Principal's Message

Dear Old Ephraim Families,

Welcome to the 2026-27 School Year! Old Ephraim Elementary is a brand-new school serving students and families in the Hyde Park community. I am excited about what is ahead and grateful that our students, staff, and community get to be the first to write the story of Old Ephraim Elementary. As principal, my door is always open and I welcome your input. I strongly believe that parental involvement is an essential component in the success of our students as well as our school.  

Back to School Night:

Families are invited to our Back to School Night on Monday, August 24th. Our teachers are excited to meet you and your child during our open house! To ensure everyone gets a chance to say hello, individual visits will be brief. If you’d like to discuss specific topics in detail, please reach out directly to schedule a separate meeting.

The schedule of times at our host schools is as follows:
North Park Elementary (grades K-2): 6:00-7:00 p.m.
Sunrise Elementary (grades 3-5): 7:00-8:00 p.m.

School Hours: (Monday-Thursday, 9:05 a.m. - 3:35 p.m.; Friday 9:05 a.m. - 2:20 p.m.) 

In the interest of safety, please do not drop off your children before 8:35 AM, as there is no supervision before that time. Please be sure to have your child/children to school on time. Students who are consistently tardy are at a clear disadvantage and usually arrive feeling frantic and unprepared. The first morning bell rings at 9:00 a.m.  Our school day begins at 9:05 a.m. every day. All students who arrive after 9:05 a.m. must sign in at the office. If your child will not be present, please call and inform our school office at (435) 792-7646.

Dismissal/Checking Out a Student:

Please be on time picking up children after school. Dismissal is at 3:35 p.m. Monday through Thursday and at 2:20 p.m. on Fridays. When checking out your student(s), please be aware that they will remain in their classes until you arrive. If you need to check out your student(s) during lunch recess, please allow enough time for us to locate them on the playground and send them to the office. We do our best to get messages to students before the end of the day, but it would be helpful if occasional changes of how students are getting home are discussed with your child before school. Please be respectful of our office employees, as the office can get quite busy at certain times of the day.

Meal Prices and Menus:

This year, school lunch will cost $2.40. Breakfast, which is served from 8:35-9:05 will cost $1.40. Lunch menus can be accessed on our school website by clicking on the fork and knife icon under Popular Links. To determine if your child is eligible for free or reduced lunch, please contact our office staff. 

School Supply List: 

School supply lists for each grade level are posted on our school’s website.

Drop off and Pick up: 

For drop off/pick up information, please refer to the following map for each host school. Information regarding Old Ephraim’s Drop-Off/Pick-Up policies will be provided at a later date: 
North Park Elementary
Sunrise Elementary

Bus Schedules: 

Bus schedules are available online: CCSD Bus Schedules and Boundaries. 

Communication:

We regularly share important school updates and reminders via email, phone, and text message. Because account settings must be managed directly by parents, you will need to log in to PowerSchool to review and update your contact details, emergency contacts, and notification preferences. Cache County School District will be using Parent Square as the communication tool for all schools. 

Visitor Policy:

The school is open 8:35-3:35 and everyone is welcome. All visitors need to check in at the front office and receive a visitor’s sticker.

If you need to meet with your student’s teacher during these hours, please set up an appointment. If there is a pressing matter, please go to the office and they will call the teacher to see if they are available to meet. If the teacher is not available a message will be delivered and the teacher will contact you as soon as possible.

If your student is having a hard time getting to class by themselves, we will call a counselor or other staff member to help them. This will help with lowering disruptions in the classroom. It will also build self-confidence in our students.

Birthdays and Special Occasions:

Please do not send or bring balloons, flowers, etc. to school for individual students. These items can be disruptive to classroom instruction, can impact students with allergies, and are not appropriate to send with students on the bus. Please understand that if these items are sent to the school, the delivery may be refused.

For the health and safety of students and staff, classroom birthday treats are not allowed.

School Community Council: 

Old Ephraim Elementary is seeking four parent members to join our council. This is a great way to be involved and see what happens behind the scenes. Please contact me (aimee.mcneil@ccsdut.org or 435-792-7646) if you are interested in serving on the School Community Council.  This is a 2-year commitment, with meetings being held at 3:45 P.M. one afternoon each month.  The council's primary focus is to help develop the School Land Trust Plan. If more parents are interested in serving on this committee than we have openings, we will hold an election for these positions during the second week of September.

PTA:

The PTA works hard to support teachers, staff, and students. There are many opportunities to help/volunteer in different capacities. Feel free to contact the PTA at oldephraimpta@gmail.com to volunteer or ask any questions. 

School Policies:

Please review the Student Handbook prior to school starting. The handbook covers additional policies such as Attendance, Dress Code, Cell Phones/Watches, etc. You can find it by clicking on this link. You can view a complete copy of these policies online: Cache County District Policies

As a reminder, the first day of school is August 25, 2026, for all 1st-5th grade students. The first day for Kindergarten and Preschool is September 1, 2026. 

I look forward to working with you and your child. We can’t wait to meet you! 

Respectfully,

Aimee McNeil
Principal, Old Ephraim Elementary School
aimee.mcneil@ccsdut.org