Bridge Bulletin

What a fabulous week! We had some Bridge alumni job shadow this week as part of their junior high career program. We were also super lucky to have members of the state's PCBL(personalized competency based learning) team visit Bridge to see all the amazing personalized learning experiences we provide students.

SPRING SHIRT ORDER is now open. This order will close on Sunday, March 3. Shirts will be delivered to the school and distributed to students. PLEASE ENTER THE NAME OF THE OLDEST STUDENT IN THE COMMENTS WHEN ORDERING. Use this link to order.

https://www.customink.com/g/erz0-00cu-j9vb

COMMUNITY CONNECTION CORNER - Ms. Chelsea, our amazing social worker, is now providing a "Community Connection" snippet weekly in our newsletter. This amazing addition to our weekly newsletter will provide suggestions and helpful hints we can all use to help build healthy relationships.

YEARBOOK - Please see below for information to order the yearbook. The school does NOT have yearbooks to purchase - you MUST order your yearbook online. The last day to order is May 1, 2024. Click on the picture further down in the newsletter to order your student's yearbook.

STAFF HIGHLIGHTS - This week we highlight our Kindergarten Para-Educators. Please read further below in the newsletter for information about these amazing people that help our tadpoles in the classroom!

ICYMI - this is the link to our website for all previous news bulletins:

https://www.bridgecharter.org/bridge-bulletin

Please keep reading for more information about this past week and events for the upcoming weeks.

As always, thank you for CHOOSING Bridge and sharing your kids with us! We know you have lots of options in education and we are honored that you have made the choice to have your students attend our awesome school!

Lani Rounds

Principal

NO SCHOOL

• March 7 and 8, Thursday & Friday (Parent Teacher Conferences)
• April 1 - 5 (Spring Break)

UPCOMING EVENTS

• Tuesday, February 27 - 1st Grade Red Butte Garden reverse field trip
• Book Fair - March 4 - 8 (see times below in newsletter)
• Wednesday - Friday, March 6 - 8: Parent Teacher Conferences (Wednesday is a short day)
• Wednesday, April 10 - 5th Grade Field Trip to Weber County Water Fair noon - 2:00 pm
• Monday, April 17 - Roy City Fire Department assembly 9:00 am
• Thursday - May 30 - Field Day (last day of school)
• June 26 - 5 pm FREE Skating at Neptune Skating in Ogden

The Professional Competency Based Learning (PCBL) team fro the state came to visit Bridge on Thursday. This is our first year as an official PCBL school and we have been learning lots of things to help us improve the student's learning experience. This year's PCBL journey has provided:

• Expanded PLPs with more data
• Kindergarten Learning Plans (KLP)
• Hiring Chelsea Silverwood - social worker part-time at Bridge
• Social Emotional Learning (SEL) using Second Steps and aligning with our Visible Learning Traits
• Expanded P90 reading for one 4th grade rotation
• HOP math for selected students

The team was super excited about the many ways we engage learners in instruction and involve students in goal setting through the PLP. They were especially impressed with the culture of learning especially as students were using and sharing their traits of a good learner through taking initiative, being thorough, determined and showing their enthusiasm for learning. Our super high adult to student ratio had them especially excited providing each student with not only support during instruction but also providing students with many positive adults in which they can make connections and create supportive and positive relationships..

We are applying for round two of the PCBL grant soon and hope to introduce more amazing ideas to our model next year to help increase student success.

Teachers spent Friday afternoon in a training learning about ways to increase student engagement. These strategies include turn and talk, talk moves, thumb-dicator, think time and check for understanding.

The local school district had career day on Wednesday. Students were supposed to find a person to shadow in the community. We had SEVERAL Bridge alumni return to shadow our teachers and para-educators. It was so much fun to see these kiddos and to see how many were interested in a career in education!

Parent Teacher Conferences (PTC) are a less than a month away. Our PTCs are held Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, March 6 - 8. School is released early, at 1:30, on Wednesday, March 6, and there is NO SCHOOL on Thursday or Friday, March 7 and 8.

Classroom teachers will send a link for a sign up to schedule a day/time to meet for parent teacher conferences. Parents who wish to meet with the special education teachers can email them and schedule a meeting (Chad@BridgeCharter.org and Dianne.Kesley@BridgeCharter.org).

The spring shirt order is now open. This is the FINAL order for the school year. The order closes Sunday, March 3. ORDER HERE Please remember these things when ordering:

• Enter the OLDEST student's name in the comments so we can get the shirts to the correct family.
• Youth sizes are preceded by "Y" (YL = youth large). If there is NOT a Y then it is an adult size.

We are SUPER excited to announce that on Tuesday evening the board approved the cost to build a new outdoor eating area! This structure will replace the ragged tents we currently use which our custodial team reassemble after every windstorm. This will be installed on the east side of the school (back of the school where the small tents are). This one structure has more square footage than the square footage of the three tents we have been using. Installation will begin during Spring Break! Hopefully when we return from the break the weather will shine on us and students can once again eat lunch outside!

