As you are aware, ACS is in the midst of a strategic planning process. February will be a busy month regarding strategic planning, and I want to make you aware of two processes that are going on simultaneously that have opportunities for participation. The first process concerns randomly selected Focus Groups that will be developing new themes for our mission, vision, and values. The second involves providing input on the current state of ACS.
Focus Groups:
The Steering Committee for Strategic Planning composed of students, parents, teachers, and administrators will be conducting Focus Groups on 15 February. The participants in the Focus Groups will be selected randomly from all stakeholder groups. The purpose of these groups is to elicit themes for new statements of mission, vision, and core values. After the initial themes emerge, the entire community will be surveyed to gauge broad commitment to different themes.
Current State of ACS:
As part of our strategic planning process, we are utilizing the standards from our NEASC accrediting body to guide an analysis of the current state of ACS. We are asking our community to complete self-ratings on NEASC Foundation Standards 1 and 3 (please see ACS Newsletter post from Jan 19).
All ACS parents are invited to complete the following surveys by Thursday, February 15th:
Once individual responses are collected, we will come to consensus on our ratings during an in-person or virtual meeting on:
Thursday, February 22nd at 6:00pm
Whether the meeting is online or in-person will be determined by the results of the final question of the survey. Once the survey has closed, we will confirm the format of the meeting.
Filling out the survey does not obligate you to attend the meeting. Either way, your input is highly valued and will contribute to the process of coming to consensus.
Thank you in advance, and please do not hesitate to reach out to my assistant at claudia.jordan@acslp.org with any questions.
We look forward to partnering with you in this exciting process, and have a great week ahead.
Como ustedes saben, ACS se encuentra en medio de un proceso de planificación estratégica. Febrero será un mes ocupado en cuanto a planificación estratégica se refiere, y quiero informarles sobre dos procesos que se están dando simultáneamente y que proporcionan oportunidades de participación. El primer proceso se refiere a grupos focales seleccionados al azar que desarrollarán nuevos temas para nuestra misión, visión y valores. El segundo implica proporcionar información sobre el estado actual de ACS.
Grupos de enfoque:
El Comité Directivo de Planificación Estratégica compuesto por estudiantes, padres, maestros y administradores conducirá grupos focales el 15 de febrero. Los participantes de los Grupos Focales serán seleccionados al azar entre todos los grupos de partes interesadas. El propósito de estos grupos es generar temas para nuevas declaraciones de misión, visión y valores fundamentales. Después de que surjan los temas iniciales, se hará una encuesta a toda la comunidad para evaluar el amplio compromiso con los diferentes temas.
Estado actual de ACS:
Como parte de nuestro proceso de planificación estratégica, estamos utilizando los estándares de nuestro organismo de acreditación NEASC para guiar un análisis del estado actual de ACS. Estamos pidiendo a nuestra comunidad que complete sus evaluaciones personales en los Estándares 1 y 3 de la Fundación NEASC (ver la publicación del boletín de ACS del 19 de enero).
Todos los padres de ACS están invitados a completar las siguientes encuestas hasta el jueves 15 de febrero:
Una vez que se recopilen las respuestas individuales, llegaremos a un consenso sobre nuestras calificaciones durante una reunión en persona o virtual el jueves 22 de febrero a las 6:00pm
Ya sea la reunión en línea o en persona, ésta estará determinada por los resultados de la pregunta final de la encuesta. Una vez cerrada la encuesta, confirmaremos el formato de la reunión.
El completar la encuesta no les obliga a asistir a la reunión. De cualquier manera, sus aportes son muy valorados y contribuirán al proceso para llegar a un consenso.
Gracias de antemano y, si tienen alguna pregunta, por favor no duden en comunicarse con mi asistente al mail: claudia.jordan@acslp.org.
Esperamos asociarnos con ustedes en este emocionante proceso. Que tengan una gran semana.
Happy Monday! I hope you had a nice weekend. We are in full swing rehearsing for Carnaval now - we have a few activities, which I have mentioned below for the big day, Friday, February 9th! Please read on for more details:
Carnaval de Entrada at ACS: On Friday, Feb. 9 we have some real treats in store for our community. From 8:45-9:45 am, our KG3 through Grade 1 classes will be performing a series of Bolivian Dances in the gym. All parents are invited to attend! Following that, from 10:45 to 11:45 am, Grades 2 through 5 will be performing. Following the dance performances, we will host a potluck lunch for all students - please see the form sent by your child's classroom teacher to sign up to bring something!
100th Day of School this Thursday: Please join us in celebrating the 100th day of the school year on Thursday, by reminding your elementary child to dress like an old person, or wear an item with 100 somethings (dots, stripes, etc.). Thanks!
Thank you, as always, for reading. I wish you a week of smiles and serendipity!
Sincerely,
Eric Crabtree Elementary Principal
Secondary School
Dear Parents,
It was nice to see so many of you at the Academic Excellence awards ceremony last week. Students who earned Honor Roll status during the first semester of the 2023-2024 school year gathered in the Theater to be recognized and receive certificates. We believe it is important to recognize and encourage high grades as this is one way that colleges and universities evaluate potential for post-secondary success.
However, grades are only one indicator of success. One of the hallmarks of our program is our celebration of differences and encouragement of individuality throughout our school community. Each of our students has unique interests and aptitudes, and we strive to encourage and develop growth in a variety of ways. While some students are captivated by scientific discovery or logical reasoning, others may be passionate about artistic exploration, creative design, or dramatic exhibition. Our holistic approach to learning embraces a wide range of qualities and interests, and prominent colleges and universities now recognize and pursue students who excel in these varied ways. Diversity of interest makes for a richer learning environment, both at the secondary and post-secondary levels, and we will continue our efforts to provide choice in learning.
Our counselor, Carolina Blanco, works closely with our high school students, and their parents, to help them through the process of exploring post-secondary education options. Please reach out to her with any questions about university choices for our students.
Dear Elementary Parents, 
