This coming Friday, September 10th, will be our first-ever Flex Friday as a district. Each school will be handling it slightly differently, but all within the structure outlined here.
For all Elk Ridge students, they should expect roughly 3 hours total of engagement in schoolwork. This will vary from class to class, but students will be able to complete this work from home. If students have questions about work, they should contact their teacher.
In addition, any student needing extra support will be able to attend in-person between 10 am and 12:15 pm, as long as they have arranged with their teacher beforehand to do so. Busing will be provided following the normal Friday bus schedule. Lunch will be served from 12:15 – 1:15 pm, and students who are bused will work in either the cafeteria or the media center until buses come at 2:30 pm.
PTC
Parent-Teacher Conferences will be held next Wednesday, September 15th (in-person in classrooms) and Thursday, September 16th (virtual). Both nights will be by appointment, and we’ll open up sign-ups later this week. We want to stress that teachers are available before and after school all year by appointment, and can also be reached via email and phone call as well. Please don’t feel the need to wait until the conference day if you have a concern or question.
To set up an appointment (again, Wednesday in-person and Thursday virtual), you’ll go to Skyward later this week much like you’ve done in elementary school and in the past. If a teacher doesn’t have any available times, reach out to the teacher and something can be arranged.
Wally Time
This week’s time on Wednesday during Wally Time will focus on getting ready for parent-teacher conferences. Students will first take time to look into their grades, what can be made up and when, etc. Next, they’ll make a plan for what to do to improve their grade if improvement is needed. Last, they’ll work on how to talk with their parents about their grades leading up to next week with a focus on having answers for the questions parents are going to ask about their grades.
PTSA Newsletter
Our wonderful PTSA has a newsletter they release quarterly. If you’re a PTSA member, you likely already received this, but we’re posting it here as well so that you have the information. Thank you as always to the PTSA for their hard work and commitment to our students!
Social-Emotional Learning Survey
We periodically administer a survey to students asking about their sense of belonging in school, their academic behaviors (being prepared, etc.), their current classes and workload, etc. A sample of the survey can be viewed here, and we use this to plan our supports as a school and measure the effectiveness of those supports. This survey will be administered next week. If you have any questions or concerns, please reply to this email.
It’s been a great first two weeks, and we appreciate your support as parents in the learning process. We love having your children with us again, and hope they are enjoying being back in school as much as we are.
COVID Testing at ERMS
The Utah Department of Health sets up testing sites throughout the state, and we’ve been hosting one for the past few months in our parking lot at their request. Due to increased demand, they are now offering COVID testing M-F from 4 – 7 pm. You can register for an appointment at coronavirus.utah.gov, and they will also allow drive-up testing without an appointment when wait times allow for it to be done reasonably. See this flyer for more information.
If you have other COVID questions (exposure, quarantine, etc.), this new one-page flyer from the Salt Lake County Health Department does a great job of outlining the most common topics. Full and regularly-updated information for the state can be found at coronavirus.utah.gov/education.
Wally Time – A Small Space for Life Skills
Each day of the week except Fridays, students have half a half hour set aside for Wally Time (our school mascot is Wally the Wapiti). Most days, this time is used for students to read a book, which has proven benefits in many academic areas and has a history at Elk Ridge (we used to call it DEAR – Drop Everything and Read). This also allows teachers to work with students individually if they are struggling with a concept being covered in class. The teacher they go to during this time changes each day so that they can get help in all classes if they need it.
But kids have a lot going on, and we often don’t have a space to talk about life skills they need to thrive in school. To give students a space to learn these skills, we take that time each Wednesday to cover a topic we’re seeing as an area our students in our school need some support. To give you an idea what this looks like, our topic this past week was Emotional Regulation. Students got a chance to discuss what emotions they are feeling (stressed being at a new school, overwhelmed, tired, etc.) and were given a few basic strategies for regulating their emotions: self care like exercising and getting enough sleep, breathing exercises, etc.
