AVA Newsletter - October 12th, 2023

October 12th, 2023

Admin Address

Who has the best teachers in the Douglas County School District? The answer is easy; Aspen View Academy does. I truly believe that we have a highly dedicated group of teachers that 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 demonstrate 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 13th.

As of today, you will find the 2024 Apple Award Nomination link LIVE on your school's page on the FoundationDCS.org website. The 2024 Apple Award Nomination window is open now through Sunday November 12, 2023. We invite our DCSD students, teachers, staff, and community to join us in nominating their favorite teacher(s), principal, classified employee and department employee. After the Nomination window closes on November 12th, we will return the list of nominees to each school for your own selection of this year's school representatives. Each school may submit one educator and one classified representative to be considered for the 2024 Apple Award!

Bob Barber

AVA Principal

Middle School Only News

Middle School Fall Sports

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

The Middle School Fright Night dance is on Saturday, October 28th from 6-8 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.

ATTENTION 8TH GRADE GIRL PARENTS

American Association of University Women and Arapahoe Community College invite you to GIRL POWER. This FREE event enables DCSD 8th-grade girls and one of their parents to come to learn more about how to get set up for college success by starting on a good path in high school. While the girls are busy learning about career pathways in psychology, technology, health, and business, parents will have the opportunity to hear from presenters including: DCSD School Counseling, Concurrent Enrollment, Arapahoe Community College, CSU Pueblo, and College Planning Solutions.

The event will run from 9 a.m. to noon on Saturday, November 11 at the Arapahoe Community College Sturm Collaboration Campus in Castle Rock. Space is limited to 100 total girls + 1 parent per girl.

Registration will open on Monday, October 23^rd.

RSVP here: www.calendly.com/sarah-homer (select Girl Power). This link will open on October 23rd.

Pizza lunch will be provided for all. Please bring your own refillable water bottle. Please send any questions you have to Sarah Homer at sarah.homer@arapahoe.edu.

Boys basketball for grades 6-8th grade is about to kick off!

Tryouts October 9th-12th from 4:15-5:45pm.

Boys basketball camp during the week of fall break, Oct. 16th-19th from 10am-12pm. To sign up for camp, click on the link here in my school bucks.

Please email Shannon Sherburne with any questions.

General Announcements

Trunk or Treat

PTO is so excited for our 2nd Annual Trunk or Treat event on Friday, October 27th from 5:30pm-7:30pm. This year, we will have food trucks, a DJ, an entertainer with some magical fun, a photo spot, 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.

Staff Spotlight

This is the second half of our Student Support Team. These ladies are a group of passionate, talented, and knowledgeable teachers. They pride themselves on the relationships that they build with their students and work hard to meet your child's individual learning needs.

Paula Stoesser (Intervention K-5) is supportive, compassionate and FUN! Mrs. Stoesser loves to witness the growth of her small groups. She spends her spare time traveling, reading and watching movies.

Traci Waters (Intervention 6-8) is kind, understanding and a great listener. Mrs. Waters understands Middle School is a challenging time and does so well offering a safe environment for her students to grow in. Outside of school hours, she loves to run, garden and play with her dogs

Kelly Thorp (Intervention K-5) is warm, passionate and thoughtful. In her role, Mrs. Thorp loves to help her students grow year by year. Her free time is spent walking, hiking and traveling.

Sarah Tharp (Intervention K-5) is positive, hardworking and kind. Mrs. Tharp loves seeing students have those lightbulb moments! When she isn't at work, she loves to go on nature walks and eat out with her family.

Amy Webb (Intervention K-5) is gracious, creative and upbeat. Mrs. Webb loves to teach new skills or help her students reach goals, and see their faces light up when that happens. She loves being with her family, watching college sports and walking her dogs.

Colleen Barber (Intervention K-5) has a great sense of humor, personable and warmhearted. Mrs. Barber loves interacting with her students and making a fun environment for them. In her free time she loves traveling, shopping and spending time with family.

From Roblox to TikTok, technology is changing fast, and many of us are struggling to stay one step ahead of our kids. Please join us on October 25th at 6:00pm for an expert Zoom presentation and Q&A about how to help your children stay safe online.

Saturday, October 28th

5:00-9:00pm

Vision and Hearing Screening

On November 2nd and 3rd, 2023 we will be conducting vision and hearing screening for students in grades Kindergarten, 1, 2, 3, 5 and 7, as well as new students and those receiving special education services. Students who missed last year's screening and are in these grades now will also be included.

We are also looking for volunteers for our Vision and Hearing Screening. Please click here to sign up to volunteer.

If you have any questions or concerns, please contact our School Nurse Consultant Jacenta Wirth, RN at jwirth@aspenviewacademy.org.

October PTO Pipeline is live & updated for October. Check it out for upcoming events + volunteer opportunities.

Mrs. Lund, our elementary Art Teacher would like to share Artsonia with you. Click on the image to find out more information.

Community is at the heart of all that we do. Our desire is for every student and their family to succeed not only in school, but also within the community. We recognize that many of our Aspen View families own or operate a business. We would like to support our families through this Business Directory. Click on the image to the right to access the Business Directory.