Thursday Folders – February 3, 2022

Posted February 3, 2022

Principal’s Corner (A Message from PTSO)

Dear Asbury Families,

We are proud to announce the kickoff of Asbury Elementary’s Annual Direct Give Campaign. A direct give campaign allows families to donate in a way that is both meaningful and comfortable. There is no amount too small and no amount too big. The money we raise goes directly to our school.

We have set an ambitious goal to raise $700 per student during this campaign. These funds will be used to sustain Asbury’s current learning environment and to support the staff’s vision for moving forward during this difficult time in the country and in education. In light of the recent DPS budget projections, this year’s Direct Give is more important than ever. We know that education requires more resources, training, and support than ever. If we want to maintain the current level of staffing at Asbury including full time PE and Tech, a 3rd Kindergarten teacher, sufficient para support we as a community will need to make up that difference.

Start donating TODAY! February 2nd-16th, we ask that you “Share the Love” with Asbury by giving at a level that is meaningful and comfortable for your family. We consider Asbury the very BEST and most innovative neighborhood public school in Denver. Fundraising ensures stability for future students and staff. Thank you for supporting the Asbury community. Here’s our fun video to watch!

Please join us for a special Direct Give “Eagle Hour” on Tuesday, February 8th from 5:30 pm- 6:30 pm to hear from our teachers, principal and PTSO regarding the vision for Asbury moving forward. The link to join us is here.

You can donate in the following ways (all donations are tax deductible):

CheddarUP – an easy online way to donate money. Share this link with family and friends
Venmo @AsburyPTSO-AsburyPTSO please notate “Direct Give” in the message line
Cash/Check to Asbury Elementary 1320 E Asbury Ave, Denver, Co 80210

Your Asbury PTSO Board,

Amy, Jenny, Kelly, Kira and Rhonda

School Notes

Important Information:

Health and Safety Updates:
- The decision tree was updated to reflect the new guidance from CDPHE regarding negative COVID tests.
- Asbury Covid Lunch Policy: On most days, students will eat outside with their grade levels in their spots. We will have support staff supervising students as they eat. Students should sanitize prior to eating, maintain 3-6 feet and clean up after eating. When we have to move indoors, students will eat in their classrooms and we will have an adult supervising each classroom. During indoor days, we have assigned seats, students will eat in less than 15 minutes and maintain as much distance as possible in the classrooms. When students return from quarantine, they will continue to eat with their class and use a particion.
- DPS COVID Updates: To ensure that everyone is receiving the latest information about COVID-19 developments, I wanted to share the DPS + Denver Health video updates with you all. In these videos, Dr. Steven Federico, the lead pediatrician at Denver Health and our close partner on our health plan, shares data-driven updates about COVID-19 and provides best practices on how to protect ourselves and each other. In the latest video update (available in English and Spanish), Dr. Federico provides an update on the spread and impact of the Omicron variant.

Spread the news: We have two para positions open at Asbury! If you are interested or know someone who is interested, please reach out to Jeanna!
Please read over our health screening letter to parents HERE.

DPS Declining Enrollment At the last Board of Education meeting, Superintendent Marrero presented an update on the steps the district will take to engage with the community on the issue of declining enrollment. The update focused on the creation of the Declining Enrollment Advisory Committee. The Declining Enrollment Advisory Committee will work to create recommendations on how DPS should address ongoing declining enrollment, which impacts our ability to provide equitable, high-quality educational programs for our students. Superintendent Marrero will review the committee’s recommendations on criteria to identify, close and/or consolidate schools with significant declining enrollment. The application process to identify committee members is now open. We value the rich diversity of our community and welcome applicants from a variety of perspectives and experiences. Students, families, staff, and members of the community are all invited to apply. The application deadline is Friday, Feb. 4. Additional details, including committee responsibilities, can be found on our Declining Enrollment webpage.
Free COVID Rapid Tests Available for Home Delivery: CDPHE recently announced the Rapid-At-Home program in which they will ship free rapid antigen tests directly to homes. Students, families and educators can enroll in the program here.
Reminder: If students are not feeling well, please keep them home. If you have any questions about if a students should stay home, please refer to Child Illness Policy or reach out to Tanya Banks

Announcements:

PBL Shout Out!!!!!

Asbury Eagles have been VERY busy understanding, questioning, analyzing, evaluating, applying, and creating during their Project Based Learning Units this year. Every grade at Asbury is either preparing for or in the midst of a dynamic PBL unit right now. Here is a bit of information about what each grade is learning.

