July 31, 2019
Dear Parents and Students,
WELCOME BACK TO SCHOOL!
It has been a busy summer for us as we have tried to be ready for the start of the school year. I hope you all have had a fun and relaxing summer. I also hope that our students are excited to come back to school. A few things have changed here at Garland, but for the most part, things remain the same.
Fortunately, we only lost a few or our teachers. Mrs. Hancock (5th grade teacher) decided to stay home with her baby. She will be greatly missed! Mrs. Janssen has moved to fifth grade to fill that position. She will be awesome there. We also lost Mrs. Heiner, who has retired from teaching after an amazing and successful career. Ms. Crawford decided to move to a different school so she could be closer to home. She taught first grade here for several years and she will also be missed. Mrs. Fuller (2nd grade) has also moved to a different school to be closer to home. She has been replaced by Mrs. Jamie Woolley. Mrs. Woolley has several years of experience and she is very excited to join the Garland team. Our resource teacher, Mrs. Thompson, has moved to a school in Preston, so we have hired a new teacher, Mrs. Braegger, to replace her. She is also eager to get started. Our staff remains the same. LaDawn and Carrissa are both still here in the office, (Thank goodness!) Our incredible school counselor, Mrs. Wilson, is back with us as well. Fred, Alan and John, our awesome custodians, are all still with us, and our kitchen staff (with our amazing Kitchen Manager Mrs. Nicholas) remains the same. Our instructional coaches are both returning as well. Mrs. Esplin and Mrs. Nelson both do amazing work.
This year, we will again be focusing on reading. I want every one of our students to be able to read at or above their grade level. Being able to read at or above grade level is the single most important thing that an elementary student can accomplish. If they leave our school as a strong reader, they are prepared for secondary school and for life.
The DIBELS assessment will be a valuable tool as we determine the current performance of our students and then set goals. DIBELS helps to measure: fluency, accuracy and comprehension. Here are the scores our school achieved at the end of last year on the third and final DIBELS assessment. The percentage listed represents the percentage of our students who were reading on grade level:
2018-2019 results on DIBELS by grade level: Kindergarten 95% First grade 71% Second grade 77% Third grade 83% Fourth grade 84% Fifth grade 90%
I also want to remind you of your rights as a parent. If you ever have questions regarding your child’s educational performance or what they are being taught, please just drop in or send us an e-mail. We will be happy to answer your questions. Your child has a right to quality instruction that is centered on rigorous curriculum with high standards and relevance. The focus of this instruction is literacy and numeracy to promote economic prosperity, citizen participation, strong moral and social values, and commitment to constitutional government.
We believe that educational success is most likely to be achieved when we develop a partnership. We hope to develop and nurture those relationships. Please keep us informed of your child’s needs or any impactful changes. It is important to note that neither the school nor Box Elder School District provide health or accident coverage to students. The district has provided us with information about supplemental health and accident insurance that is available for you to purchase from a private vendor . It is purely optional. For more information, visit our website.
An ongoing problem that we have noted is the poor attendance of many of our students. When students are absent, key instruction is missed and those students typically fall behind. PLEASE have your child here each day unless they are ill or there is a legitimate emergency. If your student is ill, please call to inform us that they will be absent.
It will continue to be mandatory for all visitors to the school to check in at the office and then wear a visitor’s badge.
We believe that an orderly, safe environment is essential for students to learn and achieve academically. To promote this type of environment, we will begin a new character education program this year. Students will be taught the following traits or attributes while here at school:
Humility
Forgiveness
Kindness
Compassion
Empathy
Optimism
Patience
Gratitude
ASBESTOS: By law, each year we need to inform you that we have asbestos in our school. We are in compliance with all EPA standards and regulations. The asbestos is under the school and has been covered to protect occupants of the school. District and state personnel monitor the asbestos levels, which has not been a problem.
LUNCH and BREAKFAST: If you had free or reduced price lunch last year, you will need to re - apply again this year at the district office. The regular lunch price this year is $1.90 and the reduced lunch price is $0.40. Adult lunches cost $3.50. Breakfast will be served each day from 8:00 to 8:25. Breakfast is free for all Garland students. Adults may purchase breakfast for $2.50.
Registration: The district has decided to do all student registrations on - line. All new and returning students in all schools within the Box Elder School District must be registered using the on - line process. Call the school or district for questions. A separate lett er regarding this process has been included.
OTHER NOTES: 1—The drop-off and pick-up procedures remain the same. Please follow these guidelines:
Drive slowly
Be attentive while in the school zone. Do not use your phone.
Remember that the school drop-off zone is one-way.
Do not park or leave your vehicle at the curb in the drop-off/pick-up lane. This area is for loading and unloading only. This lane of traffic must keep moving!
Do not drop off away from the curb. Do not have them cross in front of other vehicles.
Have your child exit from the passenger side of the vehicle.
2-The school schedule has not changed. School will begin at 8:30 and end at 2:50. 3-Regular Day Kindergarten Schedule. Morning kindergarten will begin at 8:30 and end at 11:30. PM kindergarten classes will attend from 11:45-2:50. 4-Early Release Wednesday—School will end at 1:50 each Wednesday. On Wednesdays, morning kindergarten students will attend 8:30 – 10:40 a.m. Afternoon kindergarten students will attend from 11:45 a.m. – 1:50 p.m. 5-The first day of school is August 26th for grades 1-5. Kindergarten students will not attend until September 3rd. Kindergarten students will all be tested during the week of August 26th.
THANK YOU for all you do as parents. I am grateful to be able to work with you and I look forward to meeting you at our Back to School Event on August 19th. It will go from 6:30-7:30.
Sincerely,
Mark Johnson
Principal
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