The whole school is going to see the progress of our new re-locatable classrooms at the factory on Thursday! We are leaving here as close to 8:30 a.m. as we can and returning approximately 11:00 to 11:30 a.m. We will be taking busses so there is a small cost at $3.00 per child, except for the kindergarten who are carpooling because they are going on an extended field trip somewhere else after the factory visit.
Author Archive for Solider Hollow
Snow flew on February 5th as US Olympic Team members helped student leaders and other dignitaries break ground for new facilities that will jointly serve Soldier Hollow Charter School, Soldier Hollow Legacy Foundation and Wasatch Mountain State Park.
Five members of – the now medal winning – 2010 Olympic Team USA dug their skis deep into the snow: Johnny Spillane, Todd Lodwick and Taylor Fletcher from Steamboat Springs, Colorado; Billy Demong from the Lake Placid region; and Park City-based Brett Camerota.
Coached by Heber City residents, Dave Jarrett and Greg Poirier, along with Chris Gilbertson, this year’s remarkable US Nordic Combined Team spends much of its time training at Soldier Hollow. Five-time Olympian (1994, 1998, 2002, 2006, 2010) Todd Lodwick came out of retirement last winter to chase that elusive Olympic medal. Rather than starting with the World Cup Tour, the Steamboat Springs-based Lodwick came here to compete, then burst onto the international scene later in the season – ultimately winning two World Championships in 2009.
“It meant a lot to Soldier Hollow and the entire community for our Olympians to join us for the event,” said Soldier Hollow General Manager Howard Peterson. “They are heroes to the kids here. And as you looked out on the crowd, you could just sense that there’s a future Olympian or two in the group.
Also participating were:
The school’s student officers: Sierra MacFarlane-President, Bryn Dayton-Vice President, Jessica O’Hara-Secretary, Courtney Weese-Treasurer.
Wasatch Mountain State Park Manager Bruce Strom, Soldier Hollow Legacy Foundation Executive Director Howard Peterson.
School leaders and directors: Principal Chuck Weber. Board members Claudia Heusch and Brandon Phelps. Project Manager Kimberly Gilboy.
Here are the latest pictures from our builder William Scotsman:
7:30 Volunteers help set up course
8:15 K/1st grade to lodge for equipment (kindergarten and 1st grade drop off at lodge)
8:30 2nd/3rd grade up to lodge for equipment (walk up to lodge)
8:45 4th-8th grade up to lodge for equipment (walk up to lodge)
9:15 Students get organized into teams, ready with boots, skis, poles bibs and flags
**Country leaders please meet your team at the lodge**
9:15-10:00 Opening ceremonies – athlete procession down to stadium as follows:
Japan, China, United States, Bulgaria, Canada, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France,Germany, Great Britain, Italy, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Russia, Spain, Switzerland, Ukraine
10:00-11:00 Bean-Bag Biathlon
France, Finland, Norway, Bulgaria, Ukraine, Great Britain, Czech Republic, Canada
10:00-10:30 Obstacle Course
Italy, Denmark, New Zealand, Poland
10:00-10:30 Relay Race
Russia, Germany, Switzerland, Spain
10:30-11:00 Obstacle Course
Russia, Germany, Switzerland, Spain
10:30-11:00 Relay Race
Italy, Denmark, New Zealand, Poland
11:00-12:00 Bean-Bag Biathlon
Italy, Denmark, New Zealand, Poland, Russia, Germany, Switzerland, Spain
11:00-11:30 Obstacle Course
France, Finland, Norway, Bulgaria
11:00-11:30 Relay Race
Ukraine, Great Britain, Czech Republic, Canada
11:30-12:00 Obstacle Course
Ukraine, Great Britain, Czech Republic, Canada
11:30-12:00 Relay Race
France, Finland, Norway, Bulgaria
12:00 Clean-up of events and return equipment to lodge
12:45 Awards at lodge (if stadium is cleaned up and equipment put away)
Olympics:
- Wednesday, Feb 24th, the teams will meet one last time to prepare for the Olympics.
