Dear Providence Elementary Families,

We are so excited to have your students back with us! I want to thank all of you for your support through online school last spring. We so lucky to be a part of the Providence Community! 

With the uncertainty and concerns over the past few months, we are excited to go back to school and feel some normality in our lives. Our teachers and staff always have the students' best interests in mind. This will continue to be a focus as we work through a start that none of us have ever experienced. We will take every measure possible to ensure students and staff are as safe as possible, all while receiving an excellent education. 

We will be back in school on August 20th. Things will look and feel a little different, but we are confident that we can make this a great year. As we prepare for the upcoming school year we wanted to share some information with you so that you have time to be prepared for the first day. 

Part of our success this year will depend heavily on having healthy students, staff members, and visitors at school. If your student is sick at all, please keep them home. We are requiring staff members to do the same. We ask that each of you have a backup plan in case students become sick at school and they need to be sent home. If you have a question about whether or not to send your child(ren) to school, please contact the main office. We will be taking many extra measures to sanitize our school on a daily basis, reduce and clean high touch points throughout the day, and social distance students as much as possible. Following the state mandate, will be requiring students, staff, and visitors to wear masks when social distancing is not an option. We will work hard to find ways to give students a break from masks throughout the day. If your student has a physical impairment or a disability that requires them to not wear a mask, please contact me. We have staff members that are considered high risk or live with someone that is high-risk. We are wearing masks to help everyone in our school stay as safe as possible. 

Class Lists:

• Class Lists will be posted on the front doors on Friday, August 14th at 4:30 pm. However, teachers will also be sending a welcome email to each of their families welcoming students to their class. This email is intended to provide families with their teacher assignments while still allowing us to avoid large groups coming to the school.

Back to School Night:

• Traditionally we have had everyone come into the school before the year started so you can meet the teachers and see where desks are, etc. This year we will be doing Back to School Night virtually. Each teacher will send a video link to each family to view by the 18th, before school begins. They will take this opportunity to introduce themselves and pass on important information specific to their classroom. You may also get a welcome letter/email from teachers giving you the essential information, including their classroom policies as well as information on suggested supplies, etc.

Kindergarten Schedule:

• Kindergarten will start on Wednesday, August 26th. AM Kindergarten will run from 9:05-11:45 Monday-Friday. PM Kindergarten will run from 12:10-2:50 Monday-Friday.

Online School:

• Online school pre-registration ends tomorrow, Friday, August 7th. If you would like to have your child attend school through online instruction, you need to register as soon as possible. If you miss this deadline you will need to call the district office at: 752-3925 to get registration information. 
• There are other online school options available other than our school district program. Please consider the district program when making these decisions. By attending the district program your child will still use and receive instruction using the same curriculum and programs that we are using in the school. We are also able to keep your student on district records. The reason this is important is that the number of students on district records determines the number of teachers we will have in our school for the following year.
• If your child is on an IEP or 504 and receives specialized instruction we will still be able to provide them support and accommodations online to meet those needs.
• If you choose the online option, you will have the option to come back to school, in-person, during the school year. When you are ready to come back into the school, you will just need to contact me by email or phone and we can determine the best time for your child to start. Whenever possible, we would like for students to reenter when they are able to be at the same place as the students in the regular classroom in the reading and math curriculum.

In-Person School:

• Our school day has been altered and will run from 9:05-2:50 Monday-Friday.
• A majority of students will be returning with us this school year for in-person instruction. To provide the safest and healthiest possible environment we will be cleaning throughout the day on high touch surfaces, sanitizing/washing hands when we leave/enter the classrooms, moving out non-essential furniture, and spacing desks to give students more physical distance.
• We do not have space in our classrooms to spread desks out to a distance of 6 feet from each other, so to maintain a safe learning environment, we ask that students wear a clean face covering daily. We ask that they have these in place as they exit your vehicle or the bus when coming into school. We ask that all students who walk to have their face covering on before entering school property. Neck gaiters are an acceptable form of cloth face mask and need to be worn securely over the bridge of the nose and be pulled up around the base of the head so that it does not slide off of the nose. Face shields are not interchangeable with a cloth face mask. As mentioned above, there may be a rare need or circumstances that a child will need to use a clear face shield instead of a mask. Please contact me for more information if your child needs such an accommodation.
• Two cloth face masks will be provided by the school/state for all students.
• We know that having a cloth facemask on all day will be an adjustment for kids. We are working on some things that will allow students to be able to take a mask break during the day. The school district has also purchased a portable AC unit for every classroom in the school to help keep things a little cooler as we begin the year.
• All faculty and staff will be trained on appropriate health and cleaning practices to help ensure that your students have a safe, healthy, and happy school experience.
• For any student that needs to quarantine during the school year, they can keep up with their school work remotely through Google Classroom. Chromebooks will be available for checkout from the school. 

