Happy Wednesday, Owl Families!

We have successfully finished more than half of our school year and are well underway towards a great second semester at Aspen Ridge. As COVID continues to infiltrate our community and make its presence known, we are continuing to work as a team to adjust our practices with the ever-changing guidance being shared. At our staff meeting yesterday afternoon, we jokingly explained that last week, the updated guidance that had just been communicated changed, yet again, within hours. (No joke.) And the guidance that is being shared has so many various caveats and veins. Between masking, vaccinations, exposure, ongoing exposure, positive results, false negative results, and boosters, each case looks a little different.

Please keep in mind that at Aspen Ridge, we are:
  • Continuing to operate successfully during a pandemic (we are in our third school year making adjustments).
  • Committed to a safe, in-person environment for our students and staff.
  • Analyzing every situation as quickly and accurately as we can with the information that we are given.
  • Focused on remaining "in the middle" as much as possible.

We understand that this is a confusing time and we understand the frustration that comes with it. We are living it first hand. We need your support and understanding with a few areas as we continue on this journey as a community.

Moving forward, we will not be sending classroom communication home with every positive case or exposure. We have enough positive or symptomatic communications coming in on a daily basis to the front office that an email communication to classroom families every time we receive a notice would only create anxiety and stress. If we are understanding this pandemic cycle correctly, most, if not all of us, will test positive with the Omnicron strain at some point over the next few weeks, whether vaccinated, boostered, masked, or not. It feels a bit like a no-win situation.

We will communicate initial positive cases, so that you can monitor your child(ren) for symptoms and take preferred precautions. If there is a positive case in your child's classroom, our mitigation strategy is to have all students in that class mask for 10 days (whether they have a mask waiver or not). We will keep you updated if it is necessary to extend this masking period due to additional cases. We realize that there are strong opinions regarding masks and their effectiveness; however, this is the mitigation strategy that we are using. We are giving the choice back to you to keep your child at home if masking does not fit your personal druthers.

We are moving away from quarantining the whole class, and we are asking that you keep your child home if they are showing any signs of sickness. We are trying to keep as much normalcy in each classroom and around the school as we can, and we are trusting our families to make the best decisions possible with everyone's well being in mind.

We are working with our teachers and staff to keep them home when they are sick, and we are doing our best not to stress about the added issues that arise with sub planning, shortages of substitutes, and the anxiety that is felt by every educator when they have to be out. Our natural tendency to continue working through sickness, as we did before COVID, just doesn't work for us anymore, students and staff alike. We are once again being forced to slow down and being reminded to rest when we are sick.

We will not be immediately responding to every email that comes through our inbox (and this is the hardest to digest). Our expectation for our staff, as stated in our Staff Handbook, is to reply when possible within 48 hours. For the mental well-being of our teachers and staff, we are giving them permission to go home after work and be a mom, a dad, a spouse, a roommate, an "off-the clock" citizen. Educators naturally work well beyond a school "day" - even more so with the many challenges of this pandemic - and we are paying the price. Educators and health care workers are leaving these fields at an alarming rate. We do not want any of our staff to leave because of stress, anxiety, mental health, being overworked, or worrying about pay. Our school has thrived and excelled because of our excellent and dedicated staff. Now is the time for us to rewrite what education looks like and to support our staff throughout this process.

What are other supportive practices that you can be a part of?

Please trust our teachers and staff as decisions are being made. You may not understand every decision. As stated above, the guidance that is being shared has so many various caveats and veins. This is not an equitable virus and it looks different for everyone.

Please assume the best and know that we are all doing the best we can.

Please refrain from sending emails demanding answers about the decisions being made. I've read that we naturally make over 35K decisions a day. Now throw in a classroom full of students, each of their guardians, their teammates and supervisors. I guarantee the number of decisions being made each day/hour then multiplies exponentially. Our teachers and staff are trained professionals, they are natural problem solvers and collaborators, they are positive, trustworthy, and hard working. Let's show them some grace. Let's allow them to educate our children, grow them socially, support them emotionally, and operate a school.

We have much to be thankful for at Aspen Ridge. Our families are actively involved and we have amazing substitutes that have joined our team this year. We believe in creating a supportive, welcoming environment. We keep our students' needs at the forefront, and we continue to focus on academics as a priority. We know that we can only control what we can control. We can't change the past and we do our best to make decisions about the future. We ARE Aspen Ridge!

In case it's not on your radar, we do have a board meeting tonight and you are always more than welcome to contribute during the public comments section. While you won't necessarily be given an answer on the spot, know that we are listening intently and your comments do not go on deaf ears. The most updated COVID processes will also be shared. Please feel free to join this Zoom meeting and listen in.

