Bridge Bulletin

My heart was broken when I rolled into the parking lot early this week and saw the field was torn up and the trees in a pile. I knew it was being developed into houses, but for the past three years we have enjoyed having a hawk that lives in the trees in the field and sits on the light pole in our parking lot each day scouting out his daily meals. Now the construction is happening, the hawk has moved on to another spot and doesn't hang out at Bridge any longer. Progress....while we love to see it with our kids in reading, writing and math, this type of progress makes my heart a little sad.

Thank you to all who donated paper towels in lieu of cash for today's Dress Down Day donation. This was our first time trying something like this and it worked very well. We were in need of paper towels and decided that instead of using money to order them we wold just forgo donations and instead see if parents would prefer to grab a roll from their home and drop them off at the school. Now, we can use the money we normally would have used to purchase paper towels to buy Watch Me Learn prizes instead - it's certainly more fun than buying paper towels.

MATURATION

Bridge does NOT have a big assembly and bring the 5th or 6th graders together to talk about maturation. Some schools still do this because "that's how it's always been done" - shoot it was done that way when I was a kid close to a 1,000 years ago. Instead, in the February newsletters, Bridge will include the information and links to the information on maturation that parents and guardians can use, in their own homes, to share with their student.

Bridge uses this method for couple of reasons. First, nature determines when a child is maturing and going through puberty, not a grade level. For example, girls in 3rd and 4th grades have already started menstruation so a presentation in 5th grade would be a little late for them. Because of medication and environmental factors, some boys are also starting puberty earlier.

Next, some parents would be offended and their children mortified, if the anatomically correct names of body parts were used by someone that was NOT a family member while other parents prefer we share everything right down to conception.

Finally, Bridge is of the opinion that determining when your child is ready for the maturation conversation and how much information is shared is based on the specific child and a parent is the best person to decide WHEN and WHAT that should be. So, we will give you the information and you can do what you do best, which is parent, and determine how much you want your kid to know and when you want them to know it. So we will stick to what we do know best and when, developmentally it should be taught - reading, writing and math, and you can tackle maturation with the resources you choose or the resources we provide.

NOW HIRING FOR OPEN POSITIONS NEXT YEAR

Interested individuals should email resume to Lani@BridgeCharter.org

• 4th Grade Para Educator
• 5th Grade Para Educator
• 1st Grade Teacher (MUST have professional license, 3+ years experience and LETRS)

LOTTERY IS OPEN - MAKE SURE YOU ENROLL ANY INCOMING SIBLINGS!!!!!!

Please let your friends and family know the lottery is open. We keep our advertising pretty minimal as we have very few spots available and our parents do a great job of spreading the word about our school. This is also where you will enroll any siblings who you want to attend Bridge next school year. If the sibling is not enrolled by the time we run the first lottery on February 7, we cannot guarantee they will have a spot for next school year.

The link to enroll in the lottery is:

https://www.bridgecharter.org/enroll-today

FREE COMMUNITY GIVE AWAY

Bridge has joined with Utah Foster Care for another FREE community give away. This will be held Saturday, January 28, 10 - 1, at Bridge Elementary in the gym. Everything - shoes, toys, clothing, is FREE. This is open to the entire community to bring your friends family and neighbors. See further below in the newsletter for more information. The only access to the school is through the south gym doors. No public restrooms will be available.

STAFF HIGHLIGHTS

This week's staff highlight features our AMAZING special education teacher, Diane Nelson. Keep reading below to learn more about Mrs. Nelson.

Mark you calendars for the following days of NO SCHOOL

• February 20 (President's Day)
• March 9 & 10 (Parent Teacher Conferences)
• April 3 - 7 (Spring Break)
• May 26 (Teacher work day)
• May 29 (Memorial day)

Upcoming Events

• FREE Community Give Away - January 28, 10 - 1 (Bridge Gym)
• Middle of Year Progress Reports - February 3
• Roy City Fire Department Safety Assembly - April 19
• Classic Skate Night - May 3

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

As always, thank you for sharing your kids with us!

Lani Rounds

Principal

Some grade levels will have students participate in Valentine's Day activities such as distributing cards and treats. Please check with your child's teachers to determine if your child's class will be participating in this activity. If your child's class is participating in Valentine's distribution, each student will be provided a large white craft bag which they will decorate at school for their Valentine's day cards.

Students can choose to bring cards/treats to their homeroom class, to their entire pod or not at all. There is NO requirement to participate nor is there a requirement to distribute to all the students in the pod. If a child chooses to participate an easy way is to just enter a FROM and not enter a TO, then you don't even need a class list.

