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FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions

The ARPS Spring Gala is our school’s biggest fundraiser of the year. Parents, community members, and local business owners gather for a fun-filled night of fundraising by bidding on both live and silent auction items. This event features a complimentary champagne welcome, three-course dinner, liquor and wine pulls, Secret Sips, a photo booth, dancing, and more.
 
We hope you can join us for an evening of friendship and fun to support our teachers, students, and school community. It’s always a night to remember!
As a public charter school, we rely on the generosity of community sponsors and donors to continue to offer the best educational experience to our students. Our families do not pay tuition, and while we receive the same funding per student as a traditional public school, as a charter school we have additional expenses - most notably our buildings, utilities, maintenance, insurances, and operating expenses not otherwise covered by the district. This means we must fundraise in order to help cover a significant portion of our educational expenses. In addition to supporting our General Fund, proceeds from past Spring Galas have contributed to teacher classroom discretionary funds, work tables for the art room, technology for the lower school, library shelves, our rock wall, our kiln, the Book Vending Machine, and most recently protective film on all of our exterior glass surfaces.

This year’s Gala will be held on Saturday, March 9th, from 5:30pm to 11:00pm at the Omni Interlocken in Broomfield, Colorado. The silent auction will begin promptly at 5:30pm, along with several stations, including a photo booth, wine pull, liquor pull, and our always popular Secret Sips. This will be followed by a seated dinner and live auction. We'll wrap up the night with a DJ/dancing after dinner. This year’s theme is Casino Royale: A Night to Bond & Bid High for Aspen Ridge! 

Want to stay the night at the Omni? Use this link and book by March 4th to reserve your room at our special rate, exclusively for Aspen Ridge Spring Gala attendees!

Tickets are on sale now for $75 at this link: https://aspenridgeprepschool.revtrak.net/spring-gala/#/list
Ticket sales will close on Sunday, March 3rd.

Your Spring Gala ticket includes a three-course meal with a Little Gem Caesar Salad to start, followed by your choice of:
  • SHERRY BRAISED SHORT RIB | Maple demi-glace. Served with mashed potatoes, sauteed spinach and roasted roma tomato (GF)
  • SEARED CHICKEN BREAST | Herb- roasted chicken jus. Served with roasted bliss potatoes, lemon roasted broccolini and blistered tomatoes (GF)
  • MUSHROOM RISOTTO | Seared trumpet mushroom, confit garlic, balsamic cipollini, truffle oil (GF)
 
Dessert will be the following, at alternating plates:
  • Honey Graham Cracker Cheesecake with chocolate dipped honeycomb (GF)
  • Chocolate Mousse & Salted Caramel (GF)

Cocktail to formal attire is suggested, but not required. This year’s theme is Casino Royale, so blacks, reds, golds, jewel tones, shimmer/sequence, or really anything that makes you feel fabulous will be welcome!

The auctions include a range of items to bid on, including fantastic trips, fun local outings, restaurants for date nights or family dinners, parties, sports tickets, beauty and fitness services, and more! Thanks to our generous donors, we have a wide variety of items and packages to choose from.

Our silent auction includes items for every budget, with offerings at a variety of price levels. Our goal is for everyone to have a chance to participate in this fun night of fundraising!

We have a team of parent volunteers who contact local and national businesses to request donations for our silent and live auctions. Each grade level (Prek-8th) creates an amazing basket/experience that is auctioned off in the live auction, and our Teacher Treasures are also included in the live auction. (See more on that below!) Many of our most exciting donations come from ARPS families and friends who share a little part of themselves through their contributions. If you have a good/service/item/experience that you would like to donate to the silent or live auction, please reach out to [email protected]. You are also welcome to purchase an item from our Amazon Wish List (link coming soon!), which we can then include in our silent auction.

The Fund-A-Need is a segment of the live auction that involves lively pledging of cash donations to help us fulfill a specific school need. Bidding is done by raising your bidder number at the highest donation level that feels right for your family's budget. Past Fund-A-Need projects have included work tables for the art studio, library shelves, our rock wall, our kiln, the Book Vending Machine, and most recently protective film on all of our exterior glass surfaces.

This year's Fund-A-Need will help us create a Maker Space to encourage STEM exploration for our Kindergarten through 8th grade students! A Makerspace is an innovative learning environment equipped with various tools, materials, and technologies. It fosters hands-on, collaborative learning experiences that naturally integrate Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) concepts. By experimenting with different tools and materials, students can unleash their creativity, develop innovative solutions, and turn their ideas into tangible projects. In addition to hands-on materials that are appropriate for even our youngest Owls, our Makerspace will incorporate tools like 3D printers, robotics kits, and computer programming platforms, allowing students to develop digital literacy skills and stay ahead in an increasingly tech-oriented world. We aim to create an inclusive and supportive environment where every student has the opportunity to innovate, prototype, and invent. We're excited to bring this hub of curiosity to our students at ARPS!

Each year, our amazing faculty offers fantastic outings and experiences to share with Aspen Ridge students. These are some of the most popular items during our live auction each year! Outings include trips to Top Golf, Crackpots, the Zoo, the Denver Museum of Science and Nature, and more! Don’t miss out on these priceless experiences!

As Aspen Ridge Preparatory School is a non-profit 501(c)(3) entity (Tax ID 27-0726515), your donation may be tax deductible. Please consult with your tax preparer regarding your contribution’s deductibility.

This year's Spring Gala will once again feature online bidding and payments. Guests will download the Handbid app to browse and bid on all of our incredible auction items. At the end of the evening, you will receive an invoice on your phone that you can pay by credit card. You will also have the option of paying by cash or check at the checkout.

We welcome your donations and support even if you are unable to attend the Gala. You can make a monetary donation through Revtrak at this link, or you can purchase an item from our Amazon Wish List that we will then include in our silent auction. You can also lend a hand in the weeks and days leading up to the Gala as we pull together all of the details for this incredible night of fun and fundraising. Send us an email at [email protected] if you have any questions about the best way to support our Spring Gala.

Spring Gala Square