Great Things Happening Around the District
(updated 02-18-10)
Ammon
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• Mr. Keller said, “One of my second grade teachers learned that a student in her class did not have a hat and the family could not afford one so she made a hat for every child in the class so the one could have a warm head during the winter. The teachers at Ammon are caring as well as capable.”
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Dr. Willey, a first grade teacher, has been using exercises in class to help achieve higher scores in reading. She uses exercise attached with a lesson to help the students remember grammar rules and other important topics. The last time she did an AIMSweb prompt, the student she was monitoring had grown by a half year. That is great improvement.
Cloverdale
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Mrs. Koepplin’s 4th grade has been corresponding with children’s author Janet Shaw.
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Kjerstin Cook, VISTA volunteer, organized a food and book drive involving a number of schools that raised almost 5,000 items of food for donation to local food banks.
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Cloverdale students donated over 150 books and 650 items of food during our Cloverdale Cowboys Care drive.
Discovery
Fairview
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With the help of many at our school, we had a successful Ella night. Stacy Campbell, kindergarten teacher said, “The Ella night was a great success and as one parent said, ‘when we work together, we win!’ I believe that the Ella program will be hugely successful. I want to thank Mandi for putting in the time and effort to make sure that everything went smoothly, Mary Campbell for coming in and watching the younger children and willingly wanting to help even though she wasn't going to get anything in return, and our principal for helping and getting involved. Thanks to the Title One ladies for helping and Pauli who was so willing to be a part of something that wasn't even her own grade level. Everyone did an amazing job and I was so impressed with the support and caring that our school shows to each other, the school and this awesome little community. Please tell the district that our school is a place where children do succeed and soar to new heights!”
Falls Valley
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Mrs. Lines, 4th grade teacher, is providing after-school math enrichment classes for interested students.
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We held a fundraiser at Taco johns. Many teachers and Falls Valley parents participated in this very successful event.
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Thanks to an army of parent volunteers, students in grades K-3 are making great gains in their reading skills as a result of a very aggressive progress monitoring program at FV. All students are tested on a weekly basis and those needing greater support are receiving daily intervention from the dedicated volunteers.
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Falls Valley recently launched a school-wide reading contest to promote reading across all grade levels. Entitled “Vipers Read Around the World,” students in grades 1 through 6 were placed in eight multi-grade level teams. Each team was given the name of a country as their destination. The goal is to be the first team to arrive in their country by traveling 5,000 miles (achieving 5,000 AR points). The first team to reach their destination will be given a special celebration at the end of the school year. If all teams reach their goals by May 21, Principal Gauchay has promised a wild and crazy stunt at the corner of Hitt and First streets.
Iona
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The Iona PTO provided 50% of the funding for 7 Elmo Document cameras, 7 Hitachi projectors, and 1 Scope on a Rope magnification camera.
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Marjean McConnell made this observation after a parent meeting about boundary changes within the district: “I noticed tonight at the meeting that Brent Bird made a point to get right over to the parents who expressed concern about being moved to Iona to introduce himself to them and welcome them to Iona. He also took the extra step to invite them to come and visit the school tomorrow. The parents were reassured and knew that Brent cared about them and their children. I was very impressed. The family could have left the meeting disenfranchised but instead left the meeting knowing that the new principal cared about them and their children. He really made a difference tonight!”
Rocky Mountain Middle School
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Katie Crofts, 8th grade math teacher, says, “Thank you for the support you give your teachers and our students. I just wanted to let you know that all of my classes combined have less than 15 missing assignments. That means only about 3 per class period (and I haven't given up on getting those in). I am so happy! I attribute this to the no zero policy as well as the "teeth" you and others have put into the Saturday Academy. Thank you.
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Mrs. McConnell states, “I have received a letter from District 251 inviting one of the teachers from Rocky Mountain Middle School to come to their District to provide instruction for teachers regarding reading strategies that work for students. I had the opportunity to sit in a class of teachers when Mrs. McLing was teaching this concept and she does a tremendous job. We are so fortunate to have such a well educated and prepared staff that other districts are using them as a resource.
