Absences
Please report absences by emailing [email protected] (preferred), or call the office at 801-531-1173, ext. 1.
After School Plans
Please make a plan for your student to be engaged and supervised after school. Our SLArts After School program is affordable and we offer some financial aid; see our website for class selection and registration info.
We cannot supervise students who are not enrolled in an after-school class, and all students not in after-school will be cleared from the building by 3:15 pm. We want our students to be safe and productively engaged; just “hanging out” at school after hours is not a good option.
The Salt Lake City “Youth City” program is another great after school care option, and they pick students up from SLArts: Learn more at Division of Youth and Family or call 801-535-7748.
Aspire
This is the Student Information System (SIS) you will use to register your student each year, where you share emergency contact information and sign important school documents. Learn more about how to log in to Aspire.
Backpacks
If you bring a backpack to school it needs to fit in your locker. Please try to lighten your load! A small bookbag may be carried to and from classes, but please leave BACKPACKS in lockers. This is helpful for moving through the hallways during passing time, and keeping classrooms less cluttered.
Canvas
This is the Learning Management System (LMS) we use school-wide. Canvas serves as a central hub where students can access class materials, submit work, track their progress, and receive teacher feedback. It supports organization, accountability, and digital learning skills that prepare students for future academic success. Parents will receive instructions on logging into Canvas; and info on your Canvas Account can also be found on our website, www.slarts.org under the “Parents and Students” tab.
Cell Phone Policy – Now a State Law!
Cell phones, smart watches and other communication devices have become increasingly distracting in our classrooms and are disruptive to learning and social-emotional growth. Our faculty and staff are united in our commitment to make our school a phone-free zone during the school day, and now it is a State law!
ALL cell phones brought to school must be turned off and locked in a locker. Students may not have them on their person during the school day. This policy is school-wide. If a teacher or staff member sees a phone out during the school day, it will be taken and placed in the principal’s office, and a parent will need to come into school to pick up the phone. We recognize that many kids have phones with them as a safety measure while traveling to and from school. We ask for your support as our partners in education to make sure those phones are turned off, locked up and not turned on again until the end of the school day.
Parents, we desperately need your support to make this policy work! If you need to get a message to
your student during the school day, please call the office at 801-531-1173; we can always deliver a message to your student in class. If your student needs to contact you during the day, they may make a call in the office. If your family’s phone plan has the “school mode” option (where phones can be disabled for certain periods of time) we encourage you to ALSO use this tool. Please know that if a student has an IEP or 504 plan that specifically calls for the use of a cell phone during school hours, those accommodations will be honored, but that will be the only exception.
To reiterate – if students have cell phones out during the school day, they will be taken by staff and faculty to the principal’s office, where they will remain until a parent picks them up.
Communications from School
We will send you weekly email updates. This is the best way to stay current and on top of things at school – please read your email and make sure emails from slarts.org addresses are marked as “safe” so they don’t go to your junk box!
Also....
📸 FOLLOW US!
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👥 PARENTS FB GROUP
Join the Facebook Group
Digital Citizenship
Our students are Digital natives, and it is our goal to teach them good digital citizenship habits. We are a Google school; every student will be assigned a slarts.org gmail account that they will use throughout their SLArts career. Through their gmail accounts your students will use email, share documents with teachers, collaborate on projects, create evidence of learning and more. You can expect your student to be regularly accessing approved websites for research and learning purposes.
Drop Off and Pick Up / Parking at School
Please help us keep all our students safe by making a plan to drop off students and pick up students AWAY from the area immediately in front of school. The city provides Crossing Guards at 900 South and 200 East. The area in front of school is for ACTIVE loading and unloading only; please move on quickly, and do not double park. Please DO NOT park, drop-off, or pick-up in ANY neighboring business parking lots or our small faculty lot (south of school building).
Locks
You WILL need a lock for your locker. Choose a lock that has the traditional rotary combination lock -- they last longer, are less likely to break, and are easier for us to cut off when the combination is lost. Little locks like you would use on a diary are too small, big industrial locks are too big - choose an old-fashioned rotary lock and let your child practice with your support.
