Conway, SC - I know everyone is looking forward to the upcoming fall break and I want to wish you all a Happy Thanksgiving and safe fall break! 

At ACA, there is so much to be thankful for. We are so blessed to have our new school building, it is absolutely amazing. We are also thankful for all the amazing students, teachers, coaches and support by our parents. Everyone working together as a team is what makes ACA so special. 

I hope you all enjoy Thanksgiving and a well deserved break. 

I want to share some recent photos of our beautiful school.

Flex Day 

This Friday, November 22, will be our next Flex Day. Students will not come to school, but will have to do their work on Google Works. Flex Days are a great time for students to come to school for tutoring. 

AM Tutoring Session: 10-11:30 a.m. 

PM Tutoring Session: 12:30-2:00 p.m. 

Also on Nov. 22, we are receiving brand new furniture for seven classrooms. Every classroom will have new furniture except the science lab. We are fundraising for the science lab tables which cost $47,000 for our three science labs. So far we have raised $16,000 toward the purchase of those tables. If you would like to make a donation to help us reach our goal, please let me know.

Rivalry Week for College Football is next weekend, so this Thursday, Nov. 21, students are encouraged to represent their favorite college team by wearing gear to show their support! I will proudly be representing my alma mater. Go Wisconsin!

Winter Fest

This year ACA is hosting our first PowderPuff football game along with Winter Fest on Saturday, December 7! Join us starting at 2 p.m. on campus as the Freshmen face off against the Juniors, followed by the Seniors vs. Sophomores at 3 p.m., with the championship game being played at 4 p.m. between the two winning classes. 

Following the action, students and their families are invited to WinterFest, where there will be face painting, yard games, concessions, smores and an outdoor movie! Make sure to bring your blankets and chairs! 

Tickets are $10 per person and will be available through the HomeTown Ticketing app with cash ticket sales available on the day of the event. Children under the age of eight are free! 

All sales during the day will go toward ACA's Student Council which is raising money for this year's prom. If you have any questions, please email Mr. Paske (bpaske@acaarmada.org) or Ms. Jones (kjones@acaarmada.org). Hope to see you there! 

School Tours

We are conducting school tours each Friday at 1 p.m.  Please spread the word to any families who might be interested. Our next parent forum will be on Wednesday, Dec. 11, at 5:30 p.m. here at ACA. If you know of anyone who might be interested in their child attending ACA next year, please share this Parent Forum Registration form.

Giving Back to the Community

Our school community had stepped up once again. We will have a pickup truck full of supplies that we will be going to the upstate area of South Carolina. These supplies will help provide some relief for our sister Limestone Charter Schools that were hit by Hurricane Helene/ Thank you all for your donations. 
 

IGP Meeting Information

Sophomores & Freshman: Your IGP meetings will take place throughout December & January. Stay tuned for more information to come at a later date!

Juniors: Junior IGP Meetings are happening between now and Christmas break. These are mandatory meetings for ALL JUNIORS. Please use this link to schedule a time with your parent(s) to attend as soon as possible. 

November is National Career Development Month! During our meeting, we will discuss graduation requirements, SAT and ACT information, as well as classes being offered next year. We will also discuss your post secondary career goals. 

For career goal Information prior to our meeting, take the O*Net Interest Profiler Quiz to learn more about your talents and career interests! 

Testing Information

• The ACT is offered at ACA on February 28, 2025, (Flex Day) at no cost. Visit act.org for a free practice test!

• The SAT is offered at ACA on March 21, 2025, (Flex Day) at no cost. Visit collegeboard.org or khanacademy for free SAT test prep. 

• We are working to provide our own test prep soon at ACA! 

Community Service 

All students need 25 hours of community service to graduate. Please see Mrs VonCannon if you are interested in upcoming Community Service opportunities at ACA, or check out www.tuw.org for a list of ideas! 

Meals on Wheels

ACA is collecting Thanksgiving Food Items to donate to Meals on Wheels. If you bring in non-perishable items, you will be entered to win a gift card! We thank you for your support and donations! 

Dual Enrollment Information 

HGTC student and parent orientation meeting will be held in the gym from 5:30 until 7 p.m. on Wednesday evening, November 20. 

Even though ACA will be on Thanksgiving Break the entire week of Thanksgiving, the colleges are not. There are several online tests(online) and assignments(online) that need to be completed during this time.

Students can now show their parents their grades to date in the platform that their subject uses. If there are any questions or concerns please reach out.

For our Dual Enrollment classes, there is less than a month left. Please make sure you are talking with your child on how they are doing. 

• The last day of class for USCL is December12/6.
• The last day of class for HGTC is December12/10.

HGTC uses D2L as a platform. Parents can see grades there. Every student knows this.

USCL uses Blackboard as a platform. This is a bit different because grades are not necessarily put in until the end of the semester. Math houses their grades in the platform called CONNECT. Students can see scores on tests and weekly assignments as well as due dates. The students who have professors on campus can always ask them to see their grades.

This Friday, November 22, will be a B class schedule online since it is a Flex Day

HGTC Orientation for parents and students will be held in the gym on November 20 from 5:30 until 7 p.m.

USCL

Please ensure all students planning to take Spring dual enrollment classes online or here on our campus have signed up for a registration session. If they cannot attend a session, they need to email usldual@mailbox.sc.edu and wallderdh@mailbox.sc.edu AFTER December 2.

LTAP Deadlines

Any student who begins classes in January of 2025 must be admitted, registered, and meet all eligibility requirements by February 10 or they will not be eligible for Lottery Tuition Assistance.

Any student who begins classes in March of 2025 must be admitted, registered, and meet all eligibility requirements by March 14 or they will not be eligible for Lottery Tuition Assistance.

LTAP Eligibility Requirements

The student must pass 67 percent of all attempted (registered) USCL courses - this includes dual enrollment courses. If a student fails or drops a class, they will likely lose financial aid eligibility.

For example, If a student registers for two classes and drops one in a semester, they have completed less than 67 percent of their attempted classes. If the student has lost financial aid eligibility, he/she can write an appeal letter explaining the academic deficiency, why it occurred and what changed that shows improvement.

If the appeal is approved, the student could regain eligibility for financial aid (LTAP).

Tutoring Links

Follow this LINK to learn about academic tutoring through USC Lancaster. 

Construction Update

Road Construction on Bear Bluff Road and school entrances is still ongoing. Please drive carefully in the construction areas because the workers are laying down concrete and finishing the entrance of the school. Please give yourselves adequate time to work through any backed up traffic into the school. 

Team Teacher

We thank you all so much for your support of our teachers through the Team Teacher program. As we get closer to the holiday season, we hope our parents think about what to give our teachers. The best is just to donate cash to Team Teacher. If every parent donated just $20 we would be blessed to give all our teachers treats, and meals during the holidays. Please click on the link to make a donation. Thank you all for your support.

Food Trucks

Here is this weeks' schedule. 

About Atlantic Collegiate Academy: Atlantic Collegiate Academy (ACA), located in Myrtle Beach, S.C., serves high school students in a safe, small and family-centered setting. Our students seek the opportunity and challenge of rigorous curriculum, high academic standards and elite athletics while also earning up to two years of college credit. ACA serves students in grades 9-12 using an honors curriculum in 9th and 10 grades with a dual enrollment curriculum in 11th and 12th grades. Learn more about ACA by visiting our website at AtlanticCollegiate.Academy and by following us on social media on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.