School pictures of students in grades 6-12 will be taken this coming Monday, October 21 and pictures of students in grades K-5 will be taken on Tuesday, October 22. Early Ed student photos will be taken on November 4-6.

Students should only wear school uniforms on Monday and Tuesday. No gym clothes, athletic wear, hoodies, ACS sports jerseys, or ACS sports uniforms should be worn.

Pictures will be used in the school yearbook and will be available for purchase from Lifetouch. Photo order forms from Lifetouch were sent home with students on October 11 and ordering details were also emailed to parents this week.

Ask Ben Chapman what his favorite thing to do is and without missing a beat he’ll say — playing sports, anything from soccer, basketball, and baseball, to volleyball and golf. His passion for sports led him to earn a BS in health and physical education from Cairn University in 2017 and now he’s thrilled to be back at ACS as the 4th-12th grade boys’ PE teacher and head coach of the Varsity Boys’ Soccer and Baseball teams.

Chapman, a 2013 ACS alumnus, came to ACS in the 5th grade and once he entered middle school he played all three sports up through high school. He didn’t just play, but he distinguished himself as a valuable team member and leader. He was the recipient of the ACS Billy Robinson Award in his junior year and received the ACS Cougar Award as a senior. At Cairn University, Chapman played baseball for 3 years, golf for 2 years, and volleyball for 1 year.

“I’m excited to share what I learned playing at the college level with my students in PE class,” Chapman said. “I want to teach them the fundamental skills that they need to play a variety of sports and also help them understand the importance of teamwork and good sportsmanship.” In addition to leading PE classes and coaching, Chapman is teaching a high school elective class on health and medicine that gives students an introduction to careers in health care.

Chapman resides in Egg Harbor Township and worships at Coastal Christian, where he plays on the church’s softball team that this summer won the championship among a local, 12-team church league. His has three siblings, Billy, a 2010 ACS alumnus, Elijah, a 2019 ACS alumnus, and Olivia, who is a junior at ACS.

The ACS gym was a sea of green and white Friday afternoon as students from the 3rd to the 12th grades gathered for a Pep Rally to promote school spirit before Saturday’s Homecoming soccer games.  The Homecoming Court, comprised of four senior boys and four senior girls, was also introduced.

Students sporting green hair and green paint and glitter on their clothes and faces cheered for their favorites as members of the middle school and high school boys’ and girls’ soccer teams competed in a variety of entertaining games, including bobbing for apples, heading the ball into a circle, and mini-scooter soccer.

The Homecoming Court participated in a fun activity where they were challenged to apply make-up to a fellow court member while blindfolded.

The Middle School Girls’ Soccer Team earned the most points in the games and received a $25 gift certificate to South End Pizza in Egg Harbor Township. 12th grade Ben Noble, a member of the Varsity Boys’ Soccer Team, won the soccer ball foot juggling contest and received a $5 Wawa gift card.

The Varsity Girls’ Soccer team is undefeated and in first place in the Tri-State Christian Athletic Conference (TSCAC) and the Varsity Boys’ Soccer team is in 3rd place heading into this Saturday’s Homecoming games. We hope to see ACS students and their families as well as alumni and friends fill the stands to support our teams as they face off against King’s Christian School. The Girls’ game will start at noon and the Boys’ game at 2 p.m.

The top-seeded Lady Cougars have a 10-2 record overall and are 8-0 in the TSCAC. They beat King’s Christian 2-0 on October 15. Junior Chloe Vogel and freshman Eden Wilson each scored one goal and junior goalie Shelby Einwechter had 8 saves. It was the first match between the two teams this season. The 15-member Girls’ team is coached by ACS alumnus Carly Witherow (’08), who is in her 6th year as head coach and has led ACS teams to three conference championships in the past three years.

The 3rd place Varsity Boys’ team is 7-5-1 overall and 6-3 in the TSCAC. They lost to King’s Christian 3-1 on October 15, with senior Ben Noble scoring the single goal for ACS. Senior goalie Mark Rosie had 11 saves. ACS alumnus Ben Chapman (’13), in his first year as head coach, is feeling confident about Saturday’s game and feels that his young, 17-player team has the talent and strength in teamwork to win. He is also optimistic that ACS will earn a spot in the upcoming TSCAC playoffs.

The ACS teams will play Baptist Regional on Friday and after Saturday’s game will have just three more games before the playoffs begin the week of October 28. ACS Soccer Senior Day will be on Friday, October 25.

