Navigator News

Oct 6

6 min read

Supporting Our Young Artists: How You Can Help Our Art Room Thrive

Happy October, NPA families!

We continue to have so many exciting things happening at NPA, and I appreciate the support our families give our students and teachers. One area we are currently working to strengthen is our Art program. We want to make sure our students have the materials they need to explore their creativity and enjoy hands-on art experiences.

So, we are asking our NPA community for help in stocking our Art Room! If you would like to donate, the following are supplies that we need:

Colored pencils
Tempera paint
Paintbrushes in a variety of sizes
Pastels
Oil pastels

Donations can be dropped off at the front office and will go directly to our Art Room for student use. Thank you for helping us continue to build opportunities for our students beyond the core academic subjects. Art gives children another way to create, communicate, problem-solve, and discover their talents. We are excited to continue developing this part of the NPA experience for them. Thank you for being such an important part of our school community!

Michelle Petrulsky Executive Director

Adventure Awaits as Students Become 'Library Explorers' in Our New Media Classes!

Welcome to a year of discovery in our media center, where our students are embarking on an exciting journey as "Library Explorers!" Thanks to the hard work of Mrs. Porter, we are thrilled to announce a major upgrade to our library media program this year. The launch of classes will now blend instruction with weekly book checkouts.

Mrs. Porter has transformed the media center into an outdoor adventure wonderland. This new environment isn't just for show; it sets the stage for students to actively explore not only books but learn about information literacy and digital citizenship.

Each week, kindergarten through 6th grade students will participate in a structured library media class immediately followed by their designated book checkout time. These classes will match the Utah Core Standards for Library Media to help students become great readers and smart thinkers. The goal is to help students explore many fun books to build a lifelong love for reading.

They will learn how to find information using both library books and safe online tools. Lessons will teach students how to choose the right facts for school projects and research. They will also learn how to give credit to authors, so they do not copy other people's work. These exciting classes will give our students the skills they need to succeed every day. Let the adventure BEGIN!

October Book Drive! Share the Love of Reading!

Get ready to clear your bookshelves for a great cause! During the month of October our school is having a book drive. Every donation helps support reading, literacy, and learning right here at NPA. A detailed flyer with all the information was sent home last week, but participating is simple and easy.

Just send the books to school with your student to drop off in classroom collection boxes. We are collecting new or gently used books in good condition, including picture books, early readers, chapter books, middle-grade novels, and teen fiction.

Please make sure all donated items are in good, readable shape. We kindly ask that you do not send books that are damaged, moldy, wet, or heavily marked. Thank you in advance for your generosity and for helping us foster a vibrant culture of reading at NPA!

Utah Statewide Read-a-Thon is a Page Turning Success!

Last Friday, NPA joined students and schools across Utah for the Statewide Read-A-Thon, celebrating a morning dedicated to the joy of reading and literacy. Everyone across the school and state read at the same time from 9:30 to 10:30 a.m. that day. It was wonderful to see all our students diving into books brought from home.

We want to extend a big thank you to all the parents and families who helped their students prepare by sending them to school with books, along with many creative blankets. Thanks to your support and our students' enthusiasm, the synchronized reading hour was a fantastic success, and we loved seeing our entire NPA community come together to share the love of books.

NPA Staff Spotlight - Meet Mrs. Farrington, Fine Arts TeacherN

Once upon a school day cheery, while the halls were bright and busy, there arose a curious question that had everyone in a tizzy. Who was this mysterious woman whose story had yet to be told? What adventures did she live through? What secrets could she hold? The first clue is Salt Lake City, Utah, where her story first began. Then high school took her off to Holladay, as fate had surely planned. There, among the books and bells, three passions soon took flight. Music, literature, and gymnastics, three loves she still holds tight. But then came the strangest clue, one certain to delight. Beneath the books and melodies lived a tomboy full of fight! She loved to play the “boy sports,” and join in every game. A spirited and fearless girl who would rise to NPA fame. And during those high school years, another clue appeared. She met the man who’d one day be her husband, it seems clear. They married and made their home in Sandy. Where they remain together still, their story is strong and happy. Her journey also led to the University of Utah, where she learned. But soon she found a different passion, one for which her heart had yearned. She loves working with children, watching talents come alive. Helping them grow, discover, learn, and find their way to thrive. At NPA, her hope is clear for every student here. To feel both valued and encouraged, confident and free of fear. To gain strong academic skills, discover gifts within. And build the kind of character that helps them learn and win. Perhaps the greatest mystery isn't who she is or where she's been. But what remarkable things her students may become in the end.

NPA Staff Spotlight - Meet Ms. Maycie Howard, Paraprofessional

Long ago, in the faraway land of Kearns, Utah, there lived a curious girl named Maycie Howard. She loved to ask questions and discover how the world worked. Her favorite subject was science, and her love of learning was so strong that even Athena, the Greek goddess of wisdom, might have invited her to Mount Olympus! She began her journey at NPA, where she learned from kindergarten through 8th grade. Like Hermes, the messenger of the gods, she was always ready to move on to her next adventure. After NPA, she traveled to Itineris Early College High School, then to the University of Utah, where she is currently studying speech and hearing sciences.

But this girl was not only a scholar. She grew up as a competitive dancer, learning to leap, twirl, and move with grace. Our fair maiden also had a favorite creature that would make even the strange creatures of Greek mythology smile, the flamingo. While King Midas wished that everything he touched would turn to gold, she might have wished for a world filled with flamingos! And unlike Icarus, who flew too close to the sun, she knew that the best adventures come from learning, practicing, and making wise choices.

As the years passed, she discovered something even more wonderful than science, dancing, or flamingos. She discovered that she loved working with children. Every day, her students bring new questions, ideas, and surprises. Her greatest hope is that every student at NPA remembers one important lesson from their own adventure, never stop learning! For, as Athena might remind us, wisdom grows every time we ask a question, try something new, and discover something we did not know before. And so, our maiden’s journey continues, with a curious mind, a dancing heart, and perhaps a flamingo or two along the way!

Bringing Space Down to Earth: Inside 6th Grade Solar System Science Lab

Sixth grade students transformed a simple roll of toilet paper into a cosmic measuring tape to map out the solar system. Mrs. Williams’ science classes took a hands-on approach to science, unrolling sheets across the school’s long hallway to visually grasp the immense scale of space. This practical experiment bridged the gap between abstract astronomical data and impactful classroom learning.

Each sheet of toilet paper represented a specific cosmic distance, marking the intervals from the Sun to the planets, and across the wide asteroid belt. Students quickly discovered that while our immediate planetary neighbors are relatively close, the

outer reaches of the solar system stretch across massive, surprising distances. The interactive activity made complex physics accessible, fun, and inspiring for our young astronomers.