Table of Contents
1
Principal’s Message2
Communication3
Thursday Folders
East Midvale Eagle’s Eye Newsletter
Teacher E-mail
School Website
Teacher Conferences
Talking with the Principal
School Instruction Hours3
Curriculum4
Language Arts and Reading
Reading
Writing
Spelling
Mathematics
Science
Social Studies
Fine Arts
Physical Education
Assessment5
Literacy
WRAP
SRI
CBM
Direct Writing Assessment
Mathematics
CBM
YPP
Standardized Tests
End of Level
Report Cards/Conferences
Special Programs5
Family Literacy Center
Library Media Center
Computer Lab
Special Education Services
Speech and Language Services
Reading Intervention
Take-Home Library
Student Council
Safety Patrol
School Broadcast Team
Singing Soaring Eagle Choir
Be Involved at East Midvale7
Volunteers
Parents in the Classroom
East Midvale PTA
School Community Council
Canyons Board of Education
Fundraisers and Events8
Box Tops for Education
Fall & Spring Fundraisers
Business Partnerships
Target
Maceys
Smith’s Earn & Learn
Nutrition and Health8
School Lunch
Breakfast Program
Birthday and Party Snacks
Medication
Student Conduct9
East Midvale Code of Conduct
We Are Safe
We Are Respectful
We Are Responsible
Think Time
Severe Behavior Violations
Attendance
Dress Code
Lunch Room Conduct
Building Conduct
Assembly Conduct
Restroom Conduct
Playground Conduct
Safety Before and After School
Bicycles/Skateboards etc.
Cell Phones/Electronics/Toys
Severe Behavior Policy
Bullying
Important Parent Information12
Attendance
Safe Arrival
Loading/Unloading
Late Arrival
School Day Appointments
Lost and Found
Visitors
Emergency Preparedness
Moving
Compulsory Education Letter14
Elementary Attendance Policy14
Attendance/Truancy Guidelines
Tardy Guidelines
Request for Educational Leave
Summary
Safe Walking Route22
Parking Lot & Loading/Unloading16
Parking Lot Map
Responsible Use Policy18
Traditional School Year Calendar20
1
1
Principal’s Message
East Midvale Elementary is a full Title One school serving 600 students. Our mission is to create a community of learners by providing quality research based instruction to every student. Serving a diverse population with unique needs, our teachers and staff of over 60 people work tirelessly to provide the best educational experience for all students.
Our Comprehensive School Improvement Plan was created by a team of faculty members and parents and was focused on needs identified by our testing data. Being a school with a mobile population, we have learned the importance of immediately identifying needs of students and quickly providing the services they need. In order to meet our academic and attendance goals for all students, we have created a variety of programs to serve our students.
Our Title One Program is a huge part of our school community. We currently have assistants and certified teachers who are funded by Title One. These assistants and teachers work individually with students or in small groups to provide tier II interventions or extensions. Each assistant is highly qualified and many have received extensive training from the Canyons School District. Additionally, we are one of 4 Canyon’s District Elementary Schools offering an optional full day kindergarten program.
We have hired specialists to teach the student’s science, art, physical education, computers, library and character education. Students will rotate each day to a different specialist.
Teachers participate in Professional Learning Communities weekly where they discuss curriculum, assessment, student interventions and enrichment. Using Land Trust funds, teachers also meet together for a professional collaboration to analyze data and make changes or additions to their curriculum maps.
East Midvale Elementary houses a Title One Preschool. Students who have turned 4 on or before September 1, 2013 are eligible to attend. Preschool students must live in East Midvale’s current school boundaries, Preschool students will be taught using “High Scope” curriculum and will attend Monday-Thursday for 2 hours 15 min. daily. Students may be placed in morning or afternoon sessions. Starting the education process early really makes a difference in their academic progress.
Parent Involvement is another area of focus at East Midvale. We have recently joined the National Network of Partnership Schools at John Hopkins University. We have a strong PTA, although few in numbers, who are working on involving new and diverse members of our school community. Our School Community Council has worked hard to create a Land Trust plan that reflects the need of students.
Recognizing student achievement is another important element at East Midvale. We have a tradition of honoring students yearly with perfect attendance. Since this was an area of concern for our school, we have implemented a program to honor students with outstanding attendance on a monthly basis. We are pleased to report that attendance data shows we have already made improvements from last year. Other programs in which students work hard to participate are: Eagle Expectations, Student of the Month, Soaring Eagle, Bus Bucks, Student Council, Safety Patrol, Roads to Success Reading, The Eagle Mile, and additional grade level specific academic programs. Students are excited to do well because they are able to show others the accomplishments they have earned.