- Thursday, Feb 25th, is country presentation day. The country rotations will begin at 8:30 a.m. and conclude at 1:00 p.m. Students can leave with their parents at 1:00, or stay at school until 2:45.
- Friday, Feb 26th, will be the SHCS Olympics. Please make sure your students are to school on time, as they won’t want to miss out on any part of these fantastic events.
Rewards Program: Congratulations Xander Valentiner (and his mom Julie) for bringing in 50 logos and winning the Home Team Rewards contest!
Today we begin our new contest for Box Tops! The 3 students who bring in the most Box Tops by March 11th will win their choice of a prize from a huge bag of assorted items donated by Bank of the West. These are nice prizes, so please help your children participate and help our school earn money. Make sure your child’s name is on the Box Tops (or the bag or collection sheet you send them in).Ne
If you have any questions, please call or email me. Thank you! J. Johnson
Open Enrollment for new students through February 26th. New families and students may pick up an application in our office. They must be turned in by Feb. 26th.
Current families need to complete and return the re-enrollment form which was sent home with each student this week. They are due in the office by Feb. 26th.
Olympians Break Ground at Soldier Hollow By: Tom Kelly
SOLDIER HOLLOW, UT (Feb. 5) – The five members of the U.S. Olympic Nordic Combined Ski Team were on hand Thursday to help break ground on a new project at Soldier Hollow, site of the 2002 Olympic Winter games. The Soldier Hollow Charter School and Soldier Hollow Legacy Foundation have partnered together to design three new multi purpose buildings for the Olympic venue.
“The Soldier Hollow Olympic legacy is alive and thriving,” said Soldier Hollow chief Howard Peterson.
Nearly a hundred school children and parents were on hand as World Champions Johnny Spillane (Steamboat Springs, CO), Todd Lodwick (Steamboat Springs, CO) and Billy Demong (Vermontville, NY), joined teammates Brett Camerota (Park City, UT) and first-time Olympian Taylor Fletcher (Steamboat Springs, CO) in using their ski tips to break the snow near the site of the new buildings.
For most of the year, the Charter School will be utilizing the buildings for eight spacious, new classrooms and 14 restrooms. Soundproof partitions will allow the buildings to open up for assemblies and special events. The added infrastructure will also significantly enhance the many public events held at Soldier Hollow year around, including major ski racing competitions such as the 2012 U.S. Ski and Snowboard Association Junior Olympics, and will support Soldier Hollow’s ability to provide for the expansion of public outdoor recreation opportunities (such as high school cross country running meets). One of the three buildings will be placed adjacent to the existing ski racing finish line with a 70′ x 15′ deck facing the finish, and will contain ten toilets as well as a kitchenette area for race crew meals.
Soldier Hollow Charter School is a free, public school serving students grades K-8, with 208 students currently enrolled at Soldier Hollow. The school’s interest in environmental science and place-based learning attracted it to Soldier Hollow following the 2002 Olympic Games. Cross country skiing is integrated into the school’s curriculum, with students skiing 2-5 times a week. While still quite young, two school alumni – Aren Burkemo and Tristin Lowe – are very competitive at the national level in Junior Olympics.
The Olympic Team is in Utah for a final pre-Olympic tune-up before heading to Vancouver on Monday.
“It meant a lot to Soldier Hollow and the entire community for our Olympians to join us for the event,” said Peterson. “They are heroes to the kids here. And as you looked out on the crowd, you could just sense that there’s a future Olympian or two in the group.”
Feb 03, 2010
GROUNDBREAKING CEREMONY TOMORROW – SEND OFF FOR OLYMPIC ATHLETES - DON’T MISS IT!
Thursday, February 4
2:45-3:15 (time is confirmed)
Parents & Students: Please join us in a short groundbreaking ceremony right after school.
We’ll be celebrating the long-awaited commencement of our building construction and will be joined by several Olympic athletes, including reigning world champions, Billy Demong and Todd Lodwick.
This is a unique opportunity for our school family to come together and to get into the Olympic spirit.
Don’t miss it!
