Knightly Update July 28, 2024

We had a nice first full week of school, and it has been fun meeting and speaking with our students. I conducted my annual grade-level visits to share our school's guiding philosophies and important rules and policies. We have an extremely nice group of students on our campus and I appreciate their attention while I addressed them. I want to thank our English teachers for giving me the opportunity to conduct these meetings each year. If your child has any questions about the information shared in these presentations, please have them contact me.

I hope you are planning to join us on Thursday at this year's Meet the Teacher Night. Your child's teachers are excited to speak with you about their classes, the material they will cover, and share some general information about the day-to-day routines. Please remember that Meet the Teacher Night is an opportunity for you to hear from our teachers about their program of study and not a time to ask personal questions about your child or their individual progress. If you have any questions about your child's performance, please email the instructor. You should expect to receive a response to your question within one business day. I look forward to seeing you on campus Thursday evening! Additional information about Thursday's event is included in today's update. Feel free to contact the office if you have any questions.

This week, student pictures will be taken on Wednesday and Thursday via our student's math class. As a reminder, students must be wearing their polo when taking their picture (hoodies, sweatshirts, sweaters must be removed). These photos will be used to generate student ID's (all grades) and will also be used as yearbook photos for our underclassmen (Class of '26, '27 and '28). Picture order forms were distributed to students via their math class last week. If a student is not enrolled in a math course at ACP, and would like a picture order form, they should visit the office for assistance. If your child is a member of the Class of 2025, please remember to schedule their senior photo appointment with Lou Coopey Photography by the published deadline (information included again in today's update). Get ready to say "Cheese," Knights!

I hope you have a very nice week. It was nice seeing many of you at our New Family Transition Meeting on Thursday. If you were not able to attend this meeting, the information shared can be found on our school's website. As always, if you have any questions or concerns, please email me. Thank you for choosing to be a part of our school.

Rob Bickes

Principal

Site events listed in bold.

Monday, July 29

• 2:30 - Cheer Tryouts, ACPHS Auxiliary Gym
• 4:00 - Girls Volleyball Pre-Tryout Clinic, ACPHS Main Gym
• 7:00 - Football Parent Meeting, ACPHS Auditorium

Tuesday, July 30

• 2:30 - Cheer Tryouts, ACPHS Auxiliary Gym
• 4:00 - Girls Volleyball Pre-Tryout Clinic, ACPHS Main Gym

Wednesday, July 31

• Student Pictures via Math Class, ACPHS Auditorium
• 2:30 - Cheer Tryouts, ACPHS Auxiliary Gym
• 4:00 - Girls Volleyball Pre-Tryout Clinic, ACPHS Main Gym

Thursday, August 1

• Student Pictures via Math Class, ACPHS Auditorium
• 9:15 AM - Class of 2025 Meeting, ACPHS Auditorium
• 2:30 - Cheer Tryouts, ACPHS Auxiliary Gym
• 4:00 - Girls Volleyball Pre-Tryout Clinic, ACPHS Auxiliary Gym
• 6:00-8:00 - Meet the Teacher Night
• 8:00 - Girls Soccer Booster Meeting, room B124

Friday, August 2

• 2:30 - Cheer Tryouts
• 6:00-8:00 - Foam Party, ACPHS East Field (field near auditorium)

Saturday, August 3

• No events scheduled

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SAVE THE DATE

Meet the Teacher - Thursday, August 1 - 6:00 PM - Details below

Homecoming Week - September 16-20

Homecoming Dance - September 21 - 7:00-10:00 PM - ACPHS Courtyard

Do you know an ACP student, staff member, alumni, or family that deserves to be recognized? Email Mr. Bickes with the information so we can share the amazing news with our school community. Go Knights!

The perfect scores keep coming! Congratulations to seniors Gwen Aron, Ohm Patel, and Zahara Khan on earning a perfect score of 36 on the ACT. We are incredibly proud of Gwen, Ohm, and Zahara along with all the seniors that have been previously acknowledged for this wonderful achievement. For those of you keeping track, that is 5 students from ACP's Class of 2025 that earned a perfect score this year. Absolutely amazing. Congratulations for being among the best of the best students in the nation!