Kindergarten = 78 total = 26 per class

1st Grade = 87 total = approximately 30 per class

2nd Grade = 90 total = 30 per class

3rd Grade = 83 total = approximately 28 per class

4th Grade = 81 total = approximately 27 per class

5th Grade = 54 total = approximately 18 per class

6th Grade = 56 total = approximately 28 per class

Students can bring candy or toys to distribute; however, students will NOT open Valentines at school. Students may NOT eat any of the candy at school. ALL cards, treats and prizes must be opened after school at home.

Chances are your kids have told you about "SPECIALS". These are the classes students attend multiple times each week that cover the core content required by Utah. Our classroom teachers primarily teach reading and math. That's where our specialists come in. We have specialists that teach social studies, Botvin healthy life skills (4th grade), health, PE, library, visible learning, fine arts (visual art, theater, music), STEM, science and writing. The specialists collaborate with classroom teachers and each other to help integrate the topics into the classroom instruction. For example, if students are learning about a specific topic in social studies the classroom teachers may have them reading or writing about that topic in the classroom.

Why does Bridge use specialists instead of having classroom teachers teach every subject like a traditional elementary school? Because our model is "personalized instruction" and teachers provide most instruction in a small group setting, our classroom teachers have to analyze a lot of data to make data-based instructional decisions and design instruction to meet students' needs. This takes a lot of time. Additionally, our teachers provide 6 - 9 small group lessons each day compared to a traditional classroom where a teacher would teach one math lesson, for example, to the entire class.

Again, developing these personalized, small group activities and preparing the materials takes a lot of time. In order to provide our classroom teachers the time they need to personalize your child's instruction, our teachers are provided over 16 hours each week to prepare activities, attend professional learning, collaborate with peers and analyze data - we call this PPCD time. We know of no other school that provides teachers the TIME, over 16 hours each week, they need to make data-based instructional decisions.

Without our specials and specialists, Bridge could not fulfill its mission of providing students with a personalized learning experience.

Our Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program (FFVP) is a favorite for most of our kiddos. Last week they got to try watermelon radishes - they were a big thumbs down. This week blueberries topped the list as a HUGE favorite!

The calendar for next school year is now approved. You can access it on our website using the link below:

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

If you have a child that will be in kindergarten next school year, and you want your child to attend Bridge, and your child is a sibling of a student already at Bridge, you MUST enter your student in the lottery. The lottery has a spot where you identify that your child is a sibling of a current Bridge student.

We will run the sibling lottery on February 7, 2023. This is the MOST IMPORTANT lottery of the year. This is the lottery which will let us know how many spots are available for the rest of the non-Bridge people who want their child to attend our school.

AGAIN - IF YOU HAVE AN INCOMING KINDERGARTEN SIBLING - this will be the time to get them a spot at Bridge for next school year. If you need help with the lottery PLEASE call the office (801)499-5180.

After we run the lottery an email is sent to selected students. Parents/guardians have a set number of days to complete the required steps (online registration, birth certificate, immunization records). Once the steps are completed the student's spot at Bridge is secured for the 2023-2024 school year. If the steps are not completed within the designated timeframe the student's spot is declined and released in the lottery.

Each morning our teachers take attendance at 8:35 am. The office staff update our "excused" attendance using the check in list, the attendance voice mail, the online attendance information, random emails parents send, and sticky notes written when parents call the front office. Shortly after all this has been completed the One Call system sends a phone message to the families with students who are marked with an unexcused absence notifying them their child is not at school.

Unfortunately, the system is NOT fool proof as it relies on lots of things - teachers updating the attendance in the classroom accurately, students being in their correct spot when attendance is taken and not in the restroom or at their locker, students moving their magnet in their classroom for lunch count, students taking the green "check in" slip when they come into the office after 8:30 am, the office entering all of the excused absences correctly using the data described above.

Sometimes, with all of the steps required to ensure attendance is completed correctly, we inadvertently send a message to a family when their child is in fact at school. If this occurs, please do not panic. Assume we have made a mistake - which thankfully, so far, in every single instance is what has happened. However, to ensure your child is safe, please call the school and we will go into the classroom to determine that your child is in fact in class.

We apologize profusely when this happens as we know it can cause panic. We do ask for understanding, patience and forgiveness as there are a lot of moving parts and we are all doing our very best to make sure everyone is where they are supposed to be before the One Call message is sent. Many schools do not bother with this process. This is a procedure we choose to do at Bridge just in case there ever is a chance that a child, for whatever reason, is not at school and the child should be. We believe that making a couple erroneous phone calls is worth the safety of our students just in case there is one day when a phone call identifies when a child is actually missing.