BUILDING PROGRESS
The factory is making good progress on our building construction. The steel frames that undergird the buildings are completed. Several of the walls have been framed and are waiting for the steel frame inspection to be lifted and attached to the steel girding. We’re planning to schedule a short factory visit as early as next week to give everyone a chance to see the building construction in progress.
The factory hopes to have the first two buildings completed by the end of February. But, as with the building approval process, this will be contingent upon getting quick response times from the building inspectors who have been appointed by the state’s Division of Facilities and Construction Management.
We’re also continuing to work with Soldier Hollow to find a suitable time and method to dig into the race course finish line. Of course, because of the mess and disruption, Soldier Hollow would prefer that we wait until after ski season is over. We’re sensitive to their concerns, but still hoping to negotiate an earlier start time for actual excavation.
From Mr. Weber
Dear Parents,
To get daily or periodical updates of this year’s legislative session, please connect to the following site and register to get email updates.
Join the UAPCS CHARTER ADVOCATE NETWORK here. We’ll send you periodic updates on issues that impact Utah charter schools.
http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=K25NKfV_2bIQmVIRYVjfvQsQ_3d_3d
Also, I wanted to give you the names of our local Senator and House of Representative in case you desire to call, email, or mail them with any opinions or suggestions as you receive emails about the legislative sessions concerning educational issues that will directly affect your children.
Representative Kraig Powell kraigpowell@utah.gov
320 State Capitol
P.O. Box 145115
SLC, UT 84114
Representative Kraig Powell
Utah House of Representatives, District 54
943 East 530 North
Heber City, Utah 84032
Senator Kevin Van Tassell kvantassell@utahsenate.org
Utah State Senate, District 26
3424 West 1500 North
Vernal, Utah 84078
Senator Kevin Van Tassell
320 State Capitol
P.O. Box 145115
SLC, UT 84114
Rewards Program
This is the final week of our Home Team Rewards contest. The two students who bring in the most Home Team Rewards by February 5th will receive their choice of a lunch box, teddy bear or an XL childs U.S. Ski Team T-shirt. Please support this wonderful program! Fast Fixin’ and Fast Classics make a variety of products including: Southwest Omelets, Breakfast Burritos, Cheeseburgers, Country Fried Steaks, Meatballs, Steak Fingers and a whole variety of chicken from nuggets to Flame Roasted Chicken Breasts. Check the bulletin board at the bottom of the stairs for a complete list of products and to see what the logos look like. Make sure your child’s name is on everything they bring in. Please turn in your logos by the morning of February 5th!
If you have any questions, please call or email me. Thank you so much!
Jill Johnson 657-2136 gljill1@msn.com
From the Office: Just a reminder to please call (654-1347) or e-mail (jkohler7@gmail.com) the office when your student is ill or will not be in school for any reason. Also, please keep in mind that our office space is getting smaller and all phones are in use for school business. We try to keep our lines open for emergencies. Please try and make all special arrangements with your students for the day prior to school beginning. We do not have phones or an intercom system between the classrooms and the office. It is difficult to get messages to your students during the school day. We do not have runners between the office and the classrooms and if we have to leave to deliver a message we might miss an important or emergency call. We do have the best interests of your students in mind. If they are sick or have forgotten food or have other serious difficulties we are always here to help accommodate them. If you have questions, please call or e-mail the office. Thanks.
Monday, January 18th, Martin Luther King, Jr. Day: No School
SHCS Winter Olympics, February 25th & 26th: Many volunteers needed for this school-wide event. This two-day event is amazing. We hope to see many of you there!
- Olympic kick-off, Thursday, Jan 21st, at 8:15 a.m. at lodge: Please drop off your student(s) at the lodge on this morning. After all the students are presented with their team & their country, they will walk down to the school.
- Volunteers Needed! We will need many hands to help with the Olympics. Assisting with teams each Wednesday morning (8:30-9:30), helping with county presentations (Thurs. 2/25th), and as many volunteers as we can get the day of the Olympics (Fri, 2/26th). If you are able to help with any part, please contact: Megan Reed at m3gst3r@hotmail.com or 435-657-2085.
