August 2020

As a teacher or administrator, last week was my 37^th start of a new school year, 22 as a high school educator, and 15 as an elementary principal. Kids are always excited to return to school, but the joy and excitement I observed and felt last week from students was unlike any other year. The students who returned to school were so happy to be reunited with friends and school staff. The impact of COVID-19 is real and changes daily, but we are hopeful we can continue to provide face-to-face instruction to those of you who are sending your children to school. And for those of you who are keeping your children at home, we understand you are doing what you feel is best for your children and family.

We are excited to welcome our youngest learners, preschooler and kindergartners, to school this week. There is likely to be some tears, perhaps more from parents than students, on Tuesday when parents drop their little ones off at school, but your babies will be well taken care of at Alpine Elementary! One thing I have learned in my 37 years as an educator, if I want a quick pick-me-up, I go visit our preschool or one of our kindergarten classes where the excitement for learning and life in general is palpable!

We have a school counselor, Tyrene Hartsell, working at Alpine Elementary on Tuesdays and Wednesdays and every other Monday. She splits her time between Alpine and Westfield Elementary. If a parent expresses interest in their student receiving counseling services, please contact Mrs. Hartsell directly through email at [email protected].  Mrs. Hartsell will follow-up with a parent contact.

It may also be helpful to understand how the counseling process works in our district when speaking with parents who would like to access this support.  Please note that the school counseling services at our school are not meant to be long term therapy, but can help students in the following ways. If you have questions about counseling services, please contact Mrs. Hartsell.

Tier 1: Schoolwide Instruction (SE Classroom Lessons)

Tier 2: Additional Time and Support (Small Groups focused on specific social/emotional skills)

Tier 3: Intensive Remediation: (Short Term Individual Counseling, usually 4-6 sessions max)

Our librarian, Paula Ruesch, sends the following message to parents of online students:

Alpine Elementary online students have access to library books through these three options:

SORA – our school’s online library. You can check out ebooks and audiobooks on SORA, just like you check out books from our library. Download the SORA app or visit soraapp.com.

To log into SORA:
-Select Alpine Elementary from the dropdown menu.
-Enter your student number (you can find your student number on Skyward)
-Enter your last name (all lower-case letters)

Holds & Pickup–place library books on hold and pick them up at the school. You’ll receive an email letting you know when your books are available to be picked up.

Visit the Library in Person – make an appointment to visit the library in person by emailing Mrs. Ruesch our librarian at [email protected].

The smoke-filled air last week reminded me of living in Central Oregon for 27 years during forest fire time. Hard to believe that forest fires in California had such an impact on our air quality in the Utah Valley.

I haven’t been on my road bike since May 30, and my wife and doctor have grounded me from my bike for another month, as I continue to recover from my two bike crashes (April 20 and May 30) this spring and summer. Last week’s smoky air was one time that I was grateful to be on a stationary bike in the gym, when I am usually missing being on my bike during this time of the year. My wife went to visit her sister in Seattle last week and before getting out of the car at the airport, she made me promise to not ride my bike while she was gone. And yes, I kept my promise!

Have a great week, and as always, remember that it is a great day to be an Eagle!