Upcoming Events
3/17/2010
- All School Parent/Teacher Conferences No Classes3/18/2010
3/19/2010
3/22/2010
School Information
We’ve got excellence all over the Aspen Community School and Friday All School Meeting is the palace to see it.
Last week we focused on “How to do and excellent job.” 8th grader Megan Rash spoke about academics and her quest for balance. Sam Rappaport, (8th grade) spoke to the school about the importance of good nutrition and practice to succeed at hockey. Tristin Lane and Chapin Newhard gave tips about how to do it all; get good grades and achieve at the highest level of sport. Both boys are going to the Junior Olympics and scoring high marks at school.
Today at All School Meeting Kat Kowar played a piece from “Carmen” on the piano. Ruby Marker played a difficult classical piece on her guitar. Courtnay Edwards performed a violin duet with Stuart Lacroix. Sophie Desaro and Talitha Jones awed us with two songs on guitar with vocal accompaniment. The entire student body was inspired and motivated by these exceptional performances.
Kai Love is going to the National Snowboarding Championships. Colby Lane, Xon Baker and Ben “The Throminator” Throm are all going to the Junior Olympics next week. All have a shot at podium. More of our kids will be competing in the weeks to come. Students are doing an incredible job writing, reading and in math. Each day as school principal I have the privilege of seeing our students grow and succeed. It’s why I have the best job on the planet.
The point is, celebrate excellence. It’s here in our kids.
Have a great weekend.
Recognize Teaching Excellence
I have had the honor of working at ACS for 24 years, nine as principal. I have seen many aspects of our school evolve and change, but the one constant is an incredible staff. No program, educational initiative, or school can succeed without a dedicated, hard working staff. We have a top performing school because we have a dynamite staff.
Today I received this notification in the mail:
“The Patricia C. Moore Teacher Award has been established at Aspen Community Foundation to honor outstanding public school teachers and thank them for their dedication to quality education, student achievement and community leadership. Six awards in the amount of $5,000 will be given out annually for the next five years to teachers employed in the
Let’s rally for great teaching. Attached is all the information for you to nominate a teacher who has made a difference in the lives of our kids.
Click Here:
/modules/cms/pages.phtml?pageid=150920
ACS Annual fund
March 2010
Dear ACS Parents,
What could be more important than your child’s education? Data shows that each year in Colorado, students who do not graduate from high school account for 3.4 billion dollars in lost potential earnings. Common sense tells us that the best place to establish a sound educational foundation is right here at ACS. Every year at ACS we look for better ways to enhance and improve our program because we know what you know – the investment in our kids is worth it.
We have a low student teacher student ratio because it helps kids learn. We integrate visual and performing arts because we see first hand the benefits academically and artistically. We strive to create lifelong learners who are healthy contributing community members. Our success has tangible measures – last year we earned the distinction of being one of Colorado’s Top Performing Schools.
But we can’t do it alone. The State of Colorado funds about three quarters of what we need to educate kids. The State pays for a basic education, to the tune of about $8,000 per student. We say that’s not good enough so we invest an additional $2,000 per student. These additional funds allow us to maintain small class size where teachers and students develop meaningful, effective learning relationships. We have a dynamic performing and visual arts programs like no other school in the valley. Each year we offer outstanding programs like outdoor education, the spring musical, yoga and more. We refuse to compromise our excellent program because it benefits all of our kids. This year our Annual fund goal is $60,000, however, participation is the most important thing. Right now 51 out of 78 families have participated. Please join me, the staff, and our parents by contributing to the annual fund.
