The Acorn
A Message from the Principal of AOC, Dr. Fine
Week of 8/23-8/27
Greetings AOC Families,
I hope that you had a great weekend! This Friday is a Monday/Wednesday schedule.
Thank you to all of our families and students who quickly responded to the COC requests for proof of vaccine or negative Covid-19 testing results. This was a challenging task to accomplish in a few days time. Thank you.
Thank you to our Social Emotional Learning (SEL) and ASB students for hosting our AOC pizza party. Thank you to Roots parent volunteers for their generous donation to this event and volunteerism.
This last week, students received tours of the COC campus in preparation for their classes.
Tomorrow, students begin their classes at COC and we also begin following the new COC vaccine and testing mandate. If you were unable to fulfill the requirements of the mandate, please come see me at AOC on Monday morning. Dr. Omar Torres from COC has given me specific directions for these students. But, please come to AOC. I will be out in front of the AOC campus at 7:00am before students begin their first period class.
We look forward to another great week at AOC! Please reach out to me with any questions or concerns.
Sincerely,
Dr. Juliet Fine
661-362-3056
Please Join Us for Our Roots Parent Meeting on 8/25 at 6:00pm
ROOTS is the PTA of AOC. We welcome parents, students, teachers and staff to join.
ROOTS will hold its first General Membership meeting of the 2021-2022 school year on Wednesday, August 25 at 6 p.m. on zoom.
Join Zoom Meeting
https://hartdistrict-org.zoom.us/j/89434356298?pwd=VWhUQXdYdU5IY3YzcGROeVhjdS9lZz09
Meeting ID: 894 3435 6298
Passcode: 762408
Dial by your location
+1 408 638 0968 US (San Jose)
Please join us to hear more about the fun things planned for our school community this year! Meetings will be held the fourth Wednesday of every month (except November and December) so if you can't make it to the first meeting the next meeting will be right around the corner on September 22.
We hope to see you there!
Fatin Sako
Roots President
Virtual Back to School Night on 9/9
Greetings Hart District Parents,
Recently I've found myself repeating the familiar phrase:
"Let's Keep The Main Thing - The Main Thing."
By this I mean that we need to take the necessary steps to preserve the ability for students to continue meeting safely with teachers.
Given the trajectory of the Delta variant, we've made the decision to return to a virtual format for this year's Back to School Night. By doing so, we eliminate non-essential group gatherings across the District that could potentially contribute to the spread of the virus.
Please note that the date for our Back to School Nights across the District (except for Bowman) will move to September 9.
Teachers from across the District will be preparing personalized messages for parents - just like we did last year. Our Back to School Night virtual activities will debut on September 9th, but will remain accessible for parents after the fact.
Last year's virtual BTSN included some outstanding and creative offerings for parents. I have no doubt we will do the same this year.
Thank you for your flexibility as we make decisions to “Keep the Main Thing the Main Thing.”
Mike Kuhlman
Superintendent
William S. Hart Union High School District
ROOTED Event for AOC Freshman on 8/27-Schedule Notification
Greetings Freshman Students and Families.
I am Mr. Wilhelm, the S.E.L. teacher and Wellness Coordinator for Academy of the Canyons. This message is to notify you of an event this upcoming Friday, August 27. I want to make you aware of this event, its purpose, and the modification to Friday’s school day schedule.
The annual AOC Rooted Event is a program designed to increase relationships between upperclassmen and incoming students. The focus of the program will be on academic preparation and cultural development. Seniors will be paired with a group of freshmen with whom they can develop relationships and with the intention of easing the transition to the middle college environment. We are a unique school site with unique privileges and responsibilities. Seniors will be discussing the following topics with their 9th graders: communication and collaboration, professional relationships, AOC and COC facilities, AOC cultural characteristics, and other items of interest to new students.
Please note the schedule changes for this day:
The event will be held Friday, 8/27 from 11:45-2:15. Students will be provided lunch and they will be dismissed for the day at the end of the event.
The only classes being held on 8/27 will be Mr. Labus’s Honors Alg II/Trig courses during periods 1 & 2. These classes will occur at their regularly scheduled times of 8:55-10:05 for period 1, and 10:15-11:25 for period 2.
No other 9th grade classes will be in session, including 9th Grade Seminar, H English 9, and Human Geography.
Students without H Alg II/Trig may report to school at 11:45. Students who attended their period 1 math class will be able to work and/or relax in the plaza, Wellness Room, or Computer Lab while waiting for the event to begin.
This information has been communicated to the 9th graders this past Friday and their teachers will address any questions they have this week. You may also reach out to me with your questions through email: jwilhelm@hartdistrict.org.
