2021

It is Staff Appreciation Week! Our incredible PTA and other parent volunteers have scheduled multiple ways of saying thank you to our staff this week. Check out (see attached photo) how our main door entry by the flag pole is decorated on Monday.

Here is what the happening this week:

The Alpine Elementary staff do an incredible job of working with your students in any given year. Having said that, students, parents and staff will always remember the “Year of the Pandemic”. The fact that our staff has been face-to-face with students since August 17 when so many other places in the country have not opened their schools is reason for celebration. We appreciate all that the PTA is doing this week to say thank you to the Alpine Elementary faculty!

At 1:45 pm on Thursday, April 29 our 4^th graders will be performing their Utah State Program. Parents are welcome to attend but must be wearing masks. We will livestream the program if you want to stay home and watch it. I will send you a link later in the week.

The third and final Acadience reading assessment will be administered on Thursday, April 29. Acadience is the diagnostic test all K-3 graders takes to assess their foundational reading skills.

There will be no kindergarten May 10 – 14 as our kindergarten teachers will be administering the Kindergarten Entry and Exit (KEEP) Assessment. The final day of school for kindergartners will be May 26.

I have had some questions as to whether a decision has been made on next year’s schedule. We have received feedback from our faculty Leadership Team and almost everyone wanted to recapture lost instructional time, but find some sort of schedule that gives teachers the opportunity to work with students that need extra interventions. I and other principals have shared the feedback we are getting from teachers with our Supervisors, who in turn, have communicated with other District leaders. On Tuesday, April 27 the Alpine School District School Board will be discussing next year’s schedule and will probably vote on the 2021 – 2022 proposed schedule in the May 11 School Board Meeting.

Our 3^rd – 6^th graders are beginning their end-of-year state standardized tests called RISE Assessments. All 3^rd – 6^th graders take a English Language Arts (ELA) and Math assessment and the 4^th – 6^th graders also take a Science assessment. If you do not want your child to participate in the state assessments, please notify your student’s teacher and you will need sign an opt out form.

We will be accepting Teacher Request Forms (attached) until April 30. Because of the staffing changes next year, we will only be accepting Teacher Requests in grades K, 1, 2, and 3. There will only be one non-Chinese teacher, Mrs. Keller, in 4^th grade. Both non-Chinese teachers in 5^th grade are newly hired staff members. The students in Mrs. Hill’s 5^th grade class will be in her class for 6^th grade; consequently, there will be no teacher requests in the non-Chinese classes in grades 4, 5 and 6.

In May, our grade level teams will place students into next year’s classes. We make every effort to create classes that are balanced by gender, and academic/behavioral factors. We do our best to honor Teacher Requests from parents, but please know that turning in a Teacher Request Form does not guarantee class placement.

Just a reminder that we have a recycle box in the Staff Room for your old ink and toner cartridges. Place the old cartridges in a plastic bag and deposit in the recycle box. Alpine Elementary receives money for the recycled ink and toner cartridges. Thank you!

On Saturday, I biked with my bike team, Epic, from University Mall in Provo to Hobble Creek Canyon where we climbed both forks of the canyon. Saturday’s ride was wonderful, with no complications. Some of you may remember a different experience I had biking Hobble Creek Canyon in April 2018.

At the top of the right fork, I had a flat tire which I repaired, but unfortunately as I was riding down the mountain, I soon had another flat tire on the same wheel, so then I had a real predicament! We were miles above a locked gate so no cars would be driving by to help, no cell service and an inoperable bike! I told the friend I was with to ride down the mountain and call Laura and I would start walking down the road toward the locked gate, which in my clip-in bike shoes, would take a couple of hours. Fortunately, my friend told two members of our bike team who were waiting for us at the bottom of the mountain what had happened and they rode back up the mountain to rescue me. What loyal friends, right? My friend Blake is 5’9” maybe a 150 pounds. I am 6’2” 210 pounds, but nevertheless, he told me to sit on his bike while he straddled the frame and we coasted down the mountain as I carried my bike on my back to the locked gate, where I hitched a ride with a stranger and called my son in Mapleton to come pick up the weary bike rider in Springville. A bike ride for the ages! Don’t believe that story? Check out the attached photos!

