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Office Hours:
M, T, Th, F: 7:30 am - 4 pm
W: 7:30 am - 2:30 pm
480.222.4233
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From Headmaster Gillingham |
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Dear Arete Families,
We have had three COVID-19 cases on campus this week. Two faculty members and one student. Anyone considered as close contact has been quarantined and can return eight days after exposure with a negative test or 11 days after exposure without symptoms. If your child was identified as having close contact with a positive case, you have already received notification.
Additionally, we have had the first confirmed spread of COVID-19 on campus. One faculty member who was COVID positive has passed it to another faculty member who was considered in close contact (or epidemiologically connected) on campus.
We had COVID-19 testing for faculty on campus today, Friday, January 29, and all areas of campus have been deep cleaned. If this develops any further we will notify you of any additional measures needed.
This is a notification that Maricopa County Department of Public Health (MCDPH) has identified an outbreak of COVID-19 at Arete Preparatory Academy. There is no action for you to take at this time.
We are working closely with Maricopa County Department of Public Health to stop COVID-19 from spreading in our school. We have identified and contacted all close contacts of the individuals who have tested positive to prevent further spread. If your child was identified as having close contact with a positive case, you have received notification. All close contacts of positive cases will be required to stay home from school (quarantine) for seven days (returning on day eight) or 10 days (returning on day 11) from the last exposure, according to MCDPH’s Quarantine Guidance for Household and Close Contacts.
A school outbreak of COVID-19 is defined as:
- Two or more students or staff who have tested positive for COVID-19 within a 14-day period; and
- Identified as close contact such as in a classroom or on a school sports team;
- Do not live in the same household; and
- Were not identified as close contacts of each other in another setting during a Public Health case investigation (e.g. friends who play together in each other’s homes).
COVID-19 is still circulating in our community. The best way to keep you and your family safe from respiratory diseases like COVID -19 and the flu is to:
- Clean your hands often, either with soap and water for 20 seconds or a hand sanitizer that contains at least 60% alcohol.
- Avoid close contact with people who are sick.
- Put distance between yourself and other people (at least 6 feet).
- Cover your mouth and nose with a mask when around others.
- Cover your cough or sneeze with a tissue, then throw the tissue in the trash.
- Clean and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces daily.
- Get a flu vaccine.
If you/your child or a family member is experiencing COVID-like symptoms (fever or chills, cough, shortness of breath or difficulty breathing, fatigue, sore throat, headache, congestion or runny nose, nausea or vomiting, diarrhea, muscle/body aches, and/or a new loss of taste or smell), do not attend work/school, and consider either seeking healthcare or getting a COVID-19 PCR or antigen test, depending on the severity of symptoms. Testing locations can be found by calling 2-1-1.
Sincerely,
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Julia Gillingham
Headmaster, Arete Preparatory Academy
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Arete Prep Quarter Zip Sweatshirt On Sale! |
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Arete Prep ¼-Zip Athletic Sweatshirt on sale at
now through February 7
Sale Price S-XL
$25.95
Sale Price 2XL
$27.95
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No School Day & Online Learning Day |
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Friday, February 5 is a Great Hearts In Service Day for faculty, there will be NO school.
ALL students will have an online day on Friday, February 26. If you need your Google Classroom sign in, please contact the front office.
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Order the 2020-2021 Yearbook Today! |
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TODAY, January 29 is the last day to order for just $50! Price increases to $55 after today. If you would like to get your yearbook personalized, that option is only available through January 29. Place your order today at Jostens.com.
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Updated Quarantine Guideline |
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If you were within 6 feet of a person with COVID-19 for a cumulative total of 15 minutes or more over a 24-hour period or had physical contact with a person with COVID-19, you need to stay in quarantine at home.
Please DO NOT send your student to school if:
- Anyone they have been in contact with has tested positive for COVID-19.
- They have been tested for COVID-19 and are waiting for test results.
- Someone in their household has been tested for COVID-19 and is waiting for test results.
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They have any one or more symptom(s) of COVID-19, which include fever (>100°F), cough, shortness of breath, difficulty breathing, chills, sore throat, headache, muscle/body aches, stuffy nose or congestion, nausea or vomiting, diarrhea, and/or a new loss of taste or smell.
- They have traveled internationally by air and do not have a negative COVID-19 test five days after their return.
When students return to campus after their quarantine is up or they have negative test results as indicated by Nurse Hodgkins, they must stop at the front desk before returning to class.
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Upcoming Zoom Coffee Shops |
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Mark your calendars for the appropriate time for you Coffee Shop
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It’s time to make your AZ Public Tax Credit to Arete Prep! Each Tuesday there will be a drawing for one student to win a prize of their choosing. It’s simple to enter: Make your tax credit AT THIS LINK or send in a check! It’s a dollar for dollar CREDIT – you win and our students win. Contact Jessica Vaughan for more details. Go Chargers!
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SAT School Day on March 24 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.
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No Parking at Wedgewood Weddings or on Quinn Ave. |
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Please be good neighbors and do not park on Quinn Ave waiting for students for drop off or pick up. Vehicles may be ticketed.
Please, NO STUDENT parking in the neighborhood behind the school.
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.
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Dress Code, Masks and Hygiene |
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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.
For CDC guidelines about How to Store and Wash Masks, visit this link.
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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:
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Mesa Community College and Chandler-Gilbert Community College
To schedule, an appointment click on one of the links below.
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Attention Remote Learning Families |
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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
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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
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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
Remote Learning Info:
https://areteprepacademy.greatheartsamerica.org/remote-learning/
There will be NO student item drop off during the day.
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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. |
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New Volunteer Clearance Process |
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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.
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Arete Prep & Communication |
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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.
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Arete Preparatory Academy | 480.222.4233 |
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