Good evening families,

Hope you had a wonderful fall weekend! Reminder that we have the Dragon Fair this Friday from 11-1. we will have 36 booths (the most ever) and there will be many items there that will make excellent Christmas presents!

Sign up for Piano Lab for Semester 2!

Piano Lab is a popular (and free!) option available for all Arete students, taught by Mr. Horton on Monday-Thursday mornings from 8:00-8:50. Sign-ups are on a first come, first-served basis, although preference is given to students who plan to attend at least two or more days each week. Regular attendance is expected. Students must have state required vaccinations for group lessons. Thank you! 

Arete Piano Lab -  2nd Semester 2027

Semester 2 Field Trips

We are so excited to offer a new round of field trips for Semester 2. For the week of November 2- 6, you may only sign up for ONE field trip (other than Coloma- since that comes out of student funds- it does not count). If you sign up for more, I will delete them. Starting Saturday, November 7, you may sign up for as many field trips as you want!

Please pay attention to age restrictions. All field trips meet at the location and parents drive/carpool with their children. An Arete teacher will meet you there. Please watch dates closely and make note of the field trips that require prepayment for adult chaperones. Please pay 2 weeks early in the Arete office with exact cash, check made to PRSD, Venmo or at Mealtime https://www.mymealtime.com/ ($20 minimum). We pre-pay for all Arete students so if you need to cancel with less than a week's notice, you will need to reimburse Arete for the field trip fee for your child. All field trips will start at the field trip location with check in 15 minutes before the start time. Families are responsible for making transportation arrangements for their children. Families typically join the field trip. Please email at [email protected] if you need to drop off and pick up your child.

By signing up for a field trip, you agree that we can share your email with Ashley Patch, our field trip coordinator, so that she can send you a reminder one month before the field trip.

Please email [email protected] to be added to the Waiting List for a Field Trip!

Arete’s new school-wide reading club has a name… SCALES & TALES!

Now we need YOUR creativity to bring our new reading club to life! We are looking for a fun, original logo or picture that represents the name Scales & Tales.

Logo Design Contest

● Every student is invited to participate!

● Submit up to 2 original drawings.

● Hand-drawn and digital artwork are both welcome.

● No AI-generated artwork, please.

Deadline: November 13 (11/13)

Turn in: School office or email to [email protected]

The Literacy Committee will review all submissions and announce the winning design in November. The winning logo will be featured on all of our Scales & Tales reading club information! The winner will receive an Arete Tshirt!

We can’t wait to see your creativity come alive! Let the designing begin!

We would love to have you add photos to our yearbook drive throughout the year. *Click here: Yearbook Photo Share

*Create an account.

*Then you can upload. Thanks!

🔗 Quick Links

*View the 2026-2027 Parent Calendar here 

*Arete’s Dragon Fair 2026

*Arete Approved Curriculum 2026-2027

*Fall Semester Enrichments

*Arete Planning for the 2026-2027 School Year

*2nd Semester Academic Enrichment Sign Up

By*Click here to sign up for Blended Middle School

*Arete Piano Lab -  2nd Semester 2027

*Vendor Budget Form 2026-'27

*Supplies Budget Form 2026-'27

*Curriculum Budget Form 2026-'27

*Edlio- See all of the postings we have ever made!

November 9

9-11

Dragon’s Lair Productions- Room 15

November 11

Veteran’s Day

November 13

11-1

Arete Dragon Faire

November 13 

4-8th Grade kiddos- 12-12:50

Math Olympiad Room 5

November 13 

1-2 

Chess Club Room 5

Good evening families,

Hope you had a wonderful fall weekend! Reminder that we fell back one hour early on Sunday morning.

Second Semester Academic Enrichment Class- 2nd-3rd and 4th-5th and 6-8th Grades. Literacy Launch K-2nd Grades

There are now three different options. State vaccination regulations apply. Work samples will be sent home. If you signed up for the first semester class, you still need to complete this for for the second semester!

1. Academic Enrichment- The first three programs utilize student's funds to add a day of on campus instructional time for families who are desiring more higher level academic instruction from credentialed teachers with more advanced projects and more time with other students. We have a nine student minimum. Classes would be broken up into three multi-age groups of 2nd and 3rd grade (Wednesday Class), 4th-5th grade (Tuesday Class) These classes start the week of January 5.

