Backpacks
We are very excited to begin another great week of learning at Inspiration Mountain. First, just a reminder that campus opens at 7:45 am. We do not have adults on duty and gates are locked until the 7:45 am bell.
Second, a few parents have expressed concerns regarding backpack weight. I’ve met with the 4th through 6th grade teams to address these concerns. As you may know, we are a 1:1 campus, meaning each individual child is assigned their own Chromebook device. This initiative helped eliminate the need for students to carry several heavier textbooks, as much of the curriculum resources are now online. Because we are a 1:1 campus, students in 4th through 6th grade must carry their Chromebooks back and forth from school to home in order to complete homework assignments.
After meeting with the grade level teams, we identified and reduced the school materials that must be carried by students in their backpacks. Students are asked to keep Chromebook chargers at home and to charge their Chromebooks each night. We will supply a charger at school if needed. We will also supply any classroom materials needed i.e. glue sticks, additional markers, crayons, colored pencils, markers, etc...
Please see the material requirements and weights below for 4th through 6th grades:
4th grade: <5.0 lbs.
- Chromebook
- Agenda
- One take home folder
- A small pencil bag: two pencils, a pen, 1 colored highlighter, 1 expo marker.
5th grade: <6.25 lbs.
- Chromebook
- Agenda
- 3 take home folders
- 2 single subject spiral notebooks
- A small pencil bag: two pencils, a pen, 1 colored highlighter, 1 expo marker.
6th grade: <6.25 lbs.
- Chromebook
- Agenda
- 3 take home folders
- 2 single subject spiral notebooks
- A small pencil bag: two pencils, a pen, 1 colored highlighter, 1 expo marker.
We would also recommend rolling backpacks if possible. Additionally, we have several water bottle filling stations around campus. Students can bring empty water bottles and fill them up on campus if needed.
We sincerely hope our efforts will help reduce the weight of the backpacks students are expected to carry.