Monday, September 4, 2023

Dear Elementary Parents,

Happy September! It has been a pleasure feeling the nights getting slightly warmer and the days getting a little longer! We have lots to report this week and lots to look forward to in the near future! Please read on:

Parent Coffee on Friday, September 8th: Our first Parent Coffee of the school year is this Friday, in the auditorium from 8:15 to 9:00 AM. This will be an excellent opportunity to meet other parents and share your requests for the topics of Parent Coffees throughout the coming year. Please join us on Friday for coffee, tea, light snacks, and good conversation with me and other ACS parents!

Our Second Monday Morning Meeting: We held our second MMM this morning and I am finding that these are a highlight of my days here at ACS. Seeing our enthusiastic young Cougars coming together is an endless joy and would certainly brighten anyone's Monday morning! In our past 2 meetings, we've talked about the small things we can do to show kindness to others. Your children are filled with marvelous ideas for making someone's day a little happier. Below are some questions and conversation-starters you can have with your child(ren) on this topic:

• Can you tell me about an act of kindness you saw today?
• Did someone do something for you that you appreciated?
• Will you share with me a challenge that you faced today? How did you respond? 
• Was there a moment today when you used your strength of kindness?

MAP Testing for the 2023-24 School Year: ACS has made some careful and deliberate changes to MAP testing this year. A complete letter of who, what, when, where, and why we give MAP tests will go out via email this Wednesday to all elementary parents, however only students in Grades 1 through 5 will be taking the test. The first test will be given next Wednesday, September 13, 2023. 

Extra-Curricular Activities are Off and Running! This week our fantastic ECA program kicked off and it was great to see our students' passions and interests outside the classroom. Today, swimming starts - we thank you for your patience and apologize for the delay in starting these classes. Our pool is newly renovated and ready for our swimmers!

In other news, the playground is getting closer and closer to ready each and every day. We are so pleased with the equipment and I know our students will join me in sharing just how excited they are to enjoy the new facilities. We look forward to sharing the official date for the exhibition of this new equipment to parents just as soon as we can!

Thanks for reading, I wish you a lovely week!

Sincerely,

Eric Crabtree
Elementary Principal

 

Monday, August 28, 2023

Dear Elementary Parents,

Welcome to the final days of August. These first few weeks have been dedicated to helping our students feel comfortable at school. We've been working to create classroom communities where students are safe, feel welcomed, and understand not only the routines and procedures of life at school but also their purposes. It's been a treat to be part of these experiences - and our teachers are so talented at cultivating warm & kind classrooms. In the coming weeks, we dive more and more into intensive academics. You will no doubt hear all about this exciting work that's taking place in your conversations with your child and from our teachers themselves. 

Playground Installation has Begun: We are so very excited to share that our new playground is currently being installed on campus. The shipment arrived in the middle of last week. Though the completion date is dependent upon a few variables, the end of this process is in sight! 

Extra-Curricular Activities (ECAs) Start on Monday: With the exception of swimming classes, which start next Monday, September 4, all ECAs begin today. Yesterday, you should have received confirmation of ECA enrollment from our ECA Coordinator, Ms. Denisse Barron. Please visit our ECA Site and reach out to Ms. Denisse Barron if you have questions. 

Upcoming Food Service Changes: Our Elementary team has worked closely with our wonderful food provider, Peppe, to ensure that our students have access to healthy foods to fuel their learning throughout the day. Please note the following small changes to our elementary food service, all of which are set to begin on Monday, September 4th:

• Vegetables will be served with every hot dish
• French fries and sweets (ice cream, baked goods, etc.) will be available for purchase on Fridays
• More healthy snacks will be promoted & sold (e.g. fruits, yogurts, veggies, etc.)

We're so thankful to Peppe and his team for working with us to make sure our students are fueled and ready to learn. 

Thank you for reading, and best wishes for a lovely week!

Sincerely,

Eric Crabtree

ERIC CRABTREE Elementary Principal  American Cooperative School p: (591 2) 279-2302 f: (591 2) 279-7218 a: Calle 10 Psj. Las Kantutas #500, Calacoto La Paz - Bolivia w: www.acslp.org  e: eric.crabtree@acslp.org

Monday, August 21, 2023

Dear ACS Elementary Parents,

I want to thank you again for coming to our Back to School Night last Monday. It was a thrill to see so many engaged parents here on campus. We are thankful for your time and participation. 

Our first whole week of school was a great success! We are off and running on what is sure to be a fantastic school year for the ACS Community! Today we had our first Monday Morning Meeting (MMM) and it was a great success. It was so fun to see our students coming together in our Auditorium as a community. Below you will find some exciting news for the week:

Library Open on Tuesday AM for Parents: Starting tomorrow, the Elementary Library will be open every Tuesday morning from 8.00 to 8.45 am for parents to come and check-out books. You may enter the library with your child but will have to send them off at 8:15 sharp to be in class on time, and then you can stay to finish browsing and check out the books you have chosen. For child protection purposes, we ask that when you come on campus you go directly to the library, and use adult-only bathrooms while here. Thanks!

ECA Sign Ups Out Today: Watch for news & sign-up links this afternoon on Class Dojo! We are so excited about this Semester's offerings! Thank you to Ms. De for her leadership of our great ECA program!

That's all from the elementary school today - we wish you and your families a wonderful week!

Sincerely,

Eric Crabtree

Elementary Principal

Monday, August 14, 2023

Dear ACS Elementary Parents, 

I hope you have enjoyed a wonderful, restful weekend. After the first few days of school, children, teachers and sometimes even parents are exhausted. Hopefully, everyone has recharged and is ready for the first full week of school! 

Tonight, we look forward to seeing you all at our Elementary Back to School Night. The schedule for the event is below:

• Elementary Back To School Night for Parents - TONIGHT, 5:00-7:00 pm
• Begins in Theater @ 5:00 pm
• Transition to venues @ 5:20 pm
• KG3, KG5, 2nd & 4th Classrooms @ 5:30 - 6:10 pm
• KG4, 1st, 3rd and 5th Auditorium (Specialists/Spanish/LL/ELL) @ 5:30 - 6:10 pm 
• KG4, 1st, 3rd and 5th Classrooms @ 6:15 - 7:00 pm
• KG3, KG5, 2nd & 4th  Auditorium (Specialists/Spanish/LL/ELL) @ 6:15 - 7:00 pm

In other news, we are very excited about the arrival of our new playground equipment from the USA. The shipment was delayed, unfortunately, but it is on a ship approaching Arica, Chile. We look forward to showcasing the new playground on Saturday, September 23rd at our Fall Family Fun Day. Please watch for more details as this event gets closer.