9/23/2024 Arcadia Update

Hello, Arcadia community!

The school year is off to a wonderful start! I feel so lucky to be a part of this community, working with such amazing students and their families! Thank you to all of you for being a part of it.

Here are the topics for this update:

1. Opening Expedition Recap and Social Contract

2. Homework Help

3. Drop off/pick up 

4. Influenza-like illness (ILI) and COVID Update

5. Upcoming Events

Opening Expedition Recap and the Social Contract

In case you missed it, one of our excellent social studies teachers and college and career counselor, Kelly DeShane, posted about the opening days on Facebook:

At Arcadia we believe in educating the “whole” student. We believe that student connections to each other, and to the staff, help them learn. So, each year, we spend time understanding some new aspect of civics and government and consider how these ideas connect with what we do, and why, at Arcadia. This year we held a four day opening expedition exploring the importance of “civil discourse.” During this four day period students met in grade level and in mixed grade groups and learned about civil discourse and developed a school wide social contract. Additionally, high school students put on skits for the middle school students to understand the student handbook.  Here are just a few of the pictures from the opening expedition week.

Arcadia’s high school students completed leadership training (this year’s topic was facilitating group decision-making and how to build consensus) and led the process of creating the 2024-2025 Student Social Contract, the guiding document for how we are going to be together this year as a community. Here are the statements that make up the contract:

I will show respect to others by creating a friendly, supportive environment that is safe for me and others to express ourselves.

I will guide my fellow Arcadians by being kind, patient, inclusive, equitable, and by offering help when needed.

I will keep an open mind and be flexible, handling disputes calmly and in a civil manner.

I will promote and maintain a quiet, clean, friendly and welcoming environment, and treat the school and its materials well.

I will follow Clause 23 of Magna Carta: No town or person shall be forced to build bridges over rivers except those with an ancient obligation to do so. 

**Note: No malicious use of spellcasting on school grounds. Spellcasting must be performed for good causes.

Note the shift from “we will” to “I will” at the beginning of the statements, which was a conscious choice on the students’ part to indicate that the contract reflects each individual’s commitment and responsibility to the community.

Clause 23 of Magna Carta has been a feature of the social contract since the first iteration of the opening expedition in 2021-2022, in which we discussed examples of social contracts and their implications. This clause was an example used in that first expeditionary inquiry to illustrate how social contracts reflect the issues that are important to the people in a community. 

Though the process is serious, and taken seriously, they often add a note at the end, just for fun. Last year, it was mini-fridges. This year, limiting spellcasting to only good things that build community. 

While we have the Student Handbook that names legally required rules everyone has to follow, the Student Social Contract is the document that we use on a day to day basis to shape our interactions and guide our community. Well done to the student body on this year’s process!

Homework Help

We are delighted to be bringing back homework help–starting today (Monday, 9/23/2024)! A huge thank you to Christine Honoré, who will be facilitating it!

Homework help will be held on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays after school from 2:45pm until 3:45pm. It is open to anyone who feels they will benefit from a designated work time in a quiet space, who wants help from an adult, or when collaboration is needed for specific assignments. There won’t be any bus service available at 3:45 so travel back home will have to be arranged by families.

We invite snack donations for homework help! We need shelf stable, individually portioned snacks, like granola bars, fruit snacks, chips, or crackers.

Fundraisers: Bake Sale and Gertens

A group of 8th grade students are working on raising money for rubber mats to put under the gaga ball pit to give it a more consistent surface throughout the year–many thanks to Eli and Ayansh for leading this effort as part of the Facilities Committee! We are also planning to put the pit in a more permanent location, since, along with foursquare, it is a popular Arcadia passtime. Thank you also to Bel, who, with her family’s support, built the pit as a project last year!

We often participate in the Gertens Winter Greens and Poinsettia fundraiser, since many people like the plants–and we are doing that again this year. The funds raised in the winter and spring Gertens fundraisers go toward student experiences, like field trips, arts residencies, and May Term.

To access the site and place an order:

1. Go to www.gertensfundraising.com

2. Enter the Store ID code provided into the text field and click ‘Enter ID to Continue’.

Store ID code for Arcadia Charter School: 43

Our site opens today, September 23rd, and closes at 10 PM on Thursday, October 24. Gertens will not accept any late orders past the deadline.

