May Update – Notes from the General Director – ACA

Greetings!

Thank you for your recognition of our teachers on Teacher Appreciation Day, April 30. The PTA, Board, and ACA Administration all provided the teachers with gifts and prayed a blessing over them at the Secondary teacher group and support staff on Friday, April 30, and the Elementary Staff recognition on Monday, May 3. Many parents and students also gave gifts and/or words of recognition to many teachers. Thank you for your thoughtfulness.

I want to give you an update on several things that are happening at ACA, along with some calendar updates.

First – we are beginning a season of beginning to receive new students for the 2021-2022 school year. At this point in time, we only have 6 Pre-Kinder student applications, and we only have 9 current Pre-Kinder to move up to Kinder. We need an additional 15-20 students to fill out our classes. We can also use more students in many classes throughout the school. The most effective student recruitment is parents encouraging other parents.

Remember – we give one-month free tuition for your oldest child for each family you recruit to ACA! One half of the tuition reduction is given at the beginning and the year and the second half reduction is given the second semester. That is a 10% discount for one student.
Second – I will be returning as General Director for the 2021-2022 school year on a 1-year interim contract as the Board continues the search for a new General Director. The Board is actively conducting its search and is reviewing viable candidates. The candidate must have a master’s degree in U.S. school administration, be a fluent English speaker and must hold, or be eligible for, ACSI Principal and Administration certifications.

Mrs. Retzer will be returning to the U.S. in June and will live in the house we recently purchased. She and I will go back and forth to visit periodically during the school year. We are also looking forward to visiting our new grandson that was born on April 23 in Boston.
Third – There will be a 5% tuition increase this year. There has not been an increase in two years, and we will be giving a salary increase to all of our staff. They have not received a pay increase since January 2019.
Fourth, and final – some calendar updates…

We will conduct MAP testing the first two weeks of May and
May Fair will not be held on Friday, May 7.
Library week will not be celebrated later this month since we still cannot open the Library.
Fall Concert – Mr. Monges is working with his students to put together a composite, online concert that I am looking forward to viewing!
The final Progress Report of this school year will be coming soon. Please encourage your student to finish the school year strongly!
Please look for announcements that will be coming for end-of-the-year activities. We will share plans with you for PreK & K graduation, Award assemblies, and Senior graduation as we plan them and as we respond to the assembly restrictions placed by our government during this pandemic.

We are all part of the ACA family, and we love our children! It has been very emotional for me this past month to visit campus and see the students back on campus. The teaching and training of our children to recognize the centrality of God’s Word and its application to our lives, coupled with an understanding of the magnificence of His creation and how He cares for us is the backbone of what God has called us to do in Deuteronomy 6…read those verses again to renew your focus!

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Thank God, we are one month in, and we have had minimal disruptions to our schedule, so we are seeing that school is not a vector for transmitting COVID-19. Our protocols are working and our students and staff are being very diligent to follow the guidelines. God has blessed us and, although some of our families have experienced tragedy among extended family members, we continue to thank God for keeping our Christian education process strong.

Please encourage new families to join us. Thank you for your continued perseverance, and please know that I believe God will give you a way to continue at ACA if you are focused on recognizing the responsibility of teaching and training your children to follow Him. Christian school education has much more worth than mere money for a product. It is education for eternity!

God bless you and keep you,

Mr. Retzer