Parent Conferences Wednesday (Virtual) and Thursday (In-Person)
We will once again be holding parent conferences this week. Please schedule a time in Skyward, and remember that you are always able to connect with teachers, regardless of the time of year. Wednesday will be for virtual conferences (Zoom) and Thursday will be for in-person conferences. Both nights are by appointment only. For help scheduling appointments in Skyward, check out this video.
Zoom Links for Parent Conferences
You can access the Zoom links for virtual appointments (Wednesday, and then anything else arranged with the teacher) by clicking here. If you have any trouble accessing the meeting during the conference, just email the teacher and we’ll arrange another meeting time or help you troubleshoot the issue.
Bingham High School Registration Information
On February 28th, we will be handing out registration cards for Bingham High School. We will then collect the cards on March 7th. Please watch for these cards in order to assist your 9th grade student in making the appropriate class choices. The Bingham High counselors will be here at Elk Ridge on Mar. 7 to collect the registration cards and to help our 9th graders enter their class requests into Skyward.
Bingham High School Orientation Night
Bingham High School will be holding their annual “Sophomore Orientation Night” at the high school on Thursday, March 3rd from 6 – 8 pm. We encourage all current 9th graders and their parents/guardians to attend.
9th Grade PCCR Appointments
9th grade PCCR appointments are available February 14th – March 4th. This is an opportunity to meet with your counselor and talk about high school class options and future career plans. To sign up for a PCCR, log into Skyward and click on the “Conferences” tab in the menu on the left side. Daytime and evening appointment times are available. We look forward to meeting with you and your student soon!
We have a lot going on this week. In today’s Skylert, you’ll find:
Parent Conference Dates, Types, and Instructions
Flu Shot Information
Picture Day & Purchase Information
MESA-STEM Activities
National Junior Honors Society Information
Wally Time Weekly Topic
Bingham High School Swim Team Tryouts
Parent Conferences this Wednesday (In-Person) and Thursday (Virtual)
Parent-Teacher Conferences will be held this Wednesday, September 15th (in-person in classrooms) and Thursday, September 16th (virtual). Both nights will be by appointment in Skyward. 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 this or the next conference day if you have a concern, question, or information we need to help your student.
To set up an appointment (again, Wednesday in-person and Thursday virtual), you’ll go to Skyward. If you need help, use these instructions. If a teacher doesn’t have any available times that work for you, reach out to the teacher and something can be arranged.
If you have signed up for a virtual appointment on Thursday, or at any other point in the week, use these Zoom Links to join the conference on the day and time of your appointment.
Flu Shots Available Wednesday from 4-7:30 pm During Parent Conferences
Community Nursing Services will be hosting Boo to the Flu during parent conference this Wednesday to offer flu shots. No other immunizations or vaccinations will be offered outside of the flu shot.
Picture Day This Wednesday
Picture Day is this Wednesday, September 15th! To prepay, view package options, and more, check out this flyer. Plan on getting your picture taken even if you aren’t purchasing one, as it’s the picture we use in the Memory Books.
MESA-STEM After-School Activities
We will be holding our first MESA-STEM after school activity on Wed, Sept 22. We will continue to have a STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math) related activity each month. All Elk Ridge Students are welcome and encouraged to attend. Each month’s activity will begin immediately after school and will probably last about an hour (approx, 3:00 – 4:00 pm). Flyers with more information will soon be provided.
National Junior Honors Society (NJHS)
Attention all 8th and 9th graders who love to help! The National Junior Honor Society is up and running again. This is an organization centered around academic excellence, leadership, and service projects. A 3.75 cumulative GPA is required to join and to retain membership. Honors or Satisfactory citizenship grades required, however you are allowed to have no more than one “N.” There will be monthly after school meetings and occasional meetings during school or Wally Time. Please see your ELA teacher for an application, the main office, or Mrs. Young in room 304. Applications are due Tuesday, September 21 to your ELA teacher or Mrs. Young.
Wally Time
This week, we’ll be using our time on Wednesday to complete a survey of students, and will use the rest of the time to ensure students know their grades, what can still be done or redone, and how to talk to you about it.
The optional survey is one we do several times a year 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. If you have any questions or concerns, please reply to this email.
Bingham Swim Team
Any 9th grader interested in trying out for the 2021-2022 Bingham Swim Team needs to plan on attending, along with a parent/guardian, the parent meeting on Tuesday, September 14th at 6:30 pm in the Bingham Media Center. Information that is essential to the start of the season will be handed out at this meeting.