Once again we were approved for the Kids Read Now grant which sends home FREE books to all of our K-3 students during the summer. Students will get THREE books between June and August which are mailed to the address in Aspire. Teachers will select the books according to the student's reading level.

Parents may OPT OUT of this program by completing this form:

OPT OUT OF KIDS READ NOW

We are planning for our Field Day bash which is the last day of school - Thursday, May 30 (this is also a short day). For Field Day kids will participate in: bounce houses, face painting, yard games, water activity, magician, school movie, yearbook signing, and an outdoor BBQ.

We are requesting donations of the following items. Bring any items into the office.

• Cans of soda (any kind especially the fun flavors in Shasta or the other off brand names)
• Prizes kids can win at the Games. IDEAS - new toys from kid's meals, items bought in bulk at Zurchers or Oriental Trading, bulk items from the Dollar store.

At Bridge, instead of having a "maturation night" for 5th grade students which other schools typically do, we opt to provide parents the information so they can determine how much they want to share with their child and at which age they want to share it. For many girls, by the time they are in 5th grade they have already started menstruation and it is a little too late for a lesson on maturation. We believe parents can best determine what students should know about maturation and puberty, and when a child should know it.

Our maturation committee met and reviewed information from different sources. They determined, and our Board approved, to use the maturation information provided by Provo School District. The maturation information includes videos and packets for girls and boys that you can download and share with your child.

This is the link to the MATURATION information.

Social Emotional Learning resources for families and students to promote a stronger sense of self identity, mental health, and create a safer school environment. Our Visible Learning Traits (flexibility, determination, reflection, taking initiative, thoroughness, and enthusiasm) tie into Social Emotional Learning at Bridge!

LINK TO VIDEOS

It is time to start the job of finding the right junior high for your 6th grader for next school year. If you plan to have your student attend their neighborhood district school, please call the school to find out when registration begins. For example, Roy Jr. High is having an open house for students later this month - call them for more information.

If you are interested in a charter school experience, most have lotteries that are open now and are available to schedule a tour. Here are some of the local junior high charter schools:

• Venture Academy (includes high school) - Farr West - venturelearning.org
• Utah Military Academy (includes high school) - Riverdale - utahmilitaryacademy.org
• Quest Academy - West Haven - questac.org
• DaVinci Academy (includes high school)- Ogden - davinciacademy.org
• Ogden Prep Academy - Ogden - ogdenprep.org
• Mountain Heights Academy (includes high school) - Online - mountainheightsacademy.org
• Utah Virtual Academy (includes high school) - Online - utva.k12.com

This week's fresh fruit and vegetable program brought our students mini carrots, nectarines, watermelon radishes and kohlrabi root . Which snack was your child's favorite?

We are super grateful to have this program at Bridge.This program is designed to give kids the opportunity to try fresh fruits and vegetables that they may otherwise not have an opportunity to try.

Hi! I am Crislen Osborn. The kids call me Ms. Cris. This is my second year at Bridge. I love everything about Kindergarten. Connecting with the students, watching their faces light up as they learn something new. I love watching them go from learning to write their names to full-on reading. Don't forget the hugs; there are so many hugs! There is excitement in their voices when you mention "5 or 6," they all have to tell you that it's their age. I have been married for ten years. I have two kids of my own who attend Bridge. I love seeing their faces periodically throughout the day. In my spare time, I love reading, creating crafts, camping, fishing, hiking, and spending as much time with my family as possible.

My name is Scarlett. Most of you have met me either at the crosswalk on Friday mornings or when I'm merging your vehicles on Fridays. I have had the privilege to be at Bridge for two years and just moved from fourth grade to kindergarten. Although I miss my fourth graders, I have missed working with younger children as my background is in early childhood from Headstart and Montessori. I am currently working on my bachelor's in education in the hopes of becoming a kindergarten teacher one day.

I have three children ,two of whom are currently at Bridge.I was born and raised in California, but i am happy to call Utah home for the past six years. In my free time, I love watching my kids play soccer and baseball along with spending time with family.

Hello, my name is Shelby Heydon. I am a kindergarten para, I have been a para for 6 years. I have worked with K-6. I have always loved working with children. I love making an impact on their little lives. I love making connections, and relationships with them.

I love to spend time with family! I love to travel the world, and I also love to golf, I love going to football games, and baseball games. Disneyland is my favorite place to go. I have an amazing boyfriend, and three amazing kids. Summer is my favorite season!

Each week students attend a Visible Learning class where they learn about traits of a good learner. Next week students will learn about Flexibility - Adjusting to change with a GOOD attitude.

I will...

• Anticipate change.
• Adjust when needed.
• Look for the benefits.
• Finish the job
• Do what is right.

By using these visible learning traits each day students will become lifelong learners who are set up for success. Please use this same verbiage at home and recognize when your student is using this trait.

