Blog

Chattahoochee First Baptist Egg Hunt

Jen — Sun, 08 Apr 2012 03:24:00 +0000

We had a great time this weekend at the Chattahoochee First Baptist Church Easter Egg Hunt, held at the Whittier Mill Village Park. We had some amazing weather and the event was really fun with pony rides, the Easter Bunny, and of course plenty of eggs for everyone! Thanks to those of you who came by the WACS table for your enthusiasm, supportive comments, and petition signatures! It's great to hear so many people say, "I've heard about what you guys are doing..." - let's keep getting the word out there about Westside Atlanta Charter School!

Thanks for Eatin Chikin!

Jen — Fri, 30 Mar 2012 19:47:58 +0000

Thanks to all who came out last Wednesday for the Westside Atlanta Charter School (WACS) Spirit Night at the Chick-Fil-A on Howell Mill Road! We had a great turnout and continued to build momentum and spread the word about WACS, plus raised some funds for our school! Thanks also to John and Brandi Diamond, Mel, Pierre, and the entire staff at Chick-Fil-A for their support of WACS over the last few months!

Westside Atlanta Charter School T-Shirt Available

Jen — Fri, 23 Mar 2012 00:46:59 +0000

Support WACS by purchasing your very own Westside Atlanta Charter School t-shirt! Shirts are a "natural" color and are available in adult S, M, L, and XL sizes.

To order simply make a donation of $12 or more per shirt to Westside Atlanta Charter School using Paypal and email your size request and mailing address to wacsch@gmail.com. Order enough for the whole family! Shipping cost is included.

Caroline Herring Concert = A Reading Explosion!

Jen — Wed, 29 Feb 2012 03:59:47 +0000

Thanks to all who attended this past Saturday's concert! And thanks to CCNA, the Atlanta Speech School, Chick-Fil-A, and all of the vounteers who helped to make this event a huge success! We had around 200 people in attendance. If you weren't there, here's what you missed:

- Caroline performed a kid-friendly, interactive, set of songs based on Virginia Lee Burton's book, The Little House.

*** Click to view recorded video of songs, "House on Wheels" and "The Little House" on You Tube. ***

*** Click to view video of Board Chair Terrell Gilbert describing two of the core values of the Westside Atlanta Charter School, literacy and diversity. ***

- A delicious Chick-Fil-A lunch lunch was provided to all attendees.

- Childcare was provided while around 40 parents attended a literacy workshop presented by Rollins Center educators from the Atlanta Speech School. Attendees received door prizes, free Chick-Fil-A coupons, free children's books, and supplemental educational materials.

WACS Board Chair Terrell Gilbert introduces Caroline Westsiders of all shapes and sizes enjoyed a fun and enriching time together!

10:30am Feb 25th, 2012 Free Kid's Concert

Jen — Sun, 19 Feb 2012 03:57:00 +0000

Event to be held at Springfield Missionary Baptist Church, 1730 Hollywoody Road in Atlanta, GA 30318. View flyer.

Live music by artist Caroline Herring, free Chick-Fil-A, door prizes, parent's literacy workship.

Show your support for the Westside Atlanta Charter School by attending this important event which we are sponsoring along with the Rollins Center for Language and Learning at the Atlanta Speech School and the Community Building Coalition of Northwest Atlanta (CCNA).

Walton Family Foundation Grant Application

Jen — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 18:20:00 +0000

After many late nights and group meetings we turned in our Walton Foundation grant application today! The planning grant, if awarded, could be $30,000. These funds would be utilized to hire professionals to review our 2012 charter petition that will be submitted to Atlanta Public Schools, to market the Westside Atlanta Charter School Brand through online and traditional media and door-to-door efforts, to secure necessary training for the planning board, and to procure a fundraising feasibility study.

The Walton Family Foundation is a strong supporter of charter schools and Atlanta is one of its focus areas. The Foundation offers even larger startup grants for approved charter schools, and so we look forward to an on-going relationship! Thanks to Hannah Heck for leading the charge and the Georgia Charter Schools Association for all of your guidance!

Fundraising

Jen — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 18:36:31 +0000

We're now able to accept donations via paypal or credit card! If you're considering a charitable donation of goods/services or money to WACS please know that we have applied for 501c3 status and as such donations are tax deductible. You'll receive a receipt through the Paypal service electronically, or via postal mail if the donation is sent to our post office box.

As of this blog entry date our financial needs for Westside Atlanta Charter School primarily revolve around purchasing promotional materials and funding community events to get the word out on the Westside. We've also begun a capital and operational campaign which will fund renovation and startup expenses. We're corresponding with various education-oriented Foundations such as the Walton Foundation, in addition to local Atlanta corporations and foundations. If you're contemplating a donation to WACS and want to discuss further please contact us via email at info@wacs.us.

YMCA Kid's Christmas Party

Jen — Thu, 15 Dec 2011 06:27:39 +0000

WACS volunteers had a great time at the Carl E.Sander's YMCA Kid's Christmas Party on December 10th. This YMCA serves the 30318 zip code (where potential WACS parents and students live) and offers amazing facilities and services ranging from tennis to weights to indoor and outdoor pools, along with babysitting (while parents work out) and summer camp programs. We worked with young people at the Christmas party to create marshmallow snowflakes, and talked with parents about the vision for WACS. Thanks to everyone who signed our petition at the event!

You can make your very own marshmallow snowflake with miniature and large marshmallows and toothpicks. Place a large marshmallow flat side down in the center of the work space. Stick six toothpicks around the sides of the large marshmallow equally spaced. Stick small marshmallows onto the toothpicks to create the spokes of the snowflake. These can be left out to dry over a few days, then string can be added to create ornaments.

Marshmallow snowflakes are tasty!

Brother, sister bonding time at the WACS table

WACS Board / Planning Team Monthly Meetings

Jen — Fri, 11 Nov 2011 03:49:00 +0000

The WACS planning team holds monthly board meetings the second Thursday of each month at team member's houses on the Westside. The November 2011 meeting was in West Highlands and the December 2011 meeting will be in Grove Park. These meetings are a great chance to learn about WACS and to meet other planning team members who live on the Westside. It's also a great way to get involved in the charter school planning process which will culminate with petition submittal April 2012. Meetings are open to everyone! Email wacsch@gmail.com to find out the location of the next meeting. Join us!

CCNA Fall Festival

Jen — Sun, 09 Oct 2011 02:04:00 +0000

The Community Building Coalition of Northwest Atlanta, CCNA (https://sites.google.com/site/ccnatlanta/), is an organization committed to supporting the revitalization of Northwest Atlanta by focusing on education, health servcies, and economic opportunity. CCNA is supported by Emory University, various local churches, and numerous volunteers. The CCNA Fall Festival was a great event that connected community residents to numerous health, education, and other service providers. It was also a lot of fun! WACS had a great time meeting many parents and children who were interested in bringing a public charter school to zip code 30318!

Local high school ROTC students help WACS Advisory Board member William Hill blow up balloons for children

Good times at the CCNA Fall Festival!