Arts & Communication
Magnet Academy
School Learning Plan
Our Story:
As we begin the 2022-2023 school year the energy at ACMA is positive and hopeful. The ongoing pandemic that kept us away from in person instruction for more than a year, the move to a new campus, and the reality of students returning to school after the trauma of the past year and a half, all contributed to a school year more challenging than most. This year we start again fresh, better able to set the tone early and purposefully build and nourish community in a way we believe will benefit students, staff, and families.
Students choose to come to ACMA because of creative interests and our way through the challenges, heightened emotions, and uncertainty is a creative one. By focusing on our mission statement (as dramatic as it may read) we believe that we can return to school with purpose, passion, and possibility.
“Arts & Communication Magnet Academy’s innovative educational community engages all students and staff in achieving academic and artistic excellence. We ignite the human need to create and question by honoring both the unique characteristics and the interdependence of all disciplines of study, while weaving a rich collaborative tapestry of experience.”
Communication is the other tentpole in our school’s name and To meet the challenges of the past three years we’ve stepped up our communication, embraced technology, and found new ways to connect, create, and collaborate. Our students and families have noticed and appreciated this communication and we continue to do our best to improve, use all available tools, and reach our school community with the information (and reassurance) they need.
Our ACMA spirit is inherently one of relationship building, and meaningful connections manifest themselves in a high graduation rate and (based on the surveys we do every year) students who report that they feel safe, valued, and have adults they can trust and talk with. We have work to do, but that work will be built on a solid foundation.
Once again, a major focus for ACMA in 2022-2023 is our work on Anti-Racism. This will be in the forefront of our professional development and will also extend to our students, including the expansion of our ACMA Student Equity Team, a collection of students from our various groups such as our Black Student Union, who meet regularly to discuss race and equity at our school, plan events, and inform decisions around how we as a school can move forward honoring, supporting, and celebrating every student. Last year we added a Parent Equity Team, which we will continue to grow with monthly meetings and connections with our Student Equity Team and Staff Equity Team. One specific way in which we will engage in ABAR work is in the implementation of our Senate Bill 13, and that work is reflected in our equity goal.
What this year will look like in a quarter, or a month, or maybe even a week is still a question mark; we know that change is the water in which we swim. This being so, at ACMA we are doing our best to embrace what ACMA alum and professional artist Peter Han told our National Arts Honor Society when he came to speak to them about building a life in the arts: “The key word is adaptation” We’re adapting, artistically.
Date of Last Revision: Fall 2022
District Goal: WE empower all students to achieve post-high school success.
WE Expect Excellence
- WE teach students knowledge and skills for our evolving world.
- WE seek, support, and recognize world-class employees.
WE Innovate
- WE engage students with a variety of relevant and challenging learning experiences.
- WE create learning environments that promote student achievement.
WE Embrace Equity
- WE build honest, safe, and inclusive relationships with our diverse students and their families.
- WE provide needed support so that every student succeeds.
WE Collaborate
- WE work and learn in teams to understand student needs and improve learning outcomes.
- WE partner with our community to educate and serve students.