Well, hello, March...
We've been expecting you!
(Though it's hard to believe that you're already here!)
As time marches on and the spring season quickly approaches, I hope you are taking full advantage of being in the present and soaking in your experiences of "the now." We are surrounded by beauty, we have an amazing school community, and our children are continuing to grow. The legacy that we are creating for our children and our school is always in the making.

We have so many fabulous things happening at Aspen Ridge. I hope you will take a minute to share the excitement with me as we reflect on some highlights, and as we continue to plan and mold the future. (See some GREAT photos below!)

Thank you for being part of our Owl family, for supporting our teachers and staff as they continue to focus on our children, and for helping our Owls know that even when things get hard, it builds character, grit, and resiliency.

Be Well,
Charla Salmeron, Head of School
Congratulations to Jiali, the 21-22
ARPS Spelling Bee Champion!
Our Owls had fun celebrating
100 Days of School!
Our first annual Middle School Science Expo was a HUGE success!

Lots of learning takes place in
unique ways at Aspen Ridge!
MIDDLE
SCHOOL
DANCE
SO.
MUCH.
FUN!
Staff Spotlight: Owl of the Month
Mr. Rhoda has been instrumental in the success of our Middle School. He consistently demonstrates a positive attitude and is genuinely committed to the success of Aspen Ridge. He leads one of our largest teams of teachers, and his calm demeanor helps him relate to both staff and students. Mr. Rhoda is always willing to lend a helping hand. He volunteers to coach, takes on new curriculum initiatives, and actively participates on multiple committees.

Mr. Rhoda is a fantastic teacher who exemplifies student-centered leadership, and we are so fortunate to have him at Aspen Ridge guiding and teaching our middle school students.
Mark Your Calendars!
March

2/28 - Spring Clubs Start
3/2 - Character Awards; Early Release, 12:15pm
3/3 - 2nd Grade Field Trip, Denver Art Museum
3/7 - 4th Grade Field Trip, Colorado History Center
3/8 - School Tour for New Families, 5:30pm
3/9 - Soccer and Track Practices Start (Middle School Intramural Sports)
3/10 - Parent Academy: State Assessments for 3rd-8th Grade, 4:30pm - 5:30pm
3/10 - Middle School Choir Performance, 6:00pm
3/13 - Daylight Savings Time
3/15 - 3/18 - Spirit Week! (See below for details!)
3/16 - ARPS Board Meeting, 4:30pm
3/19 - Tides Scuba Class Pool Day (Group A)
3/21 - 3/25 - Spring Break, No School
3/31- Children's Hospital Blood Drive at Aspen Ridge (See below to learn more!)
April

4/1 - Middle School Dance
4/2 - 2022 ARPS Spring Gala, 5:30pm at Stonebrook Manor (Have you bought your tickets? Click HERE. )
4/5 - Chick-Fil-A Restaurant Night
4/6 -Character Awards; Early Release, 12:15pm
4/9 - Tides Scuba Class Pool Day (Group B)
4/12 - School Tour for New Families, 5:30pm
4/16 - Tides Scuba Class Pool Day (Group A)
4/17 - Easter Sunday
4/20 - ARPS Board Meeting, 4:30pm
4/23 - National Junior Honor Society Induction Ceremony (Tentative Date)
4/29 - No School for Students; Professional Development for Staff
4/30 - Tides Scuba Class Pool Day (Group B)


March Madness at ARPS
Let the Madness Begin!

The March MADNESS Reading Challenge is returning to Aspen Ridge starting Monday, March 7th! Teams (existing Buddy Class pairings) will be competing in this school-wide tournament with the following rounds:

Round #1 
Monday, Tuesday
March 7th & 8th

Round #2 
Friday, Saturday, Sunday
March 11th - 13th

Round #3 
Wednesday, Thursday
March 16th & 17th

Round #4 Spring Break
(starting after school)
March 18th - 27th

Reading score sheets will be distributed through each classroom. Mrs. Hollis will have bulletin boards in both the upper and lower schools displaying the tournament bracket.
 A few rules to remember:

1) Minutes read during class time do not count. (This is because not all classes have the same amount of time allotted for reading during the school day.)
2) Listening to audiobooks DOES count.
3) Watching TV shows with subtitles DOES NOT count.
4) Make sure you are only counting minutes for your reading during the designated time frames.

In conjunction with our tournament, we will be celebrating "Read Like Mad Week" from March 14th - 18th. This will be a whole week of dress down opportunities where students and staff can be creative in showing just how much we love to read. See the flyer below for daily themes.

Good luck to all of our Aspen Ridge Owls. We look forward to seeing you bring your "A" game!
Children's Hospital Colorado
Mobile Blood Drive at Aspen Ridge
Aspen Ridge is excited to support our community by hosting a Mobile Blood Drive through Children's Hospital on Thursday, March 31, 2022, right here in the ARPS parking lot! It's an easy way to give back to the community and support others outside of our school.

Every year at Children's Hospital Colorado, sick and injured kids receive more than 8,000 units of lifesaving blood products. Just 45 minutes of your time could mean a lifetime to a child.

Click here or use this QR code to sign up for a time slot, to confirm that you are eligible to donate, and for further details.

Please feel free to share this with your neighbors and friends! We hope to schedule more dates in the future and look forward to partnering with Children's Hospital for a successful drive!
ARPS Spirit Wear
Good news! Our spirit wear deliveries are starting to trickle in! Cool ARPS Owl hats went home recently, and sweatshirts and long-sleeved shirts are currently being "Aspen-Ridge-ified" and will be delivered shortly.

Thank you for your extended patience with this process. We couldn't avoid the staffing and supply chain shortages that are being experienced worldwide, but we can keep the excitement up as our orders role in!
Parent Academy
Spring Clubs
With conferences, the long weekend, the anticipation of soccer and track/field sign ups for Middle School, and a myriad of other things going on in our busy lives, we are aware that many families may have missed the deadline to sign up for Spring Clubs! So - here's your second chance! Clubs with spots still available are listed at the link below. Please READ CAREFULLY as some dates, days, and details have changed!

**New sign up deadline: Friday, March 11th.**

  • These clubs will run for 6 weeks starting after Spring Break (week of 3/28).
  • Notifications/invites will be emailed by the end of the day on Friday, March 18th.
  • Payment is due by the beginning of the 2nd meeting date (which will vary by club).
  • Please feel free to contact Tori Hollis (thollis@arprep.org) or Clare Page (cpage@arprep.org) if you have any specific club questions.

Music Performance
Hello, Middle School Band and Choir Families!

This is a reminder that our students are preparing a wonderful performance for you NEXT Thursday, March 10th, at 6:00pm! This performance will include our Concert Band, Choir, and Drama Elective students. It will run for about 1 hour (Band and Choir first, then Drama).

Please let Mrs. Ravita know if your Concert Band or Choir student is unable to be at this performance as soon as possible.

The Band students will be performing challenging, well-known pieces of music from throughout the ages; Choir will be performing music from all over the world and some very unique pieces of music; and our Drama students will be surprising us with something fun!

They are looking forward to performing for you!