This summer, our dedicated Wishing Crane Project Team poured their hearts into a special project, making 1,000 paper cranes and sewing them together to spread their club mission. Paper cranes represent peace and hope. According to the story of Sadako and the Thousand Cranes, if a sick person folds 1,000 cranes, they will be granted a wish and get better. This is why The Wishing Crane Project (TWCP) regularly donates paper cranes and cards to local hospitals and hospices, to carry out the mission of spreading positivity. After meticulously working for over eight hours each, our officers finally finished this project. Flying all the cranes across the globe representing ACP and TWCP, they were donated successfully to the Hiroshima Peace Memorial in Japan on July 2. A huge thank you to the hardworking officers for their hard work and effort! TWCP is looking forward to seeing both familiar and new faces this year joining our mission!

On July 11-14, Nicolás Acedo ('26) and Emilio Acedo ('27) competed in the Karate Nationals in Lafayette, Louisiana. This year they raised the bar by competing in the Elite Kumite division of their weight classes and age group.

Nicolás demonstrated immense potential by securing a top-10 position in his division, and he is now more driven than ever to climb the ranks next year.

Emilio's tournament was a shining moment as he emerged victorious with the gold medal, earning him the title of 2024 National Champion, a place in the Jr. USA team, and an opportunity to represent the USA at the Jr. Pan American Games in Brazil in late August and the Jr. World Games in Italy in mid-October. Way to go, gentlemen!

ACP senior, Ohm Patel, was one of the 2 delegates selected from Arizona to be selected for the National Youth Science Camp (NYSC). Hosted in Monongahela National Forest in West Virginia since 1963, the National Youth Science Camp (NYSCamp) is a residential science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics (STEAM) program designed to honor and challenge some of the nation’s rising leaders and provide them with opportunities to engage with STEAM professionals. What an amazing experience and honor, Ohm! Congratulations.

Tara Hojjati, a member of the senior class, has been working on a remarkable research project over the past year. The title of her research, "Diagnostic Performance of AI-QTC Ischemia Across Patient Subgroups," evaluates the accuracy of an AI program (AI-QTC Ischemia) for diagnosing significant coronary disease in different patient subgroups. Tara submitted her research results to the international annual meeting of the Society of Cardiac CT, which took place in Washington, DC, last week. Her work was accepted for a poster presentation, and she presented her research at the meeting as the first author. Other presenters included cardiologists, cardiology fellows, and medical residents. Absolutely amazing, Tara. Great work!

ACPHS will host our Meet the Teacher Night on Thursday from 6:00-8:00 p.m. Meet the Teacher Night gives families an opportunity to actually "run through" their child's schedule and meet each teacher. Please know Meet the Teacher is a structured event and not a drop in. Be sure to bring your child's schedule.

The purpose of the evening is for each of your child's teachers to give you a brief overview of the curriculum, review what your child will be studying, and the materials teachers and students will be using in order to achieve our academic goals.

There will not be a lot of time for individual questions, but parents or students may leave their phone numbers and email addresses, and our instructors will follow-up as appropriate. We hope to see you there!

Students will be taking their ID & yearbook pictures through their math classes on Wednesday and Thursday this week (yearbook pictures includes the classes of 2026-2028 only; the class of 2025 must arrange for their senior yearbook photo to be taken through Lou Coopey Photography). If students are curious to learn which day they are scheduled to take their picture, they may check with their math teacher on Monday. If a student is not enrolled in a math class at ACPHS, they may take their ID picture before school, during lunch, or during a release period in the auditorium. Students were given picture ordering packets through their math class, and may also be picked up in the front office. This photo will serve as the students school ID photo, yearbook photo (grades 9-11), and publicity photos if/when needed. All students must wear an ACP Polo for their picture and be prepared to put on their best smile. Students should also bring their Temporary ID or any prior CUSD ID card for Picture Day.

