Bell View Elementary 2017-2018

Happy New Year! We are looking forward to seeing what we can continue to accomplish together in 2018! I love to establish a new year’s resolution and hope you will join me this year! A resolution is described as a commitment, a personal goal, project, or the reforming of a habit. It is a lifestyle change that is generally advantageous, and set to accomplish in the coming year. As you consider your resolutions, improvements to your ways, and wishes for Bell View this year, let’s continue our focus on goals established for our students’ achievement and strive to reach them as a school community! Here are the goals indicated in our Continuous School Improvement Plan:

• • • ELA: From September 2017 to May 2018, there will be a 20% increase of Bell View students who demonstrate proficiency of the ELA Core Standards, in reading fluency and comprehension based on the following criterion: - Kindergarten students will demonstrate proficiency gain on Phoneme Segmentation Fluency
- 1st & 2nd grade students will demonstrate proficiency gain on DIBELS Oral Reading Fluency measures - 3rd-5th grade students will demonstrate proficiency gain on the Reading Inventory measure Math: From September 2017 to May 2018, there will be a 20% increase of Bell View students who demonstrate proficiency of the Math Core Standards, in math computation and problem solving based on the following criterion: - Kindergarten students will demonstrate proficiency gain on the DIBELS Math Composite.
- 1st grade students will demonstrate proficiency gain on the DIBELS computation measure.
- 2nd-5th grade students will demonstrate proficiency gain on the DIBLES Math Concepts and Application measure. PBIS: By May 2018, the number of moderate and major discipline referrals will have decreased by 20% from the 2016-2017 school year.
Kindergarten Happenings The biggest event will be our annual fieldtrip to the Children’s Museum on Thursday, January 11th. It is one of the highlights of the year. We will be learning letters and sounds for Rr, Dd, Kk, Ff, and Oo. We also will work on the following high frequency words: me, with, she, see, and look. In math, we will begin working on addition. We start with representing this with practice with manipulatives before going into the abstract with symbols. Our unit of study has to do with changes all around us. We will learn about how life today is different than long ago, and learn about changes in butterflies and geese.

1st Grade News This month students are continuing to learn and practice the skill of counting on, up to 120! If you can, find ways in your home and at the grocery store where your student can demonstrate this! Students will begin Unit 3 in reading, learning more complex spelling and r controlled vowels like or, ar, er, ir, and ur. They will also learn, contractions and comparative ending. Students will also start on informational writing this month.

2nd Grade News Students in second grade will continue learning “What it means to be creative.” They will be writing opinion pieces, and studying the following vowel patterns: e, ee, ea, y, o, oa, ow, i, ie, igh, y they will continue focus on compound words and comparative endings. Students will also continue with addition and subtraction fluency and regrouping. New topics include time and money and this is such a fun time for our students. Additionally, students will be counting to 1,000!

3rd Grade Updates As we celebrate the New Year, we continue to investigate ways in which “People and Nature are Connected”. We have read a play, “Pushing Up the Sky” in which Native Americans explain how the stars came to be. We will follow this with researching the informative text feature “Seeing Stars” to make scientific connections to the stars. To build our students’ understanding of this, we will be visiting Clark Planetarium on Monday, January 8th. We will then turn to studying the ways that people and animals interact. This will include an engaging narrative about Beluga whales and fun poetry about the kinds of animals that live in the Sonoran Desert. Please encourage your child to discuss what was learned each day to develop critical thinking and discussion skills.

4th Grade News Fourth grade covers a lot of content. Please continue to encourage homework completion as each component of the weekly homework centers on a skill or concept that is important to academic success. In math, we are finishing up with mastering long division. All students should be able to divide with a one-digit divisor and up to four digits in the dividend. Ask your child to show you how to complete a problem or two. We will soon begin a unit focusing on problem solving. In reading, we will be learning the different informational text structures (sequence, cause and effect, problem and solution, description, compare and contrast). This will help prepare our students for the SAGE tests at the end of the year. 