This next Wednesday, we’re talking about how to speak to adults. We can’t read minds – not that we’d want to in middle school, mind you – and if a student doesn’t understand a concept, has an issue seeing the board, is feeling overwhelmed, etc., we want them to speak up. We’ll give a few scenarios and have them actually practice how to bring it up with an adult. If you can support this at home by talking with them about things they can speak up about, we’d love the support and reinforcement.
We’ll work to include each week’s Wednesday topic in our Monday email so that you know what’s coming and can work with your students at home or ask questions if you have them. Some weeks will be more focused on college and career readiness, some on building community, and others on academic strategies. You are always welcome at any time to talk with us or your students about what we’re learning that week.
School Community Council Elections & First Meeting
If you want to have a say in what happens at the school, we’d love to have you join our school community council! Fill out an election application here, or just attend our first meeting. We will meet at 6 pm on September 21st in the Media Center. We will also have a Zoom option for those wishing to attend virtually. That link will be posted on the Community Council page of the school website on the date of the meeting. We would love to have you, so mark your calendar!
We hope your students are enjoying being back in school as much as we are! With the first week under our belts, we’re settling into the more routine aspects of school. As always, check your email each Monday for a Skylert, and check our website and social media pages for both the Skylert information and highlights from life at school.
7th Grade Student Government Elections
Since our 7th graders come from various elementary schools, we hold elections for student body officers when they get here to Elk Ridge. If your student is at all interested – or you as their parent think they should give it a go – have them check out this page on the school website for dates, deadlines, and application information.
Dress Code
Please make sure you send your students to school in clothing that follows the JSD Dress Code. A good rule of thumb if you aren’t sure it works is to make sure your student is covered from shoulder to shoulder and from the neck to the knee. If you have any questions please contact a member of the administration.
School Community Council Elections & First MeetingIf you want to have a say in what happens at the school, we’d love to have you join our school community council! Fill out an election application here, or just attend our first meeting. We will meet at 6 pm on September 21st in the Media Center. We will also have a Zoom option for those wishing to attend virtually. That link will be posted on the Community Council page of the school website on the date of the meeting. We would love to have you, so mark your calendar!
Interested in running for student body officer? Check out the dates and deadlines below, as well as the promotional video from our current 8th and 9th grade SBO’s.
August 23 – 27: Applications available in the Main Office
August 31: Applications, questionnaire, poster examples, and video outline due to Mr. Fife in Room 406 by 3 pm.
September 2 – 8: Posters up in the cafeteria and hallways – You need to get Mr. Fife’s approval before hanging your posters.
September 8: Primary elections (if needed). 8 students move on. Mandatory meeting at the end of the day for the results for all applicants. Interview sign-ups start if moving on. You will have only ONE interview.
September 10: Interviews after school.
September 13: Videos are due to Mr. Fife by 3 pm.
September 14: Final Elections – Winners will be notified at the end of the day in the library. School-wide announcement of winners will be at the end of the day or the following morning.
SBO Advisor Contact Information: Mr. Fife, jason.fife@jordandistrict.org – Room 406
We will be holding the in-person half of Back-to-School Night from 6 – 7:30 pm at the school. We will have a brief introduction, allow the PTSA to conduct some business, and then give you the rest of the time to visit teachers, work on locker combinations, etc. Many of you did this last Friday unofficially, and we will hold next year’s night before school starts to capitalize on such high interest.
We also have brief videos from teachers explaining things you might want to know as parents for your child’s classes. Those videos can be found here. They will be available at any time for the next few weeks – like when your kids come home and tell you about their favorite teacher and you want to know who they are talking about.
Immunizations at Back-to-School Night
The required 7th grade immunizations (not COVID-19 vaccinations or flu shots) will be offered through Certified Nursing Services during Back-to-School Night. They will arrive before Back-to-School Night begins if you’d like to come a bit early.