Functioning as a school-wide community is of great importance at East Midvale. We have adopted a school-wide discipline program, Think Time. This helps our students because the expectations and consequences are the same school-wide. Our Building Leadership Team meets regularly to discuss ways to ensure student success. All teachers implement the Bully Blocker program to educate students about bullying and teach them important strategies to prevent bullying. We have taken a bold step toward improving wellness and nutrition by becoming a Gold Medal school. We have recently been awarded the platinum medal, which is the highest honor.
As you can see, East Midvale Elementary is a very busy school. Despite many challenges, the mission of creating a Caring Community of Collage and Career Bound Learners by providing quality research based instruction to every student is our daily priority. We often hear from students who have left our school wishing to return because they miss East Midvale. It is an honor and a privilege to be the principal of such a fine school. At East Midvale, we truly believe in our motto, Every Child, Every Day, Every Way!
Justin Pitcher
East Midvale Elementary
Communication
Communication is critical for a successful year at East Midvale Elementary. Here are some ways to keep up to date on what’s going on here at school!
Thursday Folders
Each class sends home a Thursday Folder with important papers that might include: classroom newsletter, notices of school related meetings, field trip permission slips, the monthly school lunch menu, the East Midvale Eagle’s Eye Newsletter, and information about school holidays or events.
East Midvale Eagle’s Eye Newsletter
The East Midvale Eagle’s Eye Newsletter is a school-wide newsletter with important dates and new information. It also includes grade levels updates on what students are learning.
Teacher E-mail
The faculty at East Midvale has been directed to check their e-mail daily. While it is not always possible to respond immediately to e-mails, teachers will do their best to respond in a timely manner. If you have an urgent issue that needs to be addressed immediately, please call the office for assistance.
School Website and Social Media
The East Midvale Website is an excellent source for everything you need to know about East Midvale. Visit our website regularly to get up to date information about East Midvale, the PTA, and the School Community Council.
Check us out at
Facebook: facebook.com/pages/East-Midvale-Elementary/139924322706213
Twitter: @EastMidvaleElem
Teacher Conferences
The faculty at East Midvale is always open to input and encourage you to write or call for a conference whenever you have ideas or concerns. Although it is difficult for teachers to have extended conversations during school hours, they are eager to address concerns and questions early, before they become problems.
Talking with the Principal
Parents or community members who have concerns or suggestions can call, write a note, or send an e-mail to either the Principal or Assistant Principal, who are committed to providing a timely response. In addition, Mrs. Peck and Mrs. Franklin both have an open door policy. If you are in the building and would like to speak with either of them, speak with the school secretary to see if they are available.
School Instruction Hours
Regular School Hours: Monday-Friday
All school days for elementary students are 6.5 hours unless otherwise noted.
First Bell: 8:20 AM. Tardy Bell: 8:25 AM Dismissal: 2:55 PM
All students receive 15 minutes of recess time and 40 minutes of lunchtime. Students will be required to stay seated in the cafeteria for 20 minutes before being dismissed to the playground.
Attendance
Please make sure that your student arrives on time each day and arrangements are made for students to leave immediately after dismissal.
The law says that students have to be in school and on time every day. If someone is sick, parents have to call the school and make arrangements to get homework so you don’t get behind. It is very important that you be in school on a regular basis. You learn more and have fun too. Being absent or late a lot are called ‘truancy issues.’ What happens if you are frequently absent or tardy?”
- Phone Call
- Parent Conference or letter sent home
- Possible visit by Canyons District Truancy officer
- Required attendance at Canyons District Truancy School
- Possible court involvement
Curriculum
The Utah State Office of Education establishes our core curriculum in each subject and at each grade level. For more information about Utah’s Core Curriculum and additional resources to support your child’s education, please visit the Utah Education Network website:
Teachers at East Midvale Elementary use a variety of district-approved textbooks and programs in order to teach the Standards and Objectives outlined in the state core. Parents can learn more about each teacher’s curriculum at “Back to School Night” in September.
Language Arts and Reading
Canyons School District and East Midvale Elementary are implementing the new Utah State Common Core for Language Arts and Reading. It will be implemented school-wide. In order to give students multiple strategies to become proficient readers and writers, a new basal program called Reading Street has been adopted. This new program is based on the new core and covers all areas of reading acquisition including the “big five” of alphabetic principle, phonemic awareness, vocabulary, fluency and comprehension. This approach incorporates the skills of reading, writing, thinking, speaking, and listening. Spelling will be based on word study and be incorporated into each weekly lesson. Guided reading and small group instruction will change to lexile levels to better match other school assessments and give teachers more data based on the same criteria. Social studies and science instruction will also be integrated into the new program so that students are able to make better, more informed connections to the world around them.