5th Grade News Looking forward to the new year and the second half of fifth grade. We have lots to do and will start by finishing our Traits and Heredity Unit in science. We will also be starting our big fractions unit in math. It is important that your students are in attendance every day as the content builds on previous skills learned each day. Fifth grade orientation at the middle schools is also coming up the first part of February. Look for more information to come!

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The students have finished filming their social skills videos, and are now in the final phase of editing. They have worked very hard on creating fun and positive videos to highlight the social skills they have learned this year. They are focusing on F.E.V.E.R., which stands for: Face the person, Eye contact, Voice, Expression, and Relax. Please ask your student to teach you about FEVER and how you can practice it at home. It’s the first step in most social skills and is the building block for positive interactions. They have also learned how to join in conversations, join in games, start and maintain conversations, and how to deal with anger and teasing. Some have implemented the Stop, Walk, Talk strategy in their videos as a way to handle peer conflict. You can help your student generalize and use these skills by asking them to teach you the skills, praise them when they are using the skills appropriately at home and in the community, and point out situations where you notice others demonstrating positive social skills. This could be in movies, TV shows, or books.

1. *Safety is a big deal for the Sandy City Fire Department, especially for our youngest citizens and their families. This month the tips are about Choking.
2. 1. Take small bites when you eat to avoid choking.
3. 2. Don’t put toys, medicine or anything else in your mouth that doesn’t belong there.
4. 3. If a balloon breaks, pick up all the pieces so that babies and pets don’t eat them.
5. 4. Keep small items away from your little brothers and sisters

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Dear Parents, As the weather and air quality begin to worsen, we recommend sending your student to school properly dressed for the weather. Please be assured that we will work as quickly as possible to clear the walkways for the students, and encourage your student to use the main walkways on the sides and in front of the school. As a driver, we ask that you use caution when entering the parking lot or drop off lane. Please drive slowly and stay off your cell phone. Please respect the student safety patrol officers and the adults on duty. Their requests are solely in the interest of safety for you and our students. Please be aware that our district has recommended the following guidelines:

•    Students will be kept inside before school begins and during recess on          days when the temperature (or wind chill) is below 20 degrees.
•    Students will be kept inside before school begins and during recess on days when rain or snow is heavily falling.
•    Students with health conditions as indicated by their health care plans will be kept inside during recess when the air quality index indicates that the air quality may be harmful to their condition. All students will be kept inside if the air quality is deemed unhealthy for all students. This would be called a RED day.
• Here is a link to the air quality index. http://www.airquality.utah.gov/slc-currentconditions.html

November was an exciting month for learning about animals in the winter and where they live. During December we will be learning about changes through time. The changes that take place from birth to adulthood. We will also be learning about progress in technology and other aspect of life. We will be studying letters and sound for Bb, Rr and Dd. In math we will be classifying, counting and tallying objects by sorting them. We appreciate all your help and support! Looking forward to a great December with your amazing children!

First Grade News

First grade is continuing to learn all about different communities. We are learning about the long vowel sounds and how to know when the vowel says its name. In math we are learning how to find the missing number in a number sentence using addition and subtraction. We are finding ways to know if number sentences are true or false. We are also learning to explain how we get our answers in math by justifying and explaining our answers. We are learning and working hard in first grade! Way to go First graders!

2nd Grade News

We hope you all enjoyed your Thanksgiving Break! Please continue to help your child to read 20 minutes a night, five nights a week through the month of December. Look for the red December reading calendar to come home. We will have nice rewards in January for those who continue this practice, even though we’re not in school through the Winter Recess. We will be starting unit 3 in reading, ‘Creative Ideas.”
In math please continue to practice addition and subtraction facts 5 minutes a night, five days a week. We will continue solving problems involving addition and subtraction and getting our subtraction routines down. We will also continue discussing different cultures and traditions along with learning about Christmas around the world. We have a Christmas music program December 14 at 10:30. Thanks parents for all you do so support your children in their education journey.
Can you show me FEVER? I bet your Bell View student can! Over the past 8 weeks your student has been learning and practicing positive social skills in their classroom with explicit instruction and support from Mrs. Bainbridge. They are learning that the first step in all social skills is to remember FEVER. This stands for Face the person, Eye contact, Voice (volume and pitch), Expression (facial), and Relax. The students have also been practicing how to start a conversation, and how to join in a conversation or game. This month we are filming scenarios that incorporate all of the skills, and turning them into movie trailers. So try to catch your student showing you FEVER! Research shows that children with a stronger social emotional skill set were less likely to experience health problems, struggle with substance abuse, or engage in criminal activity as they got older.

