Arcadia This Week 9/4/2023

Hello, Arcadia families, students, and friends,

Greetings once again! It was wonderful to see many of you at the open house and picnic, and at goal-setting conferences. The staff has been busy preparing for the year, and we are so ready to welcome you all back!

Just a few reminders on our first day…

Transportation (Drop off/Pick up)

Please drop students off between 7:50am-8:02am! (8:50am-9:00am on Wednesdays!) We often have meetings in the morning, so we do not have supervision available until 7:50am. 

At the end of the day, please pick your child up between 2:42pm-2:50pm. We also tend to have meetings right after school.

Remember to use the loading and unloading zone at the end of the sidewalk–NOT the crosswalk in front of the awning–when you are dropping your child off or picking your child up.

Please wait patiently and do not pass other vehicles to exit the drive unless guided by a staff member. This is for the safety of all of our students and families.

If you do need to pick your child up early to avoid the line at the end of the day (for an appointment or something similar), just let us know ahead of time. We can figure it out together! 

Bring a Lunch!

There is no hot lunch this week! We do not participate in the federal school lunch program, so our lunch is catered by a local provider. Hot lunches begin September 12. The order form for hot lunch went out last week and is now closed. The order form for October will be coming out soon! 

COVID-19 Update

I’m super excited that this wasn’t the first thing on my list! However, COVID-19 is still out there. Rice County’s COVID-19 Community level is currently medium, and our current case rate is 82.12/100,000 in the one-week period ending Sept. 1st. 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. With our community level at medium, masks are recommended. Masks might also not work well for some people, and that’s okay, too.

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 student, 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).

Opening Expedition

Last year’s 9-day opening expedition was designed to bring students back together after a year of online school, so it was quite extensive. This year’s opening expedition will be limited to the first week (4 days), but no less important to establishing the kind of community we want to be this year. Please bring a water bottle and wear comfortable clothing that can go outside!

Upcoming Events

Sept. 6-9: Opening Expedition

Sept. 7: 3:15pm, Special Board Meeting (MSHSL approval)

Sept. 12: First Day of 1st Quarter

Sept. 20: 6:30pm, Arcadia Board Meeting (in person at Arcadia)

Sincerely,