Aspen High School
April 6, 2020
Dear Parents,
We are thrilled to announce that we have had 100% of our student body accounted for! Please remind your sons/daughters to continue to check in each day as this allows them to tell us how they are faring, ask for support, and share what is working and what is not. These are invaluable pieces of information as we work to support students socially, emotionally, and academically during this pandemic. To that end, we know that there are many facets to an effective online education program, and we are working to incorporate them as best as we can! Our teachers and technology team have been working tirelessly! We also know, however, that there is a clear distinction between the pedagogy behind an intentional online educational program and a crisis or Covid 19 educational plan. Here are some articles/essays on that subject that might be interesting for you: The Difference Between Emergency Remote Teaching and Online Learning, This is not home schooling, distance learning or online schooling. This is Not Online or Distance Learning
We have already come across some FAQs from students and parents, so we want to share those with you!
What will happen to end of the year events, especially graduation for seniors?
We have met with all of our departments and will be sending out a revised end of the year calendar at the end of the week. Currently school is closed until April 30th, and we are hoping that we will be able to conduct graduation as scheduled. However, we are developing contingencies for all of our large events should we be unable to conduct them in person. We will be looking for input from all of our stakeholders before any decisions are made.
Why aren't students attending all of their classes live?
All departments are scheduled to hold live classes twice a week. These are optional as not all will have access at specific times. Teachers will record these lessons and post them in classes. All teachers are online, live, for two hours each day.
What is my student’s schedule?
Please see the schedule of teachers’ classes & office hours. Here is a template for students to create their individual schedules.
How can my student access all of their teachers/classes?
While Office Hours overlap, students are able to have an hour with all departments beginning at 8am, ending at 3pm, if they choose.
How can students manage and organize all of the work? We will post a graphic organizer in grade level classrooms to help students organize their assignments and classes.
Will my student be behind?
We have been asking teachers to teach “essential content” and they are distilling each lesson to garner the skills needed for next year, whether the student is in IB or standard level classes
Students in IB courses will be following the approved IB syllabus and will be taking a summative assessment, following the original IB Exam schedule.
Advantages of this type of course delivery are that students will learn to be independent and be able to self advocate when they start college classes after high school.
Will my student still be able to earn college credit through IB Testing or Dual enrollment with CMC?
Just as before, each college is in charge of determining how they choose to award IB credits. Families should email the Aspen admissions representative at each school to learn more about their policies. The representative’s contact information can be found on each college’s admissions staff webpage. You may need to be patient regarding definitive answers as colleges have a lot on their plates. Colleges want to work with each student, so please reach out to them with any questions. Our dual enrollment agreement with Colorado Mountain College is unchanged.
What will happen to sports if school remains online for the rest of the school year?
Per CHSAA, as of now, if we do not return to the classroom we will not be competing this spring.
Will my student be able to get an Ex-Ed course without a deposit or signature? YES! Please submit the online auction/bid form by Friday, April 10th. No signature or deposit required at this time.