Show A8 Sanpete Wednesday November 17 2004 Valley Edition Messenger-Gunnlso- i South Sanpete board to moderate zero tolerance Safe Schools policy By Lloyd Call Staff writer GUNNISON — In an attempt to keep schools safe while allowing for reasonable exceptions to a gun and weapon policy the South Sanpete District School Board is rewridng its “Safe School Policy” which was discussed at the board meeting last BRUCE VAN DER PHOTO Birdie” are (front May Allison Daley Superstar Conrad Performing In Kim Melanie Birdie by Zach Moran policeman Colton Frederick (back Dyches Mr Macafee Tyrel Bronson and Susie Trevlyn Jakfns North Sanpete will present By Scott Bagley ‘Bye-B- ye from his fan club on the Ed Sullivan Show Kim a girl from Noith Sanpete coirespondent Sweetapple Oil (played MT PI EASANT — The North Sanpete High School hiiiiu Club will present Binhe" Nov he play is a spoof on the llvis mama of the 1960s An 11 is Conrad Birdie played hy Zach Morin) has been tit alted into the United States Army As a goodbye picsent to all of his fans he will kiss one girl E by Melanie Dyches) has been chosen to be that lucky person Naturally everyone in her hometown is excited for her — that is except her new Hugo (played by Ben Russell) who gets jealous of the fact that Com ad will kiss his on national television Other cast members include Conrad’s agent and songwriter Albert (played by JL Ohnstead) ' Birdie’ and his girlfriend Rosie (played by Amberlyn Colebrook) When asked why she chose to present this play director Suzan Rasmussen said “I picked this play because it was the number one play in the country performed by all the high schools It’s fun to act it has lots of parts and it’s fun for the whole family” Performances will be held in the high school auditorium at 7:30 pm Admission is $4 am Bri 133 Ephraim Elementary Mi Butholoincw’s limit h grade class will piescnl their Utah pmgram Wednesday at 6:3()p in in the multipurpose room ourth grade students study tali history and geography as pail of their ioic i nine ulum This program covers many tireas of iheuimeulum thiough song and narration l s tie cncouiagcd Several teachers will be attending the International Reading Association annual conference in Salt Lake this I riday and Saturday to glean new teaching strategies Next Wednesday is the first RIF Day of the vear Each child will select a new book to attend Fairview Elementary Students enjoyed a great Red Ribbon Week cti it ics included Backwards Day Pajama Day and Red Day Students wete cncouiagcd to find tun activities m their lives which do not include taking dings 3 he students and faculty also signed pledge caids pledging not to take illegal drugs lie pledge cards wheie lied together with led iibbon to form a Take Charge quilt which hangs in the school's front hull Thanks to Peggy Gwillmm the PI A Red Ribbon Week Chairperson the PTA held a Safety Week Activicards for parents an assemties included bly for students with the EMTs a police officer and local firefighters and daily news bulletins to parents concerning important safety tips The bookmobile will be at the school Nov 16 and 30 The program is simple everyday the kids are assigned a book to take home and to read to parents The program increases time students spend with parents as well as improves reading skills Epiiraim Middle lie school had a Veteran's Day assembly The Manti Show Choir sang two on Nov was by Brian songs the mam presentation Ohnstead Olmstead spent 15 months in haq He did a presentation on the war The community council meeting will be held on Wednesday at 4:30 pm North end of Sanpete Middle celebra- ihequartei 10 for students who every class Students were Nov in an excuse for townspeople to donate money that he plans to abscond with He falls in love with the town's librarian Manan And of course love makes an honest man out of him and he makes the band a success 'Hie play is very apropos given that the middle sc hool recently presented its marching band the first in 30 years treated to die movie “The Incredibles” at the Town Theatre in Ephraim Gunnison Valley High Students ire gearing up for the musical South Pacific The show runs nday Satuiday and Advanced ticket sales are V4oi at the door Buy advance tickets in the mam office any lime lx foie the show The school is ofTenng a family in ket for $25 if ty live people die cast and crew comprise be leads are Nelly Forbush played by Camilla Mathews Emiel played by Alex A Jensen Cabal played by Houston Graham and Bloody Mirry played by C assie Brown Mar k Lions die play’s director said “This has been die most challenging and exciting play that we have ever produced” Assistant director Kenny Walker is a former student who graduated last year and now attends Snow College Lions states “Walker is a huge asset to the production" The school will present die musical “The Pajama Game" It ojxms Wednesday and runs llin nigh Saturday The story of die musical isnlxmt the conflict between the labor and management at the "Sleep Tile" pajama factory and it is set in fifties