AVA Newsletter - October 10th 2024

October 10th 2024

Admin Address

Who has the best teachers in the Douglas County School District? The answer is easy; Aspen View Academy does. AVA has a highly dedicated group of teachers and staff who go above and beyond every day to make sure your kids are educated in a safe and caring environment where they feel comfortable and confident to take chances. We have established high expectations for all students and provide all the tools necessary for the students to accomplish these expectations. Of course, our success is not complete without the tremendous efforts of our support personnel, which includes the office staff, custodial staff, lunchroom staff and our PARAs.

I know that the AVA parent community appreciates our teachers and staff and demonstrates that in many ways. There is a formal opportunity to show your appreciation – the DCSD Apple Awards.

The Apple Awards were created in 2006 to provide the opportunity to recognize and celebrate excellent, innovative teachers, administrators, and support staff. Nominations for the Apple Awards are submitted online by staff, students, parents, and members of the community. You may nominate more than one person. Nominations must be made using the online form, no exceptions. The nomination window is open now through November 11th.

As of today, you will find the 2025 Apple Award Nomination link LIVE on AVA's page on the FoundationDCS.org website:

Click on “nominate now”!
Scroll down to Charter Schools
Select Aspen View Academy
Find the “click here” to access the nomination form.

The 2025 Apple Award Nomination window is open now through Monday November 11, 2024. We invite our AVA students, teachers, staff, and community to join us in nominating their favorite teacher(s), principal, classified employee, support staff, or any employee of AVA. After the Nomination window closes on November 11th, the district will return the list of nominees to each school, and we will select this year's school representatives. AVA is allowed to submit one licensed educator and one classified representative to be considered for the 2025 Apple Award!

Please show your support for our amazing staff and nominate as many as you feel have made a difference in your child’s life.

Bob Barber

AVA Principal

Middle School Only News

The Middle School Boo Bash Halloween dance is on Friday, November 1st from 7-9 PM.

Costumes are encouraged and welcomed (must be school appropriate and follow the AVA guidelines). Tickets are $5 in advance on myschoolbucks OR $10 at the door the night of the event.

Volunteers needed to donate food and to help at the dance.

Cheer Starts October 21st from 4-4:45pm. Meet in the Elementary School Gym. If you have any questions please reach out to Mrs. Vice.

Middle School Fall Sports

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

General Announcements

Nominate an Amazing Teacher or Staff Member through Nov 11th!

Nominate an educator or staff member that has had a positive impact on your student or your family.

2025 Apple Awards nominations are now open, and we have so many wonderful Aspen View Academy staff deserving of a nomination and this award.

Nomination Window:

October 1st - November 11th, 2024

Each year, the DCSD community celebrates its outstanding teachers and staff through the annual Apple Awards.

To nominate a favorite educator or staff member, visit the 2025 Apple Award Site. It only takes a few minutes, but means so much to our teachers and staff!

After School Clubs

Listed below are the available clubs that will run during the 2^nd quarter. All after school club registration will occur in My School Bucks. Registration for clubs are now open and will remain open until filled or October 25th, whichever comes first. Please click here to see the description of the clubs. The list of clubs that are available for the quarter are below:

Card Game Club with Mr. Jaren (5th-8th)

D&D Club with Mr. Jaren (5th-8th)

Let's Get in Gear and Engineer with Mrs. Reynolds (2nd-7th)

Lego Masters with Mrs. Reynolds (1st-7th)

Coding Club with Ms. Orness (2nd-8th)

Cosmetology Salon Jr. with Ms. Orness (2nd-8th)

Inspired Swifties (All NEW) with Ms. Orness (1st-8th)

Hands to Hearts with Mrs. Lopez (K-3rd)

Wolf Pup Cheer Minis with Mrs. Coffelt and Mrs. Robertson (K-3rd)

Creative Crafters with Mrs. Combe (K-3rd)

Happy Crafts with Mrs. L. Miller (K-5th)

It’s hard to believe it’s already October! Fall is in full swing along with our monthly Social Emotional Learning lessons. This month all grades will be taught a grounding technique for their monthly coping skill. Grounding techniques can help us connect our mind & body to the present moment. This can help us feel calm when experiencing stress, anxiety, and big emotions. In addition to this, each class will get a lesson on the following topic:

K & 1st- Coping skills (using tools to calm ourselves- get back to the green zone)

2nd-5th- Resiliency (what does it mean? How can we build our resiliency?)

In anticipation of the upcoming holiday season, AVA works with the town of Castle Rock to provide families in need with assistance. If you are an AVA family and need help with food and/or gifts this holiday for your family please reach out to Jessica Rossi at jrossi@aspenviewacademy.org or Kim Ness at kness@aspenviewacadey.org. All information will be kept confidential. Requests for assistance need to be received by Friday October 11th.

The AVA Counseling Team

Dear Parents/Guardians,

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 (February) and 5th or 6th grade--a student's final year of elementary school (November).

5th/6th Grade Universal Screen

As part of this process, ALL students in 5th grade not identified for gifted programming will take the Cognitive Abilities Test (CogAT) the week of November 4. 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.

Gifted Identification Referral Testing

If your child is in grades 3 or 4 and you believe they need 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.

Please check the lost and found. All items will be donated on Oct. 25th

Trunk or Treat

PTO is so excited for our 3rd Annual Trunk or Treat event on Friday, October 25th from 5:30pm-7:30pm. This year, we will have food trucks, a DJ, fun games and plenty of prizes! If you would like to host a trunk (or table) please sign up here. If you'd like to donate candy or small prizes, please sign up here.

Please use the link here to register for November 9th Engineering Day at Colorado School of Mines:

Every year, SWE hosts Girl Scout Engineering Day, a dynamic half-day outreach event for Junior Girl Scouts where participants explore various areas of STEM. This year’s theme is “Exploring Biotech.” Biotechnology plays a pivotal role in our lives—it’s the very fabric of our existence. From groundbreaking innovations to everyday products, biotech has revolutionized our world. Through biotechnology, we’re unlocking new health treatments and medicines, enabling people to lead longer, healthier lives. Junior Girl Scouts will learn more about these fascinating topics through interactive discussions and hands-on activities.

Girl Scout Engineering Day prepares participants to:

Define introductory science, engineering, and mathematics concepts
Demonstrate their interest in STEM with continued active engagement in STEM-type classes, and extracurricular activities
Apply their learning to future hands-on experiences to complete the Girl Scout STEM badge

If you have any questions feel free to email Mrs. Reynolds ireynolds@aspenviewacdemy.org