Chromebooks & Registration
We can’t give your student a Chromebook until you have completed registration, as it contains an acceptable use agreement for electronic devices in the district.
More Information Always Online
We always post every Skylert and as much important information as possible on the school website (elkridgemiddle.org). Please check out our last Skylert/post regarding much of the start-of-school information we get asked about most frequently.
We also do our level best to avoid overloading your inbox/phone/texts with information so that when we do send it out, it’s something you actually read. Plan on a message from us once a week (usually Monday evening), and always check the website if you’re wondering if you’ve missed something.
Lego Robotics
Like Legos? Like Robots? Join Lego Robotics at Elk Ridge Middle School. It meets after school Tuesday and Thursday from 3:05-4:00. We build and program Lego robots. We also solve engineering problems. To join: https://forms.gle/8bM5icRJquV54sCc9
It’s time to get this school year started! We kick off Monday for 7th graders and Tuesday for everyone else. There’s a lot of great information in this Skylert, so be sure to check it all out so that you come prepared. We can’t wait to see everyone!
Contents of This Skylert
7th Grade First Day (Aug. 16, 8 am – 12 pm)
8th/9th Grade First Day – All Grades Attend (Aug. 17, 8 am – 3 pm)
Class Schedules (Check Again on Sunday Night!)
Lunch Schedules
New School Start & End Times for 2021-22
COVID-19 Updates & Information
Meeting with a Counselor
Back-to-School Night (Aug. 16, 6 – 7:30 pm)
Immunizations During Back-to-School Night
Drop-Off & Pick-Up Procedures & Map
Back-to-School Night
Free School Lunch for 2021-22
Calculators & Elk Ridge Math
7th Grade First Day of School (Monday, August 16, 8 am – 12 pm)
School starts on Monday for 7th graders at 8:00 am. We’ll run through students’ entire schedules, cover important information they’ll need being new to the school, and have some fun along the way. School will end at 12 pm. This is a school day for your 7th graders, so parents don’t need to attend. We’ll take good care of them!
8th/9th Grade First Day / All Students Attend (Tuesday, August 17, 8 am – 3 pm)
This will be a normal schedule (8 am to 3 pm), and the students will attend all of their classes for the normal times.
New School Start and End Times
Along with most other middle schools in the district, our start and end times have been shifted back 10 minutes. We will now start school at 8:00 am and end at 3 pm. If you don’t ride a bus, make sure you’re arriving at 7:50 and not right at 8 am.
Class Schedules
There may have been necessary last-minute changes to your schedule. Please look at and print your schedule Sunday night to be sure you have the most up to date schedule. Be sure to print your locker information as well.
Schedule changes are only taking place if there is a mistake. If you believe there is a mistake in your student’s schedule please email your counselor.
If you are an 8th or 9th grade Honors Math student and you would like to be a Peer Tutor for an elective class, please contact your counselor.
Lunch Schedules
Your lunch will be based on your 4th hour teacher if you are a 7th grader, and based on your 5th hour teacher if you are an 8th or 9th grader. This will be posted throughout the school next week, and can also be found on this page of the school website.
COVID-19 Updates & Information
We will be following district and county health department guidelines regarding COVID-19. Starting out the year, this means masks are not required. If you choose to wear or not wear a mask, please be respectful of that same choice for others. For more complete information regarding quarantine protocol, recommendations, and more, visit this page. This information was also emailed to you directly by the district.
Meeting with a Counselor
If you need to meet with your counselor, please sign up on our website at elkridge.jordandistrict.org > Students > Meet With A Counselor
Counselors will be contacting you as soon as possible to meet with you.
Back-to-School Night
Our back-to-school night will be held Monday from 6-7:30 pm. We will start with a brief opening meeting in the auditorium to answer questions and give our wonderful PTSA a chance to say a few things, and then you’ll be able to take a map and move about the school to meet with teachers. We had a huge turnout to tour the school this morning, and that’s great. If you came in today, you don’t need to come again on Monday night unless you want to chat with a teacher or get involved with the PTSA. We’ll most likely move next year’s back-to-school night up to the week before school starts going forward.
