School Life
Learning in community is an all-in experience that includes traditions for families as well as students:
Back-to-School Nights
ACS hosts two BTS Nights in September, one for K-4 families and the other for families with students in the 5-8. On these evenings parents can expect updates from the principal as well as an overview from the teachers on curriculum, assessment, outdoor education, how the classroom(s) will be structured, what students can expect, and much more.
Fall Potluck & BBQ
Each September, ACS hosts an all-school social gathering to get the community back together, welcome new families and celebrate the new school year. The school provides the burgers and hot dogs; parent volunteers provide set-up, cleanup and grilling; and families provide potluck side dishes and desserts
El Tioga
This long-time school tradition, which is (to the surprise of many) an invented name, is a homegrown classroom fundraiser. To support teachers and provide an occasional hot lunch to students, classroom parents organize a potluck lunch, which they sell to students and staff for a modest price on select days throughout the year. The proceeds are turned back into the teachers of that classroom for their projects.
All-School Meetings
A weekly tradition at ACS, All-School Meetings are a celebration of student success and an opportunity to learn skills and address challenges that the school faces. With experiences ranging from a musical performance by a visiting string quartet to a group of 1-2s showing their Explorer’s Club journals to a playful demo about the proper way to wash your hands, All-School Meetings are a vital way for the entire school to come together.
Empty Bowls
Empty Bowls is a community-wide fundraising event in support of the Lift Up food pantry. ACS kids lead the way by making hundreds of ceramic soup bowls under the direction of art teacher Hilary Forsyth, one of the event’s co-founders. During Empty Bowls, participants can enjoy hot soup, stews, bread and desserts, along with live music, for a modest ticket fee that goes to support the food pantry.
Halloween
Halloween has always been a big celebration at ACS. More than any other school we know, students (and even some staff and parents) construct costumes that are long on ingenuity, creativity and personal expression. There is a carnival, an El Tioga lunch and a parade of costumes, with “best of” prizes that are awarded by the 8th grade class.
Winter Festival
Agnate sunt alique am et es eaquodisim quid mi, quo qui utet verum, oditiatur alit doluptate mil ipsunda simpor ad et fugitibus, oditio volupta tiandeb isciend itatectum aut dolore eum ad que officius re nonsequis eos restota cum con consereribus eum ne eveniatus. Tur, sinimagnite conectorum volorio verum as vernam, omnihilist olupta.
Graduation
As a rite of passage, a culminating experience, and a graduation requirement, 8th graders present their work and educational journey to a panel of teachers, friends and parents. They also address the larger community at the graduation ceremony, sharing what they have discovered about themselves, their learning and their community through their experiences at ACS.