Arcadia This Week 9/19/2022
Hello, Arcadia families, students, and friends,
I hope your first two weeks of classes have been wonderful! We have enjoyed being back together. I am so proud of the group of students that we have this year! There are, of course, moments where people forget to be their best selves, but the majority of interactions I have witnessed within the community have been kind, inclusive, and supportive of one another. I am grateful that Arcadians choose to be this kind of community!
Today’s newsletter will include:
-
Reminders (Lunch and Attendance)
-
Opening Expedition Recap
-
College and Career Counseling with Kelly
-
Japan Trip 2023
-
Security Updates
-
COVID-19 Update
-
Attendance Reminder
-
Upcoming Events
Reminders
Lunch: Please send silverware with your child if they are bringing their own lunch! We have occasionally had plastic dinnerware available, but we will not continue to provide this.
Students ordering hot lunch receive silverware with their meal from the caterer.
The lunch order form is here: Click here to place order
We do have a minimum order of 25 lunches each day. Right now, we’re at 13. We will order additional lunches for this month to get us to the minimum of 25, but if we’re finding that there’s not more interest, we may stop offering hot lunch.
Attendance: If your child will be absent, please fill out the absence form. This is available on Arcadia’s website under “Current Families,” then “Report an Absence.” If you’d like to bookmark the form directly, here is a link: Report an Absence Form
Opening Expedition
One of the goals in the first week was to establish strong connections with each other, and then to create a social contract that guides our actions as community members. Students spent time in advisory and in 6-12 mixed grade-level groups working on establishing their expectations for themselves and each other. Here is the document that reflects that work: Arcadia's Social Contract 2022-2023
(Red Advisory playing ninja during our opening days)
College and Career Counseling with Kelly!
Kelly DeShane not only teaches social studies, but is also our college counselor! We are lucky to have someone with his unique background here to help us out! He started his career as a social studies teacher, served in the military, was the Dean of Admissions at a college, and has over 26 years of experience working in admissions for colleges and private schools.
Students in the junior and senior class will have 1:1 meetings with Kelly throughout the year (at least once per semester) to discuss their post-Arcadia plans. Arcadia Juniors will have the opportunity to participate in the PSAT with Northfield High School. Please look for a message from Kelly with information about signing up for the test!
We will also continue to offer ACT testing in the Spring. More information about that will come out later in the year.
Kelly also works with Candace at Northfield Promise to make sure Arcadians can access resources they offer. He is building connections with local technical colleges, and, in conjunction with Northfield Promise, can connect students with internships and other opportunities.
We are super excited to have this support available to Arcadia students!
Japan Trip 2023
Japan is open for tourism! We were originally scheduled for a trip in June 2020, and after three cancellations, we think this will be the year! If you are interested in traveling with us, you can learn more about the trip here: www.eftours.com/2499338ca
Security Updates
I heard from many families, especially after Uvalde, that they wanted to know more about how we are keeping Arcadia secure. We started upgrading our security system last year, and that upgrade is now complete. We have an integrated camera, sensor, and door access system that gives us much more useful, accessible information about who is entering and exiting the building, and what is happening in the hallways. In an emergency, we are able to quickly give emergency services access to this system.
Please note, cameras in classrooms would generate educational data that has a different set of requirements, so cameras are specifically focused on doors and hallways to prevent the generation of unnecessary educational data.
We are also changing how we allow access to the building. We now have a phone to call, and an administrator will ask for your name, why you’re here, and check the camera before unlocking the door.
Students, families, and visitors will need to enter through Door 1 (the front door under the awning). We still have a sign-in/out system in place that we will continue to use.
COVID-19 Update
Rice County’s COVID-19 Community level is currently low, and our current case rate is 94.07/100,000 in the one-week period ending Sept. 20th. We do still have a COVID-19 plan posted on our website. Here is a link.
While masks are not required, I know many students feel more comfortable wearing them, and they are welcome to do so.
Rice County Public Health is offering vaccination clinics on Thursday afternoons. Here is a link for more information: https://www.co.rice.mn.us/528/GET-VACCINATED-COVID-19
We had two people test positive for COVID-19 in the last two weeks. Please consider testing your child if they present with two or more symptoms of COVID-19. (Fever, runny nose, sore throat, cough, nausea/vomiting, etc.)
We have test kits available for at-home use if you need them.
In-Person Attendance
With the changes to COVID-19 policies (especially the change to a 5 day isolation period), we did not renew our online provider approval with the State. The online option was time consuming and difficult to manage on our end, and not a terribly effective school experience for the majority of students, either. If a student needs to be out due to COVID-19, teachers will work with the student to make sure they have what they need to complete work at home. We will continue to post all assignments and materials online on Google Classroom (except some textbook materials, which will be noted online but found in the book).
Upcoming Events
Oct. 7: Midterm Grades Published, MS Field Trip to Fort Snelling and Pike Island (more information forthcoming)
Oct. 18, 6:30pm: Arcadia School Board Meeting
Oct. 20-21: Fall Break
Nov. 4: End of First Quarter
Sincerely,
