Hello Bonneville Families,
Welcome to 2024!!! I truly hope you all had a wonderful winter break filled with good times and those you love. Here are just a couple of reminders for the start of Quarter 3…
#1. School begins TOMORROW, Wednesday, January 3rd. It is also the beginning of Quarter 3/Semester 2. Please, please help your students check their Focus portals and write down or memorize their new schedule. On Wednesday, every student will attend the classes assigned in their schedules. Schedule changes will begin on Thursday and our counselors will work quickly to make these changes. Please be patient as they work to make the necessary and possible adjustments. Students will receive more information tomorrow about how to sign up for a class change.
#2. Both boys and girls Volleyball begins this week. Boys will practice on Monday/Wednesday and girls on Tuesday/Thursday from 3-4:30. On Monday/Tuesday January 8th and 9th we will host a Volleyball Clinic with Cottonwood High School at Bonneville. This will be for both girls and boys. Please encourage your students to get involved and be ready for practices this week!
#3. Viking Night is Wednesday, January 10th from 5:30-7:30 PM for all our incoming 5th grade students! Please spread the word and join us for an open house evening to welcome our newest Vikings!
#4. I am resending a reminder about cell phones, electronic devices, headphones, earbuds, etc. This has been school policy all school year and I wanted to just share the reminder as we begin second semester.
As educators, we are constantly striving to create a positive and productive learning environment for our students. Recently, we have noticed that the presence of cell phones and headphones in the classroom are hindering this objective. After careful consideration, including discussions with school leadership, community members, and our neighboring schools, we are implementing a school-wide ban on these electronic communication devices in classes, hallways and bathrooms starting the 2023-2024 school year. Students may use these devices before school, after school, and at lunch. Basically, we are asking students to put these devices away when it’s time to focus on learning so everyone can be more engaged and connected to our Bonneville community.
We understand these devices are an important part of modern life and provide numerous benefits such as easy communication, access to information and entertainment. We also understand how important they are to our students. However, they are also causing distractions, disruptions, and even safety concerns in the classroom, hallways, and bathrooms. Research shows that students who use their phones during class tend to perform worse academically than those who do not. Cell phone and headphone use can also cause disruptions during lessons and affect the overall learning environment for other students.
We also acknowledge that you, as parents/guardians, may have some concerns about what this will look like as far as getting in touch with your student(s). To help with this, we have included a Frequently Asked Questions page. However, if you have a question or concern that is not addressed there, please let us know. We want to make sure we have addressed everything we can think of prior to the first day of school.
If a student’s electronic device is confiscated it will be delivered to the main office. Students will be allowed to retrieve their device at the end of the day for the first and second offense. A parent or guardian will need to pick up the device on the 3rd and subsequent offenses.
We understand that this decision may be inconvenient for some families, but we believe it is in the best interest of our students. We encourage you to work with us as we teach our students to responsibly use electronic devices to create a distraction-free learning environment. Again, please refer to the Frequently Asked Questions for more details and don’t hesitate to reach out with additional concerns.
Happy New Year and we will see you all tomorrow!
Jen Johnson, Principal