Good morning, NEMS Families! Just a reminder about Walk Your Schedule on July 17 from 3-6 pm. A slight update to our previous Walk Your Schedule post--we will have an orientation for 6th grade NEMS students from 5-6 pm. We are looking forward to seeing everyone on Thursday!
Parents and Guardians now is the time to schedule a well-visit or vaccine appointment with your child’s healthcare provider to avoid the back-to-school rush before the 2025-26 school year begins on July 21! The SC Department of Public Health is also offering a vaccine clinic for students in grades 5K–12 on July 8 from 9–11:30 a.m. and 1–3:30 p.m. at the Aiken County Health Department (222 Beaufort Street NE, Aiken). Call (803) 642-7543 to make an appointment and bring vaccination and insurance records; a parent or guardian must accompany children under 16. No-cost vaccines may be available, though administration fees may apply. Don’t forget to submit your child’s updated SC Immunization Certificate to their school and note that all rising 7th graders must have a Tdap booster given at age 10 or older. Contact your child’s healthcare provider or school nurse with any questions and visit acpsd.net/page/nursing-services for more information.
Aiken County Public School District’s full-time virtual program, Aiken iNNOVATE, is now accepting applications for the 2025–2026 school year. If you or your student are currently in 5th grade or higher and interested in a flexible, innovative learning environment, now is the time to apply. Aiken iNNOVATE offers a 100% virtual experience with certified ACPSD teachers and curriculum, providing students in grades 6–12 the opportunity to learn from anywhere while staying connected to their school community. To apply, visit www.acpsd.net/ai. If you have any questions, feel free to email Ai@acpsd.net. Don’t miss this opportunity to take charge of your education through Aiken iNNOVATE. Spots are limited.
The Seamless Summer Meal Program returns for Summer 2025! The ACPSD Child Nutrition Program will be offering nutritious meals at no cost for children aged 18 and under, as well as for individuals with disabilities up to age 21. Meals will be served Monday through Thursday from June 2 to June 26, 2025.
See flyer for more details!
SC Ready Testing starts next week. It's important that students arrive to school on time with technology (laptop and charger) and are present for each testing day.
NEMS Awards Day will be Wednesday, May 28. The 8th Grade ceremony will be held at 9:00 AM and the 6th and 7th Grade ceremony will take place at 1 PM. Parents and guardians are warmly invited to attend!!
The 6th, 7th, and 8th Grade NEMS Band invites you to their Spring Concert on Tuesday, April 22 at 6:00 PM in the NEMS Gym. Come support our talented musicians as they showcase their hard work and passion! The Book Fair will also be open during that time so you can browse and shop for books, too!!
Get ready—the Scholastic Book Fair is coming to our school April 21-25! Scan the QR code or go to https://www.scholastic.com/bf/newellentonmiddleschool to visit our School’s Book Fair homepage. You can set up an Ewallet and shop for books! Happy Reading!!
Come join us at Aiken High School May 8th from 5:00-7:00 PM for MLP Registration Night to register your child/children for the 2025-2026 school year!! Spanish translators will be available.
Congratulations to our Q3 Honor Roll students!! Your hard work and dedication have paid off. Keep striving for excellence!!
NEMS STEAM Literacy Night is Wednesday, March 26 from 5:30 PM to 7:00 PM
Come enjoy fun and interactive STEAM Literacy sessions and learn more about NEMS!! Rising 6th graders are welcome!! Scan the QR code or click on link to register: https://forms.gle/mKC23aYa9w4g4hTA6
Tomorrow, Wednesday, March 5, there is a threat of severe weather with wind gusts in the morning forecasted to exceed 40 mph. This wind speed exceeds the threshold allowed for school buses to be on roadways. This wind event will result in a need to shift to e-learning tomorrow.
Employees should plan to report to their work location on a two-hour delayed start, with no building or office opening before 10 a.m.
Afterschool extracurricular practices, games, and events will continue tomorrow as scheduled. There will be no QuestZone tomorrow.
We apologize for the challenges that this will cause our families and appreciate your continued cooperation and support!
During Spring Intersession, the week of March 31-April 3, a limited number of spots are available for this year’s Fine Arts Camp, Lego Wars, for students in grades 6-8.
Fine Arts Camp will be held at Highland Springs Middle School Monday-Thursday from 8:30 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. Students will be immersed in creativity, the engineering design process, and project design while developing architectural skills to build a strong Lego structure.
Registration opens Monday, March 3, at 6 p.m. for ACPSD middle school students and is offered on a first come-first served basis. Please note that due to space limitations, only the first 30 students to apply will be accepted. Once the application window opens, parents/guardians can apply by scanning the QR Code or visiting https://forms.office.com/r/zJ7pj8gvYh.
Breakfast and lunch will be provided each day of camp, Monday-Thursday, March 31-April 3, however students’ families will be responsible for their own transportation to Highland Springs Middle.
Please contact Dr. Kimberly Fontanez, District Fine Arts Coordinator, at kfontanez@acpsd.net with any questions.
This week, March 3-7, is Read Across America Week!! NEMS students are encouraged to participate by dressing up each day!!
Do you have what it takes to build the ultimate Lego Activity Center? Join us and show off your creativity, engineering skills, and competitive spirit! Any 6th - 8th grader is invited to attend March 31 to April 3 at Highland Springs Middle School.
Aiken County Public Schools will return to in-person learning and work tomorrow, Friday, January 24; in an abundance of caution, all schools and offices will begin the day on a two-hour delayed start.