www.pnas.org/cgi/doi/10.1073/pnas.1010076108

We wrapped up November by expressing our gratitude each member of our classroom communities, and our Bell View community as well. It is our hope that our students know how grateful we, as their teachers, are for being able to journey with them on their elementary education experience. We have amazing and outstanding third grade scholars! December will be a month of wonder and discovery! It all starts with our Invention Convention on the first and continues with our 12 Days of Christmas Stocking Mystery. We will wrap up the month with learning about accepting people of different cultures and celebrate these differences with our annual sing-along songs. We look forward to seeing you at our parents’ presentation of these songs.
Fourth grade has been learning lots of interesting science. We have finished our fossil and water cycle units and are currently learning about UT environments and weather. We will receive a visit from the Loveland Aquarium to experience some hands on learning about our UT environments in December. We had a fun ice cream sundae party for those students who completed 100% of their homework for the month of October. We are currently working on earning our holiday gingerbread decorating party for those students who complete 100% of their homework for the month of November. The homework party for 100% homeworkers for December will be a craft party. We appreciate all of the donations for our homework parties and especially for the support you give your students at home to complete their homework. Please work with your children to make sure they have their 1 – 12 multiplication facts memorized. We are now moving into more complicated multiplication and division problems and many students are still dependent on multiplication charts to solve problems. Our end of level SAGE tests will not allow any aides to help solve problems. We are excited to learn our holiday songs to bring you cheer and look forward to singing for you in December. Happy Holidays!

We are happy to report that all fifth graders worked extremely hard and are able to graduate from NOVA this year. NOVA taught us many strategies to use in our lives that help us to make good choices and to stay away from drugs, alcohol, and violence. The teamwork shown throughout the NOVA lessons was so fun to watch and we couldn’t be more proud of our fifth graders!

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Dear Parents,
Election Day is Nov. 7, 2017 Last week, registered voters in Salt Lake County received their mail-in ballots for the Nov. 7, 2017 general election. On the ballot is a proposed tax-rate-neutral bond that would be used to rebuild or remodel seven aging schools, build a new school to accommodate growth, and add security upgrades and/or skylights and windows for more natural light at 18 elementary schools in Canyons School District. The bond would impact about 17,000 students at 27 schools in Cottonwood Heights, Draper, Midvale, Sandy and the town of Alta. Facts about the bond, including arguments in favor and against themeasure, can be found at https://bond.canyonsdistrict.org/. Following is information about how to vote, courtesy of the Salt Lake County Clerk's Office. How to Vote: There are multiple ways to perform your civic duty in Utah, making it more convenient than ever. You can vote by mail (all registered voters in Salt Lake County receive mail-in ballots), vote early in person, or vote in person on Election Day. But in order to vote, you must first register. How to Register to Vote: You can find out if you’re already registered to vote by typing your current address into the voter information fields at this website: https://slco.org/clerk/elections/voter-info-look-up/. If you aren’t registered, or have moved since the last time you voted, you can register online at this same website as long as you have a Utah driver’s license or state ID. If you don’t have a Utah driver’s license — maybe you’ve recently relocated from another state — you can still register online, but you’ll have to print out a form and mail it in. You also can go to your county clerk’s office and register in person. Deadline to Register: The last day to register to vote is Tuesday, Oct. 31. Where to Vote: Voters may vote at any of the Vote Centers listed at this website. Vote Centers will be open on Election Day, Nov. 7, 2017, from 7 a.m.-8 p.m. Don’t forget to bring a valid form of identification.

