ranked ACA extraordinarily high in satisfaction across the board. Students feel like they belong and are respected by the staff and parents agree. We’ve got a good thing going!

After school and lunchtime clubs are up and running! That means our Student Leadership group of high school students has started making plans for school spirit days. Here is their list for the last week of October:

Monday, October 27 is Pajama Day

Tuesday, October 28 is Tropical Day

Wednesday, October 29 is Patriotic Day (red, white and blue)

Thursday, October 30 is Costume Day

There have been a few questions about whether school is in session on Monday. It is! Many districts are holding staff inservice days but ACA will have a regularly scheduled Monday.

School Photo Galleries

All four picture days were successful! If you would like to order a gallery, get in touch with Stephanie Young and she’ll get you set up. Her photos do not disappoint! Student ID’s for middle and high school students will be provided by ACA free of charge. We’ll let you know when those are ready to pick up!

Volunteer Spotlight

Have you had a chance to look at the playground and grounds lately? Oh my GOODNESS! Our PTO and wonderful volunteers have been busy repainting the four-square courts, weeding the garden, raking out the bark chips, reviving the front yard flower planters, painting the cinderblock wall and backboards, planting shrubs and flowers in the reader board, and MORE!

Thank you for the gift of your time everyone!

Gentle Rule Reminder(s)

We’re experiencing a litter issue this year, inside and outside the building. Please find a trash can when you have something to throw away, and clean up your area after lunch. Thank you!

Be an Entrepreneur and Sell at the Holiday Bazaar!

Students (and parents) join us for our 5th Annual Holiday Bazaar on December 5 & 6, 2025. We're looking for vendors to fill our halls with wonderful crafts, treats, and even food. Student tables are a special price and they have the option of selling on both days or just one. And parents, if you're a crafter who wants to have a vendor table, join us as well. We can even put your two tables next to each other. Vendor information and applications can be found at the PTO desk in the cafeteria.

Deck your Doors!

It's time once again for the Music Department Wreath Sale. Order gorgeous wreaths from Willamette Evergreen's lovely selection. And this year we have a bonus "Music Theme Pack" which comes with a music bow and ornaments that you can add to your chosen wreath. Yes, you do have to wire them in yourself. But we'll provide the materials. See the flyer below and get your order in by November 13th. Then plan to pick up your wreath at the ACA Holiday Bazaar on Dec 5 & 6. Enjoy!

Upcoming Events!

Our wonderful Mrs. Filippelo is continually organizing fun field trips and community events…there’s something for everyone!

Over 35 ACA friends have RSVP’d for the Friday Oct. 24th Meet-Up at: Liepold Pumpkin Patch. 11:15 - 1:30pm. To join in please RSVP at this LINK

Basketball anyone? Join us for Blazers vs Miami Heat on Thursday Jan. 22, 2026 at 7pm.

We have 60 discounted tickets for the ACA group at three different price levels ($11, $42, $62)

Purchase your seats by following the direct link from the flyer & using a Ticketmaster/Blazers account or visit the group landing page here: https://www.rosequarter.com/events/group-tickets and use the code: ACA.

Thursday, Nov. 13th @7pm, Special Group discount to Preview Night of "The Addams Family" by Oregon City Children's Theatre featuring some of our ACA students! HERE is the link to order tickets. Enter ‘ACA’ when prompted for your school name.

Save the Date for Friday November 13th, ACA’s "Salem Adventures" that features architecture and art for those in Mr. Edson's Performing Arts class AND History for ACA 4-5 Social Studies classes AND just a chance to see the newly re-opened State Capitol!

Attend either or both of these tours:

12:15-1:30 Tour of the State Capitol (4th grade and up only and we are limited to 1 adult for every 4-5 students.
2:30-4 Tour of the Hallie Ford Art Museum (no min. grade or chaperone limits- free to the whole ACA group that registers.)

From the World’s Greatest PTO

Boo-Grams are on sale! Now through 10/30. Purchase and fill them out at the PTO desk, and we will deliver them with some treats the week of 10/27-10/30.

10/27 Pie Fundraiser Begins! Look for order forms at the PTO desk. They will be available for both Thanksgiving, and a second time over the holiday break. These are delicious pies made by Willamette Valley Pie Company.

10/30 Trunk or Treat 3:30, ACA lower parking lot. We have several opportunities to host a trunk or participate in other ways. The wonderful breakfast and lunch team have generously offered to lend their extra trunk decorating kits to anyone who might not want to purchase new items. Please see them for more information :)

Easy way to support your PTO Link your Fred Meyer Rewards to ACA PTO, and we earn money every time you shop - at no cost to you. Help us reach our goal of 100 sign ups this year - At the moment we are at 19! See the attached flyer for more info and click this link and choose ACA PTO for your organization. Thank you for helping us reach this goal!

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

Thank you for being part of the ACA family, and have a wonderful weekend!

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.”