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ONE POINT ABOUT THE ONE % FIVE OF EIGHT OF THE COUNTY’S HIGH SCHOOLS HAVE BEEN RECENTLY UPDATED OR REBUILT, A SALES TAX RENEWAL IN 2024 WOULD ADDRESS THE REMAINING THREE. South Aiken High, Silver Bluff High, and Midland Valley High were each built in 1980. At the time of the One Cent Sales Tax in 2014, they were referred to as the district’s “new” high schools. Improvements at those campuses, if approved by voters, include secure, welcoming entrances, updated athletic facilities, purpose-built classrooms for culinary arts and other CTE courses, and more. For more Penny Tax Facts, visit www.acpsd.net/OneCent.

ONE POINT ABOUT THE ONE % THE SCHOOL DISTRICT WILL HOST A LIVE INFORMATIONAL MEETING ABOUT THE SALES TAX ON OCTOBER 29 AT 6PM. ACPSD has engaged in an effort to educate the community about the One Cent Sales Tax, and has shared information in a series of meetings held throughout the county over several months. A virtual meeting will be held this evening, Tuesday, October 29, 2024, at 6PM. Join at www.acpsd.net/OneCent.

ONE POINT ABOUT THE ONE % THE SALES TAX IS A 10-YEAR TAX AND DOESN’T AUTOMATICALLY RENEW. Aiken County voters will have an opportunity to consider a renewal of the 2014 One Cent Sales Tax on Election Day. If renewed, the One Cent Sales Tax will extend for an additional 10 years and benefit school facility projects listed on the 2024 ballot. If not renewed, the 2014 One Cent Sales Tax will sunset (expire). For more Penny Tax Facts, visit www.acpsd.net/OneCent.

ONE POINT ABOUT THE ONE % BEFORE THE 2014 SALES TAX SUCCESS, IT HAD BEEN 38 YEARS SINCE A SCHOOL REFERENDUM PASSED. Prior to 2014, 1976 was the year of the last successful referendum benefitting the county's public schools. Without funds available, school maintenance needs were deferred over decades. For more Penny Tax Facts, visit www.acpsd.net/OneCent.

ONE POINT ABOUT THE ONE % SC PUBLIC SCHOOLS GET NO FUNDING FOR CONSTRUCTION/MAINTENANCE Upkeep, maintenance, and construction of schools is considered a “local responsibility” in South Carolina. School Facilities are funded locally through voter support of sales taxes and bond referendums. We will be sharing information and facts about the One Cent Sales Tax as we lead up to Election Day on Tuesday, November 5. For more information, please visit our website at www.acpsd/OneCent. Please make plans to join us at 6 p.m., Monday or Tuesday night this week for an informational meeting. Tonight’s meeting, Monday, October 28, will be at Midland Valley High School, and tomorrow, Tuesday, October 29, you can join us virtually as we’ll live stream an informational meeting from our District office to our website where viewers can join online from the comfort of their own home.

Sunday, October 27th, is World Occupational Therapy Day. School Occupational Therapy focuses on helping students develop or recover the fine motor and sensory skills needed to fully participate in school and daily life activities. To our ACPSD Occupational Therapists, we appreciate your hard work and dedication to ACPSD students! #ACPSDcelebrates #WorldOccupationalTherapyDay

🌟 Heroes Among Us: Honoring Our Employees 🌟 In the face of adversity, true character shines through, and we couldn’t be prouder of our employees who have gone above and beyond in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene. 💪 Despite the challenges, many of our staff worked tirelessly to provide support, care, and leadership for our community. From organizing relief efforts with their students to ensuring everyone’s safety, your commitment has been nothing short of inspiring. 🏅 Stay tuned every Sunday as we let the light SHINE on the incredible employees making a difference and serving with greatness! #SHINEACPSD #ACPSDcelebrates

OCTOBER 22 BOARD MEETING - The Board of Education will hold a regular meeting on Tuesday, October 22, 2024, beginning at 6:00 p.m.  Please visit https://www.acpsd.net/page/board-meeting-livestream to view the meeting agenda and access the livestream when the meeting begins. Board Meetings are open to the public, although seating is limited. Our School Board Representatives may be contacted for any questions from our community stakeholders. Their contact information is available from that link as well.

