Aspen Academy Newsletter, March 20th, 2015

Friday, March 20th
Issue: 23
In This Issue
Academic Rigor
"Winning isn't everything, but wanting to win
is."
-Vince Lombardi
Academic Rigor
ACT Testing is Coming!
Please make sure that your
child is present and ready to
work according to the following
schedule for ACT Testing:
4/6-4/8: 5th and 6th Grade
ACT Testing
4/9-4/13: 7th and 8th Grade
ACT Testing
4/14-4/16: 4th Grade ACT
Testing
Students will take 1-2 tests a day during their core content classes. Please
understand thatmake up testing is not provided for student
absences based on a tight schedule and rotation through our computer
labs.Students who miss testing days will not receive scores for tests
missed.
We encourage additional typing practice as prep work for these tests! All testing
is computer based. Please use your Typing Agent account provided by Colleen
Appler, our Middle School Technology Instructor
(colleen.appler@aspenacademy.org), to help prepare in the next few weeks.
Healthy breakfast and extra focus is encouraged! Please feel free to direct any
other questions on ACT Testing to Middle School Director Katie Becker
at katie.becker@aspenacademy.org.
Character & Leadership
Character &
Leadership
Community Strength
and Service
Important
Dates and
Deadlines
Spring Break
March 23rd-March 27th
No school!
PUMP'd: Brain
Development, Early
Years Ages 4-7
Friday, April 3rd
8:30-9:30 am
in the Bear's Cafe
This parent university led
by Leadership and
Cognitive Coach Allison
Bukowski, will focus on
how the brain works and
develops in young
children. You will learn
about the whole-brain
perspective and how you
can be more intentional in
giving your child
experiences that develop
the whole brain. This
information can be applied
to everyday parenting to
integrate your child's brain
and foster vital growth.
PUMP'd: Higher Level
Thinking Skills, Thinking
Maps, Grades 2nd-8th
Friday, April 3rd
8:30-9:30 am
in the Cafeteria
Kristina Scala Writes About Curbing
Childhood Obesity!
Aspen Academy's Head of School, Kristina
Scala, has written an article for the Denver Post
called Community Partnerships Key to Curbing
Childhood Obesity. In this piece, Kristina
discusses the importance of community
collaboration and involvement in improving our
own health and fitness, and the health and
fitness of our kids. Click here to read the full
article!
Destination Imagination Tournament
Congratulations to all 3 of Aspen's Destination Imagination
teams who participated in the South Metro DI Tournament at Englewood HS
this past Saturday, March 14th:
- Kindergartners Emrik B., Matthew F., and Jude G.
- 1st graders Benjamin S. and Alex T.
- 5th graders KC L., Kate P., Maggie P., Joshua P., Danny S., and Lauryn W.
- 7th graders Jason C., Will G., Taylor K., Lucas M., and Aaron S.
And a special congratulations goes to the 7th grade team for qualifying for the
state tournament on Saturday 4/25. Way to go, teams!
Congratulations to our AFS Homeroom Winners!
Aspen Academy's homeroom winners of the America's Fittest Staff Challenge
were Kerri Esposito's 5th Grade class and Kelsey Sullivan's 3rd grade class.
They were rewarded with Arbonne protein shakes from Aspen parent, Christie
Connor! Congratulations students!
Aspen Students Share The Gift Of Music
Aspen students shared their gifts of music with the residents of the Sunrise
Join Instructional Coach
Scott McFarland as he
discusses how Aspen
Academy uses and
incorporates the use of
Thinking Maps in our
classrooms school wide.
Bridge your knowledge
and begin using this logical
structure of thinking and
learning in your home as
well!
Mentor/Mentee Easter
Egg Hunt
Friday, April 3rd
8:30-9:00 am
This is an annual event
sponsored by our Student
Civic Organization. Our
students will be going on
an Easter Egg Hunt with
their mentor or mentee
during mentor/mentee
time!
Girls Lacrosse Away
Game
Tuesday, April 7th
4:15-6:00 pm
Cheer on our girls lacrosse
team as they play at
McAuliffe International!
AMP'd
Friday, April 10th
Social Responsibility
Act #1/Act #2
Promote Gala- Staff
Gavaliers
K/5th/2nd/7th
Parenting Safe Children
Saturday, April 11th
10:00-2:00pm
at St. Mary's Academy
St. Mary's Academy is
pleased to announce that
the Academy Parents will
host a Parenting Safe
Children Workshop for
parents by Feather
Senior Center. From the piano, to the harp, to the violin, Kerry S. (grade 2),
Arian A. (grade 5), Kaila D. (grade 5) and Danny S. ( grade 5) brought much
light and many smiles to the seniors of Sunrise. As a grand finale, these
community outreach musicians sang a round of Molly Malone, a traditional Irish
folk song, accompanied by Dr. Soden on his guitar. The entire room was filled
with chanting voices, young and old!
Community Strength & Service
Aspen Academy's Gala- You're Invited!
It's time to be kind, be giving and be groovy at Aspen Academy!
You're invited to our Annual Gala on Saturday, April 25th! Be sure to purchase
your tickets byMonday, March 30th to be entered in two drawings for two
couples to see Fleetwood Mac at the Pepsi Center on Wednesday, April 1st.
We are also in need of baskets to hold our silent auction items, if you have one
you are willing to lend or donate, please
contact brittany.javor@aspenacademy.org.
Thank you!
Middle School Girls Guest Speaker
On Wednesday, March 18, Bree Thomas, the
founder of the Denver chapter of Girls
Develop It, came to speak to our middle
school girls about possible careers in
technology and coding. She put together a
fantastic presentation that sparked lots of
questions and introduced endless
professional possibilities. Her presentation
can be found
here: http://gdidenver.github.io/aspenacademy-talk/#/. Included are websites and
other resources parents can use to continue
the conversation with their daughters.
