BETWEEN the LIONS
YOUR SOURCE FOR ACA NEWS
July 10, 2025
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Kindergarten Summertime Video Greeting
Table of Contents
Dear Asheville Christian Academy Community,
As I step into this new season of leadership, I do so with a heart full of gratitude and a deep love for this community. It is a privilege to serve as your Head of School, and I am eager to walk alongside you in the year ahead as we pursue Christ and His purposes for our students.
We hope this summer has been a time of rest, renewal, and sweet moments with family and friends. Whether you've been traveling, serving, working, or simply enjoying a slower rhythm, we pray these weeks have brought refreshment to your souls.
Believe it or not, we are just under six weeks away from welcoming students back to campus! The halls may be quiet now, but our team is already prayerfully preparing for the year ahead—tending to the details, making plans, and asking God to do more than we can imagine in the lives of our students this coming year.
I look forward to the days ahead—hearing laughter return to our classrooms, seeing the joy of friends reunited, and watching Christ’s love shape every corner of this campus. Until then, may the remainder of your summer be filled with peace, adventure, and a growing anticipation for all that God has in store.
With gratitude and expectancy,
Jason Putnam
William Jason Putnam
Head of School
Upcoming Events.
Calendar navigation: hover cursor or tap phone to view event details. Use arrows to view next month.
Featured Events:
June 2 - August 14
Back-to-School Bash is August 15.
First day of school is August 19.
Summer Camps
Visit www.ashevillechristian.org/summer-camp for more information.
All School News
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Bus and Shuttle Service
We are excited to offer bus and shuttle service for the 2025-26 school year. The services are offered by semester and route.
The form link below is for parents who wish to reserve a seat for their child/ren every school day of the Fall 2025 semester.
Single day seats are offered via the School Pass app, when available,
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Keep Your Carline Tags
Please keep your carline tags as we plan to use them for the 2025-26 school year.
DO NOT THROW OUT!
You can always email the transportation email if you need a replacement or have questions.
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Summer Reading Books
Books from all levels of the Summer Reading Lists are available for just $5 each. Books can be purchased at the front desk all summer during office hours (9am -2pm).
Please refer to the links below for the 2025 reading lists:
2025 Lower School Reading List
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Lands' End Sale Ends Friday, July 18th
Save 10% On Orders
From now until July 18th school families can save 10% off orders. Order by July 18th for delivery prior to the beginning of school.
Promo Code: SCISSORSPin #: 5694
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Update the School Nurse this Summer!
Things to email to the school nurse over the summer:
1. Updated immunization records. NC immunization requirements may be found here: Immunization Requirements for K-12 Schools | Division of Public Health
2. Update to a student’s health and/or medications.
3. Updated medical forms such as Allergy Care Plans, Asthma Care Plans, Seizure Care Plans. All medical forms may be found here: Medication-Forms.pdf. Medical forms are good for one year. ACA cannot administer any medication to a student (prescription or over-the-counter) without a note from their healthcare provider.
Thank you!
Kristin Moyers BSN, RN
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Spirit Store Summer Hours
Mondays July 7th - August 18th, 1-3pm.
Friday, August 15th – New Family Orientation, 8:30-10:30am
Friday, August 15th – Back to School Bash, 12:30-3:30pm
August 19th & 20th – 7:45-8:30am & 11:45am-12:30pm
Did you know? You may turn in your gently used ACA CampusWear for donation or to receive store credit. You may then use the credit to purchase other gently used uniforms from the Spirit Store.
The process is simple:
1. Bring your laundered uniform pieces any time the school is open to the 2nd floor of the upper school, just outside the elevator. We have all the supplies you need.
2. Complete the Clothing for Credit Form (find a copy here).
3. Hang the clothes using the hangers provided and leave the form attached.
4. A volunteer will process your clothes and your store credit will be entered on our master family list in the Spirit Store in about a week.
