August 14 – In this message you will find information about:
- Virtual Back to School Night
- Finding your bus number/schedule
- 7th Grade First Day Schedule – Tuesday, August 20
- All Students Schedule – Wednesday, August 21
- Parking Lot Updates and Instructions
- Load and Unload Only Until Construction is Complete
Virtual Back to School Night
We want you to meet our amazing faculty! We are sorry we are unable to welcome you in-person before the first day of school. Use this link to view video welcome messages from teachers, counselors, and our librarian. For those of you new to SoJo, don’t worry about not seeing the school in advance. 7th Grade will spend the whole first day learning about SoJo and there are lots of people here to help you be successful. We look forward to seeing you in-person next week.
Finding Your Bus Number & Schedule
If you are eligible to ride a bus, you can find details in Skyward or on the district Planning & Enrollment site. In Skyward: look for “Bus Stops” or “Busing” in the menu. You can also enter your address on the district planning website. If the address indicates your student is eligible for a bus, you will be able to click the link provided to see the available bus stops. You may also confirm bus stop information with the Transportation Department at 801-567-8840.
7th Grade First Day – Tues, Aug 20
7th Grade students will attend school from 8:00-12:00 on Tuesday, August 20. Buses will be available in the morning and to take students home at noon. The morning bus schedule will be the time listed in Skyward.
The first day is all about learning how to navigate SoJo. Don’t stress about being new – everyone is new and we will spend the time helping you find your way. There will be no breakfast or lunch served on Tuesday, August 20.
Please have 7th grade students bring a pen or pencil and know their first period teacher. That is all they will need. We will hand out a printed schedule to each student in their first period class – as long as they know who their first period teacher is, we will help with the rest.
All Students Schedule – Wed, Aug 21
Wednesday, August 21, is the day all students will be at SoJo. We will run on a regular schedule, 8:00 AM-3:00 PM. Breakfast and lunch will be served. Buses will run on the schedule shown in Skyward.
Parking Lot Updates and Instructions
The photo included in this message was taken Wednesday, August 14. There will be some additional asphalt completed prior to the first day of school and we will send another photo next week. Please note: the south parking lot will not be available for parking on the first day of school. We will have the ability for drop off and pick up only.
For those of you wondering why we took on such a big project, please know the whole goal was student safety. We had too many areas where students crossed in front of or around buses and cars. Yes, it would have been amazing to have it completed for day one, but getting it right is also important. Our construction crew has been really stellar. There were some unexpected and unavoidable delays due to weather and materials. They have put in extra hours during the weekdays and weekends. We are grateful for their commitment to helping us keep SoJo Safe.
We need your help. We need your patience. We need you to follow the guidelines.
Guideline #1: Students should only enter or exit a vehicle from the sidewalk. This is true for students who ride the bus or come by car. There is no designated loading along 2700 West. If you choose to park in the parking lot and wait, your student must use the crosswalk to access the parking lot. Please help students use appropriate paths so everyone is safe.
Guideline #2: There is a single entrance and exit for each lot. Be mindful of cars around you – merge with patience and keep traffic flowing. Be mindful of 2700 West and do not block traffic.
Guideline #3: There are two lanes for vehicles to drop off or pick up. If you are in the right lane, you can stop to load or unload. If you are in the left lane, you should be moving to the exit. Remember vehicles may be exiting from the parking area so please be mindful of vehicles trying to merge.
Guideline #4: Buses have the right of way. The U-Shaped center section is for buses only. Please do not pull into that area. Allow buses to merge on 2700 West, and be prepared to yield if a bus is pulling out.
Load and Unload Only Until Construction is Complete
The larger south parking lot should be completed in September. Until it is complete, we will have limited visitor parking available. We know the first day of school is a popular time to capture those first day moments on your camera. We are sorry, but we do not have space to accommodate that. Please help us keep the drop-off and pick-up lanes moving smoothly. Please limit check-out and school visits to absolute necessities until our parking lot is complete.
The parking lot is split into three sections: a north parking lot, a center bus only lane, and a south parking lot.
The photo shows the completed North Parking Lot.
- Enter from 2700 West.
- The loop is for drop off and pick up.
- Use the right (outside) lane for drop off and pick up. Use the left (inside) lane for thru traffic.
- Students can enter and exit cars from the sidewalk.
- If you park and enter the school, cross at the crosswalk.
The South Parking Lot will have a completed outside loop when school begins.
- Enter from 2700 West.
- The loop is for drop off and pick up.
- Use the right (outside) lane for drop off and pick up. Use the left (inside) lane for thru traffic.
- Students can enter and exit cars from the sidewalk.
- The parking area will be completed as soon as possible.
The Bus Lane will be completed when school begins.
- Students will enter and exit the bus from the sidewalk.