Berkower on Saturday
April 11, 2015 from 10:00
AM to 2:00 PM. Click
here to learn more about
this workshop.
To register, proceed to this
specific registration
page on Feather's
website.
Parenting with Love and
Logic: Love and Logic
for Toddlers &
Preschoolers
Saturday, April 11th
9:00-12:00 pm
at Aspen Academy
Join Jim Fay and Dr.
Charles Fay with the Love
and Logic Institute as they
provide tips and
techniques for taking the
exhaustion out of
parenting little kids!
You will learn how to:
- Put an end to bedtime
battles
- Deal with whining,
begging, tantrums, and
full-fledged meltdowns
- Help your tots learn from
small mistakes
- Discipline them without
losing their love and
respect
The cost is $15 for Aspen
parents, faculty, and staff.
To enroll,
visitwww.loveandlogic.com
and click on the
"Conferences" button.
Parenting with Love and
Logic: Putting the Fun
Back Into Parenting
Saturday, April 11th
1:00-4:00 pm
at Aspen Academy
Join Jim Fay and Dr.
Charles Fay with the Love
Fitness Tips from Coach Koral!
Fitness Tip #3: Know your equipment.
Everyone's body reacts differently to different
equipment. For example, one pair of shoes may work
for one person but not necessarily for others. It's
important to be open to trying different brands and
when you find something that works, stick with it!
Stores like Runners Roost and Road Runner Sports
provide expert advice when it comes to finding the right
running shoe. Also, be sure to take note of the mileage
on your shoes and replace them every 350-400 miles!
Health and Safety
Jump Rope for Heart
All Jump Rope for Heart prizes need to be claimed
by April 3rd. If you still need to claim your prize please
retrieve them from Amanda Herrera at the front desk
before Friday, April 3rd. The prizes that are not claimed
will be donated to our fitness program.
Parking Lot Safety
The speed in the parking lot should not exceed 9-9.5
mph. Our School Resource Officers (SRO's) have been
so kind to check the speeds in the parking lot, and unfortunately, the average
speed has been 16 mph. Please give them some love as they continue to
partner with us in keeping our school safe.
Does your Tween or Teen:
-Hand in assignments late?
-Forget what was assigned for homework?
-Struggle to talk to teachers about what he/she needs to be successful?
-Struggle breaking down long-term projects and miss deadlines?
-Disrupt home-life with frantic searches and/or urgent requests for late-night
help?
Help your child take control of the upcoming school year by enrolling in
an Organization, Planning, and Self-Advocacy Skills Summer Camp
-Results Learning, LLC is offering C.E.O Summer Academy this summer
-C.E.O. (Concrete, Effective, Organization Strategies) Summer Academy is for
incoming 6th through 10th grade students who have difficulty with one or more
areas of Executive Function
 Small group sessions provide effective organization, planning, and self-
and Logic Institute as they
provide tips and
techniques for putting the
fun back into parenting!
You will learn how to:
- Avoid un-winnable
arguments and power
struggles
- Get your kids to do
chores and other tasks
without going to battle
- Help them learn from
their poor decisions
- Get them ready for
success in today's
complex world
The cost is $15 for Aspen
parents, faculty, and staff.
To enroll,
visitwww.loveandlogic.com
and click on the
"Conferences" button.
advocacy strategies
 Sessions run Monday through Friday, 2 hours each day, for 2
consecutive weeks during the summer months
 For more information on this summer camp please call 303-771-1160 or
visit www.results-learning.com
New Extracurricular Class
Available!
Sticky Fingers Cooking at Aspen
Academy
4th-8th grade Session 1:
MONDAYS, Mar 30th - May 4th
 Time: 3:45-4:45p
 Room: Cafeteria
 $20/class/student ($120
for 6-week session);
 min 8 students, max 12 students
Enroll now through www.stickyfingerscooking.com
Volunteer Opportunities
 Volunteers for Aspen's Garden! Click here for additional information.
 Lunchroom Volunteers- Click here to sign up!
 Faculty Appreciation Week Volunteers- Click here to view our
openings!
 Aspen Adventure Week- Contact Aspen Instructor, Chris Lazartic for
more details!
 Aspen Day Without Shoes Volunteers- Click here to sign up!
Type caption text here.
Dream BIG Day Camp: Performing Arts Camp
Let your imagination run wild and help to create a unique theater performance.
This week-long performing arts camp will allow participants to develop
characters and story lines while assisting in writing a play to be performed for
friends and family members at the end of the week!
Campers will develop theatrical skills including character creation, ensemble,
improvisation and performance. Campers will develop life skills including
following directions, team work, confidence and risk taking. Campers will learn
literacy skills including reading, writing, script writing, body language, gestures
and facial and vocal expression.
What:
Dream BIG Day Camp Performing Arts Camp
When:
Aug. 3-7th, 9:00-3:00 pm
Where:
Aspen Academy
Who:
Kids ages 7-12
Cost:
$525/week
For additional information, visit http://www.dreambigdaycamp.com/aspen/
**Additional camp groups have been added for 4-5 year olds!**
Aspen's 10th Anniversary!
Aspen's 10th Anniversary! Aspen Academy is
celebrating its 10 year Anniversary this year! In honor
of this celebration we are collecting Aspen Academy
memorabilia from the past 10 years. Please
contactAngela Aukamp or Melissa Engelmann if you
have any items you can donate to be displayed at the
school.
Aspen Academy
5859 S. University Blvd.
Greenwood Village, CO 80121
www.aspenacademy.org
blog.aspenacademy.org
303-346-3500