I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving Break. I know mine was both enjoyable and relaxing. It is good to be back at school with all the great students and teachers at Foothills.

We are seeing some great progress in both reading and math with those students that are regularly practicing each night at home. If you haven’t been as faithful having your kids read and practice their math facts each night – now would be a great time to start. It really makes a huge difference. We are also doing well with our Attendance Goal of 90% of students at school on time each day. There have been just a couple weeks where we have slightly gone below our goal. Thank you for keeping your children home when they are sick but then sending them back as soon as they are better! We also appreciate your help and support in getting our students to school on time each day.

As winter is upon us, I wanted to discuss Foothills’s policy for inside/outside days. We live in the great state of Utah where it often snows. Many students want to go outside and play in the snow and take a needed physical break from their studies. For the most part, students will be expected to go outside for recess. On rare occasions (rain, blizzard, etc.) students will not be allowed to go outside. Parents can help us out by sending their child to school dressed as if it will always be an outside day. This way they are proactive and prepared for whatever happens. More detailed information about our cold weather procedures can be found in this newsletter.

Also a reminder to check our Lost and Found that is out on display in our front entryway through the month of December. We have lots and lots of jackets along with other items, and would love for them to return to their owner. All Lost and Found items not claimed by the Christmas Break will be donated to Tabitha's Way.

From all of us at Foothills Elementary we want to wish all our families a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

--Mrs. Stoddard

Our PTO and the Faculty and Staff at Foothills have been working hard to prepare for a magical Winter Wonderland Festival next week, on December 5th from 5:30-8:00. The school has been transformed into a Wonderland Miracle. The Auction Baskets are all put together and have so many amazing gifts in them. Along with lots of fun and games there will be yummy food too!

Remember presale tickets are available now by clicking here. You can order game tickets, concessions tickets, and meal tickets all at a discounted rate through Thursday, December 1st. Starting Friday, December 2nd the price for games tickets, meal tickets, and concessions will go up.

If you are not able to make it to this very fun night we would love for you to click here and click on donate if you are able to.

Tickets for the event can be picked up in the Book Fair. You can also purchase tickets in the office anytime the office is open with cash or check.

It truly will be a wonderful family and community event and we can't wait to see everyone there!

If you have not signed up for a conference time yet please click here.

Monday, Dec. 19th- Merry Colors Monday Dress from head to toe in red and green.

Tuesday, Dec. 20th- Holly Jolly Tuesday Wear Christmas sweaters and anything holly jolly.

Wednesday, Dec. 21st- Wake up and go! Wear pajamas to school!

With the more severe weather conditions of winter we wanted to review our procedures to both reassure and help parents and patrons prepare and plan.

• We recommend that students arrive at school no earlier than 8:30am for supervision purposes. The building will be open for students to wait for the start of class in the foyer.
• Children should arrive at school dressed for the weather of the day so they can safely and comfortably enjoy recesses. In winter months, children should remember to bring shoes to change into from their snow boots. All healthy children will be expected to go out for recess except in extreme weather conditions (wind chill, rain, snow, etc.).
• If your child cannot participate in recess for health reasons, please send a note to this effect. If it is to be a prolonged indoor stay (longer than 3 days) please send a note from the doctor.
• Students will remain inside in extreme weather conditions such as: very cold temperatures (below 20 degrees) and wind chill, heavy rain and snowfall, unhealthy air/inversions (we check air quality daily).
• Please be considerate and safety conscious as you drop off and pick up students at school. The winter months see an increase in the number of cars. Remember to: not block the flow of traffic (inside lanes are for waiting/sitting; outside lanes for pull through), not block cross walk areas, use parking stalls not pull through lanes if you need to enter the building.
• In the event of a major weather event (severe storm, power outage…) the District’s ICampus Messenger system will be used to notify parents. This can be in the form of an automated phone call, text, or email. For this information to reach you it is important that you keep your contact information current within the online SIS system. Information will also be posted and updated on the district web page www.nebo.edu. All teachers and staff members will remain at school to care for the students. Unless otherwise notified, we will release students only to responsible adults or family members.