AVA Newsletter - October 24th 2024

October 24th 2024

Admin Address

We are officially in that time of year when snow becomes a distinct possibility. As you know, the forecasting snow in Colorado is not an exact science as we are often surprised by just how much or how little snow we receive despite the forecasts. One of the favorite things for students (and staff) is when there is the possibility of a snow day. One never knows if there will be enough snow to cancel or delay school, but it is important to know how to find out if classes at AVA will be canceled or what happens on a delayed start.

AVA follows the direction of the Douglas County School District regarding school closures or delays due to weather. If the DCSD decides to close for the day, then AVA will be closed as well. This means all activities at AVA will be canceled, including BASE and any sports or clubs which were scheduled for that day. Sometimes the weather is not severe enough for a closure but may be significant enough to have a delayed start. If the district calls for a delayed start, school at AVA would begin 90 minutes later than normal meaning middle school would start at 9:30am and PreK and elementary school would start at 9:45am. Carpool would also be delayed, and drop-off would begin at 9:15am. AVA’s BASE would open at 8:00am. Please do not drop off your child prior to 8:00am as no one will be here to supervise your child.

All school closures can be seen on most of the local TV channels in the morning. You may also call the DCSD weather line at 303-387-SNOW (7669) to hear the latest updates on school closures or delayed starts. AVA will also send out an email blast informing parents of a school closure or delayed start.

I realize that we must rely on parents driving their children to school and that you may feel the road conditions are unsafe to drive on. You always have the option of keeping your child at home if you feel that the roads are unsafe even if the school is open. This will be listed as an excused absence.

To read about delays and closures on AVA’s website, please click here.

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.

Middle School Fall Sports

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

General Announcements

Dress of Choice, Friday, October 25th

AVA PTO is partnering with Fitch Ranch Artisan Meats for a spirit week now through November 3rd. Fitch Ranch Artisan Meats will donate 10% of sales on ALL PRODUCTS to Aspen View Academy!

Fitch Ranch is based in Granby and proudly ranches over 20,000 acres, manages several hundred head of Black Angus cattle, and operates a USDA-inspected meat processing plant.

Fitch Ranch will deliver directly to AVA. Home delivery options are also available.

There is also an option for families to "Gift a Bundle" to a AVA staff member. All gift bundles will be raffled off to AVA staff members randomly.

Use this link here to explore their options and to purchase:

Just add "AVA" to your order note at the checkout screen!

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 left to access the Business Directory.

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:

Junior Jewelers with Mrs. Reynolds (3rd-8th)

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)

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.