Staff Changes:

Each new school year brings change. Mme Blume moved back to France and Mrs. Lara Cook is now enjoying retirement. Also, Mrs. Mills and Mrs. Fluckiger have accepted a position to teach the 2nd and 3rd graders who are enrolled in the district online school. We look forward to welcoming both of them back next year! We are so grateful for the impact these four teachers have had on our students and our community. They will be missed! Mrs. Cazier will be taking Mrs. Fluckiger’s place on the English side of the 4th grade DLI team. Also, because of our growing numbers, we were given one additional teacher to help reduce class sizes in our large traditional classes in 6th grade. That said, we would like to welcome the following teachers to Providence:

• Ms. Jenny Skewes - 1st Grade
  Hi students and parents! I am Ms. Skewes, the new first-grade teacher here at Providence Elementary and I am excited to work with you this year! I am a Cache Valley native, and was a Providence Panda myself! It's so fun to return to my old stomping grounds as a teacher! I recently graduated from Utah State University with my Elementary Education degree. I have two awesome daughters (1st and 5th grader) whom I love spending time with. We enjoy going on bike rides, boating, and playing games together. I am a lover of sunshine, dark chocolate, and animals. In my spare time, I like to read, hike, and ski. It's going to be a great school year!

• Mr. Jace Davis - 2nd Grade English DLI
  Hello Providence Pandas! My name is Jace Davis and I am the new 2nd grade English DLI teacher. I am so excited to start teaching at Providence Elementary! I happen to know just how special of a school this is. I was born and raised in Providence and attended this school as a kid. On top of that I also speak French and I am excited to be surrounded by all the French speakers again. I am a first year teacher and I completed my degree from Utah State University last December. I can’t wait to get started!

• Mme Clotilde Gonard - 3rd Grade French DLI
  Mme Gonard comes to us from France via the Jules Verne Program. This program has been of great benefit to our French Immersion students. She is an experienced and successful teacher in France and we are excited for her to bring her talents to Providence Elementary. She will bring with her a unique perspective and culture to share with our community. We look forward to getting to know her better this year!

• Mrs. Audrey Norton - 4th Grade
  My name is Audrey Norton and I am thrilled to be teaching 4th grade this year. I come from the town of Wellsville where I live on my own little farm. I have two children with one on the way. I love animals and previously did my schooling in Bioveterinary Science. I grew up a Disney loving girl and had the privilege of being a Disney Princess at Disneyworld. I love music and doing musicals. I am so excited that this is the school I get to start my teaching career in. I can't wait to help mold these wonderful minds of the students at Providence Elementary.

• Miss Sam Johnson - 6th Grade
  My name is Miss Johnson and this will be my first year teaching! I grew up in Cache Valley and I love to spend time outdoors. In my free time I enjoy hiking, playing tennis, cooking, and crocheting.  I attended Utah State University where I graduated with my Bachelors of Science in Elementary Education. I couldn't be more excited to be starting my career at Providence Elementary (Go Pandas!) and I look forward to working with you and your students!

Dates to Remember:

• August 14th - Teacher assignments will be emailed and posted  
• August 18th - Back to School Night videos will be emailed to families
• August 20th - First Day of School for 1st-6th grade
• August  26th - First Day of School for Kindergarten
• September 7th - Labor Day, no school
• September 25th - Picture Day

School Hours: Monday-Friday 9:05-2:55 (subject to change throughout the year)

In the interest of safety, please do not drop off your children before 8:35, as there is no supervision before that time.

Arrival Times and Attendance:

Our school day begins at 9:05 every day. 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 know that we understand that there may be times that students will need to quarantine this year and that teachers will work with you to help them be as successful as possible. Please help them be successful 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. 

Meal Prices and Menus:

This year, school lunch will cost $2.05. Breakfast will be served from 8:45-9:15 and will cost $1.40. Lunch menus will be available on our school website. 

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 bikes 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. 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. If you elect to park on the south side of Center Street, please have your children walk to the crosswalks at either end of the block. Crossing in the middle of the block is dangerous for pedestrians and drivers. We anticipate more vehicles than normal this year and we ask that drivers remember that following these procedures will help keep everyone safe. Also, just as a reminder, please do not execute a U-turn on the road in front of the school, as this is a major safety concern where we have seen many near misses.

Bike Safety:

If your student rides a bike to school, please make sure they have a bike lock. We have had too many bikes stolen and/or damaged when they are not locked.

I look forward to another great year at Providence Elementary.

Sincerely,

Jeff Keck
Principal, Providence Elementary