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Anna C. Scott School

Scholarship. Citizenship. Excellence.

ACS Weekly Update - September 18th

Posted Date: 09/18/26 (03:13 PM)


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Anna C. Scott Elementary

Scholarship. Citizenship. Excellence.

ACS Weekly Update

Hello ACS Families! 

We officially made it through our first FULL week of school! 🎉 Our students are settling into routines, getting to know their teachers and classmates, and most importantly, the learning is happening! 📚✨ There is so much great energy throughout ACS, and I am excited about all that this year has in store for our students and staff!

A quick reminder that school will be closed on Monday, September 21st in observance of Yom Kippur. Wishing a meaningful and peaceful Yom Kippur to all in our ACS community who are observing. 

Have a wonderful weekend, everyone! Rest, recharge, and enjoy some family time. We’ll see everyone back at ACS on Tuesday!
 

✨ ACS in Action ✨

From classroom learning to creative projects and everything in between, here’s a glimpse of what’s happening at ACS!
Students sit at tables in a bright classroom, building structures with colorful magnetic plastic tiles.

STEM in Action! 🚀🔧

Our second graders were busy building and creating in technology class, using teamwork, creativity, and problem-solving skills along the way!
Four children sit on a grey carpet in a classroom, reading and writing in notebooks.

Reading Partners, New Connections! 🤝📖

Third graders in Mrs. Loschiavo’s class spent time getting to know their reading partners, building connections and getting ready for a year of reading and learning together!

Little Readers, Big Discoveries! 🔎📚

Kindergarteners teamed up with reading partners to practice their skills while exploring nonfiction books and discovering new things about the world around them!
Three young children sit at a wooden table in a classroom, gathered around an open book.
Three children sit around a wooden table in a classroom, looking at open picture books.

Creating Our Fall Welcome! 🍁🏫

Our second graders put their artistic talents to work, creating colorful crayon reliefs that will help make ACS feel extra special for Back to School Night!
Four children sit around a table, painting colorful leaf drawings with watercolors.
A top-down view shows children painting autumn leaf pictures with watercolors on a grey table.

📚 Our First Library Checkout! 📖✨

This week, our students enjoyed their very first book checkout from the ACS Library! We are excited to see their love of reading grow as they explore new stories and build responsibility as library users.

When your child finishes reading their book, please help them return it so they are ready for their next checkout on September 28th.

Thank you for supporting your child’s reading journey at home and helping them build responsibility as library users!

Questions? Please feel free to reach out to Ms. Amy Lewis Hickman at amy.lewishickman@leoniaschools.org.
Seven children sit at connected classroom tables, each holding a book in front of their face.
A group of children sit cross-legged on a blue carpet, each holding a colorful book in front of their faces in a classroom.

Read Alouds, TRACK & Lots of Good! 💙📚

We’re starting our year with a simple message: look for the good! Our first Community Read Aloud featured A Good Thing Happened Today, and we hope it sparks lots of conversations at home and at school.


Then, next Friday, the fun continues with our TRACK Rally, followed by the official kickoff of this year’s TRACK acts! 🌟 Our students will be putting Tolerance, Respect, Attitude, Cooperation, and Kindness into action all year long!
A school hallway wall features a colorful bulletin board with student tracking charts for different grades from Pre-K to fourth grade.
 

🦁 Good to Know! 🦁

Important information, reminders, and procedures to help our ACS families stay informed.

🎉 Celebrating Birthdays at ACS 🎉

At ACS, we love celebrating our students and making each child feel special on their birthday! To keep celebrations fun, fair, and inclusive for everyone, we ask families to follow the guidelines below.

🎈 How We Celebrate at School
Each child’s birthday will be recognized in their classroom. Teachers may celebrate with simple, special touches such as:
  • 🎵 Singing “Happy Birthday”
  • 👑 Wearing a special crown, badge, or sticker
  • 💌 Receiving a birthday card or class shout-out
  • ⭐ Choosing a favorite classroom activity or special classroom job

🚫 What We Ask Families Not to Send
To help us keep our classrooms safe, inclusive, and focused on learning, please do not send:
  • Food, treats, or goodie bags
  • Balloons or large gifts, which can be distracting and difficult to manage in the classroom

💛 Meaningful Ways to Celebrate
If you would like to do something special for your child’s birthday at school, here are a few ideas:
  • 📚 Donate a favorite book to the class library. You can ask your child’s teacher to read it to the class!
  • 📸 Send in a photo or short note that can be shared during morning meeting.
  • ✏️ Provide a small classroom item such as pencils, stickers, or bookmarks.

🎉 Together, We Celebrate!
Our birthday traditions help create a school community where every child feels valued, celebrated, and included. Thank you for partnering with us and helping make birthdays at ACS special for everyone!

💛 We look forward to celebrating your child’s special day!

🏫 Keeping ACS Safe & Welcoming

The safety and security of our students and staff is always our top priority. To help us maintain a safe, welcoming, and secure school environment, we ask all visitors to follow our visitor procedures.

🪪 Visitor Procedures

All visitors must:
  • Enter through the Main Entrance on Broad Avenue.
  • Present a valid government-issued ID upon arrival
  • Have their ID processed through our Raptor visitor management system.
  • Receive a visitor pass and lanyard, which must be worn and visible at all times while in the building.
  • Be escorted by a Leonia Public Schools staff member at all times.
  • Exit through the Broad Avenue entrance when leaving the building.