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

We are losing some staff members, all incredible teachers, at the end of the school year:

Here are the staffing assignments for the 2021 – 2022 school year:

Kathy Thompson

Colleen Aitchison (half-time)

Jen Malone

Bridgette Bailey

Mykel Johnson

Connie Faux—Chinese Partner Teacher

Chinese Teacher—To be hired

Vicki Andersen

Tammy Orgill—currently in 4^th grade

Sara Henderson—Chinese Partner Teacher, new hire

Daphne Blodgett—Chinese Teacher

Aubri Elder

Katherine Kaczmarek—currently in 6^th grade

Amy Duke—Chinese Partner Teacher

Rui Chen—Chinese Teacher

Denise Keller

Maudie Vipperman—Chinese Partner Teacher

Anna Moore—Chinese Teacher

Alyssa Dale—new hire

Nicole Menssen—new hire

Jonathan Horan—Chinese Partner Teacher

Dawn Chang—Chinese Teacher

McKayla Hill—currently in 5^th grade

Megan Reyes

Mimi Monson—Chinese Partner Teacher

Sharon Kuo—Chinese Teacher

Rebecca Bergquist

Natalie Davies

Jill Johnson

Ellen Palsson

Shelley Tilton (half-time)

Tim Zito

Jaime Clement–Computers

Melinda Hunt—Music

Paula Ruesch—Library

Angela Tanner—Beverly Sorenson Art Teacher

Jenna Berry

Maren Williams

Tyrene Hartsell (half-time)

Karen Hopkins

Gina Zupan

We will be accepting Teacher Request Forms (attached) until April 30. Because of the staffing changes next year, we will only be accepting Teacher Requests in grades K, 1, 2, and 3. There will only be one non-Chinese teacher, Mrs. Keller, in 4^th grade. Both non-Chinese teachers in 5^th grade are newly hired staff members. The students in Mrs. Hill’s 5^th grade class will be in her class for 6^th grade; consequently, there will be no teacher requests in the non-Chinese classes in grades 4, 5 and 6. Students in the classes affected by teachers moving to other grade levels or working in another school next year will be informed by their teachers today.

In May, our grade level teams will place students into next year’s classes. We make every effort to create classes that are balanced by gender, and academic/behavioral factors. We do our best to honor Teacher Requests from parents, but please know that turning in a Teacher Request Form does not guarantee class placement.

Alpine Elementary is having a Crumbl Cookie School Fundraiser Tuesday April 20th, from 8am-10pm. This will only be at the LEHI TRAVERSE PKWY location. Come in and mention Alpine Elementary and 50% of the proceeds will come back to our school. If you are ordering online enter Alpine in the name line. Thank you for your support!

The following students were recognized as Students of the Week on Friday, April 16. Teachers nominate students who are consistently demonstrating the character traits of the Alpine Big 3: Being Respectful, Responsible and Ready to learn. Congratulations, Students of the Week!

Sawyer Ainge– 3rd grade, Mrs. Duke

Rachel Christenson– Kindergarten, Mrs. Aitchison

Annabelle Collins– 4th grade, Mrs. Keller

Jett Gunn– 1st grade, Mrs. Faux

Rayne Harward– 2nd grade, Mrs. Wallace

Ashlynn Hernandez– 3rd grade, Ms. Elder

Dean Hsiao– 3rd grade, Mrs. Chen

Owen Lanham– 5th grade, Mrs. Padgett

Nella Morton– 1st grade, Mrs. Chou

Holland Pace– 4th grade, Ms. Vipperman

Rachel Proctor– 3rd grade, Mrs. Chen

Saylor Reeve– 5th grade, Mrs. Chang

Ryelle Roundy– 4th grade, Ms. A. Moore

Stewart Smith– 3rd grade, Mrs. Chen

Isobel Spencer– 1st grade, Ms. Johnson

Did anyone else spend time this past weekend doing yard work? I mowed our lawn for the first time in 2021, and is always the reality at this time of the year, there is lots of unwanted plant life growing in our yard and flower beds, so some weeding needs to be done at our home as the Spring growing season brings the lawn, flowers and weeds to life.

