Welcome to another school year at ACS! We’re looking forward to reconnecting you and welcoming the many new students to our campus! The first day of school will be here before you know it. To keep you in the loop for the start of the year here are some helpful pieces of information to get you started.
OPENING DAY
Here are some things that you can expect on the first day of school:
- Staff: Our staff want to welcome you to ACS. You will find us all out and about as you enter school. Feel free to connect with any adult in the building if you need help finding something or if you have a question.
- Anchor Time: We begin the year in our grade 9-12 anchor groups. These groups are connected to your house colours; while you may have noted that your Anchor teacher/room changed, our goal was to keep you in the same colour group. If you are not sure where your anchor group meets, the group lists will be posted in the lobby. Group time starts at 8:30 am, a few minutes later than regular start time to give you a chance to catch up with your friends and find your new room.
- Opening Day Chapel: This is a chance to begin our year with worship, a challenge, and a few introductions.
- Short Blocks: The schedule for the day is written below. Our goal is to have you visit each class for a short time to get an introduction on what to expect from each of your teachers this semester.
- Friendly Faces: We hope your first day of school is warm, welcoming, and exciting. If you need anything, don’t be afraid to ask ANY staff member for help. Veteran students will help new students and point people in the right direction so don’t be afraid to ask. We are all very excited for the start of the year.
FIRST DAY SCHEDULE
| 8:00 am | Arrival |
| 8:30 am | Anchor Time |
| 9:25 am | A Block |
| 10:20 am | CHAPEL |
| 11:10 am | B Block |
| 12:05 pm | LUNCH |
| 12:50 pm | C Block |
| 2:00 pm | D Block |
| 2:50 pm | End of day |
STUDENT INFORMATION
- You will receive a first-day package in your anchor group which includes your school schedule, the block order, and BABS rotation. If you need campus leaving forms, SPARE request forms (grade 11 and 12 only) or car registration forms, these will be found at the Student Life Centre (SLC).
- Please bring a charged laptop to school every day.
- Students (and parents) will be receiving important information through Edsby notifications and the news river at the top of your Edsby home page.
NEW TO ACS?
We want to invite all new to ACS students (students coming to ACS Secondary from a school other than ACS) to an evening where we can touch base, share schedules, and introduce you to some of our current students. If you bring your laptop, we will be able to help you get connected to Edsby using your new username/password.
Meet us at the secondary campus on Wednesday, August 28 at 7:00 pm. We’re excited to welcome you all to ACS!
LOCKERS
Lockers are available on a first come, first serve basis. Please bring your own lock with you and see Mrs. Smith in the SLC office to sign out a locker.
PARKING REMINDERS
There is no parking on the road in front of the school (by the trees). Please enter the main parking lot and turn right, and please watch for cyclists using the bike lane. All students who drive their own vehicle to school must register their vehicle. Forms are available at the Student Life Centre (SLC).
CELL PHONE POLICY
If you have been following the news lately, you will notice a lot of discussion regarding the implementation of the Ministry of Education’s “Bell-to-Bell” cell phone policy in schools. In June, we surveyed our students, parents and staff to get a clearer picture of people’s opinions and priorities on this topic and we will be sharing some of the key data from the surveys, and this year’s cell phone policy, in the Edsby news river later this week. Please watch for it.
COURSE CHANGES
Student schedules are being finalized this week and will be handed out on the first day of school; a student’s current schedule is also be visible on their Edsby page. For any students who wish to make a change to their schedule, course change request forms will be available at the Student Life Centre office during the first week of school and the process will be explained on day one. Submitted forms must include a parent signature. Forms will be reviewed and prioritized based on grade level, academic requirements, and course availability.
Please note: many courses are near capacity or waitlisted and some changes may not be possible. Only students with blank spaces in their schedule will be met with on the first day. Students must attend the classes on their schedule until changes are made.
COMMON CULTURE CAFÉ VOLUNTEERS NEEDED
We are looking for parent volunteers for our café. The café will open on the first day of school. Please reach out to Don and Lori Kowalchuk for more info or to sign up:
WELCOME NEW STAFF!
We want to welcome a number of new staff to ACS Secondary:
- Eric Atsma: Science and PE teacher
- Saúl Carvajal: Spanish, French, and humanities teacher
- Roselyn Dyck: Educational assistant
- Cooper Gerbrandt: Science and math teacher
- Lauren Greenwood: English Language Learner teacher
- Kimberly Kiers: Educational assistant
- Jenna Lutz: Educational assistant
- Janet Meacham: English Language Learner teacher
- Lindsay McGrail: Social studies and law teacher
- Mitchell Schat: Mechanics teacher
- Dan Verbeek: Humanities and PE teacher
- Hailey Whiteley: Educational Assistant
SCHOOL SCHEDULE
Download the 2024-25 secondary timetable and BABs schedule.
SECONDARY CAMPUS MAP
Not sure where you’re going? Download the middle/secondary campus map.
SECONDARY SCHOOL SUPPLY LIST
Download a copy of the secondary school supply list.
NOTE: Teachers may require additional supplies after the first day of school.
We are a one-to-one campus which means that each student needs to come to school with a laptop. We have a partnership with Staples and you may want to consider one of these options. Please note that purchasing a laptop from Staples is not required.
NOTE: Chromebooks do not connect well with our internal systems and so we ask that you avoid them.
SEE FIRST HAND
Parents, you are always welcome to visit our campus and see first-hand how God is at work at our school! Chapels are on Fridays at 9:20 am and parents are always welcome.
In His service,
TERESA SPYKSMA
Interim Secondary Principal