The faculty and staff of Aspen Country Day School are our heart and soul. I am extremely grateful for their commitment to our mission and philosophy, their hard work and enthusiasm. Likewise, our parents are an essential part of our community, and we are grateful for your ongoing support and trust.
I am personally grateful for the academic excellence I see at Aspen Country Day. ACDS students are challenged. Each year our graduates enter their respective high schools, whether local and in the IB program or in some of the most selective boarding schools in the country, equipped with the curiosity, drive, confidence, and skills they need to succeed. The boarding school fair in October highlighted ACDS to representatives from all over the country, and at every turn there were words of praise and compliments for our program.
We as educators know that academic excellence requires much more than rote memorization of facts and formulas and the ability to fill in bubbles of the "right answer." Rather, we want students to ask the "right questions" and develop strategies that make meaningful inquiry possible. From the earliest grades, I see this in Kindergarten and First Grade as we encourage children to become critical thinkers and solvers of problems. It becomes that much more evident in Seventh and Eighth Grade, and I see that across the board and hope you saw the same in your parent/teacher conferences today.
I also am grateful for the supportive environment I see daily. At ACDS, social and emotional development of children is extremely important to us, and we spend a lot of time teaching empathy, teaching kids to care, and teaching kids to interact positively.
One of my goals, and that of the teachers, is that every student has a place to shine at ACDS! No matter where their interests or talents lie, children should be respected and valued for who they are.
You might ask about this "non-academic stuff" and why we care so much. We care because when kids feel socially and emotionally safe at school, they do better academically. We want
kids to feel safe to take academic risks -- that's how they challenge themselves, and that's how they learn. And let's face it, we ask a lot of your children all day, every day. We ask them to read their written work aloud in front of the class, we ask them to try really hard math problems, we ask them to run in PE, we ask them to perform on stage and draw pictures in art for everyone to see. What I have seen at ACDS is that children are comfortable and willing to take risks. Children feel safe and love school, and I credit the teachers and long-standing culture for all of that. And for that, I am most grateful.
We have an excellent faculty, and we are lucky to have them teaching your children. Each morning I watch them arrive at school ready for a new day and with a smile on their faces. I share with teachers at the beginning of the year, "as teachers, we are not allowed to have a bad day." Our teachers are dedicated and passionate about what they do, and my number one priority is to support them.
Lastly, I am grateful to be part of a community that cares deeply about the mission of the school and the three pillars, Academics, Outdoor Ed and the Arts. And, I am thankful for the incredible financial support that generous donors have already provided to ensure that ACDS is able to achieve our goals and objectives. Without you, this would not be possible.
We are led by dedicated parent volunteers who are working hard to achieve the $850,000 Annual Fund milestone we set out for the year. I am proud to say that we are well on our way, and I am most grateful for each and every gift that we receive. Your giving supports financial assistance to students whose families could not otherwise afford for them to attend, professional development for our talented faculty, and classroom enrichment that allows teachers and students to work in small groups and one on one. This extraordinary achievement demonstrates a remarkable commitment to the school, and we are all in it together.
With gratitude,
Josh
