December is such a wonderful time of year when we seem to focus a little more on reaching out to others in kindness and good will. It is inspiring to see how much our community gives this time of year and always. We have many programs here at school that reflect the caring culture of our students and families. Our Sub For Santa activity raised just over $2700 to help families for Christmas. Our students have been participating in different kindness activities and service learning in their classrooms. Our families and community members give countless hours of their time and donate so many resources to make Canyon Crest a better place for students and staff. Thank you to each and every one!

Though we are only in school for 3 weeks in December, our schedule is full of exciting activities! Our wonderful music teacher, Ms. Heaton, has been working hard to prepare our students for their upcoming performances. On Tuesday, December 7 from 6-7 p.m. there will be an in-person Choir Performance for all who wish to attend. The choir will also perform virtually for our students on Friday, December 10th. In addition, students of all grade levels will be recording holiday songs to share with the community. We will send these out in email and post them on our social media. On Friday, December 17, we will hold our Virtual Monthly Recognition Assembly at 9 a.m. via zoom, followed by a special holiday sing-along!

Mrs. Naylor and Ms. Toolson have prepared an exciting Book Fair which will be running December 6-10 with a special visit from Santa on Wednesday, December 8 from 5:30-7:30 p.m. Be sure to come and check it out!

Amidst all of our celebrating and traditions, we are still going strong with our learning! We are excited to announce the addition of Wendy Millett, our new STEM teacher, to our Canyon Crest team! She has begun working with every grade level in STEM once a week and is preparing engaging hands-on learning activities for our students! We also welcome Jannell Hughes, who has quickly become such a valuable member of our team of instructional assistants. She has worn many hats in the short time since she has joined us, as do all of our amazing instructional assistants!

STEM Fair is another great learning opportunity that is happening for our students. All grade levels are invited to participate in our school STEM Fair on January 21. Many students have turned in their applications and have their projects underway. Winter break is a great time for students to conduct their research and gather their data! For more information about STEM Fair go to this link CC STEM Fair 2022 Info Sheetor contact our STEM Fair coordinator, Ms. Blinzinger at heatherb@provo.edu.

Students will be participating in our Middle of Year Acadience (Dibels) testing before the break, please help them do their best to be well rested and on time to school. We are excited to see their progress in reading!

I wish you a restful winter break and hope you enjoy this time with your student(s). For the New Year, I wish you health and happiness! I absolutely love working with our students, parents, staff, and community. I am thankful to be a part of the Canyon Crest family!

Desiree Olsen

Facilitator