The Aspen School District and Aspen Education Association (AEA) begin negotiations regarding salary, benefits and working conditions for the 2023-2024 school year on March 23.

Members of the negotiating teams will meet from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. in the District Office Board Room.

This is a public meeting and all members of staff or public are invited to view the meeting. There is no public comment period during negotiations meetings. Meetings are also scheduled for April 27 and May 12.

Inspirational speaker Kelsey Tainsh visited Aspen Middle School earlier this year. She posed a question to the teachers: "Why do you teach?"

Their answers are encouraging, beautiful and thoughtful. We are sharing their "Whys" - a new one each week -- with you and hoping it inspires you to think about your "Why."

COME CELEBRATE WITH FLIGHT TRAINING SCHOLARSHIP RECIPIENTS

ASD is proud to announce that seven students are winners of the 2023 Flight Training Scholarships funded by Atlantic Aviation. The scholarships were awarded to students who demonstrated a strong passion for aviation and a commitment to pursuing their dreams of becoming pilots.

The scholarship winners will be recognized at an awards ceremony at 4:15 p.m. Tuesday, March 21, at Atlantic Aviation, 69 East Airport Road. The event will be attended by Atlantic Aviation officials and aviation industry professionals. The scholarship recipients and their families will also be in attendance.

The Flight Training Scholarship was created to support aspiring pilots in their pursuit of a career in aviation. The scholarship provides $10,000 in financial assistance to each of the 11 students to  help cover the cost of flight training, and is designed to help recipients achieve their goals and take the first step towards a fulfilling career in the aviation industry.

"We are thrilled to award these scholarships to such deserving candidates," said Jonathan Jones, General Manager of Atlantic Aviation at the Aspen/Pitkin County Airport.  "We believe that these scholarship recipients have the potential to make significant contributions to the aviation industry, and we look forward to seeing them achieve their goals."

"We strongly encourage the community to join us in celebrating these aspiring young pilots and their achievements," said Garrett Seddon, Aspen School District Aviation Director and Instructor of Aeronautics. "This is an opportunity to show our support for the future of aviation and to inspire the next generation of pilots."

The scholarship recipients will receive flight training from the Aspen Flight Academy (AFA), a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that empowers youth to learn about the joys and responsibilities of flying by providing students with classroom and flight training needed to pilot aircraft. Seddon expressed his appreciation for the partnership with AFA, calling it a critical component in training our students in the Colorado Rocky Mountains and giving them the opportunity to become certificated pilots.

Are you feeling ill?

In order to keep Aspen School District a healthy learning environment, please keep your student home if they are ill.  If a student does not feel well enough to participate in daily activities, if they have sore throat and cough, vomiting, diarrhea or fever they should stay at home until their symptoms have improved for 24 hours without the use of fever reducing medication, before they return to school. Testing for Covid-19 is still recommended when anyone has symptoms of illness.

Thank you for your efforts in keeping students healthy and ready to learn.

Parents and Teachers Save the Date

Community Threads & Conscious Discipline present a free "Conscious Discipline Workshop" for parents and teachers from 5-7 p.m. Wednesday, April 5 in the Aspen District Theatre.

Conscious Discipline is a proven, comprehensive approach that empowers parents with skills that create a safe, connected, problem-solving environment for families. Conscious Discipline equips educators on strategies of integrating social-emotional learning, discipline and self-regulation, so they spend less time policing behavior and more time teaching vital life skills.

The event is co-sponsored by Community Threads, Kids First, Aspen Family Connections and the Aspen School District.

Guest speaker Amy Speidel, a national presenter with Conscious Discipline, is a certified Parent Coach and works with families within a pediatric practice. Speidel first used Conscious Discipline as a teacher and witnessed a transformation in her students. She now aspires to support all adults who come into contact with children through friendly seminars and workshops.

The event is free.

Click here for BOE Approved Calendar

With a focus on instructional days and what is best for students, the Board of Education approved changes to the previously approved 2023-2024 School Calendar.

The changes are:

-Four extra days of instruction were added

-Three professional development days were eliminated and replaced with 6 early release days (9/27, 12/13, 1/24, 2/28, 4/24, 5/22)

-Spring Conferences were eliminated

-Spring vacation was reduced by one day