top of page
Writer's pictureShelly Smith

Director's Letter September 6, 2024

Dear ACA Community,


We did it! Week One of our 2024-25 school year is in the books! It was so wonderful to see our students and families in the building again. My face hurt all week from smiling! Shallon counted up how many new students enrolled at ACA this year and the number is…drumroll…124! Welcome new families! We are excited to have you join this very special community. It’s going to be a great year!


With the growth of ACA, our staff has increased as well! We have five new ESes this year: Courney Gordon, David Ferguson, Allison Freestone, Rhonda Clausen, and Erika Lute. We’re also welcoming our new Intervention Specialist/ELL/504 Coordinator Meagan Kimball, and two Administrative Professionals in the front office, Darian Forrette (AM) and Jenny McKenzie (PM). We are very excited to have them as part of the team!


And of course, we are very grateful to our returning staff, each of which is an integral part of why ACA is such a special place. We love our staff!


Yearbooks are here! If you ordered a 2023-24 yearbook, they are available to pick up in the office.


Hopefully we have seen the last of the suuuuper hot weather, but if the temperatures rise again, please consider sending a refillable water bottle with your student. Our building gets very hot so having water at hand during class is helpful…less individual trips to the drinking fountain.


The schedule Add/Drop window will end on Monday, September 16. If you need to make adjustments to your schedule, please work with your ES to make the changes next week. Allotment ‘overages’ will be accepted until 12:00 pm on September 20. Unpaid overages will result in students being dropped from classes to make room for future enrolling students.


As a program improvement, we’re working on simplifying the process of communicating your student’s daily attendance. ESes have sent out an Attendance spreadsheet. Within the spreadsheet you will mark your student’s attendance for home learning. Your ES can support you if there are questions. Please remember…Parents/Guardians must call the office at 503-785-8556 or email acaattendance@aca.k12.or.us when a student will be absent from an on-site class. 


It’s never too early to start exploring scholarship opportunities! Here is a Link to a very comprehensive list of scholarships…something for everyone! 


Appreciation to Mrs. B and Mrs. Carruthers for their great work gathering and updating the ACA collection of English Language Arts (ELA) resources. Follow this Link for information about ACA's Literacy and Writing Specialists, curriculum recommendations, online resources, and grade-level guidance for families. This is a very worthwhile site to explore!


Gentle Rule Reminder: Please kindly do not bang on the doors to be let into the building from the playground. The banging is disruptive to nearby classrooms. A staff member will open the lower level door near the elevator at the end of lunchtime. At all other times, please enter through the front door.

Our students and surrounding community have really enjoyed our new ‘Tiny Library’, built by last year’s high school woodworkers and sponsored by PTO. It’s been a busy week and the book inventory is a bit depleted so if you have books to donate, now is a good time!

Speaking of donations, we have a large group in Tap Dance class this year. If, by chance, your family has Tap shoes that could be passed along, we would love to add them to our ‘loaner’ collection!


Remember to check the calendar on our website often! AllianceCharterAcademy.org


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


Go Eagles, 


Shelly Smith

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.”


PTO Coffee Corner Opening Day

Monday, September 9, 2024


Governing Board Meeting

Wednesday, September 11, 2024

Virtual 6:00pm


PTO Ice Cream Social

Thursday, September 12, 2024

3:30pm


Music Parents Meeting

Monday, September 16, 2024

ACA Room 116 7:00pm


1 view

Recent Posts

See All

Director's Letter December 6, 2024

Dear ACA Community, Our great year just keeps getting better, thanks to everyone who comes together to make ACA the happy place to be!...

Director's Letter November 15, 2024

Dear ACA Community, I’ve been away the last three days attending the state Oregon Coalition of Community Charter Schools conference in...

bottom of page