Note: We are unable to give store credit for used t-shirts and PE uniforms. You may leave them for us to recycle in the bins provided or hand them down to another ACA family. We request that you NOT donate any ACA logoed clothing to local charities, as a matter of school safety.
If you have any questions, please contact us at thespiritstore@ashevillechristian.com.
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New Family Mentors Needed
The PTF New Family Mentor program creates a warm, welcoming environment for families joining our school community. Our mentors serve as friendly guides who help new families navigate school procedures, explain upcoming events, and provide a familiar face to connect with on campus. If you'd like to make a meaningful difference by becoming a New Family Mentor for the 2025-2026 school year, please email us by clicking below.
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School Supply Kit Orders
If you ordered School Supply Kits through The Write Stuff, they will be available for pick up in your child’s classroom/homeroom at the Back to School Bash.
We hope this service allows you to skip the lines and get ahead for 2025-26 school year.
Thank you for participating in this optional fundraiser for PTF.
Athletics & Fine Arts
Athletic News
Athletic Business Sponsorships
The ACA Department of Athletics will be setting up business sponsorship opportunities for the 2025-26 school year that include signage, game day announcements, team gear, etc. Contact Joe Johnson if interested.
Fall Sports Information
Tryout/Practice Start Date:
Varsity/Junior Varsity July 28 Parent Meeting Aug. 5, 5:15 pm ACA Gym
Middle School August 11 Parent Meeting Aug. 18, 5:15 pm location TBA
All athletes must have a completed physical exam and consent forms turned in to participate. Forms are available on the Parent Resources page of our website.
Sports physicals and permission forms must be completed and turned into Heidi Pieper, Athletic Trainer (heidi.pieper@ashevillechristian.org) before tryouts and practices begin.
Due to field construction, details on location, date and times will be available through team communication via Remind. Download the app to your cell phone or go online to remind.com and enter the appropriate code below to join the team communication and information stream.
Team Coach Email Remind Code
Cheer Kelli Hooper kelli.hooper@ashevillechristian.org @202526chee
Girls Tennis TBA @2025gten
MS Football George Johnson george.johnson@ashevillechristian.org @dgkage
JV Football George Johnson george.johnson@ashevillechristian.org @dake77
V Football George Johnson george.johnson@ashevillechristian.org @efe7h69
MS XC Lisa Gamble lisagamble22@yahoo.com @gheaf3a
V XC Francine Hill francine.hill@ashevillechristian.org @g6s28yx
MS Soc Brandon Hair brandonlhair@icloud.com @25mssoc
V Soc Brenton Benware brenton.benware@ashevillechristian.org @7ccg4
MS Volleyb Amanda Woods amanda.woods@ashevillechristian.org @acamsv
JV Volleyb Laurin Whitaker laurinwhitaker@outlook.com @33gg28
V Volleyb Torri Render torri.render@ashevillechristian.org @33gg28
Director of Athletics: Joe Johnson joe.johnson@ashevillechristian.org
Asst Director of Athletics: George Johnson george.johnson@ashevillechristian.org
All athletes must have a completed physical exam and consent forms turned in to participate. Forms are available on the Parent Resources page of our website.
Sports physicals and permission forms must be completed and turned into Heidi Pieper, Athletic Trainer (heidi.pieper@ashevillechristian.org) before tryouts and practices begin.
Fine Arts News
Fine Arts Summer Camps
Learn more about our fabulous fine arts summer camps being offered for rising 1st through 7th graders. It’s not too late to sign up!
Musical Theatre (2-week camp producing The Jungle Book Kids) - July 14-17
Creative Explorations - July 14-17
Upper School News
Upper School Freshmen (Class of 2029!) and New Student Laptop requirements:
• The laptop must be able to run the latest Windows or Mac OS.
• The laptop must be able to run the full version of the Microsoft Office Suite (Not just apps).
• The laptop must have a physical keyboard.
• The minimum screen size is 11.6 inches and above.
