Category: Wally the Wapiti

General news and announcements from the desk of Wally the Wapiti.

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Skylert Wally the Wapiti

Wapiti Medallion Instructions

Every year at ERMS, students have the opportunity to be recognized for their contributions to our school and community by earning a Wapiti Medallion. Points are assigned for different activities that require students to go above and beyond the normal student expectations. The award can be earned in each grade (bronze for 7th, silver for 8th, and gold for 9th), and for earning the award all three years at Elk Ridge (platinum).

In order to apply, students must send an email by Wed. May 19th and submit their essay by Monday May 24th. Please see the application information sheet here, below, or in the main office for details. Questions should be directed to Camille Francis at camille.francis@jordandistrict.org or Kristy Weldon at kristine.weldon@jordandistrict.org. Thank you!

Application Instructions
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Skylert Wally the Wapiti

Purchase Tickets to Matilda the Musical!

We are thrilled to announce that tickets are available now for next week’s school performance of Matilda the Musical! Shows are Tuesday to Saturday night at 7:00 pm, with a matinee on Saturday at 2:00 pm. Updated COVID guidelines for performances allow us to increase audience capacity, and our cast members have already had a chance to get tickets for family. We would love to have you join us. Please note that masks must be worn at all times, and no eating or drinking will be allowed in the auditorium. Our cast members and all of our wonderful volunteers and staff have been working tirelessly for months to prepare, and we can’t wait to have you at our performance!

To purchase tickets, visit this link or go to showtix4u.com, search Elk Ridge and Matilda the Musical at Elk Ridge Middle School.

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COVID-19 Skylert Wally the Wapiti

8th Grade Job Shadow, 9th Grade Interviews, BHS Voting

It’s great to have everyone back from what we hope was a very relaxing Spring Break! It’s now 4th quarter, and we have a number of spring items this week. Also, please remind your students that masks must be worn snugly over both the mouth AND nose. It’s also worth noting that while the statewide mask mandate lifts April 10th, the statewide mask mandate for schools remains in place through the end of the school year. We hope that’s the finish line for wearing masks in schools, and we appreciate your support it making it there.

Here’s what’s in this week’s Skylert:

  • 8th Grade Job Shadow Information
  • 9th Grade Mock Interview Information
  • End-of-Year Testing for Virtual Students
  • 9th Grade Voting for BHS Sophomore Class Officers

8th Grade Job Shadow – Applications Due Tuesday, April 6th

Job Shadow applications are due Tuesday, April 6th, but will still be accepted through Thursday, April 8th. Applications need to be submitted through your US History Canvas class. (If you are an online student, this same information is available through the “Counseling” Canvas class.) Historically, the 8th grade Job Shadow has been a very positive experience and most students participate. We highly encourage 8th graders to take advantage of this opportunity to explore a possible career. Students can job shadow with their parent/guardian or someone else. The job shadow application needs to be completed in order for students to have the absence “excused.” 

If you are having trouble finding a job shadow experience, the JATC is willing to host around 45 of our students in the following programs: Website Development & Design, Engineering & Robotics, Digital Media, Biotechnology, Garden & Greenhouse Design, and Welding. If you are interested in any of these programs, please contact the counseling center. Spots will be filled on a first come, first served basis. Parents are responsible for transportation. 

Students that don’t participate in the Job Shadow on April 13th are expected to be in school all day and will complete a career assignment that day. 

9th Grade Job Interviews – Tuesday, April 13th

Adult volunteers are still needed to help with our 9th grade Job Interview experience. We need 15 volunteers from 7:45-11:35, and 15 volunteers from 11:25-2:50. The PTSA will provide lunch for both sessions. Volunteers will be providing short mock job interviews for our 9th grade students. We will provide a list of suggested questions. For more information, please contact the counseling center. If you can help with this fun activity, please fill out this form.

