Aspen Ridge Parent Newsletter
November 2020
Informed Parents Make for GREAT Partners
UPCOMING EVENTS
11/3: Election Day
11/4: Early Release and Awards, 12:15pm
11/12: Picture Retakes (Take II)
11/18: Board Meeting, 4:30pm
11/23-27: Thanksgiving Break
12/2: Early Release and Awards, 12:15pm
12/9: Lottery for incoming students to AR
12/16: Board Meeting, 4:30pm
12/18: Early Release, 12:15pm; Holiday Celebrations; Last Day of 2nd Quarter
12/21-1/5: Holiday Break
1/6: First Day of 3rd Quarter

More dates and *virtual links can be found by going to our school calendar. Subscribe there to make sure you don't lose track of what is happening at Aspen Ridge.
Congratulations to
Owls of the Month:

Brittany Weingardt
VIP K-2 Teacher

Kaitlin Thornton
VIP 3-5 Teacher

Tori Hollis
VIP 6-8 Teacher (ELA/SS)

Maria Reseign
VIP 6-8 Teacher (Math, Sc)

Our Virtual Instructional Programming team has been working tirelessly to provide our virtual platform students with parallel instruction to our on-premise students. They offer instruction and social interaction with three grade levels each, to ensure our Owls stay up-to-date with on-premise learners. Help me to give them a round of applause, as they were recognized by our Board of Directors during the October board meeting. Congratulations!
Looking for little ways to help Aspen Ridge? Click on the links below to learn more.

Restaurant Nights
Supporting AR through restaurant nights is easy and fun (who doesn't love taking a break from the kitchen from time to time?)
Watch the school calendar for which restaurants are teaming with Aspen Ridge. Supporting local businesses is a joy and helping out our school is even better

Scan your receipts and earn money towards our school!

Turn in your Longmont Dairy milk caps and ARPS receive money back for every cap.
(Interested in helping out with Milkcap organization and sorting, please email ccantwell@arprep.org)

An easy way to earn money for Aspen Ridge while shopping for groceries.

Sign up to make Ridge your non-profit donation place when you order from Amazon. It's no cost to you and our school receives great benefits.
(I just received an email from one parent that showed her quarterly donation to ARPS was almost $180--just because she shops on Amazon. Wow!)

For $20, your Owl gets to choose various days throughout the year to wear their clothes of choice (in lieu of their uniform). If you are interested in purchasing, click HERE to pay online (make sure and add your student's name and teacher when purchasing) and we'll send your pass home with your Owl to use at your discretion.
Click HERE to learn about our Character Trait for the month of November:

We Are Connected!
At Aspen Ridge, we are committed to creating safe environments for our Owls to learn and grow.
Whether on-premise or virtually, it's the little things that make such a huge impact for our school--a place built BY the community to build UP the community.
We are Thankful!
We have much to be thankful and grateful for. Even with all of the uncertainties that this year has brought, we made it 9-weeks before feeling any huge effects.
That. Is. Amazing!!!

As we enter into cold and flu season, keep in mind that some of the most effective ways to stop the spread of viruses is through good, old fashioned hand-washing. Remind your child(ren) to wash their hands, keep their hands away from their faces, sneeze/cough into the crook of their elbow and monitor daily for any signs/symptoms of illness. With your help and reinforcement from home, we will continue to be successful at staying on-premise for school.

A couple of shout outs for the group...

  • Thank you to the Kirk family for delivering our fourth picnic table. It is so colorful and fun!

  • Thank you to our VIP families, VIP teachers and on-premise teachers who made last week's, 2nd quarter transition smooth and seamless.

  • Thank you to our 7th/8th grade teachers for helping to get all learning materials to students, 20 minutes before dismissal last Friday. Your orchestration was much appreciated.

  • Thank you to Chantelle McCollum for the surprise pizza for teachers on Friday (10/30). What a treat on such a fun, Fall day!

  • Thank you to Ms. Hiskett and "The Owl Times" newsletter elective class for publishing their first ever parent edition newsletter. Read it here and enjoy!

I would like to share with you some words of wisdom from one of my favorite authors, Jon Gordon.

The Day after Tomorrow is the name of a movie about a catastrophic event that threatens to destroy our civilization. 

The day after tomorrow is also the day (Wednesday) we will hopefully know who wins the Presidential election. Regardless of who wins there will be some who see the election as a catastrophic event. 

But I want you to know that no matter who wins, it's not the end of civilization as we know it. 

Even if your candidate loses, you shouldn't lose hope. 

While you may feel powerless you have more power than you think. 

Individually, you can't control who wins the election but you can control what you do the day after tomorrow. 

You can be happy.
You can work hard. 
You can love others.
You can make a difference. 
You can (hope) for the President to lead well and make great decisions. 
You can invent something that changes the world. 
You can start and build a successful business. 
You can inspire your students and believe in them. 
You can help heal someone. 
You can feed the poor and help the needy. 
You can raise your children with great values and principles. 
You can love, serve and care. 

The President will be in control of running the country but you and only you are in control of running your life. 

Leadership is important. But one person doesn't make America. We make America.
-Jon


Differentiating our approaches, supporting one another and staying optimistic throughout changing times is what makes Aspen Ridge the best school around. Thank you for being a part of it!

#ourschool
#ourcommunity
#ourlegacy

Charla Salmeron, Principal
Featured Updates
Traveling Over the Holidays?

While Aspen Ridge does NOT have travel policy restrictions for students and staff, we do ask that you continue to be mindful about where you are traveling and who you are visiting. Help our school community stay extra healthy by monitoring your Owl(s) for symptoms each day and encouraging them to wash their hands. Did you know the goal for handwashing is TEN times a day? With cold and flu season right around the corner, now is the time for that extra push and healthy habit vigilance.
What if SVVSD Moves Back to 100% Online?

Our sick policies for staff and students have been working well and to date, we have not had any positive Covid cases since school started on August 31st. Be it strong processes or luck, we are proud that our Owls are continuing to thrive and stay healthy. Should SVVSD return back to a 100% virtual platform in coming weeks, keep in mind that we will continue to monitor our school health and safety and make choices for our school community that meet our needs (meaning we won't follow into an automatic virtual platform should SVVSD move in that direction). We'll continue to communicate with you directly to keep you up-to-date and informed on all things Aspen Ridge.
Looking for More Information?

Click HERE to stay up-to-date on the Aspen Ridge COVID 19 policies and procedures, or reach out to Sean Cortes at healthyowls@arprep.org if you have questions.



Mr. Sean Cortes passing out PPE to our staff!
Updates From Previous Newsletters
Mrs. Rebecca Mayo-Cody, ARPS Counselor

Click HERE to see how she can support you and your Owl(s) both in person and virtually.
Are you looking for an easy way to ensure your Owl is safe after school, until you get home from work? Check out the ARPS Owl's Nest.

Owl's Nest After Care
Afternoons
3:15 pm to 6:00 pm
$15 per day
Includes snack!
 
All students must sign-up in advance for after care for the 2020-2021 school year.
To sign up your student(s), please follow this link: The Owl's Nest Official Signup.
Aspen Ridge Preparatory School | www.aspenridgeprepschool.org/