Box Elder School District - Learning is Everything

Congratulations to Snowville Elementary and Park Valley School! Snowville scored in the top 30 Acadience Reading scores in Utah in the 2022-23 school year and Park Valley scored in the top 30 Acadience Math scores in Utah 2022-23 school year!

Melissa Morris, Principal at the Western schools, Grouse Creek, Park Valley, and Snowville, shared an extraordinary act of generosity that recently uplifted our Western school community. Jimi Pitts, a pastor from Ogden (Washington Heights Church), made a significant donation to our schools, wishing only to make a difference—without any strings attached. After receiving wish lists from each teacher, Jimi went above and beyond our expectations. He arrived with a van and an enclosed trailer full of supplies, far exceeding what we had requested. His generosity was overwhelming, and he expressed that sometimes small schools like ours are overlooked, but he wanted to make sure the students had what they needed. Accompanying Jimi was author Ann Bowen, known for her books I Loved You Before You Were Born and What Do Teachers Do (After You Leave School)? Ann is donating signed copies of each of her books to the Western schools, further enhancing this incredible act of kindness. The teachers, students, and I were moved to tears by these heartfelt donations. We are incredibly grateful for Jimi and Ann’s generosity and the positive impact it will have on our school communities. Attached are pictures of the donations and the signed books. On behalf of our schools, we extend our deepest thanks to Jimi Pitts, Ann Bowen and all others who came for their remarkable contributions.

Students, Parents and Staff, Please enjoy your weekend!! Please join us for our Town Hall Meetings and Public Meeting during School Board Meeting this upcoming week either in-person or virtually. Details and links below: Town Hall Meeting: Monday, October 7th at 6:00pm @ Box Elder Middle School Library (enter building in main entrance from 500 East) Zoom Link: https://besd-net.zoom.us/j/81429910148?pwd=DbmhJ3JpwHjBFJuO8RvpqMqnwF3RXC.1 Town Hall meeting: Tuesday, October 8th at 6:00pm @ Bear River Middle School Library (enter building from main entrance) Zoom Link: https://besd-net.zoom.us/j/81782233056?pwd=kaWt9VmQDxhy3DYc3l3bPRFp3aHBg1.1 School Board Meeting: October 9th @ 6:30pm - Public Meeting for Patrons to make comments, suggestions and to ask questions about the Bond. You tube Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N_ePG6snJwg&list=PLnGV6r4WDnpY2MjIzqfPNe37UHs60U5Vb&index=36 If none of these times work for your schedule, please email Keith Mecham at keith.mecham@besd.net or Heidi Jo West at heidijo.west@besd.net and they will read and try to address your questions individually. Thanks, District Leadership Team

Congratulations to the Bear River Middle 8th grade team. Students outperformed state and district averages on state RISE Assessment in Reading and Science in the 2024 school year!

Representative Tom Peterson spent Thursday, September 26, 2024 at Box Elder High for Legislators Day in the Classroom. He spoke to students in Mr. Crawford's and Mrs. Colvin's USU Poli Sci 1100 classes. Lisa Roskelley from Congressman Blake Moore's Office was also in attendance.

Utah Kindergarteners Show Significant Reading Gains SALT LAKE CITY – The Utah State Board of Education (USBE) is pleased to announce that Utah’s kindergarten students are demonstrating remarkable improvements in reading proficiency, according to the latest Acadience Reading data. The Acadience Reading assessment measures basic early literacy skills and is a valuable tool for tracking student progress and identifying areas for improvement. Currently, 93 schools, representing 22 districts and three charter schools, have 70 percent or more kindergarteners at the “above benchmark” level. Scoring “above benchmark” means a student has a 90-99 percent chance of meeting subsequent literacy benchmarks and may benefit from instruction on more advanced skills. “At benchmark” means that a student has a 70-85 percent chance of achieving future literacy goals and is likely to make adequate progress with effective core instruction. “These achievements demonstrate the effectiveness of Utah's educational strategies in providing our youngest students with a strong foundation in literacy. By equipping students with essential reading skills early on, Utah is supporting long-term academic success and empowering students to reach their full potential,” said State Superintendent of Public Instruction Sydnee Dickson, “as Utah continues to prioritize early literacy development, the state is positioned to continue its upward trajectory in reading proficiency and prepare students for academic challenges in the future.” Key highlights from the data include: • An 11 percent increase in kindergarten students achieving at or above benchmark reading levels since the end of the COVID-19 pandemic. • A 16 percent increase in kindergarten students achieving above benchmark reading levels, indicating reading on grade level (ROGL), since the end of the COVID-19 pandemic. • A 70 percent or higher number of kindergarten students making typical or better growth on Acadience Reading from the beginning of the school year to the end of year, representing 62 LEAs across the state. This measurable progress is likely linked to the expansion of full-day kindergarten programs statewide and initiatives focused on enhancing reading instruction. www.schools.utah.gov