End-of-Year Testing for Virtual Students

Virtual students please come to the school at the following times for end of the year testing. The schedule is as follows:

RISE Math 7th & 8th GradeRISE ELA 7th & 8th GradeRISE Science 7th & 8th GradeRISE Writing 8th Grade ONLYASPIRE +ELAASPIRE +ScienceASPIRE +ReadingASPIRE +Math
May 10 & 17 8:00 – 9:45 AMMay 11 & 18 8:00 – 9:45 AMMay 12 & 19 8:00 – 9:45 AMMay 13 & 20 8:00 – 9:45 AMMay 3 7:40 – 9:30 AMMay 4 8:30 – 10:15 AMMay 5 7:40 – 9:30  AMMay 6 8:30 – 10:15 AM

9th Grade BHS Sophomore Class Officer Elections

Welcome back after Spring Break! It’s time to vote for next year’s class officers. Only incoming BHS sophomores can vote in 2021-2022 Sophomore Class elections. Every vote is individually verified. Please vote for up to 2 candidates for sophomore office. The top 2 candidates from each feeder school will combine to make the new sophomore class officers.

Elk Ridge Candidates:

View their campaign videos here: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1iWf0Gjfy5NKIYCiPmLcX0mn2qxLsmAzv?usp=sharing

Click this link to vote: https://forms.gle/iaoUZR13Myd4t8h37

Voting closes on Thursday at 2:30 p.m.

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COVID-19 Skylert Wally the Wapiti

Upcoming Career Activities, UDOT Updates, & Surveys

We are nearly to Spring Break, and we hope you all are geared up for the quarter to end this Thursday as well. As always, we encourage you to communicate with teachers and check grades before the term ends and grades are finalized. Also, the School Board has approved Lagoon for 9th graders (with precautions) and increased capacity at in-person performances (again, with precautions). More information on both of these topics will follow as we get it.

In this Skylert, you’ll find updates on:

  • Student Surveys
  • Volunteer Opportunities & Upcoming Career Activities
  • Bangerter Construction

Student Surveys

We have two surveys in progress this week with students. Information on each can be found at the end of this message, but they are essentially a survey to all students about the school itself (one goes out to parents as well) and one about students’ social and emotional health. Both surveys help us do better at being what our students need. Students will take these in their classes and nothing needs to be done from home aside from the parent survey sent out by the district. If you would like more information about either survey, please let us know and we’ll get you anything you need.

Bangerter Closures & Detours

The Utah Department of Transportation is planning to close 10400 S East-West travel across Bangerter starting late April or early May, and it will remain closed through November of 2021. UDOT animation of traffic flow and current information will be posted here by the end of the week. You can also see the detour plan here, and traffic patterns here. 

We expect this will mean more traffic on 9800 S as two lanes will exit Bangerter turning left there in the construction plan, and the detour routes people on 9800 S as well.

Volunteer Opportunities & Upcoming Career Activities

8th Grade Job Shadow – Tuesday, April 13th

As part of our career exploration program, 8th grade students will have the opportunity to participate in a Job Shadow experience on Tuesday, April 13th. This is a chance to take your student to work with you or send them to work with someone you know. It is our hope that you will share your excitement for your profession with your child or that they will have the opportunity to study a career of interest. If your student pre-arranges a job shadow experience, and they complete the required forms, they will be excused from school on this day. Encourage your student to think about a career area they are interested in. Students that don’t arrange a job shadow are expected to be in school on this day and they will do a career related activity in Language Arts. Parents are responsible to provide transportation to the job shadow. More information will be provided but please start thinking about options that your student might be interested in. 

9th Grade Job Interviews – Tuesday, April 13th

Adult volunteers are needed to help with our 9th grade Job Interview experience. We need 15 volunteers from 7:45-11:35, and 15 volunteers from 11:25-2:50. The PTSA will provide lunch for both sessions. Volunteers will be providing short mock job interviews for our 9th grade students. We will provide a list of suggested questions. For more information, please contact the counseling center. If you can help with this fun activity, please fill out this form

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COVID-19 PTSA Skylert Wally the Wapiti

Volunteers, AP Tests, Free & Reduced Lunch Applications

General Reminders

There’s been a lot of exciting news lately regarding updated COVID guidance in the nation and state, but please note that guidance for schools has remained the same. Cases are down at Elk Ridge, and we attribute that directly to how well our students are doing overall. 

Please help us to remind students that masks at school still need to be worn indoors at all times, and outdoors when closer than 6 feet from others. We want to keep things as light as possible in tone, and having support from home makes all the difference. A lot of masks are starting to creep down under the nose, and that’s effectively not wearing a mask. We have plenty of new masks in the main office if they need something that stays up better.

