Dilworth Elementary Dragon Fire News August 24, 2026

New sod is scheduled to be installed next week. The area will need to remain undisturbed for approximately six weeks to allow the sod to properly establish roots. Based on the current schedule, we anticipate the West Field will be ready for use in approximately six weeks.

Recent state legislation, HB 402, prohibits certain synthetic dyes and certain additives in food served in Utah public schools beginning with the 2026–2027 school year.

We are pleased to share that all school breakfasts and lunches served through our school lunch program comply with these requirements.

The legislation also applies to food and candy that may be distributed at school outside of regular meal service, including:

Unless you notify the school otherwise, your student may receive food or candy offered as part of classroom or school-level incentives and rewards.

Is your child experiencing back to school anxiety? Trouble with friendships? Recent life changes? Your school counselor is here to help! 

I would love to partner with you to support your child. I meet with parents and caregivers to develop plans that address students’ individual needs. Collaborating with families helps me to provide the most effective support possible. 

With parent permission, I also meet with individual students and small groups during the school day. Common areas of focus for these meetings include:

I also teach classroom lessons to all students, on topics such bullying, resolving conflicts, perseverance, and other social-emotional skills. 

My goal is to help students develop confidence in their ability to solve problems, navigate challenges, and advocate for themselves. I want them to feel equipped with the skills they need to succeed both at school and beyond.

You can connect with me at school, find me on Parent Square, or send me an email: lindsay.verhaaren@slcschools.org

 

We have many opportunities in the fall to connect families with resources. These include new school clothes, holiday gifts, and backpacks.  

If you are interested, please fill out this form! 26-27 Family Support Resources – Fill out form

We are here to help!

At Dilworth Elementary, the safety and well-being of our students and staff are our highest priorities. As part of the Salt Lake City School District's ongoing commitment to school safety, and to comply with Utah House Bill 44 that took effect in May 2026, our school will have an Armed Security Guard on campus during the school day. 

House Bill 44 requires that all schools in the state have an armed guardian present during the school day. As a district, we have hired some security guards to help us meet this obligation. 

Our Armed Security Guard is a professional, trained by Salt Lake County law enforcement and certified by the state of Utah, whose primary responsibility is to help maintain a safe, welcoming, and secure school environment. They work closely with school administration to support campus safety while building positive relationships with students, staff, and families. 

They can help us in a variety of ways by:

This person is not responsible for student discipline or routine behavior management. They do not question, search, or detain students and do not have access to student educational records. Student behavior and disciplinary decisions continue to be addressed by school administrators. 

Armed Security Guards have no law enforcement authority beyond what is permitted to all private persons under Utah law but may (at the school employed) take actions necessary to prevent or abate an active threat from a person who has committed or is about to commit a forcible felony.

We are committed to creating a school where every child feels safe, supported, and welcomed. The addition of our Armed Security Guard is one more way we are strengthening that commitment. We believe that strong relationships, a positive school culture, and proactive safety measures work together to create the best possible learning environment for our students.

We look forward to partnering with our families to ensure that our school continues to be a place where every child can learn, grow, and thrive.

A missed school day is a lost opportunity for students to learn. Research shows that student attendance is a strong predictor for student achievement as early as elementary school. Students are developing attendance habits as young as five years old. Please make every effort to get your child to school on time, ready to learn. And of course, the famous Cupcake Challenge will be in effect starting in September to help incentivize the students. 

It is highly recommended to use the church parking lot across the street from the school as we have a very reliable crossing guard to help the students cross the street. Additionally, the South Parking Lot allows kids to safety cross with our Safety Patrol students. For your convenience, we will station Mr. Folsom at the First-Grade back doors until 8:47 am to allow later arrivals to enter the school. He will open the doors for the late students. Please do not drop off students at the front door until after 8:40 am.

There are two ways to deposit money into your child’s account if they will be eating school lunch:  

1) Pay online by creating an account. Follow this link to enroll.  

SchoolCafé - SALT LAKE CITY SCHOOL DISTRICT 

2) Pay Hilarie Sant at the Front Office with a check or cash ONLY. We do not accept credit cards. Please bring the exact amount as we do not have change. 

We’ve got some great news: school calendars for the next three school years were just approved at tonight’s Board of Education meeting! School calendars for the following school years are now available on the district website: 

To find the printable calendars in English, click on the “Calendars” tab at the top of the homepage, scroll down to “Printable Calendars,” and click on the year you want to see. (We will have PDFs available soon in other languages spoken by SLCSD families and will send another email once those translations have been uploaded.)