Winter Break marks the end of the first semester of school. This year has gone by fast! There have been many great things happening in the classroom and on campus. Students are working hard in the classroom to build their knowledge and confidence in Math, Language Arts, Reading, Science and Social Studies. Students did well on their second benchmark assessments in Reading and Math that they took in the beginning of November! If you are interested in seeing your child's results you can log into Renaissance or contact Miss Denise. We have had some great community participation on and off campus this semester. Students went to the Cascades of Tucson Retirement and Assisted Living Community in September. They had the opportunity to talk and read to residents and work on a fun project. The residents were so happy to have the students there and look forward to our December visit. We also partnered with the Humane Society of Southern Arizona and Wyant College of Optical Science (U of A). Both made visits to the campus and engaged the students in learning opportunities! We look forward to continue to build a relationship with community partners as the year progresses.
The second part of the school year is a busy time. Students in grades 3rd-5th are preparing for the state testing in April. We have many family events, Rodeo Break and Spring Break. Please make sure you are getting notifications from Class Dojo so you do not miss out!
We are still offering laptop computers to families who refer students that enroll. It is a great opportunity to get a free computer for your household. It is also an opportunity for the school to begin to grow. We appreciate your help in building our school community.
Thank you to all of our families for your continued support! We wish you all a safe and happy Winter Break and look forward to having the students back in January!
🪀PLEASE DO NOT SEND SCHOOL SUPPLIES OR TOYS TO SCHOOL📝
Academy Adventures Midtown understands that the beginning of the school year transition can be hard for many students. With that in mind, we have been very lenient on allowing students to bring toys and stuffed animals to school. However, it is beginning to be a distraction in the classroom. Beginning December 1, 2024, please do not allow your child to bring toys or stuffed animals with them to school. Miss Denise will be starting a "Show & Tell" time in the classroom and if your child is chosen, you will receive a note from Miss Denise. Any items brought to school on a day that is not your child's "Show & Tell" day will be held by the teacher and sent home at the end of the week.
In addition to toys and stuffed animals, please do not send school supplies (pencils, pens, markers, crayons, sharpeners, glue, glue sticks, notebooks, stickers, etc.) to school with your child. Please keep those at home for them to use. The school provides all necessary supplies your child will need in the classroom. Supplies from home are causing distractions in the classroom and items are getting lost.
We appreciate your cooperation. If you have any questions, please reach out to Miss Denise or Mrs. Angela.
As a reminder, Academy Adventures Midtown is part of the National School Breakfast and Lunch Program. All students can eat for free. If you chose to send a breakfast or lunch with your child, please remember the following:
- No Fast Food
- No Potato Chips of any kind
- Only Water or 100% Juice for drinks
- No Candy, Cake, Cookies, etc.
- We cannot refrigerate or warm up any food
Any foods that fall into the categories above will be collected and sent home at the end of the day with the child.
Please Note: If your child brings lunch, then we do not normally give them a school lunch. If your child brings a lunch and also wants a school lunch, we will give them one if there are any trays left AFTER all the students who did not bring lunch have been served. In addition, students must take the whole tray, even if they do not want all of the items on it. They do not have to eat them, but they do have to take them. We can only serve full trays. If we happen to have left overs from previous days (such as fruit and veggies), we try to make those available to everyone at lunch (students who eat the school lunch as well as students who bring their lunch). Unfortunately, we do not always have that option.
If you have any questions regarding breakfast or lunch, please contact Mrs. Angela.
This institution is an equal opportunity provider.
🦃THANK YOU!🦃
Academy Adventures Midtown is grateful for all our families! Thank you for joining us for our first annual Thanksgiving Family Feast on the 21st of November! We had a great turnout and hope you enjoyed the food and other families. A special THANK YOU to all the families who brought a dessert and food to share! We appreciate your donations.
We were so busy having fun, we forgot to take pictures! Thank you for your continued Support!
🍲THANK YOU!🍲
Thank you to all the families that joined us for our Stone Soup and Friendship Fruit Salad lunch before Thanksgiving Break! We hope you had fun and enjoyed the soup and salad the students made. A big thank you to all the families who made donations to help with the preparation of the food!
