News & Notes A ugust 18, 2017
What's Happening at The Academies? 



Aug 21 -- PTO Meeting

Sept 4 -- Holiday *NO SCHOOL*


A Successful First Week! 





School Breakfast and Lunch 

Did you know that breakfast is available each school morning beginning at  7:35? It is!

You can pay for meals with cash or check (get an envelope in the school office) or online with our payment service  myschoolbucks.com. You will need to register, create an account and provide an ID number for every student you're including. An app is available so you can easily use this service on your smartphone. If you need to access your student's ID number, please call your school's front office. 

School breakfast will be available at both schools before the school day begins. The cost for breakfast is $1.25.  The cost for lunch is $2.00. Applications for free or reduced price lunch will be sent home with your child on the first day of school. 

Menus are always available on our website.  Click here for the August menu. 

Heads up! 

If you have not yet returned the first day packet of paperwork, please get it filled out over the weekend and return it on Monday. Call the school office if you have questions or need assistance filling out your paperwork.

Uniform Dress Code Policy

At The Academies, we support a school uniform policy in order to level the playing field for all of our  students. Our school uniform policy helps to provide an academic environment where children feel equal,  and are not distracted or offended by what others wear. It is the parent or guardian's responsibility to be  sure that the student is wearing the official school uniform. PLEASE READ CAREFULLY. 


SHIRTS must be free of designs, logos, or embellishments. Shirts must have a collar. The following necklines are permitted: button-down, polo, Peter Pan, turtleneck. No t-shirts allowed, and no other colors of shirt are allowed. No strapless, spaghetti strap, low-cut, or cut off tops are allowed. The following solid colors are permitted:

● Green (SVA)
● Blue (BOA)
● White
● Brown
● Khaki
● Black
● Gray


SWEATERS, SWEATSHIRTS, COATS, JACKETS must be free of designs, logos, or embellishments. The following solid  colors are permitted:

● Green (SVA)
● Blue (BOA)
● White
● Brown
● Khaki
● Black
● Gray
● Denim

No other colors are permitted.

PANTS, SHORTS, SKORTS, or SKIRTS must fit the student appropriately (not be excessively large or excessively  tight), and be free of designs, logos, or embellishments. Shorts, and skorts must have an inseam of 6 inches or longer. Skirts must be no more than 4 inches from the top of the knee. The following solid colors are permitted:

● Green (SVA)
● Blue (BOA)
● White
● Brown
● Khaki
● Black
● Gray
● Denim

Tights/leggings, ties, shoes and headwear may be different colors.

SHOES must be simple and generally free of designs or embellishments. Tennis shoes, boots, dress flats (i.e.  Mary Janes), and sandals (with backs) are permitted. No light-up sneakers, flip-flops, jellies, or wheelies. Any  type of shoes without a back/heel strap are not allowed. Shoes and boots may not have heels higher than 1".

HATS may be worn outside only and may have sports teams, college/school logos or story characters (super hero, Star Wars, Pokemon, etc.). Must be mostly solid color and free of large brand logos and  embellishments (rhinestones, studs, etc.).

Spirit Day Every Friday!
Students may wear any school shirt to show their pride in The Academies (SVA or BOA). Examples include I love  SVA, I love Blue Oak, Jog-a-Thon, Mathletics, SVA Basketball, or shirts that have been decorated at home to show school  spirit. Students are not required to wear a spirit shirt on Fridays; if they choose not to do so, the regular  uniform is required.

Spirit gear is on sale in your school's office. Tees are $10 and hoodies are $20. 

Questions? Please contact your school office. 


Drop Off and Pick Up Procedures

Wonder where you're supposed to go? See our handy maps below! 

Gates open at 7:35 AM. Students are not allowed on campus prior to that time. Once a student  arrives at school, he/she may not leave campus before dismissal unless a parent or guardian signs the  student out at the front office. 
 
If it is necessary to park across the street for drop-off or pick-up,  parents must park their vehicle and escort their student across the street where  there is a crosswalk. Jaywalking is prohibited by law and is unsafe for our kiddoes. 
 
Parents are asked to please observe safe driving habits in the school zone. Please do not double-park, park in  fire lanes or park in handicapped parking spaces (unless you display a handicapped marker/license). 


For Blue Oak Only:

Try out our morning drop off lane in front of the school! It's safe and easy.  Simply pull up as far as you can and Mrs. Whitendale will help your child out of the car and make sure he/she gets through Gate A safely.  If you park and walk your child in, please use the crosswalks. 

