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On Saturday, I participated in a 100-mile bike race, the Tour de St. George. The 71-degree weather with little wind was perfect for a bike ride. I was able to meet my time goal and achieve a personal best for a Century Ride. Some may ask what enjoyment can anyone find in spending five hours and 55 minutes pedaling a bike on a small, hard seat. Like many of you who exercise, I find joy in painful personal physical challenges. As we rode our route, there were intermittent aid stations where you could refill water bottles and eat assorted snacks. My favorite stop was in Veyo where riders could eat slices of homemade apple or berry pie served by the Veyo Pie and Bakery.

We had another great Red Ribbon Week! We are so fortunate to have Andrew Young as one of our parents. The time and effort Andrew put forth in creating the four Red Ribbon Week videos was amazing and enhanced the learning experience for our students as they choose to make healthy lifestyle choices starting at a young age. It took me six takes to record my short appearance in the Friday video, so I can only imagine all that was required to create the professional-quality videos that Andrew produced. Andrew’s wife, Arica, who also helped with the video production, told me that Andrew spent some sleepless nights last week working on our videos, in addition to his full-time job responsibilities. Thank you Andrew Young! We are also grateful to all that our PTA did to help with Red Ribbon Week.

Thursday is of course Halloween. Please remember to not send your students to school with masks or replicas of weapons. Our Halloween Parade should be entering the gym between 1:30 – 1:40 pm, but you can come after we have our cafeteria/gym cleaned up from lunch at 1:00 pm.

I’ve attached a flyer for the Alpine City Halloween celebration tonight, October 28.

I know many of you have older students who attend Lone Peak High School. Friday’s lockdown at LPHS, though initiated by a miscommunication, had to be a frightening experience for students, parents and staff. The opportunity law enforcement agencies had to respond to the perceived threat will help to keep students safe in the future. This link gives an overview of Friday’s events. https://www.deseret.com/utah/2019/10/25/20932630/lone-peak-high-highland-utah-lockdown-alpine

If your students are riding bikes to school, please have them lock their bikes in one of our bike racks. We have had several bikes taken from the school in recent weeks. Some we have found in Creekside Park, others are still missing.

The following students were nominated by their teachers and recognized last week for consistently demonstrating the character traits of the Alpine Big 3: Responsibility, Respect and Readiness to Learn.

Addie Armstrong–5th Grade, Mr. Horan

Annie Clarke–5th Grade, Mrs. Padgett

Annabelle Collins–3rd Grade, Mrs. Duke

Gwen Domike–4th Grade, Ms. A. Moore

Anna Jane Willis–2nd Grade, Mrs. Blodgett

Owen Layton–3rd Grade, Ms. Elder

Watson Mathis–1st Grade, Mrs. Bailey

Camryn Melvin–3rd Grade, Ms. Elder

Eleanor Oldroyd–1st Grade, Ms. Johnson

Kennedy Rodman–4th Grade, Mrs. Orgill

Logan Rogerson–4th Grade, Mrs. Orgill

Hawk Rosenvall–5th Grade, Mrs. Hill

Lindsey Tomkinson–1st Grade, Mrs. Bailey

Audrey Walker–1st Grade, Ms. Johnson

Marshall White–3rd Grade, Mrs. Duke

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

I heard from a friend who drove up into American Fork Canyon yesterday that there was a long line of people in cars wanting to see the many evidences of fall.  Aside from gridlock traffic, how can you not love this season of the year? Crisp mornings, followed by days filled with sunshine that invite all of us to get outside and embrace the beauties of a fall day in the Utah Valley. Though the weather is better suited to afternoon, instead of morning bike rides, there are still grandchildren soccer games and yard work that give me the opportunity to enjoy the beautiful autumn weather. And there is no better place to ride my bike at this time of the year than the American Fork Canyon as the trees turn into a kaleidoscope of color!

Don’t forget that Thursday is Picture Make-up Day.

It will be a busy week with Parent/Teacher Conferences and our Book Fair. If you haven’t already done so, please get on Skyward and sign up for a conference with your child’s teacher.

When you come to Parent/Teacher Conferences, we encourage you to come visit our Book Fair. We are grateful to parents Vivian Hsiao and Chelsea Hertig for creating a winter wonderland as you enter our library and Book Fair because of course “It is snow fun to read!”

Also, when you are in the school for conferences, please swing by the Lost and Found near the gym entrance to see if you can reclaim any lost items that belong to your student.

I have attached the agenda for our October 10 School Community Council Meeting, 9:30 – 10:30 am in the Conference Room. Any parent is welcome to attend.

There is also an attached flyer for the Lone Peak Youth Wrestling Club. Tracy Wallace, the husband of second grade teacher, Maureen Wallace, is the head wrestling coach at LPHS and also oversees the Youth Wrestling Club.

The following students were nominated by their teachers and recognized last week for consistently demonstrating the character traits of the Alpine Big 3: Responsibility, Respect and Readiness to Learn.