Bonneville High School
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Kudos to Troy Cook for his tenacity, determination and tireless efforts in securing the donation of a wheelchair for one of our special needs students who was in need.
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Big thanks to all who made Miss Bonneville a success this past December. It took many people that volunteer their time to make it a great program, and all the behind-the-scenes work is appreciated.
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Kudos to Sharon Gustaveson for her efforts with the new body sculpting class. She has created an awesome curriculum that includes many different varieties of exercise and fitness. Sharon teaches from bell to bell and participates with the girls in her class, including running during warm-ups, etc. She's an excellent role model for the girls in her classes to follow.
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Also, thanks to Lori Baldwin & B.J. Ricks for their efforts with the aquatics class. They have a rigorous curriculum that teaches kids about the valuable fitness qualities that swimming provides.
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Lance Miller says, “I don't know if this has been done yet but Kudos to Jolyn Dunn for running a successful State Drama competition. She put in a lot of time and effort to make sure the 400+ students from around the state had a great experience.
Lincoln High School
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Susan Searle from Federal Programs said, “A few weeks ago I attend a conference for underage drinking prevention with law enforcement and community partners from our area. The second morning they had a panel that discussed what they are seeing in our communities and how we can help our youth. I was able to listen to the things that a young man from Lincoln High School was saying. I was very impressed with him and how he handled himself. He was answering questions from the different people in the audience. After the panel was over, a lady who had been a speaker the day before was so impressed that she offered Jordan a scholarship to attend Westminster College in Salt Lake City. It was really touching to see a young person who has been through so much, talk about the mistakes he had made, the changes he was willing to make, and how we can help our youth.
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The Phoenix Singers from Lincoln High School celebrated the holiday season with a concert at Ammon Elementary in December. They also performed at Life Care Center, where Mrs. Satterthwaite, who teaches cooking, had her class deliver a homemade treat to each person who came to the concert.
Bonneville District Virtual Academy
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We currently have 50 students enrolled and are growing. We have had many outside activities such as a bowling league, geography Bee, gym day, and a swim meet.
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A parent sent this message, “Thanks for everything. I am really enjoying this program, and my kids are too. I can see a huge change already.”
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We had several of our students place in a gingerbread house contest.
Transportation
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Dave Abrams fell in our lot one morning. He was taken to Mountain View with a dislocated shoulder. His wife also drives a bus here. She had left on her route before Dave fell. With no spare drivers we were not sure how we could cover her route so she could meet Dave at the hospital. Over the radio we heard, “ I can get this stop, and If you could get that stop and bus 55 can get this stop etc .” We were able to cover the remainder of her route so that she could go directly to Mountain View to meet Dave. With the help of the all the drivers in the Hillcrest area we were able to pick up her students who arrived at school, on time without disruption. The teamwork in this department is heartwarming and amazing. When Dave and Teresa arrived back home they found their sidewalks and driveway shoveled and dinner waiting. It’s truly a pleasure and privilege to work with such caring and compassionate people.
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Mrs. Judy said, “Transportation has been extremely busy during our down time here at the bus shop sewing school bags, receiving blankets and quilting quilts for the Humanitarian Center. We have quilted many quilts, dozens of receiving blankets and lots of school bags. We are averaging 2 quilts on most days. There is a great need for these items in our community. It’s been amazing to see what we have accomplished with so many helping hands. This really has been a most rewarding experience for the entire department. “
Federal Programs
Maintenance
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Falls Valley thanks district maintenance personnel for removing the mounds of snow around their campus. Removing these “temptations” has helped keep students safe.
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Mr. Patterson from Tiebreaker says, “I had a few comments of gratitude for the snow plowing being done early this morning. Our staff was glad to have it done and have a clear parking lot to walk through on their way to the building. Thanks to whoever is taking care of TB. The playground was also done, so thanks from me.”
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Mr. Patterson from Tiebreaker also adds, “A big Thank you to the maintenance department on their quick and fine work at taking down a couple of walls in our Library. We moved the computer lab last year and they got the walls down in preparation for our CHC grant and library remodel.
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