Arcadia This Week 11/17/2019

Hello, Arcadia Families,

Here’s a quick summary of the contents of this email:

--What’s up at Arcadia this week (daily schedule)

--Mission Spotlight: The All School Social Contract

--Announcements: GTMD Thank You, Conference Sign Ups, Lunch Orders

--From the PTSO: YMCA Thank You, Scholastic Book Orders, Volunteer Opportunities

--Upcoming Events (list)

Here’s what’s up at Arcadia for the coming week!

Monday, Nov. 18: Regular School Day

  • ILEO, 2:45-4:15pm

  • Ace of Clubs, 2:45-4:30pm

Tuesday, Nov. 19: Regular School Day

  • All High School field trip to the Bell Museum, https://www.bellmuseum.umn.edu/

  • Homework Help, 2:45-4:00pm

  • Marketing Committee Meeting, 4:00pm-5:00pm--If you are interested in helping to market the school (perhaps you have some expertise in this area?), please join us!

  • Arcadia School Board Meeting, 6:30-8:30pm--Please join us if you are interested in learning more about how Arcadia operates as an institution! We will be talking about the relationship between the school and our affiliated building company, Arcadia Building Company. Fun fact: charter schools cannot own the buildings they occupy! There will also be discussion around finances and policy, which are, of course, significant in the school’s operations and have an impact on students’ experiences here.

Wednesday, Nov. 20: Late Start (as usual)

Thursday, Nov. 21: Regular School Day

  • Homework Help, 2:45-4:00pm

Friday, Nov. 22: Regular School Day

Mission Spotlight: The All School Social Contract

It is the mission of Arcadia Charter School to prepare our students to transition intellectually, emotionally, and ethically to higher education, future employment, and engaged citizenship.

Arcadia Charter School envisions a supportive learning community that, through collaboration and student-driven, project-based learning, encourages and assists students to:

  • Express themselves creatively through the visual, literary, and performing arts.

  • Use technology with innovation, imagination, and responsibility.

  • Develop critical thinking and creative problem solving skills.

  • Construct knowledge and meaning for themselves.

  • Value, advocate, and strive for the wellness of the whole person.

  • Be empowered to act as local citizens within a rapidly changing global community.

Preparing students to transition to life after high school includes giving them the skills to negotiate community expectations and conflict. Every community (or group of people) operates within a certain set of norms, whether or not they are explicit. At Arcadia, we ask students to engage in creating explicit norms, and these become the basis for how we all behave within the Arcadia community.

Students start by creating norms at the advisory level, then students from each advisory volunteer to be a part of a student summit to create the all school social contract. Usually, this occurs right at the beginning of the year, but we ran into some challenges, so we have been operating without an all school social contract, until now. 

This past week, we finally concluded the process, and all students and staff were asked to commit to the following six, student-developed expectations:

Responsibility

Be accountable to yourself and others, using time and resources wisely, and allowing others to do so.

Respectfulness

Respect others' individuality, belongings, time, feelings, and ideas.

Welcoming

Invite new and old into an actively inclusive and accepting environment.

Positivity

Choose a positive outlook that allows for mistakes and growth.

Care

Show care for ours and others' bodies, minds, and spaces.

Communication

Communicate effectively, honestly, directly, and with trust (even when it's hard).

Many thanks to the students who participated in the creation of this contract and to all of the Arcadians who have committed to it! 

Announcements

THANK YOU, once again, to everyone who participated in Give to the Max Day! We raised $3,106.00 in one day! Our fundraising campaign on the GiveMN website is open through December 31st, so if you would still like to contribute, you can! https://www.givemn.org/story/Arcadia2019

Fall Conferences, Nov. 25 and 26 (also coming as a separate email)

Fall conferences are next week! We encourage all families to come in to learn more about their child’s progress so far and discuss plans for the next part of the year with their child’s advisors!

Sign up for a time here, based on your child’s advisory color:

Purple Advisory (Lori and Amy)

Green Advisory (Kim and Chris)

Blue Advisory (Tami and Angela)

Red Advisory (Matt and Scott)

December Lunch Orders, Due Friday, 11/22 (also coming as a separate email)

The December lunch order is here! Lunch order link: https://forms.gle/VF3tRtG6XmT9gUr77

From the Parent-Teacher-Student Organization (PTSO)

Thank you to everyone who came out for Arcadia’s YMCA Family Night, and the parents who attended the PTSO meeting! We had an excellent turnout! The YMCA staff commented on what a great group of students we have and how much fun it was to host us. The next YMCA Family Night is scheduled for February 21st!

Scholastic Book Orders

A Scholastic Reading Club flyer went home with your student on Thursday 11/14, along with a cover sheet/instructions. They also received e-mail information about this. Ask them to show you! Or, click on this link: Scholastic Book Order Detailed Information and Instructions

Browsing through the paper flyer is a fun way to start looking at the Scholastic Reading Club books; online, there is a much wider selection of books.  

Browse and order at:  https://clubs.scholastic.com

Class code: WBMYJ

Due Date: Friday, November 22

Volunteer Opportunities (reminder)

We have three great volunteer opportunities being offered through our newly forming Parent-Teacher-Student Organization (PTSO)!

The first two are ongoing, the third is a one-off opportunity.

1) Join the (new) Arcadia PTSO! For more information, email arcadiaptso@arcadiacharterschool.org.

2)  Help serve lunch each day! This is a great way to meet the students at your child's school.

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/805044BAFAF2AAAFF2-lunch

3) Feed our wonderful teachers during conferences! Conference days are long for teachers, and this is a great way to show how much we appreciate the work they do.

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/805044BAFAF2AAAFF2-conference 

Upcoming Events

Nov. 19, (during school), All High School Field Trip to the Bell Museum: https://www.bellmuseum.umn.edu/

Nov. 19, 6:30-8:30pm, Arcadia School Board Meeting

Nov. 25 and 26, Early Release, Fall Conferences

Nov. 25, 3:00-4:00pm, Gertens Winter Greenery Fundraiser Pickup

Nov. 27-29, No School, Thanksgiving Break

Dec. 4, (during school), Innovation Day 2

Dec. 6, Thanks-Give, Arcadia’s Annual Fundraiser!

Sincerely,