Principal’s Weekly Update August 8, 2025

Dear Eastwood Parents and Community Members,

I wanted to send some important information that you should know. They are as follows:

Eastwood bus stop schedule 2025–2026

Eastwood Elementary (EL) — 3305 S Wasatch Blvd

Granite School District Transportation Services handles questions about student transportation. For general inquiries, call 385-646-4280. For special education busing, call 385-646-4298.

Schedule updated July 15, 2025

Track the bus: Here Comes the Bus

If your child rides the bus, you can track the bus with the Here Comes the Bus app.

Parents and students can track their Granite School District bus in the app, available in the App Store and on Google Play. The app shows real-time bus location on a map, scheduled and actual arrival times for home and school routes, and push and email notifications when the bus is near.

Here Comes the Bus announcement image details

Headline: Track Your Bus from Your Smartphone

Date: January 2021

Callout text: Parent-approved, industry-leading, award-winning.

Product name: Here Comes The Bus®

App screen (visible text): Sam Synovia

Parents and students can now track their Granite School District bus on the Here Comes the Bus app, available on The App Store and Google Play.

This app shows the real-time location of your bus on a map, gives scheduled and actual arrival times for both home and school routes, and provides push and email notifications when the bus is near.

Here’s how to sign up:

1. Download the Here Comes the Bus app from The App Store or Google Play.
2. Tap Sign Up, then tap Continue.
3. Tap I have the Code.
4. Enter your email address, first name, last name, and school district code (29318). Accept the Terms and Conditions and tap Continue.
5. Tap Confirm if Granite School District is displayed.
6. Create your password.
7. If successful, you will see a Thank You screen. From here, check your email inbox for a message from noreply@synovia.com. Open the email and click Activate My Account. Once completed, close the browser link. You may now open the app and sign in with your email address and newly created password.

Adding a Student:

1. Once you’re signed in, tap the Student icon.
2. Tap the Add Student button and enter their last name and student ID. Tap Submit.
3. Repeat this process for additional students.

Questions? Send an email to buses@graniteschools.org or call the Transportation Department at 385-646-4280.

Back-to-School morning logistics

I realize parents may have more than one child at our school and would like to meet multiple teachers on Back-to-School Morning. This said, I have decided to have two sessions.

Principal’s Welcome: 8:40 – 9:00 AM (Gym)

First Session: 9:00 – 9:30 AM (Classrooms)

Second Session: 9:30 – 10:00 AM (Classrooms)

Parents Excused: 10:00 AM (Please exit the building as soon as possible so we can begin our first day pep rallies.)

If you have three or more children, please consider having another parent or relative attend the other sessions so all students are represented.

We’re looking forward to seeing you on Wednesday, August 13, 2025, in the gymnasium at 8:40 AM. Before you leave, please consider becoming a member of the PTA and/or running for our two vacant Community Council seats. PTA and Community Council information will be on the tables in the halls.

We are a Class Dojo school

We will use Class Dojo school-wide this year. Class Dojo will be the primary communication tool between parents and teachers. There will be signs in the halls with QR codes to scan to access the app and website. Please take a few moments to sign up for Class Dojo at Back-to-School Morning so we can communicate with you easily and effectively.

Parking lot reminders

Staff will be present before and after school to guide students and parents at drop-off and pick-up. Please obey all traffic laws and be courteous to staff and one another. It will take a couple of weeks for everyone to get in the groove. Until then, please be patient and give each other some grace.

Find employment at Eastwood Elementary

Planning Assistant: We have a 15-hour Planning Assistant position available to give teachers an additional, much-needed 45-minute planning time a week. If you or anyone you know is interested, please apply online on the Granite School District employment website.

Lunchroom Workers: We are looking for lunchroom workers to prepare and serve breakfast and lunch. The Nutrition Services Department will post this position on the employment website. If you’re interested in working in the lunchroom, please look for the posting and apply online.

Volunteering at Eastwood Elementary

We love when parents and community members volunteer at Eastwood. The following volunteer opportunities are available:

• Classroom Volunteers (Review concepts in small groups, make copies for teachers, take data, cut out bulletin board letters, and perform other tasks that will ease our teachers’ workloads.)
• Lunchroom Supervision Volunteers (Supervise during all or part of lunchtime (11:00 – 1:00) all five days or as few as one day a week. Supervising in the lunchroom and/or on the playground is easy and helps school staff maintain order in the cafeteria and on the playground.
• Business Partner Volunteers (These volunteers go to local businesses to solicit incentives for students and staff. Many companies are willing to give the school cards for free ice cream cones, hamburgers, office items, classroom materials, etc. If you’re interested in this volunteer opportunity, I’d be happy to write an introductory letter to the business owner or manager to help you introduce yourself.
• Field Trip Volunteers (Being a chaperone during field trips – there are two types of volunteers for these trips: 1) Background checked and fingerprinted, and 2) staying within line of sight of a certified teacher. The first type of volunteer can be with children alone. The second type cannot be with children alone and must be within sight of a teacher or certificated staff member.
• Reading and Counting volunteers (Perfect for grandparents! You would read to and count with students in a small group or one-on-one in the classroom or the library, and help students practice fundamental reading and math skills.)

If you would like to volunteer in any of these ways, please email me (mgraham@graniteschools.org) and let me know. I will follow up with directions on how to become a volunteer at our school. The community is welcome at Eastwood, and thank you for considering helping our students and staff.

That’s it for this week. We’re looking forward to a great year. Have a great weekend, and we’ll see you next week!

Best,

Matthew Graham, Principal