Judy Chamlxrland Ben Cox Ashley Jackson Brian Riding Kelan Sleek Mathew the North Milsvotai and Cry stal Call will play the leading roles in the show Karen Johnson a member of the tennis team was given die Academic Allstate award The award exclusively for girls’ tennis and is given to the gnls with the best grades is Sanpete High Mtei long months of rehearsal students are " ready to peril nm the musical “Bye Bye Birdie Erika Nelson Staff writer Taking advantage of an to cooperate with many school districts in the central Utah area the North Sanpete School District Board of Education voted eduto begin use of a cation system to assist students who are behind in their courses and need a way to recover their credits The board voted to allocate roughly $35000 to purchase 25 censes to use the Plato Learning System a system that allows students to study and complete lessons through any computer hooked up to the internet This will allow failing students to recover credits they need to graduate from high school and the district hopes it will help all students failing or “Plato was the best" said District Programs Director George Bench as he presented the idea to the Board of Education “It was entertaining it captured the kids’ attention” Bench suggested the Plato system would help teachers develop their lessons and could be used as a homework assignment for all students in a class Students could go through enough lessons 10 The production opened Tuesday and will run through Satuiday All shows will start at 7:30 pm farming community The policy was passed for a first reading and will be revisited again at the next board meeting The board also passed a second reading on a policy that would protect students from invasions of privacy by camera telephones and other electronic devises that could be used inappropriately at schools The policy was modified to exempt approved users such as yearbook staff members who are authorized to take pictures at school functions and sporting events Other policies examined by the board included high school graduation requirements salary lane changes employment forms and individual requests from schools for travel Board member Larry Smith again asked the board to consider adding another math or science in Plato to receive credit for a course or simply go through enough of the Plato system simply to better understand a concept being taught The Board approved the bargain acquisition of 25 licenses for Plato discounted by a bulk buy of several licenses through Central Utah Educational Services a group of seven districts including both North and South Sanpete School Districts This partnership with other districts not only allows the North Sanpete School District to get a better price on the licenses but lows the district to use all of the licenses purchased by the Central Utah Educational Services when they are not in use by the other districts Despite the discount price attached to the Plato purchase Board members still worried about the eventual price tag while approving North Sanpete’s participation in Plato Wary members raised questions about costs for maintenance and updates to the system while others worried about staffing considerations for administering the system The final vote to approve $35000 to finance the initial Plato purchase included the stipulation that annual maintenance costs could not exceed $3500 for the $4000 grant will give Gunnison reading a boost By Ben Fox Staff writer GUNNISON — The administration at Gunnison Valley Elementary School is working to get a $4000 grant dial will fund a new reading program for students Mavi i High ening manner Board members said they want schools to be safe but they also recognize the realities of a living in a hunting and credit as a graduation requirement However the other board members didn’t want to impose another required credit because the credit would decrease students’ abilities to choose other electives The budget report presented by administrator Paul Gottfredson showed that although a third of the year is gone sal 'try expense is oujy at 21 percent of the budgeted amount “We’ll catch up to the budget during Gottfredson summer months" He reexplained ported that all other budget itcnls were within expected ranges It was reported that board member Jim Braithwaitc was making satisfactory progress in a rehabilitation facility following serious health problems that had hospitalized him last month The board expressed wishes for his continued recovery The board approved a proposal by the Sanpete County Soil Conservation District tjo have a Watershed Day in April 2005 to teach students the valAlslo ues of water management approved was the district's participation in the Utah Spelling Bee sponsored by the Provo Daily Herald Board members also exam- ined core test results from tire 200p school year for areas of concert Test results were broken down by demographics and race The next board meeting wijl be Dec 8 at 5:30 pm in the school district office in Manti North Sanpete board approx “Plato” for credit