posted Jan 27, 2012 12:12 PM by Michelle Cowles
Dear Parents:
I want to thank each of you for your continued dedication and support of your child’s school
and their education. Being the parent of nine children, I fully understand the challenges of
balancing life’s demands, which makes my respect for you and your dedication even greater. At
times, I’m sure you wonder where you will be able to find the time and resources to keep going.
Understanding this, your child’s teacher and I continue to appreciate and be amazed by your
support of your child by insisting that they do their homework, assisting them as necessary,
checking to be sure it is complete and correct, and verifying it actually got turned in. This makes
a huge difference in your child’s success now and ultimately in their future life.
The crossing guard reported that she is having a few parents who are moving through the
crosswalk when she is holding the stop sign up and is actually in the crosswalk. This disregard
for safety nearly resulted in one of our students being hit this morning. Trying to save a few
seconds by running the stop sign in the crosswalk is foolish at best and extremely dangerous
and life threatening. Injuring a child will not only be a bad day for the offending driver and
the injured child but will be the type of life changing event none of us wants either to be the
perpetrator of, nor want our child to be the recipient of.
It would also help increase safety, and allow drivers to better see children if, when moving
forward, you could make sure that any part of your vehicle is not parked in the crosswalk itself.
Please come to a complete STOP and remain stopped anytime the
crossing guard is in the crosswalk and/or the Stop Sign is raised.
Thanks for caring.
Sincerely,
Mr. Fawson
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posted Jan 13, 2012 7:42 AM by Phil Loomis
No School Monday (January 16)
Life Flight- Wed., 1/18/2012, 1:45pm unless there is an emergency.
Cell Phone Use
I would simply like to ask that, out of concern for our children, no one who is driving call, text,
email, or answer such on their cell phones during the active times of pick-up and drop-off.
We have seen numerous drivers punching numbers, texting, talking on phones, and obviously
distracted as they try to change lanes and merge with other traffic both in the school lanes
and then while attempting to merge onto 3000 East. In addition, I have witnessed pets and
small children in driver’s laps along with plates of food and even a driver brushing teeth while
attempting to drive.
I’m sure we all realize that driving is not a casual activity to be partially attended to, nor is it a
good choice for multi-tasking and that cell phone use is distracting. This is especially so when in
congested and merging traffic, and rises to an extreme level of risk when surrounded by many
impulsive children.
For safety’s sake. Please turn phones off during pick-up and drop-off.
Thanks for caring that much for our children.
Sincerely,
Mr. Fawson
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posted Jan 12, 2012 12:37 PM by Phil Loomis
Dear Parents:
Thanks so much for your cooperation with pick-up and drop-off. Things are running smoother
this week. We did have a fender bender last week from what appeared to be a case of following
to close. Other than that, the flow has improved.
We are excited about our Open House tomorrow evening. I want to clarify that this is a time
for parents, not students, to tour the building if you have not already had a chance to do
so. It is meant to be a casual time for parents to mingle, visit and become better acquainted
with our wonderful facility. You will want to see the newly completed stage complete with
curtains, lighting and, improved sound system. The new lunchroom with our amazing mural is
impressive. A “must see,” is the library with its newly painted murals, with additional ones in
progress. I believe you will be impressed by the computer labs, CTE/Science room, as well as
our Art and Music Rooms.
Please be aware that teachers, while they may be present and willing to visit with you on an
informal basis, are not planning on this being an official parent conference time.
At 6:00 pm, Chris Bleak, President of the Utah Association of Public Charter Schools, will speak
to us on the current outlook for Charter Schools in the State of Utah and how Charters are
funded differently than other Districts. Chris is very articulate and clearly understands the
workings of the legislative process in the State. I believe you will be well rewarded for the time
you spend with Chris.
