You close your eyes and it's the first of the new year and then open them again and we are sliding into spring! Well, except for the crazy snow storm that blew our way this week spring SHOULD be here in just a couple of weeks.

STAFF HIGHLIGHTS

This week's staff highlight features our STEM teacher, Steve Johnson. Mr. Johnson is an engineer at his real job and we are super fortunate he is willing to spend his Fridays at Bridge teaching STEM. Please read below about Mr. Johnson and the amazing work he does at our school.

Mark your calendars for the following days of NO SCHOOL

• March 9 & 10 (Parent Teacher Conferences)
• April 3 - 7 (Spring Break)
• May 26 (Teacher work day)
• May 29 (Memorial day)

Upcoming Events

• Book Fair - March 6 thru 10
• Roy City Fire Department Safety Assembly - April 19
• Math Night - April 20 (6 - 8 pm)
• Kindergarten Round Up - April 28
• Classic Skate Night - May 3

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!

Lani Rounds

Principal

Thank you for ALL who completed the survey. Last time we had a 31% return rate and this time 38% of our families completed the survey. The national average for surveys is 30% so although we would LOVE a higher return rate, we are at least hearing from over 1/3 of our families.

The SHOUT OUTS exceeded the IMPROVEMENTS so that makes out hearts happy. The majority of our families are happy with the environment and education we are providing our students but we do have room to grow. The data from the surveys give us the guidance to help us make those changes.

By far the PARKING LOT gets the most feedback. The number one suggestion is to stagger the pick up times by having different grades have different pick up times. While this sounds like a reasonable suggestion, 85% of our families have students in multiple grades. So, if their 1st grader got out at 3:20 they would still need to wait around until 3:30 for their 5th grader to get out of school. So the staggered start times only work for a very small number of our families. If this is you - the one student family - you could sign your student up for BASE and then check them out at 4:00 creating your own staggered pick up time.

The second parking lot suggestion is for us to remind parents to pay attention, drive safely and pull all the way forward. These are all things we remind parents - on the signs in the parking lot - daily with our parking lot staff - in the newsletter - in emails - on social media. Either, the parents who need the information do not read or hear, OR the parents who need the information choose not to follow the procedures put in place to keep our families safe. If you would like to volunteer in the parking lot to help enforce these procedures, we have TONS of yellow vests. Stop by the office and grab a vest. The only training requires a smile, the ability to swing your arm in a forward motion and repeat the words, PULL FORWARD. Seriously, we would LOVE any volunteers who want to help in the parking lot.

The next suggestion that garnered the most amount of feedback was suggesting we remove the students from the school that other parents feel are not the "right fit for Bridge" or other language to suggest that the student's parents should find a different school for that child to attend or, administration at Bridge should tell the child's parents the child can no longer attend Bridge. Since Bridge is a public school, once a child becomes a student at Bridge, it is illegal to tell a parent their child cannot attend our school. Once a child is enrolled at Bridge through the lottery, they are a Bridge student until the parent chooses another school for their child to attend. This is no different than when a child enrolls in their neighborhood school.

The family survey data and all of our assessment data is on our website at:

https://www.bridgecharter.org/curriculum

In Utah, charter schools are public schools. They are NOT private schools. They are not, as many parents like to think, even "semi private schools". Charter schools are free for students and get funding from the state government similar to traditional district schools with the exception that charter schools cannot "bond" like a district school does by putting a bond on the ballot to get money to build a school or pay for infrastructure. Instead, schools like Bridge, find a developer that believes in the charter enough to risk their money to build a building and then lease it to the school. Then, after the school has a steady enrollment they can find a bank or funding to buy the school which is what Bridge did last school year. Purchasing the building gave us the extra funding we needed to put in the turf for our playground and also relieved us of having to pay property tax since we now own the building as a public school.

As a charter school we do not have a district to which we report. We are our OWN district. Instead, we report directly to our board and directly to the state charter board. When we want to make changes because we find something isn't working - for example, we realized based on data that the 1st graders were not making adequate progress in writing. Using this data we were able to change the schedule and implement more writing. Since we are a charter school these are changes that can be done right at the school level without asking permission from "above" as would typically need to happen in a district school. This is just a simple example of how a charter school differs from a district school. Having less hierarchy of management also allows us to use the funding typically used for those levels of management to pay for all of the specialists and para educators we need to implement our personalized learning model using rotations and specials.

