Please consider donating to this initiative. A lot of families in North Carolina have lost everything. Please share with your friends and families as well.
Just a reminder there is no school for students Monday, 10/21/24. Please reach out to your child's teacher if you haven't scheduled your conference yet and still need to.
Second grade families, our COGAT testing has been rescheduled for 10/17-10/24. Please make sure your students have a good night's sleep and arrive to school by 7:30 each day.
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.
Second grade families, the previously scheduled COGAT testing for tomorrow has been postponed. Once we have a new date, we will let you know. Thanks for understanding.
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.
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.
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.
Tonight, Oct. 4, at 6PM, Public Sheltering for Aiken County will open at Paul Knox Middle (PKMS) and Aiken High (AHS). PKMS: 1804 Wells Road, North Augusta; (enter Wells Rd. and Pisgah Ave.); AHS: 449 Rutland Dr., Aiken (enter Taylor Gym).
To help ensure that the information available through websites and social media posts from local Emergency Management Operations officials, Chambers of Commerce, public safety and media outlets are able to be seen by families with limited access to the internet, we are resharing through our school system-managed platforms. We hope that this is helpful to those needing access to water, ice, food, information, and other resources.
The availability of resources included below is not guaranteed, please verify that the resources are still available. Much of this information is being shared from posts made on social media platforms from media stories, as well as the following sites:
Aiken Chamber of Commerce
https://www.facebook.com/AikenChamber/
CSRA United Way
https://www.facebook.com/UnitedWayoftheCSRA/
United Way of Aiken County
Phone lines and internet are down at the office. Message this Facebook page, https://www.facebook.com/uwaiken/
North Augusta Chamber of Commerce
https://www.facebook.com/GNACOC/
FOOD/WATER
Salvation Army Feeding Sites:
• Salvation Army Soup Kitchen-604 Park Ave., Aiken
• YMCA- 621 Trolley Line Rd., Graniteville
• KJs in Edgefield- 155 Carolina Sq., Edgefield
The North Augusta Community Center, 495 Brookside Ave, will be opening for handing out water and food until 5pm or while supplies last.
Golden Harvest Food/Ice Distribution Site (Oct 2): National Wild Turkey Federation, 770 Augusta Rd., Edgefield @ 2pm
Hub for Community Innovation Augusta 631 Chafee Ave from 4:00-5:00PM (Oct 2)
The Salvation Army Kroc Center of Augusta 1833 Broad St at 4:00PM (Oct 2)
Center of Hope 1384 Greene St at 5:30PM (Oct 2)
Ridge Spring-Monetta schools will serve hot food and bottled water will be available at no charge starting Wednesday, around 4 p.m. at Monetta Volunteer Fire Department.
Water Via the New Holland Volunteer Fire Department:
If you need water for flushing toilets, washing we have non-potable well water at our HQ station at 2243 Old Ninty Six Indian trail. The hose is on left side of bay building. Please do not block driveway to trucks. - Chief Dennis Jackson
South Carolina Rural Water
For small water districts needing assistance, call Nick Rubin 864-617-3169.
SHELTER
True Testament Church
• 1031 Reynolds Pond RD, Aiken SC 29801
• 803-295-9800
Jet Middle School
• 1095 Columbia HWY, Johnston, SC 29832
POWER
While power companies attempt to restore power, having main power shut off at the house, with lines connected to a house, which were taken down by a tree, would help with tree removal and power line issues.
Once power is restored, please leave your front porch lights on which shows utility workers that power has been restored.
Candles - Place candles in safe holders away from anything that could catch fire. Never leave a burning candle unattended.
Wednesday Morning (October 2) Update from Aiken Electric Co-Op & Dominion Energy provided by our local legislative delegation:
AEC’s outage management system is up and running.
There currently have 22,757 meters without power. There are 140 AEC employees and 50 fiber contractors reconnecting members. Additionally, 340 contractors are working on the Co-Op system and another 100 arrive tomorrow. This weekend, the total number of contractors working to restore power should be 600.
Dominion reports that in Aiken County they have restored service to 26,000 customers with 34,000 still without power. Dominion says there should be a lot more connections made today.
Dominion Energy
o Power Outage: 888-333-4465
o Downed Lines: 888-333-4465
o Gas Leaks: 800-815-0083
Aiken Electric Co-Op: 877-264-5368
DRIVING
With many traffic signals remaining with no power, please treat those intersections same as a four way STOP intersection.
