Aspen Ridge Parent Newsletter February 2021 Informed Parents Make for GREAT Partners

UPCOMING EVENTS FEBRUARY 1/30: Parent/Teacher Conference Sign-Up Begins (see below for directions) 2/1-2/5: Great Kindness Challenge Week/ Angel Bins Collection (Information below) 2/3: Character Awards (link found on ARPS calendar) Early Release, 12:15pm 2/10: Restaurant Night Fundraiser (Lazy Dog/Orchard) 2/10: Valentine's Day classroom celebrations 2/11: Virtual Parent/Teacher Conferences (No School for students) 2/12- 2/15: No School for students or staff 2/14: Happy Valentine's Day! 2/15: President's Day 2/17: ARPS February Board Meeting, 4:30p (link found on ARPS calendar) 2/22: 100th Day of School/Pennies for Peace Collection (Bring in 100 pennies for donation) 2/25 & 2/26: ARPS Board Strategic Planning Workshop, 4:30-8:30pm (link found on ARPS calendar) MARCH 3/3: Character Awards Assemblies (link found on ARPS calendar) Early Release, 12:15pm 3/17: St. Patrick's Day (Wear GREEN!) ARPS March Board Meeting, 4:30pm (link found on ARPS calendar) 3/22-3/26: Spring Break, No School for Students or Staff  More dates and *virtual links can be found by going to our school calendar. Subscribe there to make sure you don't lose track of what is happening at Aspen Ridge. Owl of the Month Shannon Murphy, 5th Grade Teacher Ms. Murphy joined Aspen Ridge three years ago and has been a hard-working, school builder ever since. Ms. Murphy has served as the 5th grade team lead, has been an active part of the Instructional Leadership Team and continues to grow and show her enthusiasm for learning on a daily basis. If you ever need a dose of positivity or want to see student engagement and learning at it's best, just visit her room. We are grateful for Ms. Murphy and all that she brings to Aspen Ridge! Congratulations!! Looking for little ways to help Aspen Ridge? Click on the links below to learn more. Restaurant Nights Supporting AR through restaurant nights is easy and fun (who doesn't love taking a break from the kitchen from time to time?) Watch the school calendar for which restaurants are teaming with Aspen Ridge. Supporting local businesses is a joy and helping out our school is even better  BoxTops for Education Scan your receipts and earn money towards our school! Milkcaps for Moola Turn in your Longmont Dairy milk caps and ARPS receive money back for every cap. (Interested in helping out with Milkcap organization and sorting, please email ccantwell@arprep.org) King Soopers An easy way to earn money for Aspen Ridge while shopping for groceries.  Amazon Smile Sign up to make Ridge your non-profit donation place when you order from Amazon. It's no cost to you and our school receives great benefits. (I just received an email from one parent that showed her quarterly donation to ARPS was almost $180--just because she shops on Amazon. Wow!) DRESS DOWN PASSES! For $20, your Owl gets to choose various days throughout the year to wear their clothes of choice (in lieu of their uniform). If you are interested in purchasing, click HERE to pay online (make sure and add your student's name and teacher when purchasing) and we'll send your pass home with your Owl to use at your discretion. At Aspen Ridge, we are committed to creating safe environments for our Owls to learn and grow. Whether on-premise or virtually, it's the little things that make such a huge impact for our school--a place built BY the community to build UP the community. Kindness Matters It's February! What better time is there to focus on kindness and love? We are starting off February strong by celebrating the Great Kindness Challenge. (Resources can be found below.) Our goal for the week is to focus our energy on giving and accepting kindness. You will be receiving a Family Kindness Checklist to use throughout the week, and we are encouraging our students and families to be a part of helping our school build a 1/4 mile paper chain (approximately 11 flat links per family) to contribute to the Kindness Unites Paper Chain. All paper links are due to your child's teacher by Friday, February 5th. We'll hang them to enjoy at school for a week or two, then send them to California as they work to build the longest paper chain and to be a part of the Guinness World Record family. (Click on the Kindness unites link above to read more.) A big thank you to several students and parents who kindly participated recently in our school review. Mr. Dubravac, Ms. Strong, Mrs. Baker, Mrs. Jungman, Mr. Drennen, Katelyn E., Mateo R., Cole R., Damien J. and Emily M. We love your support! Have you had a chance to nominate one of the awesome teachers from Aspen Ridge to receive the annual Teacher Tribute Award through SVVSD's Educational Foundation? Make sure and do so now! Nominations are due by February 10 and I know your child's teacher would love the recognition! Click HERE to nominate! It's hard to believe we are already entering February. Thank you for continuing to grow and learn with us and for being a part of the Aspen Ridge Community. We take pride in being student-centered, having a tight community feel, continuing to operate safely and bravely during Covid and partnering with you as we grow our Owls. Parent conferences will provide another opportunity to build on that partnership and we are looking forward to "seeing" you then! This is... #ourschool #ourcommunity #ourlegacy Be Brave and Be Kind... Charla Salmeron, Principal