Because we are our own district, as a charter school we are also required to provide ALL of the services that a district provides if we have a child who needs those services. As an example, a district has a special class and a special school for students who may have severe emotional or academic needs. Since we are just one school we are required to provide those services as well, right here in our own school. While we don't employ speech therapists, occupational therapists, psychologists, ASL interpreters, Braille teachers, or behaviorists, we do contract with them to provide any required services. We also contract with LunchPro to provide students with breakfast, lunch and dinner.

Finally, charter schools in Utah are SCHOOLS OF CHOICE. Parents choose to enter a lottery and if selected, they CHOOSE to send their child to that school. The parent decides if the school is the right choice for their child. Each charter school is unique. The beauty of a charter school is that the parent gets to choose if it is the right fit for their child. As a community we are blessed that there are many great schools from which to choose - from a neighborhood school to a plethora of charter schools including many online options. It is the parent's duty to find the school that is the right fit for their child.

We strive to implement a system that creates a safe, positive, academically rich environment for students. But, our model, with its learning pod environment, its system of personalized learning, rotations, multiple transitions, and daily specials is unique, and this model may not be the right fit for EVERY student. We believe it is the right choice for many students and are thankful every day for those who have chosen Bridge as the right choice for their family.

For more information about charter schools in Utah you can visit:

https://www.schools.utah.gov/charterschools

In 6th grade our students just finished the book, The Devil's Arithmetic. The book is a "historical fiction time slip novel written by American author Jane Yolen and published in 1988. The book is about Hannah Stern, a Jewish girl who lives in New Rochelle, New York, and is sent back in time to experience the Holocaust."

Students read the book with their teacher and completed activities to support their learning. Today, students were visited by Judi Amsel from the Ogden Synagogue.

Math Talks are part of our core instruction where students are presented with math concepts or problems in a group and through discussion they learn to solve the problems and articulate their thinking. During a math talk students reason about their thinking and learn to make connections in mathematics. Every grade, K - 6, participate in math talks. Some use math talks during their small group instruction while others do math talks in whole group.

The book fair will be held in the library during the week of Parent Teacher Conferences. Each purchase made provides points for the school to buy books for our library and our Watch Me Learn Hop Shop prizes.

• Monday, March 6 = 3:30 pm - 5:00 pm
• Tuesday, March 7 = 3:30 pm - 5:00 pm
• Wednesday, March 8 = 1:30 pm- 8:00 pm
• Thursday, March 9 = 8:00 am - 8:00 pm
• Friday, March 10 = 8:00 am - 11:00 am

The Ogden Rotary Club donated and delivered dictionaries to our ENTIRE 3rd grade class this week! We are SO grateful for their generosity!

Rotary is a global network of 1.2 million neighbors, friends, leaders, and problem-solvers who see a world where people unite and take action to create lasting change - across the globe, in our communities, and in ourselves. The Ogden Club was formed in 1919 and is composed of around 100 individuals in our community from different backgrounds and leadership levels.

NOW HIRING FOR OPEN POSITIONS NEXT YEAR

Interested individuals should email resume to Lani@BridgeCharter.org

4th, 5th and 6th Grade Para Educators

Our para-educators work in the classrooms assisting students with computers, stations, specials, lunch and recess. Para-educators must pass a background check and have a minimum of an associate's degree or pass a para-pro Praxis test which they take through ETS.org Our para-educators work 29 - 35 hours weekly and receive paid time off and holiday pay for five holidays. Full-time employees (working 30+ hours weekly) are eligible for benefits including access to 401 K and health insurance. Salary is based on education and experience and is $15 - $18 hour.

Kindergarten Teacher (Mrs. Hill is moving to kindergarten to replace Mrs. Langhaim who is joining our SpED team) Professional License required and LETRS training

4th Grade Teacher (Mrs. Arboleya has chosen to use her Level 2 math endorsement at another school for next year) Professional License preferred though will consider an LEA or AEL license for the right person with experience

The calendar for next school year is now approved. You can access it on our website using the link below:

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

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.

