Good afternoon Arkansas Arts Academy 7-12 Families!
We hope that you are all safe and well and that you are weathering these unparalleled times with grace and fortitude. With the Governor's proclamation currently closing all schools through April 17th, we know that students and parents are worried about the state of education for the next three weeks at a minimum.
After the Governor's announcement, our school's leadership team met to discuss how we will be moving forward. I was impressed and touched at their ardent belief that we can continue to maintain our professional relationships with our students and each other and continue to help students retain acquired knowledge and skills and grow new ones in a digital environment. Their focus was primarily on students' mental and emotional health, wanting to provide some small semblance of normalcy in a stressful and chaotic geopolitical environment.
Starting on Monday, March 30th, the faculty of Arkansas Arts Academy stands ready to begin delivering digital content to all students. We will primarily be using Google Classroom and other Google Tools to deliver this content and track and encourage participation. This includes video lectures, discussions, and explanations using Google Meet. These Meets can be recorded and posted to allow students flexibility on when they engage. I want to affirm that we are not asking you to become your child's teacher, nor are we asking that student's put in a full day of normal school hours. We know that in our current environment flexibility is key and teachers will be focusing on key skills using engaging content that can be accessed at any time of the day. They will also be posting their own digital school contact hours, so that parents and students know when they can reach out to teachers for immediate help. Our focus will be on providing valuable instruction and feedback to continue to prepare students for their next step whether that is moving to career or college or into the 8th grade. Our focus will be on growth and engagement, not grades. Here is a link for parents to understand how Google Classroom works: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Iowi-gmbys If your student has forgotten his or her Google password, please have them contact the tech department directly; Victor Craig, vcraig@artsk12.org or John Hines, jhines@artsk12.org.
Our arts teachers understand the importance of the arts in our students' lives, not least of which is helping to maintain emotional health. They will be offering their own version of digital instruction and feedback aimed at helping your student continue to grow as an artist and collaborate with their community of artists.
While we are not asking you to become your child's teacher, we are asking that you encourage your child to engage with the instruction created by his or her teachers. A day classes will continue to post new content on A days and B day classes will have new content on B days. Teachers will be monitoring participation and reporting non-participants to myself, Mrs. Carpenter, and our counseling staff so that we can check in to make sure that everything is alright and assess if there are any needs prohibiting participation that we can help fill. The content we are working to create for the next three weeks or longer is not fluff designed to fill time, but meaningful instruction meant to help grow knowledge and prepare students for a successful transition back to the classroom. While we have many amazing ideas for engaging with students digitally, we do ask for patience as this is all new to us as well.
We will be offering a drive-thru pick up of needed supplies on Monday and Friday mornings from 7-10. If your student needs art supplies, paper and pencils, a calculator, an instrument, a replacement chromebook or charger, you need only let us know by email (hwright@artsk12.org, rcarpenter@artsk12.org) and we will prepare an appropriate package for you to pick up at the front entrance. Please note that parents will be financially responsible for the replacement or repair of any materials that are lost or damaged. Please remind your student to be responsible with school equipment.
Finally, there are the big questions:
- Will graduation still happen? Graduation is currently still on the calendar and scheduled to take place on June 5th at 7pm in the Performing Arts Center. All seniors who were in good standing at the end of the 3rd Quarter will graduate. We encourage seniors to engage with the content created by their AAA teachers as they want to continue to help them prepare for the next steps in their lives. We also remind all seniors enrolled in NWACC classes that they should follow NWACC's COVID guidelines for those courses. Seniors not in good standing will be offered the opportunity to complete credit recovery. Please contact Meagan Hurt, mhurt@artsk12.org for more information. Should the Governor extend school closures through the end of the school year, the graduation ceremony will be cancelled. In the event the ceremony is cancelled, students diplomas will be mailed directly to them and graduation addresses from the superintendent, principal, Valedictorian, and Salutatorian will be filmed and posted on social media.
- Is prom cancelled? Prom is currently scheduled for May 2nd at 7 pm. We are not currently cancelling prom. However, if the Governor extends the school closure beyond April 17th, prom will be cancelled.
- What if I registered for the April ACT? ACT has rescheduled the April 4th ACT to June 13th. All students who were previously registered for this session have had their registrations moved to the new date at the same testing site selected. Please login to act.com and check your registration ticket to verify all details.
- Will our students still complete standardized testing this year? Students in Arkansas will not complete the ACT Aspire this school year. Any 9th or 10th graders hoping to take NWACC courses as sophomores or juniors will need to take the Accuplacer or the ACT before being allowed to register. Please contact Mrs. Hurt for more details on registration. A parent webinar will occur in April as well.
- How will AP testing work? The college board has shortened all AP exams to a single 45 minute session that students can complete on any device with access to the Internet. They are also offering online study sessions that students can join for free. Your AP teacher(s) will provide more information on dates and times.
- How will we serve students with IEPs, 504s, or ELL students? Teachers will still be implementing all accommodations and modifications as required by a student's 504 or IEP. Our ESL and Special Education teachers will be reaching out to their students and their families telephonically or digitally to make sure their needs are being met and they are continuing to be successful. If you have specific concerns, please contact your students case manager and myself.
I hope that this wealth of information helps put minds at ease and provides some light in these dark times. I will be available for video and phone conferencing on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday mornings. At all other times I will be intermittently available to answer email and work on school projects as I will be caring for my own two children as well.
To my students, I know that the current world situation is frightening and stressful. Please know that you can always reach out to any of your teachers, myself, or a counselor when you need to talk. We are here for you now, just as we always have been. In an effort to help raise your spirits, you can look forward to regular episodes of "The Wright Channel" coming to a social media platform near you. :)
If you have any questions or concerns, please reach out to me. We want to make sure our students and their families are taken care of and can connect you with resources if you need anything from food to Internet access. I wish you all a healthy rest of Spring Break and we look forward to our adventure in digital learning starting next week.
Mrs. Wright is currently reading:Midnight in Chernobyl by Adam Higginbotham
Heather Wright
Principal, Arkansas Arts Academy 7-12 Campus (479)877-1723