Lone Peak students learn about Chinese New Year through activities, traditions

Lone Peak third-grader Piper Sim made a red lantern and folded a rabbit envelope in honor of the Year of the Rabbit she was learning about in her Mandarin class.

“I know some about the history of Chinese New Year,” she said. “Someday, I want to work in China and learn karate.”

She and her schoolmates, both those in neighborhood and in dual immersion classes, participated in the lunar year celebration held in the decorated multi-purpose room. Several student art projects honoring the celebration hung in the nearby hallways.

“The kids are excited to be able to do activities to participate in Chinese New Year and experience a bit of their festivities and culture,” said Jackie Ball, PTA volunteer and organizer of this year’s event.

Students could create shapes and animals at the tangram station, try their hands at picking up objects with chopsticks, practice their calligraphy, or play traditional games.

Parent Brooke Bendixen, who serves as the PTA legislative vice president, said that before the celebration this year, the PTA surveyed students if they’d rather have a traditional assembly or interactive crafts and games.

“We asked the kids and they wanted to have handson activities,” she said. “It’s a fun way that gives all our students a chance to learn about the culture.”

That idea of learning the culture and unifying the school was one of the reasons, along with having an opportunity for Chinese teachers to feel at home and share their traditions with students, that a small group of dual

By Julie Slama | j.slama@mycityjournals.com

immersion parents began the Chinese New Year tradition in 2013.

The year before, the celebration consisted of a teacher beating the drum in the hallway.

Since 2014, the PTA has held events and activities for the student body, some years with grant money funded by the Confucius Institute.

Through the years, there have been activities similar to this year, where students have learned about marionettes, Chinese jump roping, ribbon dancing, Chinese shuttlecock, jianzi or martial arts. Or students may have been part of a schoolwide assembly. Those have featured a play about the Monkey King, the lion and dragon dances, and a shadow puppet show as well as bringing in outside groups to perform.

Even during the COVID-19 pandemic, Lone Peak volunteers created Chinese New Year activity boxes for each room along with prepackaged Chinese treats and a video shared from Chinese students who were practicing their English.

The activities have evolved and changed through the years. Parent volunteer Sarah Erwin was helping at the calligraphy station.

“Years ago, we started off using traditional rice paper and Chinese hairbrushes and students would be able to trace and learn the words for prosperity and peace and those kind of good fortune words,” she said. “We’ve switched to paper because it’s a little more absorbent and black paint that washes off. The students still outline the words and can decorate it however they want. The fifth-graders used a lot with gold paint and it was super creative.”

At the end of the celebration, every student received a traditional red envelope.

“We filled each red envelope with a coin and good fortune for the year ahead,” Ball said. “It’s a wonderful way for students to understand and value each other and our cultures.” l

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Dear Sandy Resident, Neighbor Check and Pace of Progress

On New Year’s Day, Sandy City awoke to a big surprise from Mother Nature. e new year began with a three-day storm that produced the most accumulation in Utah’s 20-year history. It was welcome news for reducing our drought conditions, but the heavy, wet snow resulted in broken tree limbs and an icy, slushy mess on roads and sidewalks.

Our entire eet of plows and drivers worked around the clock to try and keep our streets clear during the storm cycle. And it wasn’t just Public Works dealing with the storm’s impact; Public Utilities, Parks and Recreation, Police, and Fire crews were also in action.

Sandy City was probably the hardest hit urban community along the Wasatch Front. As the snow piled up even after it was cleared, we were reminded the priority of street plowing – addressing the main arteries rst, and ultimately moving into our cul-de-sacs. Snowmageddon 2023 came as a big challenge even for our force which is experienced with big storms.

Your Sandy City team is working to provide the services expected every day in a rst-class community like ours. We commit to doing our very best to maintain our status as one of the best cities in the nation. However, government can’t and shouldn’t deliver all of our services.

Our winter storms this year have reminded us to pull together to care for one another. at’s where good neighbors come in. I tip my hat to those of you who saw a need and responded during the storms. I heard so many stories and personally witnessed examples of neighbors helping neighbors: shoveling a sidewalk, grabbing a chain saw and removing a broken tree limb, or clearing someone’s access to a driveway. e recent storms have shown Sandy cares about our neighbors.

We want to help you connect with your neighbors, so we’ve renewed our Neighbor Check initiative. A few simple steps will make it easier to nd those who need help and are willing to help. If you need assistance or know of someone who does, this tool is also for you.

Nextdoor App

First, consider joining “Nextdoor.” Nextdoor is an app for your phone or computer facilitating conversations among neighbors. Someone might need a recommendation for services. Somebody might share information about a suspicious event in their area. Neighbors can also share whether they need help or are willing to give help. You could ask for help running a simple errand, help with pet care, or shoveling a walk. is is one simple way for residents to look out for one another.

Neighborhood Email Group

Neighbors might also consider establishing an email group with threads to share information and check in periodically.

Get to Know your Neighbor

Perhaps the simplest tool is just being observant. Get to know your immediate neighbors. Learn their interests and needs.

