Please take a moment to
review the following updates:
Jake Update
School Safety Update
Upcoming Events
Sex Ed
Annual Fall
Friendraiser
Power Lunches
Continue
Setting
Your Student Up for Success
Jake Update
Great
news from Fort Collins where our Assistant Head of School, Jake Lauer, is
recovering from a serious rock climbing accident sustained over Labor Day
weekend. We’re happy to report that Jake is making amazing progress and is
transitioning from the initial recovery stage into some serious rehab efforts!
After numerous surgeries and 4 weeks in bed, Jake has now begun physical
therapy and is taking daily walks with his wife Cat and their trusty dog Otis.
“I’m still
moving pretty slow and I’m working to manage a lot of pain but the doctors
continue to be impressed and encouraged by my rate of healing. Although I’m far
from being out-of-the-woods, transitioning from the hospital to my moms and
regaining the most basic of daily privileges like sitting up, home-cooking and
walks outside in the Colorado sunshine make me feel pretty lucky! I look
forward to returning to Durango this fall and seeing everyone at Animas soon!
Please continue to share with everyone my thanks and appreciations for all the
well wishes and encouragement. I love all of you and definitely feel supported
and cared for in this difficult time.” (Jake’s 10/10 email update to the HOS)
Remember, we’re
continuing to hold fundraisers for Jake throughout the month of October. Please
reference the upcoming event schedule at the bottom of this update.
Additionally, many
of you have asked about donating to Jake directly. If you’d like to share a
card, gift or send your best to our AHOS, please drop off what you’d like him
to receive at our Main Office. If you plan on making a financial donation to
Jake’s recovery efforts, please make checks payable to Jake Lauer and the
school will facilitate the deposit of funds. Thanks to everyone in our
community for all their kind words and continued support of Jake and Cat Lauer!
Upcoming “Day for Jake” Events in Durango:
Cyprus Cafe and Eno: Monday, October
15th - 5pm to 10pm - 10% of all sales to Jake
Ore House: Wednesday, October 17th -
5pm to 10pm - 10% of all sales to Jake
East by Southwest: Sunday, October
21st, Monday, October 22nd, Sunday, October 28th, and Monday, October 29th
- All day, each day (exclude happy hour items) - 10% of Sales to Jake
Maria's Bookshop: Monday, October
15th and Wednesday, October 17th - 7pm to 9pm - 10% of all sales to Jake
Cuckoo's: Tuesday, October 23rd -
Both Locations - All Day - 10% of Sales to Jake
The Palace: Thursday, October 25 -
5pm to close (burger night!) - 10% of Sales to Jake
The R.H. Crossland Foundation and
Historical Museum: They are a big matching donor! Go visit the museum downtown
at - 835 Main Ave, Suite 108 - or online at - www.rhcfoundation.org
School Safety Update
Fire drills, lock down drills, safety inspections, a locked front
door, signed student handbooks; it may seem like the efforts to safeguard our
students, staff and our campus never end! However, we are committed to keeping
our students as safe and secure as possible.
As you may have learned from media reports, a Westminster student
named Jessica Ridgeway, age 10, is believed to have been abducted when she was
walking to school last Friday, October 5. It has since been determined that
Jessica was found deceased, and Animas High School sends its deepest
condolences to the Ridgeway family during this difficult time.
In light of this terrible tragedy, we want to reassure you that school
personnel at AHS are always on alert for suspicious behavior and we ask that
parents and guardians report any suspicious behavior to your local law
enforcement agency and/or to teachers and administrators at Animas High. Below,
please find resource materials from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children
Thank you in advance for your efforts to keep our
community and our school safe.
Upcoming Events
9th Grade Humanities students will
present their "Socialization and Identity" Project Exhibition at
the La Plata fairgrounds on Wednesday Oct. 17th from 5-7 pm.
PSAT/NMSQT will be offered at Animas High
School on Saturday, October 20th from 8am to 11am. See TESTING
UPDATE section for more details.
Isabelle Tonso (AHS 2013) and Biology teacher Colleen Dunning are
coordinating the 3rd Annual Blood Drive at Animas High. It will be held
in the Animas Lodge on October 24 from 1:30 to 5:00 pm. You must be 16
to donate, and sign-ups and guidelines are in front of the 12th grade
Humanities room. For more information on the Blood Drive talk to Isabelle Tonso
or Colleen Dunning.