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

I hope all of the Alpine Elementary Community had an enjoyable Spring Break. Only seven weeks of school left in a school year that none of us will ever forget! We have an 8^th grade grandson in Oregon who was able to return to school on a modified schedule in February, and finally returns to full-day, five-day-a-week school on April 19. Even with the COVID-19 challenges we have faced this year. I am so grateful that at Alpine Elementary, we have had students in school since August 17!

April 10 ends the mask mandate in some locations on Utah, but not in schools. The mask mandate continues in all K-12 schools. Students, parents and staff are still expected to wear masks in schools, at least through June 15.

Fifth grade parents should have already received a communication from your student’s teacher, that we will be having our Maturation Classes, 1:30 – 2:30 pm on April 15. All parents need to have turned in a consent form if they want their students to participate in the Maturation Classes. The girls will be meeting in the gym and the boys in the library. Parents are welcome to attend if they are wearing masks. The instruction this year will be provided in a video format prepared by the health providers in the State of Utah. We will have a place for students to go if parents want their students opted out of the Maturation presentation.

If you didn’t register your incoming kindergartner before April 2, please come into our main office and get your student registered!

Please remember that you can now excuse your student absences online. Once again, the instructions on how to excuse students online are attached.

The following students were recognized as Students of the Week on Friday, April 2. Teachers nominate students who are consistently demonstrating the character traits of the Alpine Big 3: Being Respectful, Responsible and Ready to learn. Congratulations, Students of the Week!

Ruby Barrett– 3rd grade, Mrs. Duke

Oliver Blackham– 3rd grade, Mrs. Duke

Rachel Christenson– Kindergarten, Mrs. Aitchison

Reed Christofferson– 4th grade, Ms. Vipperman

Aiden Cluff– 6th grade, Mrs. Kaczmarek

Reese Davidson– 2nd grade, Mrs. Blodgett

Paul Favero– 2nd grade, Mrs. Blodgett

Nicholas Gheciu– 4th grade, Mrs. Orgill

Morgin Hansen– 6th grade, Mrs. Kaczmarek

Porter Hertig– 2nd grade, Mrs. Wallace

Ezme Hoard– 1st grade, Mrs. Chou

Nora Lee– 3rd grade, Ms. Elder

Hazel Ransom– 1st grade, Mrs. Faux

Zia Taylor– 6th grade, Ms. Kuo

Lindsey Tomkinson– 2nd grade, Ms. M. Moore

Aloha! I write you from Maalaea on the island of Maui! Laura and I won’t be returning to Utah until April 14. We had planned to travel to Hawaii for the first time to celebrate our 40^th wedding anniversary in April 2020, but COVID-19 essentially shut the world down, so one year later, we have spent a wonderful Spring Break in the Hawaiian Islands. Three days in Oahu and five days in Maui. And just like all of the other fair skinned haoles, we have experienced a variety of island pleasures: hiked Diamond Head, visited the North Shore (ran into Brigham from Ms. Elder’s third grade class and his family on the grounds of the Laie Temple), went to Pearl Harbor and visited the USS Arizona Memorial, snorkeled outside our condo in a bay (coral cuts legs and fingers if you aren’t careful), went on a commercial boat for more snorkeling in beautiful clear water full of amazing sea life in the Pacific Ocean, drove the Road to Hanna and hiked to Waimoku Falls in the Haleakala National Park, and ate lots of delicious food. A Spring Break that we will never forget!

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

Final week of school for before Spring Break and the calendar turns over to April! Hard to believe that we only have two months of school left in what has been a school year never to be forgotten.

Today is the last day of our Reading Week at Alpine Elementary. We hope that there have been a lot of kids reading this past week!  We are encouraging all students to keep track of minutes read or being read to at home.

Enter your minutes, TODAY Monday, March 29, by 10 pm. It will only take seconds to enter your student’s name, teacher, and total minutes.

You can click here to record total minutes or refer to the PTA Newsletter on the Alpine Elementary website.  Be sure to add any food allergies. Alternate treats are available for those with allergies. The top ten students from each grade who have entered the highest number of minutes will receive a Crumbl cookie !

Our next PTA meeting will be held on Tuesday, March 30th at 9:15 in the staff Room at Alpine Elementary. Everyone is welcome to join us!

