Dear Arete Families,
We are excited to welcome you back to the Open House tomorrow! Teachers will be available in their 1st hour classrooms from 5 to 6:30 pm. This event provides many opportunities from locker setup to checking out volunteer opportunities. Students will be able to pick up their books, schedules and locker assignments. New families, we look forward to seeing you at 4:30, in the gym, for an New Family Orientation.
We know that your students may be hopeful to have particular friends or teachers and that they may feel disappointed or anxious if that doesn't happen. Student sections are a priority for us. We spend much of the summer building sections such that they are balanced. Teachers work in teams to vet the sections and suggest changes. For example, all of the ninth grade teachers are involved in the process of building tenth grade sections. The lead teachers and the Dean of Students assess each section's dynamic. We are confident in this process; as such, we will not be taking student or family section requests.
Daily Moment of Silence: A new bill was recently signed into law here in Arizona that requires a daily minute of silence for all students in a K-12 public school. This is an opportunity for students to reflect, pray, or meditate at the beginning of each school day. At Arete Prep we are happy to meet this law in the spirit in which it was intended and will defer to parents on how you wish for your child to use this time. Please talk with your child/ren about how to observe the one-minute period of silence.
Teachers will carve out the time immediately following the Pledge of Allegiance but will not be giving further direction to students on this time of contemplation; rather students will be told to use this time as their parents or other guardians have instructed. If you have any questions or comments, you are very welcome to reach out to me directly: mattridge@areteprepacademy.org.
Reminder for uniforms: Shoes, shorts and pants are the most common items for which students receive dress code violations. This is because these items can be purchased from multiple vendors.
· Dress Slacks – true khaki should not be stretchy, tapered and should not have rivets on the pockets
· Dress Shorts – true khaki should not have extra pockets or rivets on the pockets
· Footwear:
- Middle School: solid black, non-scuffing, athletic shoes or dress shoes.
- High School: solid black, non-scuffing, athletic shoes or dress shoes.
If you are unable to join us tomorrow, your student's books and information will be available for pickup on Friday.
Thank you for partnering with our teachers and staff towards our common mission to inspire the love of learning.
Sincerely,