The kindergarteners are learning all about personal characteristics that help us to be successful at specific jobs. Do you know what characteristics help you to do your job? What characteristics do leaders often share? The students will be interviewing people to learn about what their job entails and what characteristics help them to succeed. Don’t be surprised if an Asbury Kinder Eagle asks you these questions!
The first grade teachers are in the midst of creating an incredible PBL unit that teaches reading, writing, math, social studies, and science while learning all about animals. They will be creating their very own zoo. By learning all about different animals, they will decide which animals should be together (and which ones should NOT!), how animals are categorized by their physical features and abilities, and what are important parts of a zoo that help animals. They will be collecting information from their field trip to the Denver Zoo to create their own zoo. Look out for invitations to visit the zoo in late April/early May!
The second grade has been involved in an on-going PBL unit throughout this year because protecting the Earth is a full-time job! Right now, the students are preparing to teach the entire Asbury community the importance of recycling, composting, and collecting trash correctly. These leaders know that their voices matter and the Earth needs their help to teach others all they have learned from many guest speakers and literature about the importance of recycling, composting, and upcycling. Do you know that plastic film and bags don’t belong in the recycling bins? Well, the second graders are creating bins specifically for plastic film and bags, so we can work together to protect our Earth!
The third graders are learning about fact vs. fiction, bias, and propaganda while answering the question: How did the wolves become big and bad? They have learned from Esther Duke, who works to bring wolf pups born into the wild by adding them to wild wolf litters. They also interviewed an employee of the International Wolf Center in Minnesota. They will be reading fairy tales as well as non-fiction to learn the sides of the controversial topic of reintroducing more wolves into the wild. The culminating project will be a mock trial with the help of a professional judge and lawyers.
The fourth graders have been working hard at learning all about activism and the importance of using their voices to stand up for what they believe in. Knowing that all people belong and their stories matter, they are learning from many activists like Central York PA students, Matthew Walzer and Jazz Jennings. They will then express their thoughts through writing and other outlets on why it is important to learn from diverse experiences and perspectives.
Fourth Grade isn’t done yet!!! They are also about to start another PBL unit about architecture that incorporates math, social studies, science, and literacy. They will discover the importance of taking into account the climate, culture, natural resources, and environmental needs of an area when planning and building.
The fifth graders have been answering the question, “How do marginalized communities express themselves through art?” Through reading diverse articles to answer this question, the fifth graders learned that many little libraries do not contain books that represent a varied group of people. Therefore, they got to work and researched different books that are about people of different races, cultures, physical abilities, and religions, for example. They then ordered these books to be added to the little libraries in our neighborhood. Soon, you will be able to enjoy these books from a little library near you!
Fifth grade keeps on learning through PBL units in Math as well! In December, the fifth graders earned a grant through Think360 Arts in order to create a new mural to represent each of the fifth graders through artistic self expression. Before they can get painting, they need to figure out how large the mural needs to be to accommodate art from all of the fifth graders, how much paint needs to be ordered, etc. You won’t be able to see the mural until May, but you will be able to see all of the learning that occurs in order to create the mural throughout this semester.

PTSO

Asbury’s next dine out event is at Uno Mas next Wednesday, 2/9/22 from 4 – 9pm! Make sure to mention Asbury and they will donate 25% of your order total back to our school! See flyer below for more details.
Like Soccer? The Colorado Rapids are offering Asbury Elementary (and friends) tickets to a game on 4/30 at group pricing and Asbury receives a portion of the ticket sales. Click Here to buy tickets for you, your neighbors, your friends, or your teammates!
CALLING ALL ASBURY COMMUNITY MEMBERS!!! Did you know that our Asbury Eagles find your job VERY interesting? Did you know that they would LOVE to hear all about what you do? Well, they do and they would! Please fill out the directory below and when a particular grade is studying about something that you are the master of, we will contact you to help enlighten our students. We would appreciate your expertise and support. This can occur online (Zoom) or in class once you complete the every easy DPS volunteer process, which is also attached. THANK YOU!!!: Asbury Elementary Community Profession Directory (2021-2022 PBL) Volunteer Services | Equity & Engagement
Would you like to make a Donation? Please visit CheddarUp to make a 100% tax deductible donation.

Other

Healthy Foods for Denver’s Kids – Food and Snack Boxes at specified Denver Libraries
- The Denver Public Library has once again received the Healthy Food for Denver’s Kids (HFDK) grant for 2021-2022. The grant, launched by the Denver Department of Public Health & Environment (DDPHE), aims to support healthy food access and food based education for youth.
- We are distributing healthy food boxes full of fresh produce and pantry items for households with youth 18 and under. Boxes are available Wednesdays and until supplies last. Contact your favorite location below for availability and delivery time.For more information about the grant visit the HFDK site.

Important Dates:

1/29-2/4 – Read-A-Thon
2/2-2/16 – Direct Give
2/9 – Dine Out event with Uno Mas (25% give back)
3/1 – Dine Out event with Torchy’s Tacos (Hampden and I-25 location only – 15% giveback)
4/26 – Dine Out event with Birdcall (35% giveback)
5/14 – SPRING WING EVENT (Adults Only) – Save the Date!