We will also be offering a virtual back-to-school night option in the form of videos from our teachers giving you a brief introduction to them and their classrooms. That link will be sent out Monday afternoon in a Skylert.
Immunizations During Back-to-School Night
The required 7th grade immunizations (not COVID-19 vaccinations or flu shots) will be offered through Certified Nursing Services during Back-to-School Night. They will arrive before Back-to-School Night begins if you’d like to come a bit early.
Drop-Off and Pick-Up
We have a large number of students that arrive via car, and it makes a HUGE difference if everyone follows the established procedure. Use the map below, pull as far forward as you can in front of the school, and please ask your children to use the center crosswalk directly in front of the main doors. With Bangerter construction, it’s especially important this year that we get as many cars in the parking lot at a time as possible, and get everyone through as quickly as possible.
School Lunch is Free for the 2021-22 School Year
The USDA has decided to provide free lunch to all students for the 2021-22 school year. A la carte items (donuts, brownies, cookies, etc.) will still cost money as they are not a part of the regular school lunch. If you would normally qualify for free or reduced lunch, please still fill out the free and reduced lunch application, as that helps with a variety of things for both you and us.
Calculators & Elk Ridge Math
It is strongly recommended that students purchase their own personal calculator for use at home. Please see the attached information about the calculators that are used at Elk Ridge Middle School.
8th and 9th grade students will start using calculators immediately, so this will require timely action. Please use this LINK for information about the TI-84.
7th grade students will not be using calculators until late October or early November, so if your student is a 7th grader you have some time. Use this LINK for information about the TI-34 Multiview.
Elk Ridge does have a calculator rental program, but the quantity and quality of the calculator is limited. Use this LINK for information about the rental program. Rental forms will be available in your student’s math class.
You may talk to your student’s math teacher should you have any questions.
For the last week, 7th and 8th grade students at Elk Ridge have been able to learn to solve Rubik’s cubes in their math classes. Using those skills, each class period has worked to build a mosaic. They only see the 12 cubes they are solving, and can’t see the whole picture until everyone has completed their part. It’s problem solving, teamwork, algorithmic thinking, and endurance all rolled into one chaotic and fantastic project.
A lot of the student favorites were mosaics relating to the Utah Jazz:
We also had a mosaic of Jordan School District Superintendent, Anthony Godfrey – who made a cameo appearance without knowing what he was in for:
Word got out, and we ended the day having Fox 13 News come over and film as the students pulled off a truly heroic mosaic of Donavan Mitchell in under 20 minutes. With 420 cubes to solve, it was a race against time that required some of the speediest solving we’ve ever seen. We’ll update this post with a link to the story once it aires.
If you see one of your math teachers, especially Jonathan Lawes, thank them for finding such meaningful and enjoyable ways to keep our students not only entertained, but actively learning and laughing. It was a great way to send off our students into the summer, and we look forward to doing it again with 7th graders next year.
We’re nearly to the end of the school year, and now is definitely the time to remind your student to check on grades and with teachers before deadlines for turning in work have passed. You can always check Skyward and Canvas for up-to-date information in each class.
We have a lot of exciting things planned for the last two weeks of school, and we look forward to a lot of fun as we wrap up a year for the history books.
