A Message From The Principal |
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"The pen is mightier than the sword." Many people are familiar with this phrase that was coined by English author Edward Bulwer-Lytton in 1839. The idea behind this phrase is to indicate that communication is a more effective tool than violence. There is no denying the power of the written word. While the original phrase was coined a long time ago, I feel an updated version of it might be, 'the keyboard is mightier than the pen.'
Social media means any form of online publication or presence that allows end users to
engage in multi-directional conversations. Social media such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, Snapchat, blogs and the countless other social media outlets are readily available to anyone with a computer, cell phone or other personal electronic device. The value of using social media is undeniable. It is a great way to catch up with long lost friends, brag about your child(ren)'s accomplishments, show pictures of your latest adventures, and countless other things.
Social media is a powerful communication tool. There really is no other way to reach the magnitude of people in such a short time. Information can be pushed out to thousands of people in a matter of seconds. As with anything that is so prevalent in society, there is great potential to misuse social media.
Students of all ages are very involved with social media. Kids enjoy engaging with tablets, computers, or cell phones at home, in the car, or even while the family is eating dinner at a restaurant. I have even seen kids (and some adults) text each other while they were sitting at the same table. Many students stay connected to their friends and family 24 hours a day using social media. While you take steps to ensure your student behaves in a restaurant, at church, or in other public settings, you may not have reviewed social media rules with your child.
It is important that all kids follow certain rules when participating in social media. And that requires reviewing those rules with your child from time to time. To make sure your child is behaving online, review the proposed social media rules below. Add your own or personalize the list below as you see fit. You can even turn the tips below into a social media contract that your child has to sign and follow, or possibly lose his or her privileges. It is my belief that parents have an obligation to monitor what their child is doing on social media.
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Be Polite: Unfortunately, many people who use Facebook, Twitter or YouTube are rude, obnoxious or just plain mean-spirited to others. Be sure your child understands that you will not tolerate rude or ugly comments, and that you will be watching and reading what s/he posts. It is fine for your child to express his or her thoughts and individuality, just be sure they also know that it's not acceptable to single out or harass people who don't agree. This is a lesson that your child will be able to apply to other parts of his life.
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Don't Bully: Bullies have taken to Facebook, cell phones, Twitter and other online services to harass other children. It is horrible and it should not be tolerated. Let your child know that bullying others is always wrong. It hurts and can get your child into a lot of trouble at school and possibly even with the law. Take a minute to think how you would feel if you knew your child was being bullied via social media.
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Don't Expose Family Problems: No family is perfect, and while it's important to work through family issues, it's not okay to expose family challenges in a public forum. Family members deserve privacy, so your child should understand that ranting about a sibling or relative on social media is not appropriate.
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Be Positive: If you spend any amount of time involved in social media, you'll see that people spend a lot of their time online complaining. It can become contagious and can influence how you behave when you are not online. Try to get your child to see social media as a way to focus on the positive instead of complaining about everything that is not so perfect in life. Being positive online may help your child develop a positive attitude offline.
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Select Photos Carefully: One of the biggest dangers of social media is how photos can be quickly shared and possibly even used against you. Help your child develop a strategy for selecting photos to put online. And remind him/her that they should not feel the need to share everything that goes on in their private life with contacts online. Recommend your child follow this rule: If s/he wouldn't want Grandma/Grandpa to see the photo or read an update, then they probably shouldn't put it out there for everyone else to read.
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Know Your Limits: Social media should be a privilege and something that your child doesn't take for granted. If your child's online involvement is interfering with their life, you might want to limit his/her time online. The same applies should grades fall, or should your child withdraw from family or friends. Many parents require all devices (phones, tablets) go to a central location each night at bedtime for charging. This allows kids to 'turn off' social media and get rest without the pressure to respond to a text or Facebook post.
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No giving out personal information, such as your phone number and address, online or to people you don't know: Most kids think they're pretty safe from potential dangers online. This can make them more likely to share their personal information with strangers. They may knowingly hand out their information to someone who "seems harmless" or they may accidentally give out information by posting messages such as, "I wish I didn't live next door to the school." Set clear rules about information you do not want your child giving out. This includes having conversations about the importance of not sending inappropriate pictures.
Never feel bad about "getting in your kid's business" by insisting on checking their social media devices. My guess is that you pay for their cell phone/device and any data plan that goes with it. You have every right to know what they are doing, saying or texting. Set up a regular time each week to review their posts and texts. Finally, remember that teaching kids how to interact via social media is an ongoing process and not just a one-time conversation or listing off a set of rules. It requires parents to engage with their kids on a regular basis and use real-life situations as learning experiences.
