Bridge Bulletin

Happy holidays! This is the final newsletter of 2023! CRAZY that time has gone so quickly! This week has been full of so much fun for our kiddos with tons of holiday happenings in the classrooms! See below for pics of all the happiness, and craziness that incurred!

Shortly after we return from break students will begin the task of completing middle of year (MOY) assessments. This data is incredibly important for teachers to know how each student is growing and for us as a school to know how effective our programming, model and curriculum are performing. Students will complete computer based assessments using Imagine Learning for literacy and math and one on one in person assessments for Acadience reading and math. It is super important that students take these assessments seriously and do their best so the data will reflect their true growth. Students in grades 3+ will also have a writing assessment completed on the computer using Utah Compose. The progress reports are now part of the student's personalized learning plan (PLP) or kindergarten learning plan (KLP) and are accessed as a tab on the bottom. The KLP and PLP are shared digitally via email with parents. The data from these assessments will be on the child's MOY progress report by February 8, 2024.

This week we have a very special staff highlight! 😀 Starting January 2, Bridge will have a new position at our school - an Assistant Principal! Our new assistant principal is a person that many of you already know, Sara Tucker. Yes, Mrs. Tucker is returning to Bridge. After an 18 month adventure at another school she has decided to return "home" and we are SO excited to welcome her back. She will be helping Mrs. Rounds with all things administrative and will also be the door greeter on Fridays!

MARK YOUR CALENDARS

NO SCHOOL

• December 18 - Jan. 1 (Christmas Break)
• January 15 (Martin Luther King Day)
• February 2 (Legislative Day - Teacher Professional Development)
• February 19 (President's Day)
• March 7 and 8 (Parent Teacher Conferences)
• April 1 - 8 (Spring Break)

UPCOMING EVENTS

• January 23: Math Night FREE Dinner 6:00 - 7:30 pm
• January 26: $2 Donation Dress Down
• March 6 - 8: Parent Teacher Conferences

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

At Bridge our students learn about Visible Learning traits - enthusiasm, reflection, thoroughness, initiative, flexibility and determination each week in their Visible Learning special. These traits help a student take accountability and ownership of their learning, important aspects of healthy social emotional development by helping students become lifelong learners. This year, Bridge also adopted Second Steps, a social emotional curriculum which our social worker teaches in weekly lessons in the classroom. (You can find the entire scope and sequence to Second Steps on our website HERE). Each of the Visible Learning traits ties in directly with the skills learned in Second Steps and in turn, these skills align directly to Utah's "Portrait of a Graduate", the attributes Utah wants every student to acquire before graduating high school. This GRAPHIC on our website it a great way to show how our Visible Learning traits, Second Steps skills, and Portrait of a Graduate, all tie together.

Learning the skills and traits is important, but it's more important to see students use these skills in the classroom through various activities. For example, in 5th grade, students identify when a student has done something, such as taken initiative, and they update the Visible Learning board with the student's name and the action. In 3rd grade students are practicing Random Acts of Kindness using a "Grinch" theme. Throughout the school are reminders about traits of a good learner and the skills students can practice to help with their social emotional growth helping students not only become successful lifelong learners but also good, kind citizens.

Below you will see a taste of Social Emotional Learning in action at Bridge.

Please stop by during the break and check on the front portico for your child's missing coat, jacket, gloves, hats, and other clothing items they left behind.

Once again, Power Chess will rent space from Bridge on Fridays after school to implement an after school chess program. Information and registration can be found using the QR code below or going to the Community Events page on our website. This program is open to all community members - not just Bridge students.

Beginning February, Joeseon Martial Arts will begin renting our gym for their martial arts program. This provides a nice chunk of cash to Bridge but, additionally, they will be teaching two BASE classes each week - one on Tuesday and one on Thursday. Each grade will have an opportunity to attend the class each month. This was so well received when Champion martial arts provided us this opportunity we are really excited to be able to continue this for our BASE students. The schedule of which grade is attending martial arts each week for BASE is on our calendar. You can access our calendar from our webpage by selecting the CALENDAR icon.