- Country Rotations: Students will begin meeting with their team on Wednesday, Jan 27th, and will continue to meet each Wednesday morning from 8:30-9:30 on Feb 3rd, Feb 10th and Feb 17th.
- Country Presentations, Thursday, Feb 25th.
- SHCS Winter Olympics, Friday, Feb 26th.
Rewards Program: Congratulations to Mrs. Drake and her class for winning the Campbell’s soup label contest, even though they have a very small class of only 14 students! After bringing in a staggering 425 soup labels, they will be going tubing at Soldier Hollow. Thank you to all of the parents in the school who helped your children participate. We received 1,405 labels during this 3 week contest, which allowed us to receive a 500 point bonus from Campbell’s. It’s so wonderful to have such great support for our school!
Here are the final scores:
Mrs. Drake – 425 Ms. MaryAnn – 75
Ms. Kaara – 260 Mrs. Christensen – 53
5th Grade – 199 7th/8th Grade – 37
4th Grade – 125 6th Grade – 29
Mrs. Harper – 83 Ms. Drozd – 28
Miss Brooke – 78 Mr. Drozd – 13
If you have any questions, please call or email me. Thank you so much! J. Johnson at gljill1@msn.com
CLASSROOM BUILDINGS UPDATE – The End is in Sight!
It caused frugal Mr. Weber considerable angst to issue the six-figure down payment for our new classroom buildings. Said he: “It is a two-edged sword. The school has scrimped and saved to put away that money. But, on the other hand, we’ll be putting those funds to great use.”
After scrutinizing the school’s ability to pay for the buildings over the holidays, national officials with the building vendor – Williams Scotsman, Inc. – approved contracts earlier this week. Within an hour, board president Chris Willis had signed the contract and Mr. Weber showed up in Williams Scotsman’s Salt Lake office with a check.
The factory that will be constructing the buildings is eager to have this project underway and put some of their people back to work. Once construction starts – hopefully within the coming week – the factory expects to complete the buildings within about 6 weeks. We won’t be able to start leveling the site and hooking into the electrical and plumbing systems until after a big race the weekend of January 30.
Once the buildings are on site, we’re hoping the State building inspectors will allow us to use temporary metal stairs (like those on the existing portables) so classes can move in while the contractor finishes constructing the permanent composite wood decks and ramps that will surround the buildings.
We’re hoping to have a few events – like a groundbreaking ceremony – in the coming weeks to celebrate our progress and answer questions about the project.
If anyone is interested in seeing the plans, a full set of blueprints are now located in the front office.
Skiing: Cookie Request this Monday and Tuesday (Jan 11 & 12). Children will be doing some fun skiing that ends with hot chocolate & cookies. If any parent is willing to provide cookies on either day, please contact Melinda Korologos at jackkoro@hotmail.com. The kids are doing fantastic with skiing!
FYI- Howard up at the lodge is offering the Sporthill Ski Attire at a 40% discount to SHCS parents.
January Programs at Wasatch Mountain State Park (435-654-1791.)
- January 2 – March 13: Guided Snowshoe Hikes: A naturalist is available Fridays and Saturdays for guided snowshoe hikes within the park. New snowshoers are welcome and will receive basic snowshoeing instructions. We will also talk about wildlife in winter. Ask at the visitor center or call to schedule a date & time.
- January 2: Stories in the Snow – Animal Tracking. Join us from 10 a.m. to noon for a snowshoe tour to learn about animal tracks and read the stories wildlife leave in the snow. Winter is a great time to look for signs of wildlife. Many animals stay active all winter long, and learning to recognize their tracks can help make any winter outing more enjoyable. Meet at the visitor center. Snowshoes are available.
- January 16: Animals in Winter – Surviving the Silent Predator. Join the park naturalist from 10 a.m. to noon for a snowshoe hike and discussion about how animals survive winter. Winter is hard on wildlife living 24/7 in the cold and snow. How do animals survive this silent predator? Bring your own snowshoes or borrow some from the park.