Dismissal gates will remain the same for now: 
  • Kindergarten, Mrs. Johnson and after school program through Gate B (off parking lot) 
  • Miss Stark and Mrs. Cazarez dismiss from Gate A (next to the office) 



For Sycamore Valley Only: 

Students may enter school through one of 4 gates.  There are two gates at the front of the school facing west, and two more at the side of the school facing south.  If you would like to drive through the parking lot, please remember that it is for DROP OFF ONLY.  Please do not stop or park in that lot.  
 
With the new south gate, we also have new pick up procedures:
  • Kinder: Pick up at northwest gate
  • 1-4: Pick up at southwest gate
  • 5-8: Pick up at south east gate.
If you have an older child attending SVA, please have him/her collect the younger sibling(s) then go to the older grade's pick up gate.  Students should not be picked up via the southwest gate.  No pick up traffic is allowed through the front door.   

We intend to keep everyone safe by following consistent drop-off and procedure methods.  Please always remember that students are not allowed to cross the street to enter or exit our school; an adult must escort him/her if parking across the street is necessary.  Thank you for your cooperation!!




School Supplies

No school supplies are required! All necessary classroom supplies are provided for our students at The Academies. 

If you'd like to contribute helpful items to your child's classroom, the following materials are always welcome gifts! 

Hand Sanitizer
Baby wipes for cleaning hands
Lysol Sanitizing Wipes
Tissues
Band-Aids
Paper Towel Rolls
Low Odor Whiteboard Markers (EXPO)
Whiteboard wipes/cleaner
Dixon Ticonderoga pencils
Crayons
Post-Its
Target/Wal-mart gift cards for later purchases

Keep an eye out for "Helping Hands" from your teacher! 
After School Program Information 

To sign up for any of The Academies after school program options, please complete this online form, and one of our program staff will be in touch with you soon. 

Our program fees are on a sliding scale based on income and family size. Fee reduction is available to families who qualify upon request and verification. You must complete the application for Free and Reduced Lunch to qualify (will be sent home on the first day of school).

SLIDING SCALE 


PREPAYMENT DISCOUNT
We offer a 20% discount on fees paid in advance. You can pay in advance in two ways:

1. If you know you will need care on specific days or a specific number of days per week, sign  up for the flat fee plan that suits your needs and set up automatic monthly payments from your  checking account. View all Flat Fee Plans on our websites. To sign up for flat rate plans please fill out this form, attach a voided check, and return to ASP staff. 

2. If you will need only occasional drop-in care, make a deposit to your account and your fees  will be deducted at the discounted rate. See daily program fees on our websites. 

If you have questions about our programs at any time, please email [email protected] or call the school office to leave a message for the After School Program Coordinator, Elyse Reveles.

Sycamore Valley Academy Office- (559) 622-3236
Blue Oak Academy Office- (559) 730-7422
school-bus.jpg

Sycamore Valley Bus Signup 

For the convenience of our families, SVA has contracted with Visalia Unified School District (VUSD)to provide bus transportation to the SVA campus. 

SVA and The Academies Board of Directors have chosen to invest in transportation service in order to ensure equitable community access to our school. 

Seats on the buses are limited and are assigned on a first come, first served basis. In the event that there are more rider applications than available seats, preference will be given first to students who qualify for free and reduced price lunch. Second priority will be given to students who will ride the bus daily. Remaining seats will be filled based on the order applications were received.

ALL bus riders and their parents must attend a MANDATORY transportation meeting during our Back to School Night. More details will be shared in News & Notes as the date approaches. 

Families in need of transportation to SVA may submit a 2017-18 Transportation Request Form by clicking here.

Substitute Custodian Needed  
The Academies Charters is seeking a backup daytime custodian. F ingerprint clearance is required. 

Substitute Teachers Needed  
The Academies Charters have an experienced and dedicated teaching staff, but we are always looking to expand our sub list. 

If you or someone you know has the desire to be a substitute teacher at our amazing school, has a bachelor's degree, has passed the CBEST, and is willing to get a substitute credential and fingerprint clearance we would love to grow our team. 

Substitute Instructional Aides Needed 
The Academies Aide Subs minimum requirements are a high school diploma and fingerprint clearance. 

If you are interested please email Shauna Dolin at   sdolin@sycamorevalleyacademy.org. 


Next PTO Meeting

August 21
6:00PM
Round Table Pizza 
4035 S. Mooney Blvd. 
The Academies CMO| 559.622-3236 | theacademiescharters.org
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