AVA Newsletter - December 5th 2024

December 5th 2024

Admin Address

Through the years there have been varying philosophies on how to best teach students. Those philosophies have been on a pendulum and as a society we have tried and retried many of them in order to teach our students. At Aspen View Academy we believe that by building relational capacity with students and using Core Knowledge provides a strong foundation for our students.

One of the advantages to Core Knowledge is that it is a spiraling curriculum. This means that students will not only see it in the early years of elementary school, but build on that foundation as the subject is built up in elementary school and expanded later into middle school. One of the things that we do for our students here is to enhance the student’s ability to understand the curriculum by immersing them in some experiential lessons. You will see that in various ways. Our students will have a Greek Day to culminate the unit, put on a Medieval Festival or re-enact a battle for the Civil War.

At the Middle School level there are several experiences that students have the opportunity to be involved in and apply this learning. These opportunities come from the electives that they get to choose to be in. Being able to teach some of our core values in classes like National Junior Honor Society where they collected food before Thanksgiving break to help others. Student Council and National Junior Society helping keep the hallways clean. Recycling club helps make a difference by coming through to collect recycling 2-3 times a week.

Not only do they learn some of the core values during this time, but they also have the opportunity to find something that they are passionate about. These experiences are found in choir, the musical, orchestra, or sewing.

All of these opportunities give our students experiences in different ways to gain knowledge and to grow as a person. We are lucky enough to have the resources needed to provide these opportunities to students. In this way, we stay true to our Mission and Vision and ensure that we are teaching our students using best practices for their success.

Dave Bodiker

AVA Middle School Assistant Principal

Middle School Only News

A huge thank you to our incredible school community for your overwhelming support of this year's food drive! Thanks to your generosity, we were able to collect over 1,600 items for the Hope and Help Center, providing vital support to families in need.

Special congratulations go to the Gray Wolves, who emerged victorious in the middle school challenge by bringing in the most donations. On the elementary side, Ms. Reynold's 2nd grade class took home the prize for the largest contribution.

Your kindness and teamwork make a real difference in the lives of others. We are so proud of the spirit of giving shown by all of our students, staff, and families. Thank you for helping NJHS make this event a success!

Middle School Fall Sports

Check out the Athletic calendar on our website and come cheer on our AVA Wolves!

General Announcements

Last Day to Purchase - January 10th!

Order your 24-25 Yearbook Today

Click on the image above to order

Our volunteers have logged 839 hours in the month of November! Every month we will be doing a monthly drawing to win a gift card or AVA swag. Please visit our volunteer page to see upcoming opportunities.

Our volunteer of the month is Jaime Eyre! Please stop by the front office to pick up your gift card.

As we are into the colder days of winter, please make sure you are following the AVA Uniform Policy. To mention a few things that we are seeing are students wearing leggings under their skirts and shorts that are not AVA approved uniform style or colors.

The December PTO Pipeline is now live. Check it out for volunteer opportunities, upcoming events, and all things PTO!

“Happy Holidays from your AVA Wolf Shack! From November 29th-December 18th, enjoy 25% off your purchase, both online and in-person. For online purchases, please use code FESTIVE25. Discount will be applied at checkout for in-person shoppers.

IMPORTANT NOTE: For online orders that are meant to be gifts, please note this when checking out (or email wolfshack@aspenviewacademy.org) and we will leave it with the front office for pickup rather than delivering to your child’s classroom. For in-person shopping, we will be open December 4th from 3:00-4:00. Our online store can be found here. Orders will be filled on a first come first serve basis so don’t delay! Cannot be combined with any other discounts. Happy shopping!"

WE KNOW IT'S A VERY BUSY TIME OF YEAR, BUT LET YOUR HOLIDAY SPIRIT BRING THE TEACHERS SOME CHEER!!

Let's celebrate our wonderful teachers and staff with a soup luncheon and holiday cookie buffet on Wednesday, December 18. Please review the available slots here to sign up. PTO will provide crackers, bread/rolls, and toppings for chili.

Need time for holiday shopping or a date night? Sign up your students for a STEM Kids Night Out on Friday, December 13th (5pm-9pm) at CVHS hosted by Technology Student Association. Kids will watch a movie Meet the Robinsons (G), eat pizza and cookies and explore STEM through fun hands-on activities! Space is limited so sign up now!

The Math Masters mathematics competition program challenges 4th and 5th grade students to use critical thinking and problem-solving skills in mathematics. Students will spend time practicing and preparing for a competition on April 25th. The competition includes individual rounds, as well as team rounds. Teams consist of 4-5 students in 4th or 5th grade. We can enter as many teams as we wish.

We will begin putting together teams and start meeting on January 15th! Meetings will be Wednesdays after school 3:45 - 4:30pm and will continue through our competition in April. Fees will be covered by the school.

Please register by January 7th here!

If you have any questions reach out to

Tina Hainer or Katherine Hainer

New Location

Educational Outfitters store has a new location. Stop by and see them at their new address.

Donations Needed for the Health Room

Our Health Room is looking for gently used uniforms in smaller sizes only. We need sizes for students in Kindergarten-2nd grade. Mostly pants/shorts or skirts are needed and some shirts too. You can drop these gently used uniforms off at the front office.