Hey Patrons of Box Elder County, You are invited to attend our 2024 BOND Town Hall Meetings to learn more about the BOND and to ask questions to best inform you prior to the November 5, 2024 Election. Please click the link below for dates, times and locations. https://docs.google.com/document/d/1GhYbu3sqlTTRs_Zp8SOuHhWS72f8BjBdg93UV-vVukM/edit?usp=sharing For more BOND Information, click below: https://www.besd.net/o/besd/page/bond-information

Congratulations to Willard Elementary who moved up a spot in the 2023-2024 official state scores, and had the TOP Reading scores in the state of Utah! There are 803 elementary schools in the state! Congratulations, and we are so proud to work with such amazing students and staff in Box Elder.

Nucor Steel donated over $23,000 to teachers of Box Elder School District as teacher grants. Thank you Nucor Steel for your support of teachers and students! These grants will be a big boost in the classrooms. Some of the teachers receiving grants were able to attend the September 11, 2024 School Board Meeting to receive the grant and to give a big thank you to Nucor Steel.

The Bear River High Student School Board Member, Easton Johnson, was sworn in at the September 11, 2024 School Board Meeting. Easton will represent the students of Box Elder School District for the 2024-25 school year.

Congratulations to BEHS and BRHS! In the 2023-24 school year, both high schools had a 68% pass rate on the ACT assessment and increased the number of tests taken by over 10%!

Congratulations to Fielding Elementary who had the 12th highest Acadience Math scores in Utah!

Bond Proposal- Financial Impact for home, business, and farm owners.

Our western schools have had a great start this week! We wish our Park Valley, Snowville, and Grouse Creek students and staff a wonderful school year. 📚📝

The excitement is in the air as we kicked off the 2024-25 school year today! We can't wait to see all the learning, growth, and fun that will happen this year across our amazing schools. Here's a peek at our south schools as they welcomed back students for the first day! 🤩

The excitement is in the air as we kicked off the 2024-25 school year today! We can't wait to see all the learning, growth, and fun that will happen this year across our amazing schools. Here's a peek at our north schools as they welcomed back students for the first day! 🤩

Congratulations to Willard Elementary! They had the 2nd highest reading scores in Utah during the 2022-23 school year! Congratulations to Box Elder Middle School! The math department outscored the state average by 15% on RISE math in the 2023-24 school year!

Coach Donald Hawes and the Bear River Baseball Team were recognized at the August School Board Meeting. Coach Hawes is the NHSBCA Region 7 Coach of the Year and the BRHS Baseball team received the ABCA Team Academic Excellence Award for the 3rd year straight! Congratulations to Coach Hawes and the Baseball Team!

Thank you to all our school volunteers! Volunteers donated 3,500 hours in Box Elder School District schools in the 2023-24 school year. These hours equate to $117,110!

Lakeshore Learning has partnered with two schools in the Box Elder District and has donated furniture for a new library at Box Elder Middle School and a Kiva/Entry area at Garland Elementary for the students and faculty of both schools. This is in conjunction with Lakeshore opening a new 1.2 million square foot distribution center in Northern Utah that will employ over 550 people. For70 years Lakeshore has been known as the premier provider of high-quality furniture and learning materials for early childhood and elementary schools. Recently we have launched a furniture line for middle and high schools and we have been working closely with the principals at both schools to create newly updated areas that we believe the students and faculty will love.