Rockwell Alexander–4th Grade, Mrs. Keller

Max Bergquist–4th Grade, Mrs. Vipperman

Macie Collins–5th Grade, Mrs. Padgett

Davidson Egan–6th Grade, Mrs. Reyes

August Gheciu–5th Grade, Mrs. Hill

Patrick Gheciu–2nd Grade, Mrs. Wallace

Joe Hansen–1st Grade, Ms. Johnson

Gabe Hansen–3rd Grade, Mrs. Chen

Sydney Hogge–1st Grade, Ms. Johnson

Tiger McCann–5th Grade, Mr. Horan

Aven Oh–5th Grade, Mrs. Hill

Isabella Price–6th Grade, Mrs. Monson

Kason Reynolds–3rd Grade, Mrs. Duke

Quinlan Wallace–6th Grade, Mrs. Reyes

Jane Wilson–4th Grade, Mrs. Keller

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

Last day of September. October here we come! The trees are changing colors and the leaves are starting to drop. And our younger students are still trying to master my two-syllable name. I had a kindergarten student last week cheerfully say to me, “Hello Mr. Peedoo!”

Once again, the Alpine Elementary Community came together as we met the PTA Fundraiser goal of raising $10,000! We had brought in $5,200 through Thursday of last week and then had a huge day on Friday to get over the $10,000 mark. The PTA will use every dollar to directly benefit all students at Alpine Elementary. Thank you Alpine Elementary Community for your generous donations! And huge shout out to Ryan Johnson and Max Connect Marketing for providing t-shirts for all of our students! We are also grateful to Chick-Fil-A for donating lunches to the classes that brought in the most money and to Zurchers Party Store for donating decorations for the Friday dance party.

For the past four years we have used an assessment for our K – 3 grade students called DIBELS to measure what we call the Big 5 reading components: Phonics, Phonemic Awareness, Fluency, Vocabulary and Comprehension. There is a multitude of research to indicate that the foundation for individual student success in elementary school is the ability to read at grade level. The DIBELS assessment is now called Acadience, but the grade level tests have not changed. We administer the Acadience test three times a year to our students. The Beginning of Year (BOY) assessment lets teachers know where students are with their foundational reading skills. I have attached Alpine Elementary’s Beginning of Year assessment scores for the past four years. You will notice that our scores continue to improve. We of course want all students to be proficient readers, meaning they are in the blue or green categories. Students who are yellow or red have some gaps in one or more of the Big 5 reading components. Because of improved reading instruction at the lower grade levels, the number of red and yellow students have decreased over the past four years, which is reason to celebrate. Congratulations to our dedicated teachers for the outstanding instruction students are receiving! Parents of K – 3 grade students will learn more about their child’s reading assessment at Parent Teacher Conferences October 7 – 11.

And thanks to our School Community Council for paying the $12 per student assessment fee, our 4^th – 6^th graders are receiving the Acadience assessments this year for the first time, so our upper grade teachers will have reading assessment data to help them with their in-class instruction.

            2016 – 2017—95 students

            2017 – 2018—68 students

            2018 – 2019—51 students

            2019 – 2020—47 students

The following students were nominated by their teachers and recognized last week for consistently demonstrating the character traits of the Alpine Big 3: Responsibility, Respect and Readiness to Learn.

Camden Abbott–6th Grade, Ms. Kuo

Ellie Fugal–5th Grade, Mrs. Weakley

Lupita Gallardo Figueroa–6th Grade, Mrs. Kaczmarek

Bella Gerber–6th Grade, Ms. Kuo

Becca Hale–Kindergarten, Mrs. Aitchison

Beckham Larkin–Kindergarten, Mrs. Aitchison

Tim Neves–5th Grade, Mrs. Padgett

Quacy Omane’ Brimpong–6th Grade, Mrs. Kaczmarek

Rachel Schmidt–4th Grade, Mrs. Orgill

Eliza Smith–3rd, Mrs. Duke

Alexis Smith–Kindergarten, Mrs. Aitchison

Cora Spencer–3rd Grade, Mrs. Chen

Maren Tomkinson–2nd Grade, Ms. Andersen

Libby Topham–5th Grade, Mrs. Weakley

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

I was in a meeting last week with 150 other people and a survey was taken of which season of the year was the favorite of those in attendance. Fall was the overwhelming choice, with over 60% of the participants indicating this time of the year is their favorite. Saturday was the ultimate fall day for me. Early morning Alpine Loop bike ride, Cougar Tail at Lavell Edwards Stadium, family companionship, another heart-pounding BYU overtime victory, evening wedding reception with lots of good food. If all of my Saturdays could be that enjoyable!

Our K – 3 graders take their beginning-of-year reading assessments today. For the past three years we have administered three times during the school year a test called DIBELS to our K – 3 graders. The only thing that has changed is the name of the test. Instead of DIBELS, it is now called the Acadience Test. This assessment gives our K – 3 grade teachers data on the foundational reading skills of our students in phonics, phonemic awareness, fluency, vocabulary and comprehension. A team of testers that the Alpine School District has trained come into our library and administer the assessment. Each student’s assessment will take less than five minutes. The Big Five reading skills mentioned above are the foundation for at-grade-level reading skills. Once teachers have their Acadience results, they can more effectively diagnose what needs to be done to help each and every child be a proficient reader.

