Vista Ridge Academy's Weekly Newsletter
3100 Ridge View Drive, Erie, CO 80516
Telephone: 303-828-4944 Fax: 303-828-1525

www.vistaridgeacademy.org
E-mail vraoffice@mesanetworks.net

Calendar

Hot Lunch

Classroom News

Kindergarten
Mrs. Tusken

This week, in honor of his birthday March 2, we are learning about Dr. Seuss.  We will be reading his stories all week and so far the students favorite story is “The Butter Battle Book.”

Grades 1-2
Mrs. Gaines

In math we are working with measurements.  Have your student measure items such as cereal boxes, find the perimeter in inches and centimeters.  Draw attention to the size of containers holding liquids.  How much do they hold – quarts, pints, gallons, and liters.

Thanks to the parents for helping with the 2nd grade reports and dioramas.  They were fantastic!

Grades 3-4
Mrs. Hansen

Science research papers are going well. I think we will be able to also do some projects in school also.

On April 16th we will be participating in a Spelling Bee at Mile High Academy. We are practicing in school also.

Grades 5-6
Mrs. Hodgson

Today was a Teacher Appreciation Day for me!  Thank you to Ivy Lee and Diana Manion for taking charge in my classroom so I could have the day off.  You are the best!

There will be a Social Studies test on Thursday.  We are currently studying Asia and we are very excited that Mrs. Liu will be coming in to talk with us on Friday.

Grades 7-11
Mr. Wuerfel,  Ms. Schneider,
Mr. Force and Mr. Pauls

Mr. Wuerfel

Greetings! Spring has sprung and student’s end of the year countdowns have begun! I’m anxiously awaiting the warmer weather and prominent sunny days. Classes are all going well.

7/8 English

The seventh and eighth graders are still working on poetry. Some are thoroughly enjoying it while others are just trying to get through. Just to satisfy my curiosity, I gave these scholars some poetry that freshman in college and seniors in high school would expect to see in a poetry unit. To my amazement, many of the students picked up on the deeper meanings! WOW!

7/8 Reading

They have just begun reading their new unit revolving around adventure novels. From Herman Miller to Jack London, the students have chosen great authors and books to read.

9/10 English

We just started working on the haiku forms of poetry and how to write these special eastern rhythms of 5, 7, 5.  We are also dissecting music that students listen to on a regular basis and finding the form and rhythm scheme of each.

9/10 Bible

We finished our fasting! What a great experience. Students spent time last week fasting from food, music, television, internet, or any other area they might feel dependant. One of the most common responses I got was that they were surprised how dependant upon these areas they are and how they want to be that dependant upon God. They were challenged to think about God’s strength and goodness along with carrying Bible promises while fasting. This helped them to stay focused on God rather than their need for whatever it was they were fasting from. Out next section revolves around what it truly means to study. Questions of where the author’s intent connects with cultural relevancy and how to truly study with an open heart for truth will be actively discussed.

11 English

We are studying Macbeth and it has been a joy to see students beginning to understand the language and the key concepts of Elizabethan England. We will be viewing actual stage performances of this intriguing play along with helpful audio recordings.

Reminder:
Next Tuesday is our basketball game against Mile High Academy. If you are a parent interested in driving please contact me. We will be leaving at 2:30 for Denver.

Mr. Force

Sports Schedule

March 2:      Tournament @ Broomfield Community Center.           Start time:   Girls @ 9:00 a.m.
                            Boys game to follow  
                        Depart from VRA  @ 8:30 a.m.         

We need volunteer drivers. Please call the office if you are available.  Please note: There is limited space for spectators.

Directions:  Broomfield Community Center. Sheridan to 120th, right (West) to Lamar, right to 3rd stop sign, turn right.  Road curves, building on the right.            
                      
March 6        VRA Eagles @ Mile High Academy
                        Girls @ 3:30
                        Boys @ 4:30

VRA Eagles will play Mile High Academy on Tues. Mar.6th.  We will be leaving the school at 2:30 and need volunteers to drive. Please speak to Mr. Force if you can drive students to this game. Students from our school are invited to join us and cheer our team but must have parental permission and their own rides.

March 23        Brighton @ VRA
                        Girls @ 12:45
                        Boys @ 2:00
   
Flying Eagles will be on the winter schedule until March 6th.They will be meeting from 3:35-4:30 Mon-Thurs. Please pick your students up on time.

Our plan for 4th quarter after school practice time is:
    Mon. and Thurs.      3:35-5:00
    Tues. and Wed.      3:35-4:30
If you have a strong preference for either of the following options please speak to Mr. Force or the office staff, otherwise we will go with Option 2 as planned.
Option #1- Every day till 5:00
Option #2- Mon., Thurs. to 5:00; Tues., Wed. to 4:30

NO gymnastics on Tues.  Mar.  6th as we will be attending the game at Mile High Academy.

Starting Feb. 26, Grade 3&4 Tumblers will be meeting at 3:35 on Monday only.

Social Studies

Fine Arts
Mrs. Carlisle & Mrs. Force

The time for the Rocky Mountain Conference Music Festival is quickly approaching!  It is scheduled for March 22 – 24.

As soon as we receive a daily schedule from Campion Academy, we will share it with the parents.  It is the 100th anniversary and it looks to be a wonderful weekend for our students.  Dr. Rudy Dennis from Union College will be the guest conductor for the band and Mr. Mark Becker (who used to be in our conference a number of years ago) from Forest Lake Academy in Florida, will be the guest conductor for the choir.  Students from Grades 5 – 11 will be participating in this festival.  Attendance is required.