Need your car or truck washed? Come to the English Creek Avenue Car Wash in Egg Harbor Township on Saturday, October 26 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. and let our Bahamas Missions team get your vehicle clean and shiny and help them raise money for their spring 2020 trip.

The suggested donation is $10. The car wash is located at the corner of Ocean Heights and English Creek Avenues in Egg Harbor Township.

Sixteen ACS high school students and four chaperones are planning to serve the people of the island of New Providence in the Bahamas during Easter break 2020. While there, the team will be involved in evangelistic, children’s, and sports ministries and also plan to assist with relief work from the effects of hurricane Dorian. This will be the second year for an ACS missions team to serve in the Bahamas. Each Bahamas team member must raise $1,800 to go on the trip. Hope to see you there.

ACS has immediate openings for part-time flex aides in our award-winning, state-licensed Early Education Center, working with children from 6 months to 4 years old. High school diploma and experience with young children preferred. We are also hiring Substitute Teachers to work in our K-12th grade classrooms.

These are both part-time positions that can be adjusted to the individual’s schedule and availability. ACS is a great fit for someone who is passionate about Christian education and wants to help create a loving, nurturing environment where our students can discover and develop their God-given gifts and talents. ACS requires its employees to be Christians, living their lives as Christian role models.

CLICK HERE for more information or to apply online on the ACS website.

Parent-Teacher Conferences for parents with students in K to 12th grade will be held next Friday, October 18, from 1:00-6:00 p.m. To schedule a conference, please use our on-line scheduling tool using the links listed below.

A Parent-Teacher conference is not mandatory, but is recommended if your child is not performing well academically (a grade of 70 or below in any subject) or is having trouble acclimating to the new school year.

If your student is in grades K-5 — CLICK HERE to schedule a conference.

If your student is in grades 6-12 — CLICK HERE to schedule a conference.

As part of National Fire Prevention Week, students from preschool to the 5th grade learned all about fire prevention and safety during a visit from the Scullville Volunteer Fire Company on Wednesday, October 9.

Fire Official Don Stauffer brought a fire truck to the ACS campus and the students were able to get a close-up look at the tools, hoses, gauges, and safety and rescue equipment. One highlight was when firefighter Stauffer filled a fire hose with water, showing the power of the water as he sprayed the parking lot.

Mr. Stauffer demonstrated how to react in the event of fire, using the “stop, drop, cover, and roll” method. He also showed how a fire alarm works, setting it off so the students could learn how to react if one ever went off in their home or elsewhere.

PreK2 students in Miss Nicole’s and Miss Brittany’s classes wore paper firefighter hats to the presentation that they had colored red during art class. Other students wore red shirts and coats as a way to honor our firefighters.

The Bible story of a young boy named David who courageously went to battle against the Philistine giant, Goliath, came to life during Early Ed Chapel on Friday, October 11 in a presentation led by the 8th grade students in Miss Dye’s Bible class.

Miss Dye started the program by reading Joshua 1:9 — “Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.”  The 8^th graders then re-enacted the story of David and Goliath with costumes and weapons they made themselves.

The Early Ed students from PreK1 through kindergarten listened intently throughout the enjoyable skit and Miss Dye closed the chapel with prayer.

ACS 10th-12th grade students can obtain dual credit with Atlantic Cape Community College (ACCC) for five different high school courses under a newly implemented agreement this fall between ACS and ACCC. To obtain the dual credits, students must register with ACCC and ACS by October 28 and pay a discounted per credit tuition fee.

“We’re very excited to be able to offer this dual credit opportunity for the first time this year,” said Chief School Administrator Karen Oblen. “This gives our students the ability to earn college credits with high school courses that they take here at ACS.” Oblen said obtaining dual credits helps students and families save on future college tuition costs and can enable a student to complete their college degree earlier. The ACCC discounted dual credit tuition fee is $59.30 per credit, as compared to $142 per credit for the same class if taken at the ACCC campus in Mays Landing.

Nearly 30 high school students are enrolled in classes that are eligible to receive dual credit with ACCC. The deadline is Monday, October 28 to register with ACCC and ACS to obtain dual credit. An email sent to parents and guardians on October 2 from Upper School Principal Meg McHale provides information and detailed instructions about how to apply for dual credit.