At 7:00 pm, Senator Steve Urquhart, our State Senator, will speak on the subject of Higher
Education in the State of Utah. Senator Urquhart has some interesting views on this subject
which will have impact on the future of higher education. This should be of interest to all
parents who expect their children to enter college in the State of Utah and a wonderful
opportunity to share your views with him.
I strongly encourage you to attend the open house and take the opportunity to show your
support of Charter Schools by attending both presentations that evening. There are many
who are attempting to paint Charter Schools as something other than positive. If your Charter
School is important to you, please come and demonstrate that support. See you there.
Sincerely,
Mr. Fawson |
posted Jan 12, 2012 12:31 PM by Phil Loomis
[
updated Jan 12, 2012 12:32 PM
]
Dear Parents:I hope your Holiday Vacation was a positive diversion for you and your family and want to welcome you back to school and to the New Year. It is my wish that the second half of the school year be an especially educationally productive time for you and your child(ren). While we were enjoying the holiday break, Lorri Bradshaw and her amazing family, the ones who completed the mural in the lunchroom, were at the school creating more magic in our school library. We now have a mural stretching across the entire east wall depicting scenes from various Core Knowledge books such as Cinderella, Rapunzel, and Peter Pan. I’m sure you will be as amazed and pleased as I am at the results. Thanks, Lorri and Family. I would appreciate your help with a couple of traffic issues: - While we have moved out of the portable classrooms, that side of the pick-up lane is still available for pick-up and drop-off. Your child simply needs to cross at the crosswalk and plan to meet you on that side. I encourage you to consider this option so as to avoid crowding on the school side.
- More drivers are opting to pick their children up on 3000 East instead of moving through the school pick-up line. This would be fine if those who so choose were able to move immediately off the road, but a number are stopping and waiting for others to load children, move out of the way and then leave. This stops all traffic on 3000 East as well as the entire line trying to exit the school. This problem has continued to escalate and as a result has added about 10minutes to the pick-up process.
The more drivers that move through the school pick-up line, avoiding blocking 3000 East the faster everything moves. If you have the need to pick-up on 3000 East, please come about 10 minutes late. In this way some of the congestion will have cleared allowing you to move quickly off the road. Whatever your decision, please do not stop traffic on 3000 East in order to move off the road. If need be, please keep moving further up the line to the North end of the school grounds and then pull off. On a positive note, we continue to complete small projects designed to improve the use of technology in the classroom and give teachers the latest options for lesson delivery. This will include training opportunities for teachers to enhance their skills in using this media. It is our vision that the end result will be the delivery of information in a fashion more in line with the way students are currently interacting with data in the real world while keeping up with changes in science, geography, politics, geo-political boundaries, etc. In short, it will enhance learning for all students. Thanks for your continued support of your children and your school. Sincerely, Mr. Fawson |
posted Nov 8, 2011 12:19 PM by Phil Loomis
Exciting News: Thursday, November 17th, is “MOVE IN DAY!” It is an early out day so we will organize
classes in the portables to move during the morning. We are going to move one or two classes at a time
to assure that we have plenty of adult supervision to assure that nothing is dragged, slid or pushed along
our newly waxed hallway floors. Then, teachers and students will have some time to begin organizing.
Whatever is not completed on Thursday can be completed on Friday and over the weekend. Our
computer specialist will be on site on Friday to assist with any technology needs on Friday.
School Lunch
We have enlisted the services of a local catering company, Katering Koncepts, to offer hot lunch to
our students whose parents prefer this option to sack lunch. Lunches will be served at GWA beginning
Monday, November 21st. It is my understanding that the 22nd will be a nice Thanksgiving type meal.
In an effort to avoid as much federal intervention as possible in our school, this is not a federally
subsidized program so no free or reduced lunches will be offered.
If you feel this might be something that could meet your needs, please log onto: www.kateringkoncepts.com
Click on “Lunch Programs” on upper right Tab.
Go to: “Orders for both schools can be placed at:”
Create a “New Customer Account.”
Then: Enter your child(ren)’s individual information and you are set.