Mathematics
In order to gain deep mathematical understanding, students need to learn math skills in context of their real world experiences. Through critical thinking activities, teachers create opportunities for students to solve problems, communicate multiple strategies, demonstrate skills, and explain their thinking. Teachers guide the learning process in their classrooms and manage the classroom environment through a variety of instructional approaches and supplemental materials directly tied to the Utah State Math Core and to the individual needs of their students.
Science
Through experiments and demonstrations, students have the opportunity to experience science hands on. In addition to traditional science instruction, teachers often use technology to enhance their instruction. Students have access to many additional resources to expand their learning on their own through our school library.
Social Studies
The Social Studies curriculum is organized around the child’s expanding world. Primary curriculum is most focused on their families, neighborhoods, and community; Intermediate grades expand to help students understand the history of our state, nation, and world.
Fine Arts
Our students enjoy bi-weekly art instruction by an art specialist who teaches them about prominent artists throughout history and gives them experiences working with a variety of techniques and art mediums. Students also receive bi-weekly music instruction by a music specialist.
Physical Education
Students engage in Physical Education for 45 minutes each week with a certified teacher. We are a Gold Medal School and have implemented several policies to support our Platinum Medal status. Students at every grade level participate in completing weekly “Gold Medal” miles. We require healthy food and beverage choices to be available whenever food is available and never use food as a reward. We carry out yearlong staff wellness programs, involve families and the community in completing the Gold Medal Schoolscriteria, and we require the lunch eating time to be at least twenty minutes long.
Assessment
Multiple assessments throughout the year help teachers to modify
and adjust instruction in order to meet the needs of each individual student.
Literacy
SRI- (Grades 4-5) The Scholastic Reading Inventory is a computerized comprehension assessment tool that
assesses student reading levels and monitors student progress. Students read a variety of passages and answer
questions to demonstrate comprehension skills. Teachers use these results as an additional point of data to assure
that students are accurately assessed.
CBM- (Grades K-5) The Curriculum Based Measurement is used to assess students’ reading fluency. Students in all grades are assessed on grade level three times throughout the year in order to record benchmarks and monitor progress. Students who score below benchmark level are progress monitored weekly at their level to track their growth. This allows teachers to more finely tune instruction to the individual student’s needs.
Direct Writing Assessment (5thGrade)
This computerized authentic writing experience allows students to demonstrate their ability to organize their thoughts and ideas in order to clearly express their point of view to the reader.
Mathematics
CBM- (Grades K-5) The Curriculum Based Measurement is used to assess students’ math fluency. Students in all grades are assessed on grade level three times throughout the year in order to record benchmarks and monitor progress. Students who score below benchmark level are progress monitored weekly at their level to track their growth. This allows teachers to more finely tune instruction to the individual student’s needs.
Success Maker- (Grades 1-5) Success Maker is a computerized program that measures the effectiveness of instruction and tracks both mastery and retention of grade-level skills. Monthly goals are set for students and they can earn “stars” for achieving their goals. Students participate in Success Maker weekly. Reports are given to parents in the fall and spring, or upon parent request.
Standardized Tests
A standardized test is a test administered and scored in a consistent manner in order to eliminate unexpected variables. These scores can then be compared accurately with other populations across the state, and throughout the nation.
End of Level Tests- (Grades 3-5) Each spring, students take a series of criterion-referenced tests called SAGE (Student Assessment of Growth and Excellence) to evaluate and assess their learning throughout the year. Students are tested on standards and objectives from the Utah State Core Curriculum and results are compared on School, District, and State levels
Report Cards/Conferences
Parent/Teacher Conferences are scheduled for October 8th and 9th, 2014, and February 2nd and 4th2015.
You will receive more information about scheduling a time to meet with your child’s teacher.
Report Cards are given out in November and March.
Special Programs
Family Literacy Center
The Family Literacy Center at East Midvale Elementary is a space where parents can become involved in their students education. Books and computers are available for use for free, and a student advocacy specialist is available to help during center hours. Parenting workshops and technology classes are also held regularly and children are always welcome.This is a great time to come to the school and check out our parent resource items, books, cd’s, tapes and magazines.It is also a great time to practice your English, get homework help, work on school projects, or utilize the Internet and computer.Please contact the front office for more information. Family Literacy Center services include: parenting workshops, English classes, opportunities to volunteer, and technology instruction.
The mission of the Family Literacy Center is to: Provide families with the opportunity to participate, understand, enjoy, and value the education their children receive in the Canyons School District. Give parents the necessary tools their children need to be career, college and citizenship ready.
Library Media Center
East Midvale has a fully staffed library. Students have the opportunity to use the Library with their class once a week, and may also make arrangements with their teachers to use the library during appropriate times throughout the week.