Please Note

There will be NO SCHOOL for grade 7-11 students, this Fri. Mar. 2nd for those who are not playing in the basketball tournament at Broomfield Community Center. The students involved in the basketball games need to come to school at the regular time.  The players will be returned to the school by 12:45 p.m.

If a student who is not playing in the tournament wants to cheer for our teams, they must be accompanied to the games by a parent AT ALL TIMES.  Please do not drop your student off at the Recreation Center.  Also, please note that there is limited space for spectators.

OPEN HOUSE

The date for our school’s Open House for prospective students has been changed from Feb. 27th to Mar. 22nd.

Thank You

We would like to thank Mayor Andrew Moore of Erie for arranging the installment of our new school zone lights on Sheridan Parkway. The students are all signing a large card to send to the mayor. If you would like to thank him personally, you can send a note to 3130 Stevens Cr N., Erie CO 80516.

Please!    School closes Monday through Thursday at 3:30 p.m. – please pick your child up NO LATER than 3:45 p.m.  On Fridays, school closes at 12:15 p.m.  Please pick them up no later than 12:30 p.m.  Thank you.

Parents:  Please do not park in the fire or bus lane!  In order to keep traffic flowing and the bus on schedule, we need to allow room.

Wheelies:  Please do not send your child to school with the tennis shoes that have the roller wheels in them.  Either take the roller part out or have them wear other shoes.  Thank you.

Electronics:  We are having an outbreak of Tamagatchi toys in the classroom.  Please have your student keep these at home as they are a disruption to the classroom.  Please also remind your students that cell phones are to be kept in their lockers.  Thanks.

Remember!  Hoodies are not a part of the VRA dress code!  We have been somewhat lenient but it is time to tighten up on this!

Please check the monthly calendar online for any changes. We are trying to conserve paper.

Europe Trip Meeting

The  mandatory meeting is this Wed. Feb.28th  at 7:00 p.m. for everyone going on the school Europe trip. Parents must attend with their students as there are forms that need to be signed and notarized that night. We will be going over all the final trip details including how to pack, student rules, etc. There will also be time for questions and answers.

Aspen Leaf

In an effort to save printing and paper costs we are wondering how many families are interested in receiving the weekly Aspen Leaf via e-mail. If you are interested e-mail the school at  vraoffice@mesanetworks.net or come in to the office to sign up for this. Please note: if you receive the e-mailed copy this means we will not be sending a copy of the Aspen Leaf home with your child. You can also read the Aspen Leaf on our Web site at  www.vistaridgeacademy.org 

We are going to reduce the number of copies of the Aspen Leaf being distributed. If you are not receiving the Aspen Leaf by e-mail we will be sending home one copy per family and will be sending this with the youngest student in each family.  Please call the office if this doesn’t work for you.  There may be e-mail and family duplication for the next couple of weeks until we get this organized. Thank you for your help in our conservation efforts.

Teen Social

Sat. March 3rd from 6:30-9:30 come for an evening of fun, food and good times. Grade 7-11 students join us at Greg and Rena Sackett’s home in Louisville. Please RSVP:  Sue Sackett @ 303-665- 9136.

Attendance/Sick List

Since the cold and flu season is upon us, please note this reminder:  Please call the school office to advise us if your student is sick by 8:30 am.  All the teachers are required to put their attendance reports on the computer by that time.  If you haven’t called and let us know that Susie or Johnnie is sick, then the teacher has to go back in and change the attendance report.  Your calling by 8:30 am helps us be more accurate and efficient.  We appreciate your help on this matter.   Note:  If your student has the sniffles, cough, sneezing, fever, etc., please DO NOT send him/her to school. If medication is needed for fever or other contagious symptoms this is a good indicator your child should stay home.

Home and School
Scrip Program

We are in the process of adding new vendors to our Scrip program. Currently we still have the King Soopers gift cards. These cards are used just like cash and don’t cost any extra to buy but our school receives 5% of all sales back! To order these cards please contact Diana Manion at 303-926-1317 and she will deliver the cards to the school office.

School Store

 Mon. – Thurs. 9a.m. – 3p.m. & Fri. 9a.m. – noon

Case orders that were placed for the Feb. 20th delivery are now available for pick up.

We have vegetarian canned and frozen products, and seasonings from several companies.  Come browse and help our school. Buy by case or individually.

Box Tops for Education & Campbell's Labels

Save every Box Top for Education and Campbell's Label for our school! The Campbell's "Labels for Education" program is similar -- save the UPC codes of most products (not the front labels as in the past). On  most Campbell's products, a tiny inscription beside the "Labels for Education" logo will describe what to save. Vista Ridge Academy benefits from every "Box Tops for Education" and "Campbell's Labels for Education" turned in. Don't throw away these treasures! Our school has received  a free huge play parachute from redeeming the Campbell's labels, and  we have received over $500 cash from redeeming the Box Tops for  Education. Shop at Albertson’s and raise money for our school!  If you have a Community Partners card, present it with your Preferred Shopper card at the checkout and they will scan both. After that, you will need only the Preferred Shopper card. If you do not have the Community Partners card, pick up the application in the school office or apply online at www.albertsons.com, click on the “In the Community” link to find the Community Partners logo link. The I.D. # for the school is: 4 90001 7741.