AES Community Connection 5/13/22
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Greetings AES Families!
We are definitely in the home stretch as we count down to summer vacation. A couple new things this year...This spring we will be sending home the parent reports for our STAR Reading and Math Assessments. I am also planning to send class placements out to families in mid-June. Please continue to priortize school attendance and arrive on time to school. Although it may seem like "just fun" as classes plan field trips, our Outdoor Education learning experiences are equally as valuable as our classroom learning experiences. Among other skills, students have opportunities for teamwork, building grit, risk-taking, problem-solving and self-regulation/self-care.
I am very pleased to announce Zoe Stern as our new Assistant Principal. Zoe is currently the MTSS District Coordinator and works closely with our staff and families. Although she does not officially begin until July 1st in her new role, she has already begun the transition to AES. Below you will find an introduction letter from her. I'd like to thank the interview committee (Stuart Fox, Carrie Devlin, Marnie White, Lauren Nitti and Jen Liddington) for their time and insights. Of course, we will miss Sara Lowe immensely next year and hope that she will return to AES one day. Words cannot adequately express the positive impact she has made on this school and the many students, staff and families. Please join me in welcoming Zoe and wishing Sara well!
All my best,
Ashley Bodkins
Mark your calendar...
- May 18 - PTO Family Spring Mixer at Home Team
- May 23 - Bike Rodeo 3rd Grade
- May 24 - Bike Rodeo 2nd Grade
- May 31 - SCHOOL IN SESSION FOR AES
- June 1 - Field Day and All School BBQ. Lost & Found Sale ($1 per item)
- June 7 - Last Day of School for Students (full day); 4th grade ice cream social and clap out 2-3pm
Meet our new AES Assistant Principal, Zoe Stern
Dear AES Families,
I wanted to take this opportunity to introduce myself and say how excited and honored I am to have the opportunity to be the new Assistant Principal here at Aspen Elementary. I am looking forward to continuing to get to know the Aspen Elementary Community and to build trust with staff, students, and families.
Ashley and Sara have been an incredible team this year. I know that Sara Lowe leaves big shoes to be filled, and to that I am dedicated to being a team with Ashley and to continuing their work of always prioritizing student, staff, and family needs. Ashley’s experience and knowledge continually comes through with every decision, big or small, as she always holds the lens of what is best for students and staff. I feel fortunate to join her team.
~Zoe
Thank you Parents!
Kick Off to Kindergarten
Do you have a child starting Kindergarten in the Aspen School District for the 2022-2023 school year? (Must be age 5 by September 15, 2022) If so, come learn more about Kindergarten, meet our teachers and check out the Kindergarten classrooms!
Thursday, May 26th 5:30-6:30 pm
Click HERE for the flyer in English.
Click HERE for the flyer in Spanish.
Volunteers Needed for Field Day!
The PTO is hosting an end of year Field Day, and we need LOTS of volunteers!! It will be held on June 1st for K-4 and will be a lot of fun! We need people to help throughout the day with setup, events, clean up, food service and more. Please email Nicole VandeBoom to add your name to lend a hand!
AES's IB Learner Profile of the Month = Balanced
Students who are Balanced...
- Balance different parts of life - mind, body and emotuons.
- Are interested and involved in many different things.
- Understand that taking care of oneself is important
Lost & Found- Come Take a Look! All Items Not Claimed Will be Sold 6/1 for $1/item!
Quick Links
- April AES Lunch Menu
- The AES Student Handbook (Click here for Spanish) outlines expectations for our school.
- Aspen School District Absences and Excuses Policy (Click here for Spanish)
- AES Attendance (Click here for Spanish)
- Pre-Arranged Absence Form
- School Supplies and tech fees - Click here for more information.
- Please click HERE to see the staff's favorite things!
- Order SPIRIT WEAR anytime with this link!
Does your child ride the bus?
Bus Passes and Bus Changes:
If you need a new bus pass or want your child to catch a different bus home than usual, please visit the Transportation homepage. Links to the Bus Pass Replacement Form and the Bus Change Request Form can be found there. Students will not be allowed on a bus if they are not registered for a bus, and we will not be accepting handwritten notes or text messages from parents allowing students to ride a different bus.
As most of you know, there is a shortage of bus drivers and sporadically bus routes have to be cancelled. Please discuss a backup plan with your child for these scenarios. Sharing this plan with your child's teacher is always a good idea!
More community news...
Volleyball Camp for Rising 5th Graders
Camp Held at Basalt High School
June 20-23
5th and 6th Graders: 8-10am
7th and 8th Graders: 2-4pm
Click HERE to register.
Girls Empowerment With Horses
May at the Pitkin County Library
5/11 Aspen Science Center
5/18 Butterfly Craft
5/25 Explosions!
After School Wednesdays @ the Library 3:30-4:30 pm Every Wednesday.
Save the Date! PTO Spring Mixer & Fundraiser Wednesday, May 18th
Please Join Us for Aspen Elementary School PTO Spring Mixer & Fundraiser Wednesday.
May 18th 4-8pm at Home Team BBQ Aspen.
*25% of all sales for AES families go directly to PTO (Takeout too!)
Outdoors & Indoors. Click HERE for the Flyer.
After School Pick-Up Reminders...
- If you walk up to the school, please meet your child on the plaza on the side of the building.
- Students in 3rd and 4th grade may walk to the "rock" at the edge of the parking lot on their own.
- Please remind your child if they have a pick-up change for the day.
- We will remind all students that they are to meet their pick-up adult on the plaza or by the rock.
Thank you! We are seeing a lot of congestion on the sidewalk as we are trying to load the buses. Your help is appreciated.
Parking Alert!
SUBS NEEDED!!
Covid-19 Vaccination and Testing Information from Pitkin County
What do I do if my child has symptoms or exposure to COVID-19?
- Please continue to keep you child home if they have symptoms and seek a covid test. Please call the health office to report any positve cases or use the link below.
- Note the isolation period for positive cases is 5 days with improved symptoms. Rapid antigen testing prior to returning to school is recommended, but not requrired.
- Close contacts are not required to quarantine, but should monitor for symptoms and test 5 days following exposure. Contact Pitkin County Public Health for questions.
- Families will notified if clusters of postive cases occur within a classroom and Public Health recommends wearing K95 masks in this case.
- Click here to report at-home positive test results related to ASD.
- Click here to review the PCH Testing and Isolation Algorithm for schools (updated Jan)
- Click here to access Pitkin County Health's covid webpage for more information
- In order to return to school following non-Covid-19 illness a student should have resolution of symptoms for 24 hrs and documentation of a negative covid test should be shared with attendance at cmilton@aspenk12.net.
Aspen Elementary SKIERS
At AES our essential agreements guide the way we behave and interact with others throughout our school in every setting. This year, we've adopted the SKIER acronym as a way to frame our essential agreements school wide. We hope that you will reinforce these positive attributes with your child at home.