ARPS Updates 3.18.2020
Wednesday Updates for ARPS Families...

  • Our students have:
  • Practiced 8,268 skills through IXL;
  • Become Proficient in 5,385 skills;
  • Mastered 3,508 skills
  • Keep up the great work!

  • Mrs. Miller posted a read aloud to our Aspen Ridge YouTube site. Interested in seeing a familiar face, check it out by clicking HERE.

  • Jon Gordon is offering a free webinar tomorrow, Top Strategies to Stay Positive During Challenges. Click HERE to sign up.

  • We had 19 participants join us for our Zoom board meeting this evening. What a great turnout! Thank you to those that listened in, who helped provide some clarification and cheered on Cathy Hellbaum (our staff Owl of the Month).

Lastly, Governor Polis issued an executive order suspending in-person learning in public and private schools across the state from March 23 to April 17. This makes our new, tentatively planned return date, Monday, April 20th. You can read more here .

This obviously has many implications for our students, staff and families. Thank you for being a part of learning this week as we've transitioned to an online format. Teachers will be working with their teams to provided lessons to our students when we return from our regularly scheduled Spring Break, on March 30. Per our board meeting tonight, huge kudos were sent to our staff for leading the initiative this past week and not considering our days out of school, thus far, as just an "extended break," as several districts have done. We will providing ideas for you to do over Spring Break and encourage you to take advantage of the 20 pages of free ideas here .

Online learning and this new reality create its own set of challenges and stressors. I encourage you to give yourself grace, take time with your family to sit down and map out a plan for what your days will look like (I did this morning with my own family) and know that we are all in this together. Remember, our goal is to work towards assuring our children do not regress academically, and hope that they pick up skills along the way.

Thank you for being an active participant in your child's learning and for being flexible and patient as we continue navigating this path of uncertainty. Enjoy the smiles below and share your pics with me! I'll gladly put a spotlight on all of the great things you and your children are doing! We love our families and our community. Let's lean in and work together to make the best of this situation.

Much love,
Charla Salmeron, Principal

The Simmon's girls celebrated St. Patrick's Day in style! Green smoothies? Yes, please!
Do any of your children recognize this guy? Several of them found him on our playground before school was let out last week. "Pistachio" is being well taken care of and continuing to grow! We can't wait to set up his "home" in the school's heart when we return to school!
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Questions & Answers
-Here are some other answers to questions that we have been fielding.

Q: Am I able to get into the school to pick up medications, digital devices or things my child needs from their classroom?
A: We are currently working together (facilities and academics) to determine a plan of action and a date or two to allow some to trickle into the school to gather things. More information to come. For now, our campus is closed to all staff (minus the cleaning crew and contracted services) through March 29th.

Q: Will we still have CMAS testing for 3rd-8th graders?
A: CDE has "paused" all state testing through the 19-20 school year. https://www.cde.state.co.us/assessment

Q: How will we know what is happening over the next few days/weeks?
A: Our goal is to be as transparent and communicative as possible. Teachers are checking emails daily and updating their websites; administrators and non-academic staff are checking emails daily. We will keep you as apprised as soon as we can as to not keep you in the dark.

Q: Are there resources being provided for families who need support with food, personal or emotional support?
A: Mrs. Rebecca (our counselor) has set up an amazing site with resources and links for YOU. Click HERE to visit.

Also, both Erie Uplink and Meals on Wheels (Coal Creek) are opening up to needs of the community. They are also looking for volunteers and donations if you are looking for ways to help. SVVSD is also provided services (as per their website ):

Meals: Starting on Monday, March 16 through Friday, March 20, St. Vrain Valley Schools will be opening 11 food pickup sites where students, families, and staff can receive lunch and breakfast food items. The daily pick-up window is 11:00-12:30 p.m. at one of the following district locations: Timberline PK-8, Northridge Elementary School, Altona Middle School, Sunset Middle School, Soaring Heights PK-8, Frederick High School, Mead Middle School, Lyons High School (12-12:30), Hygiene Elementary School (11-11:30), Niwot High School, and the Learning Services Center.
Updated Dates for your Calendar
MARCH
March 13-March 29: School Closure
  • March 17th: Happy St. Patrick's Day!
  • March 18th: Board Meeting, 4:30pm (via Zoom)
  • March 19th: First Day of Spring
  • March 20-27: The "Real" Spring Break
APRIL
April 4th: Cancelled: Spring Gala! Look for an online auction as a potential fundraiser.
April 20th: Tentative return date for students.