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.
Parent-Teacher conferences are this Wednesday from 4-8 pm and Thursday from 4-7:30 pm. You can sign up for an appointment time in Skyward Family Access. Drop-ins will be possible, but those with appointments will be given priority. Zoom links will be available on the school website and via email starting Wednesday. If you have a meeting with a teacher before then, they can send you the Zoom link directly.
Sign up early to get the times you want, and remember that if you don’t get the chance to meet with a teacher this week, Zoom, email and phone calls all work all year, so please don’t hesitate to reach out whenever you have questions or concerns.
Last Week to Pre-Register
Don’t forget that all pre-registrations (course selections) must be completed by February 14th. Visit our pre-registration page for information and the pre-registration form. We’ll take this information and use it to offer as many of the classes that you want as possible!
ALPS Orientation
There will be a virtual ALPS orientation meeting for all incoming ALPS students on February 23rd from 6-7 pm. The link to this meeting can be found at gandt.jordandistrict.org.
Memory Books
Memory Books ordered from now until March 15 are $25. Memory Books ordered after March 15 will be $30, and are only available as long as the limited supplies last. Memory books can be ordered in Skyward under the fees sections. If you have questions, please contact Mrs. Whitney in the main office. We have switched to a different vendor this year to hopefully ensure they are here in a timely manner.
Dress Code Reminder
Please take a moment to review what your student is wearing to school, especially now that things are warming up.
Virtual Parent Teacher Conferences will be held Wednesday, February 10th from 4-8 pm and Thursday, February 11th from 4-7:30 pm. The process will be very similar to what we did in the fall with a few modifications. Here are the highlights:
Appointments can be made by logging into Skyward Family Access using your parent account. (This is the same process used by Jordan District elementary schools. You can make appointments with all your student’s teachers in one place. Please see the attached step-by-step instructions if needed.)
Zoom links for each teacher will be available on the school website starting Monday after school.
Zoom meetings will utilize “waiting rooms”.
“Drop ins” are welcome, but teachers will give preference to those with appointments.
We strongly encourage you to check your student’s grades on Skyward and talk with them a few days prior to the conference. If you have any trouble accessing Skyward Family Access, please contact the main office. Instructions can also be found here.
A few more thoughts on the structure of the conference: Our overall goal with any parent conference is to have meaningful, two-way communication with you about your child and how we can work together to support them. If you are unable to meet with us for some reason on those days, please know that in today’s connected age, we are always reachable by email, phone, video conference, or in-person. Don’t let a date set aside for communication get in the way of communication throughout the year.
We look forward to seeing or hearing from you!
Pre-Registration Open Through Feb. 14th
Don’t forget to visit our pre-registration page to choose your courses for next year. All selections made before the 14th will be given the same consideration, so it’s important to get your registration in during that time. Contact our counseling center if you have any questions.
Now that parent-teacher conferences are over, we want to know how it went and what we can do to improve communication. If you could take this brief survey, we’d love your feedback!
Community Council Nominations
Would you like to be involved in the big picture planning at Elk Ridge? If you or someone you know would like to join, let us know using this form. Depending on interest, we’ll send out a voting form once nominees are confirmed. Thanks for you nominations in advance!
Red Ribbon Week
Red Ribbon Week starts next Monday, and our PTSA has a lot of excitement in store. To get in on the fun, follow this Instagram account. Red Ribbon week runs from 10/5 to 10/9.
Picture Retakes
Retakes for student pictures will take place on October 7th. More information to come.
Chalk Art Festival
Our Chalk Art Festival will be happening on October 9th, and students can participate in person or from home. Applications for in-person and online participants can be found here. In-person participant applications are due to Mrs. Gonzales by October 1st at 3 pm.
Quarantine Process at ERMS
We get a lot of questions about symptoms and quarantine. If you have any questions, feel free to use this tool to see current guidelines we have from the health department and quarantine types specific to your situation. We use a modified version of this tool when determining exposure and length of quarantine. This tool is for your information only and does not collect any data. Please contact the school if you have symptoms or confirmed exposure to a positive COVID case.
Stress and Anxiety Group
Feeling stressed out or anxious? We want to help! Let one of our counselors know and we’ll make sure we connect you with resources and others that can support you.
UPDATE: If you are having issues entering the meeting, please go back to the Zoom link list and try again. A few links required passcodes and have been fixed.
