But let all who take refuge in you be glad; let them ever sing for joy.
Spread your protection over them, that those who love your name may rejoice in you.
PSALM 5:11

We are all looking forward to an exciting start to a new school year. We are excited to see the students return to the halls as we brace for another action-packed year of learning and living in community. 

Our school-wide theme for 2025-2026 is “Rejoice” and we hope it’s an invitation to live with an open heart, ready to discover joy in the everyday and that throughout every season of the school year we find every reason to praise the Lord. 

WHAT TO EXPECT ON THE FIRST DAY

  • When students arrive on Tuesday, September 2, staff members will be outside the buildings and in the hallways, ready to assist anyone in finding their way. Parents are welcome to accompany their child(ren) to their classrooms.
  • The middle school doors will open at 8:00 am and classes begin at 8:20 am. Please exercise patience as we try our best to get everyone through. We have lots of parking now so feel free to park, help your child to the school, and then wait for the rush to be over. Note: parking along Old Clayburn Road is no longer available.
  • The first day is a full day! Dismissal is at 2:50 pm.

CLASS LISTS

Thank you for your patience as we finalized our class lists. This is an incredibly daunting task that has many layers of complexity. Please note there were several adjustments made over the summer because of growing enrolment and ensuring there was balance among all grade level sections. Our goal is to provide the best learning environments possible while balancing each student’s socio-emotional, behavioural, and academic needs. We will not be making any adjustments to class lists moving forward and ask that each family trust that the prayerful consideration of teachers and admin has carefully placed each student. Thank you for your understanding. 

GOT THE JITTERS?

Sometimes our students want to check things out before the first day of school. Or maybe they want to meet their teacher or locate their classroom before that first big day. We want to invite those, especially new students, to an open house this Thursday, August 28 from 1:00-3:00 pm. This is an unstructured time where you can help your child with the adjustment of a new school year.

PARENT PARTNERSHIPS

We value the partnership between home and school. We don’t always get things right here, but we have one tremendous thing in common—we care deeply for your kids and want to make this a great learning experience for them. Let’s work together to make this possible. Reach out to your child’s teacher if you have questions or concerns. It also goes a long way to send a note of encouragement to your child’s teacher once in awhile!

MIDDLE SCHOOL DAILY SCHEDULE

Not sure when and where you need to be? View the middle school bell schedule.

MIDDLE/SECONDARY CAMPUS MAP

Need to know where you are going? Download the middle school campus map.

THEME SONG

What’s better than the sound of students playing recorders and brass instruments in the home? Our theme song for the year! Lets put this song to memory as we live and learning in community this year: Rejoice! By Keith and Krystal Getty

NO NUTS

UPDATE: We are a “Nut Aware” school. But we also recognize that nuts are a great healthy option. If there is a nut allergy in your child’s class, the teacher and office will email you and that class will be “nut free.” If you do not receive this message from the school, feel free to include nuts in your child’s lunch. It’s always good practice to remind students to wash their hands and not share food with other classmates.

PARKING DETAILS

Please keep the disabled parking spaces in the main parking lot available for those who need it and have the appropriate permit. These are NOT spaces for student pick up and drop off. 

GRADE 7 & 8 BAND/MUSIC APPRECIATION/GUITAR

If your child is going into Grade 7 or 8, you received a link to sign your child up for Instrumental Band or a combination of Music Appreciation and Guitar. All students have been placed. If you do not see your child on the list, please reach out.

Please note the following:

  • Band 8: if your child has not taken band in grade 7, they are still welcome to join Band 8, but will likely need a few introductory lessons to their instrument.
  • Grade 7 and 8 instrument rental is the responsibility of the parents. King’s Music in Abbotsford can accommodate your rental requests (you can also arrange for the rental online).
  • Please make rental arrangements prior to starting school. If you are purchasing an instrument off of Marketplace or other, we recommend getting the instrument checked over by a certified music shop (sometimes, repairs for repadding on a flute or clarinet can be more than the price paid from a music store).

WELCOME NEW STAFF

We welcome these new staff to ACS Middle School:

  • Dawn Dykstra: Grade 5 teacher
  • Tamara Goertzen: Grade 6 teacher
  • Leanne Svendsen: Language Specialist
  • Sophia Van Dorp: Grade 6 teacher
  • Anna Van Egmond: Grade 5 teacher
  • Sandra Venema: LSS Coordinator
  • Andrew Westerveld: Grade 7 teacher

MIDDLE SCHOOL SUPPLY LIST

Download the middle school supplies list.

MIDDLE SCHOOL GYM STRIP 

If you require new gym strip, place your order using the link below from Able Cresting. In the meantime, we ask that each student come prepared for gym with appropriate clothing and clean running shoes. Storage lockers are available in each changeroom should students need to change for class.

Order middle school gym strip.

SHUTTLE BUS SIGN UP

As you may or may not be aware, as a school we offer our regular school buses to be used as a “shuttle bus” between our campuses. This service is free, however your child MUST be signed up to use this service. Each family will need to sign up each child, as your child will be assigned a seat on a specific bus to use throughout the year. Sign up your child for the shuttle >>

COMMON CULTURE CAFÉ VOLUNTEERS NEEDED

We are looking for parent volunteers for our café. The café will open the first day of school. Please reach out to Don and Lori Kowalchuk for more info or to sign up: 

GRADE 8 ATHLETICS

We are kicking off our athletics on the first week of school. Grade 8’s, please pay special attention to these dates:

  • Girls Volleyball Tryouts: Monday, September 9 and Tuesday, September 10, 3:00-4:30 pm
  • Boys Volleyball Tryouts: Thursday, September 4 and Friday, September 5, 3:00-4:30 pm
  • Cross Country: Wednesday, September 3, 6:45am
  • Boys Soccer: Tuesday, September 2, Wednesday, September 3, and Thursday, September 4 at Saddle Park

UPCOMING EVENTS

EARLY DISMISSAL: Friday, September 5. Students will be dismissed at 12:00 pm on this day. 

WELCOME BACK BBQ: We are kicking off this school year with a celebration for our entire school, K-12 on Friday, September 5, from 4:30 pm – 7:00 pm, at the middle/secondary campus. Watch for more details in the coming week! This is also a chance for you to meet your child’s middle school teacher. Teachers will be in and around their classrooms for you to connect and see their learning spaces.

Please note that Friday’s dismissal is 12 noon so that we can prepare for the Welcome BBQ later that day. Please ensure your child leaves the school campus (bus, picked up) so that staff can adequately set up for this event. Students are not permitted to be on campus from noon until 3. We hope to see and meet you all there!

SCHOOL PHOTO DAY: Middle school students will have their school pictures taken on Friday, September 19.

MIKE CUMISKEY
Middle School Principal