Monday, April 29, 2024

Dear Elementary Parents,

Happy Monday! I hope you and your families enjoyed a nice weekend. I feel like my skin, clothes, plants and life are drying out a bit with the end of the rainy season. I also feel grateful for all of the support and energy you and your children bring each day. We have a lot of events happening at school, as you know, and your help is greatly appreciated in making these events special for our kids. Below, see a few reminders on upcoming events:

A Note from Our Food Service Provider: Many families are overdue in paying for their children's food service. Please note that if debts are outstanding on May 1st, your child will not be able to purchase lunch until the bill has been paid.

No School on Wednesday: Labor Day

End Of Year Calendar: For the final 8 weeks of school, you can track all school events here. Access it by copying this link into your browser:

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1UNM_GmzwQltTOGtEcbQambeD0SHmuzIlIwxfpDB8q4U/edit?usp=sharing

Please note that this calendar is "living" and changing all the time with new events being added, so please bookmark the calendar and revisit it over the next few weeks for the most up-to-date information!

STEAM Family Fun Afternoon: This Friday, from 3:30 to 5:30 pm, join us in the Elementary quad for a host of wonderful STEAM challenges, activities, food and fun. See your students creative problem solving and enjoy time with our community.

International Day: I am getting close to begging parents for their help with this event. We have only a few parents who have signed up to represent a country on this special day. Please read more here:

<https://docs.google.com/document/d/1j0dUkYNSK_QsoJLFmKXCdIVBMB1LZpImPnzWh5e2_hg/edit?usp=sharing>

This will be fun! Please consider getting involved - our parents need you!

Teacher Appreciation Week: The week after next, May 6-10 is Teacher Appreciation Week; a time to give thanks and show appreciation to all of our teachers for their hard work during the year. We are asking for parent help with 2 events:

Monday, May 6: Send your child in with a flower (just one!) for each of their teachers!

Wednesday, May 8: Send in a dish and/or come to help out with a Teacher Luncheon from 12:30 - 1:30 pm in the ES Auditorium!

As always, thank you for reading! Have a great week!

Sincerely,

Eric Crabtree
Elementary Principal

Monday, April 22, 2024

Dear Elementary Parents,

It was such a joy to see so many of you at our Earth Day concert on the green Friday afternoon. What a wonderful way to celebrate the new environmental initiatives ACS is adopting, and all of the learning about sustainability that our students have taken on in this year! Thank you for your support and attendance on this special day!

Talent Show Registration Reminder: The due date for registering for the talent show is this Friday! 

        Please see my original letter about the Talent Show here:         https://docs.google.com/document/d/1ATgFLCuru1Bi_-lqUXnLGcqN9riMCEYh4qOgxEFfkkM/edit?usp=sharing

Book Fair this Week: Last week we had a very successful Book Swap Fair. This week is another momentous event from Literacy Celebration Month; we are hosting Bolivian and international publishers selling the newest and hottest books. This is our first in-person book fair since at least 2007 (I hear), and parents are invited! Drop in on Thursday or Friday between 8:30 and 3:30 pm to book shop!

Book Character Parade: This Friday at 10:45 am, we will host our Book Character Parade. Students are invited to come to school dressed as their favorite book characters, and of course, parents are invited to come see! We'll open our doors at 10:40 am, and the parade should 20-30 minutes. 

A Note from Our Food Service Provider: Many families are overdue in paying for their children's food service. Please note that if debts are outstanding on May 1st, your child will not be able to purchase lunch. 

Thank you to our Early Childhood Team: During “Dia del Niño,” Classroom Representatives from our ECE program coordinated a Toy Drive, where ACS students were invited to donate a toy to less fortunate children. KG3 first got together to talk and create awareness for our students, and then KG4 and Grade 1 joined in the fun. The toys were delivered to “Casa de Esperanza” last week and a few pictures are shared below.

Thank you for reading. I wish you a lovely week,

Sincerely,

Eric Crabtree
Elementary Principal

Monday, April 15, 2024

Dear Elementary Parents, 

Thank you for taking the time to read my weekly letter to you all - there are so many things going on at the end of the year, and many of them will be improved with your engagement! We are actively seeking parents to participate and join us on all the fun that's coming between now and the end of school. To help you keep track of the many, many things going on at ACS, I have created an End Of Year Calendar for the final 8 weeks of school. You can access it by copying this link into your browser:

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1UNM_GmzwQltTOGtEcbQambeD0SHmuzIlIwxfpDB8q4U/edit?usp=sharing

Please note that this calendar is "living" and changing all the time with new events being added, so please bookmark the calendar and revisit it over the next few weeks for the most up-to-date information!

Tomorrow from 5:00 to 6:00 pm - Parent Coffee on Child Protection at ACS: In response to the very upsetting news recently from another school in La Paz, we want to present ACS's proactive and comprehensive approach to Child Protection & Safeguarding. This presentation will be given by me, both as elementary principal at ACS, and as officer of the board for the Global Safeguarding Collaborative; a non-profit child protection organization, and other members of our Child Protection Committee.

The event will be Tuesday, April 16th from 5:00 to 6:00 pm and is open to ACS parents and parents from other schools. Please share with any friends who may be interested in attending. Thank you!

