North Aiken Elementary

Today, we were honored to celebrate our veterans at North Aiken Elementary School’s Veterans Day Assembly. A heartfelt thank you to all who have served – your sacrifice and dedication mean the world to us. We were also thrilled to showcase the talents of our new school choir and our amazing dance club, who both gave incredible performances to honor our heroes. Thank you to everyone who made this event so special!

Congratulations to all of our recipients and nominees for the 24-25 school year! Ms. Ja’kima Carter-Teacher of the Year Mr. Jalen Dugar- First Year Teacher of the Year Mrs. Lakesha Baxley- G.E.M. A very special thank you to the families of the recipients for helping to make today even more special!

Due to extensive rainfall that’s flooded, washed out, and led to road closures across our county, Aiken County Public Schools will operate on a two-hour delayed schedule tomorrow, Thursday, November 7. All schools and offices will open on a two-hour delay. Due to the delayed start, only lunch will be served tomorrow in our cafeterias. Students on half-day schedules, including Early Learning Special Education students and others, will not come to school tomorrow as buses will be unable to make mid-day routes. The Aiken County Career Center will not have morning classes. Students will report to their high school on a two-hour delay. Rainfall is expected throughout the night and into tomorrow. Please use extreme caution when traveling to school and work. If you encounter flooded roadways, please turn around. The safety of our students, staff, and families is most important.

🚨 Canned Food Drive: A Chance to Give Back and Earn House Points! 🚨 The School House of Altruismo is excited to launch our Canned Food Drive, running now through November 26th! 🥫✨ Help us make a difference in our community by donating non-perishable food items, and earn House Points for your school house! 🏆 Prizes for the Top Houses: 1st Place: 20 House Points 2nd Place: 15 House Points 3rd Place: 10 House Points 4th Place: 5 House Points What to Donate: Canned vegetables Canned soups and stews Canned beans 🫘 Canned fruits Boxed pasta & rice Canned meats (chicken, tuna, etc.) Canned chili Drop off your donations in the collection bins located at the top of the halls. Every donation helps, no matter how big or small, and will bring us closer to our goal of helping those in need! Let’s show the power of giving and make this drive a huge success. Remember, the more you donate, the more House Points your house can earn. Let’s see which house can show the most compassion and generosity! PDF of flyer here: https://5il.co/30p3d PDF of flyer in Spanish: https://5il.co/30p36 #CannedFoodDrive #GiveBack #HouseOfAltruismo #HousePoints #CommunitySupport

ONE POINT ABOUT THE ONE % TODAY IS ELECTION DAY! PLEASE BE SURE TO VOTE! Polls are open from 7 a.m.-7 p.m. on election day. To find your voting location, please visit www.scvotes.org. For more Penny Tax Facts, visit www.acpsd.net/OneCent.

ONE POINT ABOUT THE ONE % ON ELECTION DAY (TOMORROW, TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 5), AIKEN COUNTY VOTERS WILL SEE TWO QUESTIONS ON THE BALLOT FOR THE EDUCATION CAPITAL IMPROVEMENTS SALES AND USE TAX. One asks voters if they are in favor of the renewal of the tax and lists the projects and contingency projects that a renewal would directly benefit. The other is only valid only if the sales tax is approved and asks voters if they are in favor of authorizing the district to bond part of the projected revenue to jump start the projects and begin improvements right away (instead of waiting for one cent sales tax funds to accumulate before beginning improvements). For more Penny Tax Facts, visit www.acpsd.net/OneCent.

ONE POINT ABOUT THE ONE % IF THE ONE CENT SALES TAX IS NOT VOTER-APPROVED IN 2024, IT WILL BE TWO YEARS BEFORE THE ONE CENT SALES TAX CAN APPEAR AGAIN ON THE BALLOT. The Sales Tax question may only appear on the ballot in a general election. Should the tax not pass by majority vote in 2024, it will be November 2026 before the One Cent Sales Tax appears again on the ballot. If the tax were renewed, over those two years $75 million in funding would have been dedicated to school facilities. For more Penny Tax Facts, visit www.acpsd.net/OneCent.

ONE POINT ABOUT THE ONE % IF RENEWED, THE ONE CENT IN 2024 IS PROJECTED TO AMASS $398 MILLION OVER ITS 10-YEAR COLLECTION PERIOD. In Aiken County, 90% of sales tax funds are dedicated to school projects and 10% to property tax relief, which totals an estimated $358M to the school facility projects. If approved by voters, up to $285M of the projected revenue could be bonded to advance or “jump start” the projects (instead of waiting for taxes to accumulate before improvements begin). For more Penny Tax Facts, visit www.acpsd.net/OneCent.

ONE POINT ABOUT THE ONE % A THIRD OF THE ONE CENT SALES TAX IS ESTIMATED TO BE GENERATED BY NON-RESIDENTS. When individuals visit Aiken County and make purchases, their contribution to overall sales tax revenues is estimated to generate around a third of the total collected. If approved, visitors to the county contribute to Aiken County’s school facility improvements, as well as a property tax reduction for Aiken County homeowners. For more Penny Tax Facts, visit www.acpsd.net/OneCent.

