Eagle Update 1/4

Posted Date: 01/04/26 (01:05 PM)

Eagle Update

Indian Hills Elementary

A runner's feet are positioned at the start line, with '2025' behind and '2026' ahead.

Dear Families,

Welcome back! I have missed seeing everyone and hope you and yours had a restful and joyful winter break. As we begin the new year, we are excited for the fresh opportunities ahead to continue growing together as a strong, supportive community of learners.

Our school community has been crushing the competition when it comes to attendance (Most improved in October, and best attendance in October and November - yes, we are the GOAT!) This month, we are adding a friendly attendance competition with our neighbor school, Bonneville. Help the EAGLES prevail over the BOBCATS by coming to school on time and ready to learn each day. As a reminder, our warning bell is @ 7:55 a.m.; if students arrive after 8:00 a.m., they are marked late.

With the return to school routines, we want to remind students of our shared expectations that help make our school a welcoming place for everyone: Be Safe, Be Responsible, Be Respectful, and Be Kind. These guiding principles are reinforced daily in classrooms, on the playground, and throughout our campus, and we appreciate your partnership in supporting them at home as well.

We are also thrilled to share that our new Sports Leadership Team will be sharing our equipment and expectations for football, soccer, basketball, 4- and 9-square, and wallball! Along with the excitement comes an important reminder about recess expectations. Students and teachers will be reviewing how to use the equipment safely, take turns, include others, and care for shared equipment and spaces so recess remains fun and safe for everyone.

Looking ahead, we are eagerly anticipating our upcoming STEAM Fair. This event is a wonderful opportunity for students to showcase their creativity, curiosity, and problem-solving skills while celebrating learning in science, technology, engineering, art, and mathematics. The link to help volunteer is included below.

Thank you for your continued support and partnership. We look forward to a fantastic year filled with learning, growth, and connection.

Warm regards,

Dr. Pettersson

P.S. the link to this month's Lunch Menu is here: January 2026 Elementary (1).pdf

Warmly,

Dr. Pettersson

Upcoming Schoolwide Events & Activities

Monday - 1/05

Welcome Back from Winter Break!
Regular School Day!
2nd Grade Hands-On Science Lab: Bioengineering

Tuesday - 1/06

Hearing Screening
Math Coach: Ms. Sanchez at IHE
PLC for 5th, 3rd, 2nd, and K grades
5:30 p.m. - National Board Certified Teacher Recognitions during SLC School Board Meeting CONGRATULATIONS Ms. Gish!

Wednesday - 1/07

7:00 a.m. Building Leadership Team (BLT) in Conference Room
3rd Grade AAMP Testing: No Computer Lab

Thursday - 1/08

Math Coach: Ms. Sanchez at IHE
K AAMP Testing: No Computer Lab
PLC for 4th, 6th, and 1st grades
Dr. Pettersson at District Leadership Council in a.m.
3rd Grade Hands-On Science Lab: Weather
2:45 p.m. Student Services Council (SCC) in Conference Room

Friday - 1/09

Middle of Year (MOY) Acadience Testing
Math Coach: Ms. Sanchez at IHE
9:45 a.m. Sports Leadership Team Meeting in Band Room

Important Dates: Kim created a 1-page flyer with the important dates for the upcoming year to help us plan ahead Important Dates Flyer

The text 'Counselor's Corner' is displayed in a stylized font with decorative elements.

Let me start by wishing everyone in the IHE Family a Happy New Year!

I hope everyone had a restful and relaxing winter break. We look forward to welcoming the students back this week, and hear about all of the fun things they did over their break.

We will be celebrating the New Year with an activity around goal setting for 2026 as I work with the upper grades for SEL this week.

-Counselor Chris Wright

A majestic bald eagle soars through a clear blue sky with its wings fully extended.

Eagles of the Week

Congratulations to our EAGLES OF THE WEEK

Kindergarten: Altie Yazzie
1st Grade: Conrad Bognar
2nd Grade: Lucy Evans
3rd Grade: Hardy Blacker
4th Grade: Amelia Sharma
5th Grade: Berkley Miller
6th Grade: Tristan Robinson

PTO @ Indian Hills

Happy New Year!

We hope everyone had a great winter break. 2025 was a fantastic year and we loved wrapping it up with our school's wonderful Winter Sing. Than you to all the volunteers who helped make it such a success!

