Asbury Thursday Folders – January 18, 2024

Posted January 18, 2024

Principal Message:

Asbury Community,

I hope everyone stayed warm and enjoyed their cold day and extra long weekend!

Being a small school is amazing- our connection to learning, the students, and community is powerful. We also have strong student relationships and the ability to make connections with each student and family in the building! I love it! That said, it also poses challenges and being able to keep the things we love for our students is made possible through the support you all provide. Throughout the years, the community has supported Asbury with ensuring we continue our work around Project Based Learning, Gifted and Talented, Para supports, and many other things! We are thankful for such a supportive community!

February is coming up and with that, we have lots of amazing community events! We are looking forward to Valentine’s Day, Grandfriends Day, and Direct Give. Please look forward to more information and fun to come!!!!!

In Partnership,

Jeanna Doung

What’s top of Mind?

HR Updates

We have two new positions posted:
- 1 on 1 Para Position: We have a 1-1 paraprofessional position for a 3rd grade student in our Special Education program. If you are interested or know of anyone who is interested, please contact Jeanna Doung!
- Long Term Substitute Position: We are thrilled to announce that Ms. McCoy will be going on maternity leave from April through October! With that, we have an open long term substitute position for 3rd grade literacy. If you are interested or know of someone who is interested, please reach out to Jeanna Doung!
Though we do not have any details yet, I wanted to share what we do know about the budget. Please check out our Budget Development Timeline. In this timeline, you will see when the budget will be shared with me, when we will have CSC/SLT meetings, and HR impacts to the budget timeline. In addition, for more information about the budget.
We will have a CSC meeting this Tuesday, 1/23 from 5:00-6:00. All are welcome to join. We will be talking about budget, potential impacts to staffing and next steps. We will be in the library.
We are so lucky to have our share table at Asbury but sometimes they are not just not enough snacks to go around. If you could we would appreciate some shelf stable snacks to have as back ups when our share table is empty and we have hungry Eagles. Some suggestions are granola bars, apple sauce, fruit cups, crackers or graham crackers. Thank you in advance for your generosity.

Mental Health Minute

The BESS MOY deadline extended!!

Currently less than 25% of students have a completed parent rating. As a reminder, the parent rating window for Winter closes, February 2nd. The form can be completed in less than 5 minutes at tinyurl.com/bessparent2324.

What’s Still Relevant?

Calendar Reminder: Grandfriends Day

Your students cordially invite you to Asbury’s Second Annual Grandfriends’ Day!
February 14th, 2024
Kindergarten – Second Grade – 7:40 am-9:10 am
Third Grade – Fifth Grade- 9:10am-10:40am
Please fill out this form regarding your participation in Grandfriends’ Day by February 7th. If you have any questions, please email Mrs Batesmith at tillifinney_smith@dpsk12.net.
Additional Information:
- Who should I invite to be my grandfriend?
- Any adult who is important to you. This can be a grandparent or other relative, a neighbor, a friend’s parent, or any adult you are close to and would like to share your school activities.
- What will we do during this time?
- You and your grandfriend will be participating in activities in and around your classroom. There will be limited walking to accommodate needs.
- PLEASE RSVP by Wednesday, February 7th.

Asbury Spelling Bee

This will take place on Friday, March 1st 3p-5p in the auditorium

Students that are interested in participating should reach out to either Mrs. Magoffin or Mr. Howard

Entry deadline is Wednesday, January 24th and we’ll have a quick meeting after school on Friday, January 26th in the gym.

Get Notified about Snow Days and Delays

To be notified of delayed starts and snow days before heading out the door, follow this guide to make sure your phone number is listed correctly in Infor. We will send a text message to the phone number you have listed in Infor, and an email to your DPS email address in case of a delayed start or snow day.

Previously opted out of text messages? Text Y or Yes to 67587 to receive text messages again. If you would like to opt-out, reply to a district text with N, No, or Stop.

You can also check dpsk12.org and district social media channels (Facebook, X and Instagram) for information about delays and closures.

Safety at drop off and pick up

There have been some unfortunate events occurring during these times. If you are parking on Lafayette during these times please lock your car doors at all times. We have been informed by the police station that there is a group going around to schools during busy times like drop off and pick up and breaking into vehicles so please take precautions and lock your doors at all times when you are not in the vehicle and do not leave valuables visible in your car when you exit your vehicle.

During drop off and pick up please be respectful of our neighbors when parking and do not block driveways even if you think that it is for a short period of time. We want to be respectful of our neighbors here at Asbury.

Outdoor Recess on Snowy Days

As a reminder, If students have boots, they are welcome to play in the field or on the playground unless it is icy- so send students with boots. If you need boots, we have a few extra pairs students can wear. Now that the weather is changing please send students with coats, gloves as we try to have outdoor recess as much as possible.

Bell Time Results

We will keep the same bell time from this year into next year. As with this year, we will continue to have opportunities to give input and shift our bell times based on what works best for our community. This year, teachers and parents weighed in on what start times work best for them and the large majority (80%) of those that took the survey indicated that it works best to keep a 7:40 start time.

Mark Your Calendars: SchoolChoice Round 1 Dates

SchoolChoice Round 1 for the 2024-25 school year will open on Jan. 11, 2024 and close on Feb. 12, 2024. If you know of any kindergarten families or new families, they can make Asbury their home schools!

The DPS SchoolChoice application and waitlist site has changed. Families interested in coming to Asbury can apply here. Families with existing Parent Portal accounts can log in using their username and password and families who do not have Parent Portal accounts will set up a new account.

What’s new from PTSO?

Tonight! – Another Delicious Dine-Out: mark your calendars for an ALL DAY dine out at Birdcall on Evans
1. Thursday, January 18th – tonight!!
2. Use code AE0118.
February Forecast? Sunny with a chance to be involved!
1. Direct Give is coming. This is our only major fundraiser throughout the year and it provides our small school with the resources needed to provide all the wonderful things we have at Asbury. Stay tuned for more information.
2. Grand Friends day will be the same day as all the Valentine’s Day fun (2/14/24), so make sure to invite your grand friends!
Read A Thon! Asbury Eagles love to read! Get your reading list ready, set aside your extra books for the Book Exchange, and prepare to READ!
1. March 2-8
2. Watch for more information to come!
DU Gymnastics Community Ticketing! This is another great opportunity to see some of the greatest college athletes in action with your friends in the Asbury community!
1. Sunday, February 11, 2024; 1:45 pm
2. Tickets are now on sale here.
3. A portion of proceeds comes back to Asbury!
4. Information Flyer
We’re in the midst of School Choice:! Show your support for Asbury and let the world (and your neighbors) know how much you love this wonderful school! Buy a yard sign (or two!).
1. Signs are available for $10 in the office
2. OR email asbury.ptso@gmail.com and we’ll deliver and set one up for you 👍
SPIRIT GEAR! Show off your school pride this Friday, and every Friday, by wearing your Asbury Spirit gear!