We still have a small town feel where people care and connect. People will be there when there’s a need. We hope this initiative will help foster those connections.

Another way to help your city is to get involved in an e ort that will shape our future growth. We just launched Sandy’s “Pace of Progress,” to update our general planthe plan that will guide our city for the next few decades. Sandy’s current general plan was originally written in 1979. at’s the year McDonalds’ Happy Meals were introduced, Jimmy Carter was president, and a dozen eggs cost 86 cents. Much has changed since then… and much will change over the next fty years.

By updating our master plan, we are creating guidelines to manage where and how we grow. We’ll determine where diverse housing options work, and where parks, trails, and open space will remain. We’ll address our changing transportation needs as well as our infrastructure needs. is is an opportunity for us to collaborate. As local leaders, we want your input to build a future that works for all of us. Get involved by visiting our website sandypaceofprogress.org.

We had a great open house in January and we will continue to discuss the general plan in public meetings and town halls throughout the year. You’ll nd these events on our website, sandy.utah.gov. ere, you’ll also nd an interactive map that allows you to click on an area and add an idea or view and respond to others’ suggestions on what we should improve and what we should preserve. If you’re a resident, we want your input!

Together, we can do great things. Whether it’s something as historic as creating a new general plan for the entire city or as small as lending a hand to a neighbor, we’re one Sandy. We work together.

Yours in Service, Mayor Monica Zoltanski e Sandy Police Records Division is comprised of 11 employees. Together we handle the processing, review, release, and retention of all Police reports, citations, photographs, audio, and video, as well as providing background checks, letters of good conduct, and alcohol work cards for servers and entertainers. e Division is split into 2 teams that oversee di erent duties: e Report Review Team receives and processes all case reports, misdemeanor citations, tra c accidents, and attachments for the department. ey review each case to ensure all the o enses are being captured and stated properly to the FBI for NIBRS (National Incident Based Reporting System) compliance and crime reporting (Wonder where they get the statistics for safest city ranking? at’s what we provide). ey also forward case reports based on guidelines to di erent government agencies such as DCFS, Adult Protective Services, Adult Probation and Parole, as well as city o ces such as Risk Management, the Prosecutor’s O ce, and the Tra c Engineer. To complete these job duties, each Records Specialist must have an in-depth knowledge of what constitutes each o ense, what additional requirements are needed on each case, depending on the circumstances, and what cases need to be sent where. e Information Team deals with the release of information to the public and other government agencies requesting records. ey must have knowledge of GRAMA (Government Records Access and Management Act) Law in order to determine what information can be released, and to whom. Police records are classi ed as private/ protected under GRAMA. ey are not considered public records. Each request must be reviewed to determine if the requestor is entitled to the record, has been given authority by an entitled party, and what portions of the record can be released. Protecting active investigations from being compromised and protecting the privacy of the individuals involved in our police reports is paramount to us. e Information Team processes all the tra c citations and must ensure all information needed has been included on the citation and that it is led by the 4th business day after the citation is issued. We answer all incoming phone calls and assist the public in the lobby, where we encounter a wide variety of individuals. We could write a very entertaining book detailing the daily interactions over the phone and in person. No two days are the same!

Working in the Records Division can be mentally and emotionally di cult due to the reports and accompanying media (photos/video) we’re exposed to. ankfully we have each other to lean on. We spend most of our waking hours together and we truly are family. With a lot of us having strong personalities and opinions, there is never a dull moment in here! During the times when our jobs are hard and burn out is high, it’s the people we work with that make it worth it. So, let’s get into it! Here is some insight into who we are and what we do!

And nally, just some statistics for anyone that enjoys them: On average, the Report Review Team processes more than 850 case reports a month, including over 100 misdemeanor citations (criminal). e Information Team processes almost 800 tra c citations per month and release over 830 cases per month.

Disney’s Descendants: The Musical Coming to Sandy

Attention all Disney fans! e Sandy Arts Guild is proud to present their youth musical production of Disney’s Descendants, the Musical from March 23-25. It is a must-see for anyone who loves the magic of Disney.

e show follows the lives of the children of Disney’s classic villains and heroes as they navigate their way through life outside of their famous (and infamous) parents’ shadows. ey learn to appreciate the values of goodness and friendship despite their di erences. As they navigate their new lives, the villain kids must also face challenges, including the threat of their parents' evil schemes to reclaim their power. With the help of their new friends, they must learn to believe in themselves and defeat their evil parents, while discovering their own paths and identities. With music, dance, and a captivating storyline, Disney’s Descendants will transport you to a world of enchantment and wonder.

e talented young cast of the Sandy Arts Guild will leave you spellbound by their talents! With its high-energy musical numbers and charming storyline, this show will delight audiences of all ages. It is a great opportunity to introduce young children to the magic of theater!

Get your tickets now to experience the magic of Disney’s Descendants: e Musical, brought to you by the talented young performers of the Sandy Arts Guild. Escape reality and be transported to a world of music, dance, and adventure. Only 4 shows from March 23 - 25 at e eater at Mount Jordan. Tickets at sandyarts.com