Greetings!!!
It’s been another GREAT week! Students are getting back into the swing of things. I’ve spent time in some classrooms this week and have seen some amazing things. I am always surprised at how quickly it becomes routine. Our students and teachers are doing impressive things in the classrooms. BMS is a GREAT place to be.
Currently, we have 906 students on our rolls. That is a few less than last year. 6th grade is 294; 7th grade is 316; and 8th grade is 302.
Parents, we need your help! Please encourage your child to wear their ID badge every day. One of our safety measures this year is that all staff and students are to be wearing a visible ID badge. This week, we directed several students without ID badges to the main office to get a temporary student sticker to wear for the day. Again, please encourage your child to wear their ID badge every day. We are trying to give lots of PBIS points to students who wear their ID badge.
Early Out Fridays – New this year is Early Out Fridays. This means that students will be dismissed from school at 1:10 on Fridays. Please be sure to make arrangements with your child regarding the earlier time. Teachers have meetings starting at 1:20. Teachers are expected to be in school wide, team, and department meetings during our collaboration time (1:20-3:20). While we will have the main doors open to access the office and the secretaries to answer phones and parent or student questions and issues, our counseling and teaching staff will have very limited availability during this time.
Emergency Drills – We practiced Fire, Earthquake, and Shelter-in-Place Drills this week. We evacuated the building during the Fire and Earthquake Drills. Students did GREAT! We were out of the building in under 3 minutes. Your children did a terrific job. We will review our Lockdown Drill on September 1st. We try to review a drill during the first week of each month throughout the year. The Back to School Plan, which is posted on the website, has information about drills at the end. We want you to be prepared for those situations and aware of our process. As we do drills, we have a staff member out front to let you know what is happening. We try to hold some type of safety drill during the first week of each month.
Parent Resources – Each week I try to send home various articles or links that I think parents might find useful. This is just a resource that you as a parent might find interesting. Sometimes I share my thoughts about it; sometimes I just share. It takes a village to raise our children and to keep them safe. I hope that some of what I am able to send is helpful. Sometimes there are repeats, but I do try to provide at least one resource each week.
- Collin Kartchner, Ted Talk—a powerful 17 minute Ted Talk about adolescents and social media. I sent this out last year. I think it is powerful. I recommend all parents watch it. Can flip phones end our social media addiction?
- 10 Tips for Building Resilience in Children and Teens (attached)
- CSDLecture Series: A Busy Parent’s Guide to Staying Involved in Your Child’s Education
Busy parents can’t always do it all: help with homework, attend school events, and volunteer in the classroom. So, when it comes to getting involved in their child’s education, where should they start? What questions should they be asking? How can they make the most of parent-teacher conferences? These topics, and more, are the focus of a free Parent Information Night that Canyons School District is sponsoring as part of an ongoing Canyoneering Academy lecture series. The event will be held on Thursday, Sept. 8, 6-8:30 p.m. at Alta High School, 11055 S. 1000 East in Sandy. The evening kicks off with a 50-minute keynote address by Rhonda Bromley who spent her career working at the highest levels of public education and building connections with families. Afterward, attendees will have their choice of participating in two of four breakout sessions on parent engagement, digital safety, and the student supports and educational and extracurricular options available in Canyons. If you are in need of translation services, please email Charisse Hilton, Charisse.hilton@canyonsdistrict.org. See canyonsdistrict.org for more information.
Upcoming Events
- August 30 First Day for Bruins Den and Math Help
- August 31 Locker Request forms available in Main Office
- September 1 Lockdown Drill; 3rd Period
- September 1 PTSA Meeting (9:00 AM at Main Office)
- September 2 Spirit Day; College
- September 5 No School; Labor Day Recess
- September 7 School Community Council Meeting (3:30 Main Office)
- September 7 Safety Night with CHPD; 6:00 PM (parents/adults)
- September 9 Spirit Day; Red, White, and Blue
- September 20 Progress Reports
- September 27-28 Parent Teacher Conferences
- September 30 No School
Thank you for all that you do. As I mentioned, most students are getting to classes and doing GREAT. Sometimes it takes a week or two for them to settle into the routine. If you are feeling that more than normal anxiety or stress is happening, please let us know. You can contact a teacher, the counselors, or the administration. Please let us know if you have questions or concerns. We are here to help.
Have a great day and remember . . .
It’s always a GREAT day to be a BRUIN!
Ms. Paula Logan
Principal
Butler Middle School
Ongoing Items: These items have been mentioned before and serve as a reminder:
Contacting Teachers: There are three ways to contact teachers:
o Email—firstname.lastname@canyonsdistrict.org
o Call the Main Office and leave a message, 801-826-6800.
o Text in Parent Square
Once you have sent an email or left a message, please allow 24-48 hours for a response. If you are coming to the building to meet with a teacher, I encourage you to set an appointment. This just helps everyone know when and where and why, so the meeting/appointment can address the concerns productively. There are various meetings, classes, activities that involve teachers after school. We tend to have our school faculty meetings on Mondays after school. Beyond that, teachers are involved in various trainings, Bruins Den, Math Help, after school activities, student meetings, etc. While these are not every evening, it is frustrating for everyone when a drop in meeting cannot be accommodated.