Our 5^th grade Battle of the Books team participated at the District competition on Saturday, March 27 at AFJHS. The “We Survived the Great COVID-19” team of Adrienne Bodily, Ari Ingo, Lily Goodwin, Kyrie and Aria VanVactor (filling in for Ava Scoville) tied or won five of their six battles and were excellent representatives of Alpine Elementary! A huge thank you to our librarian Paula Ruesch, for organizing this year and every year’s, Battle of the Books. What a wonderful way to get students engaged and excited about reading.

On Saturday, Mrs. Ruesch introduced me to Keely Giles, the librarian at Vineyard Elementary. Eleven years ago, Keely brought Battle of the Books to Utah after seeing how much her sister’s children in Eugene, Oregon enjoyed BOB. As a native Oregonian, I didn’t know that BOB in Utah has its origins in my home state.

Kindergarten registration will continue through April 2. Please come into our office and get the necessary registration materials for any kindergartner who will be starting the 2021 – 22 school year. A child needs to be five-years-old before September 1, 2021 to be able to enroll in kindergarten.

We are excited to inform parents that they can now excuse student absences online on Skyward! See the attached flyer for step-by-step instructions.

The following students were recognized as Students of the Week on Friday, March 26. Teachers nominate students who are consistently demonstrating the character traits of the Alpine Big 3: Being Respectful, Responsible and Ready to learn. Congratulations, Students of the Week!

Brigham Adams– 3rd grade, Ms. Elder

Jaxton Bennett– 5th grade, Mrs. Hill

Reese Clark– 2nd grade, Mrs. Andersen

Benjamin Garcia– 1st grade, Mrs. Chou

Rebecca Hale– 1st grade, Mrs. Chou

Gracie Hartley– 4th grade, Ms. Vipperman

Conley Hughes– 1st grade, Mrs. Faux

Ruby Mason– 4th grade, Mrs. Keller

Jenica Morris– 6th grade, Mrs. Reyes

Violet Olson– 5th grade, Mrs. Padgett

Ethan Passey– 6th grade, Mrs. Reyes

Addison Rose– 1st grade, Mrs. Bailey

Callen Shin– 1st grade, Mrs. Johnson

Quail Smith– 1st grade, Mrs. Bailey

Viktoria Wilcox– 3rd grade, Ms. Elder

When I bike up Suncrest, as I did on Saturday morning, I always think of man I never met, but is legendary in the Utah Valley biking community. When you come to the four-way stop near the Suncrest Village Green Park, if you turn left, there is another half-mile climb up to Oak Summit Drive, the most difficult part of the Suncrest ascent. On June 17, 2011, Lloyd Guthrie, who is the father of Westfield Elementary principal, Salonna Thomas, was biking up that very steep climb on South Traverse Ridge Road, had a heart attack and passed away doing what brought him joy in life. Lloyd Guthrie was 83-years-old at the time of his passing! Having biked that very steep road many times, I stand in awe of a man who would even attempt such a feat at 83 years of age! The road bikers who know Lloyd Guthrie’s story call that portion of the ride Lloyd’s Hill, and for me, the inspiring account keeps me motivated to keep on pedaling on in all aspects of my life.

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

I hope you all enjoyed having your students home on Monday. Our staff had an excellent training on the importance of helping all students and staff meet their social emotional well-being needs.

What a year it has been since our world changed from a worldwide pandemic in March 2020! A year ago, I could not have told you the definition of social distancing, when it is appropriate to quarantine, how the Moderna and Johnson and Johnson vaccines compare, how to project documents in a Google Meets or Zoom meeting, and which mask works best for a man with a nose the size of mine! Lots of unexpected learning opportunities during challenging times! We seem to be seeing light at the end of the pandemic dark tunnel, but there will undoubtedly be ongoing hurdles to overcome. What a year it has been!

We are excited to inform parents that they can now excuse student absences online on Skyward! See the attached flyer for step-by-step instructions.

Our Lost and Found is once again overflowing. See the attached photos. One simple thing that parents can do to help us is to put your child’s first and last name on coats, jackets, hats and lunch boxes. With a name, we can return the lost item to the student here at school. Please come to the school and reclaim any lost items that should be in your homes and not sitting unused in our Lost and Found.

