Scarecrow Scramble

SCARECROW

SCRAMBLE

 When:  October 7th

Time:  See Link

Classes will be running/walking the perimeter of the playground on October 7^th.  Each class will have 20 minutes to complete as many laps as possible.  The class that completes the most laps per grade level will have a surprise!  Please feel free to come run/walk with your child’s class on Friday, October 7^th.  

IB NIGHT

We are also having our IB Parent Night on Tuesday, October 4th. The parents will go to their child's classroom (select a room if more than one child).  The teachers will go over grade level outcomes/expectations, IB outcomes, what IB is and explain a inquiry based lesson.  The presentation should last about 25 minutes.  Then the parents will have an additional 30 minutes to visit any other classrooms and look at their other children's IB Binders.

First IB Curriculum Night!

Providence Hall Elementary

Proudly Presents:

Our First IB Curriculum Night

October 4^th

From 6:30-7:30

Come see what your students are learning right now in the classroom!

Junior High Dress Code Information - Please Read!

Junior High Dress Code

We have been patient with our new students as they have been learning the dress code at the Junior High.  However, we are now starting to see some pretty obvious violations of dress code on a far too regular basis.  Beginning next week will be inviting students who come to school out of dress code a choice of either coming up to the front office to call a parent to bring them dress code items, or select from dress code compliant items we will have available in the front office.  (The second option will not include particularly attractive or stylish choices.)

There seem to be some consistent areas of non-compliance that we would like to clarify now:

·         Skirts or shorts need to be no more than 2 inches above the knee…even with tights or leggings underneath

·         We are allowing girls to wear solid colored cardigans (in dress code colors) over solid colored tank tops (also in dress code colors).  We are not allowing stripes or patterns on either the cardigan or tank tops however.  Also, we will be monitoring this combination for modesty as well.

·         We are getting a lot of girl’s skirts in lace and pretty elaborate patterns that are also not compliant.

·         The boys also need to pay attention to ensure they wear dress code colored shirts (turquoise, light blue, purple, etc. don’t count)

·         We are also seeing boys wear gym shorts instead of dress code bottoms.  Those are not appropriate except for gym.

·         Lastly, in gym class, the t-shirts need to have sleeves.  Cut off sleeves or tank tops are not allowed either.

Please know that we appreciate the efforts of our students, and their parents, who are working to comply with the dress code.  Thank you.

New Junior High Procedure - please read!

If a parent brings something down for a student they may bring it to the office and leave it there.  Due to high volume of these drop offs we will no longer be interrupting class to call the students to inform them of the delivery.  It is up to the student to come down to the office and pick up needed items on their own.  We will, of course, inform students if there is an emergency or medical situation.  Thank you!

Beach Party! Please read and sign up!

Dear Parents,

We are off to a fantastic school year!  I love seeing all of the smiling faces entering our building each day.  I hope you have time to talk with your child each night and hear about all of the wonderful activities they are doing. 

We have an exciting activity coming up next week and we need parent volunteers as well as items donated.  On September 15^th from 11:00 to 2:30 Providence Hall Elementary when will transformed into a BEACH PARTY!  Last year we challenged our students to show a 1% improvement on the CRT tests and our students met the challenge with ease, increasing by 6% overall! So…………….we owe them a beach party.  Please go to the link provided to sign up to help or donate needed items.  We depend on our parents and appreciate everything you do to support our school.  Volunteer link: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0AmdjTLBuHt6edEpZZEcxcVRjUFdndm10QUJiVU1qMFE&hl=en_US#gid=0

I also wanted to mention again the KSL Reading Competition.  Providence Hall is currently in first place and it would be awesome to win the competition again this year.  Please remember to go to www.readtoday.com each day and log your child’s reading minutes.

I also wanted to give you plenty of notice that we will be allowing the students to wear Halloween Costumes during the school day this year and we will be parading over to the Jr. High.  Please keep in mind that students will not be allowed to wear anything violent, masks or revealing costumes.

Have a Fantastic Day!

Kathy Watson

Principal

Providence Hall Elementary

Providence Hall Board of Trustees - CRT Scores

Dear Parents,

As most of you are aware, the State of Utah tests all public school students in grades 1-11 on their knowledge in a yearly test called the CRT.   We are writing to inform you that we have now received the results of Providence Hall’s CRT 2010 test for grades 1-6 (students now in grades 2-7).   We are extremely pleased to announce that our students increased their scores by an average of 6 points from our 2009 test results going from an 81% to an 87% this year!  These scores are outstanding and some of the highest of any school in the Southwest valley.   To see comparison data for other schools, please see the attached chart comparing Providence to local schools or the State website that includes all Utah schools: www.schools.utah.gov/data/DATA-STATISTICS/Educational-Data/Accountability-School-Performance/Accountability-Reports.aspx

We as a Board would like to commend our teachers and staff for the hard work they do each day to provide your students a quality education.   These test results are a result of the daily efforts and dedication of each of our faculty.  We believe we have some of the best teachers in the State in Providence Hall.

We would also like to commend the students and their parents for their dedication to learning that has led to such tremendous results.   Our students are working so hard to learn and we commend their efforts!  To recognize the achievements of these students, Principal Watson is organizing a Beach Party at the Elementary school for Sept. 15^th from 11:00 to 2:15.   We will be waiving dress code that day to encourage students to wear clothes, but not swimsuits, that can get wet.  If you would like to volunteer to assist with this party, Principal Watson will be sending an e-mail shortly providing information for those interested in volunteering.

