School Newsletter: February 13 - 17, 2023

Important Dates:

✔️February 15th: Board Meeting 5:30pm at Elementary School  DCC

✔️February 14th: Wear red or pink!

✔️February 17th: National Random Acts of Kindness Day

✔️ February 27th-March 3rd: Read Across America Week

Celebrate Reading and Dr. Seuss

Fox in Socks Monday: Wear your silliest socks!

Cat in the Hat Tuesday:Wear a crazy hat!

Wacky Wednesday: Wear silly mismatched clothes!

Green Eggs and Ham Thursday: Wear Green!

Oh the Places You'll Go Friday: Dress for the job you hope to have one day!

✔️March 7th: Third Quarter Ends

✔️March 8th-9th:  Teacher Workdays/Parent Conferences

✔️March 10th: No School

RAP (Renaissance Association of Parents) Corner:

Uniform inventory is available for purchase anytime: https://www.arsnc.org/rap/

If you are interested in volunteering please contact RAP at [email protected]

New Attendance Form:

Please see email from Mrs. McMiller.

Please see the new attendance form under the parent resources tab of the school's website: https://www.arsnc.org/parents

Reminders:

✔️ Please do not send pop/soda, energy drinks, or anything in a can to school with your student for breakfast or lunch. 

✔️ K- 8 Uniform Policy: (Per ARS Student Handbook)

ARS has a Board approved student uniform policy. If a student is not wearing appropriate school attire, administrative staff will either allow the student to select uniform clothing from the school clothes closet or call parents and ask them to bring the appropriate clothing for their child to school as soon as possible. 

All uniform and non-uniform clothing should be in good condition and free of any rips, frays, and/or holes. A patch under a rip or hole is not acceptable. 

Tops: 

Any t-shirt, polo shirt, long-sleeved shirt or sweatshirt with an ARS logo or emblem created by ARS uniform companies and/or sold by ARS. Students are not allowed to wear sports jerseys (including those jerseys, and t-shirts associated with the local recreational teams) except on the designated special dress days. Strapless tops, spaghetti straps, tank tops, and shirts revealing the mid-drift or shirts/sweatshirts that are long enough to cover the students bottoms are not permitted. Shirts must be free of obscene images, words or drug/alcohol/tobacco branding, or paraphernalia.

Bottoms:

Any khaki material pants/slacks, shorts, skirts, capris, cargo pants, or skorts in the colors tan, navy.  Black bottoms will only be permitted for this school year but will phase out and no longer be permitted during the 2023-2024 school year. Skirts, skorts, and shorts have to be mid-way between the top of the thigh and the top of the knee. Leggings or tights may be worn under skirts, shorts, or skorts. No jeans, denim, leggings, yoga pants, pajama pants, fishnet stockings, or joggers should be worn as uniform bottoms. 

Jackets/Outerwear: 

Approved ARS jackets and sweatshirts can be worn in the building. Hoods of jackets/sweatshirts may not be worn inside the school building. Any non-ARS jacket or sweatshirt should be stored in a book bag, cubby, or locker. 

Shoes: 

Tennis shoes are required K-8 on days students have PE.

Headwear:

Bandanas, stocking caps, toboggans, beanies, scarves, baseball caps/hats, and other headgear are not permissible unless a special dress day is designated or approved by the principal for a religious purpose. Headbands can be no wider than 3 inches. 

Non-Uniform Days: 

On days students are permitted to dress out of uniform, it is expected that all clothing is school appropriate and follow all guidelines outlined above. Leggings and yoga pants may be worn with long tops reaching at least 1 inch below the inseam of the pants.  Pajama pants, fishnet stockings, and pants with excessive holes or rip should not be worn.

✔️ K- 8 Cell Phone Policy: (Per ARS Student Handbook)

While in school or involved in school-related activities (before/after school, field trips, etc), students may not use their cell phones for any reason including but not limited to, making phone calls, sending or receiving texts, visiting social media sites, or taking pictures or videos. Cell phones carried to school should be put into the student’s locker or book bag from 7:30 am until they are dismissed and outside of the building. Caution should be used during dismissal if a student is trying to contact their ride or walk across the street to their car. 

If a student is using their cell phone without permission, the teacher or staff member will ask for the cell phone and a parent/guardian will be contacted to pick it up from the front office by the end of the day. 

Teachers may allow cell phones in certain cases and in certain school trips but that will be shared as necessary.

Needs:

Kleenex

White Card Stock

Small Bottled Water

Refillable and Reusable Water Bottles

Backpack Program Needs:

Individual snacks

Mini bottle waters

Granola bars 

Apple sauce

Fruit snacks

**We are providing snacks to several kids daily along with weekend bags. Any help will be greatly appreciated!

Who's Who:

Mr. Jim Duffey: Executive Director K-8

Mrs. Danielle Cusick: Elementary School Principal K-3

Ms. Amanda DiGangi: Assistant Principal & Curriculum Director K-8

Mrs. Tai McMiller: School Counselor K-8

Dr. Maria Rector: Exceptional Children Director K-8

Mrs. Sandy Durham: Administrative Associate ES 

Mrs. Brianna Massey: Administrative Associate MS

Mrs. Emily Greene:Administrative Associate IS

Mrs. Anita Waugh: Administrative Associate/HR K-8

Mrs. Kathy Shipman: Student Data Manager

Mrs. Kelli Houston: School Nurse

Mr. Doug Griffith: Technology Director K-8

Ms. Tina Farewell: Before and After School Director  K-8

Mr. Dereck Baker: Athletic Director grades 6-8

RAP (parent volunteer organization): [email protected]

Core Values:

Thank you to all our students who are following our 

Core Values of ARS IS EVERY day!

A for Academic Excellence,

R for Respect,

S for Safety,

I for Integrity,

S for Support.

Academic Excellence: Do your best 100% of the time.

Respect: Respect yourself, peers, staff, school, and community.

Safety: Keep yourself and others physically and emotionally safe.

Integrity: Do the right thing, even when no one is looking.

Support: Find ways to help support your peers, school, and the local community.

Our Mission: