Principal Chat
Thank you for another great week with your kiddos! Next week we already have a vacation - Monday is Labor Day and there is no school. This is typically everyone's last hurrah before we settle into fall. I am going to visit Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park in Colorado. I am super excited as this will give me one more sticker for my National Park water bottle!
FIRE DRILL TAKE 2 - Schools are required to have a fire drill within the first 10 days of school. Our first drill was last week and there were several items we felt we needed to correct to ensure the safety of staff and students - little things, but things that matter such as a couple classroom doors were locked, lights were left on, students in the library exited out the wrong door and some staff gathered in the wrong spot. After each drill, any inconsistencies or errors are shared with staff and we try to eliminate those in subsequent drills with the goal being to reduce the time from the alarm sounding to the moment every student and staff is accounted for. Our first drill it took 6:29 to account for everyone. With this drill we were nearly error-free and reduced our time by 1.5 minutes! We are so proud of our kids and staff for following procedures to the letter, exiting promptly and safely and lining up "all accounted for" in five minutes!
FFVP started this week! What is FFVP? Read below for more information about this AMAZING program!
FREE UNIFORM table - the clothes on the table out front will be bagged up next week. This is your last chance to grab FREE school clothes for your kids - or even your friends and family!
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 on Responding with Empathy.
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
- Monday, September 2 (Labor Day)
- October 14 - 18 (Fall Break)
- Friday, November 1 (teacher workday)
- 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
- Schoolwide Testing - August 19 - September 16
- FREE Family Skate Night Classic Fun Center - October 23, 5-8 pm
Each year we look for individuals who want to be part of the School Land Trust committee. The committee is responsible for determining how the land trust funds are used, creating goals and actions steps, and looking at the data to determine progress. The committee meets a couple times each year. To learn more about Utah's school land trust please visit https://schools.utah.gov/schoollandtrust
If we have more individuals than spots we will have an election.
To apply to be part of the committee, please use this link:
iready is the computer assisted instruction system (CAIS) we are using this school year for grades 1 - 6. Our kindergarten students are using Waterford. Students can now access iready at home for language arts and math support! It is an adaptive program which means it alters the path based on how the students respond to the answers. For this reason it is super important you do NOT do the work for them or tell them the answers. If you do this then the program will move the child along at a pace that does not match their actual learning needs.
This program has apps for iPads and tablets and can also be access on the computer. The apps are called i-Ready Connect for Students. All students know their login and passwords. If your student is struggling to remember theirs, please contact your child's teacher.
This is the link to the login on the webstie: https://login.i-ready.com/
Our kindergarten students are using Waterford Early Learning this year for reading and math. This program can be accessed at home using a computer, iPad or tablet. Students login using their Student ID, and the school code BEU. If you are sturggling getting them logged in, please contact their teacher for login information.
Like iReady, Waterford is an adaptive program which means it alters the path based on how the students respond to the answers. For this reason it is super important you do NOT do the work for them or tell them the answers. If you do this then the program will move the child along at a pace that does not match their actual learning needs.
You can access the website here: https://www.waterford.org then select WATERFORD EARLY LEARNING from the drop down menu. Use org code BEU
This was our first week for Fresh Fruit and Vegetable program (FFVP). This week our students got to try plums and juicy, yummy peaches! 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!
Friends for Sight provided FREE vision screening at Bridge for all K-4 grade students. Haley, Ashley and Julie, coordinators for Friends for Sight, along with our school nurse Vicki and a Bridge volunteer, Shaylee, did a fabulous job screening over 400 students in just a couple of hours. You will receive contact from Nurse Vicki if your child showed any issues with their vision.
Web Site Updates
Our webmaster has reorganized our website to be more streamlined. Instead of 50 tabs at the top of the menu, we now only have a couple of tabs. Although it's a pain when things get moved, the new navigation is really more intuitive.
Some important changes to note:
BASE is now under PROGRAMS -
https://www.bridgecharter.org/b-a-s-e
Jobs are now named "Careers" and under RESOURCES - https://www.bridgecharter.org/careers
The Bridge Bulletin, Policies and Procedures and Daily Schedules are also under RESOURCES.
The 2024-2025 CALENDAR and the even calendar are both accessible using the CALENDAR icon on the home page https://www.bridgecharter.org/calendars
We need YOUR help keeping our kids and families safe! Please be observant, patient and kind when navigating the parking lot. For your safety, and the safety of your kiddos, do NOT park across the street on Midland Drive and attempt to cross through the middle of the road - especially do NOT drop your kids off or expect them to navigate this road without an adult holding their hand. Please do not park in the pharmacy parking lot - it is private property and they are very unhappy with folks who take up the spaces they have for paying customers. The neighborhood to the south of us is undergoing construction and is not a safe place to park. Owners claim it is "private property" and will call law enforcement to have cars moved.
Roy City will not provide us a crosswalk nor allow us to stop traffic on our own. Our school entrance is too close to the corner to allow traffic to stop safely. It is up to ALL of us to make sure our kids are safe! Patience is the key! If you cannot be patient during pick up then please, park your car, come into the school and check your students out a few minutes early. While we hate kids to miss school time, we prefer that they are safe. Another idea is to sign your child up for BASE, then come in at 4:00, after the parking lot is empty, and check your child out of BASE early. They will not get free dinner as they must be present in the gym at 4:15 for dinner, but you will not need to navigate the parking lot during the busiest times.
DAY CARE VANS - Please allow day care vans ALL of the space along the north fence! They cannot navigate the parking lot and get to their next school on time. They NEED this space.
PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE be patient, observant and kind. This is the only way we can make sure all our kiddos and families are safe during drop off and pick up.
STUDENT ATTENDANCE
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.
New this year! The first Tuesday of the month, starting in October, we will meet in the gym as a school community, 2:30 - 3:15. 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. 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.
Safe UT - See Something? Say Something?
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
Social Emotional Learning and Visible Learning - Family Connection
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!
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 INITATIVE - "Recognizing and doing what is right before I am asked to do it."
I will:
- Do what is right before I am told.
- Not put off until later what I can do now.
- Do my part for the team.
- Be a part of the solution rather than the problem.
- Look for ways to help others.
Please discuss these traits at home and help empower your children to take personal ownership and accountability for their own academic performance.
Weber Human Services - Stabilization and Mobile Response (SMR)
About Bridge Elementary Charter
Email: info@bridgecharter.org
Website: bridgecharter.org
Location: 4824 Midland Drive, Roy, UT
Phone: (801)499-5180
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BridgeCharter