SC Newsletter
"Panther Are All In"
Before/After and Cold Weather Morning/Recess Procedures
SC Parents,
I want to take a moment and review our South Clearfield morning and after-school procedures.
Students should not be at school before 8:30, unless with a parent, in the before-school program, or eating breakfast at the school. We do not have before-school supervision until 8:30.
In the mornings, the SC playground is for kindergarten students only. We had too many injuries on the playground with upper grades and lower grades on the playground at the same time, as well as students who were late lining up and getting into school because they were playing on the playground.
If students eat breakfast at the school, they can come earlier and enter through the breakfast doors starting at 8:15. Breakfast is served from 8:20 to 8:40.
In the morning, if it's colder than 20 degrees or the “feels like” temperature is colder than 20 degrees, students will come into the gym, entering through the breakfast doors. Otherwise, we will be lining up outside. We also look at the conditions outside to make the indoor/outdoor determination. Please note that this is a Davis School District Policy that all elementary schools have been asked to follow. We are constantly looking at the temperature and conditions in the morning, and throughout the day to make this decision.
Students and parents can easily know if it’s an indoor or outdoor morning by looking at the internal lights of the school. In the common areas, if the lights are blue, we are inside. If the lights are yellow, we are outside. If you need help locating these lights, please let me or your child’s teacher know.
Other than breakfast and/or cold weather morning scenarios, students should go to their designated grade-level lineup spots. After the 8:45 bell rings, teachers will bring their entire class and bring their class in together.
If parents want to bring their students into the school, they are more than welcome to do so through the front doors. Anyone other than our students or those with Davis School District IDs must sign in at the office before entering the school. This includes before school if parents want to go to breakfast with their child or children.
After school students will leave out of their designated grade level doors. They will then go to the meeting spot you have prearranged with them, to the bus pickup zone, to the afterschool program, or head directly home.
Please know that we want to have a welcoming school for all parents and students, and we in no way want it to feel otherwise. We are more than open to suggestions as we want this to work for everyone while also following Davis School District Policies.
SC Book Club!
We've had quite a few following along digitally also so that's great!
Mr. Kinghorn has set our party date for January 12th! This good news means STUDENTS CAN READ OVER CHRISTMAS BREAK and still attend!
Panther Book Club - South Clearfield Elementary School (davis.k12.ut.us)
For those who have been reading remind them to turn in their SIGNED reading log I will be around to pick those up before winter break.
Parking Lot / Student Drop-Off / Pick-Up
We are currently using cones to block certain areas in the parking lot. We ask that you follow the procedures that have been put into place to ensure safe conditions as students come and go from school each day. If these cones are effective, we will be installing a permanent solution.
12/15/22* At this point, we are still changing where we are placing cones to block certain areas. We are working with risk management to hopefully find better solutions.
One change we are going to ask parents to start following:
If you are turning right onto 1000 E. (Falcon Drive) to leave the school parking lot, we ask that you drive south by the SC school playground. That road will take you to the Clearfield City Park area. This will allow you to turn right and not wait for those turning left in the school exit lane. This will also help to clear traffic out of the parking at a quicker pace.
1. Student drop-off and pick-up consist of two lanes – a pull-through lane on the left and a drop-off lane on the right.
2. Between 8:15 and 8:50 a.m. each morning and 3:10 and 3:45 p.m. each afternoon, cars will use the drop-off zones against the curb in the parking lot when loading and unloading students. A second lane away from the curb will be used for cars that need to pull through.
3. All vehicles should enter through the East entrance of the parking lot and proceed to the North end, where you will follow the North edge of the parking lot to the front of the school.
4. There will be NO CURBSIDE PARKING (and getting out of your vehicle) allowed in the drop-off and pick-up loop. If you need to leave your vehicle, we ask that you park in one of our 165 parking stalls. Cars left unattended in the drop-off, pick-up, and pull-through lanes will be reported to the police and subject to fines and/or towing.
Our hope is that everyone will cooperate with this policy voluntarily.
Ultimately, we all have the same interest in mind... getting our kids safely, keeping them safe, and getting home safely.
Programs @ SC
Before and After School Program
Before & After School Program - South Clearfield Elementary School (davis.k12.ut.us)
Beverly T. Sorensen Arts Integration
This is Theater and is in every class, Kindergarten through sixth grade, once a week for 30 minutes. We also have BTS integrated into the after-school program four times a week for an hour.
Our BTS instructor is Ms. Ireland. She is a certified teacher with an emphasis on theater. If you want to know more about what's happening with your student's grade level, you can contact Ms. Ireland at lireland@dsdmail.net.
BTS Arts | Utah (btsartsimpact.com)
Choir –
Started in September 2022. The choir is every Tuesday Morning at 8:00 AM.