CHARGING STATIONS/SHOWERS
(please bring your own toiletries/towels)
YMCA – Aiken & North Augusta
• 621 Trolley Line RD, Graniteville, SC 29829
• 401 W Martintown RD Suite 111, North Augusta, SC 29841
CHARGING STATIONS/ICE
SRP Park will have charging stations set up by our main gate. At 3pm we will begin distributing ice, 1 10lb bag per person, until we once again run out.
COMMUNITY EVENT
This Thursday, October 3rd, from 3:30 - 6:30 p.m., Cedar Creek Church is hosting a Family Hangout at the Banks Mill Campus of Cedar Creek Church. This will be a time for all families to connect, play games, enjoy each other’s company. Snacks, drinks, and charging stations will be available, and the worship center will be open for anyone seeking quiet time for prayer or meditation
With extensive damage to many homes, power outages, and fallen trees and power lines making roadways too dangerous for travel, ACPSD is canceling Intersession Week. Athletics and Quest Zone are also cancelled.
Car line parents, please DO NOT motion for your children to come to your car. We do not allow children to go beyond the cone on the sidewalk. Some parents motioned for their children to run to their cars this afternoon and this is extremely unsafe! We have procedures in place to protect your children!
ACPSD Changes Due to Hurricane Helene - Due to the potential impact of Hurricane Helene, which is forecasted to make landfall in the Gulf of Mexico today and arrive in Aiken County late tomorrow afternoon, Aiken County Public Schools has several changes to the remainder of this school week to announce.
All after school activities tomorrow, Thursday, September 26, are cancelled. This includes athletics, arts, meetings planned for after school, and Quest Zone.
Friday, September 27, will be an e-learning day for all students. Teachers and staff will work remotely on Friday.
We recognize that several high schools have athletic events this week, including some with Homecoming. Some of those schools have moved their football games to this evening. Others are planning to host their games Friday night after the storm passes through. Should the weather necessitate a change to those plans, additional information will be shared by our high schools directly.
We apologize for the disruption that this change will cause to our students and families and, as always, appreciate the flexibility and cooperation of our school community.
Please stay tuned to local weather precautions and follow recommendations to keep your family safe.
Don't forget our next Early Release Day is this Wednesday. Dismissal is at 11:30am.
Ensuring the Safety of Our Schools: Addressing Recent Rumors - We are aware of misinformation circulating throughout our schools and communities regarding rumored incidents of school violence at various campuses within our district.
Please know that these messages are being reposted and reshared at schools throughout our district and at schools throughout the state. Your children’s safety is our top priority. We take all threats seriously and work in collaboration with law enforcement to fully investigate each and every rumor and/or post that is shared. There is no active threat impacting the safety and security of any of our school campuses.
Rumors of this nature cause a great deal of concern, stress and anxiety. When those are shared on social media, the impact is far-reaching, and causes unnecessary concern for other parents, students, and staff, and divert critical resources away from genuine safety and security efforts.
If ever there is an actual incident of school violence at your child’s school or if a threat of violence at your child’s school warrants your attention, school and/or district communications will notify you. We are committed to sharing accurate information as quickly as situations allow.
We hope to never have to notify you of an actual event of school violence, and we are fully committed to maintaining the safety and security of our schools through a variety of safety measures and close collaboration with local law enforcement.
If you or your student ever have a safety concern, or if you hear a rumor of a safety concern, we ask that you immediately notify the appropriate authorities. This includes local law enforcement and the administration at the district office or the school involved.
Thank you for your support as we work together to keep our schools, and your children safe.
Remember that tomorrow is Greendale Volunteer Training at 8:30. You must attend and submit to a background check in order to volunteer/chaperone in/for our school. Please bring a valid, government issued id.
Palmetto Bowls will be here tomorrow from 6:30-8:00am! It's the perfect start to Friday the 13th! Grab a fruit bowl as you drop the kiddos off for the day!
Please park and walk up if you plan on purchasing. Please do not block the car line flow.
Greendale Remembers. Don't forget to wear red, white, and blue tomorrow
Quest Zone WILL be offered during Fall Break at the following schools: Chukker Creek, East Aiken, Millbrook, Mossy Creek, North Augusta El., and Byrd. If you need care for those weeks, please see your child's Quest Zone teacher for more info.