Calling For Volunteers

We have a number of upcoming opportunities for parents and members of our community to participate in career-building activities. This ranges from mock job interviews to bringing your job to our students. If you have any interest in participating in one of these activities, let us know using this link. We’ve had tremendous participation from our community in the past, and it’s a great chance to get involved in something meaningful to our students.

AP Tests Coming Soon

Dates are being finalized and communicated to the classes directly, but please remember that if your student is in an AP class, they should plan on taking the test this May. Both AP Geography and AP Spanish tests will likely fall on a Friday, and it’s important to plan on being at school those days.

Memory Book Price Increases March 15th

If you would like to purchase a memory book, please do so before March 15th. After that date, the price will increase from $25 to $30. They can be purchased by going to Skyward Family Access, choosing Fee Management, Selecting Add a Fee, and the selecting Memory Book.

Free & Reduced Lunch Forms

The current USDA free lunch waiver allows all students to eat breakfast and lunch for free. When this waiver expires or funds run out, students will need a completed Free and Reduced Lunch form to continue to eat free or reduced lunch.

If you qualify or think you might qualify for free or reduced lunch, complete a new form at the school or on Skyward Family Access (Instructions Here) ASAP so there the transition back to regular lunch costs is as seamless as possible. If you have any questions, please contact our cafeteria manager (Holly Taylor) at 801-412-2823.

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Registration Skylert Wally the Wapiti

Spring Pictures, Memory Books & BHS Registration

Spring Pictures

LifeTouch will be here on Wednesday morning to take Spring pictures for any interested students. Picture packets can be picked up in the main office.

Memory Books

March 15th is the last day to get your memory book for $25. Memory books will be sold for $30 after March 15th on a first-come, first-serve basis.

9th Graders

VERY IMPORTANT: If you haven’t done the Canvas class yet, make sure to do it tonight so that you are ready for the Bingham counselors to help you enter your classes into Skyward tomorrow. Bring the white Bingham paper with your class choices circled to your Science class on Tuesday. 

9th Grade students will be completing their course requests in their Science class this week on Tuesday March 2nd.

It is important to take course requests seriously as these classes will become your schedule for next year.

IN PERSON STUDENTS:

Students, please come to your Science class prepared with your course request card highlighted and classes selected. From this course card, students will then add their class requests into skyward using a Chromebook.

VIRTUAL STUDENTS / ABSENT STUDENTS:

Students are encouraged to view the attached PDF with instructions on which credits/classes are needed, graduation requirements, etc.

Further information can be found by watching the Sophomore Orientation Presentation on the Bingham website, HERE.

If you have further questions, you may contact your middle school counselor.

Students will have until Sunday, March 7th at 11:59 pm to make adjustments.

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COVID-19 Registration Skylert Wally the Wapiti

9th Grade Registration Information

The majority of this Skylert is for 9th grade students only. 

For everyone else, please make sure that if you haven’t completed registration, please visit our pre-registration page as soon as possible. Please also let us know if you haven’t on that form if you are choosing to attend Kelsey Peak Virtual Middle School or moving.

IMPORTANT 9TH GRADE ANNOUNCEMENTS

9th Grade PCCR/Pre-Registration Meeting for High School Via Canvas

In preparation for 10th grade high school registration, the 9th grade students will complete a pre-registration meeting at home this week through Canvas.  This meeting will take approximately 30 minutes, and we ask that students and parents view these materials together as it will answer essential questions about available courses and registration at the high school. Tomorrow in science class, your 9th grade student will receive a registration card from Bingham High School and will learn about the PCCR pre-registration meeting that they will complete on Canvas this week. They can complete the meeting anytime this week with you but will be given time on Friday through their Science class to work on it. This assignment is due Sunday, February 28th at midnight so that your student will be ready to turn in their card. Bingham High School will meet with students on Tuesday, March 2nd in their Science class to complete the high school registration process.  

West Jordan High School will be coming on March 16th to drop off registration cards. Even if your child is not attending Bingham High School, please view the information in the Canvas class because it is applicable for all Jordan District High Schools. 

If you have additional questions, please contact your child’s counselor.