From this point on: Click on student name in the black bar at top of page and then select from the calendar/menu options for the days you want your child to eat provided lunch and then follow instructions on how to pay. You may choose one day or many days.
The K-3 Lunches are smaller than the 4-8 lunches, hence the difference in cost.
We hope this works well if you feel this is the best option for you and your children. |
posted Oct 26, 2011 6:48 PM by Phil Loomis
Principal’s Message 10-26-11 Dear Parents: I hope all is going well with you and your child(ren). A couple of the keys to your child’s school success is consistency with their homework and good parent/teacher communication. Please contact your child’s teacher if you have any questions or concerns. A teacher can’t correct what they don’t know is a problem. SEP’s: SEP’s will be on Tuesday and Wednesday, November 15th and 16th. I encourage you make attending your child’s SEP a priority. Parking: Please do not park in the main parking lot in front of the school except in designated parking spaces. This includes during drop off and pick-up. Thanks for your cooperation. Halloween Parade: The Halloween Parade is on Friday and begins at 9:45 am. We will start the parade on the back blacktop playground with the Kindergarten and first grades and then travel through the halls leading to the Gym picking up classes as we go. We will travel through the GYM, from there out through the halls, picking up the remainder of classes in the main building and out the West side. We will then travel to the front of the building across the crosswalk and pick up the students in the portables. Then we will move across the pick-up lane into the new East Addition Lunchroom and back to the starting point. We will then repeat the same circuit dropping classes off as we go. In order to create the least amount of congestion and confusion, I am asking you to comply with the following guidelines. Pick a spot and stay in that location until the parade is over. If you remain in a single location you will eventually see every student. There may be a break in the parade, but we will be back around a little later with the students you missed. Please be patient. I am asking that you stay out of the hallways, except to enter the gym. We need the halls clear to line classes up and to keep the parade moving without congestion. Please plan to watch and take photos from the following locations: Gym, Back playground, Front of Building, or New lunchroom. You can access the back playground through the gate near the new school sign. The temporary fence around back will be open for you. While you are welcome to visit the new lunchroom in the East Addition, as congestion begins to clear, please plan to limit your access to this space only. The lower hallways will not be open and the upstairs will be closed at this time. We are still completing equipment installation and our punch-list details. Your cooperation is greatly appreciated. We hope your parade experience is very positive for you and your children. Sincerely, Mr. Fawson
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posted Oct 25, 2011 10:52 AM by Phil Loomis
I hope the year is going well for you and your child. Teachers and Staff continue to work very hard to
make your experience at GWA the very best possible. As a reminder, our Fall Break is next Thursday and Friday, October 13th & 14th. Wednesday, October 12th will be a full day.
For your information, based on latest estimates for our final punch list, equipment certifications, and
letter of occupancy, it looks like we will be moving into the new East Wing around the Thanksgiving
Holiday Recess. We wished it were sooner, but better to have all things in place before moving in.
Just a note on pick-up. For a short time things seemed to be improving and moving well. Just recently
we have had a slowdown related to too many parents wanting to pick-up their children on 3000 East at
the same time rather than moving through the on-campus line.
This actually creates the perfect storm for clogging the entire system. Because there is limited room
on 3000 East, cars must slow way down or stop to find a place to pull into the wait lines. This in turn
slows or stops traffic on 3000 East which prevents the on-campus line from moving, which makes more
parents want to use 3000 East, which slows traffic even more, and so on. Since normal (non-school)
traffic increases at this time of day due to the Little Valley Schools letting out around this same time the
problem increases even further.
If you decide to pick-up on 3000 East and there are no obvious openings please just keep moving on
down the street so as not to impede traffic flow and come around again, a pain I know.
The St. George City police department has started to receive complaints about the traffic jam and plan
to start patrolling this area. If they find we are slowing traffic the City may eliminate double parking
completely or want some expensive road work done, at our expense. We do not want to spend money
on road that we can use for our students. We need to find the solution so we are not forced to accept
theirs.
