AoD is holding a Winter Coat Drive for students who need coats for the winter. Last year, we distributed around 300 coats to students in need. If you have any new or gently used coats you would like to donate, we are looking for sizes Youth Large - Adult XL. You can bring them to the AoD front office or Ms. E. Lewis's room.

Backpack Love is a program that benefits students in all Hall County schools, even some students here at AOD. Many families do not have enough money to provide all of the food their children need. This is especially true on the weekends when kids don’t have school breakfast and lunch to get them through the day. Through Backpack Love, these students are able to take a backpack full of food home with them for the weekend. The program has simply run out of food. We are holding a food drive to help Backpack Love. We can take any non-perishable food items in a can or bag. All you have to do is bring these items to your homeroom teachers. Be a part of something important! (This also counts toward your volunteer hours!)

Check out the 7th Grade DVA Syllabus for the 2nd 9 Weeks!

AoD Family Update

We have families that are trying to form carpools. If you need a carpool, please type your information into this Carpool Request Document as quickly as possible. Please check this document to see if you can help a family (7 hours volunteer time). We hate to lose students because of transportation.

Students are considered tardy after 8:20 am. Students arriving after 8:30 must be accompanied by a parent or guardian and checked in at the front door intercom.

We want to teach our kids proper online etiquette and safety and when it is appropriate to use their devices. Because of this, cell phones should be turned off and kept in pockets, purses, or backpacks while students are at school unless they have the teacher's permission to have them out. When a phone rings in class or a student uses the phone (and/or earbuds, etc.) without permission, the phone is taken by the teacher, labeled with the student’s name and delivered by the teacher to the main office where it is stored in our vault until a parent or guardian can pick the device up. Please know that our intent is not to inconvenience our families, but to provide our students undistracted opportunities to learn in a safe and orderly environment free from unnecessary distractions.

If your child knows that they will be absent ahead of time (for example, on vacation), please have them tell each teacher at least 2 days before they leave so that we can communicate what they will miss. While some of their assignments can be seen online, everything cannot. Being voluntarily absent for several days without letting teachers know makes the return stressful for both the student and the teacher. (This is not talking about illness related absences; we realize no one plans ahead for those types of absences.) As a reminder, absences for vacations or family trips are considered unexcused.