Arcadia This Week 4/18/2022

Hello, Arcadia families, students, and friends,

Here’s what we are up to this week!

Monday, 4/18: Day 2

–MCA testing: HS Science, 8:15am in Tubman

–Welcome back, students and staff who traveled to Washington, D.C. and New York last week! :)

Tuesday, 4/19: Day 3

–MCA testing: 7th Grade Reading, 8:15am in Tubman

–Middle School Parent Education Night: Talking to Middle School Students about LGBTQIA+ Identity, 5:00pm at Arcadia or online

–Arcadia Board Meeting, 6:30pm at Arcadia or online

Wednesday, 4/20: Day 4

–MCA testing: 7th Grade Math, 8:15am in Tubman

Thursday, 4/21: Day 5

–MCA Testing: 6th Grade Reading, 8:15am in Tubman

–Chris Koza Residency: Please bring instruments!

Friday, 4/22: Day 6

–MCA Testing: 6th Grade Math, 8:15am in Tubman

–Chris Koza Residency Performance, 7:00pm 

(This event is free, though donations will be accepted! :) )

 

Middle School Parent Education Night

Middle school students often struggle to define themselves and understand others’ identities during this challenging period of adolescence–when they both care very much about what others think and are simultaneously trying to establish their independence and individual identity. 

As you might anticipate, this plays out at school in a variety of ways. Right now, we are seeing some conflict arise between students, especially related to LGBTQIA+ identity and how they talk to each other about it. As a school community, Arcadia strives to affirm students’ identities and be a welcoming place for all students. We are also focused on education. To try to help students navigate their conversations around their own identities and how they respond to others in the community, we would like to give students more information about gender identity and sexual orientation, especially defining words so that they can use the language more skillfully. (Right now, students are in many different places in their understanding of gender identity and sexual orientation terms.) 

Since gender identity and sexual orientation are topics that doesn’t always get addressed head on, despite their significance in the process of growing up, we recognize that the broader community (families) might benefit from joining this conversation so that we all share a common language. To that end, we have asked Susan Lester, the Director of Congo Safe Zone, a non-profit organization in Faribault, MN, to come facilitate the conversation for families and students.

We’ll start with a parent education night tomorrow, 4/19/22, at 5:00pm, here at Arcadia, covering a lot of the same material we would like to cover with the middle school students. We’re hoping that, by defining our terms together, we will all be better prepared to have these important conversations with our middle school students. 

I will use the board meeting link to stream the parent conversation, too, but it will just be streamed (not interactive) for people online, as no one will be monitoring the chat.

The target audience is middle school, but all families are welcome to come! :)

 

COVID Update

Masks remain optional this week, as our COVID-19 Community Level remains low. The case rate continues to stay around 50 (46.29/10,000 in the one-week period ending 4/16/2022).

 

Authorizer Contract and Strategic Planning

I (Laura) will be presenting our complete application and contract to the Northfield School Board on April 25th. The Arcadia Board will consider these documents on April 19th, if you are interested in seeing them! I will also share them with you in the newsletter and on the website. 

The strategic plan will be included in that document. The Board’s strategic priorities for the next three to five years are:

  • Financial sustainability and growth

    • Create a development plan

    • Continue fundraising while considering alternative revenue sources

  • Staff sustainability and development 

    • Achieve adequate staffing levels 

    • Support staff growth and fulfillment 

  • Communications 

    • Develop internal communications plan 

    • Updating marketing and educational materials for the public

If you have ideas for supporting Arcadia in working toward these priorities, please contact our Board Chair, Melanie Cashin, or Executive Director, Laura Stelter. 

 

Student Intent to Return

Once again, we’d like you to let us know if you are planning to return or not. We hope you will all be coming back! :)

Notify us here: Student Intent to Return Form

 

Volunteer Opportunities

We would appreciate help with lunch every day, if you are available! Here is a signup for that: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/805084da5ad2da7f58-daily

On April 23rd, Arcadia is hosting a booth at the Home, Garden, and Consumer Show at the Dundas Dome. It would be wonderful to have some help covering the booth! Here is a link to signup for that: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/805084da5ad2da7f58-home

 

MCA Testing

MCA testing this week starts with HS Science. All tests will start at 8:15am in the Tubman classroom and end by 11:00am. (Typically, they will end earlier–most of the tests do not last that long, though they are not timed.) We will offer one test section per day.

Here is an overview of the schedule:

4/18 HS Science

4/19 7th Grade Reading

4/20 7th Grade Math

4/21 6th Grade Reading

4/22 6th Grade Math

4/25 8th Grade Reading

4/26 8th Grade Math

4/27 8th Grade Science

4/28 MCA Make Up Day

4/29 MCA Make Up Day

Upcoming Events

Apr. 11-29: MCA Testing

Apr. 19, 5:00-6:00pm: Middle School Parent Education Night: Gender Identity and Sexual Orientation Terms Defined, in person at Arcadia or online at: 

https://meet.google.com/wpo-dsqd-ahr

Or dial: ‪(US) +1 650-466-6043‬ PIN: ‪232 545 378‬# 

Apr. 19, 6:30-8:30pm: Arcadia School Board Meeting, in person or online at: https://meet.google.com/wpo-dsqd-ahr

Or dial: ‪(US) +1 650-466-6043‬ PIN: ‪232 545 378‬# 

Apr. 21: Chris Koza Residency (during school)–bring instruments!

Apr. 22, 7:00pm: CHRIS KOZA FINAL PERFORMANCE! (Bring instruments…and yourselves!)

 

Have a great weekend!

Sincerely,