For this school year, the five courses that qualify for dual credit are: Algebra II Honors (4 credits); Biology II – Biology of Our World (4 credits); Pre Calculus (4 credits); Spanish III (3 credits), and U.S. History II (3 credits). A student who takes all five courses could earn up to 18 college credits at ACCC. Mrs. Oblen said ACS plans to add additional dual credit courses next year.

Don’t follow the crowd, follow Christ — that was the key message shared with our middle school students at their day-long Spiritual Emphasis Retreat on Thursday, October 10 at America’s Keswick.

Michael Melody, husband of ACS middle school science teacher Celine Melody, was the keynote speaker during chapel services at the retreat. He taught from Romans 12:1-2, this year’s Spiritual Emphasis Theme Verse, which was also highlighted on retreat class T-shirts that each student received.

Melody encouraged the some seventy 6th-8th grade students not to conform to the world, but instead to choose to follow Christ and His Word, which has the power to transform lives.  He illustrated his points on conformity by showing videos from “Brain Games” of people following the crowd.  He also compared following the crowd to placing a domesticated dog in with a pack of wolves.  Would the dog become like the wolves or will the wolves become tame like a dog? 

ACS faculty members Hayley Price and Jaron Beadle led the students in praise and worship during the three chapel services. Following two of the services, teachers led students in small group discussions.

In addition to chapel and worship time, the students enjoyed a variety of activities, including swimming, a nature walk, volleyball, basketball, nerf archery tag, racquetball, and tennis.  The students had a lot of fun competing in a large group game in teams with their homerooms, with the 8th graders taking first place.

CLICK HERE to view of gallery of photos taken at the retreat.

ACS will celebrate Homecoming next Saturday, October 19, and one day before — Friday, October 18 — will be Green-and-White Day and a student Pep Rally.

ACS students will have the opportunity to show their support for our Varsity Soccer teams as they get fired up to play King’s Christian School on Homecoming Day. Students may wear green and white clothing with jeans to school next Friday.

Homecoming will be a full day of events, starting with Open Volleyball outdoors for our alumni, families, and friends from 10 am-noon. Our Varsity Girls’ soccer game will start at noon and the Varsity Boys’ game will start at 2:00 p.m. The Homecoming Court Presentation will be held between the games.

The high school Homecoming Dance will be held that evening from 6:30-9:00 pm in the ACS gym. Dance tickets are $10 in advance and $12 at the door with all proceeds benefiting the Senior Class. Tickets will be on sale during homeroom and lunch.

All students must have a permission slip to attend the Homecoming Dance. Any non-ACS student must also have a permission slip, which can be picked up in the school office, from Mr. Carney, or printed out online.

CLICK HERE to download the ACS Student Homecoming Permission Slip

CLICK HERE to download the Guest Homecoming Permission Slip.

ACS Spirit Day at Buffalo Wild Wings in Mays Landing is just one week away — on Friday, October 18. Bring your family, invite your friends and help us raise funds for ACS Athletics.

Buffalo Wild Wings will donate 20% to ACS of the total bill of any customer who presents our special fundraising ticket between 11:00 a.m. and 11:30 p.m. on October 18, the day before Homecoming. Take-out orders also qualify. The restaurant is located at 4311 Black Horse Pike in Mays Landing.

CLICK HERE to get the special yellow printable fundraiser ticket to present when you order your meal. Tickets are also available in the school office.

Give us your best smile! Lifetouch will be at ACS to take school pictures on Monday, October 21 and Tuesday, October 22 and students should only wear school uniforms on those days.

Pictures of students in grades 6-12 will be taken on Monday, October 21 and pictures of students in grades K-5 will be on Tuesday, October 22. Early Ed student photos will be taken in November.

Students should not wear gym clothes or athletic wear on their picture day. Hoodies and ACS sports jerseys or uniforms are also not to be worn.

Photo order forms from Lifetouch were sent home with students on Friday, October 11. Photo ordering details will also be emailed to parents next week.

Mrs. Tammy Thornton is sharing her culinary skills and passion for cooking with ACS 6th-12th grade students in two different elective cooking classes held twice weekly. She has honed her skills over the past 26 years, cooking for her family and teaching summer enrichment courses in the Linwood school district.

Not only does Mrs. Thornton love cooking, but she is also an avid gardener. For a September middle school cooking class unit, she brought in yellow, round lemon cucumbers from her home garden, which the students used to make pickled cucumbers.

