Greetings Ospreys,

Congratulations to the AHS Mountain Biking Team for their strong performance at the Chalk Creek Stampede in Nathrop last weekend, where they placed 6th overall in a field of 16 Division 2 teams from across the state. We had multiple podium finishes, including senior Simon Donnaway taking 4th in the Varsity Boys category. Well done, Ospreys!

Thank you to the families who joined us for Parent Orientation last night, and to our staff for staying late to meet parents and answer questions about the year ahead. AHS founder and board member Jesse Hutt, who was awarded Colorado Charter School Advocate of the Year last spring, encouraged folks to find ways to support the school by contributing time and expertise. We are grateful for all who completed the Parent Volunteer Interest Survey last night, stepping up to help in a variety of ways from chaperoning field trips, hanging fliers around town, helping with staff appreciation lunches and more. Please have a look at the survey here and let us know how you can lend a hand. As a community-based school, families are an integral piece of our success and we appreciate their involvement!

Our first Osprey Parent Coffee is on Friday, September 6 from 8:30 to 9:15am. Please bring your mug, questions, feedback and ideas to this informal quarterly check-in with Sean and Libby. All are welcome.

One upcoming opportunity for families to get involved is helping with transportation for next Wednesday morning's 9th grade field trip. Students will partner with the Good Food Collective at the Smiley Building to learn more about strengthening food security and food justice in our region. They'll help glean plums to be distributed to underserved populations and regional food enterprises, which also helps reduce human-bear encounters. Want to help transport students for the field trip? Contact stephen.sellers@animashighschool.com.

As we know, living in a mountain community necessitates smart behavior when it comes to interacting with wildlife; this is true on our campus as well, as we're nestled between a creek and brush-covered hillside. We'll talk with students in the upcoming week about safe practices when wildlife visits campus, as well as ways to lessen visits from critters seeking food. For a great resource to support these conversations at home, visit the La Plata County Living with Wildlife Advisory Board website here.

We hope you'll head to Grassburger anytime between 11:00am and 9:00pm on Tuesday for our first Ospreys Dining Out fundraiser of the year. Located right in downtown Durango and owned by Osprey parents Jessie and Ed Kileen, Grassburger serves up delicious grass-fed beef and vegan black bean burgers. Please be sure to mention AHS at the register when you order and AHS will receive a percentage of your check. Thank you Ed and Jessie for your generous support of our school and all you do in our community!

Finally, thank you to the James family for donating a refrigerator and Jesse Hutt for donating a Wii to be used for an upcoming XBlock (we could still use the "Just Dance" game...). We are looking to increase options for using our outside areas. If you have a picnic table, outdoor umbrella or other patio furniture in good condition that you'd like to pass our way, please contact Bridget at mainoffice@animashighschool.com.

Enjoy the long weekend and thanks for all you do to help the Ospreys soar!