Again, if you receive a phone call, please assume it was in error but call the office (801)499-5180 and we will verify your child is at school.

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.

Each week students attend a Visible Learning class where they learn about traits of a good learner. Next week's Visible Learning Trait is Enthusiasm. Enthusiasm means "Putting my whole heart into what I do"

I will:

• Be an "energy giver".
• Smile.
• Encourage others.
• Treat every job as important.
• Not be discouraged by failure.

Please review this visible learning trait with your student and praise them at home when they are enthusiastic about learning. By internalizing visible learning traits students will become lifelong learners who are set up for success. You can find all of our Visible Learning traits on our website at:

https://www.bridgecharter.org/character-first

We are starting the planning for our Field Day blowout! This is the funnest day of the school year and includes bounce houses, games, prizes, entertainment, food, fun, face painting, yearbook signing and more.

We are looking for donations for our game booths. Students play games and win prizes. These are not elaborate prizes. We are looking for simple things like you get at Zurchers, pick up in packs at the Dollar Store, or buy from Oriental Trading. We also need tons and tons and tons of cans of soda for the ring toss. Please drop your donations off in the office and remember to enter your donations (converted to hours) into our volunteer tracker so your family can be place into our Frog Pond in the front foyer.

https://www.bridgecharter.org/volunteer-opportunities

Bridge has teamed up with Utah Foster Care again to host a FREE community give away on Saturday, January 28, 10-1. We hosted one in the fall and it was a HUGE success. Bridge is NOT accepting donations for this event. Utah Foster care and their community of volunteers will bring truckloads of donated items for this give away.

The event will be held in the Bridge gym. The gym doors will open at 10 am. You do NOT need to be a Bridge family member to come to the event - bring your friends, neighbors and family. You will enter the gym on the south side of the school. The gym will be the only part of the school accessible to the public. The restrooms will NOT be available. Bring lots of bags to carry home your goodies!

Amazon makes it SUPER easy to donate to Bridge through their Amazon Smile program. When you purchase from Amazon using the Amazon Smile link and select Bridge Elementary as your designated school, Amazon sends us a check every quarter. So far, Amazon has sent us $800 since the school opened its doors. The link is on our website for Amazon Smile. Bridge Elementary may show with a Kaysville address as that is our accounting address. Start shopping today.

School Website: https://www.bridgecharter.org/donate

Amazon Smile

Diane Nelson

I love being part of the Bridge Elementary team. I have worked for traditional districts schools for over 20 years and I have finally found an educational model that I believe in. I have a bachelor's degree from Weber State and a master's degree from the University of Alaska Southeast. I've taught in Idaho, California and Alaska, but Utah is my home. I learned that my ancestors fought hard to be here so I shouldn't be so quick to leave. I love it here and all of my family live close. My passion is teaching and helping children find success. I have a son, two teenage daughters and a husband who are all my joy. My hobbies include genealogy, history, geography, and traveling. I also love rocks!

The yearbook can now be ordered, online. Orders are not taken at the school. Yearbooks will not be available at the school for sale. The cost is $15. You can also find the order information on our website at: https://www.bridgecharter.org/school-events

Code = BridgeES

Pre Pay code = BridgeYB23

Link to Order: YEARBOOK ORDER

Lunch payments can be made online or in the front office using cash or check. Payments made in the front office are posted immediately in Aspire. Online payments are not immediately updated in Aspire.

When payments are made online we must complete several steps to get the payments moved to Aspire. We do this every Monday and Wednesday. After we run the online report it takes another day for the money to post to your student's Aspire account. Please allow 3 - 5 days from the day you make the online payment to the day the information posts in Aspire.

The link to make payments online is found on our website by selecting the MEALS icon.

https://www.bridgecharter.org/lunch

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).
• 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)

After you have volunteered please enter your hours in our volunteer form on our website:

https://www.bridgecharter.org/volunteer-opportunities

Once your family has logged 30 volunteer hours they will have a frog put into our Volunteer Pond in the 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.

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

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

Principal - Lani Rounds - Lani@BridgeCharter.org

At-Risk Programs Coordinator - Stacey Archuleta - Stacey@BridgeCharter.org

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

Lead Secretary - Lalani Williams - Lwilliams@BridgeCharter.org

• Aspire
• Lottery
• Registration

School Nurse - Vicki Ross - Vicki@bridgecharter.org

Special Education

Diane Nelson Lead SpED Teacher - Diane@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

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