“I love cooking and the Christian atmosphere at Atlantic Christian,” Mrs. Thornton said. “It’s fun to see the students get excited about cooking and even cleaning up.”

Mrs. Thornton enjoys writing and talking about the culinary arts and gardening. She has been a regular columnist on these topics for the Shore Local news magazine since 2018 and is a guest host of the “Shore Local Live” radio show that airs Friday nights on WOND 1400 AM.

Mrs. Thornton and her husband, Tom, attend Ocean City Baptist Church where she teaches a Sunday school class.

Middle school students learned how to pickle cucumbers and high school students made peanut butter chocolate chip oatmeal energy bars in recent cooking classes taught by faculty member Tammy Thornton.

These hands-on elective classes are giving students an opportunity to develop important life skills, learning their way around a kitchen and focusing on eating and cooking healthy, nutritious meals.

Mrs. Thornton wrote about her middle school students’ experience making pickled cucumbers in an article published this week in the Shore Local news magazine.

CLICK HERE to read the Shore Local article online.

It’s a three-peat for Mrs. Gina Santo Wilson — who has returned to ACS this fall for her third stint as an ACS faculty member, this time teaching 10th-12th grade math classes.

“I really feel that God led me back to ACS,” Mrs. Wilson said recently. “What I really like about ACS is that the presence of God is so real and evident here and I love to be in that environment every day.”

Mrs. Wilson is a state certified teacher who holds a BA in math and science from Rowan University and a MA in teaching from Western Governor’s University, with a concentration in math education. She has also taught at the Belhaven Middle School in Linwood and the Broad Street Elementary School in Bridgeton.

Mrs. Wilson first came to ACS in 2006 and taught middle school math for three years. During that time, she met her husband, John, who was a substitute teacher at ACS. They married in 2008 and now have three children — Caleb, Aaron, and Johannah.

Mrs. Wilson returned to ACS part-time during the 2010-2011 school year, teaching 6th grade math and 4th grade advanced reading. She also served as the preschool gym teacher.

Mrs. Wilson and her husband have a heart for God and for evangelism and together they planted a church in Northfield in 2012 — North Harbor Church, an independent, non-denominational church. She has served alongside her husband wherever needed, in the children’s ministry, leading prayer meetings and Bible studies, and more.

Mrs. Wilson’s favorite Bible passage is found in Habakkuk 3:17-19, which she first heard in the lyrics of a song when she was a teenager. “It reminds me to rejoice and be thankful to God for my salvation and strength that come only from Him,” Mrs. Wilson said.

Some 300 ACS students, their families, and friends in the community turned out for our Christian Skate Night on Saturday, September 28 at Young’s Skating Center in Mays Landing. Thank you to everyone who participated and made it a memorable night of fun and fellowship. The event, which was a Junior Class fundraiser, helped raise $650 towards their senior trip, according to Junior Class Advisor Mr. Genter.

Please mark your calendar to come out to our second ACS Christian Skate Night at Young’s Skating Center on Saturday, January 11, 2020.

Parent-Teacher Conferences for parents with students in K to 12th grade will be on Friday, October 18, from 1:00-6:00 p.m. To schedule a conference, please use our on-line scheduling tool using the links listed below.

A Parent-Teacher conference is not mandatory, but is recommended if your child is not performing well academically (a grade of 70 or below in any subject) or is having trouble acclimating to the new school year.

If your student is in grades K-5 — CLICK HERE to schedule a conference.

If your student is in grades 6-12 — CLICK HERE to schedule a conference.

Want to help your young son or daughter get stronger and be more coordinated and agile? Tumblewheels Gymnastics is once again offering a fun, engaging after-school class at ACS for children from PreK3 to Kindergarten.

This popular class gets underway next week — on Thursday, October 10 — and will meet every Thursday for 30 weeks until June. The class, led by Mrs. Krystle Pena, is held in a non-competitive gym facility custom-built inside a full-size school bus that travels to ACS. Flyers with registration information were sent home to parents last week.

It’s not too late to sign up your son or daughter. The class costs $48 a month. To register online, go to: mytumblewheels.com, click on “New Registration” then choose “Create Account” or “Parent Login” for returning families. For more information call: 609-465-3515,

Please note that the complete schedule of ACS fall after-school classes and flyers/registration forms for those classes are all posted on the ACS website. CLICK HERE to see the class schedule and flyers.

