Published for the Arts Based School Community
July 24, 2025
First Day of School - Monday, August 11 (Staggered entry for Kindergarten)
Fall Enrollment Forms Now Available – Due by August 8
All returning and new families are asked to complete registration for the 2025–26 school year. The Arts Based School uses the Enrollease platform to streamline this process.
Please log in here using your Lotterease or Enrollease account, and complete the 2025–26 Required Student Form for each of your children attending ABS.
This form is required for:
- Laptop use
- Field trip participation
- Medical information updates
Please take a moment to complete the form today to ensure your child is ready for the first day of school!
Helpful Links and Reminders:
- Who is my student’s teacher? What supplies do we need? You can find class lists, supply lists, and class pages behind our parent portal, on this page.
- Have you filled out your required student form in Enrollease? Please complete these ASAP! More details below.
- If you are new to ABS, please download the app PikMyKid for our dismissal process. You should have received your car tag and Pikmykid number at Special Visits.
ABS Band Program
We’re excited to begin a new year of music-making at The Arts Based School! Band is a core part of our curriculum in both 5th and 6th grades, offering students the opportunity to build foundational skills, explore different instruments, and grow as musicians with our middle school music teacher, Chris Reichmeier.
5th Grade Band
All 5th graders will participate in a rotation-based band experience, exploring three different wind instruments over the course of the year: flute, trumpet, and clarinet. Instruments will be provided by the school, and will remain on campus (no home practice required). Minimal supplies—like reeds for clarinet—may be requested.
Click here for detailed 5th Grade Band Info
6th Grade Band
In 6th grade, students choose one instrument to focus on for the year: flute, trumpet, clarinet, trombone, or percussion. Students are responsible for providing their own instrument and supplies. Band class becomes a “heterogeneous” ensemble, meaning all instruments play together.
Click here for detailed 6th Grade Band Info and Instrument Survey (due before August 8)]
Band begins the second full week of school. Students will be notified of their scheduled band days by their classroom teacher. If your family needs financial assistance with instruments or supplies, please reach out to ABS Business Manager, Angela Wooten.
We look forward to making music with your students this year!
Volunteering at ABS
The Arts Based School Volunteer Hub offers a variety of ways for parents to support our school community, from classroom assistance to special events and ongoing needs. Current opportunities include serving as Class Reps, volunteering in art classes, helping with lunch distribution on Fridays, maintaining our school gardens, providing staff meeting snacks by grade level, and supporting teacher appreciation efforts by stocking the Teacher's Lounge. All volunteer opportunities are available through SignUpGenius links on the portal, where you can easily sign up for activities that fit your schedule and interests. Additionally, there's an area to log your hours for individual classroom volunteering, with those opportunities organized on a more individual basis by teachers and class reps. We'll be tracking volunteer hours through SignUpGenius and are working on a login page so that you can view your accumulated hours throughout the year.
School Meals Update: Lunch and Breakfast Options Coming Soon!
We’re excited to share some updates to our school meal program for the upcoming year. In addition to our regular lunch offerings, we’ll now be adding breakfast options for students!
One of the new features of our program includes online pre-ordering for the week, helping us better plan and serve our students efficiently. Meals will continue to be ordered through LINQ, but due to the district-wide transition from PowerSchool to Infinite Campus, we are experiencing a slight delay in syncing updated enrollment information.
We appreciate your patience and expect everything to be up and running by next week. Stay tuned for more details and ordering instructions as well as free/reduced lunch applications!
ABS Aftercare Program
We are delighted to offer the Arts Based School After School Care Program for your child at both North and South Campuses! We look forward to providing a safe and fun filled environment where we focus our efforts on the social, emotional, and physical development of your child.
Please review the 2025-2026 Aftercare Handbook and register with the link below. Email Ashley Tate at [email protected] with any questions.
2025-2026 Aftercare Registration
ABS Bus Service
For the 2025-26 school year, ABS will offer morning and afternoon bus service with dropoff and pickup locations of: Winston Lake YMCA, Hanes Mall, and Sherwood Plaza. Please review the Bus Guidelines and Information before registering.
Please contact Mr. Cutts at [email protected] with any questions.
2025-2026 ABS Bus Registration
ABS Bus Guidelines and Information
PikMyKid App: Afternoon Pickup Made Safe and Simple
The Arts Based School uses the PikMyKid app to ensure a safe and efficient afternoon pickup for all students. This app streamlines the dismissal process by allowing parents to announce their arrival, manage pick-up permissions, and receive real-time notifications—all from their smartphones.
All new families will need to download the PikMyKid Parent app before the first day of school. After downloading, simply tap “Register” and follow the prompts to create an account. A QR code and further instructions will be sent by email to new families in the coming weeks—please be on the lookout for this important message.
In preparation for the new school year, student records in PikMyKid are being updated to align with changes in student ID numbers due to the state-wide transition to Infinite Campus. While this update should not impact returning families’ ability to access the app or use existing accounts, they may notice a new student number associated with their child. The updates should be completed by August 6.
We appreciate everyone’s cooperation in using PikMyKid to help keep our dismissal process running smoothly and safely.
Staffing Update
Dance Teacher
We want to share that Ronnie McNeil, our wonderful dance teacher at the North campus, has let us know she will not be returning to ABS this fall. Ronnie is taking time to focus on her graduate studies, and we wish her all the best as she embarks on this exciting new chapter. Her energy, creativity, and dedication to our students will be greatly missed.
As we plan for the school year ahead, we are seeking a full-time dance teacher to join our team. Please help us spread the word—qualified applicants can find more information and apply through our website.
Bus Driver
Unfortunately, we continue to face challenges in staffing our bus driver position. Although we had found a great driver earlier this summer, she recently let us know that she has accepted a full-time position elsewhere and will be unable to drive for ABS.
We’re excited to have Mr. Smitty in the driver’s seat for field trips and morning routes. We are still actively seeking an additional driver support to help cover our afternoon bus route.
School Calendar and Important Dates
The approved 2025-26 school calendar is available here, on our website or Student Calendar
Important dates coming up (details below):
- July 28: New Parent Orientation at each campus
- August 11: First Day of School (Staggered Entry dates for Kindergarten)
Class Representatives Needed
Each classroom should have a Classroom Representative that will coordinate with their teacher to communicate needs to the classroom. Parent Council will work with you to make sure you have all of the information and support you need. Main responsibilities include:
- Coordinating class-specific volunteer efforts and classroom needs.
- Coordinating parent volunteers for Book Fair, Fall Fest and Field Day.
- Coordinating any hospitality events (Teacher appreciation week, recognizing teacher birthdays, etc.)
- Communicating information from Parent Council.
Please sign up to be a class representative using this Google Sheet: [link]
Learn more about what being a class rep involves here: [link to information sheet]
Please contact Parent Council Rep Coordinators with any questions.
Tabatha Smith, North Campus [email protected]
Sara Morales, South Campus [email protected]
Thank you for helping build our school community!
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. Class placement lists were posted on the website on the Family Portal.
New Parent Orientation
Save the Date- Monday, July 28 at 10am for the New K-4 Parent Orientation at ABS. Families will attend orientation at the campus of their enrollment. 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-Monday, July 28 at 2pm for Middle School Orientation. For new parents (grade 5-8) and also for parents new to middle school. Families will meet in the middle school courtyard, 107 E 7th St. 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 days for Special Visits are August 5 and 6, 2025. Your child’s teacher will be contacting you to schedule a 15-20 minute appointment when they return from summer break, after August 1st.
Ways to get involved and learn more about ABS:
- Follow us on Social Media
- 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