The Weekly Line
Aspen Middle School Family Update
THE HAPPINESS FILES
Friday, March 27, 2026
Dear AMS Students, Parents/Guardians & Staffulty,
As we enter spring break, thanks everyone for working hard on behalf of our students. We can be difference makers everyday if we care enough to put in the work.
The Harvard Business Review does a Management Tip of the Day and 5 Practical Ways to Improve Happiness caught my attention. Arthur Brooks, Harvard professor and happiness expert, writes a series in The Atlantic called the "Happiness Files," which he turned into the book The Happiness Files: Insights on Work and Life with research-based insights and practical advice on how to build a more joyful and meaningful life. Brooks says happiness isn't about quick fixes. It’s about building lasting habits and understanding the science behind contentment.
If you're looking for a spring break read and fresh perspective on what makes life fulfilling, check out his work. It’s a great reminder that happiness isn't something that just happens to us, it's something we can actively cultivate. Have a great spring break cultivating happiness. See you in April.
All In,
Dr. Tom
Tom Dodd, PhD
#AMSAllIn #AMSF-A-M-I-L-Y #TheAMSDifference
CELEBRATIONS
YOU MADE IT TO SPRING BREAK!
ANNOUNCEMENTS 3-27-26
4th Annual Finance Camp for 8th Graders, Hoffman Hotel, Basalt, Mon., 6/8 - Fri., 6/12
The 100% Free Finance Camp is an investing mentorship program for 12 -15 unique students designed as an intensive week of in-person, hands-on, interactive, and presentation-based learning. Students actively use computers, software programs, and trading websites not typically available to teens. Learn more at the website, www.thefinancecamp.com or via this Instagram account @thefinancecamp. Application deadline: Wed., 4/15. Here is a link to a guest opinion piece in the Aspen Daily News a few weeks ago:
AMS Parent-Teacher Organization (PTO), Tue., 4/21, 8:15am - 9:15am, AMS Conf. Rm.
AMS PTO Mtg. Agendas/Minutes 2025-26
AMS School Accountability Committee (SAC), Tue., 4/21, 9:15am - 10:15am, AMS Conf. Rm.
AMS SAC Mtg. Agendas/Minutes 2025-26
Standing Announcement Per the AMS PTO’s Request
This AMS Staffulty Favorite Things 25/26 document helps parents know teachers' birthdays, and what gifts or in kind gestures staffulty might appreciate around the holidays, during teacher appreciation week, etc.
AMS is still accepting out-of-district open enrollment/school choice applications for the 2026-27 school year. Click here for ASD Open Enrollment/School Choice application. Priority is given to applicants with siblings already attending an ASD school. ASD does not provide busing/transportation to students who live out of district.
AMS is offering student shadowing and school tour opportunities to new families interested in enrolling in 5th, 6th, 7th, or 8th grade at AMS for 2026-27. Email Principal Dr. Tom Dodd (tdodd@aspenk12.net) if interested.
American Sign Language (ASL) Club at Aspen Middle School
Aspen School District is exploring piloting an ASL Club this spring semester in collaboration with the Aspen Camp for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing and the Colorado School for the Deaf and the Blind (CSDB). This supervised pilot club would provide students the opportunity to learn ASL fundamentals, common signs, the alphabet, and practice simple phrases during lunch and/or after school. If your student is interested, please complete this brief interest form: ASL Interest Survey, to help organizers confirm lunch or after school meeting times and club size.
Current AMS Vacancies:
Gifted and Talented Coordinator, Reading Interventionist/Specialist, Special Ed. Teacher and Special Ed. Paraprofessional. Apply here and email Principal Dr. Tom Dodd (tdodd@aspenk12.net).
MEL’S COUNSELING OFFICE UPDATE
3/6/2026
Grades 5 & 6: In March, students in Grades 5 and 6 will continue participating in weekly community time lessons using The Social Institute. These lessons will focus on topics like What Protect Your Privacy means, Calm Thoughts and Our Brain, and Sad Thoughts Turned Around. Family Huddle links are included with each lesson to help continue conversations and learning at home.
