The Griffin (March, English)

THE EARLY COLLEGE OF ARVADA

IN THIS ISSUE: FRCC Pathway advising and Junior meetings- Page 5 Survey on vaccine hesitancy- Page 6 New club alert!Page 9

WE CAN. AND WE WILL. MARCH ISSUE

@EARLY_COLLEGEARVADA

@EARLYCOLLEGEARVADA

March Events FEB 28

MAR 1

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MAR 18

ST. PATRICK'S DAY

MAR 21

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MAR 25

SPRING

SPRING

SPRING

SPRING

SPRING

BREAK

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MAR 29

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APRIL 1

SHADOW DAY

SHADOW DAY

MAR 28 SHADOW DAY FOR

FOR

FOR

PROSPECTIVE

PROSPECTIVE

PROSPECTIVE

STUDENTS

STUDENTS

STUDENTS

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

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SPRING REMINDERS & TESTING JANICE ANDERSON JANDERSON@ECARVADA.ORG

Welcome to March and the beginning of Spring!

It was so wonderful to see so many families at our Parent/Teacher conferences.

Conferences are always such a great opportunity to spend time with our students and their families to help grow our students' academically, socially and emotionally. The ParentSchool partnership is one of the most powerful tools to help students continue to push through and learn all that they can. Please know that each of our teachers and all of our staff are here to help you and your families, so if you have any questions or concerns please reach out so we can work together to overcome any challenge.

Spring is also a time where students may need to be reminded of the school expectations.

Please review the dress code, phone policy and most importantly the attendance policy.

We are reviewing them here at school as well, but it is so powerful to our students to know that we are all working together to make sure that students' focus at school is their learning. As we all know, the amount of time students spend in their classes can make all the difference, so please help to make sure that you students limit their absences and tardies unless absolutely necessary. Please see student handbook HERE This year we will once again be offering Summer School. Summer school is a great time for students to spend more time learning the standards, but also to help students recover credit if needed. We will be offering Language Arts and Math as in person classes in both Middle and High School, but we will also be offering credit recovery in High School for other subjects through the online courseware of Edmentum which will have a teacher to help guide students through timelines, but may not necessarily be an expert in that subject. Summer school will be $125 for each course taken. If your student has a financial hardship and cannot afford Summer School please reach out and we are happy to help work out a unique plan for your family. Our teachers will be reaching out if students are required to attend, but also know that you as well can choose to have your student attend.

Please contact me or Mr. Heroff and let us know that you would like your student to attend.

Thank you for your continued support in making ECA such a wonderful place to learn and teach.

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EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

Throughout the month of April students in the State of Colorado will be taking the Standardized Assessments: Colorado Measures of Academic Success (CMAS), PSAT and/or the SAT. Here at ECA, the Middle and High School will each have their unique testing schedule to meet the needs of their students. The data from these assessments are used by our Staff to continue to provide a quality education to our Students. In addition, these assessments provide essential data points that are used to individualize instruction to each and every student. The tests also provide us with critical information which our school uses to improve our instructional practices and focus our professional development in order to maximize our resources, so that every child's educational experience here at ECA reaches its fullest potential. In addition, as of 2021, the State of Colorado requires that students reach a goal to demonstrate Language and Math proficiency in order to graduate. One of the demonstrations of competencies is the SAT, where they need to score at least a 470 in the Reading, Writing and Communication and a 500 in the Math.

Our students have worked hard throughout this school year learning the Colorado Academic Standards at their grade level, and demonstrating how they can apply these lessons to their assessments provide students the opportunity to show all that they have learned. As parents, we should encourage our students to do their best and remind them that they already know the content and have applied it throughout the year. It is understandable that testing can bring forth some anxiety. We can all work together to encourage our students and remind them that they have all the knowledge they need and that we believe in them.

Some ideas to help talk about and ease students into doing their best are to help remind students that getting a good night's sleep and being well rested aids in drawing all their knowledge to the forefront of their memory. Students should also make sure to have a healthy breakfast. And simply reminding them to relax and just "do your best", goes a long way.

Students will take the CMAS in Reading/Language Arts and Math in grades 6-8. Grades 8 and 11 will be tested in Science. Grades 9 and 10 will take the PSAT Language Arts/Reading and Math, and 11th Graders will be taking the Language Arts and Math SAT. As a school, we want to emphasize to our students that they all possess the knowledge to do well on these assessments, and that all that is expected of them is to try their best. By showing teachers what they know, our district staff can focus on reviewing content that students have not mastered and target lessons specifically to areas of new learning.

Overall, assessments are a way of valuing what our students know in order to focus instruction on content that is relevant and pertinent to their futures.

If you choose to opt out your child from testing, you must meet with the Principal or Executive Director to sign a form prior to March 17th.

