Animas Valley Elementary

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Animas Valley Elementary Our restorative culture approaches people and situations with kindness and compassion. Our teachers and staff welcome you and your student(s) to our community.

Dynamic teaching techniques and sincere dedication to meeting the needs of each student describe the atmosphere in which your child will learn. Our vision is to guide learners as we develop the tools and mindsets to continually seek and understand the world and ourselves. Learners will demonstrate confidence, compassion and value diversity. Everyone will leave our school with the ability to apply, transfer and reflect on concepts because we are motivated to ask questions and discover solutions. Comment Policy:
The Durango School District 9-R welcomes your active participation on our website, and we encourage you to interact with us and each other using our comment system. Our goal is to create an open dialog among the many diverse voices in our community. It is our hope that you will read and comment on the material you find on the site. Privacy: A valid email address and real first and last name are required for commenting. Your first and last name will be shown alongside any comments you make. We will not publish, share, or sell email addresses. The provided name and email address may be used by the district to privately contact the commenter. All email, snail mail, phone numbers, and any private and personal information posted in any comment will be deleted as soon as possible to protect the privacy of the commenter or any other community member mentioned. Language and Manners: This site is 'family friendly'. Obscenity, profanity, and vulgar language are prohibited. Comments with such language or with links to such language will be rejected and/or deleted. Personal attacks in comments are also prohibited. This applies to discrimination based on race, religion, gender, sexual orientation or ethnicity as well as insults against fellow commenters, district staff, or students. You may disagree with another person's ideas or opinions but please keep the comments respectful and family friendly. Continued personal attacks will result in the user being blocked from using the system. A Comment is Conversation: A comment which does not add to the conversation and runs off on tangents or kills the conversation may be edited or deleted. Comment Spam: Most comment spam will be automatically rejected by our system. Any spam that gets through will be marked and deleted. The users of the system may also flag a comment as being spam or inappropriate. These comments will be reviewed and deleted as needed. Continued comment spamming will result in the user being blocked from using the system. Noncommercial: Comments may not solicit or promote any business. The comments are to be used for noncommercial purposes only. Hold Harmless: All comments on this site are the responsibility of the commenter, not the school district, administrators, contributors, editors, or authors. By submitting a comment on our site, you agree that the comment content is your own, and to hold this site, durangoschools.org, and all entities and representatives harmless from any and all repercussions, damages, or liability. Blocking of Commenters: Anyone who violates this Comments Policy may be blocked from commenting or accessing the site at the discretion of the district. All Rights Reserved: Durango School District 9-R reserves the right to edit, delete, or mark as spam any and all comments. The district also reserves the right to block anyone from commenting on or accessing the website.

📣 What’s New in Our Schools?Stay in the loop with the latest updates, stories, and happenings in Durango School District...
10/24/2026

📣 What’s New in Our Schools?
Stay in the loop with the latest updates, stories, and happenings in Durango School District!

📅 Check out this week’s Community Update (Oct. 23): https://t.e2ma.net/message/ed311i/mj98ulec

This week’s top stories:
🏛️ State of the District update Oct. 27
🗣️ 7th graders debate justice in Socratic seminar
🚫 Keep Red Zones clear during pickup/drop-off
🏗️ Three Springs Elementary progress continues
👻 DEF event raises $45k for classrooms

👉 Don’t miss out—subscribe today: https://ow.ly/AI0u5100GIQ

Let us keep you connected!

🍕Pizza with the Principals Day 🍕Today, we had the absolute pleasure of enjoying lunch with this awesome group of Huskies...
10/22/2026

🍕Pizza with the Principals Day 🍕

Today, we had the absolute pleasure of enjoying lunch with this awesome group of Huskies!

These students were selected from our monthly drawing after earning Golden Husky Paws for going above and beyond showing our school wide expectations in common areas and specials. We are so proud of their hard work, great choices, and positive leadership across AVE! 💙🐾🍕

📣 What’s New in Our Schools?Stay in the loop with the latest updates, stories, and happenings in Durango School District...
10/17/2026

📣 What’s New in Our Schools?
Stay in the loop with the latest updates, stories, and happenings in Durango School District!

