Myrtle Beach, SC - I hope everyone had a great weekend and a great Mother's Day. We thank all the mothers who sacrifice and work so hard for their families. 

ACA's staff was so spoiled by Team Teacher and all of our parents last week! Thank you all so much for supporting our Teachers! We have been so blessed at ACA to have amazing teachers.

We only have 10 school days left. Please look at the EOC schedule below. Our first EOC will be Thursday, May 16. Make sure your child gets a good night's rest and eats breakfast or lunch before their EOC Assessments. 

If for some reason you miss your EOC, please know we have make-up ECO days on May 22, 23 and 24. This Thursday, May 16, we will have our English 2 EOC. Please look below to see our complete EOC schedule. 

We have had a great kick off to our fundraising campaign. Please read below to learn more about all what is going on The Armada.

Fundraising Campaign

You should be seeing alot about our Fundraising Campaign these days and we hope you will aid in the effort by making contributions and by asking the businesses you do business with to support us in this effort. We are very blessed to be able to transition into our new school building for the 2024-25 academic year. The new school comes at a cost of $22.2 million and will provide us with all the necessities to run our school.

With that said, high interest rates and high construction costs will leave us in need of many of the tools any school needs to function properly. As a result we are kicking off a fundraising campaign focused on raising money for the things to make the lives of our teachers and coaches a little easier and to give our student the best possible experience.

The items we are raising money for will take our school to the next level and create great pride with our students and families. 

All donations to this campaign, whether in cash or the purchase of identified equipment, are tax deductible. Anyone who makes a donation will get a tax letter they can use toward their 2024 taxes.

We have a wish list our teachers and coaches have created. Please take a look at the list and consider donating to our new school. Your cash donations will allow our teachers and coaches to directly purchase items from their priority list.

Building Update

I am amazed every time I venture out to Bear Bluff Road at all that has been accomplished in such a short period of time. The property certainly looks much different today than it did in October at our groundbreaking ceremony. The drywall and windows are all in the building and there has been a second coat of paint applied. The inside is also much brighter than last week now because the power is on, meaning there are lights on in the building. We are on schedule to be able to move into the building in time for the start of the 2024-25 school year and I can't wait to show off the facility. Please remember that, until the building is complete, it is not safe to be on the property.

Senior Night

Save the date of May 15 because we will have senior night at 6 p.m. to honor our first graduating class at ACA. We are so proud of our seniors and want to make sure we show them just how much we appreciate them.

Graduation

Graduation will be held at Beach Church on Thursday, May 23, at 7 p.m. We are looking forward to the Armada's first graduation ceremony.

T-Shirt Fundraiser

To commemorate our first year, Atlantic Collegiate Academy "Original Crew 2023" T-shirts will be for sale on Tuesday and Thursday from 11:30 a.m. until 12:30 p.m. on the sidewalk outside the school. T-shirts cost $25, cash or check, and all funds raised will go to benefit students, teachers and staff! Thank you for your continued support!

Also, thank you to our sponsors for their support throughout this first year: Handley's Pub, Ledo Pizza, Salon Eclipse, NXT LVL Fitness, Ultimate Gymnastics Academy, Bradley Development, Yolang Crane Services, Aesthetics at Southern, Land and Sea Electronics, Geo's Phillysteak Grill, Dirtlogic, Sound Solutions Hearing Care and Scotto's Pizzeria.

Food Trucks 

• Tuesday, May 14 | Maui Wowie
• Thursday, May 16 | Rocco's Tacos
• Friday, May 17 | Southern Scoops Ice Cream
• Tuesday, May 21 | Beach Bites
• Thursday, May 23 | Rocco's Tacos
• Friday, May 24 | Sugar Moss Cakes

Team Teacher

The ACA Faculty thanks you all so much for supporting our teachers! We had an amazing teacher appreciation week last week. Everyday our teachers had lunch or breakfast and small gifts. All of our faculty appreciate the support we get from Team Teacher and our parents. We truly thank you all for your support! Team Teacher creates great morale among our staff members.

