Welcome Back to School For the upcoming 2022 - 2023 School Year

Dear Providence Elementary Families,

Welcome to another school year at Providence Elementary. We look forward to starting the 2022-2023 school year. For those of you that are new to our school, we are excited to have you join such an amazing group of students and school community. Our teachers and staff always have the students' best interest in mind. Their hard work and caring approach to education make Providence Elementary stand out. We work collaboratively to maintain and strengthen a strong learning community while keeping the students at the center of our focus.   

This is my fourth year as the principal of Providence Elementary and my 14th year in education. I taught French at Utah State University for 3 semesters before transitioning to 3rd grade where I taught in the French Dual Language Immersion program. I spent 7 years in this post and have been in administration for the past 6 years. My main responsibility is to ensure every student has access to the best education possible in an ideal learning environment. I love working with the students in classes, playing games with them at recess, and building positive relationships. It is important for me to have every interaction with the students be a positive one. I have the best job in the world because of them. 

I am excited to get to know all of you a little more this year. It is truly rewarding to be involved in important organizations and committees like PTA and School Community Council. I also know that many of you cannot volunteer your time at school, but you provide support in many other ways. I strongly believe that we all want what is best for our students and that we can work together to make this an even better school. I am always open to suggestions and input on how we can improve. Please feel free to contact me at any time.

Class Lists:

• Class Lists will be posted on the front doors on Monday, August 8. They will also be released on Powerschool that morning. We have worked as a staff to construct classes that will help each student to reach their full potential. 

Back to School Night:

• Back to School Night will be August 17, at 5:30 PM.

Kindergarten Schedule:

• Kindergarten will start on Thursday, August 24th. AM Kindergarten will run from 9:05-12:10 Monday-Thursday and from 9:05-11:35 on Friday. PM Kindergarten will run from 12:30-3:35 Monday-Thursday and from 11:50-2:20 on Friday.

School Hours: Monday-Thursday 9:05-3:35 & Friday 9:05-2:20

In the interest of safety, please do not drop off your children before 8:45 as there is no supervision before that time. Students should be picked up from school by 3:45 on Monday-Thursday and by 2:35 on Friday.

Arrival Times and Attendance:

Our school day begins at 9:05 every day, the first bell rings at 9:00. Please be sure to have your child/children here on time. Each teacher starts the day with important curriculum based practices. Consistently tardy students miss essential building block skills throughout the year. Students who have excessive absences also miss critical instruction. Please help them be as successful as possible by having them in attendance as much as possible. All students who arrive after 9:05 must sign in at the office. If your child will not be present, please call and inform our school office at (435) 752-6010.

Staff Changes:

Each new school year brings change. Below is a list of teachers/staff who will be leaving Providence. Many of our families have benefitted from the efforts of these individuals and we wish them luck in their endeavors.

• Mrs. Cazier is now enjoying retirement. 
• Mrs. Norton will be teaching 4th grade at Birch Creek Elementary. 
• Mrs. Von Niederhausern is now enjoying retirement.
• Mrs. Griffiths has taken a job with Box Elder School District.

Below is a list of teachers that will be joining our staff. We would like to welcome them to Providence:

• Mrs. Dana Nye - 1st Grade

• Mrs. Jessica McKnight - 4th Grade

• Mrs. Sharley Ferrin - 6th Grade

• Mrs. Avery Hatch - Special Education

• Mrs. Stephanie Williams - Special Education

Updated teacher assignments can be found below:

Dates to Remember:

• August 8 - Class lists will be posted on the front doors by 9:00 AM

• August 17 - Back to School Night -  5:30 - 6:30

• August 18th - First Day of School for 1st - 6th grade

• August  24th - First Day of School for Kindergarten 

• September 5th - Labor Day, no school

• October 7th - Picture Day

Meal Prices and Menus:

Please note that school lunch will no longer be free this year and that the price of lunch and breakfast has increased in price.  For interested parties, the Free and Reduced Lunch applications should be completed as soon as possible and can be found at this link:  https://www.ccsdut.org/Page/160 . Breakfast will be served from 8:45-9:05. Lunch menus will be available on our school website and the meal prices are as follows:

• Breakfast: $1.40
• Lunch: $2.05
• Adult: $3.50

School Supply List:

Grade level supply/donation lists will be included in teacher communications with families. Note that the requested items are materials that students will be using during the school day. These items are donations brought from home on a voluntary basis, otherwise, they will be furnished by the school.

Drop off and Pick Up:

Due to the lack of a true drop-off zone, please encourage your children to walk or ride their bike as much as possible. When dropping off and picking up, please make sure that your children are exiting the vehicle only in the designated area. This area can be identified by the two large A-frame signs next to the curb that is painted yellow. This keeps traffic moving consistently. Also, please consider using the church parking lot to the north of the school. It is a short walk across the street and a crossing guard is available to help students cross the street. Students meeting parents who park on the south side of Center Street should walk to the crosswalks at either end of the block. Please do not encourage students to cross in the middle of the block as this is extremely dangerous for pedestrians and drivers. Also, please do not execute a U-turn on roads surrounding the school, as this is a major safety concern where we have seen many near misses. We ask that drivers remember that following these procedures will help keep everyone safe. 

Bike Safety:

If your student rides a bike to school, please make sure they have a bike lock. Bikes without locks are often stolen and/or damaged.

I look forward to another great year at Providence Elementary.

Sincerely,

Jeff Keck

Principal, Providence Elementary