We are grateful that our librarian, Paula Ruesch, invited children’s author, Jennifer Nielsen, to our school last week. Our 4^th – 6^th graders attended an assembly where Jennifer shared how she became an author, and she also encouraged the students to explore their creative talents.

The following students were recognized as Students of the Week last week for demonstrating the characteristics of the Alpine Big 3, being Respectful, Responsible and Ready to learn. Congratulations!

Benson Anderson

Molly Barnes

Tessa Christofferson

Crew Feaster

Merced Francom

Gabby Ross

Hank Gillespie

Braden Hazel

Dean Hsiao

Lillian Hsiao

Crew Nelson

Phoenix Reinwand

Corbin Smith

Gabe Taylor

London Wing

I have attached a flyer for flu vaccination clinics being offered in our area

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

Some members of my family and I headed southeast of the Utah Valley for a weekend getaway. There was one point in the trip, the conclusion of an event we were watching, that was particularly enjoyable. I have attached some photos. I went to a similar family gathering a little closer to home on August 29. and for some reason, my friends dressed in red enjoyed that experience more than me. Interesting how the trips we take in life can cause such contrasting emotions.

School pictures are on Thursday, September 12. Your students should have brought home a flyer explaining the different photo options.

If you want to help support our school, take your family to the Chick-Fil-A in Lehi, not American Fork, tonight for dinner, 5:00 – 8:00 pm. A percentage of the total sales will go to Alpine Elementary.

Kindergarten teacher, Mrs. Aitchison, shared a few of the comments her kindergartners have shared with her in the first two-weeks of school. If I ever need a pick-me-up and something to smile about, I go spend some time in a kindergarten classroom.

Bright Ideas is an extra-curricular theme-based program open to all interested elementary students. This year’s theme is Fact vs. Fiction focusing on different branches of STEAM education: science, technology, engineering, art and math. I have attached a flyer giving you more information.

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

Another year, another loss (9 consecutive) in football to BYU’s arch-rival, the University of Utah. Congratulations to all Ute fans out there and thanks to all those who wore Cougar and Ute attire last Thursday. There was no doubt who the better prepared and superior team was Thursday night. But being the die-hard Cougar fan that I am, I will be traveling to Knoxville, Tennessee this weekend to watch BYU compete against the Tennessee Volunteers. As I took in the majesty and natural beauty of the American Fork and Provo Canyons on bike rides on Saturday and Monday, I was reminded of the fact that there is so much more important in life than the outcome of a football game, and what a special part of the world we live in!

The start of a new school year can be a scary thing for some children (and yes, some adults as well), especially our youngest students. Our grandson, Easton, started kindergarten at Brookhaven Elementary in Eagle Mountain this past week. Check out the attached photos. On his doorstep at home, Easton was excited to start his K – 12 educational journey, even flexing for his mother to indicate he was ready to conquer all that kindergarten had to offer. However, our daughter, Darcee, told us that when the bus pulled up to take Easton to school, he turned and looked at her frightened and hesitant to get on the bus, and with longing eyes seemed to be silently communicating, “I’m scared Mommy.” And then, in a moment of little-boy courage, he grabbed his friend Brody’s hand, and did what for him was a very hard thing, left his mother behind and got on the bus. And he had a great first day of kindergarten! What a powerful metaphor that teaches us that we can all do hard things, and we all have a Brody in our life who is willing to take our hand and help us through the challenging and difficult experiences that we all encounter.

We are excited to welcome New York Times bestselling author Jennifer Nielsen to our Battle of the Books launch assembly on Monday, September, 9th at 10:00 am followed by a book signing held in the library after the assembly. Thanks to the PTA for sponsoring our Battle of the Books program this year!

Kindergarten parents, please remember to not exit your vehicles when picking up your child, unless you are in a designated parking spot. We have some parents who are leaving their vehicles in the roundabout to go get their students, which creates backed-up traffic in the southwest parking lot. If you are going to use the roundabout as a stopping place to pick up your student, please stay in your vehicle. Preschool parents have been asked by Miss Kathy to park in a designated parking spot and to walk their child into the classroom.

One of our Nutrition Services staff members is highly sensitive to Patchouli oil. Please do not put Patchouli oil on your students because it is causing a very adverse reaction for one of our staff members.

I have attached the September PTA newsletter. The PTA still needs volunteers for a few programs, so please sign up on https://www.signupgenius.com/go/30E0F48A4AB2EA6FD0-ptavolunteer

There will be a PTA meeting on Monday, September 9. All parents are welcome to come! Take you family to dinner at Chick-Fil-A on September 9 and a percentage of the sales will go to Alpine Elementary. The PTA fundraiser will be September 23 -27. More details will be coming soon.

Members of the LPHS football team and cheer squad will be here on Thursday during our morning recess time to participate in the third annual P.L.A.Y. Day. The attached flyer gives you more details.

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