Principal Chat
Happy Friday - once again. These end-of-week news bulletins just keep sneaking up faster and faster. Guess what is even faster than the appearance of Fridays? Registration for NEXT school year. Yep! On Monday, December 9 the "Current Student Intent to Return to Bridge" begins. Please check your email for instructions on this process. The final day to declare your intent for your student(s) to return to Bridge for the 2025-2026 school year is January 3. On January 6, the lottery will open and if you have not completed your child's intent to return, their spot will be placed back in the lottery. If you have incoming kindergarten siblings that will begin next year, you will enter them in the lottery on January 6. The sibling lottery will run on January 27, 2025.
STAFF HIGHLIGHTS - Further in the newsletter we highlight individuals at Bridge and the important role they play in creating a positive, supportive and engaging learning environment our students. This week we highlight our amazing LunchPro kitchen staff.
FREE JANUARY MATIAL ARTS - The sign up for FREE martial arts in January, offered through Joeson Martial Arts, is ready. See further below in the newsletter for the information.
ROAD TO SUCCESS READING - Students can now log their own road to Success reading minutes! Log into Beanstack at: siebridge.beanstack.org/users/sign_in
Information about your student's login was sent in an email to you.
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 help influence your child's inner dialogue to help build their self-esteem and resilience.
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
- December 19 - January 5 (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
- Student Intent to Return to Bridge - December 9 - January 3
- December 18 - "EllaMental" play for 4th - 6th grade
- Lottery Opens for 2025-2026 School Year - January 6
- Sibling, Staff and Military Lottery for 2025-2026 - January 27
- Roy FD Assembly - February 24, 9 - 10 am
- FREE Skate Night at Classic - February 27, 5 - 8 pm
- 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
At Bridge, we celebrate GROWTH rather than just proficiency. Yes, we want ALL students to read, write and do math at grade level or beyond; however, we also know that for two groups of students - those who are below grade level, and those who are above grade level, proficiency is NOT the best way to measure how much they have learned in a year. For example, a 2nd grader should read 87 words correct per minute (wcpm) at 97% accuracy by the end of the school year. Consider these examples:
- Student #1 - this student started out reading 10 wcpm at the beginning of year (BOY) and at the end of the year they read 50 wcpm. They would NOT be a proficient reader, but they would have grown by 400%.
- Student #2 - started the year as a proficient reader at 23 wcpm and ended the year at 87 wcpm. They would be a proficient reader but would have grown by 278%.
- Student #3 - An above grade level 2nd grade student started the year at 60 wcpm and ended the year at 100 wcpm. They would be considered a highly proficient reader, but they would have only grown 67%.
In the examples above, which mirrors real data from our school, the student who made the MOST growth is Student #1, the child who is not yet reading at grade level proficiency. On a regular report card Student 1 would have an "F", while Student 2 would have an "A", and Student 3 would have an "A+". When, using a growth model, Student 1 is actually the student who made the MOST growth and instead of being considered a "failure" with an "F" on a report card, they should be celebrated for all of their hard work!
Celebrating growth over proficiency allows us to identify those students who are not meeting expected growth and provide them with extra learning opportunities. In the example above, Student #3, the highly proficient student, would need extensions in their learning to help achieve the expected growth. In a proficiency model, the high achieving kiddos are often the ones who are most often overlooked.
The FREE monthly martial arts class, offered by Master Jason of Joeson Martial Arts, will begin again in January. Students (up to 20) can enroll for either the Tuesday or the Thursday class. This class is 4:45 - 5:30 pm. Students who attend BASE will remain in the gym after BASE dinner to stay for martial arts. Students who do not attend BASE will enter the gym through the south gate and the south gym doors.
Use the link below to sign up your student(s).
https://www.signupgenius.com/go/8050849ACA62AA3FB6-53586570-free
Sadly, it is that time of year when our air quality takes a nose dive! We check the Utah Air Quality website for Weber County, prior to recess to determine if students need to remain inside. If the color is ORANGE, then sensitive students need to remain inside.
PLEASE let your child's teacher know if your child has issues that impact their health on bad air days. If the color is RED, then ALL students must remain inside.
Utah is at the forefront of providing lots of educational options for families. Charter schools, like Bridge, are just one of the choices. For students with special needs, Utah has the Carson Smith Scholarship available. The Carson Smith Opportunity Scholarship Program allows a parent of a special needs child to apply for a scholarship to help cover the cost of private schools and special programs. Information about this program and the list of approved private schools and programs can be found on the state's website at:
The first Tuesday of the month we 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 or the background music chosen for the video must be kid-firendly.
Email Mrs. Rounds Lani@BridgeCharter.org AT LEAST one week before the first Tuesday of the month to give her time to proof the video and include it in the presentation.
We will NOT have a Tuesday Talk in January. Our next one will be Tuesday, February 4, 2025.
Social Emotional Learning (SEL) 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!
This week our students got to try Pink Lady apples, mini carrots, and a variety of clementine called Tango Mandarin.
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 review the six Visible Learning Traits.
Please discuss these traits at home and help empower your children to take personal ownership and accountability for their own academic performance.
Bridge contract with a company called LunchPro to provide breakfast, lunch and dinner. We also use them to cater meals and parties for our staff. They provide Bridge an exceptional service and Chef Dave, ensures our meals are delicious, made with quality ingredients and meet Child and Nutrition Program guidelines.
Dave Hirst - Chef Dave
Dave Hirst, MSML, BSBM, AA- Culinary, currently works as the Director of Operations and Compliance for Lunch Pro, who works with Charter schools and handles all food service services. Dave has spent the last 13 years working in School Nutrition, building programs from the ground, and passing six million meals. Dave has spent his life working in the food world, from Grocery stores to restaurants to schools. He has enjoyed working in helping to change the culture around school meals, training staff to grow and become more than they believe they can become. Dave loves the work of being an ambassador for feeding children across Utah and across the country. Dave is currently serving as the President- Elect of School Nutrition of Utah.
Jodi Jensen - Kitchen Manager
Hi my name is Jodi Jensen. I am the Kitchen Leader at Bridge. I was born in Jacksonville, Florida. I have been married for 37 years and we have 2 children - 1 girl and 1 boy. I also have 2 grandchildren - 1 boy in first grade who goes to Bridge and a girl.
I have been doing lunch service for 10 years, 5 here at Bridge. This is the most rewarding job I have ever had. I love each and every child. I love getting to know them.
In my spare time I enjoy reading, games, scrapbooking, puzzles, camping and hiking, swimming. My husband and I love to go on long drives and travel.
Gretchen Hitt
My name is Gretchen Hitt. I grew up here in Roy, spent a few years in California and came back to Utah to be close to family. I have three amazing kids that all attend Bridge. This is my third school year with Lunch Pro and at Bridge. I love meeting all the awesome kids we serve. I enjoy spending time surrounded by family and being outdoors. It has been a pleasure to help feed your kids!
Marshall Turner
Phuong
My name is Thi Lan La, I go by Phuong. I was born and raised in Southern Vietnam. I moved here last year and live in West Haven. I’m currently an employee of Lunch Pro. This new job helps me make new, fun and cute friends, helps me overcome difficulties to complete tasks and learn many useful and interesting things. I love this place and this job.
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.
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. All absence are reported through our state system, Aspire. 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.
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
Weber Human Services - Stabilization and Mobile Response (SMR)
Title I at Bridge
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:
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!
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