January 15, 2021
From Headmaster Gillingham
Dear Families,
 
We have had a great 10 days back to school and 7 days with students on campus. Thanks to the extra care and concern from families we have had no cases of COVID exposure on campus. I ask you to continue this vigilance! Your attentiveness to your child’s symptoms and exposure protects our community, teachers and students alike.

Arete Preparatory Academy is in its 15th year and as such we are up for Charter Board review. The leadership team is working behind the scenes to put together evidence of all the wonderful things that happen here on campus. In a world of COVID response, it has been refreshing to be reminded of all the incredible professional development available to teachers and the lessons that the teachers have spent years refining to give students the very best content and experience. It is also a stark reminder of how much has changed in this year of COVID. We are committed to reintroduce events, clubs, team building and retreats that are central to our community, once it is safe. Until then, we remain steadfast in our mission to inspire the love of learning through our liberal arts curriculum, excellent teachers and building community.

For In Person Learners:
1.     If your child had been exposed to COVID please keep them home and contact the front office
2.     If your child has symptoms (runny nose, sore throat, cough, headache, fever etc.) keep them home and consider getting tested
 
For all Families:
Beginning in February I will begin to host Zoom Coffee Shops for families. I will be starting with our 6th and 7th DL students as they have experienced the most change. Please add the appropriate meeting date, time and zoom link to your calendar. The information is in an article below.
 
I look forward to connecting with all of our families.

Sincerely,
Julia Gillingham
Headmaster, Arete Preparatory Academy
Arete Prep Sweatshirts
Arete Prep has uniform approved sweatshirts for sale through Anton Uniforms!

Order online HERE or they are available in their store located at 905 N. Scottsdale Rd, Tempe
Upcoming Zoom Coffee Shops
Tax Credit Time
It’s that time of year, be sure to make your AZ Public School Tax Credit to Arete Prep before you file your 2020 taxes! This dollar-for-dollar credit helps you on your taxes and supports the athletic and mentor programs. If you pay taxes to the state of Arizona, you can tell the state where you want some of those tax dollars to go, by making a tax credit to Arete Prep! GIVE HERE or contact Jessica Vaughan for more information.
Represent Arete Prep
Great Hearts is seeking an individual or a couple to represent our academy on the 2021 Great Hearts Telethon Committee. The Great Hearts Telethon raises funds to benefit the Teacher Excellence Fund, which is distributed to our faculty as bonus compensation on an annual basis. Arete Prep received $19,745 in December 2020 from this initiative. The Telethon will take place on September 25, 2021 and a full description of the position can be found here. If you are interested in serving on the committee, please contact Kyle Lambros at klambros@greatheartsaz.org. 
Order the 2020-2021 Yearbook Today!
Order your yearbook today! January 29 is the last day to order for just $50! Price increases to $55 after January 29. If you would like to get your yearbook personalized, that option is only available through January 29. Place your order today at Jostens.com.  
Dress Code, Masks and Hygiene
As your students grow taller, their clothes seem to get smaller! Please check your student's skirt or pants length. The family handbook states that "pants must reach to the shoe but may not drag on the ground" and when a skirt is at the waist, "the skirt hem should be touching the top of the knee."

If a student's pants or skirt length is too short, you can expect to be contacted by the school. Be proactive in making sure they are in dress code after break.

Visit the Anton store at https://antonuniforms.com/.

Arete Face Coverings are also available for $10. Contact Coach Conklin at tconklin@areteprepacademy.org if interested.

For CDC guidelines about How to Store and Wash Masks, visit this link.
No Parking at Wedgewood Weddings
Wedgewood Weddings, to the east of our campus, has stated the Arete community is NOT welcome to park in their parking lot. They will enforce this policy which could lead to vehicles being towed.
College Counseling
  • PSAT on January 26 for all 9th, 10th and 11th graders – For details, click HERE for the Parent Letter. For how to prepare your student, click HERE to access the PowerPoint PDF.

  • SAT School Day on March 24, 2021 for 11th graders only. Test prep materials and details were sent to all Junior families direct from College Counseling. Contact Ms. Arguello, Lead College Counselor, if you have questions.

Virtual College Fairs and Presentations – All high school students are invited! Click HERE to access the list of virtual fairs and presentations Arete is hosting and promoting. 
Events
Please check our calendar for upcoming events
CLICK HERE for College Counseling PSAT Info
PSO News
PSO is looking forward to welcoming previous and new Arete Prep families and working with families to support the school admin and teachers this year. A few things to note:

Free COVID Testing
Mesa Community College and Chandler-Gilbert Community College
To schedule, an appointment click on one of the links below.