🚨 Important Reminder

Visitors who refuse to provide valid identification will not be permitted to enter the building.

These procedures help us know who is in our building and allow us to maintain a safe environment for everyone.

Please note: These identification and visitor procedures do not apply to large parent and community events where alternative entry procedures may be communicated in advance.

Thank you for your partnership and for helping us keep ACS a safe and welcoming place for all! 💙

📱 Off and Away: Personal Devices at ACS

As we begin a new school year, we want to remind families about our expectations for personal internet-enabled devices during the school day.

In alignment with state law and the district’s “Off and Away” policy, students are expected to keep personal internet-enabled devices off or silenced and stored out of sight throughout the school day.

What does this include?
  • 📱 Smartphones
  • ⌚ Smartwatches
  • 🎧 Earbuds
  • 💻 Tablets and other internet-enabled personal devices

When does this apply?
The expectation is in place from the time students arrive at school through dismissal at 2:45 PM.

What about technology for learning?
When technology is needed for instruction, students will use district-issued devices. This allows technology to enhance learning while helping us create classrooms where students can remain focused, engaged, and connected with their teachers and classmates.

We ask families to take a few minutes to review these expectations with your child. Starting the year with a shared understanding helps us create a positive, focused, and respectful learning environment for everyone.

📄 For complete details, please review:

Thank you for your continued partnership and for helping us make ACS a place where students can learn, grow, and be fully present each day!
An informational poster titled 'At ACS, We're Ready to Learn!' outlines guidelines for personal device use.
 

📚 Attendance Matters at ACS!

Regular attendance is an important part of your child’s success at school. Every day of learning matters! Being in school consistently gives students the opportunity to participate in classroom lessons, build relationships, practice communication and critical-thinking skills, and stay on track academically.

We understand that there are times when a child needs to be absent. We encourage families to monitor attendance and be mindful of how missed school days may impact learning. Research shows that missing more than 10% of the school year (approximately 18 days) can have a lasting impact on a student’s academic progress.

📝 A Few Important Attendance Reminders

All absences are recorded. Whether an absence is excused or unexcused, if your child is not in school, the absence will be reflected in their attendance record. Attendance is a legal record of whether or not your child is present in our care.

When your child is absent, please communicate the reason for the absence. This information helps us understand your child’s attendance history and determine whether additional support may be needed.

📞 How to Report an Absence

If your child will be absent, please notify the school and provide:

  • Your child’s name
  • Teacher’s name
  • Reason for the absence

You may report an absence in any of these ways:


The school will make a reasonable attempt to contact a parent/guardian regarding all student absences, including one-day absences. If you have already notified the school, an additional call is not necessary.

⏰ Late Arrivals & Early Dismissals

  • Arriving after 8:45 a.m.: Students must report to the Main Office upon arrival.
  • Early dismissal: A parent/guardian must come to the Main Office to sign the student out.

💙 Working Together

Our goal is to partner with families to support consistent attendance and student success. If your child begins to experience frequent absences, tardiness, or early departures, the school may reach out to discuss attendance and determine whether additional support is needed.

Thank you for helping us make every school day count! Your partnership makes a difference in your child’s learning and success at ACS.
A digital guide detailing the seven step-by-step instructions for reporting student attendance through the Leonia Public Schools Genesis Parent Portal.
District Attendance Page
 
A maroon graphic features a faint lion silhouette on the left and the white text "ACS ANNA C. SCOTT ELEMENTARY SCHOOL HOME AND SCHOOL ASSOCIATION".

Photo Day, October 9

Order forms will be sent home in your child’s backpack next week; and online orders can be made at BNL2026 (code: 7B9Q7T4Q). Prepay online by October 11th and avoid shipping fees. Click HERE for more detailed information.
Keep in Touch with our HSA!

Website: www.acshsa.org  
Instagram: @acshsa
* Click here to learn how to get ParentSquare messages in the language of your choice
* Click here to support our school and donate to the ACS HSA 
 

📅 Coming Up at ACS! 📅

Here’s what’s happening next at Anna C. Scott!
A colorful banner announces Star Benchmark Assessments for Math and Reading, Grades K through 4, testing from September 22nd to September 29th.
A Back to School Night flyer announces an event on Thursday, September 24th, from 6:00 to 7:00 PM, featuring a pencil, books, and an apple.
A colorful flyer announces the Week of Respect from October 5 to October 9, detailing daily dress-up themes to prevent bullying.
Leonia Public Schools Calendar
 

🥞🍎🥪 Maschio's Lunch Menu 🍲🥗🥛

A colorful school lunch menu calendar for September 2026 at Anna C. Scott School, created by Maschio's Food Services.
A flyer titled 'Food Allergy and Special Diet Program' from Maschio's Food Services, detailing safety measures for the 2026-2027 school year.
A flyer in Spanish titled 'PROGRAMA DE ALERGIAS ALIMENTARIAS Y DIETAS ESPECIALES (ASDP)' for the 2026-2027 school year.
Looking to set restrictions your child's meal purchases?
Need to add money to your child's account?

 
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281 Broad Ave.
Leonia, NJ 07605
Phone: (201) 302-5200
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