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Tuesday, January 12th Spirit Nite at Smart Cow click here for more details.
Friday, January 15th is Spirit Wear refer to the Uniform Policy for guidelines. Students may wear any AVA shirt (shirt purchased from the Wolfshack, Landsharks, Fun Run, etc). Students MUST wear uniform bottoms.
Monday, January 18th, NO SCHOOL - Martin Luther King Day
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Picture Retake Day has been scheduled for Wednesday, January 13th. In Person learners who need retakes will be photographed in the main school building and eLearners that were not photographed in Aug/Sept will be photographed in the B.A.S.E. building (light grey building closest to the parking lot). eLearners will need to be signed up here to schedule a time (one student per sign up). These are the pictures that will be in the yearbook, so please have your child photographed even if you are not ordering. Your student must be in their AVA uniform. Please DO NOT sign up for a time if your student is an in-person learner.
Click here for the online order form. Please stop by the office if you would like a hard copy of the order form. |
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Mask/Face Covering guidance while on AVA property
We are all working hard to ensure every reasonable health and safety measure is followed to keep AVA open to in-person learning and allow our students to come to school. As we are seeing large spikes in people testing positive for COVID-19, we must be extra vigilant to keep everyone safe.
We have identified an area where we can up our game in order to be safer. During carpool we are seeing groups of parents/guardians gathering and interacting without masks or face shields. We completely understand the desire to socialize and we know social distancing is tough during carpool, but we can improve safety and health by wearing a face covering.
We are asking parents/guardians to please wear a face covering while on AVA property during arrival and dismissal. There is no requirement to wear a mask or face shield while in your vehicle.
Thank you for your assistance with this as we try to keep AVA open to in-person learning as long as the safety and health data show it is safe to do so.
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Lost and Found is overflowing!!
Please stop by the main office lobby if you'd like to search for missing items. It is full and unclaimed items will be donated at the end of the month!
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It is time to help raise money for the American Heart Association with the Kids Heart Challenge. Every year the Aspen View Academy elementary students do an awesome job raising money. Last year students raised over $5,000 and we hope to raise even more this year. We sent home the envelopes and information this week. If you have any questions, please have your student ask Ms. Damm, the elementary PE teacher, or email kdamm@aspenviewacademy.org. Also, you can visit the website, heart.org/KHC to sign up and for more information. |
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Yearbook 8th Grade Dedications!
We are excited to offer a section of our Yearbook for 8th Graders which will include 8th Grade Dedications! We will accept up to two photos and 50 words per dedication.
- 1/4 page $25
- 1/2 page $50
- Full page $100
Deadline to order is January 22!
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Photos Needed!
The yearbook staff is in need of more specific pictures. If you have any of the following, please email them to photos@aspenviewacademy.org Thanks!
- Dance PAWty
- Holiday Class Parties
- Staff Holiday Contests (Halloween, Winter, etc.)
- Kids Halloween
- First Day of School pics
- Community Support Projects - AVA sponsored or maybe your family did something on your own! (This topic includes the photos from the Thanksgiving food drive)
- E-learning photos
- E-learning pet buddies
- School project photos.
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Middle School Sports
Spring is upon us, and our sports programs are still on "pause." Our school and athletic conferences main concern is keeping our students in school. Because athletics would include the mixing of cohorts, we need to monitor the situation closely. We will continue to track the safety of sports through Colorado and CHSAA, and send out any update accordingly. Thank you for understanding!
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Spirit Nite - Smart Cow
Grab a cool treat with us on Tuesday January 12 from 1pm - 9pm. Let the cashier know you are with AVA, and a portion of proceeds will come back to the school! See you there!
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Happy Grams
Do you want to wish your student a happy birthday for everyone to see? Now you can! For only $10, you can reserve an exclusive spot on the electronic board to send your message. Purchase here at least 14 days in advance, and we’ll contact you for your message and payment. |
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AVA Wolf Shack
The Wolf Shack will be open online only and we will get orders to your students’ classrooms once we are back in school. We have moved delivery days to Wednesdays. Orders need to be placed by 3pm Monday to be delivered Wednesday. If you are requesting to pick up at the front office, those orders will be labeled appropriately and brought into the office. We are currently working on details to offer shipping directly to students’ homes and restocking our inventory. Please stay tuned for more details. To order, please click here. Thank you for supporting the Wolf Shack - all funds raised go directly towards AVA!
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If you have questions, please
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Fax: (303) 660-5959
Attendance Line: (303) 660-5940
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Aspen View Academy
2131 Low Meadow Blvd.
Castle Rock, CO 80109
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