Vanguard East News!
January 2020
Happy New Year!
VCS East's Cultural Celebration
This is a great opportunity to share something about your country of origin, ethnicity, ancestry, roots or regional culture to bring our community together.
Contact Linda Richardson at lrichardson@vanguardclassical.org if you're interested in contributing in any way.
We look forward to celebrating our diverse community!
Spelling Bee
Contact Wendy Holtz at wholtz@vanguardclassical.org for a tour of our East campus.
Staff Members of the Month
Mr. Ryan, 3rd Grade EA
Ms. Herring, Secondary English Teacher
Order your yearbook now!
Order online at mymjthomas.com and enter code vanguardyb1920!
Core Virtue of the Month...Courage
- Courage is finding the strength to venture and persevere.
- Courage is doing what is right in the face of fear.
- Courage is moving beyond fear.
K-5 News
3rd Grade Cow Eye Dissection
Reading Love
Ms. Henke's 5th Grade Class Performs Shakespeare's 'A Midsummer Night's Dream'
6-12 News
Vanguard Gives Day 2020
Juniors may register for SAT plus Writing
7th graders went to International Towne in December
Drugs and Alcohol
Use and abuse of drugs and alcohol by teens is very common and can have serious consequences. In the 15-24 year age range, 50% of deaths (from accidents, homicides, suicides) involve alcohol or drug abuse. Possible stages of a teenagers’ experience with alcohol and drugs include abstinence (non-use), experimentation, regular use (both recreational and compensatory for other problems), abuse, and dependency. Repeated and regular recreational use can lead to other problems like anxiety and depression. Some teenagers regularly use drugs or alcohol to compensate for anxiety, depression, or a lack of positive social skills. Teen use of tobacco and alcohol should not be minimized because they can be "gateway drugs" for other drugs (marijuana, cocaine, hallucinogens, inhalants, and heroin). The combination of teenagers' curiosity, risk taking behavior, and social pressure make it very difficult to say no.
A teenager with a family history of alcohol or drug abuse and a lack of pro-social skills can move rapidly from experimentation to patterns of serious abuse or dependency. Some other teenagers with no family history of abuse who experiment may also progress to abuse or dependency. Teenagers with a family history of alcohol or drug abuse are particularly advised to abstain and not experiment. No one can predict for sure who will abuse or become dependent on drugs except to say the non-user never will.
Warning signs of teenage drug or alcohol abuse may include:
-a drop in school performance
-a change in groups of friends
-delinquent behavior
-deterioration in family relationships.
There may also be physical signs such as red eyes, a persistent cough, and change in eating and sleeping habits. Alcohol or drug dependency may include blackouts, withdrawal symptoms, and further problems in functioning at home, school, or work.
For more information regarding drug and alcohol abuse please visit the following links:
The Partnership for Drug-Free Kids supports families and engages with teens to reduce substance misuse. Their resources include a parent toolkit to learn the facts about the teen brain and drug use, and tips for engaging in conversations around making healthy choices. https://drugfree.org/
SpeakNow!, a project of the Colorado Department of Human Services’ Office of Behavioral Health, provides evidence-based information and resources to parents and caregivers regarding youth substance misuse prevention in Colorado, supporting adults to have productive conversations about substance use with youth. Resources are also available in Spanish at: http://hableahoracolorado.org/
VCS East Events
Vanguard Gives Day (6th-12th Graders)
Thursday, Jan 9, 2020, 07:30 AM
VCS East
Picture Retake Day
Wednesday, Jan 15, 2020, 08:00 AM
VCS East
K-5 Academic Awards Assebmly
- K-2: 8:00-8:30 am
- 3-5: 8:40-9:15 am