“Because of the programs at our school, like Destination Imagination, Leadership, Project-based learning and Theater, my daughter is thriving — not just surviving — in middle school! Her confidence has grown, she has outstanding grades, and her character is strong.”
Almond Acres Charter Academy parent
Learning is a collaborative process. At Almond Acres Charter Academy (AACA), the education of our students is built on having a strong and inspiring support system in place. We deliver our high-quality service and project-based curriculum via our dedicated and experienced teachers and our we-are-a-family, tight knit AACA community.
We actively maintain a partnership and open communication between parents, students, teachers, and community members. This is our learning team and how we grow healthy kids. We give our students this foundation so they can feel confident in their ability to investigate their world and who they are. It sparks a desire to learn and grow, and ensures flourishing academic experiences full of opportunities and exploration. This is especially true at our middle school.
Our middle school is known for having small classes. With a 1:28 student-to-teacher ratio, our instructors truly know each sixth – eighth grade student.
Our middle schoolers get to be leaders. They give tours to prospective families and they help every morning with our Shared Start. Our middle schoolers even create events as part of our project-based learning units. Our seventh graders created a Family Forum where families came together to discuss issues pertinent to middle schoolers while playing games in a relaxed atmosphere. The Family Forum allowed for conversation about challenges our middle school kids are currently facing. Not only was the event well-executed, the middle school students showed tremendous maturity and willingness to both share and listen. We grow great kids!
Our middle schoolers act as admirable role models for other kids and families. Our middle school students recently took on the responsibility of promoting literacy. Some focused on our AACA school itself by tutoring kindergarteners, giving up their own recess(!) to work with the younger students on sight words and reading. Other middle schoolers built and stocked a tiny share library to be installed between our kindergarten and first grade classrooms. Moving beyond our school, some students built a tiny free library for their neighborhood, helped out in a childcare environment and read to children at a homeless shelter.
One middle school student focused on literacy around the globe – and chose Uganda to make his mark. By making and selling homemade strawberry jam, this Almond Acres middle school student raised funds to work with a local charity in Uganda and raise enough funds to provide pens, paper, and English textbooks for an entire classroom!
Being a small school, our middle school students can access many activities and experiences. Our middle school kids can play on the volleyball team AND be in the school play. They can pursue a wide variety of scholastic and extracurricular endeavors – and gain exposure to their talents and interests as well as natural gifts. This confidence is so valuable at this critical age!
About AACA
Almond Acres Charter Academy is a public, tuition-free K-8 school that employs credentialed teachers and administers state-mandated testing to provide families in northern SLO County an additional choice in public education. The school is located in San Miguel and is open to all students in all communities. AACA’s mission is to help students succeed academically and socially by educating the whole child: heart, mind, body and soul. We grow great kids!