In preparation for a decision on tomorrow’s operations, our leaders have driven hundreds of miles across the county. Daytime temperatures are beginning to increase, melting snow and drying most roadways. However, it would not be possible to investigate each and every road that families and employees may travel tomorrow, and there are possibly secondary roads and well-shaded dirt roads that may remain unsuitable for travel.
Please use additional caution when traveling to school and work tomorrow, avoiding less-travelled secondary routes, where possible. The safety of our students, staff, and families is of most importance; please reach out to school leadership with any concerns. Families in our more rural areas, please stay tuned for possible school bus pickup location changes that may be necessary.
Important Details for tomorrow:
• Student Meals: With the delayed start schedule, only lunch will be served tomorrow in our cafeterias.
• Half-Day & Partial-Day Programs: Students on half-day and partial-day schedules, including Early Learning Special Education students, are encouraged to attend school if possible, however school bus transportation will not be available 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.
• After-School Activities: Afterschool care through QuestZone will be held tomorrow, as well as other activities planned for after school hours if scheduled by event organizers, club sponsors, coaches, etc.
• Aiken County Career and Technology Center: Morning session students should report to their high schools. The afternoon session will continue as planned.
We look forward to welcoming everyone back in-person tomorrow. Thank you for your patience and flexibility!
ACPSD E-Learning/Remote Workday Thursday, January 23
We hope you’ve had an opportunity to enjoy the snow and that the assignments for e-learning today have been worthwhile practice. In collaboration with local Emergency Management officials, district administration is monitoring the impact of Winter Storm Enzo. Based on current conditions of significant snowfall accumulation in many areas and predicted freezing temperatures overnight, Aiken County Public Schools will continue in an e-learning format tomorrow, Thursday, January 23.
With travel concerns for students and families, as well as teachers and staff, tomorrow will also be a remote workday for employees. Just like today, teachers will be available for student questions and support with e-learning assignments.
We apologize for the disruption that continued e-learning tomorrow may cause, and appreciate your support and understanding.
The safety of travel conditions will be reevaluated mid-day tomorrow with the hopes that conditions will allow for a safe return to in-person learning for Friday. An update on our district’s operations for Friday, January 24, will be announced no later than 4 p.m. tomorrow.
Thank you again for your flexibility.
With snow expected across our county today and into tomorrow morning, all Aiken County Public Schools will transition to e-learning and a remote workday tomorrow, Wednesday, January 22.
Student e-learning will be available online, and our teachers are available for support. Should your student have any questions, difficulty, or need assistance with their e-learning assignments, please reach out.
While snowfall is not expected to continue beyond tomorrow morning, temperatures are predicted to remain well below freezing. Accumulating snowfall may impact our district’s operations for Thursday. A decision on operations for Thursday will be announced by 4 p.m. tomorrow, and will be made with the safety of all students, families, and employees at heart.
As always, we are grateful for the flexibility of our school community. Please be safe, and stay warm and tuned in to any further updates that Winter Storm Enzo may cause for our operations this week.
Our school district administrators are continuing to monitor Winter Storm Enzo alongside Emergency Management Officials. With the possibility of snow forecasted late tomorrow afternoon and into the evening hours, Aiken County Public Schools will operate on an Early Dismissal Schedule Tuesday, January 21, 2025.
Just as on Early Dismissal Days, elementary school students will dismiss at 11:30 a.m., middle school students at 12:10 p.m., and high school students at 12:30 p.m. Breakfast and lunch will be served prior to dismissal.
Early dismissal times are slightly different for Aiken Scholars Academy, as well as our schools in the Wagener and Ridge-Spring areas. Ridge Spring-Monetta and Busbee Elementary dismissal is at 11:55 a.m., A.L. Corbett Middle, Wagener-Salley High, and Aiken Scholars Academy dismiss at noon, and Ridge Spring-Monetta Middle and High dismissal is at 12:15 and 12:20 p.m., respectively. The Center for Innovative Learning (CIL) will dismiss at 1:30 p.m.
Students on half-day schedules who require bus transportation, including Early Learning Special Education students and others, will not come to school tomorrow as buses will be unable to make mid-day routes.
Afternoon classes at the Aiken County Career and Technology Center will not be held. Students enrolled in an afternoon class at the Career Center will remain at their high school.
There will be no after-school care tomorrow through QuestZone and no events to include athletics, arts, clubs, etc. will be held tomorrow afternoon or evening.
All schools and offices will also close early tomorrow. The district’s offices will close no later than 2 p.m. with the Operations Center closing at 1:00 p.m.
While snowfall is not expected to continue into the day on Wednesday, temperatures are predicted to remain well below freezing during the morning and evening hours. Any accumulating snowfall may impact our district’s operations for Wednesday. A decision regarding Wednesday will be announced by Tuesday evening.
Thank you for your flexibility and cooperation as we adjust our operations when weather conditions require as part of our efforts to ensure safety.
Please be safe, bundle up, and tune in for any further changes to our regular operations that Winter Storm Enzo may cause. We look forward to seeing our students and staff tomorrow morning.
Join the Junior Beta Club in supporting the Children’s Cancer Partners of South Carolina. You can participate in Kidz in Lids on January 24th by purchasing a $1 hat pass to wear your favorite hat all day in school.
By participating in Kidz in Lids, you'll help local children from our school district get to their cancer treatments. Your support ensures that mileage, gas, transportation, food, and lodging are covered while they are being treated far from home. Ms. Cannon will collect money Friday, January 24th.