So, what to do? My suggestion is to plan on driving through the on-campus system or coming to school
later, maybe 2:55 or 3:00 pm, to allow some of the traffic to clear off of 3000 East and keep vehicles
moving through the on-campus line.
Please do not park diagonally on 3000 East. If you are an early arriver, work with your children to leave
the building quickly and move to your location so you can leave and let someone else take your place. If
you find you are one of the first ones to arrive and the last ones to leave, just come later. Otherwise you
are simply a traffic obstruction.
With as many cars in such a limited space it takes everyone looking at what they can personally do to
help solve the flow problem. Thanks for your thoughtful consideration of what you can do.
Sincerely,
Mr. Fawson |
posted Sep 23, 2011 7:43 PM by Phil Loomis
The East Addition continues to move toward completion. We currently anticipate
that it will be ready for use during our Fall Carnival on Satuday, October 29th. The
focus of our PTO Carnival is to raise funds to put a Shade Cover over our new
playground equipment. Estimates range from $15,000 to $20,000 depending on how
much area we finally cover. Thanks PTO for a great practical project to enhance our
outdoor play area.
Our dedicated teachers continue to work extremely hard to give your children
the best education possible. For those students who are new this year, the added
homework may, at times, seem overwhelming. Our experience has shown that it
normally takes from six to eight weeks for new students to come up to speed and
the frustration to subside. Please work with your child and their teacher closely
through this transition time. It will pay off.
I hope you will take a moment to thank our teachers and dedicated staff for all their
effort in making our school a great place of learning. If you have any suggestions for
making our school better, please let one of us know. We truly do want GWA to be a
great place to be.
Pick-up continues to have its challenges, but for the most part is running about as
smoothly as it can. If you are planning to pick your child up on 3000 East please
be willing to comply with the following suggestions:
1. If you are pulling along the curb, please get as close as possible to
allow the double parkers to move over the solid white line, so as not to
impede the flow of traffic on 3000 East. If cars cannot move on 3000 East
the entire flow of traffic is stopped both on 3000 East and in the school pick-
up areas.
2. If you double park you may step out of your car onto the sidewalk, but
do not leave that location to find your children. They need to come to you.
Please be ready to move your vehicle to allow others to leave. If you leave
you have just locked someone else in. This is not only inconsiderate, but
again impedes traffic flow.
3. If you plan to pick your child up on 3000 East do not triple park or
wait for someone to leave. Please continue through the area and turn
around, come back and try again.
4. As you experience the traffic flow, please adjust your pick-up time so as to
avoid the busiest times.
5. Finally, if you are coming from 2450 South toward the school and plan to
turn into the school and go through the pickup line, please use your turn
signal. It allows those trying to leave the school additional time to make their
decision about whether it is safe to turn or not. If you are driving past the
school exit to park along 3000 East please do not signal until you are past the
exit. It is confusing otherwise.
Thanks so much for your continued patience and willingness to be a courteous
driver and devotion to making your school the very best.
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posted Aug 29, 2011 7:39 AM by Phil Loomis
Dear Parents:
Thank you so much for your patience and attention to the details of making Drop-off and Pick-up flow
as smoothly as possible. With your help in learning “The System,” teachers making sure that students
are out on time, many eyes keeping children safe, and some adjustments to our lanes, we were able
to reduce pick-up time from 30+ minutes on Monday to just over 15 minutes yesterday. My sincere
appreciation to everyone. We value your time and want traffic to flow as smoothly and safely as
possible.
As you probably noticed, “Our School Sign has been installed!!!” Once we get all the wiring connected
and the sign programmed, you will be able to get updated information on school activities as you drop
your children off in the morning or pick them up in the afternoon. It is our goal to keep you as informed
as possible in the most convenient manner. We feel strongly that our sign will be a very effective tool in achieving that goal.