✨ Spotlight Alert! ✨ Get to know the superstars who make our schools shine every day! 🌟 From classroom champions to behind-the-scenes heroes, we're celebrating their dedication and heart! If you'd like to shout out an ACPSD employee, just follow this link to the SHINE Shout Out Form at www.acpsd.net/shine and enter a few details about the ACPSD teacher or staff member and why they SHINE.🌟 Stay tuned every Sunday as we let the light SHINE on the incredible employees making a difference and serving with greatness! #SHINEACPSD #ACPSDcelebrates

The Aiken County Career & Technology Center invites all 8th, 9th, and 10th grade students and families to visit the Career Center for Program Interest Nights next week, October 22-24.. Program Interest nights are a great opportunity to learn about specific programs from instructors and current students. Drop in between 5:00 and 7:00 p.m. for the program of interest to your student! Tuesday, October 22 | Health Science & Public Safety Night: Biomedical Science, Health Science, Public Health, Sports Medicine, EMS, Emergency Management, & Law Enforcement Wednesday, October 23 | Human Services & Manufacturing Night: Barbering, Braiding, Cosmetology, Nail Tech, Machine Tools, Mechatronics, & Welding Thursday, October 24 | Arts, Electricity & Transportation Night: Media Technology, Fashion Design, Automotive Tech, Diesel Tech, & Electricity The Aiken County Career & Technology Center is located at 2455 Jefferson Davis Hwy in Warrenville. We hope to see many future students during our Program Interest Nights next week!

CELEBRATING OUR SCHOOL DISTRICT'S AMAZING CUSTODIANS We want to take a moment to shine a spotlight on the unsung heroes of Aiken County Public School District – our incredible custodians!🧹🪣 These dedicated individuals work tirelessly behind the scenes to ensure our schools are safe, clean, and welcoming for everyone who walks through our doors. From sweeping the hallways to sanitizing classrooms and everything in between, they go above and beyond to make our learning environment the best it can be. 🙌Their hard work often goes unnoticed, but we know that without them, our schools wouldn't be the same. 🏫✨ 👏 Schools have celebrated their custodial staff over the past few weeks as National Custodian Day occurred during Fall Break. Thank you, custodians, for your dedication, hard work, and for keeping our schools safe and clean, day in and day out! 🧼🌟 #ACPSDcelebrates #CustodianAppreciationDay

Hammond Hills Area families (HHES, PKMS, NAHS): Thank you for your support and patience as we navigate together the impact of Hurricane Helene. With power lines, poles, trees and debris on sidewalks and streets in the Hammond Hills neighborhood remaining, we highly encourage families to use the car line for student drop-off whenever possible. If your child must walk to school or the bus stop, we strongly recommend that an adult accompany them. The combined bus stops impacting Paul Knox Middle and North Augusta High School will continue until further notice. Additionally, we are making the following temporary adjustments to Hammond Hills Elementary walker schedules as well. To enhance safety, New Start Time for HHES Walkers: Beginning Wednesday, October 16, we will adjust the start time for HHES walkers by 30 minutes, moving from 7:30 AM to 8:00 AM. This change will allow more daylight for safer navigation to school. Early Dismissal for HHES Walkers: HHES Walkers will be dismissed 15 minutes early at 2:15 PM to give them a head start before car rider dismissal begins at 2:30 PM, helping them reach home with less traffic. Regular arrival and dismissal times will resume for all non-walkers. Thank you for your continued support and patience as we continue these safety precautions to ensure students a safe journey to and from school. Please do not hesitate to reach out to the school office if you have any questions or concerns.

We hope that the two-hour delayed start yesterday and today has allowed an opportunity for families to gain their bearings and better navigate the roadways that must be traveled to and from school following Hurricane Helene. Beginning tomorrow, we will transition to our regular start times. With streets still impacted by the hurricane, families are encouraged to continue walking their students to the bus stop and school, or to use the car line for student drop off, if possible. Thank you again for your patience and cooperation!

The One Cent Sales Tax Community Meeting in the North Augusta area is being held tomorrow night, Tuesday, October 15, at 6 p.m. We hope to see you tomorrow night at North Augusta Middle School to learn more about the facility improvements that voters will consider in November.

