We now offer Individualized Dyslexia Therapy with onsite, licensed Dyslexia Therapist, Cindy Prewitt.

Cindy has over 35 years of teaching experience and holds a B.S. and M.Ed. from Mississippi State University in Elementary Education with an emphasis in reading. She holds a second M.Ed. from Mississippi College in Dyslexia Therapy. Other credentials include: National Board-Certified Teacher, Certified Academic Language Therapist, trained on Orton-Gillingham Multisensory Math program.

Program available for students in 1st - 5th grades with a diagnosis of dyslexia and/or dysgraphia using the Orton-Gillingham method.

SPACE IS LIMITED!

Call to inquire today (662) 328-4479

This year, the ACS Advisory Council and ACS Parent Student Association (PSA) have come together to host one incredible evening of festivities: The Draw Down/Art Auction Joint Event! This event will take place on April 23rd at Town Creek Hall in West Point, MS. This venue has over 18,000 square feet of space, allowing us to practice social distancing to keep attendees safe and healthy. There are two ways in which you can attend this Joint Event:

Purchase a Draw Down ticket for $100. In addition to the opportunity to win $10,000, a Draw Down ticket will admit you and a guest to the Joint Event where you can enjoy dinner, an open bar, and the ability to bid on the Art Auction’s live and silent auction items.

Purchase an Art Auction ticket for $35 at the door. Purchasing a $35 ticket at the door will admit you into the event where you can enjoy dinner, an open bar, and the ability to bid on the Art Auction’s live and silent auction items.

About the Draw Down
Draw Down tickets are $100 for a chance to win $10,000! Each ticket admits two adults (21 and older) to the Joint Event on April 23. Second chance insurance is available to purchase for your ticket for an additional $25. All cash prizes are subject to IRS requirements. You do not have to be present to win the Draw Down.

Only 300 tickets will be sold. Tickets will be drawn until only five tickets remain in the barrel. This is the final round. The remaining 5 tickets will be pulled in order. One or more "no split" tickets will cause the draw to continue forward until the last ticket, or until the remaining tickets opted to "split" the Grand Prize.

Split Ticket - Ticket owner must opt to qualify their ticket as a "split ticket" by checking the "opt in" box at the time of purchase.

Second Chance Insurance - If your ticket is one of the first 100 tickets drawn (Round One), your ticket will be returned in the barrel for a second chance in Round Two.

Draw Down tickets can be purchased online at http://bidpal.net/acs2021
Please note there is a nominal ticketing fee (2.5%) for purchasing a Draw Down ticket through Bidpal.

About the Art Auction
The Art Auction is a colorful way of raising money for our school. The Art Auction consists of a silent auction and a live auction component. Silent auction pieces always include an assortment of art, international trips, local getaways, jewelry, home décor, gift baskets, and more. Live auction pieces consist of artwork masterfully created by each ACS class. Auction items will be on display at the Joint Event on April 23.

Bidding on live auction items is reserved for those individuals physically attending the Joint Event. Bidding on silent auction items is open to EVERYONE (whether you attend the Joint Event or not) through the Bidpal website. Bidding on silent auction items takes place online at http://bidpal.net/acs2021

Click the flyer for more information!

Due to the current circumstances with COVID-19, CSW will look very different this year. We are working hard to find fun and creative ways to celebrate the blessing of Catholic education while still adhering to all of the safety guidelines and recommendations. Here is a tentative schedule of our Catholic Schools Week activities:

January 31st - In Our Parish – 9:00 a.m. Drive -Thru Pancake Breakfast at the Annunciation Catholic Church Activities Center - This year, our traditional Pancake Breakfast fundraiser hosted by the Knights of Columbus for Catholic School's Week will be held to-go. The event will take place at the Annunciation Catholic Church Activities Building located at 823 College Street (across street from church) on Sunday, January 31st from 9:00 - 10:00 a.m. To-go plates include pancakes, eggs, and sausage. Tickets can be purchased at the link below from our Eagle's Nest Spirit Store (your emailed receipt from this order is your breakfast ticket - simply show it to the person at the door to pick up your breakfast) or pay at the door the morning of the event.
https://st-marys-annunciation-catholic-school.square.site/

February 1st - In Our Community - One Mile Fun Run - Students will participate in a one-mile fun run on school grounds to celebrate In Our Community Day to kick-off Catholic Schools Week 2021. We ask that each student donate $5 (or more, if desired) to register for the event. The proceeds from this event will go to the Golden Triangle Homeless Coalition. After speaking with a representative from the organization, we have been made aware that they are in desperate need of funds right now. Due to COVID-19, they have not been able to provide warming stations on cold nights like they have done in the past. Instead, they have been providing hotel rooms to our local homeless population as funds are available. This is a wonderful way for us to help our community while adhering to our COVID-19 Safety Guidelines. Donations/Registration can be made online at https://st-marys-annunciation-catholic-school.square.site/ or by sending cash or check to the office. Students may wear athletic attire on this day.

