August 7, 2020
Hello Ospreys,

Our 2020 Osprey Back to School Plan is now ready to share in draft form with our community. The plan outlines our decision to open the 2020-21 school year with an approach that blends in-person, on-campus learning with supported, engaging home-based learning, as well as details about the important health and safety protocols we have put in place for the start of the school year.

The AHS Board of Directors will meet Monday, August 10 at 5:30pm via Google Meet at meet.google.com/nrf-ekmc-fqa to either approve or require modifications to the plan.

We are sure that despite our best efforts to think through all the details addressed in the Osprey Back to School Plan, students and families will have clarifying questions. The week after next, we will host two community conversations for this purpose. This timing will give our full staff an opportunity to come together during Staff Orientation to collaboratively consider a few remaining decisions. Please feel free to join us at either session via Google Meet at meet.google.com/pxa-hbtb-cqd:


You will notice in the plan that we are proposing to our Board that we delay the start of the school year, pushing our start date to Monday, August 31 in order to provide additional time for our teachers and staff to collaborate and prepare. We are committed to providing an exceptional education for our students, and planning for the various situations that may occur over the course of this year requires a bit more time than we usually need. This revised start date aligns with Durango 9-R School District’s calendar. We recognize that many of our families have students in 9-R schools and hope that this delay is supportive to them as well.

We are extremely grateful for all of the thoughtful, specific, supportive input we received from students and families in the process of crafting our plan, and appreciate all of the hard work our staff has put into creating a blueprint for the unique year ahead.

Finally, we are asking all of our new and returning families to complete the 2020 AHS Technology Access Survey by Monday, August 24 so that we are able to offer support to any student who needs it.

Our entire staff returns to work full time next Wednesday, and we are eager to begin adapting curriculum, sharing resources and brainstorming. We can't wait to finally welcome our Ospreys back to the Nest.

Thank you for all you do to help the Ospreys soar!
Upcoming AHS Events

AHS Board Meeting: Mon. 8/10, 5:30pm via meet.google.com/nrf-ekmc-fqa


Osprey Family Coffee: Tues. 8/18, 9am via meet.google.com/pxa-hbtb-cqd

Osprey Family Happy Hour: Tues. 8/18, 9am via meet.google.com/pxa-hbtb-cqd

AHS Board Meeting: Thurs. 8/20, 5:30pm

Proposed First Day of 2020-21 School Year: Mon. 8/31
Do you have sturdy outdoor furniture you would be willing to donate to AHS so that we can increase our capacity for using outside spaces this fall?
If so, please email a photo and description to libby.cowles@animashighschool.com.
Animas High School prepares all students for college and postsecondary success by creating critical thinkers and engaged citizens through an innovative, student-centered, project-based curriculum. We accomplish this through:
Rigorous academics, where all students are prepared for college success
Culture of excellence, where students are held to high expectations
Strong student-faculty relationships, where students are well known.
Engaging learning, where students see the relevance in their education