October 2021

I hope the entire Alpine Elementary Community had an enjoyable Fall Break. It is snowing as I write this, so fall weather in the Utah Valley can be very unpredictable. My wife and I went to Texas to watch a football game in 80-degree weather, and judging from the number of people wearing blue in McLane Stadium, home of the Baylor Bears, there had to be someone besides me at the game with ties to Alpine Elementary.

Our students and staff will be participating in our annual Red Ribbon Week, October 19 – 22. We are grateful to one of our parents, Andrew Young, and the fantastic videos he produces that our students will watch each day this week. The focus of the week is for students to learn how to say no to drugs and alcohol. Ask your students what they learned at school each day this week. The most powerful conversations about making safe and correct choices about drugs and alcohol happen at home.

Junior Achievement Helpers – The PTA is looking for volunteers to help organize the Junior Achievement program at Alpine. Junior Achievement is a global nonprofit with a mission to help develop business, financial, and entrepreneurial skills to elementary-age children. The opportunity to interact in your child’s class is fun and educational while allowing for flexibility for volunteers in scheduling and presentation. Lessons are 30-60 minutes with clear instructions that can be tailored to each volunteer’s education, work and life experience. Contact Dana Fong 385-770-0897 with any questions. If you would be interested in helping with this amazing program, please sign up here.

We are so excited to be having a Fall Festival this year!!  Our Fall Festival is taking place Monday, October 25th from 4:00-7:00.  There will be food, games, a cake walk and much more!!  It is going to be a great event for students and their families.  The flyer for the event is attached below.  We are still looking for volunteers (responsible teens or adults) to help on the day of the event.  If you are able to volunteer, please sign up here: https://www.signupgenius.com/ go/60B0A4AADAD2AA02-fall    Thank you so much for all that you do!

We will once again be having a Halloween Parade this year! We anticipate the parade with start in the gym at approximately 1:30 pm on Friday, October 29. And for parents who cannot attend the parade, as we did last year, we will have students parade through the library for an online parade.

Just a reminder that we have a box in our Staff Room where you can deposit your used computer ink cartridges. Place the cartridges in a plastic bag before bringing them to the school, and our school receives money through this recycle program.

We have several bags of Lost and Found items that were not claimed during the 2020 – 2021 school year. If you want to come and look through these assorted items, contact our Head Custodian, Mike Carter, 801-785-5040. Any Lost and Found items from last year not reclaimed by November 1 will be donated to a charitable organization.

The primary purpose of our Fall Break trip to Texas, to watch a football game between BYU and Baylor, was less than satisfying, as the Cougars lost for the second consecutive week. Unlike the Boise State game, where turnovers could be used as the reason for the loss, Baylor was simply the better team, dominating both lines of scrimmage. The Baylor fans were very kind and gracious, welcoming BYU fans to the Big XII in two years. Aside from the football game dominance, other parts of our trip were more enjoyable.

Having never traveled to Dallas and Waco, Laura and I learned more about one of the darkest days in our country’s history. We visited the John F. Kennedy Museum in the Book Depository Building, the location from where the 35^th President of the United States was assassinated on November 22, 1963. As a kindergartner in Pendleton, Oregon, I remember being sent home early from school on that fateful day.

And of course, while in Waco, we had to eat at Magnolia Table and visit The Silos of Chip and Joanna Gaines fame. The breakfast at Magnolia Table was delicious, as were the cupcakes and cookies Laura purchased at the Magnolia Bakery after standing in line for 20 minutes. My sweet wife knows me well enough to not ask me to shop with her, so while she checked out the different stores at The Silos, I spent time with a friend, my iPhone. We also visited the Branch Davidian Memorial Site outside of Waco and toured the Dr. Pepper Museum, the birthplace of that particular soft drink. Waco is not what I would call a beautiful city. I told my wife that the residents in the city and surrounding areas should be happy that Chip and Joanna have made efforts to beautify the city.

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

Thank you to all of the parents who came to Parent/Teacher Conferences! It was nice to see parents back in the school conversing with teachers after the unusual year we had last year. And we are grateful to all of the parents who purchased books at our Book Fair and to the local heroes who came to participate in the Hero Read with our students!

Fall Break will be October 14 – 18. October 13 will be a Minimal Day with students being dismissed at 12:45 pm. We hope all families in the Alpine Elementary Community have an enjoyable Fall Break!

Reflections – Reflection entries are due this week on October 13! Have your students finish up those last submissions and enter them at: https://www.utahpta.org/ref

Junior Achievement Helpers – The PTA is looking for volunteers to help organize the Junior Achievement program at Alpine. Junior Achievement is a global nonprofit with a mission to help develop business, financial, and entrepreneurial skills to elementary-age children. The opportunity to interact in your child’s class is fun and educational while allowing for flexibility for volunteers in scheduling and presentation. Lessons are 30-60 minutes with clear instructions that can be tailored to each volunteer’s education, work and life experience. Contact Dana Fong 385-770-0897 with any questions. If you would be interested in helping with this amazing program, please sign up here.

We are so excited to be having a Fall Festival this year!!  Our Fall Festival is taking place Monday, October 25th from 4:00-7:00.  There will be food, games, a cake walk and much more!!  It is going to be a great event for students and their families.  The flyer for the event is attached below.  We are still looking for volunteers (responsible teens or adults) to help on the day of the event.  If you are able to volunteer, please sign up here: https://www.signupgenius.com/ go/60B0A4AADAD2AA02-fall    Thank you so much for all that you do!

We will once again be having a Halloween Parade this year! We anticipate the parade with start in the gym at approximately 1:30 pm on Friday, October 29. And for parents who cannot attend the parade, as we did last year, we will have students parade through the library for an online parade.

Because of labor shortages in Nutrition Services Departments across the Alpine School District, breakfast and lunch menus will be reduced to just one entrée, starting on Monday, September 27! School menus are posted on the Alpine School District website.

Just a reminder that we have a box in our Staff Room where you can deposit your used computer ink cartridges. Place the cartridges in a plastic bag before bringing them to the school, and our school receives money through this recycle program.

I was once again in LaVell Edwards Stadium and watched BYU lose their first football game of the season on Saturday afternoon against Boise State in a mistake-filled game. The sour taste of the football game was washed away on Sunday as we were able to have a family gathering with four of our five children and their families. Our son and his wife from South Dakota were visiting Utah, so we were only missing our daughter and her family in Oregon, though they did join our family get together via FaceTime. The ongoing happiness and progress of family is certainly of much more meaning and long-lasting significance than a football game. Having said that, I will continue to root for my alma mater! Laura and I will be in attendance next week in Waco, Texas at the BYU/Baylor football game. Go Cougs!

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