The following individuals will be recognized at the Lone Peak Council PTA Luncheon on Tuesday, March 16. Congratulations to the award recipients!

Teacher–Anna Moore

Support Staff–Sunny Wright

Parent Volunteer–Cherie’ Kelly

6th Grade Student–Caleb Ashton

The following students were recognized as Students of the Week on Friday, March 12. Teachers nominate students who are consistently demonstrating the character traits of the Alpine Big 3: Being Respectful, Responsible and Ready to learn. Congratulations, Students of the Week!

August Balser– 2nd grade, Mrs. Blodgett

Scout Bolen– 5th grade, Mrs. Padgett

Miko Braden– 1st grade, Mrs. Chou

Zoi Bruni– 5th grade, Mrs. Hill

Sarah Buchanan– 2nd grade, Mrs. Blodgett

Rockwell Gardner– 3rd grade, Mrs. Duke

Jackson Hebbert– 1st grade, Mrs. Faux

Sydney Hogge– 2nd grade, Mrs. Wallace

Joy Hung– 5th grade, Mr. Horan

Millie Lanham– Kindergarten, Mrs. Aitchison

Jaxon Larkin– 3rd grade, Ms. Elder

Joseph Merrell– 4th grade, Mrs. Orgill

Timothy Neves– 6th grade, Mrs. Kaczmarek

Ian Orgill– 1st grade, Mrs. Chou

Finn Rosenvall– 1st grade, Ms. Johnson

Laura and I had the opportunity to spend Saturday with our three children and 11 grandchildren who live along the Wasatch Front at a friend’s cabin in Tollgate, outside of Park City. A bit of a sketchy drive on snowy roads driving up the cabin, but a wonderful family gathering and reminder of what is most important in life. And because the upcoming week is Spring Break for Oregon schools, we will have in our home our daughter, son-in-law and the three grandchildren we didn’t see on Saturday. We need to find time to travel up to Rapid City, SD to visit our son and daughter-in-law to have time with all five of our children!

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

How about that weekend weather! The sunshine felt good and gave us all the opportunity to get outside and work in our yards or participate in our favorite outdoor activities.

We will be conducting a Safety Week, March 8 – 12. I have attached our Emergency Response Plans which can be found in Emergency Procedures under the Information tab. We want students, parents and staff to understand what is meant by the following emergency procedures:

We also encourage parents to review the Alpine Safe Route Map on the school website.

The Alpine Elementary School Community Council will be having their March meeting on Thursday, March 11, 9:30 – 10:30 am in the Conference Room. The agenda is attached.

We are grateful to all of the Alpine Elementary students who participated in this year’s Storytelling Festival! This year’s winners are Paisley Nance (lower grades) and Jane Rasmussen (upper grades). These two students will advance to the district level of the competition. Congratulations!

TODAY is the last day of Math Madness Week, and it has been such a great week! Remember to enter in all of your child’s minutes they have spent doing math minutes here in the google form TODAY.  Any websites that you work on with math, flashcards, worksheets, or recipes will count. The top ten kids from each grade who have entered the highest number of minutes by March 8th at 10 pm will receive a Crumbl cookie!!!  For those with food allergies we will have another prize option. Check out the link for more information.

We on the PTA board are so grateful for all those who have reached out to help us fill the PTA board for next year. There is one more spot left to be filled. We have an amazing mom, Suzanne Campbell, that has stepped up to be either President Elect or Co-President, but she needs someone to work with, as President or Co-President . She has done a fantastic job organizing and running our Chinese Lantern Festival the past few years. She will be great to work with!  Please reach out to Ammie Gillespie 801-472-4323 or Laralee Proctor 385-225-0657 if you have any questions. Thank you!

5^th and 6^th grade students who signed up for Battle of the Books will be battling today, Monday, March 8th? The winning team will compete at the District Battle of the Books Competition on Saturday, March 27th at American Fork Junior High School.

Our 3^rd and 4th grade students will battle on Monday, March 22!

