Bridge Bulletin

Only two more weeks of school until Thanksgiving break - remember I mentioned that after Fall Break the time would FLY! I have windburn on my cheeks the time has flown so quickly!

LOST & FOUND - a couple of issues regarding the ever-growing Lost & Found.

• This was bagged recently and will be donated. Coats and jackets with names written inside were given to their owners.
• Nearly 99% of items do NOT have a name - PLEASE write your child's name inside their coat or jacket.
• PLEASE do NOT drop off bags of clothing. Although it is kind of you to share, Bridge is NOT a donation site. We already have bags of clothes to use for our "extra closet". We do not have room to store your unwanted items.

DRESS CODE REMINDERS - Now that it is colder please remind kiddos they cannot wear a non-Bridge hoodie or jacket in the classroom. They can wear Bridge hoodies and crew necks and can also wear a long sleeved tee under their Bridge approved polo or t-shirts. Students can wear any outerwear they would like when outside.

STAFF HIGHLIGHTS - This newsletter begins our Staff Highlights. Further in the newsletter we highlight a individuals at Bridge and the important role they play in creating a positive, supportive and engaging learning environment our students.

ROAD TO SUCCESS READING - Students can now log their own minutes! Log into Beanstack at:

siebridge.beanstack.org/users/sign_in

Information about your student's login was sent in an email to you.

TUESDAY TALK & TALENT - Our November TTT included a video of the 5th grade Pumpkin Walk book report and talent videos from 10 Bullfrogs! Students shared talents such as hockey, lacrosse, dance, soccer, children's chorus, animation short and an original song. Please see further in the newsletter if your child would like to share their talent with the school during our TTT. Our next one is December

COMMUNITY CONNECTION - Ms. Chelsea, our social worker, provides a fabulous Community Connection every other week to help support kids and families. See below in the newsletter for ideas to use a 3x3x3 strategy to help make connections with your kiddos.

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

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

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

• November 25 - 29 (Thanksgiving Break)
• December 19 - January 3 (Winter Break)
• Monday, January 20 (Martin Luther)
• February 14 and 17 (teacher workday and President's Day)
• March 6 & 7 (parent teacher conferences)
• April 14 - 18 (Spring Break)
• May 26 (Memorial Day)

UPCOMING EVENTS

• Book Fair - November 18 - 22 (M-Th 3:30 - 5:00 and F 1:30 - 2:30)
• December 10 - "EllaMental" play for 4th - 6th grade
• FREE Skate Night at Classic - February 27, 5 - 8 pm
• Roy FD Assembly - March 3, 9 - 10 am
• Parent Teacher Conferences - March 6 & 7
• Road to Success reading program ends - March 24
• Yearbooks on Sale - April 1 thru April 30
• Field Day (yearbooks, last day of school, short day) - May 29

Mrs. Rounds' Happy Clicker has been spinning like the Tilt A Whirl! For those who don't know about the Happy Clicker - it is a way for Mrs. Rounds to keep track of all the great things that make her happy at school each day. The students know that once the clicker reached 5,000 clicks we would have a FREE Dress Down Day! Well, it happened and the happy clicker is over 5,000 clicks. The FREE Dress Down Day is Monday, November 11.

As the graphic shows, their are five PCBL competencies. Bridge would not be able to help students with many of these competencies, including customized supports, demonstrated competency & assessment, and culture of learning without two important cogs in Bridge's educational model - our amazing para-educators and our specialist teachers. Having these individuals at Bridge allows us to provide our teachers with more than 16 hours weekly of PPCD time - preparation, professional learning, collaboration and data analysis.

During PPCD our teachers plan and prepare (P) activities and instruction to help them close gaps or extend student learning. Teachers attend or participate in professional learning (P) activities to help them fine tune their teaching craft. Teachers collaborate (C) with each other to ensure students' needs are being met. Finally, teachers analyze student data (D) to ensure students are making expected progress. If progress is not being made teachers reflect and modify instruction and activities for the student. Teachers complete their PPCD time before and after school, during student recess and lunch and during specials.

Our charter suggests that families donate 30 hours yearly to the school. This can be in volunteer hours or in-kind donations ($3 per hour = $90 per family). Although we LOVE volunteer help, this is just a suggestion. Contrary to belief, charter schools can NOT require families to volunteer hours or donate money. Once a family has 30 hours they get a frog from the office, write their name and hang the frog in our volunteer pond in the foyer.

Saturday, November 1, was our FIRST volunteer school grounds clean up day. We had only a handful of families who helped, BUT the changes they made to playground area - weeds, trash and rocks off the turf and scooter path, were substantial!