COVID-19 Updates
The CDC revised its coronavirus guidelines on December 2, 2020, offering alternatives to its 14 day recommended quarantine period for individuals who have been exposed to COVID-19. The two new alternatives for the 14 day quarantine period can either (1) end after 10 days without a COVID-19 test if the individual is asymptomatic or (2) end after 7 days with a negative COVID-19 test and is asymptomatic. Please look for a communication from us soon about the implementation of these new guidelines, if, and after they are adopted by the Maricopa County of Health and Great Hearts Academies.
Traveling for the holiday season? Please review the International Travel Guidelines for COVID-19 below:
·   Stay home for 14 days after you return from international AIR travel.
·   Take your temperature two times a day and monitor for fever (100.4>). Also watch for cough or trouble breathing.
·   Stay home and avoid contact with others. Do not go to work, school, or school activities/sports.
·   Do not take public transportation, taxis, or ride-shares.
·   Receive a negative COVID-19 test result 5 days or more after returning.
For your family’s safety and the safety of our school community, please note that certain countries/states are still experiencing an increase in Covid-19 cases. Click here for more information
The Maricopa County Department of Health defines a “close contact” as someone who has been within 6 feet of someone who has tested positive for COVID-19 for an accumulated time of 15 min or more over a period of 24 hours. If you have not received a notification from us, you were not determined to be in close contact with the student. To maintain privacy, we cannot divulge any additional information. Please reach out to Headmaster Chaney via email with any questions.
Attention Remote Learning Families
Arete Prep would love to include your perspective of what you've experienced learning from home! Please send us good quality photos and stories for the yearbook of your remote learning experience to: apayearbook20@gmail.com
International Travel
As you begin to make your holiday plans, please remember that any international travel will result in quarantine (as many as 14 days) before your child/ren are permitted to return to school. The GreatHearts International Travel Policy can be found in our COVID Incident Response Guidelines and below for your convenience. Please notify administration if your family intends to travel internationally.

International Travel Isolation Guidelines
1.         Stay home for 14 days after you return home from international travel.
2.         Take your temperature with a thermometer two times a day and monitor for a fever. Also watch for cough or trouble breathing.
3.        Stay home and avoid contact with others. Do not go to work or school
4.        Do not take public transportation taxis, or ride-shares.
5.        Keep your distance from others (about 6 feet or 2 meters)
Please note that Puerto Penasco is considered international 
Lunch Drop Off Updates
MIDDLE SCHOOL: There will be a cart OUTSIDE the front office doors from 10:20 am - 11:20 am for lunches, the cart will be moved to the courtyard at 11:20 for students to pick up lunches.
HIGH SCHOOL: There will be a cart OUTSIDE the front office doors from 11:15 am - 12:15 pm for lunches, the cart will be moved to the courtyard at 12:20 for students to pick up lunches.

PLEASE NOTE: there will be no supervision of the lunch cart and we will not be responsible for lost lunches. Door Dash/Uber Eats will need to be delivered onto the cart as we will not accept them in the front office. They can be delivered between 10:20 am - 11:20 am.

If you are attending in-person and borrowed an Arete Prep Laptop/Device, please hold onto the laptop until further notice. 

Google Classroom Help
If your username or password does not work, please visit the Great Hearts Password/Login Help at https://theveeya.com/GreatHeartsFamilyHelp/

Remote Learning Info:
https://areteprepacademy.greatheartsamerica.org/remote-learning/

There will be NO student item drop off during the day.
Mask Policy
We ask that students not wear masks with exhalation valves, vents or mesh. These type of masks do not prevent the person wearing the mask from transmitting COVID-19 to others. The purpose of masks is to keep respiratory droplets from reaching others to aid with source control. 
New Volunteer Clearance Process
Great Hearts has changed the volunteer fingerprint process effective with the 2020-21 school year. The application is entirely online and available now. All volunteers must be approved through this new online procedure, including those with previously issued/non-expired Great Hearts badges, there will be no exceptions. Please note, when selecting the school, it will not differentiate between Arete Prep and Archway Arete, it will simply state Great Hearts Arete. The system will approve you for both schools.
Click here to apply. The cost is $5.00 per application per school year.
Arete Prep & Communication
A weekly email newsletter for parents is sent each Friday and includes important upcoming events and information from the school including College Counseling and the Parent Service Organization.
Please be aware that our preferred method of communication is via email, so it is vital that we have up-to-date email addresses on file so that we can keep you informed. Please email Beth Melvin with any updates to email addresses.
PSO
Arete Preparatory Academy | 480.222.4233