Picture Retakes are scheduled for Wednesday, August 21st.

As a reminder, all students are required to have their student ID in their possession at all times while on campus and must present their ID at the request of any faculty or staff member. Additionally, in order for students to attend school events, students must present their ID card. If the ID is lost or stolen, there is a $5.00 replacement fee. We encourage students to take a picture of their ID card and to store this picture on their phone.

We started the tradition last year to have a Back to School Party here on Campus. A way for students to beat the heat and meet some friends! This year, we have inflatable water slides, a DJ, and Food Trucks. The Foam Party will be located on our East Field (adjacent to the Performing Arts Center). Tickets can be bought through Go Fan or students can pay cash at the door.

In case you did not purchase an Activity Card during Virtual Day of the Knights, it's not too late! Activity Card purchases are available throughout the year; however, save yourself some money and purchase your card before Wednesday 7/31 so we can be sure to mark it on your School ID.

Student Activity Card Information

We highly recommend the purchase of this card to take advantage of discounts for school activities and athletic events.

The Activity Card can be purchased for $50 and is good for the 2024-2025 school year.

Student Activity Card Benefits…

• 50% off ticket for Homecoming

• $10 off Prom Ticket

• Free or reduced rates to other Student Government events

Student Athletic Benefits…

• Admission to all AIA regular season home games (does not include tournaments or playoff games)

We are proud of the culture and traditions we get to provide all students with this year. The Activity Card provides huge discounts and helps increase involvement in our school community. This is a great purchase for each student.

ANYONE attending any tryout session must be fully cleared through Aktivate

and appear on the Coach’s cleared roster to participate.

Unless otherwise noted, tryouts begin Monday, August 12th.

Students/families wishing to participate in NSLP free and reduced meal program must fill out a 2024-25 free & reduced application. Those students who were eligible last year have the first 30 days of school in ‘carryover-temporary’ status grace period while they reapply. Any students who were on the ‘carryover-temporary’ status and have not reapplied on or before August 26th will revert to PAID status on August 27th. For additional information and to apply/reapply, click here.

CUSD is proud to offer the Seal of Personal Finance, Seal of Civics Literacy, Seal of Arts Proficiency and Seal of Biliteracy to all high school students. Each seal has unique requirements and different application windows. Students must complete all requirements successfully within their high school years to qualify. Students interested in applying for any of the seals should visit the Diploma Seals website for more information. Freshmen – Juniors are encouraged to complete an Intent to participate form.

The Seal of Biliteracy application closes on September 20th for all students graduating this year. Click here for additional information. No late applications will be received after this date.

Parents, please come and hear what ACP's new Softball Coach, Patrick Carroll has in store for the upcoming season and future of the program.

The 1:1 device agreement must be signed every year regardless if your child already has a laptop or not. Please be sure to sign the CUSD 1:1 Device Agreement as soon as possible. Students who do not have this agreement submitted within Infinite Campus that do not have a CUSD laptop will not receive a laptop until the agreement is signed. All students must have a CUSD device. Students will NOT be permitted to take any online assessment (e.g., ACT, PSAT, AP, Common Finals, teacher generated online assessments) via their own device. The device protection plan will be added to your student's accounts the second week of August. The deadline to pay will be September 2nd. Families can choose to decline the annual $25 protection fee, but all families must sign the CUSD 1:1 Device Agreement. After September 2, students may enroll in the Device Protection Plan only after an inspection of the device at your school's Tech Center (the fee is still $25 and cannot be prorated). For additional information, families can refer to the DPP page on the 1:1 device website. If you or any of our students have questions about school issued laptops, please contact the office.

Hey Knights. If you don't already have the StudentSquare app on your device, please make sure to download it today. StudentSquare is an easy to use and secure communication tool for students and staff.

What you can do with StudentSquare

• Receive messages from school by email, text or mobile app.
• Send messages to your teachers and staff at school.
• Stay in the loop regarding late start days, extracurricular activities, and class projects.
• Subscribe to calendars, RSVP to events, complete forms, use sign-up sheets and participate in groups.