Thank you for helping to support and encourage our students to demonstrate all that they have learned

We are halfway through the school year and our Juniors will start preparing for college applications soon. Here’s two amazing resources students should continue to take advantage of while preparing for their future.

Counselor Corner BRIDGETTE FOSTER BFOSTER@ECARVADA.ORG If you are currently taking college courses or are interested in taking college courses, please sign up to speak with a Front Range Community College (FRCC) pathways advisor.

Date: Wednesday, March 9th Time: 9:00am - 10:30am Where: Cafeteria (you will be excused from class for your 20-minute virtual meeting) What do you want life to look like after high school? Do you know how concurrent enrollment can get you there? Or are you just wondering what are some good classes to take?

Pathways Advising is a service FRCC offers to make sure students are on the fastest path to what they want after graduation—or how to leave the most options open if you’re undecided. Now, Pathways Advising is being brought to you.

Here’s how it works: Sign up for a 20-minute virtual appointment at this link.

When you jump into the Zoom, you’ll be paired with an adviser who specializes in your interests and goals in a breakout room.

You can ask questions, learn more about partnerships and transfer agreements FRCC has with other schools.

Parents are welcome to attend, you’ll just need to give a verbal okay at the start.

You’ll do the actual registration later—and now you’ll have the pathway to get you where you want to go.

Junior Meetings are going on this semester to give Juniors a preview of what to expect this fall as they apply to college.

If you have already been accepted to college please see this form - Once Accepted: Next Steps

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MASKS FOR KIDS: WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW JULIE RAMSAY JRAMSAY@ECARVADA.ORG

With COVID-19 still spreading, the CDC continues to advise all individuals to wear masks while indoors. But not all masks offer the same protection, and different kids have different needs. To help you navigate the latest stage of the pandemic, our experts put together their tips, advice and guidance for choosing the right mask for your kid and when and how they should be worn.

Children’s Hospital Colorado is conducting a survey to learn more about how families are making decisions around COVID-19 vaccination and what information would be helpful to guide them in this process. The survey is confidential and will take less than 5 minutes to complete. No personal information is collected.

We want to know more about the reasons why people in our community are choosing to get the vaccine, are waiting to get it, or are not planning on getting it.

This survey will take a minute or two to complete.

Scan the QR code below or visit https://bit.ly/3p0y9Tf

Rick Heroff Principal/C.E & Career Coordinator (720) 473-4400 EXT 320

Middle School and High School: Midterms are fast approaching! Attendance is KEY! Please check Infinite Campus to see if your students have been consistently attending their classes. When students are absent Infinite campus will alert you. We have seen an increase in students not coming to school.

Please prioritize students' attendance every day. This will give students the best opportunity to do well in their classes.

Concurrent Enrollment: Beginning this month off campus students will have an opportunity to meet with FrontRange for advising on class selection. We will also begin applications for concurrent enrollment for Sophomores. Students need to continue good communication habits with their college instructors. If they run into a situation where a class needs to be dropped or withdrawn please see Mr. Heroff, or Ms. Foster at rheroff@ecarvada.org, bfoster@ecarvada.org or call or 720473-4400

Early College of Arvada | 7

GOODBYE Alejandro Reynoso EARSS Advisor Dear ECA families and Students, I was hired at the Early College of Arvada (ECA) back in August of 2020 as the EARSS Advisor. I was excited and nervous to start the next chapter of my career in education. I was happy to meet all of the wonderful students and families, and instantly grew a connection with students and parents. The Culture and spirit at ECA is amazing and diverse. The students instantly connected with me and we built trust and a bond. I helped ECA build the EARSS program, where I would support students who are struggling academically, attendance and social-emotional. The process was not easy and there were challenges throughout the process. ECA has a great team and everyone supported me, so the program would be successful. Since my time at ECA I’ve seen students grow tremendously and some students who never thought they would graduate, have graduated. The proudest moment for me is students reaching a potential that they did not know they could reach and seeing them proud about themselves. The EARSS program has helped students be confident, successful, and be advocates for themselves.

In the same way that students grow professionally, there are times for us adults to grow as well. I am saddened to say that I will be leaving ECA as of March 1, 2022. I received an opportunity to work in an administration position at a different school. However, I will be working with the ECA administration to support the transition. I will be having conversations with all students in the EARSS program to notify them of my departure. Even after my departure, I am here to support students and families if they need me.

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AFTER CLASS ENRICHMENT

& SERVICE PROGRAM NEW CLUB ALERT!

New club starting up: Money Club.

Come join us on Tuesdays after school to get all of your money questions answered. Please contact Ms. Foster or Ms. Tori at bfoster@ecarvada.org or vandrus@ecarvada.org

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