- January 16: Stars and Snow. Bundle up and join park staff in the visitor center from 5:30 p.m. – 7:30 p.m. for an evening learning about the winter night sky. We will spend some time indoors followed by a short snowshoe walk and constellation observation. Snowshoes and hot chocolate will be provided. Registration is required.
- January 23: Homemade Birdfeeders. Join us from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. at the visitor center to learn about backyard birds and ways to attract them to your yard through homemade bird feeders. Bring empty milk jugs, egg cartons, or soda bottles. Fun for all ages.
- January 29: Full Moon Snowshoe Hike. Join Friends of Wasatch at 7 p.m. for our annual snowshoe hike under the light of the full moon. Hikes for families with children, beginners, intermediate and advanced snowshoers are available. Cost is $5.00 per person. Snowshoe rentals are also available for $5.00/pair for non-members/free for members of Friends of Wasatch. Registration is required.
- January 30: Birds in Winter. Join park staff from 10 a.m. to noon for a snowshoe bird walk. No birding or snowshoe experience required. Birds have wings and tend to use them, even in winter. And those that live here in winter have developed some amazing adaptations to survive the cold. Bring your own snowshoes, or borrow some from the park.
Christmas break: Begins after school on Friday, Dec 18th.
Portable Building Update: Finally! We experienced fabulous progress last week!
- CODE APPROVAL. The buildings have been approved by the State Fire Marshal and the State Division of Facilities and Construction Management. This will allow us to start construction, which will take 4-6 weeks once the factory starts.
- LOAN APPROVAL. We found a second lender, and now have enough financing to purchase all three buildings immediately.
- TIMING. Now that we’re into the winter ski season, we need to coordinate with Soldier Hollow the timing on when we’ll be able to install the buildings. We probably won’t be able to start digging to connect to the utilities until at least February 8, allowing the buildings to come on site the last week of February. This is the earliest possible date — and we still need to coordinate with Soldier Hollow about when they can allow us to dig up their race course finish line. The actual date may be later.
Jordanelle State Park Winter Program: Great winter activities for the entire family that are being offered by the State Park. Join a Park Naturalist and snowshoe through the park while learning about things like animal tracking, birding, the moon’s phases, and wildlife technology. There are also some moonlit snowshoe adventures that sound like a lot of fun for the family.
Skiing opportunity at Park City Resort: In an effort to get more Utah residents out on the slopes, Park City Mountain Resort is offering a great new program called StartNow! This is a great way to get your family out in the snow this winter for $25 (for equipment, lessons, and lift tickets) and can be used 5 times! http://startnow.parkcitymountain.com/site/index.html
Rewards Program: Thank you for sending in your Campbell’s Labels For Education! I’m so happy to say that every class brought some in – that’s so good for the school! Please remember THE UPC CODES MUST BE INCLUDED OR CAMPBELL’S WILL NOT ACCEPT THE LABEL and it won’t be counted! Every label will count as one item, regardless of its value. On V-8 juice only – send in the cap, not the label. For those of you who are so kindly raiding your food storage for these, you don’t have to send in the entire label – only the part with the upc code and the “labels for education” stamp. I don’t want everyone eating mystery soup for the next year. I especially want to thank Xander Valentiner (and his mom Julie) for bringing in 178 labels! That’s amazing! Of course, it put Mrs. Drake’s class in first place, but there is still a chance for all of the classes to win the tubing prize. I also want to thank Jessica O’Hara (and her mom Lori) for bringing in 70 labels.
Since Christmas break will be starting early and most of the classrooms are being moved, I am extending the deadline for this contest until January 8th to make sure everyone has a chance to participate.
Campbell’s Labels for Education are on many items (including Campbell’s soup, beans, chili and tomato juice). Please look for these on Swanson’s broth, Prego pasta sauce, Pepperidge Farm products (goldfish crackers, bread, croutons, stuffing, rolls, puff pastry, turnovers and cake), V8 Juice, Spaghetti-O’s and Franco-American Gravy.
See the bulletin board at the bottom of the stairs for current information, and to see the snowmen as they’re being built. If you have any questions, please call or email me. Thank you so much! — J. Johnson at gljill1@msn.com
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