Our Lost and Found is once again overflowing. See the attached photos. One simple thing that parents can do to help us is to put your child’s first and last name on coats, jackets, hats and lunch boxes. With a name, we can return the lost item to the student here at school. Please come to the school and reclaim any lost items that should be in your homes and not sitting unused in our Lost and Found.

The warmer temperatures are hopefully a harbinger that Spring is quickly approaching. For our date night on Friday, Laura taught me how to play pickle ball. Fun game but I have a lot to learn. My rudimentary skills are humbling when balanced with my very competitive nature. And on Saturday morning, I biked up up Suncrest. Good workout going up the hill and always fun coming down the mountain at an exhilarating speed!

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

Can you believe March has arrived? Has it really been almost a year that we have been dealing with a worldwide pandemic? As I have mentioned before, I am so grateful that our students have had the opportunity to be in school since August 18. We have three grandchildren in Oregon in 2^nd, 5^th and 8^th grade that have been going to school on a modified schedule since the first of February, and this week will be their first full-time week in school! We have been very fortunate here compared to many parts of the country.

There will be no school for students on Friday, March 5. It will be a Prep Day for our teachers.

Let’s give math a “Slam dunk”! March 1st-8th math is the game! This means we want students to do as much math as they can at home. Online math websites, flashcards, worksheets, recipe measurements. Anything that includes numbers! Please keep track of all math done in minutes and record in the google form. Click here.

The top ten kids from each grade who have entered the highest number of minutes by March 8th at 10pm will receive a Crumbl cookie!!!  For those with food allergies we will have another prize option.

Our champion teachers will encourage the kids at school, but the game plan includes all participation minutes with math at home. Please click on the link to see the flier for more information. https://docs.google.com/document/d/1REi9fymK5Yy-FxHGPBu7Iaqvm3rD6DrGboVzDa22w9U/edit?usp=sharing

The PTA is in need of a few more volunteers to fill the board, especially the President and President-elect positions. Laralee Proctor and Ammie Gillespie have been the Co-Presidents for two years and unfortunately two years is the max they are able to serve in this position. We know a lot of people are hesitant to get involved because they are not sure of the time commitment or responsibilities included. To help with this, we are having a meeting this Tuesday, March 2, at 9:15 am in the Staff Room at Alpine Elementary. We will be talking about both the time commitment and the responsibilities of each of the board positions. We feel that if people knew how easy it really is to be on the PTA Board, more people would be interested in doing it. Please know that coming to this meeting does in no way commit you to anything. It is purely an informative meeting. Please come, and bring a friend. Thank you!

We will soon be having our Battle of the Books competitions:

5^th and 6^th Grades –Monday, March 8

3^rd and 4^th Grades—Monday, March 22

Don’t forget that our school can receive money for your old ink cartridges. We have a recycling box in the Staff Room. Just put your old cartridges in a plastic bag and deposit the ink cartridges in the recycle box.

Our second annual Lantern Festival was a success! The time, effort and creativity of the students in creating the lanterns is to be celebrated. We appreciate the many parent volunteers who came to the school to both hang and take down the lanterns. And a special thank you to Suzanne Campbell who has been the source of vision and passion behind our two Lantern Festivals!

The following students were recognized as Students of the Week on Friday, February 26. Teachers nominate students who are consistently demonstrating the character traits of the Alpine Big 3: Being Respectful, Responsible and Ready to learn. Congratulations, Students of the Week!

Sage Bolen– 2nd grade, Ms. M. Moore

Carston Castle– 6th grade, Mrs. Monson

Leah Christensen– 6th grade, Ms. Kuo

Charlotte Collings– 1st grade, Mrs. Chou

Lila Crawley– 2nd grade, Mrs. Blodgett

Daisy Elder– 6th grade, Mrs. Kaczmarek

Charlotte Gerber– 2nd grade, Mrs. Blodgett

Tyler Greenwood– 3rd grade, Ms. Elder

Morgan Greer– 6th grade, Mrs. Monson

Kayleigh Nelsen– 4th grade, Ms. A. Moore

Cash Reynolds– 1st grade, Ms. Johnson

MaryKate Smith– Kindergarten, Mrs. Aitchison

Rome Verzello– 4th grade, Mrs. Keller

Annika Wilcox– 1st grade, Mrs. Faux

Danielle Zaharias– 5th grade, Mrs. Padgett

An educator always appreciates hearing from a former student who in some way communicates that we have made a difference in his/her life. Perhaps it is a former student seeing a teacher in the store or some other public place and running up to the teacher and enthusiastically saying “hello”. Or if they are brave enough, sometimes a middle or high school student will see a former teacher and express their appreciation for the experience that child had while he/she was in the teacher’s classroom. Nothing makes a teacher feel better than those moments!

