Welcome Back & Welcome New People!
I hope you have had an amazing summer full of family and fun. We have certainly missed you!
As we look at the new year, I know that many of us are excited to get back to a “normal” year. However, we still have some restrictions that we are working with. That being said, we are committed to delivering the best possible experience for you and your child while still being in compliance with the requirements set forth by the Oregon Department of Education and Oregon Health Authority. The biggest take away right now is that all students/staff must mask up while indoors, we are looking at a 3 foot spacing in our seating arrangements, our isolation rooms will stay intact, and there will be restrictions on visitors. There will be more on this shortly (and this may be subject to change).
We’d like to inform students/families about our programming to help you get off to a great start. We anticipate having a normal full day schedule for all students who have not met requirements for a half day schedule.
Registration
We have some changes to registration to better serve you and your family.
The District has opened online registration for all new families. Please go to:
https://www.springfield.k12.or.us/domain/138 All students, new AND returning need to do this. Follow the prompts and register today. Make sure to click approved transfer for A3. This will help us communicate with you on the latest A3 updates.
These are our proposed dates/activities coming up (subject to change):
A3 Kick Off Orientation for all students on September 2nd
Either come between: 9-12 AM or 1-4 PM. We will have:
- PTSA booth
- SPED/504 rooms
- Counseling services
- Medication intake
- Technology distribution for new students
- Pay supply fee of $50
- Registration /forecasting w/ Krista for students who have not yet completed this
Sept. 7th for New Students’ Nuts & Bolts (12:30-2:30ish)
“Nuts n bolts” session new students with Maintenance crew and Wilson/Emerald
- Tours
- Mugs
- Last minute released students will need to register w/ Krista
- Meet Advisory teacher (if opportunity permits)
- How to’s:
- Bikes / Skateboards
- Campus Boundaries
- Food
- Glossary
- Door Access
Note: New Students get Mentors assigned by advisory teacher (first week of school)
For returning students, Krista Cummings, our registrar, will be reaching out to you if you missed September 2nd Kick Off .
Note: We hope to have schedules pushed out this day in Synergy.
Daily Schedule
The first day of school is Wednesday, September 8th. Our day is 8:25-4:15. This will be a stretch for students who haven’t been experiencing such a long day.
See our daily schedule.
In addition, ten times a year, we have late start Fridays. On those days, students will experience less classes for longer periods of time. The periods will alternate between the late start Fridays. This time schedule will be posted in the school calendar, the student handbook, and the newsletter.
Food Service
Breakfast is served at 8:00 in the A3 Extension building with the exception of late start Fridays (it will start at 9:00). Meals are now free for ALL students.
Annual Calendar
Check out two tabs on our website (A3school.org): “21-22 Academic Calendar” and “21-22 Events Calendar.” We will update these during the year, as necessary. In addition, we typically have a weekly electronic newsletter with information about what is happening during the week. If technology is not your thing, we also have the student handbook/planner for your review. However, note that the calendar in the handbook is subject to change.
Headwaters
We will not be holding Headwaters this year at Sky Camp. We will hold this event at the school on Thursday, September 9th and Friday the 10th. The rationale for this change is COVID restrictions and wild fire concerns. The goal for these activities are to help create community, on-board new students, and reconnect with students and staff. We will cover the four majors in depth and complete a community art project this year.
Career Technical Education (CTE)
A3 implemented two CTE pathways focused in the arts: The Visual and Media Arts Pathway and The Performing Arts Pathway. These pathways prepare students for careers in the arts with emphasis on college and career skills such as technology, collaboration and communication. CTE programs are nationally recognized by colleges and industry. Participating in CTE is a great way to explore career interests while strengthening academic and technical skills plus it means additional financial resources for A3.
Second Friday Art Walks
We are pleased to announce that A3 will continue to be involved in the Downtown Springfield Second Friday Art Walks. This is a great opportunity to showcase student/staff art and to socialize with other A3 students, staff and parents. This also involves free art classes in many cool genres. Look for our awesome flyers and also the weekly newsletter for more info. We will be starting in October.
Clubs
We will list our clubs and their meeting times on our online events calendar and in the weekly newsletter. We also hope to have them showcased at our back to school Kick off event on September 2nd. If you are interested in starting a new club, please connect with Cody and Ame. You will want to have a staff advisor lined up for your club.
Internships
In order to prepare students for their career and college aspirations, internship opportunities occur twice a year during J-term (January) and May-term (May/June). There will be a maximum of 30 internships each term, for a total of 60 per year. Hope is your internship coordinator.
Requirements for participating in an internship this year:
- Students must be 11th or 12th graders who are on track to graduate
- Students must maintain 95% attendance rate
Student IDs
We plan on taking pictures of students early in the year for their IDs. More on this when we have selected a picture date.
Fees
We ask that all students pay a $50 general supply fee. What you get from this is most general supplies. Please plan on showing up with a backpack (we have no lockers), your computer fully charged (bring cord just in case), pens/pencils/paper. There may be some classes that have an extra fee attached-please refer to the course catalog for more information. If this fee creates a financial issue for your family, please connect with us and we will support you.
Extra help
If you need extra help on your assignments please reach out to the teacher directly to arrange a time to get help via email. Our staff is greatly invested in your success. Staff emails are first.last@springfield.k12.or.us, for example, Ame Beard’s email is ame.beard@springfield.k12.or.us
VOMP
We ask all students and staff to use the VOMP method to resolve conflicts. VOMP stands for: Vent, Ownership, Moccasins, and Plan. All students are taught this method. If a student has a conflict with another student, we try to facilitate a resolution. We ask that if students have a complaint about a staff member, to first try to resolve the issue with the staff member. If parents need to be involved, we ask that parents try to resolve the situation with teachers first. If things are not resolved at that level, both Andy Hock (our Dean of Students) and I are available to help work to facilitate solutions. We engage in the restorative justice model at A3 and believe in overtly teaching conflict resolution skills.
Conclusion
As always, pick up the phone and give me a call, send me an email if you have any questions or concerns. I hope you have always found me to be responsive. If you don’t hear from me within 24 hours during the school week, feel free to ask the front office for assistance. Our staff strives to serve your family and make A3 not just a school but a great place to be!
Best,
Ame Beard
ame.beard@springfield.k12.or.us
Office: 541.744.6728
Personal Cell: 541.870.1622