9th
Grade Physics Students will hold a Rocket Launch Exhibition, Wednesday,
October 24th at the La Plata Fairgrounds NORTH field from 4:30 -
6:30pm
11th Grade Humanities Exhibition will take place
on Thursday, October 25th from 6-8pm Come discuss students'
proposals for how the government should resolve various political issues, not
based on what Democrats or Republicans espouse, but based on what is morally
and politically JUST. Our goal is to open up a dialogue that transcends
political party lines and gets to the heart of the matter: Justice. Two
locations: College Drive Durango Joes
6:30-8:00pm & El Camino College Drive across from Natural
Grocers: 6:00-7:30pm
SEMESTER ONE STUDENT-LED CONFERENCES will take place November 1st
from 4:00 to 6:30 pm at Animas High School. Look for more details in
future weekly updates.
10th Grade Humanities Exhibition will take place on Wednesday,
November 7th from 5-6:30 pm at the Durango Public Library. Stay
tuned for more details.
Sex Ed
9th
Grade students will be participating in our annual Sexual Education program on October
24th and 25th at campus. An informational handout and
an opt-out form will be distributed to ninth grade students during advisory on
October 17th. Please contact colleen.dunning@animashighschool.com
with all questions and/or concerns.
Annual Fall
Friendraiser
The 4th
Annual Fall Fundraiser, is Wednesday, November 14 at the Henry
Strater Theatre in Downtown Durango. The event starts at 5:30 PM and includes Student Displays and Presentations, Hors
oeuvres and Cash Bar. Please RSVP to pac@animashighschool.com. We’ll see you
at the Strater!
Power Lunches
Continue
STORIES OF WOLVES: THE
LOBO RETURNS
Who: Elke Duerr, filmmaker and wolf activist for the Web of Life Foundation
will share footage from her documentary, “Stories of
Wolves,” as she
discusses the importance of the Mexican Gray wolf in terms of both ecology and
our cultural heritage.
When: Thursday, October 18th
Where: 11:30-12:00 in Nick’s Humanities Room & 12:35- 1:10 in Matt’s
Humanities Room
What: Myths like “Little Red Riding Hood” and “The Three Little Pigs”
perpetuate damaging myths about the wolf. Come and learn the truth about the
important role this endangered keystone predator plays in the ecosystem!
Questions: Contact Rachael Sands at 259-3013.
Setting
Your Student Up for Success
A common question
we constantly ask our students and teachers is “Are you setting yourself up for success?” Faculty utilize this
question to evaluate their teaching methods, classroom management techniques
and strategies for differentiation. Likewise, our students audit their
organization, time management and effort through this same filter.
Are you setting your student up for success? It is a question we all should be asking
often. Here are some simple guidelines to think about.
If you….
· …are reviewing your student’s grades with them
on a weekly basis, you are setting them up for success!
· …are confirming
your students completion and submission of homework and assignments, you are
setting them up for success!
· …inquire
as to what your student is discussing/exploring/learning in each of their
classes, you are setting them up for success!
· …challenge
your student to articulate key take-aways and enduring understandings related
to their studies, you are setting them up for success!
· …are
asking them what college they plan on attending and having them share with you
admission and grade requirements to get into that school, you are setting them
up for success!
· …are
attending exhibitions, SLCs, POLs and taking a sincere and consistent interest
in these experiences, you are setting them up for success!
· …are in
touch with your students teachers, their advisors, their coaches, their
administrators and anyone else involved with their growth and development as
young adults, you are setting them up for success.
· …hold your
student accountable to the policies and procedures found in the Student
Handbook, you are setting them up for success.
· …are
helping your student arrive in time for school, making sure they are well
rested and fed and encouraging them to do their best, you are setting them up
for success.
· …are
helping them stay afterschool for extra help and encouraging them to reach out
to teachers, advisors, administrators, etc…you are setting them up for success
· …are
volunteering your time at AHS, participating in the direction and creation of
our school and modeling complete commitment to Animas, you are setting them up
for success
