Director's Letter October 25, 2025

Shelly Smith
Oct 24
5 min read

Hello ACA Community,

Who loves good news? We just got our Fall 2024 overall performance report back and ACA had very impressive results! Our mean total score was 1143, OCSD was 1061, Oregon was 1044, and the US overall was 949. It feels really good to WIN! Kudos to last year’s 11th grade students for this outstanding showing, and to their parents and teachers for supporting them. More proof that we have a good thing going!

One of the best weeks of the ACA year begins on Monday with our first Spirit Week of the year! There will be a dress-up theme for every day of the week (listed below) all leading up to Thursday’s PTO Trunk or Treat event outside and ACA’s Spooky Science and Mad Math extravaganza in the gym! You may have seen the ‘monster’ inside the front door at school? He’s hungry for donated bags of candy to be shared out at Trunk or Treat so pick up some treats and feed the monster this week!

Cell Phone Ban

Parents and students received an email last week describing the new law banning cell phone use in schools. Please become familiar with the attachments to that email which include the policy and a Frequently Asked Questions page. By law, use of cell phones, earbuds, smartwatches and any other device capable of accessing the internet are required to be banned from use on school property from 8:00am until 3:30pm each day. Devices being used are required to be confiscated and may be held at the office for parent pick-up. We have a little time to get used to the idea as the law goes into effect on January 1. Thank you for your understanding as we navigate this new requirement.

Park Place Park

Our Board Chair, Tara McLaughlin, attended the Park Place Neighborhood Association meeting and learned that plans are being made for upgrades to the park nearby. Representatives from OC’s Parks and Rec department shared that there is $200,000 available for renovations. The ACA community is invited to share in the visioning. So think about what you would like to see in our neighborhood park and I’ll share the city survey when it’s available.

School Board Student Representative

Ever wondered how policies are debated and adopted? Interested in getting familiar with public meetings laws? Are you a student who loves ACA and would be willing to attend the monthly Governing Board meeting and update the Board and public on what’s happening at ACA? See the flyer below and apply to be the 2025-26 Student Rep!

Information Meeting

Our next Enrollment Information Meeting is coming up on Monday, November 3 at 6:00pm. Please share the link to RSVP with your homeschooling family and friends!

Volunteer Spotlight

An awesome crew of volunteers helped Stephanie Young Photography with student photos this month! Thanks to the crew of Lathan Young, Sheila Lawrence, Jen Grattan, MyLeige Hawkins, Mirian Hickman, Hilary Wofford and Vanessa Hayden for the gift of your time. Lathan and Sheila helped all four days!

Speaking of photography, we are looking for a volunteer photographer for the graduation ceremony. Reserved, preferred seating is included! Let Shelly know if you can help in this way.

Gentle Rule Reminder

Tardy Alert! Students are expected to be in their seats and ready to learn on time. Tardies are happening all throughout the day. Our stated policy is that a student with three unexcused tardies in a class may be dropped from the class. On-site classes are a privilege at ACA and we need to respect our teachers’ time. Thank you for helping!

Be an Entrepreneur and Sell at the Holiday Bazaar!

Mrs. Johnson has a web page set up for Holiday Bazaar information and forms. Check it out HERE!

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! See the attached flyers for upcoming events.

From the World’s Greatest PTO

Boo-Grams are officially sold out! Look for holiday grams starting in November.

10/27 Pie Fundraiser is Underway! 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. Order deadline for Thanksgiving pies is 11/6, please turn in your forms to the PTO desk.

10/30 Trunk or Treat 3:30, ACA lower parking lot. We have several opportunities to host a trunk or participate in other ways. Maybe your neighbor, siblings or friends outside of ACA also want to join? They are welcome to! Please share and have them sign up to join the fun. 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.”