Lockers
Lockers are a great place to store your school supplies and are a good safe place to leave your CELL PHONE, backpack and wallet – BUT you MUST lock your locker if you have valuables in it! Better yet, don’t bring valuable to school.
Lunch
Students need to bring a sack lunch with utensils. We have some microwaves and hot water available most Mondays - Thursdays. On short days (Fridays and some other special days) the microwave room is CLOSED, and students need to bring a ready-to-eat sack brunch and utensils.
Riding a Bike to School?
Great! Please wear a helmet and get a GOOD lock! The U locks are the best. Please lock your bike up on the NORTH side of the building, within our gates.
School Hours
The first bell is at 8:15 a.m. and school ends at 3:00 p.m. Monday through Thursday. On Fridays and short days school starts at 8:15 a.m. and ends at 12:35 p.m. Students should be at school no earlier than 8 a.m., when we have adult supervision present. Students should be at their first period meeting location (we will be sharing those with you in mid-August!) by 8:10 a.m.
School Supplies
To be ready to hit the ground running, here are the things our teachers hope your students will have with them each day of school. (NOTICE: The items on this list will be used during the regular school day. They may be brought from home on a voluntary basis, otherwise, they will be furnished by the school).
- One 1” Ring Binder with pockets, for math.
- Three folders with pockets; one for humanities, one for science, and one for art.
- Lined paper and graph paper.
- Highlighter, sticky notes, black or blue pens and pencils, contained in a small pencil pouch.
- 4-5 Spiral Notebooks
- Water Bottle and weather-appropriate clothing
Technology/Social Media
While we make every effort to keep students away from their cell phones during the school day, we recognize that outside of school, cell phones and computers are ever-present in our students’ lives. We expect our students to be responsible, respectful digital citizens. Students will sign and agree to our ‘responsible internet use policy’ at school, but we implore our parents to be monitoring your student’s use of electronics and in particular, social media. It is critical that you know (and understand how to access) the apps your student is using. If the school leadership team becomes aware of inappropriate use of social media between SLArts students we will treat it as a disciplinary situation, with consequences.
UTA/Trax Passes
Your UTA/Trax pass is valuable, and you need to be careful with it. Please figure out a safe place to keep this that comes to school with you every day – a wallet, a lanyard with a pocket, a zippered pouch in your backpack or binder are all great options. We expect all our students to be ready to travel! Remember, this is YOUR personal Trax pass and you may not lend it or share it with other people. Your pass can get damaged and not work if you sit on it, put it through the wash, punch a hole in it -- please treat it well! Replacements are available from Jen G. in the office for an additional $20.
Volunteering
There are lots of ways to volunteer and be involved at school, whether it is chaperoning on field trips, helping with special events, or serving on a committee or the Governing Board. Keep your eyes peeled for these opportunities – we would love your help. If you have a special skill you would like to offer, please contact Whitney Childers, our Advancement Director, at [email protected].
Website
Our website www.slarts.org is a great place to start when searching for information. It is the “outward” face of our school. The school’s current google calendar is linked to the site, so you can see what is coming up. If you can’t find something there, or notice things we need to fix, please email [email protected].
Who’s in Charge? Reach out to these folks with questions!
Main office phone: 801-531-1173
Greg Ostrander, [email protected] – Governing Board chair. Contact Greg to speak to the Governing Board, ask school governance questions.
Deborah Candler, Principal and CAO, [email protected] -- Questions about overall operations, teacher supervisor
Nicole Laird, Business Manager, [email protected] - Student Fees, Fee Waivers, Human Resources
Dan Rose, Dean of Students, [email protected] – Student scheduling, Assessment Director, SIS/LMS questions
Markell McCubbin, Director of Academic Engagement, [email protected], – Student academic and behavioral support
Amy Mautz, School Social Worker, [email protected] – Supports students’ social and emotional needs; 504 case holder
Mindy Cook, Director of Special Education, [email protected] -- Students with IEPs
Whitney Childers, Advancement Director, [email protected] -- Fundraising, Communications, Community Connections
Jen Guillory, Administrative Assistant / Registrar, [email protected] -- Registration, Admissions, Absences, general information