The Acorn

Greetings AOC Families,

Welcome back to school! We're so excited to see our students on Tuesday, 8/8 at 7:45am.

For the first day of school, students should carry a print out of their schedule so that they have a copy of their classes with them. Students can find their class schedule on Infinite Campus. To find your student's COC class schedule, they must log into their MyCanyons account. COC classes do not begin for two weeks.

Students must have and wear their AOC ID card on a lanyard to enter our campus, and students must wear this daily while on AOC's campus. If they do not have their ID visible, they will need to go to the front office and have one printed. This is a safety protocol that will be required of all students.

Please remember that Freshman students will receive a tour of AOC through their Freshman Seminar classes and they will participate in our "ROOTED event" held on 8/18. Our Social Emotional Learning (SEL) advanced students, facilitated by Mr. Jason Wilhelm, our SEL Liaison. Students hold table talks and teach our freshman about AOC culture and community. Students will have an opportunity to learn about AOC on this special day.

For attendance, students must report illnesses or absences to the front office. They cannot leave campus without speaking with Mrs. Laliberte, jlaliberte@hartdistrict.org , our attendance technician. Parents, please call the front office to report any absences. This is also important for emergencies. We must know where students are located at all times during the school day. Students who are absent without any parent notification are truant. Attendance and punctuality are reviewed and important for continued enrollment at AOC.

Here are a few important documents that you will want to keep handy for your family planning:

• Bell Schedule
• Hart District 23-24 Calendar
• Join PTA/ ROOTS or make a donation to support students
• Alternating Friday Schedule
• Free Lunch Sign Up for AOC -WSHUHSD Food Services Program (must be placed before 8am) or this bar code
• College of the Canyons Academic Calendar-First day of classes is on 8/22.
• COC Parking Passes for Upper Classmen-Must have a parking pass
• COC Campus Map
• Spirit Wear purchases can be made by 8/21.
• William S. Hart Union High School Dress Code
• Santa Clarita Transit and Bus Routes
• Parent Square Information for Parents

Week of 8/7 Events

• Monday, 8/7-Teacher Work Day- We're getting ready to see our students!
• Tuesday, 8/8- First Day of School, first period begins at 7:45am.
• Friday, 8/11- Late Start- Monday/Wednesday schedule and classes start at 8:55am.

We wish all of our students well on their first day of school. We are so excited to see everyone!

Have a fantastic week! Please do not hesitate to reach out to me or our main office with any questions.

Sincerely,

Dr. Juliet Fine

Principal of AOC

(661) 362-3056

jfine@hartdistrict.org

Please join the principal of AOC, Dr. Juliet Fine and guest staff for "Coffee with the Principal" on August 25th at 9:00am in the University Center. Please check in at AOC's campus." Coffee with the Principal" is an opportunity to have an informal conversation with the principal about any topic related to AOC. Learn about what is new and upcoming for our campus. All families and community members are welcome to this chat.

Students who did not attend AOC Summer Registration should report to the main office at 7:15am for ID pictures, text book pick up and schedules. Please be on time. All forms must be signed by parents on line. If you would like to purchase a yearbook, it is being sold for the special price of $70.00. The price increases after this month. Please bring a check or exact cash. Checks will be made out to Academy of the Canyons.

As a reminder, DO NOT enter campus if you are experiencing any of the following symptoms:

• Fever
• Cough
• Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing
• Fatigue
• Chills
• Congestion or runny nose
• Sore throat
• New loss of taste or smell
• Gastrointestinal problems such as nausea, diarrhea or vomiting
• Muscle or body aches
• Headaches

If you are experiencing symptoms, please stay home until you are feeling better. You should also take a covid test to ensure you are safe to return to school. Our students' and school community's health and safety are our priorities.

Thank you!

You can order free lunch through our Hart District Food Services or you can send money with your student to purchase food at the COC Cougar Cafe.

The COC Cougar Cafe offers smoothies, sandwiches, salads, snacks, and hot food prepared for students. The Cougar Cafe does accept Apple Pay and credit cards. They have a daily menu and cook pizza, burritos, and other food options. See the attached menu.

Our ASB Student Store which has a variety of snacks and ramen available during lunch. Students can bring cash for any purchases. No credit cards in our student store are accepted. No students can order Uber Eats nor have food delivered to AOC's campus. The drivers do not understand the traffic flow and have come dangerously close to injuring students.

Early bird special for yearbook $70 & Senior Dance Tickets $85 can be purchased the 1st week of school. Prices will go up. We only accept a check (made out to Academy of the Canyons) or cash (the exact amount), and no credit cards can be accepted. Please see Mrs. Perkins in the front office to make your purchase.

Don't miss out on this great deal and the memories you will have from your 2023-2024 school year!

~AOC Yearbook and AOC ASB

Hi Parents and AOC Students! Some of you are wondering why we must purchase parking passes. For those of you newer to the campus, this has always been the case. Through COVID, COC students were online and no parking passes were necessary. Please note that the college campus will be closer to full capacity and have limited parking. Therefore, parking will become more challenging and requires a COC parking permit. This can be purchased through COC at this link. If a parking permit is not displayed, students will receive a ticket or may their vehicle towed.