- Hide quoted text -

Please know that while we are very pleased with these test results, our primary focus at Providence Hall will always be on providing our students with depth of knowledge and development of the overall student, not on mere test results.   As you know, at Providence Hall we use the International Baccalaureate methodology and inquiry based teaching to put emphasis on helping students achieve a deep understanding of the material rather than emphasizing breadth of understanding.   It was a pleasure for us to see that it also led to successful results for our student scores.

Thank you for your ongoing support.

Robb Enger,  Board Chair

Providence Hall Board of Trustees

STAR Reading Intervention Program - Volunteers Needed!

STAR Reading

Intervention

We need Volunteers to tutor the students at our Elementary School!!!

Our reading program works with each STAR student twice a week for 30 minutes each time. 

We need you to work with one or more students, depending on the time you have to donate.

Let us know whether morning or afternoon works better for you.

Training is provided

Come and feel the satisfaction of really making a difference in the life of a student!

Questions?  Contact RaChell or Kara at rjensen@providencehall.com

Room Parent Tea: Tuesday, September 13th at 3:30pm

The Room Parent Tea is on Tuesday, September 13^th at 3:30.  This is an event designed to help educate Room Parents on the class parties, as well as celebrate their willingness to be involved! 

We plan on having it set up in the gym and there will be a table set up for each teacher's room parent.  We will also have planning sheets for the three class parties (Halloween, Christmas and Valentine).  The planning sheets will allow the teacher and parents to tentatively plan the upcoming parties (treats, crafts, games and items needed).  We would love to see all of the room parents there as well as any other parents that would like to assist with the class parties! 

PHAST Facts - Information

If you have signed up for PHAST Facts and did not receive it this week, please check your email and sign up again.  We had 11 email addresses bounce and we don't want anyone to miss an email that would like to receive it!  Thanks!

The Week in Review - August 29 - September 2nd

Parents,

What an amazing, wonderful and challenging first week of school!  We very much appreciate all of the patience, understanding, and feedback that we have received.  We love parent involvement and we have the best parents around!  Please read below for a review of the latest information.

School Lunch Program

We have heard feedback from many parents - both negative and positive - about the school lunch program.  There has been concern that there isn't enough filling food for the children, and at the same time there has been praise that the choices are healthier than other school lunch programs.  Our Lunch Program staff has been hard at work this week working through the menu to add healthy, kid-friendly options, that will follow the nutritional guidelines, as well as fill their tummies.  As those changes are made, you will be provided an updated menu at www.providencehall.com and www.phastparents.com.  Since the lunch program is completely new to Providence Hall Elementary and Providence Hall Junior High, we are striving to make it the best and healthiest program it can be.  

Carpool

Overcoming the challenges of the first day of school, the Carpool Program has gotten smoother each day!  We are grateful for our Administrators, Staff, and Carpool Committee who have worked so hard on getting this up and running.  If you have any questions about how Carpool works, or if you have additional concerns, please contact the respective school.  From experience we have learned that it becomes a routine after the few initial days of confusion with the start of each school year. 

Volunteering

We have had many parents ask about Volunteer opportunities.  Each teacher at the Elementary school will be sending out email messages to their class parents with classroom volunteering opportunities.  If you are looking for volunteer opportunities outside of the classroom, those will become available as the year progresses.  We love that everyone is so excited to help!

As a final note - we understand that so many of our students are new to Providence Hall this year.  We have a very caring Board of Trustees, Administration, Teachers, Staff, and PHAST Parents Council that is committed to always looking at what will work best for our students.  We thank you for your on-going support!

Sincerely,

Providence Hall

Reminder: No School on Monday for Labor Day & Kindergarten info!

We hope that everyone has a wonderful three day weekend! 

On Tuesday the Kindergartners start school.  The following times are pick up from AM and drop off for PM.  If you are the parent of a Kindergartner, you should have received additional instructions from your student's teacher regarding pick-up options. 

AM Kindergarten:  Monday - Thursday	8:05 am - 11:15 am
AM Kindergarten:  Friday	8:05 am - 10:35 am
PM Kindergarten:  Monday - Thursday	11:55 am - 3:05 pm
PM Kindergarten:  Friday	11:15 am - 1:45 pm

PHAST Facts Sign-up

Dear Parents,

As part of the new school year, we are working hard to improve communications.  Many of you had the opportunity to sign up for our weekly PHAST Facts newsletter at either the Junior High or Elementary back-to-school night.  For those of you who haven't signed up, yet, we encourage you to do so!  PHAST Facts includes all of the information parents need for the following week - events, important information, updates on carpool rules or the lunch program. 

You can sign up for PHAST Facts at www.phastparents.com. 

1.  Click on the tab that says "PHAST Facts".
2.  Input the required information.
3.  Check your email and click on the link verifying that you would like to receive PHAST Facts.

PHAST Facts go out every Friday morning.  We hope that this helps all parents keep current on what is happening at Providence Hall Elementary and Junior High.

Sincerely,
Heidi Totten
PHAST Communications
heidi@phastparents.com