ONE POINT ABOUT THE ONE %
SC PUBLIC SCHOOLS GET NO FUNDING FOR CONSTRUCTION/MAINTENANCE
Upkeep, maintenance, and construction of schools is considered a “local responsibility” in South Carolina. School Facilities are funded locally through voter support of sales taxes and bond referendums.
We will be sharing information and facts about the One Cent Sales Tax as we lead up to Election Day on Tuesday, November 5. For more information, please visit our website at www.acpsd/OneCent.
Please make plans to join us at 6 p.m., Monday or Tuesday night this week for an informational meeting. Tonight’s meeting, Monday, October 28, will be at Midland Valley High School, and tomorrow, Tuesday, October 29, you can join us virtually as we’ll live stream an informational meeting from our District office to our website where viewers can join online from the comfort of their own home.
ONE POINT ABOUT THE ONE %
THE SALES TAX IS A 10-YEAR TAX AND DOESN’T AUTOMATICALLY RENEW.
Aiken County voters will have an opportunity to consider a renewal of the 2014 One Cent Sales Tax on Election Day. If renewed, the One Cent Sales Tax will extend for an additional 10 years and benefit school facility projects listed on the 2024 ballot. If not renewed, the 2014 One Cent Sales Tax will sunset (expire).
For more Penny Tax Facts, visit www.acpsd.net/OneCent.
ONE POINT ABOUT THE ONE %
BEFORE THE 2014 SALES TAX SUCCESS, IT HAD BEEN 38 YEARS SINCE A SCHOOL REFERENDUM PASSED.
Prior to 2014, 1976 was the year of the last successful referendum benefitting the county's public schools. Without funds available, school maintenance needs were deferred over decades.
For more Penny Tax Facts, visit www.acpsd.net/OneCent.
Join us for Pumpkin-Palooza on October 31 from 11 AM to 1 PM at 130 Avery Lane! Enjoy fun activities, tasty autumn treats, and the latest in computer updates. Feel free to wear your favorite costume for an extra dash of Halloween spirit!
Get ready for a blast at USC Aiken's annual SEED Day! This year, Aiken iNNOVATE is setting up shop, and we can't wait to see your smiling face! Come on down and join the fun
Get ready for a blast at USC Aiken's annual SEED Day! This year, Aiken iNNOVATE is setting up shop, and we can't wait to see your smiling face! Come on down and join the fun!
Ready to buzz into the Spelling Bee? This year, Aiken iNNOVATE students will compete in their home school’s spelling bee. If you want to showcase your incredible spelling skills, please contact your home school for more information. Hurry, deadlines are approaching fast! Let’s show everyone how amazing Aiken iNNOVATE students are!
Students wrote a narrative essay about a conflict they overcame. A Red Star Writer has the most engaging story using the narrative essay format. It was a pleasure to read these stories!
Important Notice: Tomorrow, Tuesday, October 15, Aiken iNNOVATE will be on a 2-hour delay and follow the modified schedule below.
If you have any questions, please contact your child’s teachers. We understand some families may have internet issues. Please reach out to us for support.
1st Period 10:00-10:30
2nd Period 10:35-11:05
3rd Period 11:10-11:40
4th Period 11:45-12:15
Lunch
5th Period 12:55-1:25
6th Period 1:30-2:00
7th Period 2:05-2:35
8th Period 2:40-3:10
Today, we honor and celebrate the incredible work of our dedicated custodian, Chris!
Chris, your hard work, dedication, and attention to detail keep our environment clean, safe, and welcoming every single day. Your efforts often go unnoticed, but they are deeply appreciated by all of us. Thank you for your unwavering commitment and for always going above and beyond to ensure everything runs smoothly.
Let’s all take a moment to recognize and thank Chris for the vital role they play in our community. Your contributions make a world of difference, and we are truly grateful!
The One Cent Sales Tax Community Meeting in the North Augusta area is being held tomorrow night, Tuesday, October 15, at 6 p.m. We hope to see you tomorrow night at North Augusta Middle School to learn more about the facility improvements that voters will consider in November.