This event was organized and supervised by Mrs. Tucker, our amazing assistant principal. Participants each earned double volunteer hours for each family member present. For example, if four family members were present, they each earned four hours for the two hour event. A family of four could have earned 16 hours!

A HUGE thank you to Mrs. Tucker and the families who spent a couple cold hours at Bridge on Saturday!

Bridge is ramping up our efforts at ensuring every student in grades 3 - 6 has access to complex text during their language arts block (kids know it as ELA time). Bridge has contracted with a company called TNTP to help our teachers learn how to best use complex text, including using rigorous text directed questioning. Teachers have received an initial training and we have purchased many books to help further support this effort.

Complex text is typically non-fiction or historical fiction that aligns with other core standards such as social studies and science. For example, students may learn about weather versus climate in science while reading about weather and climate change in ELA. Complex text is at or above grade level text which requires teachers to scaffold the instruction to meet the needs of all readers including those who are below grade level and those who are above grade level. Complex text also requires students interact with the text on a deeper level by delving into the text to determine things like what the author wants us to know, what new information the student gleaned, and how this information compares to other information the student has gathered through experience, other text or even video. We are super excited for our students to access these amazing titles and deepen their knowledge about many subjects.

This week we completed observations of each 3 - 6 grade teacher using complex text. Results from the observations are shared with TNTP and our teachers to help us refine our instruction in this area.

The research is very clear - in order to become a fluent reader, a skill essential to lifelong success, students need to practice reading! "Learning to read takes practice. Loving to read takes enthusiasm."
Schools cannot do this alone! We can provide students with instruction on how to read and provide them with some practice, but in order to become proficient readers, students MUST practice reading at home.

The recommendation is 20 minutes daily outside of school. This can include a student reading aloud, an adult or independent reader reading to a younger reader, or an independent reader reading silently with the child being provided an opportunity to discuss their reading. Kids can read to their dog, cat, guinea pig, siblings, parents, grandparents, etc. They can record themselves reading and then listen to it again. They can re-read a paragraph or page to improve their fluency and decoding skills. Visit the link below to find ways to help your child improve their reading and develop a love for reading.

As an added bonus, minutes can be tracked for the Road to Success reading incentive program!

RAISING READERS - WHAT PARENTS CAN DO

The state has released the 2023-2024 report card. Bridge works very hard focusing on student growth. We work with the student where they are and help them make progress. This is super important for students who struggle as well as students who are accelerated learners. We are so proud of our students and educators! There are SEVERAL areas of growth in which Bridge exceeded the state averages! There are many other areas the state does not post such as a school's growth in Acadience reading or math in grades K-6 in which we have growth scores that are well above the state averages.

READING ON GRADE LEVEL MAKING TYPICAL OR BETTER PROGRESS

State = 68% Bridge = 71%

RISE GROWTH IN MATH

State = 51%. Bridge = 53%

RISE GROWTH IN SCIENCE

State = 51%. Bridge = 52%

ELL STUDENTS MAKING ADEQUATE PROGRESS

State = 37%. Bridge = 39%

ELL STUDENTS READING PROFICIENCY GROWTH

State = 12%. Bridge = 17%

Yes, we have areas in which to improve and we are working hard to get all of our scores up. In fact, we are even bringing in outside consultants, to help us exceed the state in all areas.

You can use this link to find the report cards for the schools across the state:

https://reportcard.schools.utah.gov/

The first Tuesday of the month, starting in October, we will meet in the gym as a school community, 2:15 - 3:00. During this time one grade will showcase something amazing they have completed and our Frog Squad will provide a message about kindness or one of our Visible Learning Traits. Additionally, students will get to showcase their own talent via a pre-submitted video.

Student talent can showcase any type of talent - singing, sports, dancing, stand up comedy, magic, etc.. The video must be less than one minute long and the content must be school appropriate - for example, if the student is singing the lyrics must be kid-friendly.

Use the link below to complete the Tuesday Talk & Talent form. Videos, or links to videos if you use Vimeo or YouTube, must be emailed to Mrs. Rounds. Mrs. Rounds will notify you once the form is submitted, the video is verified, and a date is selected for the video to be shown during Tuesday Talk.

TUESDAY TALK & TALENT FORM

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

This week our students got to try mango slices, Rockit apples, sugar snap peas and golden delicious apples!

This program is designed to give students an opportunity to try a fresh fruit or vegetable they may not otherwise have exposure to. This is a grant from USDA that Bridge is SO fortunate to receive!