As, I’m sure you have been told, our new play structure has been installed. We have included a lot of
upper body equipment to help strengthen arms and hands. Students are surprised by their blisters,
which we consider to be a sign of the success of the new equipment. Please help your child pace
themselves until their calluses replace the blisters.
One of our PTO goals this year is to raise the money to install a shade cover over our new play
equipment. This will be the focus of our Fall Carnival. The shade
structure would be a wonderful improvement and I support them fully in
this goal.
I hope the year is progressing well for you and your children. For those who may be new to GWA, please
continue to work with your children to assure their success. We have
found that it takes about six to eight weeks before things begin to
level off. Your patience and endurance will be rewarded.
Sincerely,
Mr. Fawson |
posted Apr 15, 2011 12:13 PM by Shauna Morgan
[
updated Aug 16, 2011 7:51 AM by Anya Yeager
]
Dear Parents, Time is running quickly as we approach the beginning of a new school year. The summer has gone quickly with many amazing and exciting changes being completed in our school facility. We now have a beautiful and well-stocked library. The computer lab has undergone a wonderful transformation, the north addition with its new classrooms and music room is complete, the playground has a new play structure containment and asphalt, additional sidewalk space has been added to the front of the school, landscaping will be completed this week, the footbridge from 3000 East was completed by Braden Evans, and we look to have our playground apparatus, basketball standards and fencing completed by the end of this week. Our teachers have been in training for the past two weeks and are working hard to put their rooms in order. The custodians, secretaries, support staff and administration are working hard to complete final cleaning and the many details necessary to assure a wonderful experience for you and your children. I hope you are as excited as we are. School doors are normally open at 7:55 am., however, they will be open at 7:45 on Monday, August 15th.
Parking is limited so please come early if you are walking your children in.
Please remember that all children need to be in their seats each day by 8:15 am and we have a new ending time of 2:50 pm, Monday -Thursday and Friday continues to stay at 12:15 pm. I would like to review the drop off and pickup procedure for all returning and new parents and students. Some things to remember: - Watch for personnel wearing the lime-green vests and follow their directions.
- Please pull as far forward as possible in the line. “Short stopping,” even for a moment, slows the entire line down.
- Again, please move as far forward as possible, even if your student is waiting at a closer location. They can walk to you allowing traffic to continue to flow. Most children can use a little more exercise.
- Students are only to exit or enter the vehicle on the Curb-Side of the drop-off/pick-up zone. They are not to exit into the passing lane.
- No one is to walk across 3000 East (the main road passing the school), which means no one is to enter or exit a vehicle on the West side (side opposite the school), of 3000 East.
- Please do not double park on the East side (school side) of 3000 East.
- Please have students ready to leave or enter your vehicle when you arrive. (We have seen students finish dressing, eating and gathering up supplies while car pool is blocking the line).
- Students are to remain behind the red and yellow curb lines until their ride has come to a complete stop.
- Watch for and follow the directions from the crossing guard and the others who are controlling traffic. They are simply trying to keep students and patrons safe and keep the traffic moving. Courtesy is always appreciated.
10. Pedestrians are to cross the traffic lane going to or from the parking lot only at designated crosswalks.Cutting through the drop-off and pick-up lane at the front of the school stops the entire flow of traffic and often causes vehicles to have to stop in the crosswalk. (Using the crosswalks is not only simple courtesy, but a school safety rule, and sets the proper example for students to follow). HINTS: Drop-off and pick-up times are always a bit of a challenge and we do our best to make these times flow as smoothly as possible. Some hints that can make your experience more positive: - Morning Drop-off: Most parents come at the last minute in the morning. Expect delays at this time. Come early and avoid the crowd.
- End of Day Pick-up. Most parents try to come right at the end of the school day. Some have found that coming 10 minutes later, when traffic is clearing is a much better choice.
We look forward to very positive school year. See you on Monday. :D Sincerely, Mr. Fawson
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