Be sure to check out the Spring PTSA Newsletter for information on a visit to the capitol, next year’s nominations for the PTSA Board, and how PTSA funds have been used so far this year.
As always, we have the best PTSA in the world, and we can’t say thank you enough for the parents that work so hard to add so much to our school community!
We are nearly to Spring Break already, and we hope you have relaxing plans. As a reminder, we are on Spring Recess from Friday of this week all through next week. We start end-of-year testing for 9th graders right when we come back on Monday, the 25th. That takes place during students’ 1st and 2nd periods (2nd Mon, 1st Tue, 2nd Wed, 1st Thu). Eat a good breakfast and do your best!
Panoramic Pictures
9th Grade Panoramic Pictures will be Wednesday, April 13, 2022. If you are interested in ordering a Panoramic Picture, pay online at www.bellphoto.com, enter the school code 22elkridgepano and follow the prompts to complete your order.
Bingham Class Officer Elections
It’s time to vote for next year’s Bingham High School class officers. Only current 9th graders can vote in the 2022-2023 sophomore class elections. Every vote is individually verified. Please vote for up to 2 candidates for sophomore office. Voting will close on Thursday at 1:00 PM.
Click this link to vote: https://forms.gle/nzg5Drd7HhuiEmB18
9th Grade Job Interviews – Rescheduled to Thursday, May 26th
URGENT – This activity cannot take place without your help.
Adult volunteers are still needed to help with our 9th grade Job Interview experience. We need morning volunteers from 7:50am -11:15am, and afternoon volunteers from 11:00am-3:00pm. The PTSA will provide food for both sessions. Volunteers will be doing short mock job interviews for our 9th grade students. The interview questions will be emailed to volunteers and you do not need to have hiring experience to help out. For more information, please contact the counseling center. If you can help with this fun activity, please fill out this form.
211 Parent Website
This is a one-stop-shop for all things related to strengthening families and protective factors. You’ll find many 211 resources categorized by protective factors, as well as links to educational content for families such as articles, TED talks, parenting apps, etc. https://uw.org/211/family-strengthening/
Free Intro to Coding Workshop:
There will be a “Free Intro to Coding Workshop” after school next week on April 5 @ 3:15 pm – 4:15 pm in Ms. Hardy’s classroom (Room #209). All interested Elk Ridge Middle students are encouraged and invited to participate. This workshop will also be used as our MESA-STEM April activity as well. No previous experience is necessary.
Students,
Thank you so much for auditioning for the talent show! We had incredible talent, and choosing the final performances was a difficult task. If you were chosen to perform, you should have received an email to your school account this afternoon. Some of you will perform in all three shows (7th, 8th, and 9th) while others will perform for you grade only. These determinations, however, are still being made, so I will let you know how many shows you are in as soon as I have it ready. Thank you so much for auditioning!
Ms. Rees
It’s finally time, and this year’s production of Music Man is playing this week at Elk Ridge! Come and see our students in the classic story of con-man Harold Hill Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday. Evening performances are at 7 pm, and there is also a matinee on Saturday at 1pm. You can purchase tickets here. The students and staff have worked tirelessly, and we can’t wait for you to see their hard work come to life.
Seriously, if you haven’t been to one of our musicals, you need to go. It’s pretty incredible.
NOTE: The shows are selling out fast. Please do NOT plan on purchasing a ticket at the door, as a seat may not be available. Cash purchases won’t be possible for anything other than concessions. If you have someone attending (e.g. grandparents) who may not be familiar with online ticketing, please help them before arriving so that they don’t arrive to find there isn’t a seat available.
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!
Parent Conferences on 2/16 (Virtual) and 2/17 (In Person)
We will once again be holding parent conferences this coming 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, check out this video.
On a completely unrelated note, if you need to communicate with your student, please try to do so during passing time or by calling the office and we’ll relay the message. When you call during class, they feel pressured to answer and it can be somewhat disruptive. The digital age brings new challenges every day, and we appreciate your help keeping the focus on school while at school.
