The Bruin Bite — April 30

Progress Reports – 4th Quarter Progress Reports are now available via Skyward.  To view and/or print a copy of your students Progress Report, follow the instructions below.  If you do not have a device to see this information, please contact the main office at (801) 826-6800.

Parent Instructions to view and/or print Progress Reports

1. Go to the Canyons District web page www.canyonsdistrict.org
2. Click Skyward
3. Click Family Access
4. Login to Skyward Family Access with your parent login and password
5. Click on Student Password/Report Cards/SAGE Results from the left side of the screen
6. If you have multiple students, choose the student from the top of your screen
7. Click on the 2020-21 Progress Report Term that you want to view
8. Click View Reports

Friday In Person Learning – We have a few groups meeting in the building on Fridays.  Please remind your child that although the school is open, we ask that they go directly to the area of the building where the meeting is being held.  They should stay in that part of the building and exit the building immediately after the meeting is over.  We appreciate your help,  Thank you.

Chromebook Return – 

• Online Students–We are planning to have a drive through drop off for our online students and their chromebooks.  This will be on Friday, May 21st.  Coursework for the online classes will end on Thursday, May 20th.  More information will be coming. 
• In Person Students–We will be collecting chromebooks from our in person students on Monday, May 24th.  More information will be coming.

Thank you to all the parents and PTSA members who have brought in items to assist with our upcoming Teacher Appreciation Week.  I was really excited to see the Diet Mt Dew, but more than that it was visiting with some of you and hearing your appreciation for the efforts of our teachers.  More than once your kindness and support has been the thing that kept us going.  More than the soda, it is the kind words and thoughtful comments that have a lasting impact.  I would challenge each of us to send some handwritten thank you notes out this next week.  

Upcoming Events

• May 3-7 – RISE Testing; Math
• May 3-7 – Teacher Appreciation Week
• May 5 – PTSA Meeting; 5:30 p.m.
• May 6 – 5 on 5 Soccer Tournament; 4:00 p.m. at Union Middle School
• May 7  Online Student RISE Testing; Math – 9:30-12:30
• May 6 – Dance Concert View for Dance Students 
• May 10-14 – RISE Testing; Science
• May 13 – Orchestra Performance; 7:00 p.m.
• May 14 – Online Student RISE Testing; Science – 9:30-12:30
• May 14 – Book Blitz; GREAT Room
• May 19-20 – Course Finals
• May 20 – Band Concert, 7:00 PM 
• May 26 – Last day for 6th grade (full day of school)
• May 27 – Last day for 7th/8th grade (7:55-11:55)

If there is anything we can do to support you and your student, please let us know.  

And remember . . . 

  It’s always a GREAT day . . . To be a BRUIN!!!

Ms. Paula Logan 

Ongoing Items – These items have been addressed before, but may be needed again.

• Bruins Den – May 4, 5, and 6 – The Bruins Den is available on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday afternoons from 3:00 to 4:00 p.m. in the GREAT Room.  This is a time for students to complete homework and/or get help from teachers.  Each afternoon, two teachers are available in the GREAT Room to assist with student homework.  Students can work on their own or get assistance from a teacher.  Computers are available for homework.
• Canyons Online – Starting in Fall 2021, Canyons Online will be the CSD program through which high-quality online learning will be provided to third through 12th grade students.   Classes will be led by licensed teachers with advanced training in the best digital teaching and learning practices.  For more information, contact Canyons District at 801.826.5112.

RISE/End of Year Testing – We started RISE testing in ELA classes this week.  We will move onto Math next week and Science the following week.  We also continued RI and MI testing.  We encourage students to take these tests seriously and are asking for your support in reinforcing that message at home. 

• Why do we Test?  Testing has always been integral to education. Assessments inform instruction by helping teachers know if educational goals are being met. They’re an indicator of what’s working in the classroom and what can be done differently. Testing also gives parents an independent measure of their child’s learning, answering the question: Is my child on target and doing well compared to his or her peers?
• How should students prepare?  Practice for the test is the instruction students receive throughout the school year—the skills and knowledge they acquire each day. There are a few things, however, families can do to prepare for test day at home:
  • Make sure your child gets a good night’s sleep and eats a healthy breakfast.
  • Make the morning of testing as relaxing as possible by arriving at school on time.
  • Encourage children to focus and pace themselves without rushing.  It’s important to take your time and read each question carefully.
  • Remind children that if the test questions seem hard, that means they’re doing well. Similar to the ACT college entrance exam, the RISE test is computer adaptive, which means it adapts to the examinee’s abilities by proposing harder questions when a student gets something correct, and easier questions when the student gives a wrong answer.
• What about kids who have a history of test-anxiety? It’s important to strike a balance with children. You don’t want them to brush off the test. On the other hand, you don’t want to stress them out. How you approach the conversation will differ from child to child. But we like to describe testing skills as life skills. In our professional lives, there is pressure to perform and meet deadlines, and testing is no different. It’s really about demonstrating competency. They’ve worked hard all year in class. Now is their chance to show how much they’ve learned.