Friday September 16, 2022
Dear ACS Families,
One of our themes this year at ACS is emphasizing that we all have a responsibility in making ACS the kind of supportive, respectful, and kind community that we all want it to be. This week, as I was monitoring the cafeteria during our middle school lunch period, I noticed that we have work to do in terms of basic politeness and respect. It starts with an understanding of the power of simply saying "please" and "thank you." Showing basic courtesy to all people on our campus must be the baseline expectation of everyone in our community.
Students will often mimic the kinds of behaviors they observe in their parents, especially when they are interacting with faculty and staff. Knowing this, the administrative team developed the following expectations of parents regarding their support of and interaction with ACS faculty and staff. I hope you will take a minute to review them.
ACS EXPECTATIONS OF PARENTS
A learning partnership between home and school
It is an expectation of our school that each adult models acceptable behavior at all times and in all venues, including social media and WhatsApp. Therefore, our communication among community members will be respectful and responsible in private and in public and will take place with the intention of generating solutions while remaining open-minded and flexible in our thinking.
We expect ACS parents to support ACS and its mission by:
- Accepting and supporting the school's programs and pedagogy.
- Respecting the caring ethos of our school and always communicating high expectations for their child's learning and behavior.
- Supporting that their students are asked to collaborate, cooperate, and take ownership of their education.
- Promoting true understanding by building bridges between cultures and participating in and contributing to the school activities that bring our community together.
- Supporting the idea of student responsibility, and that students are expected to care for their learning and their personal belongings. ACS parents accept that there are consequences for their students' actions and mistakes.
- Being present, involved, supportive---to come to performances, to cheer at games, to be here for conferences---to be on campus several times a year in support of school and their child. ACS parents stay informed about school events and activities.
- Supporting ACS's emphasis on the broad education of the whole child, including the importance of creativity, public speaking, and physical health.
- Supporting the expectations of the school, its teachers and administrators, and its rules and policies.
- Striving towards exemplary student attendance and punctuality as daily instruction and interaction is critical for success at ACS (Ensure that appointments and family holidays are not taken during school time).
- Providing a dedicated environment at home for learning.
- Informing the school of any change of address, email, details or personal circumstances
We all know that the education of children doesn't happen only at school. What happens at home and in other settings outside of school is vitally important to a child's academic, emotional, and social development. We take very seriously the idea that parents must be partners in the education of their children. We look forward to working closely with our parents to provide the best possible educational experience for every student.
Sincerely,