Each week students attend a Visible Learning class where they learn about traits of a good learner. During next week's Visible Learning class students will learn about REFLECTION. Reflective learners review their learning by looking back to see what works and ways that they can improve.

• I will look back.
• I will listen to feedback.
• I will learn about myself.
• I will plan my next steps.
• I will reflect often.

By internalizing visible learning traits students will become lifelong learners who are set up for success. You can find all of our Visible Learning traits on our website at:

https://www.bridgecharter.org/character-first

We are starting the planning for our Field Day blowout! This is the funnest day of the school year and includes bounce houses, games, prizes, entertainment, food, fun, face painting, yearbook signing and more.

We are looking for donations for our game booths. Students play games and win prizes. These are not elaborate prizes. We are looking for simple things like you get at Zurchers, pick up in packs at the Dollar Store, or buy from Oriental Trading. We also need tons and tons and tons of cans of soda for the ring toss. Please drop your donations off in the office and remember to enter your donations (converted to hours) into our volunteer tracker so your family can be place into our Frog Pond in the front foyer.

https://www.bridgecharter.org/volunteer-opportunities

Amazon makes it SUPER easy to donate to Bridge through their Amazon Smile program. When you purchase from Amazon using the Amazon Smile link and select Bridge Elementary as your designated school, Amazon sends us a check every quarter. So far, Amazon has sent us $800 since the school opened its doors. The link is on our website for Amazon Smile. Bridge Elementary may show with a Kaysville address as that is our accounting address. Start shopping today.

School Website: https://www.bridgecharter.org/donate

Amazon Smile

Steve Johnson

I was teaching the other day and it occurred to me “I don’t quite have as much fun at my other job as I do at this job.” Teaching makes me happy. Hi, my name is Steve Johnson and I get to teach STEM to the kids at Bridge Elementary.

Teaching isn’t my full-time gig. I’m an Engineer, a Metallurgical Engineer. As a Metallurgical Engineer I get to break metals to make sure they are strong enough, design products to keep them from corroding in the nasty sea salt spray, and develop new and fascinating materials. I work full time at a company called L3Harris.

Besides teaching and engineering, I love to be outside. I’m an avid bikepacker which is really just backcountry backpacking on a bike. I am currently doing a trail called the Western Wildlands Route that goes from Canada to Mexico using the most remote roads and trails. That’s not something I can do in one go so I do it in small sections every year. So far I’ve gone from Blackfoot, Idaho to about Salina, Utah.

I’m excited to be the STEM teacher here at Bridge and get to do all the fun things with these kiddos. We build bridges out of straw and tape, make working windmills, fly airplanes, play with little robots, launch rockets, and this year in 6th grade we are even going to have our own “Shark Tank”. I hope these kids enjoy tackling the challenges I give them, and even if they don’t grow up to become fellow engineers, hopefully they will use some of the skills they’ve learned in my class to solve all of life’s little problems.

The yearbook can now be ordered, online. Orders are not taken at the school. Yearbooks will not be available at the school for sale. The cost is $15. You can also find the order information on our website at: https://www.bridgecharter.org/school-events

Code = BridgeES

Pre Pay code = BridgeYB23

Link to Order: YEARBOOK ORDER

Lunch payments can be made online or in the front office using cash or check. Payments made in the front office are posted immediately in Aspire. Online payments are not immediately updated in Aspire.

When payments are made online we must complete several steps to get the payments moved to Aspire. We do this every Monday and Wednesday. After we run the online report it takes another day for the money to post to your student's Aspire account. Please allow 3 - 5 days from the day you make the online payment to the day the information posts in Aspire.

The link to make payments online is found on our website by selecting the MEALS icon.

https://www.bridgecharter.org/lunch

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).
• 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)

After you have volunteered please enter your hours in our volunteer form on our website:

https://www.bridgecharter.org/volunteer-opportunities

Once your family has logged 30 volunteer hours they will have a frog put into our Volunteer Pond in the 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.