We appreciate your continued support!
Attendance is crucial to your child's academic success.
Academy Adventures Midtown challenges our families to work on getting to school on time as we enter the 2nd semester of school. The end of the 1st semester we saw an increase in tardies. Tardies not only make it difficult for the child, it makes it difficult for the entire class. Students coming in late are disruptive to the other children, miss important information and quickly fall behind.
As a reminder, core (Math, Reading & Language Arts) instruction is done first thing in the mornings. If your child arrives late, they are missing very important academic information. Missing the direct core instruction causes students to get behind and feel lost and frustrated. It is very important to arrive at school by 8:15 AM.
Let's see if we can lower our tardy rate going into the 2nd semester by 50%! There might even be some special surprises for the students if we can do it!
HELP US GROW!
Did you know that Charter Schools get less money per pupil than large school districts? However, we are still required to meet all the same requirements. Being such a small school has it benefits: more individualized instruction; close knit relationships between students, students and staff and staff and families; more one on one and small group instruction; and much more. Unfortunately, it also means a very small budget to accomplish everything necessary.
We recently had our charter renewed for another 20 years! Our goal is to continue to be here to educate, encourage and foster our students to be confident, excited learners! We would like to increase our population by another 5-10 students! Our goal is still to keep the school small, but enable us to receive enough state funds to function.
Check out the incentive program below! Be sure that anyone you refer gives us your name! We appreciate your support and help in growing our community!
Dear Families,
We hope this newsletter finds you well. As we embark on the final weeks of this term, we want to express our heartfelt gratitude for your ongoing support and partnership. Your involvement makes a significant difference in our school community, and we truly appreciate all that you do.
A Poem of Gratitude to Parents:
In the heart of our school, you shine so bright,
Your love and support, a guiding light.
Through challenges faced and moments of cheer,
We thank you, dear families, for always being near.
Together we grow, through thick and thin,
With each little smile, our journey begins.
So here’s to our partnership, strong and true,
We are grateful for all the wonderful things you do!
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Important Announcements:
Key Dates:
December 9: Gingerbread House Making at Cascades
December 19 : Family Gingerbread House making at school 9:00 a.m.
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Celebrations:
Humane Society Visit:
Our Upper Elementary students had a fantastic time learning how to care for pets. They engaged in discussions about pet needs while managing a budget for their choices. Lower Elementary enjoyed a delightful story about counting cats.Thanksgiving Cards:
Students created heartfelt Thanksgiving cards for Cascades and Gospel Rescue Mission, aligning with our strength of the month: Service.Academic Progress:
Math, Reading, and Phonics: All students continue to master their skills at their respective grade levels.
Social Studies: Students explored the history of the First Thanksgiving.
Science Projects: Upper Elementary is beginning a science project focused on the scientific method, preparing for the SARSEF Science Fair in the spring. Lower Elementary will also start a class project soon.
Creative Activities:
Students enjoyed creating a “Turkey in Disguise” and sharing what they are thankful for this season.
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Additional Information
Strength of the Month: Joyfulness
In December, we will focus on Joyfulness. Here’s a quote to inspire us: "Joy is not in things; it is in us."Exciting Happenings in December:
We are thrilled to announce that students will be making gingerbread houses at Cascades, fostering creativity and joy during this festive season!
As we continue to work together, we are grateful for your support and engagement. Thank you for being an essential part of our school community. We look forward to all the exciting activities planned for December and the joy they will bring to our students.
PLEASE JOIN US!
December is a short month and will fly by! We have many things planned that we would love parents to join in on.
- December Baking Days! Every Thursday of December. We will start with Enchiladas the first week, Lasagna the second week and Graham Cracker Gingerbread Houses the last week.
- December 9th, we will be taking a field trip to Cascades of Tucson and helping the residents make Gingerbread houses!
- Winter Break begins the 20th of December.
Watch for more information to be posted on Class Dojo. If you have any questions, please reach out to Mrs. Angela or Miss Denise.
📱 SCHOOL COMMUNICATION📱
Please make sure that you have notifications enabled on your Class Dojo app. We ask that you respect our time and do not send message on weekends or between the hours of 8:00 PM-7:00 AM on Monday-Friday, unless there is an emergency. You can also comment on School Story Posts and Events anytime. We will respond as soon as possible.