We acknowledge and appreciate these ACS parents and staff who have already contributed:
Michelle and Jim Cardamone
Michelle and Jim Cardamone
Molly Brooks
Brenda Broxton and Steve Zanier
K and Mark Cesark
Kirk and Diana Baker
Brenda Broxton and Steve Zanier
K and Mark Cesark
Kirk and Diana Baker
Suzanne Scheer and Chuck Brown
Rhoda and Michael Campbell
Mark and Tori Campisi
Valerie and John Carlin
Caroline Cheung
Rhoda and Michael Campbell
Mark and Tori Campisi
Valerie and John Carlin
Caroline Cheung
Bernard Moffroid and Cathy Click
Holly Timms and John Corcoran
Michael and Amy Coyle
Isabel Day and Brad Benson
Holly Timms and John Corcoran
Michael and Amy Coyle
Isabel Day and Brad Benson
Robert and Stephanie Desaro
Megan and James Douglass
Laurie Dows
LouRae Doyle
Megan and James Douglass
Laurie Dows
LouRae Doyle
Jody and Charlotte Edwards
Chris and Sally Faison
Kim and David Floria
Hilary Forsyth
Chris and Sally Faison
Kim and David Floria
Hilary Forsyth
Lynn Nichols and Jim Gilchrist
Ron and Kristin Goth
Mary and David Harris
Ron and Kristin Goth
Mary and David Harris
Kevin and Stephanie Heinecken
Ross and Michele Jacobs
Tricia and Heath Johnson
Ross and Michele Jacobs
Tricia and Heath Johnson
Claire McDougall and Paul Jones
Randi Kelly
Kim McKinley and Drew Kitchell
Bonnie and Joseph Kowar
Wendy Kurtz
Darcy Kyle
Katy and Brian Link
Jillian and Wade Livingston
Randi Kelly
Kim McKinley and Drew Kitchell
Bonnie and Joseph Kowar
Wendy Kurtz
Darcy Kyle
Katy and Brian Link
Jillian and Wade Livingston
Kristin and Matthew Loden
Cindy Kahn and Steve Marker
Katie McBride
Sunni and John McBride
Hilary and Mike McKie
Billy Miller
Cindy Kahn and Steve Marker
Katie McBride
Sunni and John McBride
Hilary and Mike McKie
Billy Miller
Ric and Susanne Morrison
Nora Berko and Howie Mallory
Nora Berko and Howie Mallory
Kir and Penn Newhard
Kevin Patrick
Kevin Patrick
Laura and Stephan Palmberg
Jack Panek
Jenny and Bryn Peterson
Garry Pfaffmann
Missy and Steve Prudden
Casey Puckett
Jack Panek
Jenny and Bryn Peterson
Garry Pfaffmann
Missy and Steve Prudden
Casey Puckett
Ken and Emily Ransford
Kris Coulon and Hunt Rettig
Scott Munro and Janie Rich
Scott Munro and Janie Rich
Deborah and Joede Schoberlein
Lani Shaw
Cindy and Gordon Sichel
Lani Shaw
Cindy and Gordon Sichel
Melissa and Jordan Sutton
Harry and Karin Teague
Anne Teague
Harry and Karin Teague
Anne Teague
Doug and Amy Throm
Carmen Vega
Kristina Weller
Carmen Vega
Kristina Weller
Ten Week Update
We have been enjoying a mixture of beautiful fall leaves and snow topped peaks. Few would disagree that the setting of ACS is nothing short of breath taking.
Here are a few highlights since my last update:
Parent Teacher Conferences – On October 15 and 16 parents, teachers and students met to discuss student progress at school. The turn out was excellent indicating that parents are more interested than ever in partnering with school to enhance student learning. Our focus at conferences is on providing accurate information in four areas:
- What we know about your child and their leaning (data).
- What instructional strategies are we using to maximize your child’s learning (instruction).
- What ways can we work together to strengthen the home-school connection.
- What questions and concerns do parents have about their child and school?
I’d appreciate any feedback you have about your conference. jgilchrist@discovercompass.org
School Improvement Plan – Every year we write a plan to improve the quality of education at ACS. It takes about three weeks of intense meetings and discussion and it’s worth the effort. The School Improvement Plan provides us with a clear road map of priorities for the year. We look at three areas: academic excellence, creating relevant leaning experiences and fostering relationships. Our goals are very specific and measurable. For example, we are focusing on research based quality instruction in the classroom. Part I of this goal was to create a clear description of what quality instruction looks like. Part II is to increase the amount of feedback teachers receive from the Principal (5 Principal observations, per teacher per semester). Part three is to increase the amount of feedback teachers receive from their peers (two observations per semester).
Please take a look at the ACS school improvement plan for 2009-2010.
Community– I see an incredibly focused staff, working with excited, motivated students. We are blessed with dedicated parents who are more than willing to partner with school to provide a quality experience. What a team!
All School Meeting
I’d like to invite you to attend an all school meeting at the Aspen Community School. Every Friday we meet as a school to celebrate achievement, share ideas and discuss shared challenges. Every student and every teacher attends. Meetings take place from 8:20-9:00am, and you are always welcome. It’s always a good idea to give Cindy a call to make sure the meeting is on, as we occasionally reschedule.