EOC Schedule for 2024

On Thursday, May 9, there will be an English 2 Writing EOC exam. Starting on Thursday, May 16, we will begin testing the remaining subjects for EOCs. Below you will find the schedule for the 2024 ACA EOC's.

AM/PM and dates	Thursday, May 16	Friday, May 17	Monday , May 20	Tuesday , May 21	May 22-24 Make up days
AM	1st Period Final  8:00-8:30 review Break 8:30 to 8:35 Exam 8:35-10:30 2nd Period 10:33 - 11:41 For review	2nd Period Final 8:00-8:30 review Break 8:30 to 8:35 Exam 8:35-10:30 3rd Period 10:33 - 11:41 For review	3rd Period Final 8:00-8:30 review Break 8:30 to 8:35 Exam 8:35-10:30 4th Period 10:33 - 11:41 For review	4th Period Final 8:00-8:30 review Break 8:30 to 8:35 Exam 8:35-10:30 1st 10:33 to 11:05 2nd 11:08-11:41	Normal bell schedule but all make up EOCs will be in room 106
PM	1st Period Final  12:08-12:38: review Break 12:38 to 12:41 Exam 12:41-2:36 2nd Period 2:39 - 3:49 For review	2nd Period Final  12:08-12:38: review Break 12:38 to 12:41 Exam 12:41-2:36 3rd Period 2:39 - 3:49 For review	3rd Period Final  12:08-12:38: review Break 12:38 to 12:41 Exam 12:41-2:36 4th Period 2:39 - 3:49 For review	4th Period Final  12:08-12:38: review Break 12:38 to 12:41 Exam 12:41-2:36 Break 2:36-2:39 1st 2:39 to 3:11\ 2nd 3:15 to 3:49	Normal bell schedule but all make up EOCs will be in room 106

Guidance Update

Attention seniors and parents of seniors!

Most of our senior students have completed the Post-Graduation Plan form! We are very thankful for their cooperation. However, there are several of you who still need to fill it out! Please fill out this form by the end of the day if you have not already done so.

USCL Class Update

All USCL Dual Enrollment Courses have concluded. Students must earn a minimum of 65% to earn college credit or they will be charged for the course. Students must have earned a minimum passing score of 60% in order to receive high school credit. ANY SENIOR WHO FAILS A COURSE REQUIRED FOR GRADUATION WILL NOT WALK AND WILL NEED TO MAKE THE COURSE UP OVER THE SUMMER AT VIRTUAL SC.

Re-enrolling with USC Lancaster

Please ignore the current emails and texts to re-enroll with USCL. USCL will be making a formal request separately for ACA students.

IGP Update

Any student who did not participate in a formal IGP meeting will be given a list of courses they will be enrolled in for the 24-25 school year by the end of next week.

Student High School Course Failures

Any student who does not earn 60% or higher in any course will need to repeat it before being allowed to take the next course in the pupil progression plan. ACA does not offer course recovery so students must register and enroll with Virtual SC to make up those courses this summer. Students will not be given their 24-25 schedule without proof of course completion/passing. 

AGAIN, ANY SENIOR WHO FAILS A COURSE REQUIRED FOR GRADUATION WILL NOT WALK AND WILL NEED TO MAKE THE COURSE UP OVER THE SUMMER AT VIRTUAL SC.

Virtual SC for Course Recovery

We have heard from many students who are interested in taking courses to "get ahead" this summer. We do not recommend this. However, If you want to take other courses this summer via Virtual SC, please note that you will need a minimum of an 85% in an honors-level course or a 90% in a non-honors level course in order to have it count toward DE eligibility. 

You are responsible for making an account and registering for a course. Our Guidance Department will approve your request once it is made through Virtual SC. After that you will be sent instructions for completion. It is up to your student to complete course material (and earn a passing grade). We must have your student's final transcript in order for your student to receive their fall schedule and begin classes.

