D E C E M B E R

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the

Altara Elementary
Newsletter
People don't notice whether it's winter or summer when they're happy

--- Anton Chekhov

Winter Break
Please remember that school
will be closed from December
21 January 1. School will
resume on Monday, January 4.
All Fridays in December are
early out days and school ends
at 1:25 pm on those days.

Save the Date!

Friday, December 11 Wear a
Hat Day
Wednesday, December 16
Orchestra Concert at 9:00 am in
the Gym
Friday, December 18 First
Grade Christmas Program in
the Gym @ 12:45 pm
Friday, December 18 Last
Day of School in December
Monday, January 4 First Day
Back to School after the break

Parking Lot Procedures

With the colder weather coming on, we know that more
parents will be driving their students to school. We just want
to send out a few reminders about parking lot procedures.
Please remember that the front curb is for drop-off and pickup only. This means that you should never park your car on
the curb especially during drop-off and pick-up times. We
need to keep traffic moving so that everyone can get in and out
quickly. If you want to walk your child into the school or you
need to come inside, please park in the visitor parking and
then walk into the school.
Please do not use your cell phone while picking up or
dropping off your student. There are many small children
outside during these times and we would be devastated if
something happened to one of them because a driver was
distracted or texting.
Please drive all the way forward when dropping off or
picking up your students. Most students line up in the back
of the building and the east end is a closer drop-off. We have
students line up on the east side of the building for pick-up so
it is closer for them if cars pull all the way up.
Please listen to the directions from our teachers and safety
patrol. They are trying to make traffic move along quickly
and safely. The back lot is for teacher and parent parking. It
is not a drop off zone.

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ALTARA ELEMENTARY NEWSLETTER

DECEMBER 2015

Brain Boosters, Fieldtrips, and Class Programs

In an effort to give teachers more planning and
collaboration time, Canyons School District
implemented Brain Boosters for all students this
year. At Altara, students go to Media (library
time), PE (with a Playworks Curriculum), Art,
and Computer Lab. Students rotate between
the four classes. Each grade goes to Brain
Boosters for one hour two times a week. Art
and Computer Lab are offered every other
week, so the spacing between these boosters is
longer. However, teachers are encouraged to
use computers in their classroom and each
teacher will be receiving six mini-iPads to aide
with classroom instruction. In addition,
teachers can build in art and music as it fits into
their curriculum. The aim of Brain Boosters is
to supplement the curriculum at Altara and
offer students a variety of experiences. All of
our specialists have been trained in their
specialty area and the art teacher is a certified
art teacher.

fieldtrip to Explorer Camp and Harry Potter

Camp last spring in coordination with the Boy
Scouts of Americas Outreach Program. This
program also brought in a museum experience
for 5th grade where they got to meet Benjamin
Franklin, work a printing press, and examine a
replica of the Mayflower. Altara recognizes
how important outside learning experiences can
be to student education and we will continue to
encourage and pay for fieldtrips for all students.
With Brain Boosters being done outside
the classroom, there have been some concerns
that programs will be lost. Teachers have been
encouraged to work with Brain Boosters on
potential programs and to work on programs in
the spring after testing. First grade will be doing
their annual Christmas program on December
18th at 12:45 pm in the gym. Other grade levels
will be examing their schedules and will do
programs as time allows. Programs are up to
the discretion of the grade level teams. Many
grades are practicing music through the year
and will be ready to do a program in late May
and early June.

There have been some questions about

fieldtrips. With the exception of Biztown,
students have not lost any fieldtrip experiences.
In fact, students in grades 2 - 4 received a bonus

A Note from the Principal

In this season of love, giving,
and caring, I want to extend a
special thank you to all of our
volunteers. Our room helpers and
Watch Dog Dads are a vital part
of the positive experience that our
students receive here at Altara.
They give so much love and caring
during their time here and students
and teachers truly benefit by their
efforts. I love watching our
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Watch Dog Dads interact with the

students. Our kids love having them
here and so do the teachers and staff.
You may have noticed the four
Christmas trees in the front foyer.
There is one for each house from
Harry Potter. Check the trees for
student ornaments as they display their
house pride. You might ask your
students about their house cheer. It has
been fun to watch their house spirit.