ONE POINT ABOUT THE ONE % UNPREPARED FOODS, GAS, AND MOST MEDICATIONS ARE EXEMPT FROM THE ONE CENT SALES TAX. If renewed by voters on November 5, the One Cent Educational Capital Sales and Use Tax would result in a continuation of the One Percent Sales Tax on most purchases (one cent/dollar) in Aiken County. There are numerous exemptions to the tax, which are listed include in South Carolina’s Code of Laws, Section 12-36-2120. Among the exemptions are unprepared foods, gasoline, and most medications. For more Penny Tax Facts, visit www.acpsd.net/OneCent.

Parents and Guardians: Please note that there is no school for students Monday, November 4, due to a District Professional Development Day for teachers. Tuesday, November 5, is Election Day and all ACPSD schools and offices will be closed. We hope that everyone eligible to vote will exercise their right on Tuesday. Polls will be open from 7 a.m. until 7 p.m. As a reminder, the One Cent Sales Tax benefitting our public school facilities will be on the ballot. For additional information on the Sales Tax and the school facility improvements that a renewal of the tax would directly benefit, please visit www.acpsd.net/OneCent. Don't forget daylight saving time ends this weekend., and we'll "fall back" an hour on Sunday, November 3. Wishing everyone a great long weekend as we look forward to welcoming students back to school on Wednesday, November 6.

ONE POINT ABOUT THE ONE % IF THE ONE CENT SALES TAX IS VOTER-APPROVED FOR A RENEWAL, A NEW ELEMENTARY SCHOOL WILL BE BUILT IN AREA THREE. Space for elementary school students in Area Three, the fastest-growing area of our county, is limited. Many students in Midland Valley and Graniteville schools are already in portable classrooms. To accommodate this growth, a new elementary school in Area Three is among the list of projects that a 2024 One Cent Sales Tax renewal would support. For more Penny Tax Facts, visit www.acpsd.net/OneCent.

ONE POINT ABOUT THE ONE % CONTINGENCY PROJECTS WILL ALSO APPEAR ON THE BALLOT AND INCLUDE ROOFING, SECURITY VESTIBULES AND DOOR LOCK UPGRADES AT SCHOOLS ACROSS THE DISTRICT, CLASSROOM ADDITIONS AT BYRD AND GLOVERVILLE ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS, AND REPLACEMENT OF GREENDALE ELEMENTARY. In addition to the five primary projects voters will see on their ballot, several contingency projects are also listed that will be undertaken once primary projects are completed (or if all funding necessary for completion of the primary projects has been provided) and if additional tax revenue is available. Sales Tax funding is limited to the projects specified on the ballot and approved by voters. 2024 contingencies represent additional projects that are high priority For more Penny Tax Facts, visit www.acpsd.net/OneCent.

We had an extraordinary day at North Aiken today! Students and teachers taught each other all kinds of words for our vocabulary day parade! We loved seeing the creativity of our school and loved learning all kinds of new words!

ONE POINT ABOUT THE ONE % NORTH AUGUSTA MIDDLE (NAMS), CONSTRUCTED IN 1954, IS THE OLDEST SCHOOL AMONG THE LIST OF PROJECTS THAT A 2024 RENEWAL OF THE ONE CENT SALES WOULD BENEFIT. Window air conditioning and heating units and metal-lined walls make indoor temperature control of this 1950s-era school (built without central heating and air) a challenge. At NAMS, the roof is leaking, doors are no longer fully shutting, and walkways and entrances to areas of the school built below grade flood on rainy days.. Part of the school was renovated previously and includes the cafeteria, science and music wing. If approved by voters, the recently updated areas are all that would remain. The original 1954 structure would be demolished, and a new, secure entryway, admin and classroom wing, media center, and gymnasium would be constructed. For more Penny Tax Facts, visit www.acpsd.net/OneCent.

Our students shine bright, too bright for drugs for Red Ribbon Week! We can't wait to see everyone dressed up for our final day tomorrow! We know our scholars have a stellar vocabulary and we can't wait to learn more words tomorrow!

ONE POINT ABOUT THE ONE % FIVE OF EIGHT OF THE COUNTY’S HIGH SCHOOLS HAVE BEEN RECENTLY UPDATED OR REBUILT, A SALES TAX RENEWAL IN 2024 WOULD ADDRESS THE REMAINING THREE. South Aiken High, Silver Bluff High, and Midland Valley High were each built in 1980. At the time of the One Cent Sales Tax in 2014, they were referred to as the district’s “new” high schools. Improvements at those campuses, if approved by voters, include secure, welcoming entrances, updated athletic facilities, purpose-built classrooms for culinary arts and other CTE courses, and more. For more Penny Tax Facts, visit www.acpsd.net/OneCent.

Red Ribbon Weeks continues at North Aiken! Thanks to those of you who dressed up on Monday and Tuesday!

ONE POINT ABOUT THE ONE % THE SCHOOL DISTRICT WILL HOST A LIVE INFORMATIONAL MEETING ABOUT THE SALES TAX ON OCTOBER 29 AT 6PM. ACPSD has engaged in an effort to educate the community about the One Cent Sales Tax, and has shared information in a series of meetings held throughout the county over several months. A virtual meeting will be held this evening, Tuesday, October 29, 2024, at 6PM. Join at www.acpsd.net/OneCent.

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.