To learn more about StudentSquare, watch the video (button below) and review the corresponding documents. If you have any questions, please contact administration. Don't forget to get this extremely critical app on your phone today.

Chandler-Gilbert Community College Dual enrollment registration is now open for new and returning Dual Enrollment Students. View your high school class list for dual enrollment course offerings and admissions, placement or prerequisites needed for enrollment. To avoid a delay in processing your admissions application and next steps forms, ensure you have completed all the required prerequisites for enrollment and uploaded your Identity Authentication and Residency documents in your next steps forms.

Visit cgc.edu/dual to complete the first-time dual enrollment steps.

As a first-time dual enrollment, you'll need to follow the these steps:

1. Get admitted to Chandler-Gilbert Community College
2. Set up Duo two-factor authentication on your smart phone
3. Visit your Student Center, maricopa.edu/students, to complete first-time Next Steps forms
4. Register for Classes
5. Pay your tuition and fees

Returning Students: If you have taken Dual Enrollment classes before, you are already in the system with an established MEID (User ID) and should be able to log into your Maricopa Student Center at maricopa.edu/students to self-enroll.

• If you believe you meet the prerequisites for a class but the system will not allow the class to be added, please add all other classes first. Then email dualenrollment@cgc.edu with the following information.

• Student Name
• College ID# or MEID
• High School:
• Dual Enrollment Class Number(s):
• Dual Enrollment Class Name(s):
• Dual Enrollment Instructor(s):
• Unofficial High School Transcripts

Attachments:

Dual Enrollment First-Time Students Registration Steps

Please note that our Parent Square communication is not for attendance purposes. We do require the process outlined in our shared information about attendance. If you send a message through Parent Square about attendance, it will NOT be processed. Please follow our instructions for reporting absences. Click here to find ACPHS Absence Reporting Instructions.

ACP students provide a tremendous amount of service hours throughout their high school career. The method for inputting and tracking one's service hours has changed this year. All students will now input their service hours through Infinite Campus. The attached document shares the steps students will need to take to input their hours. It is very important that students record any service provided over the course of their entire high school career. They may need to input this information when applying for scholarships, to colleges, internships, employment, or other opportunities during and after high school. Please make sure to enter your service hours via the method share in the attached document. If you have any questions, please see contact the office. Thank you.

As a reminder, all students in grades 9-11 will take the PSAT on Tuesday, October 22nd this year. Junior students have the opportunity to qualify for the National Merit Scholarship by taking this exam. Students in grades 9, 10, and 11 must pay to take the PSAT assessment before September 11th. It is absolutely critical that ALL juniors pay the $25 assessment fee in order to be considered for National Merit opportunities. Students in grades 9 and 10 are STRONGLY urged to pay the fee so they receive a score report and personalized feedback that includes corresponding online lessons based on their performance in order to potentially improve their score on future PSAT/SAT exams. If you have any questions or need to discuss financial support, please contact Mrs. Ludwig. All students will take the exam regardless if payment was received; however, only those students who pay the fee will receive a score, corresponding personalized feedback, and qualify for National Merit* opportunities (* Class of 2026 only).

Welcome back, ACP community! Thank you for your generous support last year, particularly during Teacher Appreciation. With your help, we successfully achieved our goals. Your support is truly appreciated and makes a significant difference. We're eagerly looking forward to your ongoing support in the upcoming year!

Please support ACP's PTO! Donate to our Educational Advancement Fund!

What is The PREP PTO? The PREP PTO is the official parent/teacher organization of ACP High, dedicated to supporting our staff, students, and faculty. With school funds only covering so much, we work closely with the administration to identify and fund the school’s needs.

2024-2025 Goal Amount: $25,000

• Amount Raised - $6261.00
• Remaining Goal - $18,739.00

How will your donation make a difference? Your donation helps to shape the future of our school by ensuring that our students have access to the best opportunities and resources available.

What expenses will your donation cover?