Our seniors and teachers are excited for this annual event, which helps our newest students take root and thrive in the Academy of the Canyons community.
Sincerely,
Mr. Jason Wilhelm
S.E.L. Teacher
Wellness Coordinator
COC Vaccine/Testing Mandate NEW UPDATES as of 8/21/20
Thank you for attending the Town Hall this week. Here are some NEW IMPORTANT UPDATES as of 8/21.
- For any students that did not meet the expectations of this mandate or have not received their email from COC in the mycanyons account, you will meet with Principal, Dr. Fine outside of AOC's building and she will provide you with direction. You are expected come to school on Monday morning unless you have a positive Covid test.
- Per conversations with COC, the lanyards will now be used as a "Fast Pass" to receive the bracelet at the check-in tables on Monday. ALL students and staff will receive a bracelet. This is our students and staff's visible indication that COC has cleared them to attend classes for the day.
As a reminder from this Friday, I have included the resources contained in your Thursday evening email.
Thank you to the College of the Canyon’s Dr. Omar Torres, Assistant Superintendent/Vice President, Instruction and Mr. Paul Wickline, Associate Vice President of Instruction for your partnership with AOC and clear guidance. Thank you for listening to AOC's concerns.
We learned on Thursday evening that in order for AOC students to attend classes at AOC on COC’s campus, students must also abide by the new vaccine/ testing mandate.
All students attending in-person, on-campus classes, utilizing in-person district programs or services, attending classes at clinical sites, or participating in any on-campus or off-campus District approved in-person activity (i.e. clubs) shall be required to either: a. present proof to Student Services that they have been fully vaccinated against the SARS-CoV-2 virus (COVID-19)1 by August 23, 2021; or b. undergo weekly testing for COVID-19 infection and provide proof of negative COVID-19 test results to Student Services. Those students who are not vaccinated would be subject to weekly testing starting the week of August 23, 2021 (COC Board Resolution, pg.2, 8/11/2021)
Here is the link for the board resolution
Here is an FAQ from COC about the COC Vaccine and/or Testing Mandate
Here is a link to the check-in stations
Here is a link to submit your vaccination status
https://www.canyons.edu/administration/pio/notices/vaccination-status.php
Here is a link to the FAQ of questions submitted by AOC families for this evening. Dr. Omar Torres’ responses are in red
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1MepD_GRyfmWBHdaXPuV4rK60biwOhP60QkWtLn3KF4U/edit?usp=sharing
Here is a link to the video recording of the COC Vaccine Mandate Town Hall with Dr. Omar Torres for the AOC community. Due to a technical glitch, only the second half of the meeting was recorded.
Here is a link to submit more questions for Dr. Torres.
https://forms.gle/6PevFsCsPZhDuHjbA
We understand this is a challenging time and request. I am only here to support our students, staff, and the AOC community. If you have any further questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to reach out to me, Dr. Juliet Fine, jfine@hartdistrict.org
Crisis Go Scanning and Valet Line Reminders
We began scanning student ID cards on Monday, August 16th for Crisis Go and have been monitoring traffic every day. Here are some observations and requests that we ask of our parents and students.
- Crisis Go-Parents, you must fill out the Crisis Go questionnaire before your student comes to school. We can scan their id card for the "green" QR entry code or you can print it for them to enter the campus. Crisis Go is our Covid safety check-in system for all of our students and staff.
- Traffic- Please pull all the way forward when you are in the valet line before you drop off your student. We would like to make the drop-off and pick-up as efficient as possible. Please have your student exit the vehicle closest to the sidewalk. They should have their backpacks on their lap, ready to exit the vehicle safely. Any delay or pause causes more traffic.
Thank you for your help in making entry into the campus as quick and efficient as possible.
If you have any questions, please reach out to me, jfine@hartdistrict.org
Important Dates for August
- August 23rd - First day of COC Fall semester and COC Vaccine/ Testing Mandate Check-In
- August 25th- Parents ROOTS board meeting at 6:00pm-Virtual on Zoom
- August 27th- AOC Rooted Event for Freshman
- August 30th - Student Makeup pictures/AOC ID and Staff Pictures
- September 6th- Labor Day, No School
- September 9th- Back to School Night
- September 10th- 1st Progress Report
Academy of the Canyons
Email: jfine@hartdistrict.org
Website: https://www.academyofthecanyons.com/
Location: Academy of the Canyons, Rockwell Canyon Road, Santa Clarita, CA, USA
Phone: 661-362-3056
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Academy-of-the-Canyons-Middle-College-High-School-330158873741614
Twitter: @Academy_Canyons