ASOP Newsletter - October 2023

Friday Activity Clubs Are Back!

Activity clubs during Friday Resource periods was a new Student Council initiative last year and a big hit with everyone. In September, students had the opportunity to suggest clubs they wanted to see this year, and from that a final list of clubs was determined. Students were assigned to an activity club based on their sign-ups. Each activity club is "sponsored" by an ASOP teacher. Students who don't wish to participate can go to Resource instead.

Board & Card Games

with David (HS) & Sarah (MS)

Arts & Crafts

with Liz & Erica

Choir-oke

with Joy & Diana

Role-playing Games

with Kyle

Creative Writing

with Tuttle

Resource

with Travis or Loretta

Mark Your Calendars

Anti-Bullying "Pink Out Challenge": October 3

No School: October 13 & 20

1:00pm Early Dismissal & Parent/Teacher/Student Conferences: October 18 & 19

See the Calendar below for more information and other calendar dates.

Blue Ribbon Winner at Kansas State Fair

Congratulations to ASOP student Ellie Bustamante, whose photo of a classmate won a Purple ribbon at the Johnson County Fair and a Blue ribbon at the Kansas State Fair, both in the Black and White Photo category! A purple ribbon is the highest award given, while a blue ribbon is the second highest award.

Ellie is a member of the Oxford Hustlers 4-H Club, which is the first and oldest 4-H club (chartered in 1931) in Johnson County, Kansas.

"I have been in the photography field since the day I first held a camera! I have always been fascinated by the idea of capturing the world through a lens that differs from the human eye."

Ellie plans to stay in 4-H, and looks forward to continuing to enjoy "all the benefits of my 4-H club, community and world."

New School Counselor Intern

ASOP welcomes Chris Allin, a student therapist with Friends University in Kansas City, who will be interning at ASOP under the supervision of School Counselor Hollyn Smith.

Chris will be here all day on Thursdays, meeting primarily with middle school students.

"This is my last year in school, and I will be providing my services until August of next year. I look forward to getting to know the students and staff during my time at ASOP. If you have any questions or want to chat, please feel free to stop by my office or email me."

Team Leah & Elton Ace Pet Partners' Evaluation

Congratulations to ASOP Math teacher Leah and her dog Elton for successfully passing Pet Partners' in-person team evaluation, bringing them one step closer to being a registered therapy animal team with that organization.

Leah and Elton have been working hard to meet ASOP's requirements for them to be a therapy animal team at the school. Students are hoping that will be soon!

Pathways Introduction

Pathways groups resumed the last week of September. Hollyn, ASOP's School Counselor, hosts mental health small groups through a guidance program called Pathways, in which students focus on emotional regulation and social skills that will benefit them in their everyday life.

Pathways is held during 4th or 5th period Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Depending on what group the student is in, they will meet every other week or monthly for a quarter or semester time period.

During this time, all teachers know to excuse the student's absence and to not count it against them for the work they miss that class period.

Hollyn tries hard to make these groups fun and interactive so the students want to participate. She doesn't want to talk AT the students like a lecture class. Instead, she wants these groups to feel like a place where students can talk WITH one other as they grow in their mental health.

If parents have any questions or concerns they can reach out to Hollyn directly.

STEAM Students Busy Building!

Students in Tony's STEAM classes are learning to use a variety of tools to build things with their hands. After passing a safety test, students are allowed to use the miter and table saws. Their first group project was building a wooden box to keep the classroom's Chromebook chargers untangled. Students are now building their own personal boxes.

Art teacher Joy is thrilled the students plan to build a workbench for her art room that will serve as a standing work station for projects that involve heavier materials like clay. The workbench will have storage for larger items like the printing press and light box.

A laser cutter is also newly on the premises! Laser cutters can cut a variety of materials, including metal, wood and acrylic, that can be crafted into lots of different items. Laser cutters also can be used for engraving.

Students have helped Tony make adjustments to the cutter, including installing a replacement laser tube and aligning the mirrors.

Endowment Fund

Your gift to the Jane Curran Endowment Fund will help secure the financial stability of Accelerated Schools as educational costs and student needs continue to rise. More details are here.

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