Virtual SC Registration Dates and Deadlines

As a reminder, ACA does not offer Credit Recovery (making up a class) for students who fail a course. If a student fails a graduation-required course they must attend Virtual SC to make up that class before the next school year starts or before you need to take the next class in the course progression, whichever comes first. To learn about potential course offerings and ensure you meet registration deadlines please visit this Virtual SC webpage: Courses | VirtualSC

Scholarship Opportunities

Palmetto Fellows Scholarship

High school seniors are eligible to apply if they meet one of the following sets of academic requirements:

1. Score at least 1200 on the SAT (25 on the ACT)1 by the June national test administration of the senior year; earn a minimum 3.50 cumulative GPA on the SC UGP at the end of the senior year; and, rank in the top six percent of the class at the end of the sophomore, junior or senior year.

OR

2. Score at least 1400 on the SAT (31 on the ACT) by the June national test administration of the senior year and earn a minimum 4.00 cumulative GPA on the SC UGP at the end of the senior year.

Students MUST complete the application found at this link in order to be considered: ACA Palmetto Fellows Student Application

Transcript Requests

You must register for an account with Parchment, our online transcript processing service., You can find all the information, including how-to videos, on our website. If you are senior, be sure to request your final transcripts for your next school, 2023-24 school year final transcripts will be uploaded by June 12.

General Academic Reminders

• All qualifying students will be enrolled in appropriate DE courses each school year. Students are here for the opportunity to earn up to 60 college credits and we take that seriously. 
  • Students WILL NOT enroll themselves. We will take care of that on our end with our partner colleges.
  • Starting with the 2024-25 school year, if a student fails to earn a 70% in any DE course they will not receive college credit and will have to pay for the course.
  • If a student fails to earn a 60% in any DE course this spring (which means they will not receive any academic credit) they will have to retake the high school equivalent of that course via Virtual SC over the summer.  

• REMEMBER: in order to qualify for DE courses at ACA, students must have a minimum 3.0 GPA. They must also earn an 85% or higher in English II Honors (90% in English II CP) to enroll in ENGL 101/102 and an 85% or higher in Algebra II Honors (90% in Algebra II CP) to enroll in MAT 110/120.

Armada Athletics Update

We are proud to announce that next week, on Tuesday, May 21, we will be holding our first signing day ceremony for Atlantic Collegiate Academy. All of our student-athletes who are going on to play a sport in college will be signing their letters of intent. All parents, family and friends are encouraged to attend to witness this historic moment in ACA history! 

The ceremony will take place between the class sessions from 11:35 a.m. until 12:05 p.m. in the gym at Adventure Beach. 

Atlantic Collegiate Academy is also extremely excited to announce we have gained full NCAA clearance and our courses and proof of graduation can be used in the initial eligibility certification process. This has been a labor of love for our student-athletes and a major undertaking, but we did it! 

All ACA families can rest assured the academics their children receive at ACA will be more than enough to prepare them for the next level! 

I also am happy to announce the hiring of Bailey Paske as the Girls and Boys golf coach for the 2024-25 school year. While this will be Bailey's first venture into coaching, we believe the best teachers and coaches are those who create genuine and meaningful relationships with their students and players. Bailey does that in a way most simply cannot. 

He is admired, respected and extremely well-liked among the students, parents and staff. He also knows his way around a golf course, having played at a competitive level. His passion for the game is palpable. Coach Paske will be a welcomed addition to the athletic department as he lays the foundation of what is sure to be a great program in years to come. 

Please remember to check out the Atlantic Collegiate Academy Amazon Store! There are many designs and styles to choose from best of all, there is only a 2-4 day turnaround on items! ACA does make royalties from the items sold. Make sure to use the following link to ensure that you are purchasing from ACAs authorized store. Please use the link above and support ACA with our awesome products.

That's it for this week! Thank you again for your partnership in success for all our students! 
 

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 AtlanticCollegiateAcademy.org and by following us on social media on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.