Vanguard East News!
December 2019
The Giving Tree
This holiday season, we’re having our second Vanguard East Giving Tree! This is a perfect way to help someone from our community.
Starting Monday, 12/9, there will be a tree by the front desk filled with wishes from the Vanguard families we will be sponsoring this holiday season.
Each ornament will have needs and wishes (clothing, toys, and more) from our sponsored families. As ornaments get placed on the tree, feel free to take as many as you wish and purchase a gift written on the ornament. Please if you take an ornament, make sure to purchase and deliver the unwrapped gift to us by Monday, 12/16. VCS East staff and students will wrap the gifts for our families. Sponsored families will pick up wrapped gifts on Friday, 12/20.
Please make sure to only take ornaments from the tree that you are confident you would be able to provide. If you take an ornament and can no longer get the gift noted on the ornament, please place it back onto the tree for someone else to grab.
Staff Members of the Month
Kasey Frey
Aaron Carnahan
FREE Youth Mental Health First Aid Class - December 7
Through the School Health Professional Grant Vanguard has been working to educate our students and staff about mental health. Mental health includes our emotional, psychological, and social well-being. It affects how we think, feel, and act. Vanguard recognizes that our students and families go through experiences that shape their lives and their ability to function.
As Vanguard works to educate and support the mental health of our students we also recognize it is important to educate our families about youth mental health. Families are often the first to recognize changes within their children however, it is often difficult to understand why these changes are occurring or what our children are experiencing. Vanguard wants to help our families learn more about youth mental health, how to recognize warning signs, and how to best support our children.
In partnership with Denver Mental Health, Vanguard is offering a free Youth Mental Health First Aid Class. Through the Youth Mental Health First Aid class individuals will learn common mental health concerns for youth, recognize signs and symptoms of mental health and substance use problems, and how to use a 5-step action plan to help a young person facing a mental health crisis.
The class will be held on December 7th from 8am to 4:30pm
The class will be hosted at Vanguard West located at 801 Yosemite Street, Denver, CO, 80230.
Space for this class is limited so if you are interested please contact Caroline DuBreuil at the East Campus
Caroline DuBreuil: 303-338-4110 or cdubreuil@vanguardclassical.org
For more information please visit the link below
https://www.mentalhealthfirstaid.org/population-focused-modules/youth/
Core Virtue of the Month...Generosity
Stress Management
Stress impacts all individuals on a day to day basis. Learning what triggers your stress and how to manage it is very important for your physical and mental well-being. In today’s fast paced world, the demands of stress can be felt more than ever before. Some triggers are much more prominent and easier to identify than others. Some of these big issues may include financial burdens, workplace demands, and significant lifestyle changes. Smaller events can also add to your daily stress. These may be minor things like getting stuck in traffic or waiting in a long line at the grocery store. Taking a look at what causes you stress every day is the first step of managing your stress. Identify these things and analyze them. What can you change? What is beyond your control? Answering these questions will help you choose some coping mechanisms to help you deal with your stress in the best way possible.
Learning how to use the four A’s of stress management may be a helpful technique to learn how to cope. The four A’s consist of avoid, alter, adapt, and accept. Avoidance can be used by learning how to say no to things that are unnecessary and cause you stress. Set limits in your personal and professional life and stick to those boundaries. Altering the situation can be helpful as well. Learning to compromise and meet coworkers or family members in the middle may help you to change a situation and reduce the stress it has the potential to cause later on. Adapt to the stress by taking a look at the big picture. Ask yourself questions like, “Will this particular problem still be affecting my life in a month or a year?”. And last but not least, realize that there are some things you cannot change. It is impossible for us to control the uncontrollable and sometimes accepting things the way they are and doing our best to view things in a positive light is all we can do.
Diet and exercise play a vital role in keeping our bodies and minds healthy and stress free as well. Experts recommend a healthy well balanced diet paired with 30 minutes or more of daily exercise. Another great way to deal with stress is to connect with friends, family, and support groups. Talking and interacting with people who are close to us and understand what we are going through can be very therapeutic. Stress will never completely disappear, but when we learn how to cope with it we can live a healthy and fulfilling life.
For more information regarding stress management please visit the following links:
https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/stress-management/basics/stress-relief/hlv-20049495
https://www.helpguide.org/articles/stress/stress-management.htm
https://www.heart.org/en/healthy-living/healthy-lifestyle/stress-management/3-tips-to-manage-stress
VCS East Events
K-2 Winter Concert
Wednesday, Dec 4, 2019, 06:00 PM
VCS East Cafetorium
3-5 Winter Concert
Thursday, Dec 5, 2019, 06:00 PM
VCS East Cafetorium
Chipotle Fundraiser
Join us at our restaurant for a fundraiser to support Vanguard Classical School's Washington, DC Trip!
Just go in to the Chipotle at 15280 E. Iliff Ave. in Aurora on Wednesday, December 4th from 5:00pm to 9:00pm, take the attached flyer, show it on your smartphone or tell the cashier you’re supporting the cause to make sure that 33% of the proceeds will be donated to Vanguard Classical School's Washington, DC Trip.