Hello all,

New updates are all in bold and continuing information is in regular type. Hope that helps!

Spring Volleyball for 6-8th Grade Girls- The season this year will run from March 4-May 2 and Coach Tamo will be back as our fearless coach. The fees are included in the Blended Middle School program or are $150 out of enrichment funds for others. State vaccination regulations apply. Please email [email protected] by Feb 19, 2024 to let me know if your kiddo will participate. Practice and game times to be announced. We must have eight players to run a team. Thanks!

Stanford REACH lab is presenting a vaping facts for parents webinar on February 20 th from 6:00-7:30. Register HERE

Guest Chef with Susan- Tuesday, March 12 and Wednesday, March 13 students at the Arete Resource Center will be participating in a Guest Chef cooking experience. Families of students who do not attend that are invited for a cooking night on Wednesday, March 13 from 5:30-6:30 with Chef Susan. We will be working together to make Spring Plant Based Sushi.

Parents! Please sign up ONE spot for EVERY Arete student and parent attending. (That means if one kid is going, you need to sign up for two spots for the parent and kiddo. We can have 30 people TOTAL. Please note only one parent will be able to attend! Please email me at [email protected] to be on the waiting list. Please do not sign up if you think you are going to cancel at the last minute as that will take a spot from someone who can attend. Sierra Harvest Guest Chef with Susan Gouveia

You're invited to Arete’s Craft Fair!! Friday April 26th, 2024 from 12:30-1:30pm. Arete current and former families and students will be selling crafts that they made. There will be a raffle at 1:30pm, and you can buy raffle tickets for $1 each. This is a fundraiser for our school. We will have an area where you can put donations for our school. For example library books, craft supplies, food and bedding for the chickens, playground toys for the younger kids etc…. We hope that you can come join us!! If you would like to sign up, and sell things at this craft fair please sign up here.

Read A Thon Forms 2024 We are so excited to announce our Read-A-Thon is off to a great start with kids already excited to read around the world. Red reading passports are available in the front office to document reading time. There are prizes for reading enough minutes to reach the next country. 20% of funds raised by getting sponsors to support student reading minutes are given in Book Bucks to be spent at the book fair. (This is our ONLY fundraiser of the year). Click the link for more information. Read-a-Thon Documents Mark your calendars for our 4th! Scholastic Book Fair April 3-10th!  Reminder that all students who earn a prize will also receive a raffle ticket for a chance to win one of $50 gift cards sponsored by the Lion’s Club!

Hearing and Vision Screening

*February 14- Hearing/Vision Screening- Grades TK/K, 2, 5, 8 and any students who have IEPs- walk in anytime from 8:30-3. We will also screen students who are in those groups and on campus that day.

*Intent to Return- I've invited you to fill out a form to let us know if we should reserve a spot for your child at Arete next year or not. Thanks! Intent to Return

 

*At our recent Parent Action Committee meeting, there was a request for us to send out some of the SEL lessons that we are implementing on campus for ALL students to have access to. Here are excellent grade appropriate lessons from January. We will send these out monthly. Enjoy!

 

Overall Monthly Theme: Motivational Formula

• TK/K - 3rd Grade Layout

• 4th Grade Layout

• 5th - 8th Grade Layout

 

*Square One Art- We are so excited to offer this opportunity again. We do not really make any money on it, but it is a wonderful way to get your children’s art on all sorts of projects. Click here to get more information. https://www.square1art.com/ Our awesome Art Docent teacher filmed instructional videos that kiddos can follow along from home. The special paper needed and many product samples are available in the vestibule at Arete. You also can submit the special paper with any art that your kiddos create.

https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1Oq-rysqZSC-mdFZwBjWQ80FSbKtKlKtV?usp=sharing

Art Due: March 6th @ 10:30 am in the Arete office

Order forms arrive: around 04/05/24 (You will receive a personalized flier with your child’s artwork on the samples so you can see what it looks like.

Your final deadline to order online is: 04/19/24

We always hope to have the orders arrive before Mother’s Day as they make great and personalized gifts.

PRSD is so excited that Arete is hosting our Student Showcase that they are holding a board meeting at Arete in April to tour our students' awesome displays. 

*April 9 and 10 Arete Student Showcase- Similar to our STEAM Showcase last year- we are inviting ALL students to display projects they work on during the year. Please drop off projects on April 4, 5, or 7 for us to create the display. Then come back on April 9/10 at 9am to stand by your project. Classes and other interested adults are invited to view the displays starting at 9:15. We are telling you now so you can save projects you can complete during the year. Projects can be submitted by any Arete student!

