April 14th, 2022
Newsletter
Admin Address
As I write my last newsletter article for the year, let me ask the same question I did back in September. “What makes our Middle School special?” Or better yet, what makes Aspen View Academy special?

Our students have to be one of the first answers to this question. As we get back to ‘normal’ this year, they have embraced it head on. Being able to be in classes, not cohorts. This has helped with their mental health and social skills, which had been tested over the past two years. For our middle school students, having the ability to rotate between classes, to be with their friends in these classes, to pick their elective classes has all shown great rewards. Their flexibility from quarter to quarter as their schedule changes has also supported this.

Our teachers across all grade levels here at AVA, are second to none! Seeing their care, compassion and passion for your students' success is amazing. With all that is going on with our construction project, their flexibility and adaptability are outstanding! For middle school, some teachers have a classroom, others are out in the BASE building, and some teachers don’t have their own classroom. Some Specials and STEAM teachers teach from a mobile cart while pushing into a classroom. Not ideal, but their ability to do this, and do it well, sets them apart. Students have had the opportunity to excel in sports again this year. After school clubs and activities have been a success. All of this lends itself to a wonderful experience for your student.

Finally, you. Our parent community. You all make AVA, and our middle school, special. Your unwavering support this past school year hasn’t gone unnoticed. The random parent emails supporting our staff and administration is much appreciated. The wonderful lunches cooked by you and organized by our PTO have been a huge hit. The wonderful words of encouragement at carpool are invaluable. Our WatchDOG program is back in full force with Dad’s of students helping out around the school. Parent volunteers in the classroom and cafeteria have made a wonderful difference this school year as well.

As you can see, life at Aspen View Academy is getting back to normal, and your student is the beneficiary of it all!

Mr. Tony Lamb, M.Ed.
Assistant Principal, Grades 6-8

Announcements
Spirit Night at Chipotle is on Monday, April 18th!
Join us from 4 to 8 pm
5642 Allen Way Ste 104
Castle Rock, CO 80108
If ordering online, use code L739G8T

Dress of Choice is on Thursday April 21st


Reminder No School on Friday, April 22nd

The Middle School Spring Dance is Coming!
 
When: Friday, April 29th from 6-8pm
Where: AVA Gym and Cafeteria
Details:
*Dress Code for the Spring Dance is “Sunday Best”
*Slacks, button-down shirts, spring dresses
*Please do not wear jeans, t-shirts, leggings, sweats, or ripped clothing
*School Dress Code rules apply 
*Music provided by DJ
*Food will be provided (water, pizza, chips, dessert)
*No outside food/beverages will be admitted
*Fun and games
Cost: $5 per ticket
 
Tickets go on sale next week through My School Bucks. Sales will run from Monday, April 18th through Monday, April 25th. Wristbands for admission will be delivered to homerooms on the morning of the dance. 

Important Immunization Information
for incoming 6th Grade Students
Please see the letter from our nurse
Aspen View Academy's App is not available at this time. The app is working on Android devices However, ios (Apple) devices may be down for a week or so. Our app developer updated the app and now Apple requires some additional documentation before the new app will work.

In the meantime you can always go to our website to access the lunch menu: https://dcsd.nutrislice.com/menu/aspen-view-academy/lunch

And please call the attendance line at 303 660-5940 to report an absence

Elementary and Middle School art students will be participating in the 2022 DCSD art show! Congratulations to all of our participants! Follow the link to view the virtual show that opens Monday, April 18th: Virtual Art Show is open to the public @ dcsdk12.org/artshow. Winners of the juried competition will participate in an in person show at Park Meadows from May 1-May 15.
Looking for ways to help your student continue growing academically over the summer months? 
 
We are offering tutoring at AVA over the summer for your student! 
 
How it works: 
 
Parents and teachers schedule tutoring sessions directly with one another by email, and parents pay the teacher directly. Suggested rates are:
 
  • $25 per student for 30 minutes
  • $50 per student for 60 minutes
  • $25 per student for 60 minutes for groups of 3 or more

Click here for a list of AVA teachers offering tutoring.
Lost and Found is overflowing!

All items will be donated on the last Friday of this month.

Come in and check the Lost and Found.
The SAC Committee would like to thank everyone who completed the Parent Satisfaction Survey. Not only is your feedback valuable to the school, but we met our goal and now students will receive an extra dress of choice day! The dress of choice day for students will be APRIL 21st. We also did a drawing and 8 families were randomly selected to receive gift cards. If your family number is one of the ones listed below, please stop by the Front Office and pick up your gift card!
Thank you again -- we value your feedback!

  • 5166
  • 5315
  • 5410
  • 4215
  • 3008
Middle School Career Fair- Friday, April 15th
Parents, we still have some slots left for our career fair on Friday, April 15th during 8th period (2:40-3:30pm). We are inviting parents to discuss their careers with Middle Schoolers. The homeroom teachers will have a list of questions and act as the moderator in order to keep the conversations robust and educational. Please see the sign up genius here.
A note from our counselors
Please take a moment to watch the latest anxiety video featuring Dr. Scott Cypers on enhancing motivation. This video dives deeper into helping students' motivation to challenge their anxiety and tips and tricks about how to do this.

