AVA Newsletter - January 25th 2024

January 25th, 2024

Admin Address

Why Student Attendance Matters at Aspen View Academy

Dear Parents –

Why Is School Attendance Important? School attendance is a powerful predictor of student outcomes. In fact, irregular attendance can be a better predictor of whether students will drop out of school before graduation than test scores, according to the US Department of Education.

Student attendance is not just about filling seats; it is about setting the stage for your child’s academic and personal development. Here are five reasons why attendance is so important:

Academic Achievement: Regular attendance directly correlates with academic success. When students are present in class, they can engage with the curriculum, participate in discussions, and receive immediate feedback from teachers. Missing class can lead to gaps in knowledge that can be difficult to fill later on. Each missed day represents missed learning opportunities, making it challenging for students to keep pace with their peers.
Building a Strong Work Ethic: Attending school regularly instills a strong work ethic in students. It teaches them the importance of responsibility and commitments, values that will serve them in their future careers and personal lives. This work ethic becomes a foundation for their personal and professional lives, contributing to their overall growth and development.
Social and Emotional Growth/Well-Being: School is not just about academics; it is also a place where students develop social and emotional skills. Regular attendance allows students to build friendships, develop empathy, and practice conflict resolution – all essential life skills. The school environment provides emotional support, and consistent attendance ensures that students remain connected to these valuable resources.
Preparing for the future: Consistent attendance lays the foundation for future success. Attendance helps develop crucial skills such as time management, responsibility, and resilience – skills that are vital in both academic and professional settings.
Accountability and Responsibility: By attending school regularly, students learn to be accountable for their actions. They understand that their presence matters not only to themselves but to their teachers and classmates as well.

Meeting State Requirements: In addition to the educational benefits, regular attendance is a legal requirement. State laws mandate that students attend school for a certain number of days each year. Chronic absenteeism is widely defined as missing 10 percent or more of a school year.

As parents, you play a vital role in supporting your child’s attendance. Here are a couple ways you can support them:

Establish a routine: Create a daily routine that includes a set bedtime and wake-up time. Consistency helps children get the rest they need for a productive day at school.
Communicate with your child: Talk with your child about the importance of attending school regularly. Encourage them to share any concerns they may have about school, such as academic or social issues.
Monitor your child’s attendance: Keep an eye on your child’s attendance. If you notice excessive absences or tardies, please discuss that with your child. If needed, please reach out to the school for support and guidance.

At Aspen View Academy, we firmly believe that regular school attendance is a critical component of a successful educational journey. By working together as a community to prioritize attendance, we can provide our children with the best opportunities for growth and success.

Thank you for your continued partnership in your child’s education. Together, we can help them achieve their fullest potential.

Bob Barber

AVA Principal

Middle School Only News

Middle School Winter Sports

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

To purchase tickets click here. Volunteers Needed; click here to see how you can help with food, set up/clean up or to chaperone.

General Announcements

Tomorrow, Friday January 26th is Dress of Choice

TODAY!!!

We hope you can join us for AVA Spirit Night Today, Jan. 25th (10:30am-9pm) at MOD Pizza Castle Rock! Mention AVA at checkout or use code "MODGIVES20" for online orders and they will donate 20% of your purchase back to our school! Click on the image to show them the flyer if you dine in.

After you attend, please complete this form. PTO will provide a hot chocolate and popcorn party for classes with the highest attendance (one pre-k class, one elementary class, and one middle school class). Please email pto@aspenviewacademy.org with any questions!

Parents, please remember if your student is arriving late to school (after 8:15am) you must walk your student into the building and sign them in. This applies to both elementary AND middle school students. If they are coming from a doctor's appointment, they will need to show a note from the doctor for this to count as an excused tardy, otherwise it will be marked as an unexcused tardy.

February 8th Class Picture Day

Class Photos: Class photos will be on Thursday, February 8th. Please order here or look for the paper flyer to come home in your Thursday today.

Double Hours:

Lunchroom and Recess Help is needed. This is a 3 hour shift and you can log 6 hours for helping.

AM and PM Carpool-When the temps are below 20 degrees, bundle up and come help. We will give you double hours.