Hammond Hills Neighborhood Update: The current conditions in the Hammond Hills neighborhood have raised significant safety issues for students walking to school or walking to a bus stop, and for our school buses traveling due to low-hanging power lines and fallen trees and debris. Our team has been actively assessing the roads for safety in preparation for students return to school tomorrow. There are no streets that are unpassable by school buses serving Hammond Hill Elementary School students. All regular stops will be made as planned for students attending Hammond Hill Elementary. There are, however, several streets serving Paul Knox Middle School students and North Augusta High School students who live in the Hammond Hills neighborhood that are not able to be accessed safely by school buses at this time. In the interim, those stops are being combined with the closest accessible stop. • Previous stops at Stanton Drive & Brooks Drive and Stanton Drive & Hastings Place, are being combined to one stop at Hammond Drive at Stanton Drive. • The previous stop at Medie Avenue & Indian Mound Drive will now be combined with the stop at Riverview Drive & Medie Avenue.      • And the previous stops at West Woodlawn Avenue & Dunbarton Drive, 986 Campbellton Drive, 971 Campbellton Drive, will be combined to the stop at Amherst Drive at West Woodlawn Avenue. Families living in the Hammond Hills neighborhood are strongly encouraged to accompany their child on their walk to school or to the bus stop, or that they arrange alternative transportation for them until the situation improves. Our top priority is the well-being of all students, and we believe this precaution is necessary at this time. Please be reminded that sidewalks may be blocked in some areas, visibility may be limited due to debris, and some powerlines are still low-hanging. Please expect additional law enforcement presence along these routes over the coming days as they work with us to keep students and families safe. We look forward to all students arriving safely to school and returning safely home, and we thank you for your attention and cooperation as we recover from Hurricane Helene.

🌟 Shining a Light on Our Heroes! 🌟 In the aftermath of the recent hurricane, our team went above and beyond to support our community and each other. We want to take a moment to give a HUGE shout out to our incredible staff who showed resilience, dedication, and compassion during this challenging time. 💙💪 From helping with clean-up efforts, ensuring the safety of our students and families, to providing much-needed support and comfort — YOU are the heart of our organization, and we couldn’t be more grateful. 👏 Let's give it up for the team members who have truly made a difference. Your hard work doesn’t go unnoticed, and we’re proud to have each and every one of you as part of our ACPSD family. Want to shout out an ACPSD teacher or staff member? Visit www.acpsd.net/SHINE and enter a few details about the ACPSD teacher or employee and why they SHINE.🌟 Stay tuned every Sunday as we let the light SHINE on the incredible employees making a difference and serving with greatness! #SHINEACPSD #ACPSDcelebrates

As students return from Fall Break next week and hurricane recovery efforts continue, Aiken County Public Schools will operate on a two-hour delayed schedule on Monday, October 14, and Tuesday, October 15. This delayed start will help increase visibility as school buses, student walkers, and others travel to school, ensuring safety as we navigate roads that may still have fallen trees and debris following Hurricane Helene. We understand this change may be challenging for many families and appreciate your patience and cooperation. Crews have made significant progress clearing debris, and we will continue to evaluate road safety for early morning travel. We will make a decision regarding start times for Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday by noon on Tuesday. Breakfast: A grab-and-go breakfast will be available for students. Lunch: Lunch will be served; menus may be limited as we restock all perishable food items. Half-Day or Partial-Day Programs: Students on half-day and partial-day schedules, including Early Learning Special Education students, will not attend school on Monday or Tuesday as buses will be unable to run mid-day routes. No Before-School Activities: No activities will be permitted before school starts on the two-hour delay. Aiken County Career and Technology Center: Monday: Morning session students should report to their high schools. The afternoon session will continue as planned. Tuesday: Morning session students will attend the afternoon session. Afternoon students will stay at their high schools. In evaluating roadway conditions, the Hammond Hill neighborhood remains a concern. We are currently exploring transportation options for students residing in that neighborhood and will communicate with impacted families over the coming days once a determination is made. As our community recovers from this catastrophic storm, please exercise additional caution and care in travelling to school. Sidewalks may be blocked in some areas, visibility may be limited due to debris, and some powerlines are still low-hanging. If your child walks to school or to a bus stop, we encourage you to walk the route with them in the coming days or plan to walk with them Monday morning.  We look forward to welcoming everyone back on Monday!

NWS issued a wind advisory for tomorrow, Oct 10, 4AM-8PM. The hazard is 30-35 MPH gusts on weakened/leaning trees, causing concerns for travel in early morning & evening hours. With safety at heart, employees will begin on a delayed start of 9AM & no activities after 5PM.

OCTOBER 8 BOARD MEETING - The Board of Education will hold a regular meeting on Tuesday, October 8, 2024, beginning at 6:00 p.m.  Please visit https://www.acpsd.net/page/board-meeting-livestream to view the meeting agenda and access the livestream when the meeting begins. Board Meetings are open to the public, although seating is limited. Our School Board Representatives may be contacted for any questions from our community stakeholders. Their contact information is available from that link as well.

Shelter Update: Community shelters are being consolidated at this time. The Red Cross Shelter at Paul Knox Middle School remains open for families in need.