Arcadia This Week 8/7/2021

Hello, Arcadia families, students, and friends!

Here is your weekly update from Arcadia!

COVID Update

So much can change so quickly with COVID. Rice County is seeing a dramatic spike in cases, primarily due to the rise of the delta variant in this area. According to a local medical professional, there were more cases in one day last weekend than there were for the entire week prior. While the case rate in Rice County had dropped below 5/10,000 in a two-week period, it is now over 15/10,000 in a two-week period (ending July 31st). 

This article from NPR from 7/17/2021 summarizes a bit about the risks with the delta variant, and advice from medical professionals about managing your risk: https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2021/07/17/1017075240/delta-variant-is-spreading-fast-and-new-cases-are-rising-is-time-to-mask-up-agai

As noted before, Arcadia will be requiring masks for all students and staff at the beginning of the year, aligning with the CDC and MDH guidance for schools. 

Vaccines provide another layer of protection. The higher our vaccination rate at Arcadia, the safer ALL students will be, and the more “normal” our school days will be. The vast majority of Arcadia staff members have chosen to be vaccinated to protect our community. We would invite all eligible students and their family members to join us! 

We do have some students who will not be eligible for the vaccine (our eleven-year-old sixth graders, for example), and everyone else being vaccinated keeps them safer at school. 

Here, again, is the Vaccination Opportunities document, maintained by Northfield Public Schools, if you are looking for more information about where to get vaccinated, and how to sign up for an appointment.

Also a repeat, here are the takeaways from “Best Practice Recommendations for COVID-19 Prevention in Schools for the 2021-2022 School Year” from the MDH website:

  • All people ages 12 years and older should get vaccinated for COVID-19 before returning to in-person school, sports, or other activities to protect themselves and people around them who cannot get vaccinated. Talk to a health care provider or Find Vaccine Locations near you.

  • All students, teachers, staff, and visitors in school buildings should wear masks indoors regardless of vaccination status.

  • Schools should maintain at least 3 feet of physical distance between students within classrooms whenever possible. When it is not possible to maintain 3 feet of distance between students, it is especially important to layer other prevention strategies.

  • Students, teachers, and staff should stay home if they feel sick and should contact a health care provider for testing and care.

  • Students, teachers, and staff who have been fully vaccinated do not need to stay home even if they have had recent close contact with a confirmed case so long as they do not have symptoms and do not test positive. Follow CDC testing guidance for anyone exposed to a confirmed case.

  • People who are not fully vaccinated and returning to in-person school, sports, or extracurricular activities (and their families) should get tested regularly for COVID-19 according to CDC guidance.

  • Schools should encourage ventilation, contact tracing in combination with isolation and quarantine, handwashing, respiratory etiquette, cleaning, and disinfection as important layers of prevention.

School Supplies

Advisors will send a school supply list along with a welcome email the week of August 16th!

Planning for Lunch

Thank you to those who have filled out the survey! It’s looking a lot more likely that we’ll be offering hot lunch!

Here is a sample menu from 2019-2020: Arcadia Lunch Menu / September

School Lunch Survey

First Day of School/Arcadia School Calendar

Our first day of school is September 7th! Our calendar was set prior to the change Northfield Public Schools made, and we kept our calendar as-is. Here is a link to our 2021-2022 Arcadia Charter School Calendar.

Upcoming Events

August 17th, 6:30pm-8:30pm: Arcadia School Board Meeting (This meeting will be held both in person at the school and online--video call link: https://meet.google.com/tmk-nfcx-szi

Or dial: ‪(US) +1 513-796-6467‬ PIN: ‪493 475 105‬#)

Here are more articles from a range of sources:

Washington Examiner: Rise in COVID-19 infections threatens unvaccinated and some hospitals

NPR: US COVID Deaths Are Rising Again. Experts Call It ‘A Pandemic of the Unvaccinated’

Fox News: ‘Pandemic of the unvaccinated’ burdens busy US hospitals

Sincerely,