Published for the Arts Based School Community
July 27, 2023
First Day of School: Wednesday, August 16
(Staggered entry for Kindergarten students)
Staffing Updates
Here's the line up for 2023-24
Administrators:
Charter Director Robin Hollis
Principal Yvonne Leab (North), Principal Sherell McArthur (South)
Asst Principal Joey Cutts
Arts Director Mary Siebert
Director of Curriculum Liz Green
Director of Operations/Stu Services Ashley Tate
Kindergarten North:
Matthew Greene, Nicole Londoño, Missy Warren
Kindergarten South:
Christi Barnes, Kenya Heck
First Grade North:
Heather Cruz, Nicole Howard, Mary Rogers
First Grade South:
Jen Fletcher, Tayah Fray
Second Grade North:
Rebecca Parker, Katie Pipes, Chasity Wagner
Second Grade South:
Anne Campbell, Caitlyn Ward
Third Grade:
Ashley Brady, Vivian Mayers, Naomi Ruffin
Fourth Grade:
Amanda McGarry-Pike, Renee Meeks, Kelly Robertson
Fifth Grade:
Laura Lynne Frazier, Monique Johnson, Adam Tate
Sixth Grade:
Alysha Christian, Alex DeJarnette, Katie (Hugus) Visconti
Seventh/Eighth Grades:
Melissa Cleland, LeeAnn Farrell, Anna Hoffman, Lenora McNamara, Thom Woosley
The Arts North:
Mary Boudreault, Trish Goldberg, Tahvyea Rains, Jordan Brown, Elizabeth Gledhill, Chris Reichmeier
The Arts South:
Lauren Alzamora, Marti Bessinger, Taylor Payne
PE:
Coach Bri Pierce
Spanish:
Deisy Tellez
Who’s My Teacher?
Classroom teachers met with the grade level team before school was out to create the class rosters for next year. They use all that they know about your child’s academic, social, emotional, and behavioral qualities to determine which classroom is the best match. Thanks for everyone's patience as we hired our classroom teachers before publishing the class lists. Class placement lists will be sent to families via email on Friday, July 28 and posted on the website in the Family Portal. Supply Lists will also be posted in the Family Portal.
Welcome!
Welcome to Ms. Chasity Wagner. We're delighted to have Ms. Wagner joining our second grade team at North campus. Ms. Wagner has her bachelor's in Early Childhood Education from NC A&T. She has taught kindergarten in both traditional and charter schools. Fun Fact: Chasity attended Diggs Elementary when she was a kid which is now where we have ABS South.
Class Representatives Needed
We are currently recruiting class representatives for all classrooms at ABS for the upcoming school year. It’s a great way to get your volunteer hours for the year and to be more involved with our amazing school. Please see the linked sign-up sheet and sign up if you are able! If you have any questions, please email Kathleen Stimely, our Parent Rep Coordinator. Thank you so much for your willingness to volunteer!
WHAT IS A CLASSROOM REP?
You are the “Go-To” person for your teacher and your classroom parents! You are a liaison between teacher and classroom families when it pertains to the entire class. In summary, your responsibilities fall under these 4 categories:
- Coordinating class volunteer efforts
- Communicating classroom needs
- Communicating information from Parent Council
- Helping the Yearbook coordinators gather pictures
Fall Enrollment Forms for All Returning and New Students are open Now
We ask all families to please take a moment to complete your ABS student(s) registration for the new school year. ABS uses the software platform Enrollease to facilitate this process. Please register with Enrollease here. Once you have an account, you will login here, and then please complete the 2023-24 Required Student Form for each of your children who attend the Arts Based School. You will need you teacher assignment before completing this form. Thank you!
ABS Family Portal Access
Access to our ABS Family Portal has been switched over to new credentials for the 2023-24 school year. Currently enrolled families should receive login information via email on Friday, July 28. The ABS Family Portal is your source for a great deal of information that is not publicly available on our website, including class lists, a family directory, links to videos of our past productions, and more.
ABS Bus Service
For the 2023-24 school year, ABS will offer morning and afternoon bus service with dropoff and pickup locations of: Winston Lake YMCA, Hanes Mall, and Sherwood Plaza. For more information see links below.
ABS Bus Registration Form
Bus service is scheduled to begin Monday, August 21.
After School Care Registration for 2023-24
We are happy to offer an in-house after school care program! Our After School Care program is offered Monday-Friday, from the end of the school day until 6pm. On some days when school is not in session, full day care may be available from 8am - 5:30pm. More detailed information on After School Care is available in the ABS Aftercare Parent Handbook. Please contact Ashley Tate, Director of Operations/Student Services, with any questions. Registration opens Monday, July 10.
School Calendar and Important Dates
The approved 2023-24 school calendar is available here, on our website or Student Calendar
Important dates coming up (details below):
- August 2: New Parent Orientation
- August 14: Special Visits (In place of Back to School Night this year)
- August 16: First Day of School (Staggered Entry dates for Kindergarten)
New Parent Orientation
Save the Date- Wednesday, Aug 2 at 10am for the New K-4 Parent Orientation at ABS. This program is designed specifically for new families in grades K-4th at ABS to support your transition into ABS and to answer your questions. Please mark your calendars and join us!
Middle School Orientation
Save the Date-Wednesday, Aug 2 at 2pm for Middle School Orientation. For new parents (grade 5-8) and also for parents new to middle school. This program is designed to answer questions about how our middle school program works (grades 5-8) and what to expect.
Special Visits
Educational research shows that the relationship between the student and his or her teacher is one of the most important factors in a student’s academic success. This critical relationship is enhanced by our small class size and our educators’ commitment to children. In support of the teacher/student relationship, our teachers will be offering a Special Visit before school begins. A Special Visit is simply an opportunity for your child to meet his or her teacher in a familiar setting, a chance to learn a bit about the class and what to expect in the coming school year. This year’s scheduled day for Special Visits is August 14. Your child’s teacher will be contacting you to schedule a 15 minute meeting (zoom or at school) in early August.
A+ Training for Teachers
Each August our teachers spend seven days dedicated to training, planning and preparation for the new school year. This year, ABS is taking all of our teaching staff and administrators to Charlotte for three days of A+ Training. A+ Schools of North Carolina is an organization that helps share ideas and support teachers and administrators who are striving toward arts-based instruction. The Arts Based School is an A+ member and part of the network dedicated to support arts instruction in public schools. Although we are very excited about this opportunity, we also recognize the additional challenge for teachers in preparing their classrooms for the first day of school. For this reason, we reduced Special Visits to one day, August 14, instead of two, and we will not have a Back to School Night.
Ways to get involved and learn more about ABS:
- Follow us on Social Media
- Read and Review the Student/Parent Handbook
- Catch up on Thursday Notes you may have missed
- Explore the ABS website
- Make sure we have best contact information so that you receive all communications