Student Support Services
Food
A varied, healthy, “kid friendly” hot lunch menu is available to students each school day. They may also choose to bring their own lunch and may supplement it with the purchase of snacks, and drinks. Special days with “make your own sundae” and other fun items also offer students a variety in the menu.
Health
The health office is staffed with diligent, professional, caring nurses who provide on site services for children. They perform annual screenings for vision, hearing, and scoliosis and record height and weight information for all students. The nursing staff oversees the medical needs of students and stays current with developing health issues.
Guidance
Classroom teachers, nursing staff, and administrators provide guidance and counsel for the students. Classroom teachers are available to address student needs with concern and compassion, referring them to nursing staff, administrators, and church staff when necessary.
Remedial
State funding provides professional support services for children needing assistance with academic basic skills, speech, and occupational therapy. Professional evaluation by a child study team is available to determine specific learning disabilities. Students qualify for assistance though teacher recommendation or through child study team referral. Services provided include compensatory education, supplemental instruction, in-class support, speech, and occupational therapy.
Transportation
School bus transportation to ACA is available through the local public school districts in Ocean County at no additional cost. ACA students share busing with students from a local parochial school. ACA’s own school bus is available for class trips and sports events.
Field trips
Field trips reflect the classroom academic focus. Students look forward to special trips at each grade level such as the Middle School fall retreat, 6th grade trip to Medieval Times, and the 8th grade year-end class trip to Colonial Williamsburg in Virginia. Elementary students enjoy local trips to parks, farms, plays, museums, lighthouses, zoos, and the safari park.
Communication
Frequent communication comes in the form of weekly classroom newsletters; the bi monthly school newsletter entitled the “LINK”, and e-mails. The school’s website www.ambassadorchristian.org gives important information about school calendar events, sports, special events and also has a link for each classroom page and a copy of the administrator’s current “LINK”. Teachers may be contacted through notes, phone messages through the school office or through personal e-mail listed on the school’s website. Parents are always welcome to make appointments to meet with with teachers and administrators. Parent –teacher conferences are scheduled throughout the school year and parents are encouraged to take advantage of these scheduled opportunities to discuss student progress. The ACA school community is kept informed of weather related schedule changes and emergency issues through an automated telephone system that relays important messages in minutes.