Eagle News 8/23/2021

We had a great first four days of school for our 1^st – 6^th graders! Students seem excited to be starting a new school year! Our teachers devoted a lot of time last week to teaching students how to demonstrate the Alpine Big 3: Respect, Responsibility, Ready, in the classroom and school common areas: hallways, restrooms and cafeteria. It is so important in the first days of school for students to learn the rules, routines and procedures that create a warm and nurturing learning environment in our school.

We are excited to welcome our youngest learners, the preschoolers and kindergartners, to their first day of school on August 24. There will undoubtedly be a few tears by both students and parents, but our teachers will welcome your students to school with love and enthusiasm.

We are proud of the 2020 – 2021 Alpine Elementary student academic achievement data. Acadience Testing is the foundational reading assessment that is administered to K – 6 graders three times during the school year. We particularly focus on the K – 3 scores, knowing that proficiency in reading is the foundation for all academic success in succeeding school years. Last year there were 60 elementary schools in the Alpine School District. 61 this year with the opening of a new school in Vineyard. Alpine Elementary’s Acadience results compared well with the other elementary schools in the ASD:

Kindergarten: 86% proficiency, 6^th highest in the ASD

First Grade: 86% proficiency, highest in the ASD

Second Grade: 72% proficiency, 12^th highest in the ASD

Third Grade: 71% proficiency, 6^th highest in the ASD

Those combined K  – 3 assessment scores gave us the second highest K – 3 Acadience results in the entire school district, 81.25 %.! ! Darn that Highland Elementary at 82% proficiency. Those achievement results don’t happen by accident. We are grateful for all of the great work last year’s K – 3 teachers did with students, and we are confident that this year’s teachers will continue helping students achieve to their full potential.

Our RISE state testing scores in English Language Arts, Math and Science in grades 3 – 6 are also above state average and compare favorably with the other schools in the ASD.

We are in need of multiple Teacher Aides this new school year. Most of the positions are three-hour jobs, though we do have some four and five-hour positions. Teacher Aides hours are typically in the 9:30 am – 12:30 pm time frame.

If you or someone you know is interested in working as an aide at Alpine Elementary, please contact our Instructional Coach, Jenna Berry, [email protected].

The Alpine Elementary PTA is looking for volunteers to help with our Running Club, which will be starting in the next couple of weeks. We have moved the Running Club to morning recess 3 times a week rather than early morning in the hopes that more students can participate. If you would like to help a couple of days a month to oversee the students as they run, please contact our PTA President Suzanne Campbell at 801-635-7899 or [email protected].

The PTA is also still looking for a volunteer to chair Red Ribbon Week, which focuses on Drug Safety and Awareness. This is an important program and serves as a great reminder to students, and will be happening the week of Oct. 19 – 22. Again, please reach out to Suzanne if you’d be interested in helping with that.

Please do not park in the bus loading zone 3:00 – 3:30 pm. We have cones set out to remind parents that cars in the bus loading zone make it difficult for our one bus to pull in to pick up students and leave to take students home.

I have included a flyer for an Elementary School Band and Orchestra Program being offered and Highland and Ridgeline Elementary schools. Because Highland has a different school start time than Alpine Elementary, the program at Ridgeline would be the one that fits our schedule.

Online Absence Requests

Parents can excuse their students from school by using the Online Absence Request for Parents. I have attached instructions on how to use this online form.

In the eight years I have been at Alpine Elementary, we have never had as much moisture as we did in our first week of school. Not always convenient for outside recess, but very much needed in this drought-stricken part of the country! We had trees in our neighborhood blown over by the strong wind Saturday night. Hopefully, your homes and property withstood the strong gusts. On my Saturday morning bike ride up to the top of Squaw Peak, I rode in a steady downpour for a few minutes. I hope that you all enjoyed the cooler weather over the weekend.

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