Face to Face Families
Greetings West Valley Families,
We are looking forward to having your student(s) back in the classroom! Our entire staff is working extremely hard to ensure we have a safe place for your student(s) to be. As we look toward the first day of school on August 24th, we wanted to share a few things with you so that you can begin preparing your students.
Masks
The governor and our district have stated that it is mandatory for all students to wear face masks at school. Face shields can be worn at times for individual work in the classroom, but all students will need a mask daily. Students will be allowed to take off their mask at recess and at lunch. We will be providing a face mask for each student. We will also be providing a lanyard for each student to clip their face mask onto during the school day. If a student comes to school without a face mask, we will be able to provide them with a disposable one for the day, however, those are limited in supply. Please make sure they have their face mask with them for the day.
Supplies
Due to the high risk of COVID spreading at shared drinking fountains, our drinking fountains will be shut down for the foreseeable future. We are asking students to bring their own water bottle from home. Students can fill their water bottle using the sinks in their classroom and keep their bottles on their desk. As of right now we are allowing backpacks to come to school as long as students hang them in the spot designated by their teacher.
Before School
Our first day of school is August 24th for all our 1st-6th grade students. We will have extra adults stationed around the building to help your student find where to line up. After the first day, we will only have a few adults circulating around outside. Please talk with your student(s) about the importance of social distancing before school. We are hoping students will arrive right before the bells rings at 9:00 A.M. so that they can quickly get in line and be ready to start the day, rather than playing before the school day begins.
After School
At the end of the day, teachers will walk students out of the building so that they can head home. Once again, please talk with your student(s) about the importance of social distancing after school. Also, please talk to your student(s) about the importance of staying on the sidewalk and only crossing where there is a crossing guard. With safety as our top priority, please do not ask your student to cross multiple lanes of traffic when dropping them off or picking them up. We ask that you drop off and pick up from the curb only.
Breakfast and Lunch
Breakfast and lunch will both be served at the school. Breakfast will continue to be free for all students, but lunch meals will be charged at the regular meal price. (Don’t forget to apply for free or reduced lunch on the school website.) If your student will be bringing a lunch from home, it needs to be in a disposable container or bag that can be thrown away as your student leaves the lunchroom.
After the First Quarter
Sometime at the end of September or early October you will be receiving a request form again from the district. Here you will be able to opt to continue face to face learning for the second quarter or you can choose distance learning. We will try to maintain the same teacher regardless of your choice, but we cannot guarantee that will happen.
Back-to-School Event
You are invited to join us at the school for a Back-To-School celebration event on Thursday, August 20th from 4-6 P.M. All activities for this event will be held outside on the school grounds. Please wear a face mask/covering and maintain adequate social distance with other families and patrons. During this event you will have the opportunity to:
- Find out what teacher your student will have this school year
- Visit the PTA where you can get membership info, get school shirt info, and get a free cookie and water just for visiting their table
- Learn how to see and understand your student’s grades using the GradeBook function on the Parent Portal
- Apply for free or reduced lunch
- Learn about the safety measures the school has incorporated to keep everyone safe this school year
- Learn how to navigate and use Google classroom
If you are unable to or uncomfortable attending this event, we will be posting a Flipgrip video link on the school website where you can access a video from each teacher to introduce themselves to their students. Online you will also be able to apply for free or reduced lunch, get PTA information, and learn about our safety measures.
Important District Changes
The Board of Education met earlier this morning in special session to address a formal request from the Granite Education Association (GEA), to modify the elementary schedule. We know that this was an eleventh-hour request, but the board and administration concur with some of the concerns presented and agreed to consider those issues.
- Students and families that have chosen in-person instruction will attend school in person Mondays-Thursdays.
- Fridays will now be a distance instruction day for ALL students. It will also provide elementary teachers additional planning time.
- Elementary schools may proceed, with their previous plans, and designate teachers for in-class or on-line teaching or have all teachers provide both types of instruction. The choice is left to each school principal, in consultation with their teachers, to decide what works best for them. Please look for additional communication from your school as appropriate.
- Thursday will remain a full instructional day with a few exceptions already outlined on the general calendar.
- All teachers will be prepared for distance instruction if we were to go on a modified or dismissal schedule, whether the need should arise within an individual class or school.
- Preschool families should not be impacted by this decision as they were not currently scheduled to attend on Fridays.
- Kindergarten students will participate in distance learning opportunities on Fridays similar to other in-person elementary students.
The board has also designated October 21st and 22nd as Professional Development and program adjustment days for all schools, elementary and secondary, to review and implement appropriate changes based on what we learn over the first quarter. These will be student non-attendance days (SNAD) and will coincide with the already designated end of term SNAD scheduled for Friday, October 23rd. This means that students will only attend on Monday and Tuesday that week.
We recognize that this adjustment to Fridays being distance learning for ALL elementary students may require some families to find additional childcare and supervision. We regret this inconvenience, but the adjustment was necessary after reviewing all the feedback and with the desire to address those concerns.
