Bridge Bulletin

It was hard to type "October" - how can time be going SO quickly? We have only one more week of school until Fall break - seven weeks until Thanksgiving Break, 11weeks until Winter Break and then, HELLO 2022!

October 1 marks an important day in public schools. On this day auditors visit schools, review attendance, check the number of kids who are enrolled compared to the number who come to school, and determine the school's funding based on this information. Your students may tell you that the principal came into the class with a "strange man in a suit" (it's always a man in a suit) and the man called their name and checked them off a list. This is how it works, though the auditors do not visit every single classroom. Instead, they take a snapshot of the school by visiting a few classes and compare this information to attendance records.

As a charter school, we are a school of CHOICE. Parents have to CHOOSE to bring their kids here and then CHOOSE to keep them here. Bridge may not be the right choice for every student or every family. Our model is unique - that is the beauty of a charter school - we are able to do things that are not mainstream, for example, learning pods, personalized learning plans (PLPs), rotations, non-traditional seating, outdoor dining, full day kindergarten, morning supervision and after school BASE.

We KNOW you have lots of schools from which to choose, including your neighborhood schools and many charter schools in other cities. If your kids are here at Bridge we must be doing something right for your family otherwise you would pull your students take them somewhere else that better fits their needs. So, THANK YOU for having your kids at Bridge and entrusting us with their education.

Please keep reading for important updates and information.

See you Monday!

Lani Rounds

Principal

On Wednesday you were sent a link to the Fall Family Survey via the email account we have in Aspire. There is a different link for each grade level. The data from the surveys is shared with our staff and our Board. We use the information gathered to make changes to better meet the needs of our families. PLEASE take a moment to check your email and complete the survey. The links expire next Tuesday. We will review the data, make improvements as needed, and then, send the same survey in February and June to determine if we have improved in the areas of need.

Every single grade, even 6th graders, participate in read aloud with their teachers. Read aloud is a key instructional component of our model. Not only does it introduce kids to literature and often lights a fire for reading enthusiasm, it is an opportunity to teach vocabulary and develop oral language and listening skills.

Our 6th graders just finished "Hatchet", by Gary Paulsen. Below are the students' canvas renditions of their favorite scene in the book. These are hanging in the upstairs hallway. Ask your student about the book they are listening to in their classroom.

REMINDER - BASE is an after school activity that is a privilege for students to attend. It is designed to provide added academic enrichment for students. In our Family Handbook it states:

" Students who behave inappropriately will be removed from BASE and will remain in a chair in the front office until a parent or guardian picks them up. If there is a second behavioral infraction, students will not be allowed to remain after school for BASE for the remainder of the week and will be on “warning” status. A student who is on warning status and is removed from another BASE class for inappropriate behavior will lose the privilege of attending after-school programs for the remainder of the year and must be picked up from school after 3:30 dismissal."

Please remind your students that BASE is for students who want to attend and who want to participate in enriching activities. Inappropriate behavior during BASE indicates a student does not want to attend and the above behavioral procedures will apply.

CHANGE - Starting Monday we are making a slight change to BASE dinner. The only BASE students affected are those who check out early. Dinner can ONLY be picked up in the cafeteria after 4:10 pm. Students who check out early can no longer take a dinner from the front office. We are sorry for any inconvenience this may cause your family, but this is a requirement of the free dinner program and one we must adhere to in order to continue serving free dinner during BASE. Students who get their meal in the lunchroom can still take it, in the bag, to the office if they are checked out after 4:10 pm and before 4:30 pm.

Give your pre-kindergarten kiddo the boost they need to ensure they are ready for kindergarten by enrolling them in the FREE award winning online preschool program through Waterford Learning. Register online today using this link:https://www.waterford.org/upstart/ut-upstart-program/

Having your pre-kinder student participate in a preschool program is ESSENTIAL to kindergarten success. Sadly, only 36% of this year's kindergarten students started school at the required benchmark level according to the state's Acadience (DIBELS) reading assessment. Waterford Upstart will give your kiddos the boost they need to be ready for kindergarten.