📅 Check out this week’s Community Update (Oct. 16): https://t.e2ma.net/message/m7zl1i/mj98ulec

This week’s top stories:
📅 No Classes: Conference Day Oct. 19
🥔 AVE Hosts First Garden Harvest Day
🏺 DHS Ceramics Students Craft Art Projects
🎟️ Bid on DEF Online Silent Auction
🏫 School Board Meets Oct. 20

👉 Don’t miss out—subscribe today: https://app.e2ma.net/app2/audience/signup/1720193/1714944.4612864/?v=a

Let us keep you connected!

🥔🌻 Growing greener, one garden bed at a time! Students at Animas Valley Elementary School are putting sustainability int...
10/16/2026

🥔🌻 Growing greener, one garden bed at a time! Students at Animas Valley Elementary School are putting sustainability into action! With help from their student Green Team and special guest Jerry Zink, AVE transformed its school garden to conserve water, grow fresh food, and inspire young gardeners.

The school celebrated its first-ever Garden Harvest Day last month by bringing students, families, and community members together to harvest, cook, and enjoy the fruits (and veggies!) of their labor. From homegrown potatoes to freshly made kale chips, this was hands-on learning at its finest! 🌱

📸 See the photos and read the full story: https://ow.ly/jS1O50ZYwvh

〰️〰️〰️〰️〰️〰️〰️〰️〰️〰️〰️〰️〰️〰️〰️〰️

📝 School Storytellers: Thank you to AVE 3rd Grade Teacher Kathleen Smith, who shared this story tip and accompanying photos.

🏡 Schools are at the heart of our community. Stay connected with Durango School District through our free weekly Community Update — featuring student successes, district news, upcoming events, and stories that matter to our community. Sign up for DSD’s Community Update newsletter: https://ow.ly/xUIn50ZYwvf




Monday, Oct. 19, is Conference Day. There will be no classes, but schools will be open for scheduled parent-teacher conf...
10/16/2026

Monday, Oct. 19, is Conference Day. There will be no classes, but schools will be open for scheduled parent-teacher conferences. Classes will resume Tuesday, Oct. 20.

AVE staff members proudly wore traditional ribbon skirts today in honor of Indigenous Peoples’ Day.These beautiful skirt...
10/14/2026

AVE staff members proudly wore traditional ribbon skirts today in honor of Indigenous Peoples’ Day.

These beautiful skirts were handcrafted for us by a local elder- a gift we hold with immense gratitude. Wearing them is both a privilege and an honor, reminding us of the deep history, culture, and resilience of Indigenous communities.

At AVE, a big part of who we are is grounded in belonging. We are dedicated to creating a community where everyone feels seen, valued, and connected. 💙🐾

🍂 Fall into Literacy Title 1 Night 🍂Our families joined us for an evening packed with engaging activities rooted in the ...
10/08/2026

🍂 Fall into Literacy Title 1 Night 🍂

Our families joined us for an evening packed with engaging activities rooted in the Science of Reading, explored student data together, and enjoyed some delicious seasonal treats! 🍪🍎

Students went home with some awesome prizes, including brand-new books to add to their home libraries.

A BIG husky howl to our educators for planing such an engaging event for our families! 💙🐾

🍂 Fall Break is Oct. 9-12. All schools will be closed on Friday, Oct. 9, and Monday, Oct. 12. We hope all our families e...
10/08/2026

🍂 Fall Break is Oct. 9-12. All schools will be closed on Friday, Oct. 9, and Monday, Oct. 12. We hope all our families enjoy this beautiful time of year!

🚀 Hands-on learning on wheels! 🚌💡Inside and outside the Ignite Moblie Learning Lab, AVE students aren’t just sitting bac...
10/07/2026

🚀 Hands-on learning on wheels! 🚌💡

Inside and outside the Ignite Moblie Learning Lab, AVE students aren’t just sitting back- they’re exploring new ideas, unleashing their creativity, and building real-world problem-solving skills!

From interactive STEM challenges to immersive tech equipment, this bus brings the future of learning straight to our community.

Swipe through to see just some of our future innovators, thinkers, and makers in action! 🛠️✨🐾

Huge congratulations to our latest group of Husky Hooray recipients!  These standout students were nominated by teachers...
10/06/2026

Huge congratulations to our latest group of Husky Hooray recipients! These standout students were nominated by teachers for showing up every day and living our Portrait of a Graduate competencies!

They are leading by example, lifting up those around them, and making our school community stronger every single day. We are so proud of the way they represent the pack! 🐾💙👏🏼

Address

373 Hermosa Meadows Road
Durango, CO
81301

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