A Letter to Parents of Incoming KG3 and KG4 students: Please see the letter here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/15dX-OHSOes_7UViM8D6r-Jol27Hbs5023GFsfZFFhCI/edit?usp=sharing

Book Swap Fair - April 18 & 19: We will host a Book Swap Fair for parents and kids this week! Starting tomorrow, Tuesday, April 16, you can bring any books you are "done with" and exchange them for Book Swap tickets. These tickets can be exchanged for "new to you" books on Thursday and Friday. Any of your own books that are not swapped can be taken home, or donated to our libraries. This event is open for children's books you are done with, and adult books too! In any language! Send your books to the ES Auditorium in a bag, with your name or your child's name on it tomorrow or Wednesday!

This Friday is Earth Day at ACS: This Friday, we will host a day of learning about our planet in celebration of Earth Day! In the afternoon, from 2-3pm, we will also host a barefoot concert on the green, which parents are cordially invited to attend!

These are just the imminent events, but as you know there's way more in the coming weeks. You can see it all on the calendar linked at the top of this letter. Again, we are eager to see you here on campus to celebrate with us!

Sincerely,

Eric Crabtree
Elementary Principal

Monday, April 8, 2024

Dear Elementary Parents,

Happy Monday! There is so much going on here at school. It's all so very exciting. The weeks ahead have so many rich opportunities for your children to learn, experience, and grow. I want to just take a moment to encourage all parents to engage with us; every event we have in store has opportunities to parents to take part, observe and get involved in the ways that you can. Please read on for a long list of the events ahead:

KG3/4 Full Day Information Session - Tuesday, April 9 from 5:00-6:00 pm: Tomorrow evening, we look forward to welcoming new and returning parents to campus to learn about ACS's plan to extend the learning day for KG3 and KG4. If you or someone you know are interested in enrolling your 3- or 4-year-old, please come! We look forward to seeing you there!

Parent Coffee - Friday, April 12: Literacy Education at ACS: This Friday morning, we look forward to hosting elementary parents to talk all things related to literacy education. You will learn about ACS's innovative workshop approach to teaching reading and writing, and have an opportunity to ask questions and also learn about how you. can support your young readers and writers at home! We hope to see you!

Earth Day at ACS: On Friday, April 19th, we will host a day of learning about our planet in celebration of Earth Day! In the afternoon, from 2-3pm, we will also host a barefoot concert on the green, which parents are welcome to join!

Book Swap Fair - April 18 & 19: Next Thursday and Friday, April 18trh and 19th, we will host a Book Swap Fair for parents and kiods. Starting on Tuesday, April 16, you can bring any books you are "done with" and exchange them for tickets. These tickets can be exchanged for "new to you" books on Thursday and Friday. Any of your own books that are not swapped can be taken home, or donated to our libraries.

STEAM Family Afternoon - May 3 from 3:30 to 5:30 pm: On the first Friday in May, we will host a Family Fun Afternoon with visiting guests, unique STEAM-oriented challenges, food, drinks, and lots of fun! Save the date, this will be an opportunity not to be missed!

International Day at ACS - May 10, 2024: International Day is back, with the theme, “Our Planet, Our Home: Taking Care of Each Other." We will have a "World Expo" with countries from around the world represented by our families. If you would like to sign up to bring an activity or traditional food from your country, please visit <https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1-u0unGQQl2-XoV1IEWFJy1d3m2-E0mfS0p1J0qmrksU/edit?usp=sharing> Thanks - we are looking forward to celebrating International Day with you!

A lot is coming - so please know that you are cordially invited to engage with us. Your presence at events like those above means so much not just to your own kids, but to our entire community!

Thanks, I wish you a warm and windy week!

Sincerely,

Eric Crabtree
Elementary Principal

Monday, April 1, 2024

Dear Elementary Parents,

Happy Monday! I hope that you and your families had a wonderful week away from school. I enjoyed visiting the Uyuni Salar and Sucre - both were lovely and amazing in different ways. April is absolutely packed full of wonders here at school and today, we started to wade into all of the activities we have to look forward to! Please read on for more information:

April is Literacy Celebration Month at ACS: This entire month, we will be celebrating our love of reading and writing. We have events like book swaps and book fairs, author visits to each grade level, a door decorating contest, and way more! You can participate by sharing your love of reading and writing at home and taking part in the many open events we have available to parents. 

Talent Show: You may have seen my post in ClassDojo earlier today about our Elementary Talent Show in late May, “Cougar Cubs in Concert!” If you missed it, you can read my letter HERE or paste the following link into your browser: <https://rb.gy/tb1vq5>. Don't forget that if your child would like to perform with others at this year's talent show, you must register by Friday, April 26th!

Earth Day is Friday, April 19th at ACS: Like many of our families, our students, teachers, and school care deeply for the environment and are working to instill and develop a passionate interest and understanding of the natural world around us. On Friday, April 19th, our Green Team will be spearheading a celebration of Earth Day. There will be fun learning events throughout the day, and a concert on The Green, in front of the auditorium, from 2-3 pm, which parents are encouraged to join! We hope to see you there. Stay tuned for more information on the day's programming.

Friday, May 3 is STEAM Family Afternoon from 3:30-5:30 pm: On Friday, May 3rd, we will host a family-focused STEAM event, with guests, special challenges, food, and fun! More information will be shared in the coming weeks.

Thanks so much for reading. I wish you a productive and positive week!

Sincerely,

Eric Crabtree
Elementary Principal