Although we have had the visitor check in system since the beginning of September, some parents seem to have not received the information. When you visit Bridge to volunteer or have a meeting with your child's teacher, including a PLP meeting or an IEP meeting during school hours, you MUST bring a valid state ID and scan it into our check in system. The system will complete a background check to ensure the individual is allowed to be on the campus of an elementary school. If the the individual does not pass the background check the child's teacher can come to the office for the meeting. This is just one more step in protecting the safety of all our students.

The calendar for the school year can be accessed on our website using the link below:

https://www.bridgecharter.org/2023-2024-calendar

We LOVE parent and grand parent volunteers at school! If you would like to volunteer, please check with your child's teachers. If you want to volunteer but aren't excited about coming into the school, we have LOTS of opportunity for outside volunteer work including:

• Cutting Watch Me Learn tickets (stop by the office).
• Pulling weeds in the rock areas and park strips (we have all the area in front of the school and up 4800 S along the school fence).
• Sorting construction paper into like colors (stop by the office).
• Using rakes and shovels to redistribute the gravel from the bottom of the retention area in front of the school to the top area to cover the black landscape screen.
• Parking lot duty before and after school (just check in at the office, put on a yellow vest and talk to Travis in the crosswalk for instructions).

Once your family has volunteered 30 hours they can stop by the front office and ask for a VOLUNTEER FROG. There is no formal tracking program - just track the hours yourself. Then, write your family's name on the frog and tape the frog on our volunteer pond in the front foyer.

If you want to volunteer but do not have the time, you can donate $90 to cover the 30 hours. If you choose to donate, complete the volunteer form. You can donate in the office or by using our DONATE icon on the home page of our website.

Volunteering or donating is OPTIONAL and is not required to be a student or a parent of a student at Bridge Elementary.

Absences MUST be excused within 24 hours of the absence. You can do this by leaving a message on the Attendance line at school (801)499-5180 or by using the Excuse Absence online form. You can find this on our website by clicking on the Excuse Absence icon or using the link below:

EXCUSE ABSENCE

Weber Human Services SMR is available for 24/7 crisis support and short-term stabilization. To request help or make a referral, dial 988. Weber Human Service's works with families to improve functioning, develop and maintain healthy communication, and enhance ability to cope with future crisis.

Bridge Elementary is committed to maintaining a school climate that is safe, welcoming, and free of harassment and discrimination. The School prohibits all forms of harassment, and it does not discriminate on the basis of sex, race, color, national origin, creed, religion, age, marital status, or disability.

We encourage anyone who believes they (or someone else) have been subjected to harassment or discrimination at the School to file a complaint with the School’s Principal, Lani Rounds. The School will promptly investigate and resolve all such complaints in accordance with School policy.

If you would like to learn more about how the School handles complaints of harassment or discrimination, please review the School’s Notice of Nondiscrimination, Civil Rights Policy, and Bullying and Hazing Policy on the School’s website at https://www.bridgecharter.org/policies-procedures

Title I was initially passed in 1965 under the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA). It is the largest federal assistance program for public schools. These supplemental funds provide students the opportunity to receive a fair, equitable and high-quality education to help close achievement gaps.

Bridge Elementary receives our Title I funding based on the percentage of students that qualify for free or reduced lunch. For this reason we encourage ALL families to apply for Free/Reduced lunch through Aspire to ensure every single student receives the services needed, including access to free or reduced meals if appropriate.

Title I provides avenues for parent input and participation. We do this through our surveys and the link to the form on our website which allows parents to submit questions and suggestions.

You can find more information about Title I as well as a form to ask questions or provide suggestions regarding Title I, on our website at:

https://www.bridgecharter.org/school-events

The mission of Bridge Elementary is to provide students with a personalized learning experience and empower them to take personal ownership and accountability for their own academic performance.

Email: info@bridgecharter.org
Website: bridgecharter.org
Location: 4824 Midland Drive, Roy, UT
Phone: (801)499-5180
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BridgeCharter

Principal - Lani Rounds - Lani@BridgeCharter.org

Assistant Principal - Sara Tucker - Sara@BridgeCharter.org

Student Support - Stacey Archuleta - Stacey@BridgeCharter.org

• Morning Supervision and BASE
• Behavior Support and Bullying
• 504 Plans

Lead Secretary - Lalani Williams - Lwilliams@BridgeCharter.org

• Aspire
• Lottery
• Registration

Social Worker - Chelsea Silverwood - Chelsea@BridgeCharter.org

School Nurse - Vicki Ross - Vicki@bridgecharter.org

Special Education

Dianne Kelsey SpED Teacher - Dianne.Kelsey@BridgeCharter.org

Chad McBride SpED Teacher - Chad@BridgeCharter.org

Julie Christensen SpED Director - Julie@BridgeCharter.org

ELL Coordinator - Nichol Lloyd - Nichol@BridgeCharter.org

Meal Issues - Jodi Jensen - Jodi@BridgeCharter.org

Classroom Teachers - see website - https://www.bridgecharter.org/teachers

• Daily activities for your child
• Student progress
• Questions about student schedule or issues in the classroom