Have Building Skills? Our Musical Could Use Your Help!
This year’s musical is Music Man, and we’re looking for someone to lead us in the actual construction side of the set on 2/12 and 2/26 from 12:45 – 4:00 pm. We have lots of labor, and the design work is done, so we really just need someone to guide the construction process.
We are also looking for a lead painter for the sets – nothing elaborate, but someone with artistic ability that can direct us in where to paint what.
If you can help, email jacqueline.vuki@jordandistrict.org
Last Day to Purchase Memory Books is March 1st
If you haven’t already purchased a Memory Book, your last day to do so is March 1st. If you’re not sure if you purchased one at the start of the year, go to fee management to verify – don’t guess, because if you guess wrong, you won’t have a Memory Book. The cost is $25.
COUNSELING CENTER
9th Grade PCCR Appointments
9th grade PCCR appointments are available February 14th-March 4th. This is a chance to meet with your counselor and talk about high school class options and career plans. Go to Skyward to schedule an appointment.
Free Digital Parenting Resources
Digital Respons-Ability has a list of free resources on their website for parents looking for help: https://respons-ability.net/free-resources/ They also share resources and a parenting gaming review site at https://digital-parenting.com. Join them for free monthly webinars aimed at parents and educators by signing up for their newsletter. You can also see past archived trainings on their SchoolTube channel: https://www.schooltube.com/channel/Digital+Respons-Ability.net/190101523.
Elk Ridge PTSA needs your help for the 2022-2023 school year! We have lots of open board positions. If you are looking for a chance to get involved and make a difference in our school community, look no further. There is a required once a month board meeting the first Friday of the month at 10 a.m., usually less than an hour. If interested please email contact info to ptsaelkridge@gmail.com. We really need the first 3 positions filled in order to even have a PTSA next year.
Well, what a start to 2022! We will send out more information if needed early next week, but here are a few highlights you’ll find in this Skylert:
Accessing Your Virtual Classes
This coming Wednesday-Friday, all classes will be virtual. In order to keep things as simple as possible, here’s what you need to know:
New Semester Starts Wednesday
Please check Skyward on Wednesday morning to make sure you’re attending the right classes with the right teachers. Classes on Canvas should roll automatically on Wednesday, but email the teacher listed in Skyward if you have any trouble connecting. You can find staff emails on this page.
Breakfast and Lunch W-F
We will serve both breakfast and lunch all three days we are virtual. Students will need to enter the cafeteria on the west side of the school and it will be both grab-and-go and something they can eat in the cafeteria.
We are hoping to serve from 11:00 am – 12:30 pm. If you plan to come for breakfast or lunch outside of those times, please give us a heads up so we can have food ready for you. Call Holly Taylor at 801-412-2823 to let us know you’re coming outside of those times.
Registration/Course Selection Timeline
We had planned to hand out course selection cards to students on Wednesday. We will post PDF’s of the cards on this page by then for you to review, and you can visit that same page for course overviews, videos, course requirements, and all things registration.
We will then hand out the physical cards to students on Monday, January 24th. 7th graders will complete them on Tuesday, January 25th and 8th graders will complete them in class on Thursday, January 27th. We plan to hold a registration night for incoming 7th graders on January 27th, where cards will be both distributed and collected. Contact the counseling center if you have any questions about course selection.
PTSA Ambassadors Planning Meeting
On Wednesday, January 19th from 3-4 pm, PTSA ambassadors will be meeting in the Media Center to plan and make posters for Red Ribbon Week.
Web Development Workshop
Jan 26 | 3:00- 4:00 pm
Join us at Elk Ridge Middle School and learn the basics of web development! Students in grades 7- 9 are invited to this introductory workshop. No previous experience necessary! Come & learn with other future coders! See this flyer for more information.