EA Enlightenment November 2024

November 4, 2024

Oh No… vember!
Oh yes! Remember…

The clocks have rolled back but time marches forward. The season has cooled but our hearts are warm with gratitude for family, friends, a beautiful world and a bountiful harvest.

November events include our Open House for families interested in the next school year’s program. The Open House will be Thursday, November 14th, 5:00-7:00 pm and will be an informative evening explaining the various program levels offered at Elizabeth Academy. Please help us spread the word by inviting friends, family, and neighbors.

The last week of this month we will be celebrating a day of Gratitude with Grandfriends on Tuesday, November 26th, which will be a half-day of school. Secondary students will celebrate Harvest Sharing with a service project that day, and starting Wednesday, November 27th, the school will be closed the rest of the week for the Thanksgiving holiday.

Bounteous Blessings,
Elizabeth Academy Staff

Take the time to recognize a staff member. We know how much they put into their jobs and to the education of the students. You can recognize a teacher, specialist, therapist or administrative staff member. We will do a monthly drawing of those submitted to feature in our newsletter. All who are recognized will be given a copy of these responses as well. Go to the school app to submit recognition for those staff members. Submit Staff Recognition

November Events

Teacher Work Day (No School): November 1st

D.E.A.R (Drop Everything and Read): November 7th, 8:45 AM – 9:00 AM

EAPO Campus Conversations- Secondary School: November 13th, 2:30 PM

Primary School Vision Screening: November 13th, 9:00 AM-12:00 PM

EAPO Campus Conversations- Primary School: November 14th, 8:50 AM

Open House: November 14th, 5:00 PM – 7:00 PM

Early Release Day: November 26th, 12:45 PM

Gratitude & Grand-friends- Primary School: November 26th, 10:00 AM – 12:30 PM

Harvest Sharing- Secondary School: November 26th, 10:00 AM – 12:30 PM

Thanksgiving Break (NO SCHOOL): November 27th – 29th

Open House

Current and potential families are welcome to come to our Open House on Thursday, November 14th. If you have a student who will be transitioning to a new level, this is a wonderful opportunity to see the next level and understand the differences between the levels.

We need your help! Please spread the word and invite friends, family, and neighbors who might be interested in learning more about Elizabeth Academy! We encourage you to share the image below on your social media pages.

Gratitude & Grandfriends/ Harvest Sharing

At Elizabeth Academy, we celebrate this time of year by focusing on Gratitude and sharing time together. We will celebrate these events on Tuesday, November 26th. The primary school EAPO will host our annual Gratitude & Grandfriends. Students will have the opportunity to invite a Grandfriend to join them for this event.

The secondary school will host their annual Harvest Sharing, as families and students gather to pick up litter in Wasatch Hollow. Afterwards, everyone will enjoy lunch together.

Primary School

Inclusion and Community

Our EA community is the key to all of our success, and this month we were able to have some fun. We had the opportunity to participate in an cross campus Spirit Week, which had the students and teachers dressing up in Hawaiian shirts, their favorite color, pajamas, and Halloween costumes.

We also had our monthly Campus Conversations run by the EAPO and talked about ways to serve both our school community and the wider community outside of EA. As we talked about the reading program it was fun to have parents share some other options to support reading. If you are looking to find a furry friend to read to or are interested in heading to the library please jump on the links below.

https://www.utahhumane.org/blog/happy-tails-reading-program

https://services.slcpl.org/kids

Doing things together, working together, having fun together, builds the relationships and the bonds that bind us and allow us to succeed.

Thank you all for being part of the community. We feel grateful to play a role.

Thanks,

Nate and Jess

Montessori Minute

Every month we want to highlight something that makes Montessori special and this month we choose the Montessori work cycle. What is the Montessori work cycle?

The Montessori work cycle is a dedicated period in which children engage in focused, self-directed activities that promote concentration, independence, and deep learning. The work cycle allows students to choose activities that interest them, work at their own pace, and explore subjects in depth without interruption. During this time, teachers observe and provide guidance as needed, fostering a child’s ability to problem-solve, make decisions, and build resilience. This uninterrupted cycle is central to Montessori education, supporting the development of a child’s autonomy, creativity, and intrinsic motivation for learning.

This looks different as you shift levels, but allowing students to own their own education and be supported by their peers and teachers gives them the space to grow in independence and to define their identity. It is one of the hallmarks of Montessori philosophy.