Kindergarten Happenings:
October was such a fun month for Kindergarten. We learned about our community and how we, live, work and play together. We were able to go on two field trips where we learned about plants, animals and seasons. This was just in time for out next Unit for November, “How are animals and plants unique?” In October we studied letters Mm, Tt, Aa and we will be studying letters Ss, Pp, Cc and Ii in November. We have also been counting up a storm and we are studying bigger and less as well as equal during math. We are learning so much. I hope you are going over these skills at home. You will be so pleased to see your child’s progress. They are amazing!

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What’s Happening in 1st Grade?
1st grade is looking forward to fall weather and fun! Please ensure that your child is dressed appropriately for the weather. Students will be required to remain outside unless there are extreme weather conditions. If you need additional support with this, please contact your child’s teacher. In math, we are continuing to work on our fluency with math facts, and adding and subtracting within 20. In language arts, we have learned about tame and wild animals, and short vowel sounds. We are looking forward to our Thanksgiving celebration this month as anopportunity to spend time being grateful for our amazing 1st grade!

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2nd Grade News
In second grade during the month of November we will continue to discuss “how we canwork together to solve problems?” In math, we will start to work on solving subtraction problems within 100. On Monday th
November 6 , we are excited to welcome some professional storytellers into our classes. We will begin discussing and learning about contributions of various cultural groups. We had a great day with Sandy City Fire Department learning interesting facts about fire safety, firetrucks, and paramedics. Keep reading and practicing your math facts. This is a fun month!

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Research suggests that gratitude increases happiness, creates lasting happiness, and protects you from stress and negativity. Here are some great mindfulness exercises for children. Try them out yourself first, then do them with your kids the next day. TOP 3 GRATITUDE EXERCISES FOR CHILDREN
1. Gratitude Journal
Keep a gratitude journal. It can be filled with text or pictures, whatever is most appropriate. It can be written in any type of book, on a notepad, or on an electronic device. Anything that works for you will work for you. Yes, even post-it notes will do the trick. Try to add 5 things you are grateful for each day.
You might feel that doing this activity before you start your day works best. This might be a great way to end your day, or you might include it as a lunchtime activity. Do what feels best and be grateful for all this life brings to you.
One fun way of doing this is to write the journal before bed and read it in the morning for a great start.
2. The ABC’s of Gratitude
In a seated position, with eyes closed, make your way through the alphabet, beginning with the letter “A.” Think of something you are grateful for that begins with each letter of the alphabet. “I am grateful for Auntie Sue, for bananas, for our cats.” See if you can make it all the way to “z” with a light and grateful heart.
3. Bedtime Thank You
Before you fall asleep each night, think of all the happy things that happened to you that day. Say them out loud, write them in a journal, draw a picture of them, whisper them to your heart, and make this a routine that helps you fall asleep with love and gratitude.
“It’s not happy people who are thankful. It’s thankful people who are happy.”
(blissfulkids.com)

3rd Grade Updates

Thankful Third Graders are working to think of thoughtful ways to interact with their classmates and fellow Mustangs in the month of November. We are continuing to explore smart ways that problems can be solved in our Reading and Language Arts blocks. In writing, we are continuing to justify our opinions on multiple topics as we prepare for our first writing assessment at the end of the month. In math, we have completed the Properties of Multiplication unit and are now applying that to fluently multiplying and dividing within 100, a state core standard. Please help your child master this by practicing math facts each night.

4th Grade News

Fourth grade celebrated with those who completed all of their August and September homework with free-time in the gym. The students had a great time with the scooters and the giant ball. Others played basketball and jumped rope. We had planned to go to Bear Park, but it is under construction. Our fourth grade students are working hard to master the curriculum. We have just completed our first science units. Mrs. Berg’s class learned about fossils. Mrs. Chilcutt’s class learned about the water cycle. One of the best things about Bell View is our students. Thanks for allowing us the opportunity to work with your children.

5th Grade News

Fifth grade has been working hard in multiplying whole numbers. We have mastered multiplying two- digit by two-digit numbers and are working on multiplying even bigger numbers. We will then be moving on to multiplying decimals. Our upcoming story in Reading Street is A Summer’s Trade which incorporates some previously taught social studies topics. In science, we are learning about earthquakes and volcanoes. We are moving right along and having a good time!

