Arcadia Update 11/3/2023
Hello, Arcadia families, students, and friends!
Lots of information to update you on today!
Today’s newsletter includes:
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Announcements
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Lunch Update
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Give to the Max and ThanksGIVE
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Washington D.C./Gettysburg Trip, June 22-25
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COVID Reminders
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Upcoming Events
Announcements
End of Quarter 1
Just a reminder, today is the end of the first quarter! No school on November 6th. The first day of Quarter 2 is next Tuesday, November 7th. Grades will be sent out at 9:00am on Friday, November 10.
Picture Days
Picture days are coming up next week! Here is a reminder on the advisory days. (Pictures are in the morning from 8:00-10:00am, or 9:00-10:30am on Wednesday.)
Tuesday: Blue
Wednesday: Purple
Thursday: Red
Friday: Green
Juniors to Visit South Central College
The junior class and a few seniors are going to visit South Central College next Friday, September 10th, leaving Arcadia at 9:35am and returning around 1:00pm.
Cold Weather Clothes Required
It’s that time of year! The temperatures have dropped, so layers and warm clothes are a must to go outside at lunch or with classes. We require a jacket/coat if the temperature is below 40 degrees–add hats, mittens, and boots when it gets colder and snowier. We don’t go outside if the “feels like” temperature is below zero. In need of a coat? We are happy to connect you with a warm layer if you don’t have one! (Email Laura: lstelter@arcadiacharterschool.org.) The Community Action Center also gives vouchers for the Clothes Closet: https://communityactioncenter.org/clothes-closet/
Lunch Update
We are planning to start lunch next Tuesday! The food is scheduled to arrive tomorrow, but not in time for tomorrow’s lunch. We will get it organized over the weekend so we can start serving it next week!
If you would still like to purchase a punch card, you can do so here: Lunch Punch Card Order Form
Students will be able to purchase one lunch per day with their punch card. These are free for students who qualify for free and reduced lunch, and cost $3.25/meal for students who do not until we are able to join the National School Lunch Program (NSLP).
Plans to join the National School Lunch Program are ongoing. As I’ve shared before, it’s a long process. I went to the School Nutrition Program New Sponsor meeting today and got a number of questions answered. We have a bit of work left to do on the plan for the Minnesota Department of Health. (If anyone knows a local plumber who can do commercial plumbing and who would give us a quote on new sinks, please contact me: lstelter@arcadiacharterschool.org. I have one quote, but I would like to get at least one more.)
My current goal is to get the MDH plan approved so that we can purchase a refrigerator (if you know anyone selling a commercial refrigerator, let me know that, too!). We would then be able to participate in a separate federal program to provide milk to students while we continue working on the overarching plan.
One other food reminder: The shelf in the front entry is full of food that is available to anyone who needs it! Feel free to take it. Though the door directly into the school is locked, the front door into the entryway is unlocked, so you could stop by anytime, even after school hours, to pick things up. The food is provided by a program through the Northfield ALC where students shop and fill bags to provide food for families.
Give to the Max Day and ThanksGIVE
Two of our biggest fundraisers are coming up! The first is on November 16th:
Give to the Max Day is a statewide, annual fundraising event. We would love to have your support! Our goal is $5000+, and we welcome donations of any amount! The more donations the merrier, because we are entered in drawings to win large prizes based on the number of people who donate, not the size of the donation!
Here is a link to our page:
https://www.givemn.org/organization/Artech
We are also happy to take donations outside of the Give to the Max website to avoid the processing fee! If you would rather donate directly to the school, you can send a check or cash, and note that it’s a donation. We also have a PayPal account, though it, too, has a processing fee.
While the big push is on November 16th, we are, of course, delighted to take donations at any time. Thank you to those who have donated in the past, and to everyone for your ongoing support of Arcadia’s students!
ThanksGIVE
ThanksGIVE is a longstanding tradition at Arcadia. It’s a fundraiser/variety show that happens the first Friday in December at 7:00pm--on December 1st this year.
We celebrate Arcadia with silly skits, musical performances, student-created videos, and the traditional singing of the closest-thing-we-have-to-a school song. The highlight is the advisory competition, in which the advisories compete to raise the most money, winning them the Coveted Coconut Monkey trophy and a year’s worth of bragging rights.
Last year, we raised $10,000. Can we do it again??
Washington D.C./Gettysburg Trip, June 22-25
The date for the Washington D.C./Gettysburg trip is now June 22-25, 2024 (the dates EF had available). The cost is significantly lower than originally advertised–a little over $1900, not $3500.
Here is a message from Garrett (our trip consultant), Chris and Kelly (the teachers chaperoning the trip):
Hello Families,
We are extremely excited to announce Arcadia Charter School’s 2024 trip to Washington, D.C. and Gettysburg! We wanted to send out another reminder to let everyone know that we will hold a virtual meeting on Thursday, November 9th at 6:00pm CST. In order for your student to come on the trip, receive our meeting link, and get an extra discount off the trip, you MUST RSVP!
In our meeting we will go over all the trip details, such as everything will be seeing and doing in Washington, D.C. and Gettysburg, what’s included in our trip package, as well as the price of the trip. Please use the link below to RSVP to our meeting and we look forward to seeing you all there!
How to RSVP
Online: https://rsvp.efexploreamerica.com/e5pen9m
Washington D.C./Gettysburg is the 2024 trip. We will be going to Costa Rica in 2025 and Japan in 2026. To express an interest in traveling with Arcadia and be included in communications about these future trips, please fill out this form: Arcadia Travel Interest Form
COVID Reminders
Day 0 = day of the positive test, stay home (note COVID on absence form)
Day 1-5 = stay home and isolated, do not attend school
Day 6-10 = if you feel better, return to school, but wear a mask
Day 11+ = no restrictions
We still have plenty of COVID tests and will continue to leave them in the front entryway for students to take, as needed. The original expiration dates have been extended through the end of this year, so you can ignore the expiration date on the box of the test. It’s still good.
If you have any questions, feel free to reach out to our school nurse, Gail Setterstrom, at: gsetterstrom@arcadiacharterschool.org
Upcoming Events
Nov. 3: End of 1st Quarter
Nov. 7: First day of 2nd Quarter
Nov. 7-10: Picture Days
Nov. 10: Juniors to South Central College
Nov. 14, 6:30-8:30pm: Arcadia School Board Meeting, in person at Arcadia or view online: https://meet.google.com/hyf-amke-zsx
Nov. 16: Give to the Max Day
Nov. 20-21: Fall Conferences; Asynchronous (Online) School Days
Nov. 22-24: Thanksgiving Break
Dec. 1, 7:00pm: ThanksGIVE
Dec. 4, 5:00pm-7:00pm: Gertens Fundraiser plant pickup
Sincerely,