● New Student Felicitation

● Back-to-School Events

● Classroom Resources

● Teacher Provisions

● Staff Awards

To help us continue our support, we ask families to consider making a Booster donation, as we do minimal fundraising throughout the year.

Our suggested Booster Donation is:

● $60 per student

● $90 per family (2 or more students attending ACPHS)

● Donations over $150 will receive an ACP Spirit T-shirt by the end of August

Any donations to the PREP PTO are greatly appreciated but not required. The PREP PTO is a member of the Chandler School Boosters, a 501c3 non-profit organization, and your donation may be tax-deductible. If you are in need of a donation receipt, please contact us at treasurer@preppto.com.

Together, we can make this year exceptional for our children and our school community! Click here to make a donation, or visit, https://square.link/u/tq1BD63F. Thank you for your Support!

Procedures for driving on campus are below and can be downloaded for your convenience. These procedures are to be followed by all families that drop off and/or pick-up their child, and for students that choose to drive their personal vehicle to school and park in the student parking lot. Staff will be posted along the route to ensure procedures are followed appropriately.

1. Parent/guardian vehicles must use the ingress east of the Visitor Parking Lot entrance on Brooks Farm Rd. and form two lanes (if driving west on Brooks Farm, please engage your turn signal if turning right onto campus)
2. ACP Traffic should only enter the neighborhood from Gilbert Road and Brooks Farm Road (from the west): and Mustang Road and Chandler Heights (from the south).
3. Do not enter the neighborhood from Lindsay Rd.
4. Student vehicles must enter the campus via the ingress east of the JV softball field on Brooks Farm Rd.; Families may also drop off via this ingress (follow security directions if using this entrance)
5. There is NO entrance to the campus from Gilbert Rd.
6. Students may be dropped off/picked up along the sidewalks south of the administrative building and west of the B building and gymnasium.
7. Parent vehicles in the left lane that have dropped off or picked up their child along the south side of the administrative building may exit the campus via the visitor parking lot exit.
8. Parent/guardians in the right lane will exit the campus via the stadium traffic light turning north or south onto Gilbert Rd.
9. Entrance to the campus via the visitor parking lot is closed from 6:45-7:30 AM and from 2:00-2:45 daily.
10. DO NOT DROP OFF OR PICK UP YOUR CHILD IN RESIDENTIAL NEIGHBORHOODS NEAR OR AROUND THE CAMPUS.
11. Do not loiter or "hang out" in the yards, driveways, or general property of residential households.
12. Empathy for our residential neighbors is appreciated.

For your convenience, this year's yearbook may be purchased online at jostensyearbooks.com (type in "Arizona College Prep High School") or you can simply click on the button below to go directly to our school's webpage. You may begin purchasing your yearbook now. Yearbook packages include:

• Back-to-school special: $79.00. This is the lowest price of the year with a savings of $15.00.

• Signature package: $97.00 includes yearbook, enhanced personalization, autograph pens, and autograph pages. The free icons are a back-to-school special only for a limited time. Additional accessories available for purchase.

• Personalized yearbook cost: $86.50 includes name embossed on the cover and 4 free icons of your choice. The free icons are a back-to-school special for a limited time only. Additional accessories available for purchase.

Prices will increase on all three options throughout the year, and there are a limited number of yearbooks for sale, so be sure to purchase yours today! This back-to-school special ends August 2nd, but you can still purchase a yearbook until February 28th. Arizona College Prep High School has received the National Yearbook Program of Excellence Award the past five consecutive school years.

If you have any questions click here to email Mrs. Patterson.

The first step of your senior journey is to have your portrait taken for the yearbook. The yearbook’s deadline for senior pictures is September 16, 2024. In order to meet this deadline, we have partnered with Lou Coopey Photography in Mesa, AZ to take your yearbook photos. Photos taken past this date risk not being placed in the yearbook due to deadlines. If you schedule your picture past this date, please see Mrs. Patterson no later than Monday, September 9th.