The counseling lesson for Grade 5 this month will be centered around choosing kindness and being an upstander, where by the end of the lesson, students will be able to explain what kindness means, explain the difference between a bystander and an upstander, list at least 3 ways to be an upstander, and practice what to say or do if someone is being treated unkindly.
This month’s counseling lesson for Grade 6 will dive deeper into strengthening boundaries and self control, with key objectives of recognizing situations where boundaries may be tested, practicing a 3-step strategy for impulse control, demonstrate assertive responses to protect their boundaries, and reflect on how their choices impact relationships.
Grade 7 & 8: In weekly community time, students in Grade 7 and 8 will continue to engage in lessons from The Social Institute on topics such as Misinformation Spreads Quickly and The Teenage Brain & Healthy Risk Taking.
Grade 7 will continue participating in a counseling lesson centered on the Pause, Protect, and Choose strategy to help them demonstrate self-discipline and self-control with lesson goals of explaining what personal boundaries are, identify situations where impulse control is needed, and practice strategies to pause and make respectful choices.
AMS Upcoming Dates
Add our AMS Family Calendar to your Google calendar and see important upcoming dates:
Monday - Friday, March 30th - April 3rd ~ SPRING BREAK NO SCHOOL Staff & Students
Monday, April 6th ~ Staff Workday ~ NO SCHOOL FOR STUDENTS
Thursday, April 9th ~ 7th Grade ODE Pool Day
Friday, April 10th ~ 7th & 8th Grade Track Meet @ Coal Ridge
Monday, April 20th ~ 7th & 8th Grade Track Meet @ Grand Valley
Tuesday, April 21st ~ Social Noche Latina 5:00pm - AMS Cafeteria
Wednesday, April 22nd ~ AMS Spring Choir Concert 6:00pm - ASD Theater
CMAS Testing Dates:
Wednesday, April 8th / 7th SS
Wednesday & Thursday, April 8th & 9th / 8th SCI
Tuesday - Thursday, April 14th - 16th / 5th - 8th ELA & Math
Monday - Tuesday, April 20th - 21st / 5th SCI
AMS Outdoor Education Spring Dates:
7th Grade ODE River Trips
April 27th - May 1st - Week 1
May 4th - 8th - Week 2
Pre - Order AMS 2025 - 2026 Yearbook
Pre - Order AMS 2025 - 2026 Yearbook for $32.00. Students will not receive until May 2026.
Important Information
Nurse Notes
Please keep your students home if they are sick. They should be free of fever, vomiting, and diarrhea for at least 24 hours without the use of medication, and symptoms should be improved before returning to school.
Per school policy, all medications including prescription, over-the-counter, creams, and cough drops require a physician’s order signed by a parent or guardian before administration. Medications must be delivered directly to the health office by a parent or guardian. Students may not transport or self-carry medications. When in doubt, please contact the health office for clarification. Thank you.
Thank you for caring about the health of your students and our school community.
ASD TEACHER APPRECIATION WEEK
As ASD Teacher Appreciation Week approaches, we’re reminded how incredibly fortunate we are to have such dedicated teachers and staff who inspire, support, and guide our children every single day. They are truly the heart of our school community, and now it’s our turn to show them how much they’re appreciated!
Here’s how you can help us celebrate:
Online via SuccessFundTA2026: Credit cards, Venmo, Apple Pay, Google Pay, and PayPal are all accepted (Note: $1 + 5% fee is charged to Project Graduation for every donation. Please consider donating this fee).
Online via ASD EFunds: Make sure to include your name in the field “Name of Donor/Business” for proper recognition (Service Fee: Electronic Check - $1.50 per transaction; Credit/Debit Card - $2.95 per $100 per transaction).
Donate by Cash or Check: Drop off your donation at any of the three school offices in an envelope labeled "Teacher Appreciation."
Donate a Gift Card: If you'd like to donate a gift card (please keep each card to a maximum of $50), drop it off at any school office labeled "Teacher Appreciation."
Kindly make all donations by Friday, April 17. Questions? Please don’t hesitate to reach out.