Each week students attend a Visible Learning class where they learn about six traits of a good learner - Reflection - Initiative - Flexibility - Thoroughness - Enthusiasm - Determination (RIFTED). Teaching these traits is one way we help students learn to take accountability and ownership of their learning.

Next week students will learn about Thoroughness - "TAKING CARE OF DETAILS AND DOING MY BEST."

I Will -

• Plan my work.
• Pay attention to details.
• Make a list so I don't forget.
• Finish what I start.
• Clean up along the way.

Please discuss these traits at home and help empower your children to take personal ownership and accountability for their own academic performance.

Lani Rounds (Principal) - To say "Bridge is my baby" is an understatement. For years I dreamt of having a school in my home town (yep, I'm a Royal) that was innovative and could meet the needs of families who weren't finding what they needed at other schools. I authored the charter, and along with an amazing group of board members, we were able to convince the Utah State Charter Board and the Utah State Board of Education to approve Bridge, a school with an innovative design and instructional model. I am a true believer in charter schools as they provide parents a CHOICE in education. That doesn't mean I don't like traditional district schools - they are an important part of the CHOICE parents have. Do I think Bridge is the RIGHT school for every kiddo? Absolutely not - that's what is so beautiful about all the choices parents have - traditional public schools, charter schools, private schools, homeschool, Carson Smith scholarships for students on an IEP, and more. But, I do think Bridge is a good choice for many families and our solid enrollment and high satisfaction rating according to survey results, proves Bridge does fulfill the educational needs for many families.

When I'm not working and doing all things Bridge, I love to travel with my friends and family, hike, ski (cross country and downhill), bike and paddle board. I recently took up fly fishing to increase my list of outdoor activities. It's hard and I'm always tangled up and hooking myself with a fly. I'm not sure I will EVER learn to cast, read the river, or enjoy actually touching the few fish I catch. But, since I live right next to a river, it's my husband's favorite activity, and nature is where I find my center, it just made sense to try it. As a Bullfrog, I definitely have to use my reflection, thoroughness, enthusiasm, and determination skills to help me with my fly fishing journey 😆

Sara Tucker (Assistant Principal) - Mrs. Tucker has a crucial role at Bridge. First, she is Mrs. Rounds' right hand person, taking over all things "school" when Mrs. Rounds is out of the office. Mrs. Tucker is also a critical part of our schoolwide behavior program. Additionally, she is typically the LEA (local education authority) during IEP meetings. Although she is humble about it, Mrs. Tucker makes a cheesecake that puts all others to shame! We are SO lucky to have Mrs. Tucker at Bridge.

My educational journey has taken me to a variety of schools and opportunities over the past 23 years. I have had the privilege of being a teacher in third, fourth, or fifth grades, an assistant principal, and a principal.

I enjoy photography, traveling, learning new cooking techniques and recipes, being with my family, learning new things, reading, and so much more!

Please take time to complete the Free / Reduced lunch application on Aspire. Once you login to Aspire the application is a link on the right hand side. A family of four can make almost $58,000 annually and qualify for reduced meals. Use this link to find the INCOME ELIGIBILITY GUIDELINES

Use this link to find information on setting up your ASPIRE account or contact the office at (801)499-5180.

Attendance is taken every morning by 8:45 am. The computer identifies all students who are marked "absent" and then, sends a message to all parents if the student is not marked "EXCUSED". This is done for safety reasons as well as to remind parents students must be excused from school if they are absent. PLEASE BE PATIENT - WE ARE USING A NEW SYSTEM.

Absences MUST be excused within 24 hours of the absence, otherwise it is considered "unexcused". Once a child has 7 unexcused absences parents are sent a Notice of Compulsory Education Violation and are required to meet with administration regarding the absences. Once a child has 10 unexcused absences the school can contact the Division of Child and Family Services for educational neglect.

It is super easy to excuse an absence. Either call the office (801)499-5180 and listen for the prompts or use the EXCUSE ABSENCE icon on the front page of our website.

Bridge is a member of Utah's Safe UT. SafeUT is a crisis chat and tip line that provides real-time crisis intervention for students, parents/guardians, and educators through live chat and a confidential tip line—right from your smartphone. This also allows students or parents to report potentially violent or concerning issues they see or hear about that may impact the staff or students at Bridge.

You can access the information from our website under RESOURCES at:

https://www.bridgecharter.org/safeut-see-something-say-something

or directly at https://safeut.org/students

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 under RESOURCES at https://www.bridgecharter.org/policies-procedures

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.

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

Julie Christensen SpED Director - Julie@BridgeCharter.org

ELL Coordinator - Sara Tucker - Sara@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