THIS WEEK (Masks Still Required)
Ongoing: BHS Arena Scheduling (more info below)
Monday, May 24
Theatre Performance @ 6 pm and 7:30 pm
Calculators checked out from math teachers are due
Tuesday, May 25
Orchestra Concert @ 7 pm
Wednesday, May 26
Dance Concert @ 6 pm and 7:30 pm
Thursday, May 27
Locker Cleanout During 2nd Period
Band Concert @ 7 pm
Lagoon Bus Permission Slips Due (9th Grade – Found Here)
Bingham cross-country team meeting @ 6:30 pm in the Bingham media center
Friday, May 28
AP Human Geography Test (In seats and ready with charged Chromebooks at 9:30 am)
9th Grade Memory Books (Given out during 1st, Signing Party during 7th)
Year-End Assembly (Awards, Performances)
Thursday, June 3
9th Grade Lagoon Day (Go to 1st period, purchase your pass online beforehand, and bring lunch or money for lunch)
7th & 8th Grade Memory Books (Given out during 1st, Signing Party during 7th)
7th & 8th Grade Activity Day (Each class will have activities and sign yearbooks on our regular bell schedule)
7th Grade Last Day of School
Friday, June 4
Virtual Day for Students (No students in the building)
8th & 9th Grade Last Day of School – Enjoy a well-deserved break!
Chromebook Returns
All students should plan on bringing their Chromebooks to the media center during their Language Arts class on Tuesday, June 1st. All Chromebooks will be checked for damage and then either checked right back out to the student (7th & 8th Grade, if desired) or checked in to the school (9th Grade).
Virtual Students are welcome to come at any point that day to check them in. Because the mask mandate will be lifted at that point, we will also happily take virtual student Chromebooks this Friday from 9:30 am – 2 pm while the mask mandate is still in effect. Simply check in the main office and bring it to the media center.
Before Checking In
Remove any stickers you applied
Wrap up the charger nicely
Wipe down the outside (not the inside, and spray the cloth and not the Chromebook)
Fees will be assessed for any missing chargers, cracked or damaged screens, excessive wear, missing keys, or a Chromebook missing entirely. And again, 7th & 8th graders can keep their Chromebooks over the summer if they would like, but will still need to bring it to be assessed.
BHS Arena Scheduling
If students have incomplete or incorrect schedules for BHS next year, they can log into skyward and make those adjustments. Arena scheduling will be open now until June 2 at 11:59pm. It will open again Aug. 2 @ 3pm until Aug. 17 @ 11:59pm.
Lagoon Permission Slips Due May 27th
There is no fee to ride the bus, but we do require a signed parent permission slip. They can be found on the school website and in the main office. Actual tickets to Lagoon are purchased online only on Lagoon’s website.
How much does it cost? $37.00 (tax included) ONLINE STUDENT TICKETS: Student tickets will be available to purchase online, in advance. Students can go onto Lagoon’s website and purchase tickets using the promo code SCHOOLS21. If tickets are purchased online, in advance, your student can go directly to the Entrance Gates with their digital ticket.Lagoon ticket windows will still be open for students to purchase from Lagoon. Checks are not accepted. Students may use their Lagoon 2021 Season Passport.
STUDENT FEES AND FINES MUST BE PAID IN ORDER TO ATTEND LAGOON. PLEASE CHECK SKYWARD.
Please note: X-Venture Zone Attractions (Skycoaster, Double Thunder Raceway and Catapult) are not included with the Single Day Passport. Lagoon-A-Beach will not be open.
What should students bring?
Lunch, or money for lunch
Sunscreen, hat, water bottle, sunglasses, etc.
What should students wear?
All students attending this activity must follow Jordan School District dress code. There are many water-related rides at Lagoon, so please dress appropriately.
Student Discipline
Suspensions and discipline referrals may affect your student’s opportunity to attend this activity.
Transportation
ERMS ninth grade students may ride the bus at no cost. Buses will leave ERMS at 9:00 am.
Buses will leave Lagoon between 4:00 pm – 5:00 pmand return to ERMS between 5:00 pm – 6:00 pm. The school assumes no liability for students who choose not to board buses on time. Students who need a ride home from school should make arrangements beforehand, as the school will be locked by the time the buses return to ERMS.
PERMISSION SLIPS TO RIDE THE BUS ARE DUE: MAY 27, 2021