11/3 PTA board meeting!
11/14 Spirit Night at Rumbi Grill 5-7pm!
11/28 Classic Skate Night!
12/11-12/16 Spirit Week at Papa Murphy’s !
1/8 Grizzlies Hockey coming to rally kids during lunch! 1/15 Grizzlies Spirit Night at 1:30pm (No School this day)! 2/13 Classic Skate Night!
2/20 PTA day at the capital!
March: Chik Fil A Spirit Night!
April: McDonald’s Spirit Night!
May: Sub Zero Spirit Night!

Principal's Message 2016-2017

Dear Bell View Students and Parents,

Hello, my name is Chanci Loran. I am the new Principal at Bell View Elementary. On behalf of the Bell View faculty, I would love to extend a heartfelt welcome to you this school year. A new school year is always such an exciting time to reconnect with old friends and welcome new friends. At Bell View, we are very delighted to welcome those students and parents who are new to our school community. We extend an especially warm welcome and best wishes for an exciting and productive year at our school. We hope that you will quickly feel at home and become involved in the many activities that support our students.

Bell View Elementary serves 370 students. Our mission is to provide a quality education for students and prepare those students for their future educational experiences.  We will reach these goals through quality teaching and a positive and safe learning environment.  The principal, staff, students, parents, and students share responsibility for achievement! We have nearly 50 faculty members working to provide an amazing educational experience for all of our students.

Our Belief Statements are:
1.  Every student has the right to quality classroom  instruction.
2.  The special needs of students will be addressed.
3.  Individuals have the right to a positive and safe school environment.

Our Continuous School Improvement Plan was created by a team of faculty members and parents. With this plan we are addressing the school’s needs according to our assessment data. We understand the importance of immediately identifying needs of students and promptly providing the services they need. In order to meet our academic and behavior goals for all students, we have created a variety of programs to serve our students.

Data is used to determine appropriate instruction for our students. Teachers participate in Instructional Professional Learning Community Meetings weekly, to discuss curriculum, assessment, and student interventions. They also meet for professional collaboration days several times per year to analyze data and make changes or additions to instruction.

Parent Involvement is such and asset at Bell View. We have joined the National Network of Partnership Schools through John Hopkins University. We have a supportive PTA, although few in numbers, who are working on involving new and diverse members of our school community. Our PTA and teachers publish a monthly newsletter to keep parents and community members well informed of what is happening at school. We also have monthly Family Nights, which includes activities related to parent training, literacy, math, science, character education, music and cultural diversity.

Our School Community Council has worked hard to create a Land Trust plan that reflects the needs of our students. Using Land Trust funds are utilized to provide intervention assistants to support classroom instruction.

We have also hired Brian Booster Technicians to teach the students art, physical education, technology, and character education. Grade levels will rotate to different Boosters for a total of 2 hours weekly.

Recognizing student achievement is very important at Bell View. We will begin honoring students daily with attendance announcements. Since this has been an area of concern for our school, we need your support to ensure student attendance is a priority! Other programs in which students work hard to participate are: CEO, Student Council, Safety Patrol, Road to Success Reading, Junior Coaches, and additional grade level specific academic programs. The CEO (Chief Example to Others) Program is where teachers recognize every student in their classrooms during the year.  Students can be recognized for ANY type of improvement, participation, great art, good writing, character traits, etc.  We will hold a recognition ceremony about once a month where the students are recognized and parents are invited.

We have implemented Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports as our school-wide system of support for behavior. This includes clear rules and routines, which are explicitly taught, practiced, reinforced for all settings within the school, by all staff members. Social skills are taught just as academic skills are taught. Using this philosophy, we help students succeed by providing positive consequences before the use of a negative consequence is necessary. Think Time is also used in every classroom. This helps our students because the expectations and consequences are the same school-wide.

Bell View Elementary is a very eventful school. I am honored to be the principal of such a wonderful school. It is my goal that through support and partnership, Bell View Elementary will continue to be an excellent school for our students. We have so much to be proud of as a faculty, and community. I look forward to continue getting to know more of the students and parents as the school year progresses.


Chanci Loran, Principal