Director's Letter September 5, 2025

Shelly Smith
Sep 5
3 min read

Dear ACA Community,

What a joy it was to kick off the new school year! The campus was buzzing with happy energy all week, with staff ready to launch the year and our students—both familiar faces and new friends—radiating with excitement. It's going to be a fantastic year, and it all starts with this wonderful community. Thank you for making it such a happy place to be!

Free Lunch Program Update

Our new free breakfast and lunch program has been a huge success right out of the gate, with more participation than we ever could have projected! A special thank you to Oregon City School District staff (and ACA parents) Launa Lowrey and Lisa Boyd for their hard work and friendly interactions as we launched this new service. The sunny weather has been perfect for students eating outside, but as it gets wetter, our cafeteria will likely get more crowded at lunchtime. Parents, please remember to move your belongings off the tables at 11:45 AM to make room for students to eat.

We also have a couple of new volunteer opportunities to make this program run smoothly! We need people to help unpack lunch items each day from 11:30 AM to 11:45 AM, and volunteers to help serve from 11:45 AM to 12:10 PM. If you have a few minutes to spare, your help would be incredibly appreciated! Please use the sign-up LINK to get involved.

Community Shout-Outs and Reminders

A huge thank you to everyone who participated in our recent School Supply Drive! The generous donations are a huge help to our students and staff as we start the year.

And a big round of applause to two of our very talented students who entered pieces in the 2025 Oregon State Fair Creative Arts Calligraphy Competition! Kara Hickman captured 2nd place in the Student Division with her piece "Liar", and Silas Neumayer snagged an honorable mention with his piece "Dancin'". We are so proud of your beautiful work shown below, and thank you Mrs. Hespen for facilitating this display of work from Calligraphy class!

This is a reminder that the on-site class Add/Drop deadline is next Friday, September 12. Please connect with your Education Specialist to make any last-minute adjustments. Remember that middle and high school students cannot have gaps in their schedule unless they are picked up or with a responsible adult, and all students must be picked up immediately after their last class of the day.

Our school library is looking for both parent and student volunteers to join the "Book Squad!" This is a great way to earn volunteer hours while helping reshelve books, assisting readers, and learning new skills. Whether you can give an hour a week or help at special events, your time makes a huge difference. Contact JuliePen@aca.k12.or.us to sign up or for more information.

Gentle Rule Reminder

We have received some phone calls from neighbors regarding their driveways, mailboxes, and garbage bins being blocked by parked cars. Please be mindful of where you park. We strive to be good neighbors and preserve those relationships.

Announcements from our PTO

Hands Needed Please! Volunteer opportunities:

Playground Ball Tracker & Food Corner Shifts (Opening 9/29). Please stop by the PTO desk in the cafeteria to sign up for a time and day that works for your schedule this year. Many thanks!

Back to School Ice Cream Social 9/10 3:30-4:30

We have a few more openings to become a PTO officer this year!

Info & applications are available HERE until the end of September.

PTO meeting 9/25 @ 12:30 in the cafeteria

PTO Dine Out Treat Night @ the OC Menchie's! 9/23 4-8:30pm

Playground Cleanup Day 10/10 3:30-5:30. Please view the Signup Genius HERE

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.”