Choir Instructors: Ms. Frei, Ms. Garrett, Ms. (C.)Harper
Drones –
Starting in March 2023. This will be for grades K-6. All students will start at the same level as we work towards aerial surveying. We will group students from different age groups who will work as a team to build and then fly the drone they have built.
Instructor: Mr. Kinghorn
Please note that I have had parents ask that we provide more opportunities for younger grades as well. I am more than happy to do that, but I will need a few volunteers to help me run the program.
Hill Air Force Base Airman Lunch Mentors
Started September 2022. Airman from Hill Air Force Base, mentors K-6 students during lunch.
We're open to any branch of the military and parents to do the same!
Contact Ms. Youngberg, Ms. Mitchell, or Mr. Kinghorn if you are interested.
Hope Squad –
Started the 2022/2023 group in August 2022.
Advisors: Ms. Nielson & Ms. Hirschi
Learning to Breathe as part of Mindfulness
All K-5 students will be taught by our school counselor Ms. Nielson.
Sixth-grade students will be taught by Davis Behavioral Health (DBH) in January 2023.
Instructors: Ms. Nielson, DBH
MESA - Math, Engineering, and Science Achievement –
For 5th and 6th grade students.
MESA - South Clearfield Elementary School (davis.k12.ut.us)
Instructors: Ms. Tilley, Ms. Camacho
NASP (National Archery in Schools Program)
NASP will start in January.
Some coaches are currently getting recertified. Some are ready to go.
NASP Schools – National Archery in the Schools Program (NASP)
Coaches: Ms. Graham, Mr. Joos, Mr. Kinghorn, Mr. Nielson, Ms. Nielson, Ms. Richards, Ms. Steed.
Panther Parents -
Parent, grandparent, uncle, and aunts, please become a Panther Parent.
Help mentor students from 8:15 to 9:00 AM or 3:15 to 3:45 PM.
Contact Ms. Joos, Ms. Youngberg, Mr. Kinghorn, or Ms. Johnson (S.) for more information.
Panther Book Club – Ms. Harper
Started in November 2022.
The oldest child from each family brought home the book "The Borrowers."
Panther Book Club - South Clearfield Elementary School (davis.k12.ut.us)
Coordinator: Ms.(C)Harper
S2S (Student 2 Student) –
Started August 2022.
Student 2 Student® - Military Child Education Coalition
Advisors: Ms. Nielson, Ms. Youngberg, Ms. Wilson, and Mr. Kinghorn
STUCO –
Started the 2022/2023 group in August 2022.
Advisors: Ms. Johnson (K.), Ms. Johnson (S.), and Ms. Wilson
Track –
Starting Spring 2023. All Grade Levels K-6 can participate.
Coaches: Ms. Sherlock, Mr. Kinghorn, Ms. Johnson (S.).
Please note that I have had parents ask that we provide more opportunities for younger grades as well. I am more than happy to do that, but we will need a few volunteers to help us run the program.
VEX –
Started September 2022. This is a 6th-grade program. 5th-grade students will have the opportunity to begin in April 2023.
Coach: Mr. Pandoff
If you would like to volunteer and help with any of these programs, please let us know!
Also, thanks to some amazing parent feedback, we are also considering the following for our students:
Knitting class
Sewing class
Chess Club
Young Eagles
We will need volunteers to help!
Students get 45 minutes of Enrichment Time Monday - Thursday. Below you will find highlights from our great enrichment teachers.
We've been working on a range of different sports in PE. I've also been focusing on giving them the opportunity to develop and improve their social and physical skills. - Ms. Brimhall
First Graders Playing Scooter Tag
Sixth graders in a Football Drill
In the library we are reading Christmas and Winter books. The broken Ornament, Bear Stays up for Christmas. Next week we will watch a book video, The Gingerbread Pirates. It is fun when I make the books come to life on screen. We had an activity coloring Winter bookmarks. Our students are so artistic. There is much excitement in the air in anticipation of Winter break. Christmas and snow books are flying off the shelf. When it is cold outside there is no better place to be than curled up with a good book.- Ms. Wilson
In Art, we are working on a lot of different Christmas and Winter projects. We will be doing chimes in Music in a couple weeks! - Ms. Garrett
In STEM we are working on Sphero Bot coding in paint and water up until Christmas break! This is a combination of STEM and Art, and the kids Love it! I'm super excited about it! - Ms. Frei
Utah Suicide & Crisis Line - Dial 988!
When you call 988, you have the option to select the Veterans Crisis Line or the Spanish Language Crisis Line. If you don't select either of those options and have a Utah area code, you will be routed to the Utah Crisis Line. If after three minutes your call is unanswered, you will be connected to the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline backup affiliate network.