As students return from Fall Break next week and hurricane recovery efforts continue, Aiken County Public Schools will operate on a two-hour delayed schedule on Monday, October 14, and Tuesday, October 15.
This delayed start will help increase visibility as school buses, student walkers, and others travel to school, ensuring safety as we navigate roads that may still have fallen trees and debris following Hurricane Helene.
We understand this change may be challenging for many families and appreciate your patience and cooperation. Crews have made significant progress clearing debris, and we will continue to evaluate road safety for early morning travel. We will make a decision regarding start times for Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday by noon on Tuesday.
Breakfast: A grab-and-go breakfast will be available for students.
Lunch: Lunch will be served; menus may be limited as we restock all perishable food items.
Half-Day or Partial-Day Programs: Students on half-day and partial-day schedules, including Early Learning Special Education students, will not attend school on Monday or Tuesday as buses will be unable to run mid-day routes.
No Before-School Activities: No activities will be permitted before school starts on the two-hour delay.
Aiken County Career and Technology Center:
Monday: Morning session students should report to their high schools. The afternoon session will continue as planned.
Tuesday: Morning session students will attend the afternoon session. Afternoon students will stay at their high schools.
In evaluating roadway conditions, the Hammond Hill neighborhood remains a concern. We are currently exploring transportation options for students residing in that neighborhood and will communicate with impacted families over the coming days once a determination is made.
As our community recovers from this catastrophic storm, please exercise additional caution and care in travelling to school. Sidewalks may be blocked in some areas, visibility may be limited due to debris, and some powerlines are still low-hanging. If your child walks to school or to a bus stop, we encourage you to walk the route with them in the coming days or plan to walk with them Monday morning.
We look forward to welcoming everyone back on Monday!
NWS issued a wind advisory for tomorrow, Oct 10, 4AM-8PM. The hazard is 30-35 MPH gusts on weakened/leaning trees, causing concerns for travel in early morning & evening hours. With safety at heart, employees will begin on a delayed start of 9AM & no activities after 5PM.
NWS issued a wind advisory for tomorrow, Oct 10, 4AM-8PM. The hazard is 30-35 MPH gusts on weakened/leaning trees, causing concerns for travel in early morning & evening hours. With safety at heart, employees will begin on a delayed start of 9AM & no activities after 5PM.
Shelter Update: Community shelters are being consolidated at this time. The Red Cross Shelter at Paul Knox Middle School remains open for families in need.
Tonight, Oct. 4, at 6PM, Public Sheltering for Aiken County will open at Paul Knox Middle (PKMS) and Aiken High (AHS). PKMS: 1804 Wells Road, North Augusta; (enter Wells Rd. and Pisgah Ave.); AHS: 449 Rutland Dr., Aiken (enter Taylor Gym).
To help ensure that the information available through websites and social media posts from local Emergency Management Operations officials, Chambers of Commerce, public safety and media outlets are able to be seen by families with limited access to the internet, we are resharing through our school system-managed platforms. We hope that this is helpful to those needing access to water, ice, food, information, and other resources.
The availability of resources included below is not guaranteed, please verify that the resources are still available. Much of this information is being shared from posts made on social media platforms from media stories, as well as the following sites:
Aiken Chamber of Commerce
https://www.facebook.com/AikenChamber/
CSRA United Way
https://www.facebook.com/UnitedWayoftheCSRA/
United Way of Aiken County
Phone lines and internet are down at the office. Message this Facebook page, https://www.facebook.com/uwaiken/
North Augusta Chamber of Commerce
https://www.facebook.com/GNACOC/
FOOD/WATER
Salvation Army Feeding Sites:
• Salvation Army Soup Kitchen-604 Park Ave., Aiken
• YMCA- 621 Trolley Line Rd., Graniteville
• KJs in Edgefield- 155 Carolina Sq., Edgefield
The North Augusta Community Center, 495 Brookside Ave, will be opening for handing out water and food until 5pm or while supplies last.
