HUSKYGRAM
A Weekly Newsletter Brought To You By Heritage Elementary
September 18, 2020
WORDS FROM OUR PRINCIPAL
Dear Parents,
The theme for this year is anything can happen and probably will. Many people were surprised at the School Board’s change of schedule decided at their meeting this week. You may like to know some of the main reasons behind their decision.
1) The rate of elementary infection was <3% when compared with the county-wide average of almost 10%. (You can view the District COVID-19 Dashboard on the DSD homepage. https://www.davis.k12.ut.us/)
2) They interviewed about 40 elementary teachers last week. (Only one per school). The teachers were able to tell them the good things that have come from the hybrid schedule and also shared the things that are not working. Some of the strengths of the hybrid schedule are teachers are able to get to know their students quickly, they could teach procedures in a small group, teach CANVAS and check out devices in a small group, could quickly see who was catching on to concepts, and behavior issues were way down.
They listed weaknesses as still assessment benchmarking in week three of being in school, (assessing takes longer even though some concepts can be taught faster), they had to teach everything twice, it takes three times longer to plan for a week that has remote lessons, many families were not engaging in the curriculum during their off days, and many students are entering their classes less proficient and there is not time to catch them up.
Overall, these teachers gave student learning less than 2.5 on a scale of 1-4.
Needless to say, we are really excited to have all your children back with us starting on September 28th. We will still be diligent at following the Big 5 rules and the policies and procedures we have in place now (grade level doors, assigned seating in the lunchroom, visitors to our building protocols, forgotten items left on table in the secure vestibule, etc.) will still be in effect. We don’t want any of our teachers getting sick and we will be extra vigilant in making sure we follow the Big 5 protocols.
Please don’t have your children arrive at school earlier than 8:40, due to the difficulty of physically distancing with more students on the playground. Students should go to their grade level doors/line up spots as they have been doing since the start of the school year.
Make sure your kids know where they are meeting the groups they walk or carpool with outside because teachers will still be leading their students out their grade level doors at the end of the day. Students won’t be able to walk around inside the school looking for the kids they leave school with.
I have received some of the nicest emails from parents this week expressing their appreciation for their children’s teachers. They are day brighteners for me and for the teachers who have been working long hours to learn new programs and procedures. They truly care for every one of their students. Our district leaders also care for the families and employees in Davis School District. I feel very blessed to be led by them and to be part of our Heritage community where there is support and understanding for people going through trials and difficult situations. We are all going through these turbulent times together for the first time and I am grateful for the blood, sweat, and tears put forth by our teachers and district personnel and by parents who have sacrificed for the benefit of their children. In the end, it’s about doing what’s best for kids.
Ruthanne Keller
Principal, Heritage Elementary
Mrs. Capps and Mrs. Robinson have posted a new series of STEM videos for your students. They will try to post weekly, so watch on the schools social media accounts for them.
Heritage Hike Extended Through Sept. 25th
The Heritage Hike PTA Fundraiser is here! This year the hike will not be held at the school, but the students can collect donations and then hike or walk with their families anytime, anywhere between Sept. 9th-25th. For every 10 minutes hiked, the students can decorate a footprint to hang around the walls of the school to see how much we all hiked together! The footprints can have their names, a picture of their hike, and anything else they would like to add. Students can turn their footprints and donation slips into their teacher or at the office by Sept. 25th. Any donations $100 or more will have their family or business name displayed on a banner in the front foyer all school year. Students should have brought home more information, footprints to decorate, and donation slips.
This is a unique year and we are excited to continue this long-standing tradition! We love our Heritage families and are so grateful for all the support!
REFLECTION CONTEST
The 2020-2021 PTA Reflection contest is here! The theme is “I Matter Because…” We are looking for creative students to reflect on this theme and submit their artwork in Dance Choreography, Film Production, Literature, Music Composition, Photography, Visual Arts 2D or Visual Arts 3D.
This year, entries will be submitted online at utahpta.org/ref. There are information sheets for each category in the office or click on the link below for all the information you will need: Heritage Reflections Contest Website
Also, please spread the word to your friends and neighbors who have students that are doing remote learning or home school!
BOX TOPS
Click the PDF for clickable links
STUDENT REGISTRATION CARD
- LOG IN as a Guardian myDSD Account
- Select your STUDENT (you will need to do this for each individual student)
- Under the schedule, click on VIEW REPORTS
- Column on the right under the Blue STUDENT INFORMATION Tab, click on: STUDENT INFORMATION FORM
*print this form
*review all information and make any corrections if needed
*sign and date the form on the 2nd page
*send to the school with your student(s) even if no corrections were made
*they will get a treat
Thank you for your help!
Young Kia is an incredible partner in education. This event generates $10,000 for classrooms and teachers. Along with the funds, all supplies donated are given to our Head Start and Title 1 schools.
There is no physical event this year but the students can drop their entries and donations off any time between now and the 26th of September for a treat and an opportunity to win incredible prizes!
Printable School Calendar
ABOUT US
Email: bbair@dsdmail.net
Website: https://heritage.davis.k12.ut.us/
Location: 1354 W Weaver Ln S, Layton, UT, USA
Phone: 801-402-1200
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/heritageeldavis/