Parent-teacher conferences are this week, and will be held virtually. We appreciate your patience with another new process. By the end of this school year, we’ll be capable of so much more than we ever thought possible.
Important Note: Meetings with teachers don’t have to just happen now during the conference, and are not required. If you ever want to meet with a teacher, just email or call to set up a time. We want meaningful, two-way communication and we’ll take it whenever it works for you.
Another Important Note: We ask that appointments be kept to around 5 minutes. If you need a meeting with a teacher that will take longer than that, please reach out to the teacher directly.
One Last Important Note: If the technology doesn’t work on your end or ours, don’t panic. We’ll figure it out and schedule it once it does. Just let the teacher know.
For students in virtual classes, visit this sheet for Zoom meeting links and information. All in-person students should follow these steps:
Step 1: Video Recaps
With conferences, there is often a lot of information that applies to the whole class. Each teacher has made a video of what’s happening in their classes for you to view prior to scheduling an appointment.
Keep in mind that appointment slots may fill up quickly. It’s okay. If you are unable to find an appointment slot that works for you, please contact the teacher to set up an appointment. Communication can happen all year, and at almost any time.
Step 3: Join the Meeting
When your appointment time arrives, go back to the sheet where you signed up for the appointment to click the Zoom link for that teacher.
You will enter a waiting room where the teacher will be able to see who is waiting and bring you into a private meeting at your scheduled time. Drop-ins are accepted, but only if an appointment hasn’t shown or no one signed up for the slot.
Step 4: That’s It
Really, that’s all. And not to sound like a broken record, but if you don’t get the time you need or the technology breaks, just let us know and we’ll get you in touch with the teacher. Our goal is to communicate with you about your student to whatever degree is needed, so just reach out and we’ll get it figured out.
Parent-teacher conferences are September 23rd and 24th, although some teachers have opened up more availability. Due to COVID-19, conferences will be held virtually this year. Visit this page or our website for detailed instructions and links. The process is basically this:
Review recap videos from teachers (available Monday afternoon) for general information about each class
If you need to meet with a teacher, make an appointment (links on the website Monday afternoon)
At the time of your appointment, connect via Zoom.
While drop-in conferences are possible between 4-8 pm on Wednesday and 4-7:30 pm on Thursday, an appointment ensures the teacher is available. If you are unable to connect with a teacher for any reason, please contact the teacher to set up a time to meet. Our goal is meaningful two-way communication, so please reach out if this format doesn’t work for any reason.
Since PTC appointments are managed by Google, you may have to enter your email address and password to access the calendar. This will allow you to make an appointment and be sent an email reminder.
In order to meet with as many parents as possible, we are asking that meetings be longer than 5 minutes. Please also only set up an appointment if you need to speak to the teacher live and email or phone communication that happens normally won’t suffice. As a reminder, you are always able to set up an appointment to call, email or video conference with a teacher, regardless of the time of year. Again, visit this page for information from your teachers for appointment and Zoom links for this week’s conference.
Curbside Lunch/Breakfast Service
Elk Ridge, along with South Hills and Joel P. Jensen, will be offering curbside and walk-up lunch/breakfast to-go meals for any JSD students regardless of grade level who are attending school virtually.
Prepared meals (lunch today, breakfast tomorrow) will be available in front of the school from 10-11 am. As with in-person lunches, all meals for students will be free of charge through the remainder of 2020. Menu options will vary based on what is being served in school each day. Students attending in-person should eat at the regular time in the cafeteria.
PTSA Ambassador Application Deadline Extended
You can now submit your application to the PTSA Ambassadors until September 24th. It’s a great way to get involved and serve others. Talk to Kimberly Gilbert with any questions.
PTSA Newsletter & Reflections Contest
Our PTSA Fall Newsletter and annual Reflections contest are now live. Visit this link to view the newsletter and get information on the contest.
Quarantine and Symptom Check Online Tool
We get a lot of questions about symptoms and quarantine. If you have any questions, feel free to use this tool to see current guidelines we have from the health department and quarantine types specific to your situation. We use a modified version of this tool when determining exposure and length of quarantine. This tool is for your information only and does not collect any data. Please contact the school if you have symptoms or confirmed exposure to a positive COVID case.
Stress and Anxiety Group
Feeling stressed out or anxious? We want to help! Let one of our counselors know and we’ll make sure we connect you with resources and others that can support you.
