One Athens Connects

All smiles as our iAcademy at Athens Elementary students began second semester in their beautiful new school “home”! The new iAcademy at Athens Elementary was designed by Lathan Associates Architects and built by Bailey Harris Construction. Planning and demo began in 2019, with a groundbreaking on September 14, 2021. This state-of-the-art school is located on the previous site at 515 N. Madison Street.

iAcademy at Athens Elementary is home to 425 Pre-K through 3rd-grade students and 60 faculty and staff members. The new 66,000 sq. ft. school includes:

• 24 Classrooms
• Music Classroom
• WOW Innovation Lab and Maker Space
• Media Center
• Art Classroom
• Cafetorium
• Renovated Gymnasium

A special community ribbon cutting and dedication ceremony will be held in a few weeks. View the entire building progression at acs-k12.org/newiacademy. Such an amazing day! We are so excited for our iAcademy at Athens Elementary Golden Eagles and hope they make wonderful memories in their new home!

January is School Board Recognition Month and we are so very grateful for our Athens City School Board leaders! Thank you Beverly Malone, Jennifer Manville, Scott Henry, Shannon Hutton & Anthony Townsend for your service and dedication to Athens City Schools!

Preparing children for success begins early. Athens City Schools is proud to offer two Pre-K programs: Alabama First Class Pre-K Program and Eagles Nest Inclusion Pre-K.

Each program has its own unique admission requirements, application, tuition, and selection process. Pre-K registration runs January 15, 2023 through March 22, 2023. Learn more about each program and apply at www.acs-k12.org/prek. For registration help in Spanish, contact (256) 233-6600.

Since we're halfway through the school year, be sure to revisit the school calendar and note important dates to remember for 2nd Semester. You can also view the academic calendar at acs-k12.org/calendar.

Did you know that Athens City Schools offers free breakfast to all students each and every morning during the school week? Our Child Nutrition Program works to ensure every child is ready to start their day, well-fed and ready to learn. Click HERE to learn more about our CNP program.

MySchoolBucks is as easy way to add lunch money to your student lunch account. Create or log in to your student account at myschoolbucks.com and view immediate information about your student account balance and purchases. Need help? Click HERE to learn more. Funds can be added to your student's account at MSB on the web or download the MSB app. You may also submit a check to the school lunchroom. All checks must be made payable to Athens City Schools CNP or ACS CNP. Please write your child's name and homeroom on the check or envelope. Click HERE to more about meal prices and budgeting.

2022-2023 ACS Student Daily Breakfast Price

• $0.00 - Free (all students)

2022-2023 ACS Student Daily Lunch Price

• $2.75 - PAID

• $0.40 - REDUCED (must qualify)

• $0.00 - FREE (must qualify)

Take a peek at all of the exciting things go on in ACS. Be sure to follow ACS and your schools on Social Media and download the free ACS app.

PowerSchool Parent Portal is a web-based platform and app that can be used to access information such as student grades, attendance, assignments, class announcements, class schedule and more. Parent Portal is accessible from any device with internet access (i.e. computer, tablet, smartphone) or download the app for free. Learn more about PowerSchool Parent portal at acs-k12.org/powerschool. If you have any questions, please contact your school.

In an effort to make all of our Athens City Schools athletic event experiences GOLDEN for all spectators, fans, and families, the Golden Guidelines will be implemented during the 2022-2023 school year:

• All children in 8th grade and below and non-school-age children must be accompanied and supervised by an adult.
• All students are expected to be seated and in the stands unless visiting the concessions or restrooms.
• Students are not permitted to loiter in groups outside of the seating area.
• Students who do not follow the ACS Athletic Facilities guidelines will be required to sit with the adult they arrived with or asked to leave the game.

Our goal is to always have a safe and enjoyable environment at our stadium, gymnasiums, fields and more. We appreciate your cooperation. If you have any questions, please reach out to Linda Moore, Athletic Director, at Linda.Moore@acs-k12.org.

We love sharing about all of the amazing things that are happening in our schools and in the lives of our outstanding students and employees! Do you have a story, event, award/ recognition or something cool going on with your student that you would like to share with our #oneAthens community? Please click here or email Christy.Hubbard@acs-k12.org.

Click here to view a previous edition of the One Athens Family Newsletter.