Over the weekend I heard from a former student, now 48-years old, who I taught in a Language Arts class 33 years ago at Redmond High School in Redmond, Oregon. Brian Malarkey is now a well-known chef/restaurant owner who lives in San Diego, California. He has opened over 25 restaurants and has appeared multiple times on the Food Network and Top Chef. Brian was always a loud enthusiastic student who was often the class comedian, but it was evident that he was very creative and someone who liked to think outside of the box. Friday night, Brian, who I have not heard from in years, sent me an email saying, “I have been randomly thinking about my biggest influence from my school days, and I just wanted to reach out and say thank you so much for your influence. My wild spirit that you encouraged and did not put down, has driven me to great success.” The payoffs as an educator come in unexpected and special ways, even 33 years later. It is never too late to say thank you to an educator who made a difference in your life!

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

The Alpine School District Board of Education announces the appointment of Dr. Shane Farnsworth as interim superintendent effective March 5th, 2021. Dr. Farnsworth will oversee the day-to-day operations of the district as interim superintendent until his appointment as superintendent is official in July of this year. Superintendent Sam Jarman will continue serving in various assigned responsibilities and in a consulting capacity until his official retirement in July.

We are grateful for all of the students who made lanterns that will be hung throughout our school by parent volunteers today as Alpine Elementary rings in the Chinese New Year with a Lantern Festival, February 22 – 26.

Here is the link to the online performances from our Chinese classes for the Chinese New Year. Enjoy!

Thank you to the PTA volunteers who helped us with Internet Safety Week last week! The internet can be a dark and scary place if not used with boundaries and proper education. Computer Lab teacher, Jaime Clement’s, Digital Citizenship tab on the Alpine Elementary website is a great source of information on how to keep your children safe on their electronic devices.

 Students of the Week

The following students were recognized as Students of the Week on Friday, February 19. Teachers nominate students who are consistently demonstrating the character traits of the Alpine Big 3: Being Respectful, Responsible and Ready to learn. Congratulations, Students of the Week!

Charlotte Ashton– 3rd grade, Ms. Elder

Adrienne Bodily– 5th grade, Mrs. Chang

Lennox Deaton– Kindergarten, Mrs. Malone

Darren Favro– 4th grade, Mrs. Orgill

Ellie Fugal– 6th grade, Ms. Kuo

Gabe Hansen– 4th grade, Ms. A. Moore

Luke Hejny– 2nd grade, Mrs. Andersen

Landon Morris– Kindergarten, Mrs. Aitchison

Saydee Nelson– 2nd grade, Mrs. Andersen

Logan Rogerson– 5th grade, Mrs. Hill

Elina Rose– 1st grade, Mrs. Faux

Nathanael Smith– 6th grade, Ms. Kuo

Sara Walker– 4th grade, Mrs. Orgill

Kinley Wing– Kindergarten, Mrs. Aitchison

Taj Andrew Young– 2nd grade, Mrs. Wallace

As part of our annual evaluation process, all teachers and administrators are asked to get feedback from key stakeholders in a survey. I have attached the results from the surveys that I administered to teachers, parents and one grade level, 5^th grade, of students.

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

We are grateful for the new snowfall, but please be careful on the snowy roads. Driving times to and from school will need to be extended.

Check out the Internet Safety/Digital Citizenship tab on the Alpine Elementary website. Resources are included for parents.

Ask your child about the video they watched in class, or watch the video as a family. Complete the challenge and submit a photo each day to be entered into a drawing for fun prizes.  Drawings will happen Wednesday, Thursday & Friday.

List the names of each Alpine Elementary School student and send pictures to *[email protected].  