Be well and remember....
#itsagreatdaytobeanowl

Charla Salmeron, Head of School
Upcoming Events for Your Calendar
January

1/19 - Girls' Basketball Home Game, 3:30pm Cancelled
1/19 - ARPS Board Meeting, 4:30pm
1/20 - 4th & 5th Grade Music Performance, 6:00pm Cancelled
1/27 - Individual Spring Pictures and Group Class Pictures (uniforms, please)
1/28 - Middle School Science Expo (New this Year!)
February

1/31- 2/4 - Great Kindness Challenge (more information to come)
2/2 - 100th Day of School; Early Release @ 12:15pm
2/4 - School Spelling Bee Championship Round
2/10 - Parent Academy: How to Talk with Your Kids about Puberty, Sex, and Sexuality, PK-8th grade parents, 4:00pm - 5:30pm (Parent Academies are an optional resource for parents who are interested in learning more in certain areas. These topics are not discussed at school, and when they are, communication regarding the topic and content are overly communicated to give the option for student participation.)
2/10 - 2nd & 3rd Grade Music Performance, 6:00pm
2/14 - Valentine's Day Celebrations
2/16 - ARPS Board Meeting, 4:30pm
2/17 - No School, Parent Conferences
2/18 - 2/21 - No School, Presidents' Day Weekend
2/22 - Papa John's Pizza Restaurant Night
Music Corner
Who doesn't love the sound of music?? Below are upcoming dates for our Owl's to perform and shine!

4th and 5th Grade Concert, featuring ukulele, recorder, and choir performances on Thursday, January 20th, at 6:00pm. (Cancelled; Rescheduled date/time to come)

Our 2nd & 3rd graders are preparing for a concert featuring choir and various instruments on Thursday, February 10th, at 6:00pm. We're excited to hear our Owls in concert!
Wild Weather? Here's Our Process.
How does Aspen Ridge determine delays in school start time and cancellations when bad weather is in the forecast?
  • Aspen Ridge will take the lead from the St. Vrain Valley School District when making the call to delay school start times or cancel school.
  • Because we are a smaller school responsible for our own plowing and snow removal, late start days are often called to ensure safety for all.
  • On occasion, Aspen Ridge will delay or close school when SVVSD does not. This is because we take into account that many of our families and staff members travel to get to school each day.
  • Before school is delayed or canceled, we will:
  • Monitor weather forecasts and predictions, and
  • Keep an eye on nearby districts and their closures
  • At Aspen Ridge, safety is our priority. If ever you feel driving conditions are treacherous or unsafe, we encourage you to do what's best for your family and call in an absence if warranted.

How will my family know if school is delayed or cancelled?
  • If school is delayed or cancelled, Aspen Ridge will post to Facebook and our website, in addition to sending out updates through email.
  • Constant Contact is our primary source of email communication. If you know of someone who is not receiving Aspen Ridge Parent Newsletters or information from the school, please email Carrie Cantwell (ccantwell@arprep.org) or Charla Salmeron (csalmeron@arprep.org) to have their email addresses added.

What is the difference between a delay in school start time and a cancellation?
  • When a delay in school start time is communicated, school will start 2 hours later than normal. Doors will open at 10:00am (instead of 8:00am), and classes will start at 10:15am (instead of 8:15am).
  • Lunch schedules will remain the same; class schedules and enrichment schedules will be abbreviated.

What if my child attends lessons or 100 Mile Club before school, and school is delayed?
  • If school is delayed or cancelled, ALL before school activities will be cancelled.
  • If school is delayed, all after school activities will continue as normal, unless weather conditions worsen.
  • If school is cancelled, no activities, including Owl's Nest, will be open for services.

How is "indoor" recess determined?
  • On any given school day, all recess times (before or during school) will be held outside unless the weather is 20 degrees or lower (including wind-chill).
  • Please make sure to dress your Owl in layers and bring snow boots and snow pants if it is snowing or if there is snow in the forecast.
  • If rain or cold, ongoing drizzle is present, students will remain inside for recess.
  • Wind will also be monitored to ensure that our students are safe playing outside.
  • At any given time, campus administration may move recess indoors if weather conditions are unsafe or not conducive to playing.
  • With colder weather comes a spike in Lost and Found items. Remind your Owl to check lost and found daily! All Lost and Found items are donated at the end of each quarter.

Will my child have to log on for asynchronous learning on days that school is cancelled due to the weather?
  • No. If school is cancelled due to weather conditions or dangerous travel, we hope that you will stay home, light a fire in your fireplace, and enjoy the time with your family.

Don't hesitate to ask if you have any questions, and as always, thank you for your ongoing support! Happy weather watching!