• The laptop should be able to record audio and video.
• The battery must last all-day. The battery life should have 6+ hours.
• The processor for Windows laptops must be an Intel Chipset Core I-series or AMD equivalent (Ryzen series).
• The processor for a MacBook must be an M series processor.
• The storage on the laptop must be at least 128 gigabytes of storage and a minimum of 4 gigabytes of RAM.
• Wireless adapter that supports standard 802.11ac or better
Note: iPads and Chromebooks are not approved devices. Depending on your student’s schedule, they will need to install the office suite, Adobe products, and Minecraft Education edition. These cannot be installed on iPads or Chromebooks.
If you have a question, don't hesitate to email techinfo@ashevillechristian.org. Questions about device issues, such as broken screens, battery issues, etc. will need to be handled by outside resources.
Save the Date!
New Upper School Student Orientation:
Monday, August 4th 9:00am-1:30pm
Guidance News
Rising Juniors and Seniors: SAT/ACT Test Prep at ACA
July 30-Aug 1, 2025
(Wed: 1-5:30, Thurs and Fri: 9am-6pm)
Use Coupon Code: GOLIONS for half off! $199 is the best deal out there for 20 hours of test prep!
Staff and faculty member children can attend for free! Contact Mrs. Boer if this applies to you.
Invite your friends to join you, no matter what school they attend!
ALL FAMILIES:
Did you know that the Guidance Dept focuses on specific themes each year that are derived from our mission statement?
The ACA College Guidance Office, in conjunction with school administrators, faculty, and parents,
engages with students to explore their God-given abilities and dreams,
reviews the impact of their current choices on their future opportunities,
and presents essential information regarding college and career selection,
encouraging congruence between faith and life to be enabled to serve Christ in all areas.
Freshman Year: High School Transition and Initial Dreams
Sophomore Year: College and Career Orientation
Junior Year: College and Career In-depth Exploration
Senior Year: College Applications and Selection (or other plans)
Lower School News
CITIZENSHIP AWARD!
The Citizenship Award is the highest award given to a boy and girl in the Lower School. The award is based upon Christian characteristics, including the qualities of dependability, cooperation, sincerity, and spiritual maturity. Students must also demonstrate strengths in their academic endeavors. The Citizenship Award exemplifies what we want to see developing in an ACA Lower School Student. Congratulations Ainsley Rowe and Lawson Harrell, this past year’s recipients of the Lower School Citizenship Award!
THANK YOU!
The Lower School faculty and staff want to say thank you so much for all the prayers, support and love expressed to us throughout this past school year. What a blessing you are to all of us! We so appreciate your thoughtfulness shown through gifts, cards, flowers, and food. You made us feel so loved and appreciated. Most importantly, we appreciate how you continually pray for us. It has been a privilege to partner with each of you throughout the year. Hope you are having a wonderful summer!
DON’T FORGET SUMMER READING!
Information regarding Lower School Summer Reading requirements is available through this issue of Between the Lions, or on the school website. All rising first through fifth grade students need to complete this required reading.
CLASS PLACEMENT
I know everyone is anxiously awaiting their child’s class placement for the upcoming school year. Please know that much prayer goes into these decisions throughout the summer months. Therefore, class placements will be mailed to rising 1st – 5th grade students in early August. We will also have class list information available at our New Family Orientation and Back-to-School Bash. We are already looking forward to another great year in Lower School!
SAVE THE DATE - PARENT NIGHT!
Parents, please join us for Lower School Parent Night on Thursday, August 28 at 6 pm. This night is intended for parents only of PreK through grade 5 students. We will begin the evening with a brief meeting in the auditorium at 6:00 pm followed by the opportunity to visit your child’s classroom. This is one of our most important evening activities, as you will learn more about the ministry of ACA, your child’s teacher, and expectations for the upcoming year. We look forward to seeing you!
Childcare will be available on a limited basis. More information will be coming in the next Between the Lions.
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