2-3 Creative Literacy (Wednesdays from 9am - 12pm): Explore the world of reading, writing, and creativity! Students will enjoy storytelling while exploring nouns, adjectives, and other parts of speech through engaging activities that strengthen their understanding of language and enhance their reading and writing skills. They will have opportunities to share their ideas through presentations and discussions. We will strengthen reading comprehension, explore the parts of a story, and develop creative writing skills through art-inspired activities and engaging thematic projects. From imagining original characters and building exciting plots to bringing stories to life through artistic expression, students will discover new ways to express themselves, think critically, and connect with literature. This class celebrates a love of reading while encouraging creativity, collaboration, and confidence as young readers, writers, and storytellers.

*4th-5th grade class (Tuesdays from 9am-12pm) project-based learning class gives students the chance to explore real-world topics through hands-on activities and teamwork. Students work on long-term projects that combine subjects like science, reading, math, and social studies to solve problems or create presentations. The class encourages creativity, critical thinking, communication, and collaboration while helping students take ownership of their learning. By the end of each project, students practice presentation skills by sharing their work with classmates to demonstrate what they have learned. Students this semester will continue with the second half of 25 of the 50 states of the USA, culminating in a state report and a physical state project they will present and share with our class and at the spring Arete Student Showcase. Students will also be engineering a "Crash Test Egg Car" out of various materials to withstand a crash and save their egg!

*6th-8th grade class (Friday's from 9am-12pm). This middle school academic enrichment course uses project-based learning to strengthen academic skills through hands-on activities, collaboration, and real-world problem solving. Students will continue to build confidence in reading, writing, math, communication, and critical thinking while developing creativity, teamwork, and leadership skills in an engaging learning environment. Returning and new students are both invited to sign up.

K- 2 Literacy Launch (Mondays from 9am - 12pm): This engaging class builds foundational literacy skills through creative thinking, language, and exploration.  Students develop reading, writing, vocabulary, and presentation skills while expressing their ideas through imaginative, art-inspired activities. Students are given the chance to engage in creating group stories, presenting their work to the class and participating in cooperative language games. Designed to nurture confidence and creativity while making learning fun and engaging.  Note: This class will be appropriate for kindergartners who are beginning to read through 2nd graders who are not yet fluent readers. Kinder students should know all letter names and the majority of sounds, demonstrate an interest in reading basic words, and be comfortable with writing/formation of all letters. This class starts on January 11.

Students at the lower grade level (2nd, 4th, and 6th grades) should be reading and writing at grade level to be able to have success at the multiage learning model.

By completing this form, families are committing for one semester from 9am-12pm, We must have 9 students signed up for the class to run, so cancellations MUST happen AT LEAST THREE School WEEKS BEFORE THE CLASS STARTS TO HAVE FUNDS REFUNDED TO YOUR ACCOUNT.   All classes end the week of May 17 (same time as Resource Center ends).

No classes January 18, February 12, February 15

Families would need to commit for one semester for a total of $240 out of Curriculum/Enrichment Funds for Mondays, $285 for Tuesdays or Wednesdays, and $270 for Fridays plus a $10 material fee. (Yes, that breaks down to $5 an hour for high quality instruction). We have a nine student minimum.  All students should come prepared with a water bottle and a healthy snack that does not contain nuts.

*2nd Semester Academic Enrichment Sign Up

Arete’s new school-wide reading club has a name… SCALES & TALES!

Now we need YOUR creativity to bring our new reading club to life! We are looking for a fun, original logo or picture that represents the name Scales & Tales.

Logo Design Contest

● Every student is invited to participate!

● Submit up to 2 original drawings.

● Hand-drawn and digital artwork are both welcome.

● No AI-generated artwork, please.

Deadline: November 13 (11/13)

Turn in: School office or email to [email protected]

The Literacy Committee will review all submissions and announce the winning design in November. The winning logo will be featured on all of our Scales & Tales reading club information! The winner will receive an Arete Tshirt!

We can’t wait to see your creativity come alive! Let the designing begin!

2nd-8th Grade and High School Winter NWEA Math and AR Reading Assessments 2026-27

Feel free to ignore this if you only have TK/K/1 or a Blended Middle School kiddo. Notice that we have the start time a few minutes later than the Resource Center so that the office and parking lot are not so busy at the same time!

