Post Tagged with: "Early Education"

2020-2021 Enrollment Underway, School Campus Open for Tours

Enrollment for the 2020-2021 school year is underway and COVID-19 guidelines in New Jersey now allow for prospective families to make an appointment to take a tour of our highly-rated school and to meet with the Admissions Department. ACS recently earned a “2020 Best Schools” ranking from Niche, the largest website for researching public and private K-12 schools.

Admissions Director Jessica Martin said there are openings for students at every grade level, from Early Education to the 12th grade. Please call or email Mrs. Martin to schedule your appointment at 609-653-1199, ext. 314 or jmartin@acseht.org. Only parents or guardians may attend the appointment and everyone is required to wear a mask while in the school building.

Martin also said the tuition rates for the 2020-2021 school year have been approved by the school’s Board of Directors and are posted on the school’s website under the Admissions tab.

This is the second consecutive year ACS has received a “Best Schools” ranking from Niche, which is used by millions of families to choose the right schools for their children. ACS has an overall grade of “A-” on Niche and is ranked #32 out of 47 “Best Private K-12 schools in NJ.” Other Niche rankings of ACS include: #3 in “Best Private High Schools in Atlantic County,” #12 out of 26 “Best Christian High Schools in New Jersey,” and #35 of 196 “Most Diverse Private High School in New Jersey.”

CLICK HERE for more information or to apply for admissions.

Early Ed Center Remains Open to Provide Critical Child Care

The ACS Early Education Center remained open this week to provide critical child care to ACS working families. The Center is state-licensed and falls under the jurisdiction of the State of New Jersey Department of Children and Families (DCF), which did not close any child care centers in the state this week.

“We will stay open for as long as we can for our school families until we receive a directive from DCF that we need to close,” said Early Ed Director and Elementary Principal Gail Alford. “If anything changes, I will contact our families by email to let them know.”

Alford said the various classrooms are being cleaned daily by the Early Ed staff to ensure a safe environment for the young children in the center who  range in age from 6 months to 4 years old.  

ACS Students Celebrate Black History Month

Throughout February, ACS students are participating in a variety of special activities for Black History Month. A new, daily quiz contest was launched this Monday, February 10 during morning announcements with students being told a fact about an influential African American and being able to win a prize by being the first to find their principal and correctly identify that person.

The quiz contest is continuing to the end of February and a total of 13 African Americans will have been highlighted. Six students in elementary through high school were this week’s contest winners: 5th grader Julian Calloway, 9th grader Jake DeNick, 9th grader Hunter Jorgenson, 3rd grader Nora Sawaid, 7th grader Ruth Oke, and 9th grader Caleb Vogel. The winners are receiving a dress down pass as the prize. This week’s questions and answers were:

  • Question: Who was the first African American woman to travel into space? Answer: Mae Carol Jemison;
  • Question: Now an NFL quarterback, this African American initially played college football and college baseball at Texas Tech University. Answer: Patrick Lavon Mahomes II;
  • Question: This African American inventor is best known for being awarded a patent for automatically opening and closing elevator doors. Answer: Alexander Miles;
  • Question: This African American woman was the 66th U.S. Secretary of State, under the administration of President George W. Bush. Answer: Condoleezza Rice.

A short biography and a photo of the 13 African Americans featured in the contest are being hung in the school hallway near the Multi-Purpose Room. Hallway bulletin boards in other hallways are also decorated in honor of historically significant African Americans like Harriet Tubman and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Classroom lessons and projects are also highlighting the historical contributions of African Americans as well as the social accomplishments of those who led the civil rights movement. 

A hallway bulletin board in our Early Education/Elementary first floor hallway decorated for Black History Month with a quote by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Employee Spotlight – Teachers’ Aides Serving in Early Ed, K Classrooms

New to the ACS staff this year as full-time teachers’ aides are, from left, Mrs. Kristin Scull, Mrs. Ashley Vaccaro, and Miss Sarah Getty.

Every day is an adventure — that’s how three of our teachers’ aides describe their work day, smiling as they describe the joys and challenges of working with our youngest students in our Early Education and kindergarten classes. Mrs. Kristin Scull, Mrs. Ashley Vaccaro, and Miss Sarah Getty, pictured from left to right, all began last September as full-time aides and at this half-way point in the school year they are grateful and excited to be a part of the ACS family.

Vaccaro, an aide to kindergarten teacher Hayley Price, first came to ACS as a school parent, enrolling her now 6th grade son, Austin, in kindergarten seven years ago. Her son, Asher, is now also enrolled in PreK4. “As a parent, I saw how everyone here was part of a family and it was inspiring to me; I wanted to be a part of that,” Vaccaro said. She holds a BA in elementary education from Liberty University and is certified in special education and early childhood development. Prior to joining the ACS staff, she worked in the Northfield Community School as a special ed para-professional. She attends Fusion Church and helps with preschool care on Sundays.

Getty, who is an aide in Mrs. Nicole Warriner’s PreK2 class, said she has always loved being with children, and gained valuable experience helping for many years with Kids Club, VBS, and children’s Sunday School at Faith Bible Baptist Church in Egg Harbor Township. “The favorite part of my job is seeing the excitement the children have whenever they learn something new,” Getty said. “Little accomplishments make they happy, like when I teach a child how to put on their shoes and socks, they get so excited when they are able to do it on their own.” 

Scull, who has three adult children and three grandchildren, enjoys loving on our youngest students as an aide in Mrs. Chambers’ PreK1 Infant classroom. “Every day is an adventure and it’s never boring,” Scull said. “I love working with children at this age because they grow so much and you can have such a big impact on them.” Scull attends Fusion Church, where she is part of the media production team, runs small groups, and teachers in kids’ church.