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.
The following is an important message from Principal Casey Rogers of North Augusta High School:
On behalf of North Augusta High School, I want to extend a heartfelt thank you to all the line workers and first responders who have been working tirelessly to restore power and services to our community in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene. Your dedication and sacrifice do not go unnoticed, and we are incredibly grateful for your commitment during this challenging time.
To the families in our school and surrounding community who have been affected, please know that our thoughts and prayers are with you. Together, we will continue to support one another as we recover and rebuild. Stay Strong, Yellow Jacket Family!
#JacketPride #ThankYouLineWorkers #NAHS
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
We want to wish everyone a safe and relaxing fall break! We look forward to welcoming everyone back on Monday, October 14th!
The Junior Ring Ceremony will be held on Wednesday, October 16th at 6:30pm in the Jacket Arena. If you ordered your ring from Jostens, your name is already on the list to participate in the ceremony. Your balance with Josten’s must be paid for in full by Monday, October 14th. If you purchased a ring from an outside company, you should bring the ring to the ceremony to present to your student. Please email Mrs. Noland or have your student stop by room M117 to let her know if you purchased a ring from an outside company and would like to participate in the ring ceremony. More information about the ceremony procedures will come out about a week before the ceremony.
This Friday, 9/27, the Jackets will celebrate homecoming and host Gray Collegiate. Game time is 7:30pm! As a reminder, Paul Knox will be available for parking, with a shuttle service starting at 6pm. The theme is black and gold night! Come dressed in your Jacket gear to cheer on the team!
As a reminder, this is an e-learning day for students. If there are any changes to the game due to the weather, we will send out updates on our website and social media!
LET’S GO JACKETS!
See the attached flyer for more information about a tutoring session for the SAT/ACT being offered over Intersession!
Congratulations to our Homecoming Court! Voting will occur immediately following the Pep Rally, which has been moved to tomorrow (Thursday) morning. Good luck to our court!
Fabiola Cardenas, Gigi McNitt, Elaina Hall, Keely Herrington, Sara Gibbs, Violet Walczak, Makayla Murray, Sarah Lord, Amya Hout, Gaby Cordes, Kenzie Tomago, Katelynn Hall, and Haley Corbin. Not Pictured: Niyah Ware and Maddie Rakofsky
Congratulations to the following students who were selected to the first IT Youth Apprentices at SRNS. Seniors Jacob Lott & Alejandro Aguirre are doing the IT Youth Apprenticeship. Senior Elisabeth Corley, one of our Dell Student Tech Crew students, is doing the Records Management Apprenticeship with the SRNS Apprenticeship School.
Congratulations to these students on earning their Dell certification today!! #dellstudenttechcrew
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.
Both the B Team and JV Football Games originally scheduled for Thursday, have been moved to tonight, Wednesday, 9/25. The B Team game will be held at Swansea High School and the JV Team will be held at Gray High School!
In Ms. Pabon's class, students had to choose a Latin American country, then they had to research information about the country and about a person who is from there or is a descendant from there , and their contribution to the United States. They then presented it all in English. 🤗🤗They did such a great job!
B-TEAM GAME UPDATE: The football game originally scheduled for Thursday has been moved to Wednesday at Swansea High School.
Aiken iNNOVATE is now accepting applications! Our program offers a full-time virtual learning experience for students in grades 6-12 within the Aiken County Public School District. We welcome students who are self-motivated, disciplined, and ready to succeed in a flexible, home-based environment. To apply or learn more, visit our website at www.acpsd.net/o/dai/page/ai-applications-and-registration. If you have any questions, feel free to contact us at Ai@acpsd.net.
Attention Seniors: It is now time to order your graduation supplies! The presentation given this morning with Rhodes as well as the link to Rhodes can be found on our website under the Students/Seniors tab! To order supplies, click on the following link:
https://www.rhodesgraduation.com/
If any student wishes to order Swag items along with graduation supplies, the order must be placed by next Thursday, September 26th, along with a $60 deposit. These items will then be delivered for pickup on October 15th, when we return after Fall Break.
Please be aware that if you wish to ONLY ORDER graduation items, you still have plenty of time as the deadline has not been set to date.
If you have any questions, please see your counselor.
