Principal Chat
Here it is - the final newsletter for 2024. How did the end of the year sneak up so quickly? I feel like just yesterday we ended the previous school year and I was swimming in the ocean. Now, I have my skis tuned, I'm bundled up for the winter and on my way into 2025. Please have a safe and happy holiday and we will see you on Monday, January 6, 2025.
REGISTRATION FOR NEXT SCHOOL YEAR - This closes on January 3, 2025. PLEASE check your email for the instructions on how to register your CURRENT student for next year. The lottery for 2025-2026 opens on Monday when we return from the break - please let your friends and family know. If your student's registration is not completed their spots will be put back in the lottery.
STAFFING CHANGES - We are SUPER excited to be able to hire a full-time counselor intern to help assist our social worker. See below in the newsletter for the impact this change will have on our student's schedules and staffing.
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 1st GRADE teachers!
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
- 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
As a school of choice, Bridge recognizes our model is not the right fit for every child. Nearly all children flourish with the small group and personalized learning experience Bridge offers and some children thrive in the collaborative learning pod experience complete with multiple transitions daily. However, other students may find the large learning pod with lots of movement and lots of students, provides sensory overload and is not the ideal learning environment for the them. If you have not yet had an opportunity to visit during school hours, please reach out to your child's teacher to schedule a time to come and observe your child's learning experience and environment. Parents and guardians need to carefully determine if the learning model provided by Bridge is the model that fits best for their child.
Counselor - Ms. Mariah, who has been our librarian and visible learning specialist, will begin on January 6, 2025 as our full time counselor intern. She will complete her master's degree in school counseling at the end of the school year. Ms. Mariah will continue teaching visible learning but will rotate it with teaching Second Steps. Both of these programs are part of Bridge's social emotional learning (SEL) program. Ms. Mariah will also provide small group instruction for selected students in friendship, making good choices, and other topics that she and Ms. Chelsea, our social worker, will develop. Ms. Mariah will occasionally be available in her office for students to take breaks in order to regulate their emotions and be ready to attend class with their peers. After training, Ms. Mariah will also be the 504 Coordinator.
Librarian - Mrs. Langhaim will move back to the library as our librarian. We are saying, "Back to" because Mrs. Langhaim was our original librarian when we first opened our school.
Mrs. Archuleta - Mrs. Archuleta will move to the special education department as the SEL coordinator in SpED. She will primarily assist the SEL team with the students with behavioral needs. She will also provide Ms. Mariah training with 504s. We are super excited to have Mrs. Archuleta's experience assisting us in our special education department.
Mandee Call - Ms. Call is a kindergarten teacher and will remain in that position. Starting Monday, January 6, Ms. Call will also be our BASE Coordinator, taking over these duties from Mrs. Archuleta. If you need to make BASE changes you can call the office, (801)499-5180 or email Mandee@BridgeCharter.org
When we return from break our students will begin completing the Middle of year (MOY) testing. This testing provides critical information regarding your child's progress in reading and math. The data from these assessments is provided to parents on the progress report which is a tab on the child's Personalized Learning Plan (PLP). These scores can be compared to grade level expectations but most importantly, compared with the beginning of year scores to determine growth. There is a tab on the PLP which provides the grade level expectations for our assessments.
Once the assessment is completed, teachers analyze each child's data to determine next steps for instruction. As a school, we use the data to determine if there are parts of our educational model that need refining. The Acadience reading and math data is provided to the state as these are required tests in Utah.
Testing includes:
- BEPS Phonics Screener (K - 2 and struggling 3-6 graders)
- Acadience Reading (K - 6) students are provided with a composite score which includes the following measures. All except MAZE are one minute timings.
- FSF - First Sound Fluency (K only) - students hear a word and tell the tester the first sound they hear in the word.
- PSF - Phoneme Segmentation Fluency (K only) - students hear a word and tell the tester each of the sounds in the word.
- NWF - Nonsense Word Fluency (K & 1st) - students read a two or three letter nonsense word and tell the tester the sounds of the letters (K) and blend the letters fluently into a word (1st).
- ORF - Oral Reading Fluency - (1st - 6th) - students read a grade level passage - score is number of words read correctly.
- Retell - (1st - 6th) - is a measure of comprehension where students tell the tester about what they read. Students are scored based on the number of retell words and the number of details they provide.
- MAZE (3rd - 6th) - is another measure of comprehension. The student is presented with a reading passage in which some words are replaced by a multiple choice box that includes three choices. The student reads the passage silently and selects the word in each box that best fits the meaning of the sentence.
- iReady Reading (1st - 6th) - diagnostic reading test on the computer
- iReady Math (1st - 6th) - diagnostic math test on the computer
- Acadience Math (K - 6) Students are provided with a composite score which includes the following assessments. Most measures are completed in a one minutes timing.
- BQD - Beginning Quantity Discrimination (K only) The student is presented with a sheet that contains a series of boxes with two patterns of dots in them. The student is asked to orally name the number of dots that is the larger quantity.
- NIF - Next Identification Fluency (K only) -The student is presented with a sheet of numbers that range from 1–99 and is asked to say each number.
- NNF - Next Number Fluency (K only) -The student is orally provided with a number that ranges from 1–99 and asked to say the next number.
- AQD - Advanced Quantity Discrimination (1st only) -The student is presented with a sheet that contains a series of boxes with two numbers in them. The student is asked to orally name the number that is the larger quantity.
- MNF - Missing Number Fluency (1st only) -The student is presented with a sheet that contains a series of boxes that have three numbers and a blank line. The student is asked to orally name the missing number.
- Comp - Computation (1st - 6th grade) -The student is presented with a worksheet that consists of computation problems that they are asked to solve. The problems are grade level specific and may include operations of addition, subtraction, multiplication, and/or division (timing 2 - 6 minutes depending on grade level). Timing is grade specific, 2 - 6 minutes.
- C & A - Concepts and Applications (2nd - 6th grade) - The student is presented with a worksheet that consists of problems that assess understanding of mathematical concepts and vocabulary and asks the students to apply that knowledge to solve problems. The problems are grade level specific. Timing is grade specific, 5 - 16 minutes.
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
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 fresh pineapple spears, California strawberries, and two types of radish - Watermelon and Daikon. NOTE - do not be fooled by the name "watermelon radish" - the name comes from the looks, certainly not the taste 🤣
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!
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. Starting in January, our Visible Learning (VL) class will alternate with our Second Steps SEL lessons. One week students will have a VL lesson and the next week an SEL lesson. These two programs align perfectly with our Culture of Learning at Bridge.
When students return from break they will learn about REFLECTION - Reviewing my learning to see what works and ways I can improve.
I will:
- Look back.
- Listen to feedback.
- Learn about myself.
- Plan my next steps.
- Reflect often.
Please discuss these traits at home and help empower your children to take personal ownership and accountability for their own academic performance.
Cindi Hill
Hello! I'm Cindi Hill, and I'm the lead first-grade teacher. I love teaching first grade! With 16 years of experience in education, I am continually inspired by the hard work and growth I see in my students—it’s truly a joy to be part of their journey.
I have been married to my wonderful husband, Ryan, for almost 29 years. Together, we have three amazing adult children: a 25-year-old son and his beautiful wife, and a 22-year-old daughter.
When I'm not with my students, I enjoy traveling, going for walks, reading, crafting, watching movies, and playing games with friends and family. I’m a big fan of theater popcorn, I avoid cooking, and dream of learning to play the piano one day. I LOVE being a BULLFROG!
Madison Rich
Barbara Wangsgard
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