If you have any issues with Class Dojo, please contact the school. Please note, you are NOT required to pay for Class Dojo. We only use the free portion. The paid version is optional and not required.
Tucson is having some weird weather this year! Mornings are very cold and afternoons are warmer. We are eating breakfast inside but the students do go out for about 15 minutes before school to play and run off a little energy! Please be sure your child brings a sweater, coat or sweatshirt to wear. Layering clothes seems to work best this time of year!
If your child is exhibiting signs of illness (excessive coughing, congestion, upset stomach, etc.) keep them home!!! They are required to stay home 48 hours with no symptoms, unless you obtain a note from a doctor saying it is safe for them to return to school. If your child is complaining of not feeling well and/or appears to be exhibiting excessive coughing, running noses, stomach issues, etc. you will be called and asked to pick them up. The 48 hours with no symptoms applies. All this information can be found in the Student Family Handbook you received at registration.
For the safety of the students, we do keep the side gates and front door locked. The side gate is open ONLY if staff is on the patio with students. We have installed security cameras around the building as well. We have never had any issues with security at the school but we prefer to be proactive!
If you have any questions or concerns regarding the health and safety practices of the school, please do not hesitate to speak with Mrs. Angela.
BUILDING CONFIDENT LEARNERS!
Academy Adventures Midtown is passionate about supporting academic and emotional growth in each child. Cloud9 World provides many skills to help our students deal with every day situations occurring in their lives at school or at home. We have seen an increase in our students confidence and how they interact with one another. We will continue to build positive learning behaviors and an environment that fosters student well-being. There are resources for parents as well! We will continue to share the monthly strength resources in the newsletter. If you have any questions, please reach out to Miss Denise.
In November, students are focused on the strength, Service. According to Cloud9 World, Service is doing something for someone else without expecting any reward or gain. It is helping people out when they need a helping hand and a caring heart. .
During the month of December, students are focusing on Joyfulness. According to Cloud9 World, joyfulness is an inner state of happiness and peace. Sometimes, when the fun stops, our happiness stops along with it. Joy is a state of inner-playfulness that carries us through the hard times. Joy gives us wings! When you appreciate the gift of possibility that each day brings, you will naturally show joyfulness. The dolphin represents the beauty of joy, the power of freedom and importance of being happy.
Below are some resources that you can use at home with your child.
🐕COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT🐈
Academy Adventures Midtown was chosen as one of the schools picked by the Humane Society of Southern Arizona (HSSA) to have on site classes! The students are divided into two groups: K-3 and the 4th-5th. Each month Monica from HSSA comes to school and talks to the students about pet safety, caring for pets, being a responsible pet owner and much more. The students get to participate in fun activities during the visit that focus on the topic discussed.
December will be our 4th and final visit (and Monica promised a special visitor!) and the older students may get the opportunity to visit HSSA in the Spring. Here are a few pictures from our November visit. The students had a lot of fun with the interactive activities!
We are collecting donations for HSSA through December 8th. They are in need of blankets, toys, leashes and harnesses. If you would like to make a donation, please stop by the school. The box will be out front in the morning and in the lobby the rest of the day. Thank you for your support!
In January, we return from Winter Break. There is always a little bit of a transition the first few days as the students get back into the routine. We will be hosting a family event mid January and will get out more information soon. We are always open to suggestions if there is a family event you would like us to consider, please let Mrs. Angela know. We are always open to new ideas!!
We have Martin Luther King, Jr. / Civil Rights Day off on January 20th. We will also hit our 100th Day of school during January!
Watch for information in Class Dojo for more information on exciting things happening during the month of January!
ACADEMY ADVENTURES MIDTOWN
Email: info@academyadventuresmidtown.com
Website: https://academyadventuresmidtown.com
Location: 3025 North Winstel Boulevard, Tucson, AZ, USA
Phone: 520-777-3757
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/academyadventuresmidtown
Youtube: www.youtube.com/@academyadventuresmidtown2986
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/academyadventuresmidtowntucson/
Schedule A School Tour: https://calendly.com/amertz-4is/30min