Sunday Morning With The Principal

On a fairly regular basis, Tracy Stegall sends an email to the Aspen Creek Community on Sunday Morning. Here's one from January of 2018 and another from the fall of 2017.

January 14, 2018

Good morning, Aspen Creek Coyotes!

I have rose tea with chocolate brewing in the teapot and the sun is getting ready to shoot through windows needing some cleaning help. I have a good crockpot meal planned so that I can go off and enjoy this Sunday… and right now I’m thinking about work. Surprise, right?

I’m excited about this Thursday’s parent engagement event and wanted to highlight it separately from the flyer that ran in the Coyote Connection on Friday (though that’s always the best place to get the latest and greatest info on what’s coming up at Aspen Creek… and I’ve attached it here, again!).

Leading a school in 2018 is one of the best jobs ever… and it’s one of the hardest. Our current world presents challenges for young people both in and out of school and I’m a firm believer in the village it takes to raise children. In our partnership, I believe it’s necessary to offer support to YOU as grown-ups so that our work together can be even more powerful.

To that end, we have the extreme pleasure of hosting Charlie Kuhn, a co-founder and CEO of Cultures of Dignity on Thursday night from 6:00-7:30 at Aspen Creek. You probably don’t know his name, but you might know the name Rosalind Wiseman. Rosalind wrote Queen Bees and Wannabes. Charlie was a co-author with her in her next book Masterminds and Wingmen. I would suggest poking around in the Cultures of Dignity website and getting a feel for the work that Charlie does with his team. (Note: the conversation will definitely be appropriate for middle school students and high school students, and they are invited to attend with parents. While the topic covers issues in grades K-12, the attention span of elementary students may not be ideal for this presentation. Your call, though, parents!)

While you’re floating around in the website, you’ll find that there are some especially pithy blogposts, too. I’ll be addressing some of the topics they discuss at Tea with Tracy on Thursday morning at 8:45am in the Hub as a bit of a teaser to our evening event.

We’d really like to pack the house for this event. If you’re planning on attending, would you take a quick second to fill out this ballpark RSVP? We’d like to be sure we host it in the right space in the building. Thanks!

Wishing you nothing but the best in this long weekend.

Your Principal (aka The Director of Learning, Fun, and Safety),

Tracy Stegall

Sunday, September 24, 2017

Good morning, and Happy Sunday!

As many of you know, I’m deeply fond of early mornings, black tea, and communicating with all of the Aspen Creek Coyotes about important topics. I reserve the most germane ones for Sunday Morning with the Principal in hopes that we can all work together to make our village a safe place for everyone!

I’m sure nobody wakes up in the morning saying, “I really hope my child isn’t safe walking to and/ or from school today.” And… we have some kids and grown-ups engaging in unsafe practices on our campus. There are four reminders in this email: crosswalk use, wheeled transportation, dogs on campus, and the High Five and Go lane.

CROSSWALKS:

--PLEASE use the crosswalks!! Please refrain from jaywalking and walking in between busses. No time crunch is worth this unsafe modeling for students. This is a good reminder for all of us, me included.

WHEELED TRANSPORTATION:

--We respectfully ask that all humans walk their wheeled transportation once they land on campus (scooters, bikes, etc.). We’ve watched a few close calls-- almost-run-over-toes, almost-falling-down-people-- due to the crowded nature of sidewalks, etc.

DOGS ON CAMPUS:

--This is the not-so-fun-one to share: please take a look at BVSD Policy regarding Dogs on Campus provided by Melissa Barber, BVSD Legal Counsel:

Dogs on School Property - What's Allowed?

Injuries caused by dogs on campus generally will not be covered by the district's insurance and, therefore, dogs are allowed on school property only under certain circumstances. The following guidelines are offered to provide clarity as to when a dog may be permitted on campus.

1. A service dog within the meaning of the Americans with Disabilities Act is permitted if first approved by the District's 504 Compliance Specialist, Shannon Numair (shannon.numair@bvsd.org, 720.561.5835). (Note that emotional support/therapy dogs used by individual students are not covered by the ADA and are not permitted.)

2. School-sponsored events involving therapy dogs, such as reading programs and support during finals, MAY be permitted if:

· the dog is properly vetted with a national therapy dog association, has liability insurance and health certificate/vaccinations, and

· the school has taken appropriate steps to ensure students, staff and volunteers with allergies and immuno-compromised conditions are protected by working with your School Nurse Consultant and providing advance notice to your community about the event.

Contact the Office of Legal Counsel (carie.anderson@bvsd.org, 720.561.5903) to review this information before approving an event involving a dog. A special insurance policy endorsement may be needed.

3. Show and tell with family pets is not permitted.**

4. District employees are not permitted to bring pet dogs to school, whether or not students are in the building.

5. Service dogs officially "in training" (not "puppy raisers") MAY be permitted if a student is the actual trainer (not when a parent is the trainer). Contact theOffice of Legal Counsel (carie.anderson@bvsd.org, 720.561.5903) before approving.

6. Community members, parents and students should refrain from bringing dogs on campus during drop off and pick up times. Principals may use their discretion as to how to handle individual situations.*

Please contact Carie Anderson (carie.anderson@bvsd.org, 720.561.5903) with questions. Thank you for your cooperation.

Last updated: July 2017

*So, friends-- here’s my discretion: please leave your dog at home during drop off and pick up. Your dog might be extremely well behaved by itself… but might not be well behaved around another dog or around 980 students and at least 200 grown-ups. That’s a lot of people and a lot of unpredictability already, without the added worry about dogs. I’m sure this makes sense to you and I appreciate your kindness and understanding in advance. I also appreciate your willingness to avoid envelope-pushing (e.g. “I’m sure she didn’t mean ME or MY dog…). We mean everyone and we mean all dogs. Thanks.

**(Note: I do, on occasion, approve animal show and tell. This should go through your child’s classroom teacher who then will work with me. For example, it was a big highlight in fourth grade last year when we met a hedgehog… and there’s one particular snake that I’m looking forward to meeting. Safe hygiene practices are always followed in these situations which are controlled and within the building.)

HIGH FIVE AND GO LANE

In closing, I want to congratulate all of you for doing an excellent job in the High Five and Go lane out back! I drove in following a K-8 Principal’s meeting on Friday morning right at 8:25. While traffic was thick, it was moving and everyone was doing a great job! As a reminder, the High Five and Go lane out back offers ample opportunity to pull up and pull up and pull up and pull up and pull up and pull up!! In fact, cars can pull up all the way up to Aspen Creek Drive! The more you pull up, things will go even smoother! How amazing would that be?

Okay, Coyotes-- all for now! Thanks for all your support as we move into a gorgeous Colorado fall!

Your Principal (a.k.a. The Director of Traffic Safety, Dog Bouncing, Learning, and Fun),

Tracy Stegall