It's that time to start scheduling the second round of NWEA Math and Accelerated Reader Testing for the 2026-27 school year. Reminder that All testing will be completed in person this year and is mandatory. (CAASP Testing is on the State schedule for April/May).  Second-Eleventh Grade will need to take the STAR AR test and the NWEA Math test. We will offer testing sessions on Monday, November 16, Thursday, November 19, Friday, November 20, Monday, November 30, Thursday, December 3 and December 4. High schoolers can sign up for Monday, November 30 and Wednesday, December 9 from 9:15-12 in room 13.

If you have a busy schedule, please sign up early.  For the first time, we have TWO Friday testing days, so if you need one of those days PLEASE book early. If your child has an Arete Chromebook checked out to them, please charge and have them bring it with them. If they need to check one out from us, please add that they will need one in the comment section next to their name and we will have one waiting for them with their name on it in the front office. Please come 10 minutes early to check it out so the kiddos can be logged in and ready when the testing session starts.

Kids should bring a water bottle, snack, and school work or a book to use when they are completed. We will walk them down to meet you in the front of the school at 12pm. They will take the math test before a snack/recess break and then take the reading test. We want them to go slowly and try their best and show all of the great stuff they have learned!

ALL 2nd-11th grade parents should sign their kiddos up for one of the testing slots. Only the Blended Middle School will complete these assessments during their regular class time. As always, please email [email protected] with questions! Thanks!

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/30E0A4EAAAB29A6FE3-66042927-2nd8th

You all are invited to the following assemblies:

November 4, 2026: 4-8 Growth Mindset Assembly from 9:15-10:00am

November 4, 2026: 6-8 Growth Mindset Assembly from 10:15-11:00am

We look forward to welcoming Dr. Blake and inspiring our students together!

Here is a little about Dr. Blake-

As a little background context: I have a Ph.D. in Hip-Hop and Global Youth Cultures, performed on America's Got Talent, and presented a TEDx Talk. I have supported more than 600,000 students, educators, and parents over the past 20 years, and have seen the power of the Growth Mindset transform students' lives in the face of immense challenges. I am passionate about the growth mindset, kindness and digital citizenship.

We would love to have you add photos to our yearbook drive throughout the year. *Click here: Yearbook Photo Share

*Create an account.

*Then you can upload. Thanks!

🔗 Quick Links

*View the 2026-2027 Parent Calendar here 

*Arete’s Dragon Fair 2026

*Arete Approved Curriculum 2026-2027

*Fall Semester Enrichments

*Arete Planning for the 2026-2027 School Year

*2nd Semester Academic Enrichment Sign Up

By*Click here to sign up for Blended Middle School

*K- 12 Arete Piano Lab - Semester One Registration 26/27

*Vendor Budget Form 2026-'27

*Supplies Budget Form 2026-'27

*Curriculum Budget Form 2026-'27

*Edlio- See all of the postings we have ever made!

See Important Dates for the Entire School Year Here

Good evening families,

We are excited to host so many of you for our 10th Annual Trick or Treat event on Thursday. All students, siblings and families are invited for the costume parade and treat gathering after. Reminder that we are an absolutely NUT FREE campus as we have severe allergies on campus and we support ALL students. Please read labels carefully. Healthy snacks and small toys are encouraged. Click for more details and to sign up.  Please be at Arete by 11:15 to get directions and be ready to go.

*Trick or Treating 2026

Halloween Spirit Week

Monday, October 26- Decades Day- Dress in any decade

Tuesday, October 27- Tie Dye Day

Wednesday, October 28- Black and Orange

Thursday October 29- Trick of Treat- Wear your Halloween costume!

Cinema in Schools 2.0 Assembly 10/27/26

TK-3 9:25-9:55

10-10:55 6-8

For the TK-3rd assembly, we'll reintroduce media arts & moviemaking with story-telling elements and how technology needs to be balanced with imagination & play & human connection. SKIT & SEL self-regulation with mind & body wellness. simple tools to help themselves feel more ready to learn and handle everyday challenges. We will be building skills that students can use throughout the school day and at home.

