Aurora Hills Middle School

I would like to take the time to clarify a couple of issues that have come to my attention since the last newsletter.

Weather and Outside Recess: Spring weather in Colorado can be unpredictable. The weather can change quickly and catch us all off guard. One day the sun is out full and warm and the next day a blizzard brings us back to reality. Please encourage your students to bring their winter coats, hats, and gloves to school on a daily basis. Students need sunshine and fresh air during the day and therefore, we will send the students outside for lunch recess if the temperature is 20 degrees or warmer. Students will stay inside for recess if the temperature is below 20 degrees or the wind chill brings the temperature below 20. Students will also stay inside if it is snowing or raining. This benchmark of 20 degrees is established in Aurora Public School Policy and can be found on the APS website.

I.B. Middle Years Programme and Community Service Requirement: Community service and volunteerism is just one aspect of the International Baccalaureate Middle Years Programme. We want to ensure the students of Aurora Hills the complete MYP curriculum so we are renewing our attention to this component. Because the Community Service or Volunteerism has not been emphasized over the last few years we are going to use this semester as our "Pilot" or kick off. Many of the academic teams at Aurora Hills are conducting a community service project with their students during this second semester. Some of the examples include, collecting money for the Haiti Relief Program, picking up trash around the school, making cushions for the animal shelter, and "pay it forward" – cards to people who are making a difference in the student’s life. However, we do not want to discount any of the community service that students perform outside of school and in fact we want to recognize their efforts. Students of Aurora Hills have shared the following volunteer efforts with us; shoveling snow for elderly or physically disabled neighbors, Highline Canal Clean-up through the Boy Scouts, and other service through their church. As we use this semester as our "Pilot" we will be compiling a list of opportunities that students can participate in with the school, their families, or independently. As the students complete their service this school year, I will keep you informed of the tremendous difference they are making in their community.