Our teachers and staff are looking forward to a wonderful school year. Thank you again for choosing West Valley Stem!
Sincerely,
Jefferey Walton, Principal
April Reynolds, Assistant Principal
Distance Learning Families
Greetings West Valley Families,
We are so excited you have chosen to stick with us for your distance learning needs! As we look toward the first day of school on August 24th, we wanted to share a few things with you so that you can begin preparing your students.
Schedule
All distance learning students will have work to complete each school day. As a parent, you have chosen to support your student in their distance learning endeavor and our teachers are counting on you to ensure that students are participating, doing their work, and getting it turned in on time. In the Spring all students received a Pass or Incomplete for the 4th quarter due to the immediate dismissal. This will NOT be the case this year. All distance learning and face to face students will receive grades based on the same rigor and expectations from their teacher. All students will receive proficiency-based grades.
What it Looks Like
Your student’s teacher will be reaching out to you later this week to schedule a time to come to the school to get all your student’s distance learning supplies and materials. During this one-on-one individual appointment, you will be able to meet the teacher, pick up a Chromebook, and be walked through how-to login to the various programs that your student will be using this year. We encourage you to bring your student so that they can meet their teacher and practice logging in.
This year our distance learning will be better than ever! Throughout the summer, district personnel and teachers have worked tirelessly to put together better systems and programs to make online learning easier for you and your student(s). If you are ever struggling, please reach out to the teacher for support.
After the First Quarter
Sometime at the end of September or early October you will be receiving a request form again from the district. Here you will be able to opt to continue distance learning for the second quarter or you can choose face to face learning. We will try to maintain the same teacher regardless of your choice, but we cannot guarantee that will happen.
Breakfast and Lunch
Distance learning students can still get breakfast and lunch from the school every school day. On Monday – Thursday the lunch pickup time will be from 10:45 – 11:05 A.M. Stay tuned for more information about the Friday pick-up time. Breakfast and lunch can be picked up at the back of the school building from the lunchroom doors. Breakfast is free for all students, but lunch meals will be charged at the regular meal price. (Don’t forget to apply for free or reduced lunch on the school website.) When you meet your student’s teacher, please be prepared to declare whether your student will be coming to pick up meals during this first quarter.
Back-to-School Event
You are invited to join us at the school for a Back-To-School celebration event on Thursday, August 20th from 4-6 P.M. All activities for this event will be held outside on the school grounds. Please wear a face mask/covering and maintain adequate social distance with other families and patrons. During this event you will have the opportunity to:
- Find out what teacher your student will have this school year
- Visit the PTA where you can get membership info, get school shirt info, and get a free cookie and water just for visiting their table
- Learn how to see and understand your student’s grades using the GradeBook function on the Parent Portal
- Apply for free or reduced lunch
- Learn about the safety measures the school has incorporated to keep everyone safe this school year
- Learn how to navigate and use Google classroom
If you are unable to or uncomfortable attending this event, we will be posting a Flipgrip video link on the school website where you can access a video from each teacher to introduce themselves to their students. Online you will also be able to apply for free or reduced lunch, get PTA information, and learn about our safety measures.
Important District Changes
The Board of Education met earlier this morning in special session to address a formal request from the Granite Education Association (GEA), to modify the elementary schedule. We know that this was an eleventh-hour request, but the board and administration concur with some of the concerns presented and agreed to consider those issues.
- Students and families that have chosen in-person instruction will attend school in person Mondays-Thursdays.
- Fridays will now be a distance instruction day for ALL students. It will also provide elementary teachers additional planning time.
- Elementary schools may proceed, with their previous plans, and designate teachers for in-class or on-line teaching or have all teachers provide both types of instruction. The choice is left to each school principal, in consultation with their teachers, to decide what works best for them. Please look for additional communication from your school as appropriate.
- Thursday will remain a full instructional day with a few exceptions already outlined on the general calendar.
- All teachers will be prepared for distance instruction if we were to go on a modified or dismissal schedule, whether the need should arise within an individual class or school.
- Preschool families should not be impacted by this decision as they were not currently scheduled to attend on Fridays.
- Kindergarten students will participate in distance learning opportunities on Fridays similar to other in-person elementary students.
The board has also designated October 21st and 22nd as Professional Development and program adjustment days for all schools, elementary and secondary, to review and implement appropriate changes based on what we learn over the first quarter. These will be student non-attendance days (SNAD) and will coincide with the already designated end of term SNAD scheduled for Friday, October 23rd. This means that students will only attend on Monday and Tuesday that week.
We recognize that this adjustment to Fridays being distance learning for ALL elementary students may require some families to find additional childcare and supervision. We regret this inconvenience, but the adjustment was necessary after reviewing all the feedback and with the desire to address those concerns.
Our teachers and staff are looking forward to a wonderful school year. Thank you again for choosing West Valley Stem!
Sincerely,
Jefferey Walton, Principal
April Reynolds, Assistant Principal