For the 6th-8th assembly, we’ll cover media arts and consumption, screen time safety, technology influencing human connections, AI feelings reflection, creative avenues using media, looking for young filmmakers, SKIT & SEL self-regulation with mind & body wellness. 

Mrs. Codiga’s and Mrs. McKnight’s classes will have starring roles in the assembly

Hey there Arete Parents/Guardians, 

Arete Charter Academy needs you to complete this online survey to learn more about your opinions about it. This survey is an opportunity to communicate your perceptions about your child’s school. This letter explains the survey and, at the bottom of the page, provides your URL and access instructions. If you have any questions about this survey, contact Sarah Schwartz at [email protected] 

The purpose of this survey is to obtain parent perceptions about the school.

Your participation is voluntary. It is also very important. The information you provide will help guide district and school efforts to promote safety, enhance learning supports, and improve student achievement.

• This is an anonymous survey. It is designed so that no one can be identified from the data. You do not have to respond to any questions that you feel could be used to identify you. Simply skip any such questions. 
• All questions apply to this school only. 
• The results are for the use of your district. The California Department of Education and WestEd will preserve data confidentiality and refer any data requests to the district. 

INSTRUCTIONS FOR ACCESSING THE SURVEY

If you have more than one child at this school, you will only need to complete one survey for this school. Please fill out just one survey about the school using your oldest child as a reference.

After the first page of the survey, you will be able to change the language to one of 18 options.

Access the survey using the following URL: 

https://wested.ugam-apps.com/wested/ts/i1gt 

Thank you for taking the time for our school

🐉 Arete’s 4th Annual Dragon Fair!

Join us for a fantastic community event celebrating our school and local creators! This is a wonderful opportunity for young entrepreneurs to gain hands-on practice making, marketing, and selling their own items.

Whether you're selling or just shopping, come out and support our amazingly talented families!

📅 Event Details

• When: Friday, November 13 | 11:00 AM – 1:00 PM
• Set Up: Begins at 10:30 AM
• Who Can Participate: Current and former Arete students and parents
• Sign-Up & Payment Deadline: Friday, October 30th (We must have 10 entries to hold the fair).

🎪 Vendor Information

• Booth Size: 10' x 10'
• Setup Requirements: BYO (Bring Your Own) booth, tables, chairs, and display supplies.
• Note: We have a limited number of school tables available on a first-come, first-served basis. If you need one, please request it in the comments section when you sign up!

🎟️ Raffle & School Support

Please bring two items to donate to our Dragon Fair Raffle! All proceeds from the raffle directly fund vital school needs, including:

• Sports & P.E. equipment
• New library books
• Science gear
• Assemblies

🛍️ Not Selling? Come Shop for Christmas gifts for friends and family!

Even if you aren't hosting a booth, please mark your calendar and join us! Bring friends and family to browse all the cool, handcrafted creations made by our community while supporting Arete.

Ready to reserve your spot? Please complete the sign-up form below and submit payment by Friday, October 30th.

Arete’s Dragon Fair 2026

🔗 Quick Links

*View the 2026-2027 Parent Calendar here 

*Trick or Treating 2026

*Arete’s Dragon Fair 2026

*Arete Approved Curriculum 2026-2027

*Fall Semester Enrichments

*Arete Planning for the 2026-2027 School Year

*Academic Enrichment Sign Up

By*Click here to sign up for Blended Middle School

*K- 12 Arete Piano Lab - Semester One Registration 26/27

*Vendor Budget Form 2026-'27

*Supplies Budget Form 2026-'27

*Curriculum Budget Form 2026-'27

*Edlio- See all of the postings we have ever made!

October 26

9-11

Dragon’s Lair Productions- Room 15

October 27 

9:25-9:55 K-3th

10-10:55 6-8th

Cinema in Schools: Filmmaking Workshops & Digital Literacy ASSEMBLY 

October 27 

12:15-1:15 

Art Paint a Pumpkin

October 28 

12:15-1

Cooking Class Sushi Art

October 28 

1:150

Snack AttackEgg Rolls and Dipping Sauce

October 28  

2-2:45

Bread Art Dumplings and Dipping Sauce

October 29 

11:30-12

Arete’s 10th Annual Trick or Treat Event

October 30 

4-8th Grade kiddos- 12-12:50

Math Olympiad Room 5

October 30 

1 -2

Chess Club in Room 5