Good evening and Happy Sunday Owls!
The announcement to close the building and on-premise learning for the remainder of the 19-20 academic school year is bittersweet, isn't it? While it is the socially safe thing to do, there is something about not being around the children that make your job what it is, that breaks my heart. It's the joy and laughter that fill the halls each day that keep our purpose and focus front and center. As we have transferred many of our daily joys over to you, as parents, it has not been easy for any of the Aspen Ridge teachers or staff. It's YOUR children that bring a selfish joy to our daily livelihoods...and we miss it dearly.
There is still much uncertainty in what the future will bring to us. Governor Polis is recommending schools to prep for two realities come August 2020, in one of the latest articles
here
. Whether we are operating in an on-premise, face-to-face instruction or a variation of it, our staff is eager to regain a little "normalcy" for what we do best. Thank you for taking over temporary duties to monitor your children in this online learning platform. Fingers crossed that "temporary" keeps true to it's definition.
You will find a detailed Family Checklist/Calendar, for the remainder of the year, below. I hope will bring some answers to your questions. We still have a lot of activities to squeeze into the last few weeks of school. We have asked teachers to make Friday, May 15th the last day for "instruction" and to use the last week of school (May 18-22) as an opportunity to bond, celebrate and do as much as they can to make this school year end on a positive note. We will still continue to communicate the details and logistics associated with everything on the calendar, but this will at least give you a big picture vantage for planning.
As we have fumbled, trialed, piloted and implemented COVID-19 schooling, I hope you have found some time, here and there, to show your teachers some love and support. They are working hard to meet the needs (both known and unknown) to students, in a ridiculously short time-frame, the best way they know how (without any formal training). It's not been perfect (and it never will since none of us chose to be online teachers and learners) but it has been an attempt at keeping our students engaged and involved in their learning. If you are like me, you are worried if this has been enough for our students, if it has been worth the time and frustration, if any of it has made a difference? The questions I keep coming back to directly after are:
- What if we had done nothing?
- What if we would have "cancelled" school and learning for the last 10 weeks of school?
- What if we had just done packets and not met through Zoom meetings or small groups?
- What if we had just given up when it got hard?
Our Aspen Ridge teachers and staff are encouraged and motivated by even the smallest "thanks"--so don't forget to shine a light on their efforts and their hard work this school year. They make a difference in all of our lives, as students, as families, and a community.
And lastly (speaking of making a difference), one of our very own parents, Mallory Rock, is on her own mission to provide masks to our families at Aspen Ridge. She has been working tirelessly over the last few weeks to use her skills and service-oriented heart to make a difference for others. Be on the lookout for an email from your classroom teacher in the next few weeks if you are interested in ordering Masks by Mallory. We'll be staggering the information to families, so as not to overwhelm her, and she has committed to sewing away as long as she has materials and a way. She is one of the reasons I LOVE our community!
Keep persevering, practice mindfulness and taking moments for yourself, remember to "breathe" and thank you for not taking the easy way out and just giving up. Our children and our community are too precious. We were built BY the community to build UP the community. We are in this together.
Be well,
Mrs. Salmeron, Principal