9th Grade PCCR Pre-Registration Meeting for High School Assignment Steps:

  1. Go to Canvas and find the Canvas Course titled–9thGR School/Library/Counseling-NICHOLES
  2. Open the course and click on the button on the Homepage called 9th grade PCCR Pre-Registration Meeting. This will take you to the meeting page with instructions and a link to open up slides with the registration information and videos to watch. 
  3. When done, complete the survey, using the link found on the last page of the slides. 
  4. Bring your registration card with you to Science class on March 2nd for your meeting with the counselors from Bingham High School. 

Reminder: BHS Sophomore Orientation is THIS WEEK! 

Bingham High School’s Sophomore Orientation is February 25th in the BHS Auditorium – you don’t want to miss it!

IMPORTANT: There will no longer be a live stream for those students and parents unable to attend! We encourage those of you who have not secured a ticket yet to do so to attend one of the in person sessions (there’s still tickets available for both sessions) OR to watch the presentation on the Bingham Counseling website following Orientation.

  • Topics covered include registration and scheduling information, graduate requirements, and BHS counselor introductions.
  • There will be two sessions. Session #1 will be from 6:00-7:00 PM and Session #2 will be from 7:30-8:30 PM. 
  • Tickets are required! Tickets can be obtained beginning this Friday, February 12th, at 3:00 PM on the Bingham Athletics Page for either session. 
  • Tickets will be limited to 350 per session in accordance with Covid-19 restrictions and will be distributed on a first-come, first-serve basis. Students can only obtain two (2) tickets max – one for the student and one for a parent/guardian. No one will be admitted without a ticket. This includes additional children so parents, please find alternative care for your children if you plan to attend with your 9th grader. 
  • There will not be an Activities Fair. Instead, please reference the  BHS Clubs + Teams List to learn more about all of the fabulous clubs and teams Bingham has to offer. For each club and team, the list includes the advisor’s name and email address, anticipated audition/tryout dates, and a brief description/important information info for each club and team. This list will also be included in each student’s registration packet.

If you have any questions, please call the Bingham Counseling Center at 801-256-5120. The BHS Counselors and Administration look forward to seeing you there!

Bingham Hope Squad Application

Do you enjoy helping and listening to others? The HOPE SQUAD class represents students who promote positivity within the school and community.  Hope Squad students receive trainings on suicide prevention, self-care and hopeful living, using the HOPE4UTAH Curriculum, created by Dr. Greg Hudnall. 

The HOPE SQUAD class:

  • Is an audition class
  • Is a YEARlong class
  • Is only offered 4th period
  • Earns elective credit

If you are interested in applying, please complete the attached application. Please EMAIL or bring in your completed application to Ms. Bair at Bingham High School (deepika.bair@jordandistrict.org), Room S106.

Applications are due March 1st.

*** Please note: HOPE SQUAD is an Audition class. Your application goes through a screening process and does not guarantee membership. Students will be notified in March and if approved, your counselor will add this class 4th period.

BINGHAM LATINOS IN ACTION APPLICATION 

Applications are open to join the Latinos in Action (LIA) program at Bingham High School for next school year! 

  • Year-long elective course
  • Goal of empowering Latino youth to lead and strengthen their communities through college and career readiness.
  • If you would like to know more information about LIA, please review the attached brochure or presentation for further information.

Please submit the attached application via email to Ms. DeVilliers at linda.devilliers@jordandistrict.org or in-person at Room E233 (at Bingham).

Applications are due MARCH 1st.

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COVID-19 PTC's PTSA Registration Skylert Wally the Wapiti

Parent Conference & Pre-Registration Reminder

Parent-Teacher Conferences

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.

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COVID-19 PTC's Registration Skylert Wally the Wapiti

Parent Conference & Pre-Registration

Parent Conferences This Week

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.

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COVID-19 Registration Skylert Wally the Wapiti

Skylert: Pre-Registration Open Until Feb. 14th

Pre-Registration is Open!

Please visit our pre-registration page to request your courses for next school year. All requests made between now and February 14th will be given the same priority. Take some time to review the orientation videos, course descriptions, etc. before completing the form.

That’s all we’re sending out this week. If you have any questions about selecting courses, don’t hesitate to reach out to our counseling department. It’s national school counselors week, so feel free to tell them thank you if they’ve helped you or your children. We couldn’t do it without them!