Additionally, Joeseon Martial Arts have extended an offer to all Bridge students and students of Bridge staff. "Bridge students or staff who sign up in December, will get January tuition for free. The enrollment fee is $229 and will include everything needed to get started. Uniform, belt, T-shirt, gloves, USA taekwondo. Then in February tuition is $99 for one student and custom for two or more. They get $79 off the enrollment fee and $36 off each month thereafter, NO contracts."

Use this link for information to inquire about the program

https://linqapp.com/Joseon_Martial_Arts?r=link

To sign up please contact Master Jason 801-436-8298 or jason@utmac.org

On Friday, December 1, we sent an email regarding your intent for your student to return to Bridge next school year. It sounds crazy that it's only December and you need to think about August already; however, our lottery will open after the new year and we need to know how many spots are available to the general public.

First, we fill the spots with the current students who intend to return. Then, we fill the spots with their siblings, including their new kindergarten siblings. Finally, we open the remaining spots to the public. Unfortunately, if you do NOT complete the necessary steps to re-enroll your student, your spot will be given away. This process takes about 15 minutes to complete all of the steps and forms to re-enroll your student at Bridge for next year. THANK YOU if you have already completed this process! PLEASE, if you want your child to return to Bridge next school year, do this today if you have been dragging your feet.

Procrastinators WILL be sent a couple of emails and a phone call or two, but then, we have to give up at some point and assume you don't want your student to return to Bridge - that's when the spot is put back into the general lottery. This happens on January 21.

PLEASE check to see that Aspire has your correct email as that is how you receive the intent to return information as well as how you register for the upcoming school year. If you do NOT intend for your students to return to Bridge next school year, the INTENT TO RETURN email also has a link to a form for you to complete.

INCOMING KINDERGARTEN SIBLING STUDENTS - Patience - the lottery does not open until January 21, 2024. At that time you will enter your upcoming kindergartener into the lottery. These will be the FIRST students drawn when we run the lottery on February 5, 2024. You can find all this information on our Enrollment FAQ page on the website. We will send a reminder email to all 2024-2025 registered students a week before the lottery opens.

CALL THE OFFICE IF YOU NEED HELP WITH REGISTRATION OR ASPIRE (801)499-5180

OR EMAIL LALANI WILLIAMS LWILLIAMS@BRIDGECHARTER.ORG

This week's fresh fruit and vegetable program brought our kiddos Persian cucumbers, blueberries, oranges, and Pink Lady apples.

We are super grateful to have this program at Bridge.This program is designed to give kids the opportunity to try fresh fruits and vegetables that they may otherwise not have an opportunity to try.

I am so excited to be coming home to Bridge Elementary!!

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 am returning to Bridge as the assistant principal and I am so excited!

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

Each week students attend a Visible Learning class where they learn about traits of a good learner. When we return from Christmas break students will learn about Initiative "Recognizing and doing what needs to be done 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 part of the solution rather than the problem.
• Look for ways to help others.

By using these visible learning traits each day students will become lifelong learners who are set up for success. Please use this same verbiage at home and recognize when your student is using this trait.

Although we have had the visitor check in system since the beginning of September, some parents seem to have not received the information. When you visit Bridge to volunteer or have a meeting with your child's teacher, including a PLP meeting or an IEP meeting during school hours, you MUST bring a valid state ID and scan it into our check in system. The system will complete a background check to ensure the individual is allowed to be on the campus of an elementary school. If the the individual does not pass the background check the child's teacher can come to the office for the meeting. This is just one more step in protecting the safety of all our students.

The calendar for the school year can be accessed on our website using the link below:

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

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).
• Sorting construction paper into like colors (stop by the office).
• 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).

Once your family has volunteered 30 hours they can stop by the front office and ask for a VOLUNTEER FROG. There is no formal tracking program - just track the hours yourself. Then, write your family's name on the frog and tape the frog on our volunteer pond in the front 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.

Volunteering or donating is OPTIONAL and is not required to be a student or a parent of a student at Bridge Elementary.

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

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.

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

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

Assistant Principal - Sara Tucker - Sara@BridgeCharter.org

Student Support - Stacey Archuleta - Stacey@BridgeCharter.org

• Morning Supervision and BASE
• Behavior Support and Bullying
• 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 SpED Teacher - Dianne.Kelsey@BridgeCharter.org

Chad McBride SpED Teacher - Chad@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