PTO is in the very beginning stages of planning a Family Glow Party! This event will be held in April. In order to do so, we need a committee of 10-15 volunteers to help us make this an exciting family event! If you are interested in joining the planning committee, please complete the form below by Jan. 31st. If we are unable to get enough volunteers, we will switch gears and offer another family movie night that will require less volunteers.

Glow Party Committee Interest Form

If you have any questions, please email pto@aspenviewacademy.org

Staff Spotlight

This is our Special Education (SPED) Team. Together they have almost 90 years of teaching experience and over 50 years combined at Aspen View. These ladies work tirelessly to identify what will help their students' individual needs, and then advocate to implement the best plan. They work alongside the parents, teachers and students to help their kids be as successful as possible in their learning environment.

Candace Temme (Speech-Language Pathologist) is empathetic, knowledgeable and compassionate. Mrs. Temme enjoys finding creative ways to meet each student's unique needs, seeing them achieve a new hard earned skill, and developing relationships with them. She loves spending free time with her family, dogs, traveling and cooking.

Kristin Teuscher (K-4 SPED Paraprofessional) loves meeting each child where they are and celebrating every milestone big or small. Outside of work she loves to travel and ride her Vespa with her husband. Mrs. Teuscher is kind, patient and caring.

Susan Fosco (K-4 Learning Specialist) loves spending time with her 4 kids, cooking, traveling and trying new things. Mrs. Fosco loves helping each child discover their own strengths and building a connection with them. She is patient, compassionate and kind.

Jill Christiansen (5-8 Learning Specialist) is dedicated, diligent and organized. Mrs. Christiansen loves empowering her students to achieve their goals and become independent productive people. Outside of school she enjoys spending time with her family, watching sports and swimming.

Lynnlee Farrell (5-8 SPED Paraprofessional) loves the "a ha" moments, when she's finally helped a student to understand something they didn't before. Mrs. Farrell is passionate, intuitive and supportive. When she's not at school, she is cheering on her kids in sports and coaching volleyball.

The Spring Soiree is on Saturday March 9th from 6-9pm. Tickets are on sale now. Please click here to purchase your tickets.

If you run into any difficulties with purchasing your ticket or have any questions, please contact Tara Landen taraklanden@gmail.com

Click on the above image to find out more information and how you can register your student for the Summer Camp.

DCSD is committed to implementing equitable practices to increase access to advanced/gifted learning opportunities. Based on state and national recommendations and requirements, we implement Universal Screening for students in 2nd grade.

2nd Grade Universal Screen

As part of this process, ALL students in 2nd grade not identified for gifted programming will take the Cognitive Abilities Test (CogAT) the week of February 5. This assessment indicates the level and pattern of cognitive development of a student in comparison to grade and age mates. These general reasoning abilities, which start developing at birth and continue through early adulthood, are influenced by experiences gained both in and out of school.

If your child is already identified for gifted programming, they will not participate in this universal screen testing. Your Gifted Education Facilitator will contact you directly with information about this process.

Kindergarten/ 1st Grade Gifted Identification Referral Testing

If your child is in K or 1st grade and you believe he/she needs evaluation for Gifted Identification and Services, you may refer your child for testing by initiating the Gifted Identification Process.
NOTE: Requesting this assessment automatically initiates the process to evaluate for Gifted Identification.
Please request CogAT testing for your child by completing the Referral for Gifted Identification linked here
Upon receipt of this form the Gifted Education Facilitator will connect with you to discuss next steps in the gifted identification process.

If you have any questions please reach out to Kimberly Mayne at kmayne@aspenviewacademy.org

Help us spread the word for Girls are SMART (Studious, Mighty, Amazing, Resilient, and Talented) conference hosted by the Society of Women Engineers (SWE) collegiate section at Colorado School of Mines! This event involves gathering girls in grades 1st – 5th on the Mines campus to do STEM activities on March 9th. Registration will open on January 23rd and will remain open until March 7th or until 100 spots have been filled.

Please feel free to reach out to Mrs. Reynolds if you have any questions! Please click here to learn more information and to register.