To the Arvada West Community:
First, welcome to the students and parents/guardians of the class of 2021 and the families new to the Arvada West community. Also, welcome back to all returning families to our wonderful school. I started this blog page a few years ago and on occasion (about once per week) I will post a blog in regard to a timely topic connected to the happenings at Arvada West or information pertinent to the trends in education and the fantastic teaching and learning that happens at AWest daily.
Tomorrow, we begin the school year in the usual fashion, welcoming our students back from a long summer break, rested, relaxed and ready for a new school year. For me, this is one of the more exciting days of the school year. Since last spring, we began planning and preparing for the school year and the pace really picked up in July and here we are, on the eve of the first day of school. The following is what you can expect in our first days of school and what you might hear from your student on Friday evening at the dinner table.
Expect the usual glitches and bumps in the road (room changes, lost students, lockers not opening, and lunch room confusion) but for the most part, the opening day will be smooth and successful. These bumps in the road during the first few days are about routines and setting the norms of operation for the school year. It usually takes the first week for returning students to get into their rhythm and for our new students to learn about the nuances of life as a student at Arvada West.
In this light, I want to emphasize some of the important things to know as a student and parent at Arvada West. First, I will add several pages of resources connected to this blog site that have some very useful information in regard to our Dress Code, Attendance and Tardy Policies and the like. All of which I will remind students about in our “Standards Assembly”, tomorrow (Friday). Additionally, I will introduce students to some new practices and structures that are now in place to help them to accomplish their goals successfully as an Arvada West student. These include study hall, use of morning Office Hours’ time, Connections time on Thursday mornings, and the Cafeteria as a “quiet zone” for student study throughout the school day.
I will speak of two themes that will dominate this school year and I will introduce these at our annual Standards Assembly and surely your students will hear about them from their teachers, counselors, coaches, sponsors, and advisors over and over and over again. Like no year in the past, our students will be challenged to achieve and urged to be involved.
While I can hire the best teachers that can be found anywhere, upgrade and improve the quality of technology, fine tune our safety and security procedures, emphasize our graduation requirements, set up new opportunities for students to succeed and be involved in school life outside of the classroom, and on and on, there is one crucial element for your student’s success that we cannot do anything about. Simply put, I am talking about hard work.
I will communicate to the entire student body that most things don’t just happen by wanting. They happen because you make them happen, and that is a result of your plan, your focus and your hard work! I ask that all parents and adults involved in the lives of Arvada West kids help support and encourage their student in this endeavor.
AWest has always been a school with an impressively positive reputation and I often get compliments regarding our students, our teachers, our programs, and our facility. I always proudly respond by saying, “I know, and thank you for the compliment.” But one thing seems to be slipping a bit, something that is not always visible, and something that is not always measured. It is something that comes from teachers, students and parents alike. It is an attitude. It is something that is noticeable as soon as you walk into a school or a classroom. I am talking about our academic culture, taking school seriously and making it the priority from August to June.
As the new school year begins, support your child in developing a plan for how they will get their schoolwork done. Help them figure out the time, the materials and the direction of their efforts. Guide them in planning their work; and then help them work their plan. Without that, all of the efforts of the many people who care about and support your student will be for nothing. With it, your student can have the most productive and personally successful year of their life.
I look forward to meeting and talking with many of you in the weeks to come at Back to School Night and Parent/Teacher Conferences. I also invite you to become active in the School Accountability Committee, the Parent-Teacher-Student Association (PTSA), the Arvada West Booster Club, or one of the many other parent booster organizations that support our students. Let’s make it a great year!
Sincerely,
Robert C. Bishop, Ed.D.
Principal