We look for to a productive and exciting 2026 with you!

Link to this month's PTO Newsletter: IH January 2026.pdf

Upcoming Dates

1/6 - Hearing Screening
1/16 - Maturation Program (5th and 6th Grade)
1/20 STEAM Fair Projects due (4th - 6th Grade)
1/21 STEAM Fair Project Judging
1/22 STEAM Fair Open House @5:30 p.m.
1/22 PTO Meeting
1/29 2nd Grade Music Program @ 6:00 p.m.

If you are interested in volunteering and/or joining the PTO (no membership fee - we want everyone to join), please contact Caitlin Pearson, our PTO President at caitlinbpearson@gmail.com

Have a great week!

Indian Hills PTO

A man and a young boy look at a science fair project board titled "FIRE NEEDS OXYGEN."

STEAM Fair Volunteer Judges Needed

Giving 2-hours of your time will make a huge difference! Sign Up Here to volunteer as a judge.

It is that time of year again when we campaign for 200 judges for Indian Hills and the SLCSD Science & Engineering Fair and Invention Convention. STEAM Fair does not happen without your knowledge, time, and support.

Sign-Up Above. *No prior judging experience is needed!
Share this information with anyone that you think would love to be a judge!
Please reach out to me with any questions or concerns.

Thank you!

Kristen Bonner

Indian Hills Hands-On Science Teacher

SLCSD Science & Engineering Fair Manager

email: indianhillssscience@gmail.com

phone: (801) 699-5433.

A person wearing a winter hat and coat holds a steering wheel in a snowstorm.

Winter Safety

It takes all of us to keep students safe, especially in cold weather with icy road conditions. Last week, many adults failed to follow our parking lot rules. Please note the following:

No U-turns are permitted on school property. All traffic must turn right before reaching the bike lockers.
The faculty parking access road (St Marys Drive) on the north side of the building is for staff only—please do not use this road if you are not a faculty member.

Additional reminders:

Our campus is landlocked, with one road in and out of the parking lot.
This road is relatively steep and can be difficult to navigate in snowy or icy conditions.
If your vehicle does not have all-wheel drive, please consider dropping off and picking up your student(s) on Wasatch Blvd. or at one of the nearby access paths (Roxbury, Nottingham, or Beacon).

A detailed map shows residential areas with street names and boundaries.

School Community Council

Each month our School Community Council (SCC) meets to fulfill the duties outlined in Utah Code § 53G-7-1202:

Create the annual School LAND Trust Plan
Review and make recommendations for the safety plans, including safe access routes
Plan for safe technology utilization and digital citizenship
Provide feedback about school and district programs
Provide input on the school's positive behavior support plan

Chaired by Phong Nguyen, the SCC strives to includes representation from 7 areas. We currently have an opening for Area 5 - if you are interested, please reach out to Mr. Nguyen or Dr. Pettersson

Chalkboard with the words 'School of CHOICE' written in white chalk.

Open Enrollment

The window for Early Open Enrollment Applications for the 2026-2027 school year is now open!

In Utah, families have a choice in where their students attend school. Utah law allows families and their students to apply to attend a school even if it is outside of their neighborhood. If you have friends or family members who may be interested in attending Indian Hills but do not live within our boundaries, please feel free to share the information below:

Apply Here:

https://apex.slcschools.org/apex/r/slcsd/open-enrollment/login?session=5908430655158

2025–2026 Open Enrollment Timeline

November 15, 2025 – February 6, 2026: Early Open Enrollment Applications submitted online
February 7, 2026: School administrators gain access to submitted applications
March 15, 2026: Deadline for principals to notify parents in writing of Early Open Enrollment application status
March 31, 2026: Deadline for parents to accept or decline Early Open Enrollment opportunities
April 1, 2026 – start of next school year: Late Open Enrollment Applications may be submitted

SLC School District Open Enrollment Priorities

Applications are reviewed and accepted according to the following priority order:

The student has a sibling currently attending the requested school
The student has a parent who is a district employee
The student is a SLCSD resident
The student resides outside the SLCSD boundaries

Students will be accepted into schools with available space according to their assigned priority. If multiple students share the same priority, a lottery will be used to determine the order of acceptance.