Primary School Highlight

We had our first parent teacher conferences this month and we wanted to thank our community for coming out. We had 89% of our families come in in person or virtually.

Effective communication between school and home is essential for student success, as it builds a supportive environment that fosters learning and personal growth. When parents and teachers stay connected, they can share insights about a child’s strengths, challenges, and progress, allowing for a more personalized approach to education. Consistent communication also encourages parents to be active participants in their child’s learning journey, reinforcing skills and values taught in the classroom. This collaboration not only enhances academic outcomes, but also helps students feel more secure and motivated, knowing they have a strong network of support from both home and school.

Vision Screening- November 13th

The primary school will be conducting vision screenings, in accordance with the Utah School Vision Screening Policy. Friends for Sight is a local nonprofit organization that specializes in vision screening and will be doing the vision screenings. Look for a letter explaining about the program and what to expect.

We will need volunteers to assist with vision screening to ensure a smooth day. You can sign up in the school app or at Vision Screening Volunteer.

Gratitude and Grandfriends- Tuesday, November 26th

It’s almost time for our annual Gratitude and Grandfriends event! For this event students are invited to bring one Grandfriend (grandparent, neighbor, aunt, uncle) to enjoy the time with. More details will come from the EAPO as this event comes closer, but be save the date.

As a reminder Tuesday, November 26th will be an early release day. Students will need to be picked up at 12:45pm.

Secondary School

Dear Elizabeth Academy Community,

This past month has given us some opportunities to gather and appreciate our “spooktacular” community. It was fun to see our BOOgie Bash make a ripple further out into the community- where we had so many people from various programs enjoy our special event at the Museum of Natural Life at Thanksgiving Point! Additionally, wonderful job to our students for taking a leadership role at this event, in-school Halloween celebration, and Spirit Week at BOTH campuses!

This month, we are looking forward to more community gatherings, including our annual Harvest Sharing event on Tuesday, November 26th, which will be a half-day for students. This year, for our Harvest Sharing, we will be hosting a “Lunch and Litter” event at Wasatch Hollow on Tuesday, November 26th. We invite parents and community members to join us for hot chocolate at 10am to kick-off the event. We will spend some time picking up litter in Wasatch Hollow. Bring a sack lunches to enjoy at the end of the event. After lunch, students may leave with their parents- our official dismissal time is at 12:45pm. We will have our Thanksgiving break from Wednesday, November 27th- Friday, November 29th.

October was an eventful month- full of big events and big announcements. I have been humbled by the number of students and parents who have reached out to ask questions about the decision to close down the High School program. We are working on providing you with tools and information to navigate the next steps- and feel free to reach out.

As questions arise, feel free to contact me!

Kind Regards,
Sofia Rigolon

Student Council Message- Penny Wars

Hello EA Secondary Community,

We would like to introduce our upcoming service project, Penny Wars!

The purpose of Penny Wars is to raise money across our campus that we can then put towards a good cause within our local community.

Students will be working together with their cohort to collect donations. This can be in the form of physical Money (dollar bills and coins) or through Venmo (please label your donation with Penny Wars and the cohort you are supporting, ex. Penny Wars: 7/8 Cohort). The Student Council will have jugs out to collect donations in on November 4th-22nd.

The group with the highest amount of donations will get to decide which of the four potential recipients the donations will go to. Community supporters that may receive these donations are: Best Friends Animal Society, Catholic Community Services, the YCC Family Crisis Center, or the Utah Food Bank.

We have a goal of earning at least $250 and we hope you will all join us in participating in this exciting project.

-Student Council

EAPO Corner

Campus Conversations

Secondary School- Wednesday, November 13th, 2:30pm in the Life Skills Room

Primary School- Thursday, November 14th, 8:50am in the Black Box

Campus Conversations are monthly meetings hosted by the EAPO. Lasting approximately one hour, Campus Conversations are informal discussions, and are the best way to stay informed about what is happening both on the Primary and Secondary Campuses, and to be in the loop about upcoming events and activities. Light refreshments are served.

Volunteer Opportunities can be found in the school app. Each family is responsible for 20 hours of in-person volunteering and/or financial contributions for the 2024-2025 school year. To record your hours follow the below steps:

Log into your family portal at factsmgt.com. (Our district code is EA-UT)
Go to the Family Tab
On the Family Home, there is a drop down window on the top. Make sure this says your name.
Directly under that drop down box is the service hours section. There is a small add button in that section to add your hours.