---

I can be Smart on the Internet! – Faux Paw Adventures in the Internet

CHALLENGE: Submit a picture or drawing of your family making a smart internet choice*

I can avoid Cyberbullying! – Faux Paw Meets the First Lady

CHALLENGE: Send a kind email or make a nice comment on social media*

I can Balance Real Life with Screen Time – Faux Paw Goes to the Game

CHALLENGE: Play a game, go on a walk, do a non-screen activity together*

I can be a Good Digital Citizen! – Faux Paw and the Unfortunate Upload

CHALLENGE: watch a positive video online together*

Don’t forget to email a picture each day for a chance to win great prizes like those below. Three winners each day!

$20 Chick Fil A Gift Card

Bop It Game

$20 Roxberry Gift Card

$20 Fiiz Gift Card

Card Game:Cover Your Assets

Zingo Game

$20 Amazon Gift Card

Bowling (Jack and Jill Lanes)

Stuffed Eagle

We are so excited to host Alpine Elementary’s Second Annual Chinese Lantern Festival coming up next week! Students (not just those in Chinese Immersion) should be bringing to school their lanterns this week, and we ask that all lanterns are turned in to their classes by this Friday. The lanterns will be hung on Feb. 22nd and students will take a tour of the lanterns by individual classes.

The Chinese Lantern Festival will kick off with the Chinese Immersion classes performing their Chinese New Year concert, only this time the classes will be recorded and links will be sent out for viewing. The entire week will be filled with fun Chinese New Year activities in individual classes, as well as in our specialty classes.

We are still looking for parent volunteers who would be willing to come to the school Monday, February 22 to help hang lanterns, and also those who would be willing to help take down the lanterns the afternoon of February 24. Please contact Suzanne Campbell at 801-635-7899 to help. And a final reminder, the class with the most lanterns turned in wins a pizza party!!

The following students were recognized as Students of the Week on Friday, February 12. Teachers nominate students who are consistently demonstrating the character traits of the Alpine Big 3: Being Respectful, Responsible and Ready to learn. Congratulations, Students of the Week!

Bella Bruni– 4th grade, Mrs. Keller

Zach Burgess– 2nd grade, Mrs. Wallace

Eden Christensen– 1st grade, Mrs. Faux

Nathan Conley– 1st grade, Mrs. Chou

Liam DeVilliers– 3rd grade, Mrs. Duke

Ronan Harward– Kindergarten, Mrs. Malone

Chase Hejny– 5th grade, Mr. Horan

Aaron Janeway– 6th grade, Mrs. Reyes

Cody Mason– 6th grade, Mrs. Kaczmarek

Henry Olson– 1st grade, Ms. Johnson

Cassidy Pullham– 6th grade, Mrs. Reyes

Penn Slemboski– 5th grade, Mrs. Padgett

Hue Slemboski– 2nd grade, Ms. M. Moore

Sydney Thompson– Kindergarten, Mrs. Malone

Ruth Willis– Kindergarten, Mrs. Malone

A few hours after receiving the second vaccine shot on Saturday, my body starting telling me not to get too cocky about the good health I have enjoyed during the pandemic. 24 hours of fever, chills, headache and lots of sleep. All gone now, but a good reminder that anything associated with this virus needs to be taken seriously.

Last week, I went to visit Silver Lake Elementary in Eagle Mountain to eat lunch with our first-grade grandson who is having difficulty transitioning from home schooling with his mother for the first part of the school year to returning to the public school. Because Easton refuses to get out of the car in the school parking lot, our daughter walks him into his classroom each day and sits in the back of the room with her three-year-old daughter while Easton gets into his school day groove, at which time, his mother and younger sister quietly exit the room. While I was visiting with the principal, Joel Miller, at Silver Lake Elementary, outside of the lunch room, a student approached us and said, “Mr. Miller, is that your grandpa?” As you can see in Mr. Miller’s school photo, he is a handsome, mature looking man. But his grandfather? Ouch! Maybe I should start shaving my head like Mr. Miller.

In that same first grade classroom at Silver Lake Elementary, our daughter sent us a photo of the Valentine bag one of the students brought to school on Friday. Aurora is still working on the proper spelling of pencils.  See attachment.

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