Welcome Back to School!

Garland Elementary School

450 South 100 West

Garland, UT 84312

435-257-2600

 

 

Dear Parents and Students,                                                                                August 11, 2021

 

WELCOME BACK TO SCHOOL!      

I hope you all have had a fun and relaxing summer.  It is August and that means it is time to get ready for school.  We are excited to have our students back in the building. 

 

We have experienced a few changes to our staff.  Mrs. Holst decided to stay home with her new baby boy.  She will be sorely missed but we are happy and excited for her.  Mr. Warner has moved to Harris Intermediate where he will be teaching math and science.  We will miss him a lot.  Mrs. Summers has become an instructional coach.  She will no longer be teaching but will now be helping other teachers to be their best.  Mrs. West has also chosen to stay home with her new baby.  She was a great teacher and we will miss her as well.  Mr. Andreasen has moved to another school where he will continue teaching dual-immersion.  He was only here a short time, but he was great.  We wish him luck.  Finally, Mrs. Esplin, has decided to retire after a long career of teaching and also working as an instructional coach.  She was truly great at what she did.  We will miss her.      

 

When people leave, that means new people will be joining us.  I feel very fortunate that we were able to hire some outstanding teachers.  Maria Renteria will become our new first grade Spanish dual-immersion teacher.  She has been teaching Spanish immersion in South Dakota for several years and she is excited to move to Utah.  Nicole Nelson will be her partner on the English side of dual-immersion in first grade.  Mrs. Nelson is from our area and has been teaching pre-school for several years.  She also taught first grade prior to her pre-school experience.  Senora Renteria and Mrs. Nelson will make an amazing team!  We also have two new 5th grade teachers joining us.  They are Jordan Herzog and Rebecca Glasmann.  Mr. Herzog has been teaching fifth grade at different schools in Utah for several years.  Everyone raves about him!  Mrs. Glassman has been teaching in Illinois for several years.  She taught in Utah prior to that and is a highly recommended teacher!  We are also fortunate to have Mrs. Powell joining us in 2nd grade.  She has been teaching for several years in Cache District and was very successful there.  A couple of our teachers have new positions.  Miss Day has moved to 2nd grade and will team up with Senorita Novoa.  Mrs. Chadaz has moved to 5th grade.  They are both excited about their new assignments.    

 

Our staff remains mostly 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.  Mrs. Jacobson will now be our full-time instructional coach.  Mrs. Summers will be splitting her time as an instructional coach between Garland and McKinley.            

 

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/Acadience 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.    Scores were down a little bit this year.  I feel the closure last year and the shortened schedule this past year had negative impacts on our students.  However, Garland students did perform better than any of their peers at other schools in the district.  At the end of the school year, 81% of our students were reading at or above grade level. 

 

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 web-site.   

 

If your student is ill, or there is a family emergency, 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. They will also be required to complete a health questionnaire and wear a mask.

 

We believe that an orderly, safe environment is essential for students to learn and achieve academically.  To promote this type of environment, we will continue implementing our character education program.  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 whether we have asbestos in our school.  There is no asbestos in this school.  We are in compliance with all EPA standards and regulations.

 

LUNCH and BREAKFAST: Lunch and breakfast will be provided for free to all Garland students.    

Breakfast will be served from 8:00 to 8:25.  On Wednesdays, breakfast will be served from 9:00-9:25. 

Adult lunches cost $3.75.    

Adults breakfasts cost $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 letter 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 regular school schedule has changed back to the original times.  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-Late start Wednesday—School will begin at 9:30 and end at 2:50 each Wednesday. On Wednesdays, morning kindergarten students will attend 9:30 – 11:40 a.m.  Afternoon kindergarten students will attend from 12:40 a.m. – 2:50 p.m. 

5-The first day of school is August 30th for grades 1-5. Kindergarten students will not attend until September 7th. Kindergarten students will all be tested during the week of August 30th.  Those tests are done by appointment.

 

We will be holding a back to school event on August 23rd from 6-7 PM.  It will be an open house format.   

 

The first week of school will be a minimum day schedule.  From August 30th thru September 3rd, school will go from 8:30 to 12:30. 

 

During those first two weeks of school, breakfast will be served from 8:00 to 8:25 as usual, but we will not have a regular lunch period.  Students who wish to have school lunch during those two weeks will be able to order a lunch and they will be provided with a grab and go lunch at the end the day.  Students will be given some time to eat in their classroom before they go home.   

 

THANK YOU for all you do as parents.  I am grateful to be able to work with you.  We are all excited to be back in school. 

 

Sincerely,

Mark Johnson; Principal