Golden Harvest Food/Ice Distribution Site (Oct 2): National Wild Turkey Federation, 770 Augusta Rd., Edgefield @ 2pm
Hub for Community Innovation Augusta 631 Chafee Ave from 4:00-5:00PM (Oct 2)
The Salvation Army Kroc Center of Augusta 1833 Broad St at 4:00PM (Oct 2)
Center of Hope 1384 Greene St at 5:30PM (Oct 2)
Ridge Spring-Monetta schools will serve hot food and bottled water will be available at no charge starting Wednesday, around 4 p.m. at Monetta Volunteer Fire Department.
Water Via the New Holland Volunteer Fire Department:
If you need water for flushing toilets, washing we have non-potable well water at our HQ station at 2243 Old Ninty Six Indian trail. The hose is on left side of bay building. Please do not block driveway to trucks. - Chief Dennis Jackson
South Carolina Rural Water
For small water districts needing assistance, call Nick Rubin 864-617-3169.
SHELTER
True Testament Church
• 1031 Reynolds Pond RD, Aiken SC 29801
• 803-295-9800
Jet Middle School
• 1095 Columbia HWY, Johnston, SC 29832
POWER
While power companies attempt to restore power, having main power shut off at the house, with lines connected to a house, which were taken down by a tree, would help with tree removal and power line issues.
Once power is restored, please leave your front porch lights on which shows utility workers that power has been restored.
Candles - Place candles in safe holders away from anything that could catch fire. Never leave a burning candle unattended.
Wednesday Morning (October 2) Update from Aiken Electric Co-Op & Dominion Energy provided by our local legislative delegation:
AEC’s outage management system is up and running.
There currently have 22,757 meters without power. There are 140 AEC employees and 50 fiber contractors reconnecting members. Additionally, 340 contractors are working on the Co-Op system and another 100 arrive tomorrow. This weekend, the total number of contractors working to restore power should be 600.
Dominion reports that in Aiken County they have restored service to 26,000 customers with 34,000 still without power. Dominion says there should be a lot more connections made today.
Dominion Energy
o Power Outage: 888-333-4465
o Downed Lines: 888-333-4465
o Gas Leaks: 800-815-0083
Aiken Electric Co-Op: 877-264-5368
DRIVING
With many traffic signals remaining with no power, please treat those intersections same as a four way STOP intersection.
CHARGING STATIONS/SHOWERS
(please bring your own toiletries/towels)
YMCA – Aiken & North Augusta
• 621 Trolley Line RD, Graniteville, SC 29829
• 401 W Martintown RD Suite 111, North Augusta, SC 29841
CHARGING STATIONS/ICE
SRP Park will have charging stations set up by our main gate. At 3pm we will begin distributing ice, 1 10lb bag per person, until we once again run out.
COMMUNITY EVENT
This Thursday, October 3rd, from 3:30 - 6:30 p.m., Cedar Creek Church is hosting a Family Hangout at the Banks Mill Campus of Cedar Creek Church. This will be a time for all families to connect, play games, enjoy each other’s company. Snacks, drinks, and charging stations will be available, and the worship center will be open for anyone seeking quiet time for prayer or meditation
A heartfelt thank you to everyone who participated in our Bring Your pet to Class spirit day! Your enthusiasm and the adorable pets you introduced made our English class truly special and memorable.
Are you looking to boost your (P)SAT/ACT score? Come join Tim Anderson for a workshop on Tuesday, October 1st, and discover the success that thousands of his students across the world have experienced. This intensive workshop will cover the content of the tests’ Math, Reading, and Writing & Language tests as well as overall test-taking strategy/process.
Don’t pass on this opportunity… register today! Simply contact your school's guidance office. Thanks to ACPSD, this class is FREE!
Aiken INNOVATE celebrates National Hispanic Heritage Month.
Justice Sonia Sotomayor is an Associate Justice of the US Supreme Court, appointed by resident Barack Obama in 2009. She is the first Latina and third woman to serve on the Supreme Court. She is known for her advocacy for criminal justice reform and defense of civil rights. Prior to her Supreme Court appointment, Sotomayor served as a judge on the US Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit and as a US District Court Judge for the Southern District of New York.