recovery not Gunnison Valley Middle an principals to enforce the policy but also have some leeway for exceptions “Even though we may tell them not to some students who hunt or come to school directly By Moroni Elementary Hie school had tion on Wednesday oi Ivlter expulsion especially the “possession” phrase While acknowledging the real danger of weapons the board doesn’t want to have to expel a student for an incidental violation of the policy and wants the Patent conferences signaled the end of first quarpercent of the parents attended the ter conferences Nov Min Biddle’s third grade class hail the cleanest 0 mi of the month and they earned an aw ud from the custodian Principal Jim Bowles reports that students undoing well with their library program Nearly 80 students were involved m a production of the musical “'I he Music Man" presented Nov at Gunnison Valley Middle Siluxil Stella Hill a teacher at the school is di tec ting tile play by Meredith Willson and lias over seen eai ly mi lining rehearsals since the end of September 1 he play is about llaiold Hill who conies to a town with a scam to stari up a matching band us Wednesday Utah Code 53 specifies a mandatory expulsion from school for the following violations: ( ) Possession control or actual or threatened use of a real weapon explosive or flammable device or material (2) The actual or threatened use of a or pretend weapon with intent to intimidate anodier person or to disrupt normal school activities The policy does permit the superintendent or school board to modify the expulsion term to less than one year on a basis The board was uncomfortable with several provisions of this and mandatory from farms may have a gun in their vehicle Students may have tools they carry with them in cars that include pocketknives even road flares or matches that would technically violate this policy and force us to expel them" the board said The board is rewriting the policy to cover these minor technical offenses without mitigating the protection of the school weapons policy in the event a weapon is actually used in a violent or threat- Principal Grant Hansen stales “Improving reading levels is one of the largest goals that we have this year” offerThe grant is a ing from the State Office of Education The money will be used to start a program for students who are at risk of reading failure Classroom special needs and English as a second language fparhprs alone with ihe school reading specialist will coordinate their efforts to provide an instructional setting for students in need of extra help The school’s goal is to have all students reading at grade level at the end of each school year Officials encourage all students to read and be read to everyday Teachers say that parents participating with students in reading can be all the encouragement that students need Studies have shown that 49 percent of mistakes in state testing are a direct result of reading errors Also children with reading disabilities have often had more behavioral problems than children who have higher reading scores The grant will be good for this year only district The Plato system is set up 4 that students need an access code and a specific lesson plan in ordiji to use the lessons sii they receive proper credit for their efforts The South Sanpete School District has used the Plato system for three years anil has 100 licenses The district pays $10000 annually for the service and support of the Plato systenj and uses it much more extensively than the North Sanpete School District has initially proposed j Both of the high schools in thp South Sanpete School district Plato lab manager that coordinates use of the system and give students Plato access The students who are using the Plato system for credit recovery for failed classes must still coordinate with their teachers in order to receive those credits through the Plato system however “They have to work with thp teacher that they failed the subject with” said Nadean Nielson director for the SouJi Sanpete School District “Thje credit is still ultimately coming from the teacher” Although the plans for implementation of the Plato system in tlfc North Sanpete School District neither firm nor defined district leaders expressed enthusiasm for the idea while the learning system was under discussion! "We’ve got to have something for credit recovery" said Leslie Keisel principal of North Sanpete Middle School expressing her support of the purchase In other business the boaijj approved $37600 for surveillance systems for each of the five elementary schools in the district ts well as the middle school The biijs for the systems came in higher thah district leaders expected one piling as high as $93000 but the district still wished to have that kiml of security for the schools “My recommendation is that we go ahead and put some kind of surveillance in our schools” said Superintendent Courtney Syrtte when asked for his opinion District leaders also approver! the purchase of two new busses serve the needs of the district |