April Newsletter Addendum
Dear Academy students and families,
Two more announcements:
VACCINATION CLINICS:
The Polk County Health Department is hosting two community clinics dedicated to vulnerable populations on Friday the 16th and Saturday the 17th of April at our location (1907 Carpenter Ave Des Moines). These clinics will offer drive-thru and walk-up options for residents. The times for both clinics are: 8:45am to 5:00pm.
Friday 16th clinic: residents will be vaccinated with Moderna vaccine (must be 18 years of age and over) and they will need to commit to come back for the booster clinic on Monday May 17th. Registration link: https://www.immunizepolk.com//reg/1560222944
Saturday 17th Clinic: vaccination will be done using Pfizer vaccine (must be 16 years of age and over). Residents who attend this clinic will commit to come back on Saturday May 8th for their booster shot. Registration link: https://www.immunizepolk.com//reg/5931640632
- Both vaccine alternatives are safe and provide effective protection against COVID19.
- Registration links works better with web browsers Chrome or Firefox. Internet Explorer is not recommended.
You can also contact Polk County’s Call Center (515) 323-5221 (M-F 8am-5pm) if you do not have internet or technology access to register. Another alternative includes Forest Library, where staff will facilitate access to a computer for self-registration.
Both clinics will have Spanish-speaking staff on site to assist residents with the process.
As a reminder, DART is providing free rides to/from a vaccination clinic. Our clinic is located in routes 3,14 and 60. Riders can plan their trip using https://ridedart.com/mydart/trip-planner or by calling their customer service (515-283-8100).
INTERNATIONAL TRIPS
Central Academy had several international trips planned before the pandemic. We have started tentatively planning to reschedule these trips for spring and summer 2022. Some of the students who signed up originally have already graduated and took a refund or an individual vouchers. Most trips have space for additional students. Teachers who are organizing the trips will be speaking with the students who are eligible to participate based on course enrollment. For example, the Germany trip is reserved for students who are studying the German language.
One trip that is open to high school aged Academy students is our annual exchange with our sister school in Denmark. Students in Denmark are currently planning to visit Des Moines in November. We host our Danish visitors by pairing an Academy student with a Danish student. Ideally, the Danish student lives with your family for the week. Then, in April we go to Denmark and you are hosted by the Danish family of the student who stayed with you. Sometimes we make accommodations if a family is unable to host but would like to participate. We need to begin planning now. But we will also have to be alert to changing conditions due to the pandemic and governmental restrictions on travel both here and there. It is likely vaccinations for Covid would be required.
If your interested in hosting and/or traveling to Denmark will you please contact lindsay.fredregill@dmschools.org.