Hello Glacier Hills Community!
I want to extend my heartfelt thanks to each of you for making our first week of school a resounding success! Your dedication and cooperation were truly evident, particularly during drop-off and pick-up times, where everything went smoothly and efficiently. I am so grateful for your support and partnership as we embark on this new school year together. Here’s to many more great weeks ahead!
Kindergarten Schedule: This week our Kindergarten will move to a full-day schedule. They will start and end school with all students at 9:00 AM and will be released at 3:45 PM.
Before School Starts: We are going to ask that no parents enter the blacktop before school each morning. Last week we had the kindergarten parents in the back, but we are ready to move to staff watching the students before school. Parents are able to drop students off in front of the cafeteria and have students enter for breakfast, drop students off in the front and have students walk through the front doors, or have students enter from the sides or back gates and enter the blacktop and line up on their own. We will have teachers in the back to help find their lines. Thank you for helping to keep our students safe.
Checking Students Out early: There are times where parents need to pick students up early for an appointment or activity. With 630 students this year, we are asking that parents check out before 3:30 PM or wait until the students are released at 3:45 PM. As we work hard to get each child home safely, it is very hard to call into classes and down to the office without confusion at the end of the day while students are packing up. Thank you for your help with this request!
Drop off entrance for cars: We only have one entrance for cars that the parents are asked to use. It is on the east end of the school and it leads to the drop off line and the front parking lot. Both of these areas are fine to use each morning and afternoon. There is a bus parking lot on the south end of the school. It is for teacher parking and buses only. We are asking for parents to not enter this parking lot or drop kids off in the parking lot. We have 12 buses using this lane and we need to keep students safe.
New Attendance Plan and Incentives: Glacier Hills is excited to announce a new attendance plan designed to encourage punctuality and regular school attendance. This new initiative aims to ensure students arrive on time and maintain fewer than eight absences throughout the school year. This plan includes a range of motivational strategies such as daily incentives, monthly attendance awards, recognition for consistent punctuality, and engaging activities to emphasize the importance of being present and on time. By fostering a positive and supportive environment, we hope to inspire all students to value their education and participate fully in their learning experiences. Some of the fun incentives are:’
- Attendance Tracking Bulletin Board in hallway with class and grade level competitions
- Build a Yeti Homeroom incentive that earns a puzzle piece each time the class has 92% attendance in a day, when the puzzle is complete the class gets to spin a wheel for prizes
- PBIS Rewards Points daily for on time and daily attendance
- Daily Attendance Tickets if students are in their seats at 9:00 to earn prizes – This starts tomorrow!
- Attendance Celebration quarterly for students with 92% and above attendance
- Attendance board in front of school to show the community the attendance rate
Reading Incentive Plan: We are excited to introduce a new reading plan designed to foster a love of reading and enhance literacy skills. Starting this month, students will be encouraged to read at home every night and track their progress using a reading log. Each student will receive a log to record their nightly reading, and those who consistently complete their reading and return their logs each month will be awarded special monthly reading tags as a token of their achievement. If they earn one for each month, they will get an additional one at the end of the year. The first reading log will go home on Tuesday, September 3rd. We believe that this nightly reading routine will not only help students improve their reading abilities but also make reading a fun and rewarding part of their daily lives. Some of the other reading incentives include:
- tracking minutes read throughout the school on a centrally-located bulletin board,
- showcase the number of minutes read on the school website so the community can see school-wide progress
- host a parent AVID night in the fall to explain elements of AVID, highlighting the importance of reading.
Yeti Swag Store: We are offering Glacier Hills shirts, sweatshirts, and hoodies for purchase. This is not a fundraiser and is completely voluntary! Please click on the link below to access the store or use the QR code. You purchase through the online store, and the clothing will be delivered to the school. The store will close September 30th, and delivery will be around mid-October.
https://glacierhillsstudent.itemorder.com/shop/home/
HELP US FIGHT FOOD WASTE: Join us in our mission to lower food waste in Canyons School District. In this video, we delve into the importance of making informed choices during school lunch. Learn about the required food groups, discover how to create a balanced meal, and take a quick quiz to test your knowledge. Let’s work together to ensure nutritious meals for all students while minimizing food waste.
Information shard previously that may still be helpful:
Nominations are now open for the Glacier Hills School Community Council (SCC). School Community Councils are composed of elected parents and/or guardians whose children attend the school, elected employee representatives, and the school principal. As directed by state law, School Community Councils (SCC) review achievement data, help identify academic needs, provide input on school improvement plans, and assist in evaluating the success of the plans.
The SCC is also responsible for determining how the LAND Trust funds are used in our school. When Utah was granted Statehood, parcels of land were placed in a perpetual Trust with the children of Utah as beneficiaries. Revenues from these lands go into the Permanent State School Fund. The dividends and interest of that fund are distributed annually to each public school in Utah.
Serving on the School Community Council is an excellent way to be part of school improvement and supporting your child’s educational experience. Each fall parents and teachers are invited to submit a Declaration of Candidacy to serve on the SCC. Elections are held each year before the start of the school year.
If you are interested in being a member of the School Community Council (SCC), please email Julia Winfree (Julia.winfree@canyonsdistrict.org) by Sunday, September 1th, 2024.
Volunteer Registration – It is time to renew your supervised volunteer application with Canyons School District. All volunteers in schools, including members of the PTA, School Community Council, anyone attending field trips or working with students in any capacity need to complete and submit a yearly application form for background screening. For more information, please visit volunteer.canyonsdistrict.org or call 801-826-5171.
PTA News:
Thank you for all who have joined and supported the PTA! There is still time to join! It’s only 6 dollars! And if you join before Parent Teacher Conference, you will get 6 dollars off at the next book fair!
Please join at https://glacierhills.givebacks.com/store?limit=21&live=true
Please join us for our first PTA meeting! We will be meeting on September 3rd at 9 15 am. It will last one hour and you are welcome to bring small children. We just ask that you bring something for them so do to keep them pretty calm as we don’t want to disrupt classes that are going on.
Stay in the know by joining our Glacier Hills PTA Facebook page, here:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/1661588824219501/
Thanks!
Glacier Hills PTA
Save the Dates:
26 Acadience Testing 3rd-5th All Day Media Center
27 Acadience Testing K-2nd All Day Media Center
September
2 Labor Day No School
4 SCC Meeting 5:15 Media Center
6 Vision and Hearing Screen 9:00-11:00 Stage
13 School Pictures All Day Stage
16 Lockdown Drill 9:25 Classrooms
23 Grandparents Lunch 11:00-1:00 Gym
23 PT Conferences 4:00-8:00 Classrooms
25 Grandparents Lunch 11:00-1:00 Gym
25 PT Conferences 3:00-7:00 Classrooms
28 Early Out 1:55 PM
27 Teacher Comp day – NO School
30 PTA Fundraiser Begins
Let’s have an amazing year together!
Julie Winfree
Principal
Glacier Hills Elementary
801-826-9825