Parent/Teacher Conference Sign-Up February 11, 2021

From now until February 10th, you are invited to sign up for a parent/teacher conference. (Please note students will not be on campus/in school on this day; the day is dedicated to virtual conferences.) Follow the link below to sign up for a time that works with your schedule. (PreK families have been sent a separate link.) All conferences will be conducted virtually; your teacher(s) will communicate the Zoom link for conferences directly with you. When signing up for a conference time, you will need your child's student ID and/or birth date in order to select a time. Click HERE to select a conference time. School password: arps2021 (not case sensitive)   Important Tips for Middle School Conferences Wondering if you should sign up for a conference? Does your student have an IEP or READ plan? Do you have questions or concerns in specific subject areas? Do you want to see how you can help build on goals from home? If you answered "yes" to any of these questions above, click on the scheduling link. Due to the number of students we have in middle school, there will not be enough slots to have conferences with every student/every teacher.  If you are unable to sign up for a conference but are interested in having one, reach out to the teacher you are trying to conference with so we can work with you to find a time. All families will be receiving mid-year information on student growth and progress, whether you are signed up for a conference or not. Middle School conferences are subject specific (ELA, Math, Science, Social Studies). Sign up for each teacher you are interested in meeting with. Students are expected to be present for conferences. They are the key when it comes to ownership, accountability and reviewing their goals and progress. We look forward to sharing student growth, celebrations and collaborating on ways we can work together through the Spring to grow your Owl to the maximum.

The Great Kindness Challenge 2021

NJHS Angel Bin Shoe Drive February 1st-5th

Featured Updates

Three Cheers for Davis Davis and his family are doing well and are continuing to find their new normal as it currently stands. While many of Davis' treatments have been hard..."Our happiest days are the ones that feel a little normal, when Davis is feeling well and the three of our children are home playing and having fun together. We have to be grateful for all of the good moments we get and keep pushing through the tough ones." Thank you for your continued support and prayers for the Goeking Family!

Driveline Reminders and Support We hope you continue to be kind and love our students, staff and families safely at both morning and afternoon driveline. A few reminders to ensure continued success... Use the times listed below to arrive at Aspen Ridge. We promise that our driveline is completed on most days by 3:31pm. Staggering arrival time for pick up ensures there are no frustrating lines, that traffic is not backed up on Austin Avenue or County Line and that surrounding businesses and community members can still get safely to their destinations. Kinder -2nd: 3:10pm 3rd-5th: 3:20pm 6th-8th: 3:25pm We are now releasing all walkers at the first dismissal call (at 3:12pm) instead of at 3:25pm. Drive slowly through out parking lots and around the campus. We treasure all of our families, our students and our crossing guards. Slow down and show our community that each of us matter. Use the drop-off space we have. Review the map below to see where you can drop-off and pick up your Owl. Getting our Owls into and out of cars quickly and efficiently, helps the whole system run smoother. Remember, if you have to get out of the car for any reason, park. Thank you for your help and ensuring our Owls and families are safe at dismissal! Great work at keeping the processes smooth.

COVID-19 Testing Many of you received an email from the district last week regarding free testing at the Innovation Center in Longmont. This testing location is open to anyone and provides free testing. If you would like to schedule an appointment for your student visit Covidcheckcolorado.org If you are having your student tested for COVID-19, the only test that ARPS can accept at this time is a standard PCR COVID-19 test not a Rapid Results test. COVID-19 Vaccine Update ARPS is working hard to provide vaccines to our teachers and staff. We are working with health insurance providers and Weld County to ensure our teachers and staff receive the vaccine. Facilities Update Our operations and custodial teams are working hard to ensure the school is clean and sanitized. Take a look at some of the fun updates we've made around the school. For more information about about what Aspen Ridge is doing to keep the school safe click here. Special disinfectant equipment and disinfectant that is a proven COVID killer Increased sanitization in classrooms and nightly cleaning Increased outside airflow through HVAC system Upgrade to hospital-grade filters in HVAC system Stand-alone air purifiers in each room Ionizers attached to the HVAC system for air sanitization

Looking for More Information?  Click HERE to stay up-to-date on the Aspen Ridge COVID 19 policies and procedures, or reach out to Sean Cortes at healthyowls@arprep.org if you have questions. Mr. Sean Cortes passing out PPE to our staff!

Mrs. Rebecca Mayo-Cody, ARPS Counselor  Click HERE to see how she can support you and your Owl(s) both in person and virtually.

Are you looking for an easy way to ensure your Owl is safe after school, until you get home from work? Check out the ARPS Owl's Nest. Owl's Nest After Care Afternoons 3:15 pm to 6:00 pm $15 per day Includes snack!   All students must sign-up in advance for after care for the 2020-2021 school year. To sign up your student(s), please follow this link: The Owl's Nest Official Signup.

Aspen Ridge Preparatory School | www.aspenridgeprepschool.org/