Here is the link
Douglas County High School Co-Ed Volleyball Camp this Summer

Please click here to see the flyer
 Registration is now open for Stone Canyon Summer Camp. Both Overnight and Day Camps are accepting registrants.
 
Stone Canyon offers a wide variety of activities, and our dedicated staff is committed to ensuring your camper will learn new skills, make new friends, and be safe while at camp. Our goal is to create a community that will help campers become more confident and daring individuals, all while having the best time of their lives!

For additional information on Stone Canyon summer camps, please visit our website www.stonecanyonedge.org/summercamp.
 
Please reach out if you have any questions, and we hope to see you this summer!

Amy Paulsen
Summer Camp Coordinator
(303) 387-0725
A message from the Board
Governing Board Openings

Per Aspen View Academy By-laws, three seats on the Aspen View Academy Governing Board will be ending in May, 2022. One of the seats is an elected seat. The additional two seats are appointed, and will be appointed by the AVA Board of Directors at their May 19th, 2022 meeting. 
 
Board Election Process
If you would like to be considered for the elected 3-year term on the AVA Board of Directors, please complete the nomination form. The nomination will require 10 signatures of eligible voters: AVA parents and staff. The form must be turned in to the AVA front office by Wednesday April 15th at 4:00pm. When submitted, the form will be time stamped, and you will be given a receipt acknowledging acceptance of the nomination form. If there is only one nominee, the nominee will win the seat, and there will be no election. If no nominations are received, the current AVA Board of Directors will appoint the seat.

Candidates are required to submit a campaign questionnaire to answer a few basic questions about board service. When submitted, the answers may not exceed two pages and must be submitted by April 15th at 4:00pm to Troy Schroeder (Board President) at tschroeder@aspenviewacademy.org.  The campaign questionnaire for each candidate will be posted on the school website and emailed to the school community on April 18th. There will be a candidate forum at the AVA board meeting on April 21st as part of the Board’s Working Session.
 
The election will take place May 16th through May 18th. There will be a ballot box at the front office. Each parent and AVA staff member may vote per AVA Board Election Policy No Proxy voting will be allowed.
 
The election committee requests that all candidates and members of the AVA community abide by the following expectations:
  • Focus on philosophy, policy, and issues
  • No personal attacks
  • No campaigning on school property
  • Keep the campaign positive in nature, reflecting the R.E.S.P.E.C.T. values of AVA
The election committee reserves the right to disqualify any candidate who fails to abide by these expectations.
 
The AVA Election Committee will tabulate the votes and announce the results at the May 19th AVA Board meeting. The AVA board will also appoint the two member seats at the AVA Board meeting May 19th.
 
Please contact Troy Schroeder at tschroeder@aspenviewacademy.org with any questions or additional points of clarification.
PTO NEWS
Middle School Dance Volunteers:
Student Council is hosting a MIDDLE SCHOOL SPRING DANCE on Friday April 29th from 6 to 8pm. We need volunteers available from 5:30pm to 9pm. Please sign up here. Thank you!

THANK YOU to Whitney Archibald for putting on an amazing talent show and to all the students who participated. We had over 200 attendees and 22 acts. It was a fun night!

Happy Grams
Click on the image for more information
BASE - Before and After School Enrichment


Click the image for more information
Events Calendar
Volunteer Corner
Welcome to another school year at Aspen View Academy. We have a lot of volunteer opportunities so keep a look out for Sign-up Genius', Newsletter announcements and emails from the PTO. Below is an excerpt from the AVA Handbook.

VOLUNTEERING COMMITMENT – AVA believes that the success of each student will be a shared responsibility of students, teachers, parents, staff, and community leaders. Volunteers enhance the school and its culture and character through their involvement. Accordingly, a strong family involvement program will be implemented. AVA expects 30 volunteer hours per family per school year. Single-parent families are expected to volunteer 15 hours per school year. The volunteer school year shall coincide with AVA’s fiscal year, and hours shall accrue from July 1 through June 30. If your family has special circumstances that make it difficult for you to meet the expected volunteer hours, please contact the Volunteer Coordinator. Many volunteer opportunities exist within AVA’s PTO. The PTO is an organization comprised of parent volunteers for the purpose of providing community support, fundraising and planning various events within our school community.

Pre-registration is required prior to volunteering. Please visit the Raptor Volunteer site, as this only needs to be completed one time. Once completed we will need you to bring your ID in to scan and link to your profile.

To log volunteer hours, please visit the Volunteer Portal.

These volunteer opportunities can also be found on the volunteer page of our website.
Contact Us
General Information: (720) 733-3436 office@aspenviewacademy.org 
Fax: (303) 660-5959
Attendance Line: (303) 660-5940
Volunteer Coordinator: dcarson@aspenviewacademy.org
Before/After Care: (303) 888-3040 tlund@aspenviewacademy.org
Lunchroom Manager: xsknight@dcsdk12.org

Aspen View Academy
2131 Low Meadow Blvd.
Castle Rock, CO 80109