AE Weekly Newsletter

Back to School Night will be held on Wednesday, August 27th! This is a drop-in event where students and families can meet our classroom teachers (5:00-7:00), stop in with our specials teachers (5:00-6:00), and check out our classrooms. Because there will be many families in attendance this evening, we ask that if you have individual questions and concerns, they be directed to staff at another time through email, phone call, or conference. It is our hope to meet and greet as many of our students and their families as possible!

There will also be a number of community resources and organizations available in our cafeteria. These resources and organizations include the A-C Elementary PTO, Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, our AE Nurse, and community music stores/programs just to name a few. We hope to see you then!

• 8/27 - AE Back-to-School Night 5:00-7:00
• 9/1 - No School
• 9/2 - First Day for All Students
• 9/19 - Fall Picture Day
• 9/26 - No School for Students

Please join us in welcoming the following new staff members to our team at AE!

PBIS (Positive Behavior Intervention and Supports) helps create a positive learning environment for all students. It encourages expected behavior by explicitly teaching students about school-wide expectations and recognizing their achievements. The program focuses on preventing unexpected behavior, using consistent rules and routines to reduce behavioral issues. By promoting a culture of respect and responsibility, PBIS supports students and teachers, improving academic performance and social interactions.

During the summer months, our elementary staff, students, and families gave feedback regarding A-C's elementary PBIS program. With the help of an excellent school team, this feedback was used to create a more consistent, streamlined program for all of our kindergarten through sixth-grade students and classrooms! The new program will take time during the first days and weeks of school to explicitly teach students what our school rules (be respectful, responsible, and ready to learn) look like and sound like in each school setting. It will use Dutchmen Champion Tickets, Dutchmen Dollars, A Champion Dutchmen Wall of Fame, and a school store to recognize students making positive choices.

• Dutchmen Champion Tickets - These can be earned by consistently following school expectations, going above and beyond, or going out of your way to follow school rules. Students earning Dutchmen Champion Tickets will be recognized on our announcements, earn five Dutchmen Dollars, and be invited to sign our Dutchmen Champion Wall of Fame.
• Dutchmen Dollars - Students can earn Dutchmen Dollars from any staff member when they are "caught" meeting expectations and following school rules.
• School Store - Students can save their Dutchmen Dollars to use at our school store. The store will be stocked with fun items and experiences with staff members for students to purchase!

Free breakfast will be offered to all enrolled students for the entire 2025-2026 school year. This is for breakfast only and will not impact the current meal status as it pertains to lunch.

For new students and for parents who did not set up an online school lunch account last year. SchoolCafe will provide resources to make online payments, view breakfast/lunch menus, set purchase restrictions, submit the free/reduced lunch application, and many other features. SchoolCafe is the resource for all your student lunch account needs and will be the only source to submit payments online electronically. To access and create a SchoolCafe account, you will want to click here. Step-by-step instructions on how to create an account, along with some other great information, are available on the food service webpage located just below the SchoolCafe logo.

Bus information for the 2025-26 school year is finalized. Information will continue to be updated daily as students continue to enroll, so it is encouraged that you visit PowerSchool often. If you do not see any transportation information or the transportation information is incorrect, please get in touch with the Transportation Department.

Please log in to PowerSchool, and on the left-hand side, towards the bottom, click on bus information.

If changes to this information are necessary, please get in touch with RaeAnn Lessing at 717-867-7652 or by email rlessing@acschools.org.

Please continue to check Power School for updated transportation information. Students enrolling and withdrawing from the district could change bus times and bus assignments.

Fifth and sixth grades have moved to a departmentalized model this year. This involves students rotating between each grade level teacher, specializing in different subjects (math, science, reading, writing, and social studies). This approach can benefit children by allowing teachers to focus on their areas of expertise, leading to more in-depth and engaging lessons. Additionally, departmentalization helps students transition to middle school by familiarizing them with managing different subjects and teachers, fostering organizational skills and independence. This model can also encourage teacher collaboration to tailor lessons to student needs better, ultimately enhancing the learning experience.

5th Grade Teachers:

Mr. Deiter - science

Mrs. Iacavone - math

Mr. Phillips - social studies

Mrs. Shaak - writing

Ms. Wisniewski - reading

6th Grade Teachers:

Mr. Brinser - math

Mrs. Herman - writing

Mrs Miller - reading

Mrs. Shutter - science

Mrs. Wasilewski - social studies

Below you will find the updated elementary handbook for students and parents. This will have important information that will be needed throughout the year regarding expectations, procedures, and more! Of course, if you have any questions regarding this information, please reach out!