February 2nd - In Our Nation - Parade - we will hold our annual In Our Nation Day parade at 9:30 a.m. We are unable to invite outside guests this year, but we encourage families to spectate from their vehicles along the parade route which will be around the school on Browder Street, Alabama Street, Garner Boulevard, and Maxwell Street. In addition to our parade, we will be making Valentines for Veterans to take to the local VA Clinic and writing letters to deployed troops through Operation Gratitude.

February 3rd - In Our Parents, Volunteers and Donors - This is a day for us to celebrate you! Look for a little surprise coming your way!

February 4th - Grandparents' Day (We will not be hosting any guests on campus) - We will have Grandparents' Day mass via Facebook Live at 8:30 a.m. as well as our virtual book fair. In addition, each class is working hard to prepare a video presentation; the presentations may be live or prerecorded. Grandparents will receive via email and/or text the link to view/join these presentations from their grandchild’s teacher.

February 5th - In Our Students - Students will have a fun-filled day of movies, pizza and SNOW CONES! No lunch orders needed for this day. We will be providing pizza and snow cones for every student in the school! The snow cone bus will be visiting that afternoon from 12:00 – 2:00 for an icy treat.

February 6th - Open House for Prospective Students - TELL ALL YOUR FRIENDS ABOUT ACS!!!

Please join us for our Open House for prospective families on Saturday, February 6th from 10:00 a.m. to noon. Open House is an excellent time to visit our school and meet our staff. Spots will fill up quickly for the 2021-2022 school year. You don't want to miss it!

Dear Friends in Christ,

As we begin to wind down the first half of our school year, we take time to thank our teachers, parents, students, and administrators for their flexibility, cooperation, and prayers as we have navigated our return to in-person learning. We know that this has not been easy for anyone, and we could not have
done it without everyone working together.

As we prepare for the holidays and with the release of newly update CDC guidelines for quarantine, we wanted to share our most up-to-date guidelines for exposure to and diagnosis of COVID-19. Please note, we are continually assessing our guidelines to ensure they are up-to-date and compliant with both CDC and MSDH guidelines. We wanted to highlight a few important points.

1. Travel: If a person or family travels internationally or on public transportation (i.e. airlines, buses, etc.) to an area deemed high or very high risk they should quarantine for ten days from the day they arrive home. They should be excluded from the school setting for the ten days. However, students who do not develop
symptoms and receive a negative, molecular (RT-PCR) test result after day seven may return to school. Please note, a negative rapid test result or positive antibody test result will not be accepted. Please visit the CDC Travel Recommendations by Destination webpage for the most up to date information
regarding high-risk destinations.

2. Quarantine Timelines: If a quarantine is required, the minimum time will be seven days. If after seven days, the individual receives a negative, molecular (RT-PCR) diagnostic test result, they will be allowed to return to school. If the individual is not tested, they may return after ten days, provided no symptoms
develop. Please note, negative rapid tests or positive antibody tests will not be accepted at this time.

3. Family Testing: If a member of a student or staff member’s immediate family is tested for COVID-19, the student or staff member should not return to the school setting until a negative result is reported OR a positive result is reported, and all guidelines for positive cases have been followed.

4. Exposure in the Household: If a live-in family member of a student or staff member tests positive for COVID-19 and are unable to isolate from other family members, please contact your principal to develop a plan of action regarding quarantine timelines.

Once again, we cannot thank you enough for your patience as we navigate these unusual times. As we have said before, we have duties as Catholic institutions to provide safe environments for all of our teachers, staff members, and students. The guidelines presented here are not only designed to provide individual protection, but they call for our entire community to work together to protect our most vulnerable community members. If all individuals take precautions, even those who are healthy and less susceptible, together, we will protect the most vulnerable in our communities.
Psalm 41:1 tells us, “Blessed is anyone who cares for the poor and the weak; in time of trouble, Yahweh rescues him.” As members of our faith community, we can make small sacrifices in our daily routine to protect others from the risk of this virus, just as Scripture calls us to do.

In Christ,
The Office of Education Staff