Congratulate your favorite Annie Jr. cast member or promote your business with a playbill or electronic screen ad and help support the ACS Drama Program. Ads can now be purchased online on the ACS website. The deadline to place all ads is Friday, November 1.

Booster pride lines to encourage a rising star in the cast are $10 each with a 100-character message. Electronic ads, which will be displayed on a large screen to the audience before the show and during intermission, are $30. Advertisements in the playbill range from $25 to $100, depending on size, and the inside cover is $150. Thank you to Edward Jones Investments, Jason Kiefer Financial Advisor, for being the first ad sponsor and purchasing an ad on the back cover of the playbill.

If you need help designing your ad, please don’t hesitate to ask for help. We can design an ad if you provide the specific wording and provide any photos, if desired.

CLICK HERE to purchase playbill and electronic screen ads and booster messages for Annie Jr.

Students in middle school and high school have the opportunity to develop their leadership skills and grow deeper in their relationship with God at two upcoming fall conferences sponsored by the Association of Christian Schools International (ACSI) and the permission slips and payments for those conferences are due next week.

The ACSI Middle School Leadership Conference for students in grades 6-8 is a one-day conference that will be held in Philadelphia on Wednesday, October 30. The permission slip and payment of the $50 fee is due by Wednesday, October 9. CLICK HERE for the online permission slip and payment form.

The ACSI High School Leadership Conference for students in grades 9-12 is a three-day event that will be held in Washington, DC from November 24-26. The permission slip and payment of a $50 deposit is due by Friday, October 11. The total per-student cost of the conference is $260 and final payment will be due in mid-November. CLICK HERE for the online permission slip and payment form.

ACS students will have the opportunity to join students from other Christian schools in our region at these impactful conferences. Emails with information about these conferences were sent to parents and students the last week of September from Upper School Principal Meg McHale.

According to ACSI conference materials, the Middle School students will be led through a variety of activities that will help them identify and develop their God-given gifts and strengths, sharpen their ability to work with others, and leave with a proactive plan for a project to implement at school or in their local community.

The High School conference in Washington, DC will focus on the theme of redemption, with speakers and break-out sessions delving into the story of creation, man’s fall into sin, and God’s plan of redemption and restoration for all of life. An excursion tour for the ACS group will also be part of the schedule.

For additional questions, please contact Upper School Principal Mrs. McHale at mmchale@acseht.org.

Our kindergarten classes celebrated Johnny Appleseed Day and Apple Day during the week of September 23 and had fun learning how to make applesauce from scratch. With guidance from volunteer and retired kindergarten aide, Mrs. Garner, the students cut up and mixed a variety of apples before stacking them in crock pots to cook.

They later had the opportunity to sample the tasty applesauce. The students also enjoyed other apple-themed activities. Students in Miss Price’s class painted apple trees, counted apples for a math activity, and made an apple book. Students in Mrs. Reilly’s class explored apples with all of their senses and graphed the results of a taste test. What a great way to kick off the fall season!    

ACS 5th grade students learned their way around the Egg Harbor Township library during a field trip on Wednesday, October 2.

5th grade language arts teacher Mrs. Kiefer, who organized the field trip, said that throughout the school year the students will be required to read books from different genres. During the field trip, librarian Ashley Rahn showed the students the different sections of the library and where to find various genres.

Students residing in Atlantic County were allowed, with parental permission, to apply for a library card. The Egg Harbor Township library is part of the Atlantic County Library System. A number of students received their very own library card and were very excited to be able to check out books during the field trip.

Before the trip, the students had designed and made their own canvas tote bags, which they used to carry and store the books they borrowed from the library.

Tickets to the high school Homecoming Dance will go on sale on Monday, October 7. The Homecoming Dance will be held on Saturday, October 19 from 6:30-9:00 p.m. in the gym.

The dance is open to ACS high school students and their guests and alumni 20 years old and under.

Homecoming Dance tickets will be $10 in advance and $12 at the door with all proceeds benefiting the Senior Class. Tickets will be on sale during homeroom and lunch.

All students must have a permission slip to attend. Any non-ACS student must also have a permission slip, which can be picked up in the school office or from Mr. Carney.

CLICK HERE to download the ACS Student Homecoming Permission Slip

CLICK HERE to download the Guest Homecoming Permission Slip.

Please contact Mr. Carney with any questions at dcarney@acseht.org.