All freshman students take the computer class, CAWT 140. This class requires that the student is able to download Microsoft Office. MS Office 19 must be installed as well as Windows 10. The SAM codes needed for this course have already been ordered through the Bookstore for the AOC students. Students will receive more information about this class in Freshman Seminar and on the first day of their classes at COC.

Students are not required but may want to have a laptop available for this class to complete their work OR they can use our student computer lab to complete assignments. They are always given time during their COC class to work on CAWT classwork/ homework. The assignments will not work on a Chrome Book.

At the Valencia Campus, both TLC and the Library have Study Rooms available on a first-come, first-serve basis that can accommodate 2-6 people at a time. Students are limited to two hours in the study room per day.

For TLC, please check-in at the front reception desk and let the receptionist know that you'd like to use a study room. For Library, please go to the service desk on the 2nd floor to request a study room. In both cases, please have your COC student ID ready.

Rooms are equipped with white boards, laptop docking cable, computer and HDMI video capability, and a conference table with seating for up to six. Study rooms are excellent options for students working on group projects, practicing speeches, and for ESL students practicing with Native Speakers of English.

In addition, the Library provides a Zoom room on the 2nd floor. This is a computer lab with a dozen computer stations that have headphones and cameras. No ID is required.

TLC hours and more are at: https://www.canyons.edu/academics/tlc/

Library hours and more are at: https://www.canyons.edu/academics/library/

Dear AOC families,

Last year, one of our students (Ben Kayne) started the AOC Mock Trial Team. In the fall, they competed in the Constitutional Rights Foundation Mock Trial Program (https://www.crf-usa.org/mock-trial-program/mock-trial-program.html), winning one round and losing one round. In the spring, they competed in the Antelope Valley Mock Trial Competition, won all four of their rounds and came in first place (see photo).

For competitions, there are 18 roles (2 pre-trial attorneys, 6 trial attorneys, 8 witness roles, a court clerk, and a bailiff); however, students are welcome to join the team even if they do not wish to personally compete. The team meets twice a week from 5:30 p.m.-7:00 p.m., usually Mondays and Thursdays. The faculty advisors are Mr. Shapiro and Mr. Frame. wshapiro@hartdistrict.org or mframe@hartdistrict.org

Upcoming dates:

Informational/initial team meeting: Thursday August 10th

Tryouts (for attorney roles only): Thursday August 24th

If students are interested in joining the AOC mock trial team or have any questions, please contact Ben Kayne on campus through Dr. Shapiro. Students are welcome to contact Ben directly.

The AOC Computer Lab is open 7:30 AM – 3:00 PM, Monday through Friday, for study time and computer work. Each student MUST sign in when you arrive and sign out when you leave. The cost to print something is 5 cents per sheet. Desktops are available with internet access. You must have your AOC student ID to check out textbooks at the staff desk. Textbooks must be returned by the end of each period. We no longer have a dedicated lab for synchronous and asynchronous classes. This lab was located upstairs in the University Center. COC must use these classrooms for office spaces and cannot dedicate a space for our school. But, there are many spaces around COC's campus that are available for students. See above.

The Wellness Room is a great place to relax and rejuvenate. The room is open from 7:30-3:30. When you enter the room, place your ID card in the sleeve by the door. If the clear spaces are full, then you will have to return at another time. No outside food or beverage. Keep the voice levels to a minimum, especially for people who are sleeping. Keep the room clean and organized. Behavior should be mature and respectful. Do not write rude/mean things on the chalkboard or be rude to others in the Wellness room. You are strongly discouraged from doing schoolwork in the Wellness Room and instead are encouraged to use the computer lab, COC's Zoom Zone, or other campus facilities.

Please make sure to follow the traffic into COC's parking lot. See the image above. There is one lane (yellow) for drop off, the lane closest to AOC. The lane (green) closest to the parking spot lot is used after you drop off your student; it's to pass vehicles. You will see cones in the parking lot directing you where to go. Please veer to the right as the cones direct you to do so. COC has asked us to ensure that we follow one traffic pattern. This is to ensure everyone remains safe. Please drive slowly and arrive early. There will be confusion from new parents and more traffic then usual during the first week of school. Also, on the first day of COC classes on 8/22, you will most definitely want to leave early. Expect more traffic than normal. Thank you for your patience.

Back to School Night will be held on August 29th at Academy of the Canyons.

Our school district has adopted a new strategic plan titled One Hart, every student, opportunity ready. Please see this new five year plan in this link.

Located on the campus of College of the Canyons, AOC is proud to be the middle college high school in the William S. Hart Union High School District serving students 9th-12th grades in the Santa Clarita Valley. Students have the opportunity to earn between 24 and 44 transferable college units, prior to receiving their high school diplomas. Upon graduation, the majority of Academy students pursue their post high school education by continuing at COC and completing their college transfer requirements in only one year after high school. Other AOC students go directly into a four-year university, bringing their community college units with them and placing themselves well into their freshman and sophomore years at the college level. While attending AOC as a high school student, community college tuition is waived for established California residents.

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