Registration for kindergarten will begin in January through out lottery program. Siblings of enrolled students have first priority followed by those students with a military preference. We will run the lottery for siblings first and fill as many kindergarten spots as possible. This school year about 80% of kindergarten spots went to siblings of Bridge students.

Kindergarten Round-Up for next year's kindergarten students will occur in May. During Kindergarten Round-Up students are tested on basic pre-K skills to ensure parents know what students need to work on over the summer to be prepared for kindergarten. These are the skills in which your student is assessed - now is a good time to begin working on these areas:

• Writing their first name
• Recognizing and naming all upper and lower case letters.
• Knowing the sounds of each letter.
• Identifying the first SOUND in a word - for example the first sound in mop is /m/
• Recognizing numbers 1 - 10
• Counting 10 objects by touching each object (one to one correspondence)
• Colors - blue, black, brown, green, yellow, red, orange, purple, white, pink
• Shapes - circle, square, rectangle, triangle, hexagon, octagon, oval

Today was the last day of required masks or quarantine for 1st grade and Mrs. Call's kindergarten class. As of this moment, barring any positive cases coming to light over the weekend, all students who are not on quarantine for a family COVID+ case, can return to school without masks if parents choose.

We work very hard to keep our kids healthy by encouraging good hand hygiene, sanitizing high touch surfaces often and providing and option of masks or quarantine for students exposed to COVID at school. Below is a graphic sent by the state to illustrate the numbers of positive COVID cases this year in 5-10 years olds as compared to last year.

Our Lunch for Safety program is underway! Any uniformed military individual or first responder (fire, paramedics, police) can come and eat lunch for FREE with our students! Please call the office prior to 9:00 am to let them know you will be coming for lunch and to place your lunch order. You can find the menu here https://www.bridgecharter.org/lunch

Parents can donate to this program by paying with a check or cash in the office, or through our DONATE icon on the website. The cost for an adult meal is $3.50.

Our Lost and Found is a never ending disaster. In this picture you can see a super kind person folded the items for easier viewing. These pics are even posted on social media so parents can more easily identify their child's items. I am unsure if our lost and found pile is so large because our kiddos have SO many jackets and coats they don't realize one is missing, or if our students take less care of things than they have at my other schools. Each student even has a locker - the perfect place to keep their coat, jacket, gloves, hats, etc.

The Lost & Found sits under the front portico. Students and/or parents can access this before or after school or even on the weekends. When students come to the office to look for something they have lost, we escort them to the mountainous pile outside and they look for their lost items.

When we return from Fall Break, the remaining items will be bagged and donated to a local shelter. Last year we donated at least 10 large bags of lost and found items.

Students who had their pictures taken earlier this school year now have their Bridge Elementary name badge. The name badge is part of our school dress code and students are expected to wear them at school at all times. Each child was provided a break-free lanyard for their name badge. Name badges do NOT go home. They should be left in the classroom following the procedures teachers have provided. Make-up pictures will be held on October 22. Students will get ONE replacement name badge for free. After that, replacement badges are $5 each.

Our kids are having a blast with the FREE fresh fruit and vegetables they are provided every day, M - TH. This week one of the fruits was blackberries. The results were a resounding THUMBS UP from many of our kids!

PLEASE excuse your child's absence by:

• Calling our attendance line (801)499-5180
• Using the online form found on our website under the Student Data icon

EXCUSE ABSENCE FORM

REFLECTION teaches students to review their learning to determine what works and ways in which they can improve.

Practice these "I WILL" statements with your student:

• Look back.
• Listen to feedback.
• Learn about myself.
• Plan my next steps.
• Reflect often.

Our mission is to empower students to take ownership of their own learning. By learning, practicing and embracing these visible learning traits, students will have the skills needed to become accountable for their own lifelong learning. You can find the six Visible Learning traits on our website at Visible Learning

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.

WHO TO CONTACT FOR WHAT

Principal - Lani Rounds

Lead Secretary - Lalani Williams (Aspire, registration, lottery)

Admin Support - Sara Tucker - (Title 1 and At-Risk Coordinator, ELL support, 504 Plans and BASE)

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