There are two options: one is free, the other is $40.00. Please read through this message completely for details and choose the option that works best for you. If you have questions, please email Mrs. Patterson at Patterson.kristin@cusd80.com

OPTION 1 ($40.00 deposit, $50.00 credit to account):

Schedule an appointment with Lou Coopey to have your portrait taken at their Mesa studio located at 202 N Lindsay Rd Suite 101, Mesa, AZ 85213 before the September 16th deadline.

Key Information about Option 1:

• A $40 deposit will be collected at the time of scheduling.
• This deposit, along with a $10 credit ($50.00 total) will be applied to each account to purchase portraits and services offered by Lou Coopey.
• Satisfaction guaranteed including retakes, reprints or refund (if certain restrictions are met for refund).
• After 30 days, the $10 complimentary credit will expire.
• The $40 remains on your account and can be used for any senior portrait purchase.
• Click here to book your appointment: https://lcpseniors.as.me/schedule.php
• Or go to https://loucoopey.com/ and click the red button to book your appointment.

To ensure a preferred experience for your Senior Portrait session, please keep in mind the following:

• It is recommended that Seniors bring their own clothing. However, if necessary, the studio will provide loaner jackets, ties, and drapes as needed.
• Students are encouraged to bring props to personalize the photo experience (i.e., sports equipment, musical instruments, etc.)
• All studio services beyond the sitting (scheduling, ordering pictures, and paying fees) will be conducted online.
• Senior sessions will include 9-14 poses (with more poses available if you have additional outfits) on a variety of backgrounds as well as Cap & Gown photos for graduation.
• All post-sitting contact will be done online (choosing the yearbook pose, ordering photos, and any additional payment).
• Students must be dressed to impress (collared shirt, tie, dress, and/or professional blouse) for their senior portrait.

Option 2 ($0.00):

Take your senior yearbook photo on campus on October 24, 2024. Note: if you choose this option, you will only be able to take your photo in one outfit due to time constraints with your classes that day.

Key Information about Option 2:

• A limited number of poses will be taken on the yearbook background only.
• Students must be dressed to impress (collared shirt, tie, dress, and/or professional blouse) for their senior portrait. Students may not take their pictures in school uniform this day but must change into professional attire prior to their picture being taken.

NOTE: For both options, students must dress to impress (collared shirt, tie, suit jacket, dress, and/or professional blouse/professional wear). Clothing must be free of logos/signage/text and should not be transparent or too revealing. Spaghetti straps of any width and off-the-shoulder tops are not permitted and will not be put in the yearbook. Jeans and denim shorts are not permitted in the yearbook. Head wear is not permitted (except in the case of religious or medical purposes).

Congratulations, Class of 2025!!

If you are able to make your tax contributions early in the year, your donation would be greatly appreciated and give us a jump start on some of our essential extracurricular activities. We have set a goal to collect approximately $50.00 per family for a total of $57,500.00 and hope that you will be willing to help us meet our goal. Thank you for supporting your child and our school!

Tax Credit Basics…

A tax credit donation is a full refund, not a deduction. Contributions eligible for a tax credit are donated directly to schools, not to the state or school district. To participate or learn more, follow the link listed below to donate online or you can complete the enclosed form and submit your contribution at your convenience.

http://www.cusd80.com/taxcredit

Arizona Law ARS 43-1089.01 enables taxpayers a tax credit contribution of up to $400.00 per year if filing status is “Married, filing Joint Return;” $200.00 per calendar year if filing status is “Single of Head of Household;” and $200 per calendar year if filing status is “Married filing separate returns.” These contributions fund extracurricular activities in public schools and greatly impact our school community and our students.

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Don't forget to check with teams and clubs for the latest link to their Facebook sites.

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School Hours

School Day Begins: 7:20 (gates close at 7:30)

School Day Ends: 2:25

Office Hours: 7:00-3:30

School Address:

4477 S. Gilbert Rd., Chandler, AZ 85249

Phone Numbers:

Administration: 480-424-8700

Attendance: 480-424-8703

Fax: 480-224-9268

Find us on the web: www.cusd80.com/acphs