Welcome Back to School!

Dear Archers!,

I hope you had a wonderful and relaxing summer. We are so excited to welcome our new and returning students!

• The first day of school for fulltime ACC students will be August 26th.
• The first day at ACC for part-time CTE and World Language students will be August 27th.
• The school day is from 8 am – 3 pm.

Here are important dates and helpful information to prepare for the first day of school.

APS School Year Calendar

Important Dates

• 8/22 Freshmen and Program Orientations (times and locations will be communicated to families by program coordinators)
• 8/26 First day of school- Full time ACC students
• 8/27 First day at ACC- CTE and World Language only students
• 8/30-9/2 Labor Day Holiday
• 9/24 ACC Back to School Night , 6-8 PM

Course Schedules

• Course schedules will be visible in StudentVue & ParentVue: Aug. 20th at  6:00pm
• Please be aware that counselors are still making schedule changes so there may be changes to your student’s schedule.
• Once school starts, students are expected to participate in a full A and full B day schedule prior to making schedule changes.  Following that, students may discuss schedule changes with their school counselor and those will be considered on a case-by-case basis.
• Please encourage students to reach out to their counselor with scheduling questions.

Picture Days

• Seniors: Senior Portraits were this Summer on August 12th and 13th.  A make-up date has been scheduled for November 8th, 2024 for any senior who was unable to have their portrait taken by Prestige Portraits.
  • Session Details

• WHAT TO WEAR:
  • Any rising 12th-grade student may choose from among the options below for their senior yearbook photo:
• Coat and tie
• All black or black-and-white clothing
• Tuxedos (provided by the photographer)
• Drapes (provided by the photographer)

Please note that regardless of choice more formal attire is encouraged.

• Seniors are not required to have their portrait taken by Prestige Portraits. Families can privately arrange for portraits to be taken through the vendor of their choosing and submit up to 3 hi-resolution images to the school for their Yearbook photo.

• Grades 9-11: October 28th and 29th, 2024
  • Underclass yearbook picture retakes are scheduled for December 3rd, 2024.

Attendance/Absences

• If your student will be absent, please contact the ACC’s attendance line by phone (703-228-5746) or by email (careercenter.attendance@apsva.us).
• CTE and World Language only students, please contact your student’s home high school/program and ACC to report absence.

Lunch

• Students can enjoy lunch in the cafeteria, Commons or outside in the ACC picnic area when available.
• Students are not permitted to order food from local restaurants for delivery to school, including UberEats, GrubHub, etc.
• Only seniors with a signed off-campus lunch privilege form will be allowed off campus for lunch.
• Meal Prices—Apply for Free or Reduced-Price Meals: View updated information about meal prices for this school year. Families who may qualify for free or reduced-price meals are encouraged to apply for meal benefits. Applications are available in ParentVUE or on the APS Food Services Webpage.

Laptop Distribution

• 9th graders will be able to pick up their laptops during orientation on Thursday, August 22nd.
• Any Arlington Tech (grades 9-12) student who have not yet picked up their devices may do so on the first day of school, August 26th. (Other program coordinators, will submit 2847 tickets for device request)

Transportation

• Student bus pick up and drop off times and hub stop locations are now available to families in ParentVUE
• All full time ACC students and part-time CTE and World Language students will be routed according to their class schedule.
• See the Bus Transportation link for more information

Parent Pick Up/Drop Off

• Parent drop off and pick is along South Highland St south of the entrance to ACC for the beginning and end of the school day.
• Parents may park in the 2 hour parking spaces to pick up students during the school day.

Student Parking

• There is street parking for students.
• There is no student parking in the Career Center parking lot.
• The parking lot will be routinely monitored to ensure the lot is occupied by authorized vehicles

Parking Lot Update

• Due to construction, the parking lot has a new traffic pattern.
  • You may only enter the parking lot from Highland Street.
  • Drivers can only make a right turn out of the exit in front of the Columbia Pike Library onto Walter Reed Dr.

Annual Online Verification Process (AOVP)

• Please complete AOVP between August 21- September 30.
• Families that do not have computer or internet access can contact Yesenia Martinez, ACC Bilingual Family Specialist at yesenia.martinez@apsva.us or 703-228-5732 for assistance with completing their AOVP. She is available to help walk you through the process beginning August 21st.
• Student accident insurance may be obtained through AOVP.

Please do not hesitate to contact me if you have any questions by emailing me at margaret.chung@apsva.us. Looking forward to seeing all our students!

Respectfully,

Margaret Chung
Principal