*Practice CAASP Testing- This year we are going to have individual and/or sibling times for families to sign up to practice some of the skills that will be included on the State tests. This is a wonderful opportunity for students to get familiar with the testing format and the tools that may be used. During practice testing, students can ask any questions they have and we CAN answer/help them. If your student gets overwhelmed on testing days this is a chance for them to see it's really not so bad!

Please review the available slots below and click on the button to sign up. Thank you! Please email [email protected] if you need a different day/time.

**This sign-up is for students who DO NOT usually come on campus as we are building testing practice into our Resource Center and Blended Middle School days.**

Practice CAASPP Testing Sign Up February Dates added.

*CAASP Testing Practice At Home

Learning Heroes Readiness Check (Quick and easy and no logging in needed, just click and go!)

https://ca.startingsmarter.org/ (Sample questions and reports)

*Click here

*Click the GREEN Sign In at the bottom. (No need to change anything on the page)

*Select GRADE 3-8th.

*Select any of the Smarter Balanced Practice Tests.

*After you have tried all of those, Click​ Smarter Balanced Training Tests

*Click the Green SELECT at the bottom.

*Click the Green Begin Test Now

*Typing Practice

Most of you know that we are struggling at Arete to show progress from year to year on CAASP testing (which is one of the assessments used to renew our charter petition every five years) as well as NWEA math and Star AR. As we analyze why this is occurring, it is becoming apparent that some of it may have to do with many of our students having a lack of access to typing practice. We love that families closely monitor their children’s screen time, and are hoping that you might consider having your child do some daily or a few times a week typing practice. Students in public school generally start practicing typing a few times a week starting in second grade.

These programs will teach your kiddos where to place their fingers for typing.

Here's the link to Typing Pal's school edition https://www.typingpal.com/en/school-edition

Email [email protected] to have her set up a free account for your kiddo!

Here's Dance Mat Typing https://www.dancemattypingguide.com/

There is also ed club https://www.edclub.com/  Which is a lot like Typing Pal- you'll have to pay to keep track of your progress

Then there are free typing games https://www.typing.com/student/games But these don't really focus on where to place your fingers

These links are also at arete.prsd.us under Student Links.

 

*Want to Sign Up For the Resource Center- do so here

2nd-8th Grade Spring NWEA Math and AR Reading Assessments 2023-2024

Practice CAASPP Testing Sign Up February Dates added.

*Winter Enrichments- Sign up here

Spring Enrichments 2024 March through May

*Spring Testing- Sign up here

*2023-2024 Field Trips- Sign up here

*Have Photos For the Yearbook? Email to [email protected]

Want to join Arete’s Private Family Group on Facebook- do so here. Arete Charter Academy Family Group

Remember to email Sarah at [email protected] a few days before a kiddos’ birthday if you want to send in treats so I can check for food allergies. Nuts are never allowed, but some individual classes have food allergies that I also monitor closely. Thanks for keeping our students safe. We also strongly encourage healthier treats if possible as some families closely monitor their kiddos’ sugar and food dye intake.

Please remember that we are a NUT FREE school as we have several students with severe nut allergies. Kiddos may enjoy nut free granola bars and spreads on their sandwiches and all the nut free favorites when away from Arete. Thanks!

*Want to see dates for the entire year? Click here

Dates for the 2023-2024 School Year

*February 12 4/5 Garden 10:30-11, 6-8th Garden 11:20-11:50

*February 12-KMC Archery with David Webb - Archery Lessons - Ages 7 + - Mondays 02/5, 02/12, 02/26 , 12:15-2:15

*February 13 - First Grade Garden 11:20-11:50, Kindergarten 10:45-11:15

*February 13 Cookie Science 12:15-1:15

*February 13 12:15 Parent Action Committee

*February 14- Hearing/Vision Screening- Grades TK/K, 2, 5, 8 and any students who have IEPs- walk in anytime from 8:30-3. We will also screen students who are in those groups and on campus that day.

*February 14 Culinary Arts 12:15-1:15 Heart Sandwiches

*February 14 Culinary Arts 1:15-2:15 Blueberry Muffins

*February 15 Culinary Arts 12:15-1:15 Heart Sandwiches

*February 15 Little Fish Arts w/Susie Bell 12:15-1:15 Sew a Bag

*February 15 Culinary Arts 1:15-2:15 Blueberry Muffins

*February 16 & 19 Presidents’ Day- school is not in session