Drop Off/Pick Up

So far, drop off and pick up seem to be going well! Just a reminder that Arcadia does not provide any supervision prior to 7:50am; we cannot be responsible for students prior to 7:50am. Students should be dropped off between 7:50am and 8:02am. At the end of the day, students should be picked up between 2:42pm and 2:50pm. 

Please remember to drive to the END of the sidewalk to drop off and pick up in the (state required) loading and unloading zone. Do not drop off in front of the awning at any time. This way students aren’t walking across an area where cars may be moving. 

Also, please do not pass each other in the front horseshoe drive during drop off or pick up times. 

When a student is coming or going during the school day, please make sure that they are signing in and out. If you are picking up your student, it is important that a staff member in the building has been notified before they leave. If a student is ill, they need to go to the Health Office, and our Health Aide will call home if the student needs to go home.

Influenza-like Illness and COVID Update

Thank you to everyone for filling out the absence form when your child is staying home for any reason! Here is a link to the updated Absence Form. This is also available on the website under “Current Families” and “Report an Absence.”

If your child is sick with a respiratory virus (flu, COVID), here are guidelines from the CDC on when to return:

https://www.cdc.gov/respiratory-viruses/prevention/precautions-when-sick.html

We do have a few immunocompromised people in our community who need all of us to work together to keep them safe. If you do test positive for COVID, please continue to notify us so that we can help individuals make decisions about whether or not to come into the building. 

We also track something called the “influenza-like illness” rate. If more than 5% of our community is ill with an influenza-like illness (which includes COVID), we may send out a message recommending that people wear masks.

Upcoming Events

9/23, 4:30pm: Arcadia Policy Committee Meeting (online)

Meet link: https://meet.google.com/qrx-uoau-vqs 

Or dial: ‪(US) +1 812-777-8393‬ PIN: ‪462 247 632‬#

9/23-10/4: Gertens Fundraiser, www.gertensfundraising.com, Store ID: 43

9/25-9/27: Gaga Ball Pit Mats Fundraiser–Bake Sale

10/3, 5:30pm: Arcadia hosts the Chamber of Commerce Mayoral Candidate Forum

10/4: Quarter 1 Midterm (midterm grades published at 9:00am the morning of 10/8)

10/4-10/5: 8th-12th Grade Field Trip to the State Capitol and Minnesota History Center; 6th and 7th grade camping trip at Mille Lacs Indian Museum and Trading Post and Kathio State Park.

10/7, 4:30pm: Arcadia Policy Committee Meeting (online)

Meet link: https://meet.google.com/qrx-uoau-vqs

Or dial: ‪(US) +1 812-777-8393‬ PIN: ‪462 247 632‬#

10/10, 4:00pm: Arcadia Finance Committee Meeting (online)

Meet link: https://meet.google.com/vrq-jwqo-bvj

Or dial: ‪(US) +1 928-793-9155‬ PIN: ‪951 201 629‬#

10/15, 6:30pm: Arcadia School Board Meeting (in person and online)

Meet llink: https://meet.google.com/vat-dnbg-iwm

Or dial: ‪(US) +1 413-679-2819‬ PIN: ‪846 749 815‬#

10/17-10/18: Fall Break (no school)

10/21, 4:30: Arcadia Policy Committee Meeting

Meet link: https://meet.google.com/qrx-uoau-vqs

Or dial: ‪(US) +1 812-777-8393‬ PIN: ‪462 247 632‬#

10/23: PSAT at Northfield High School; MN Secretary of State Steve Simon visits Arcadia

10/24: All School Field Trip: Drawing Lessons at the Children’s Theater Company and Minneapolis Institute of Art

11/1: No School

11/4: Asynchronous Day (Asynchronous online school day–all students will need a device! Please let us know if your child will need to check one out from school or if you need help with internet access.)

11/5: Election Day

11/8: End of Quarter 1

Arcadia Charter School prohibits sex discrimination in any education program or activity that it operates. Individuals may report concerns or questions to the Title IX Coordinator, Nikki McCane. The notice of nondiscrimination is located at www.arcadiacharterschool.org, or view the school’s policy at this link: 522 TITLE IX SEX NONDISCRIMINATION POLICY, GRIEVANCE PROCEDURE AND PROCESS.docx.