Our dress code applies to both male and female students. Students' clothing shall not offend the accepted standards of decency of the community, disrupt the educational process of the school, call undue attention to the individual, or jeopardize the safety of the student or his/her classmates. For more information regarding restrictions on student dress, please see Board Policy 221.

Specifics Include:

1. Minimally, a student's body from armpit to armpit, extending down to below their buttocks, should be covered at all times. Due to the wide variety of clothing styles, the administration may declare an outfit that meets the above standards inappropriate.

2. Clothing, jewelry, or backpacks that display words or pictures, anything promoting alcohol, drugs, tobacco products, gang participation, violence, conduct of a sexual nature, or inappropriate/obscene language or message will not be worn. Tattoos that contain the above items must be covered. This includes phonetically spelled or intentionally misspelled words.

3. Students are not permitted to wear any shirts without straps at least 2” in width. See-through garments are also not acceptable. Sleeveless tops with large arm openings that expose ribs or undergarments are prohibited.

4. Students participating in physical education classes or extracurricular activities must wear the clothing specified by the physical education department or the director/advisor of the extracurricular activity. The Physical Education Dress Code for the Secondary Building can be found here.

5. All students must wear sneakers, shoes, or sandals at all times. Students may not wear inline skate shoes while in school.

6. Students shall not wear hats or head coverings, including bandanas. Exceptions will be made for documented religious practices.

7. Jackets, coats, cloaks, gloves, or any garments perceived as primarily outdoor wear shall not be worn inside the school building.

8. Sunglasses may not be worn inside the school building.

9. Clothing with large holes or shreds that violate length or coverage requirements may not be worn.

10. Appropriate undergarments are to be properly worn at all times. Undergarments may not be worn outside regular clothing or be visible.

11. Chains that can be removed from clothing are prohibited.

12. Any clothing or accessory that depicts slogans or pictures/symbols that could possibly be degrading or threatening to any group shall not be worn.

13. Students not abiding by this dress code will be required to change into an appropriate outfit, utilizing the items on hand at school. Failure to comply with the dress code may result in disciplinary action.

14. The faculty and administration have the right to question a student's dress and take necessary action if an item is not specifically covered above.

Our school has a number of opportunities for parents and guardians to become involved! These include helping at the book fair or other events and chaperoning field trips. In order to become involved, volunteers must complete all district requirements, including clearances, TB test, mandated reporter training, and the volunteer packet. More information can be found on the district website under Volunteer Information - linked here.

These supplies are encouraged in order to make more individualized/personalized choices in their back-to-school materials. The district will supply standard school materials such as pencils, paper, erasers, scissors, tissues, highlighters, glue sticks, crayons, colored pencils, dry-erase markers, etc. You are welcome to also purchase these items for your child if you would like to make them more custom to their likes/needs. This could include decorative pencils, a variety of crayon choices, or a particular brand of tissues.

Third Grade:

• Pencil box or pencil bag
• Earbuds or headphones
• Reusable water bottle

Fourth Grade:

• Earbuds or headphones
• Pencil bag
• Reusable water bottle

Fifth Grade:

• Earbuds or headphones
• Pencil bag

Sixth Grade:

• Earbuds or headphones
• Pencil bag (recommended)

Back-to-School Forms process will be completely digital. For the best experience, please use a laptop or tablet to complete this process. You must access PowerSchool Parent via a web browser. The School Forms choice will not appear in the PowerSchool Mobile App.

The Back-to-School Forms Portal is open and will end on the first Friday after Labor Day, September 5. We ask that all parents sign into the PowerSchool Parent Portal to complete their Annual Information Update. It is of the utmost importance that we have up-to-date information on file so that we are able to successfully send communications to parents and guardians throughout the year.

We ask that you complete the following tasks to help us ensure we are ready for the school year. If you have more than one child attending the district, you will need to complete each of these tasks for each child. The tasks are outlined for you inside the portal. They include: Verify/Update Parent-Guardian Contact Information, Verify/Update Emergency Contact Information, Verify/Update Student Health Information, and View additional optional information.

To get started please visit https://powerschool.acschools.org and sign in using your existing account.

For a quick overview of the process you can watch our video demonstration by clicking this link.

Don't forget to check out the Community Bulletin Page on the District Website for the many events happening in our A-C Community linked here!

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