When you text or chat 988, you will be asked to complete a short survey about your current situation. Then you will be connected to a live, trained crisis counselor through a secure online platform.
December 15th - SC Choir Concert for parents - 6:00 PM
Kindergarten - The Elves and the Shoemaker
This year is our fourth-annual SC "The Elves and the Shoemaker" event for our kindergarten students. As a school, we work with Operation Warm, Mountain America Credit Union, and the Davis Education Foundation to give each of our kindergarten students shoes.
This year's Elves and the Shoemaker Event will be on December 19th. So, when your student comes home with their new kicks, please know that this was possible because of the amazing partnership we have with Operation Warm, Mountain America Credit Union, and the Davis Education Foundation.
No More, Not Here! & The SC Code of Respect
We take negative behaviors and safe school violations very seriously here at SC. We have and continue to focus on No More, Not Here! along with our SC Code of Respect / Behavior Plan.
The SC Code of Respect / Behavior Plan can be viewed in full in our SC Handbook:
Handbook - South Clearfield Elementary School (davis.k12.ut.us)
We have taught and will continue to teach students how to react if they see something or hear something that is negative, hurtful, or harmful toward another student. These steps are:
Interrupt
Ask a Question
Educate
Echo
THE SOUTH CLEARFIELD PANTHERS CODE OF RESPECT
Be Respectful – Be Responsible – Be Safe
A special emphasis will be placed on the teaching of self-discipline, good citizenship, and social skills.
If a student violates the South Clearfield Elementary Code of Respect, that student will be given a warning (or) citation, (or) could be directly referred to school administration.
Be Respectful
We respect ourselves by:
o Being honest
o Doing our best, striving for excellence
o Being safe
o Making wise choices
o Using good manners
o Taking responsibility for our actions
We respect others by:
o Treating others as you would like to be treated
o Being courteous and using kind words
o Listening when others are talking
o Standing up for others
o Respecting and obeying teachers’ and other school workers’ instructions
o Following the school rules
o Never bullying
Be Responsible
We are responsible by:
o Keeping personal spaces clean and returning items to their proper place
o Being responsible for our own possessions
o Picking up garbage on the ground or floor, even if we didn’t drop it
o Not taking the property of others
o Putting name on any clothing and/or items brought to school
o Treating the school building and grounds with pride
o Working when it is time to work
o Being on time for school
o Being in the right place at the right time
o Listening to instructions and directions
Be Safe
We are safe by:
Following all indoor and outdoor school rules to ensure that every person is safe, feels safe, and is not put into a dangerous situation.
Bullied Vs. Unkind
We also want to ensure that students know the difference between being bullied and having someone who may have done or said something that was not kind to them. We will always handle any type of harassment, bullying, or simply being mean under our zero-tolerance policies. When we look at the definition of bullying, we see that this is something that happens multiple times, over a period of time. We never want to victimize our students by saying they are being bullied, if that's not the case. We do want to acknowledge if they are not being treated well, as they deserve to always be treated right.
Winter Break starts December 21st (Early-Out on Dec. 20th) - Return to School on January 4th.
Parent Teacher Conferences
Our next parent-teacher conferences are on January 25th and 26th.
Signups for parent-teacher conference appointment times will open in myDSD after Winter Break.
If you would like to come in person and meet with your child's teacher, all you will need to do is contact your child's teacher and let him/her know that you will be here at SC in person. Even if you are in person, there's still the option for another parent or guardian to attend via zoom at the same time if they can't also make it.
If you plan on utilizing zoom for parent-teacher conferences and not coming into the school, like we've done for the past few years due to Covid, you can choose this option. Teachers will be planning on the zoom option unless parents reach out and let them know otherwise.
Parent Nights
We will once again be working with the United Way Strengthening Families Program and EveryDay Strong this year.
We are planning on our first family night in February.
United Way Strengthening Families (UWSF) is a framework that guides local United Ways and communities in their development of initiatives designed to promote strong families, support healthy child development, and minimize the risk of child abuse and neglect.
Strengthening Families | United Way – Born Learning
Tools for Parents:
Walk & Bike
Walk N Roll - Safe Routes Utah
The website above has the Walk & Roll Monthly Challenge to submit your progress at the end of every month to qualify for sweet prizes.
SUBMISSIONS ARE ONLY ACCEPTED ONLINE. PLEASE USE THE FORM BELOW.
*Winners will be notified by phone or email the first week of every month.
- Walk or bike to school. Each time you walk or bike to school you’ll be entered for an additional chance to win a sweet prize.*
- Use the progress chart to track the days you walk or bike to school.
- Submit your progress online by the end of the month.
Thank You!
Mr. Kinghorn
Principal
South Clearfield Elementary
Panthers With PRIDE
“Panthers Are All In”