Greetings!!!
Wow! What a GREAT week. It is so fun to see our students in the hallways and learning in the classroom. Thank you for sharing your children with us. I am so excited to be part of such an amazing school community. This week we reviewed our Lock Down Drill, Cross Country is in full swing (Thank you Mr. Chen), and Bruins Den and Grade-Level Math Help is now available. We have been busy, that’s for sure.
Thank you for your help with drop off. With the sandwich board signs for cars 1, 2, and 3, we seem to be moving through traffic a bit faster. I appreciate your patience with the drop off and having your child ready and on the right side of the car. I know it takes a while, but it seems to be going well most of the time.
We really appreciate the efforts on your part to keep our students and staff safe. To assist with this effort, we do have masks in the main office for any who would like one. We continue to do what we can to mitigate the risks of spreading the Covid virus. Information on school cases can be found at covid-19 .
Lockers – We received several requests for lockers. Our plan is to issue lockers for those requests through one of the core classes when we return from the Labor Day Recess-likely at the end of the week. Once assigned, students can use their assigned locker for the remainder of the year. Most students will be comfortable with a backpack which would allow for us to better space students who need a locker.
7th Grade Immunizations – If you have not completed this, please get that information to our Main Office ASAP. You are welcome to have your doctor fax this information to 801-826-6809. 7th Grade Immunization Requirements
Emergency Drills – We finished up our emergency drills this week with our Lockdown Drill. We try to review a drill during the first week of each month throughout the year.
Parent-Teacher Conferences – September 21st & 22nd from 4:00 to 7:30 PM. Parent teacher conferences at BMS. More information will come out about this and a parent letter with the information about signing up for a time will be sent out on September 10th.
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.
- The Power (and Peril) of Praising Your Kids — New York Magazine.pdf —this is an older article from the New York Magazine that talks about how to praise. I have changed my interactions with my family from this. It is one of my favorite articles.
Superintendent Listening Tour Listening Tour PDF
Dr. Robins, Superintendent – Canyons School District stopped by BMS on Tuesday. He spent time answering questions and addressing suggestions and concerns. It was wonderful to spend time listening to our community in this “town-hall” type environment. Thank you for showing your support for our school. Additional meetings will be at Midvale Middle on Sept. 8. Eastmont Middle on Sept. 13., and Draper Park Middle on Sept. 15.
PTSA
The PTSA needs volunteers for our awesome 8th grade event called Reality Town! We need 60 parent volunteers! Reality Town is an educational program that gives realistic financial experience to our eighth-grade middle school students.
The simulated event takes place in the school gym where students receive a Student Handbook and personalized pay stub which contains information about their Reality Town family, such as their spouse, or lack thereof, and the ages and gender of their children.
Students choose a job they would like to do and get a chance to see if they can support a family on that salary. As part of the preparation for the Reality Town simulation, students learn about student and business loans and tax withholding as they examine their personalized pay stub. The event is put on every year by faculty and multiple volunteers, community partners, and businesses to give students a better idea of what life in the real world is like.
The PTA is searching for 60 volunteers to come help make this a successful event! We need help with setting up Reality Town (booths) which will take place October 21st after school. The big event is Friday, October 22nd. We will ask all volunteers to attend the orientation Friday morning (we will feed you breakfast!). And, we will feed you lunch after the event, too!
PTSA REFLECTIONS:
National PTA’s Reflections program provides opportunities for recognition and access to the arts which boost student confidence and success in the arts and in life. The 2021–2022 Reflections theme is I Will Change the World By… Students submit their completed works of art in one or all of the available arts categories: Dance Choreography, Film Production, Literature, Music Composition, Photography, Visual Arts.
Students participate in the appropriate division for their grade: Primary (Pre-K – Grade 2), Intermediate (Grades 3-5), Middle School (Grades 6-8), High School (Grades 9-12), Special Artist (All grades welcome). Students who identify as having a disability and may receive services under IDEA or ADA: Section 504 may enter in the Special Artist Division or grade division most closely aligned to their functional abilities.*
Students or parents interested in participating in the Reflections program should begin by connecting with their Local PTA. Find your local PTA with our PTA Local Unit Lookup. More information can be found at: https://www.pta.org/home/programs/reflections Deadline to enter Reflections is October 1, 2021 so get your entries in soon!
Upcoming Events
- September 6 No School, Labor Day
- September 8 Battle of the Books
- September 8 SCC Meeting, 3:30 PM (Main Office Conference Room)
- September 15 Midterm Progress Reports—these will be available on Skyward
- September 21&22 Parent Teacher Conferences
- September 24 No School, PTC Compensatory Day
Help Wanted – We are looking for a Nutrition Service Worker, and Paraprofessional Educator. If you or someone you know is interested in the opportunity to work with students, please apply at https://jobs.canyonsdistrict.org/human-resources/#!/jobs/.
Have a great day and remember . . .
It’s always a GREAT day to be a BRUIN!
Ms. Paula Logan
Principal
Butler Middle School
paula.logan@canyonsdistrict.org
Previously Shared Information:
Contacting Teachers: There are two ways to contact teachers:
- Email—firstname.lastname@canyonsdistrict.org
- Call the Main Office and leave a message, 801-826-6800.
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.
Electronic Devices: We are asking students to have their phones and any headphone device put away during the entire school day, including lunch. I spoke about this with parents at Back to School Night and in our 6h grade orientation.
- Phones create a disruption within the school day. Phone calls, texts, various alerts are ongoing and they distract students creating disruptions in classes.
- Phones/headphones also have created a safety hazard as students are walking and moving about the building with little awareness to what is happening. If there was an emergency, those with headphones in cannot hear to respond quickly.
- Phones and social media contribute to a high percentage of our student conflict issues—taking pictures during the day, making memes, cyber bullying, threats, etc. We are hoping to limit student access during the school day to keep our students focused and safe.
- We hope to encourage more socialization during lunch by having students talk with one another and interact. Our student government has put posters with conversation starters around the cafeteria to assist.
Students certainly can keep a phone in their backpack or locker. If a student wants to check their phone during passing period, that is fine. Beyond that we are asking for all phones to be put away. I understand that as children walk to and from school, a parent would like to be in contact. During the school day, the best way to contact your student would be to call the main office and we will get the message to them.
We do have a school policy. It is in our planner under Electronic Devices and has been for several years. It states: “Personal electronic devices and accessories designed for entertainment purposed are strongly discouraged during school hours. Cell phones and/or other electronic devices may be confiscated if they disrupt the educational process or environment.” We hope as we work with our students to understand the purpose behind it, they will comply. So far most of our students have been understanding.