Today at all school meeting we participated in a cross-age activity called Pinwheels for Peace. Cross-age learning is when students of different ages work together on a learning task. The younger students benefit when they see older students modeling more sophisticated approaches to learning and social behavior. The older kids benefit by acting as mentors. Plus, cross age learning builds relationships and community. And it’s a blast! The Pinwheels project promotes the concept of “peace” in the world. Students make simple pinwheels and decorate them with artwork and messages. Next week we will “install” the pinwheels on our soccer field. All around the world like-minded folks are doing the same thing. There’s even a web site www.pinwheelsforpeace.com
The real joy of my job is being able to witness the process of learning every day. For about 30 minutes this morning kids of all ages worked together and learned together. There was a sense of purpose and would you believe it, calm.
Have a great weekend.
Why All Parents Should Attend Back to School Night
Did you know that decades of research has shown that when parents are involved in their child’s education students have:
- Higher grades, test scores and graduation rates
- Better school attendance
- Increased motivation, better self esteem
- Lower rates of suspension
- Decreased use of drugs and alcohol
- Fewer instances of violent behavior
Back to School Night, is on Tuesday, September 8, from 5-6:30PM. This is an excellent opportunity to learn more about our school goals, meet teachers and understand your child’s educational program. Every year we seek to do a better job teaching all of our students and we need your help and partnership. Back to School night is the place to start. Your attendance at school sends a powerful message to your child that you are involved and care deeply about their education. Consider; Family participation in education is twice as predictive of students’ academic success as family socioeconomic status. To see more research on parent involvement check out:
See you on Tuesday Night at 5:00PM!
Campus Master Plan Update
For a detailed Master Plan Update please check out the Master Planning Tab in the upper right corner.
Our four community Master Planning meetings have been successfully accomplished! The process was truly inspiring. Ideas were heard and incorporated into a final Master Plan that was presented on Tuesday night (3/2). At the end of the presentation Robin Schiller, of CCY Architects, invited questions and feedback. In response, there was a hushed silence - not a word of dissent or concern. Instead, the audience applauded CCY Architects and the Campus Planning Committee for an outstanding approach and a Master Plan that is truly reflective of this community's essence. It was a powerful and validating conclusion to this chapter of work on improving our Woody Creek campus.
There's more to come! These are our next steps:
March 18th - CCY will present the Master Plan to the COMPASS Board for approval
March 19th - COMPASS will submit the first draft of the BEST grant for CDE review
April 9th - Final deadline for BEST grant submission
June 30th - We will know if our BEST grant is a finalist under consideration
End of August - BEST grants awarded
Fundraising is underway now, as we estimate needing to raise a $4million match to that BEST grant. Those funds have to be raised by November - ambitious? Yes! Possible? We believe it is, but it will take a village! If you know any bazillionaires, now would be a great time to introduce them to this exceptional place.
Onward and upward! Regular updates will continue. Your interest and involvement is greatly appreciated.
Our four community Master Planning meetings have been successfully accomplished! The process was truly inspiring. Ideas were heard and incorporated into a final Master Plan that was presented on Tuesday night (3/2). At the end of the presentation Robin Schiller, of CCY Architects, invited questions and feedback. In response, there was a hushed silence - not a word of dissent or concern. Instead, the audience applauded CCY Architects and the Campus Planning Committee for an outstanding approach and a Master Plan that is truly reflective of this community's essence. It was a powerful and validating conclusion to this chapter of work on improving our Woody Creek campus.
There's more to come! These are our next steps:
March 18th - CCY will present the Master Plan to the COMPASS Board for approval
March 19th - COMPASS will submit the first draft of the BEST grant for CDE review
April 9th - Final deadline for BEST grant submission
June 30th - We will know if our BEST grant is a finalist under consideration
End of August - BEST grants awarded
Fundraising is underway now, as we estimate needing to raise a $4million match to that BEST grant. Those funds have to be raised by November - ambitious? Yes! Possible? We believe it is, but it will take a village! If you know any bazillionaires, now would be a great time to introduce them to this exceptional place.
Onward and upward! Regular updates will continue. Your interest and involvement is greatly appreciated.
Principal Posts:
2010 Studio Tour
For information about the 7th annual 2010 Studio Tour click on the link below:
www.roaringforkstudiotour.org
www.roaringforkstudiotour.org
Payments Online
The Central Area
Click on the link below to find out more about 40 fabulous years of Community Style learning and share your own stories:
www.thecentralarea.net
www.thecentralarea.net
