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Show 4 The Magna TimesWest Valley News, Thursday, September 6, 2001 School Registration deadline for ACT is September 21 College bound can register at school or on internet College-boun- d high school students who need to take an entrance exam have tow chances to register for the ACT before the Oct. 27 test date. The postmark registration deadline is F rida). Sept. 21. The late registration deadline is Oct. 5 (ail additional fee is required lor late registration). Students can get information from their school counselor or register online at www.act.org. ACT scores are accepted by virtually all colleges in the nation, including all Ivy League schools. The test fee is $24. A student's ACr scores are considered by colleges, along wdth several other important factors, for admissions and course placement. Other factors include high school GPA. college prep courses taken in high school, extracurricular activities, personal background and other information. Seniors who have already taken the ACT can take it again and try for a higher score. Juniors and sophomores can also take the exam and use their scores to examine academic weaknesses, take courses to correct those weaknesses and retake the exam at a later date. Students who take the exam more than once can report only their highest composite score to prospective colleges if they choose. There are four sections to the ACT Assessment: English, reading, math and science reasoning. The ACT is a curriculum-base- d test, measuring students on what they learned in school. It is an academic achievement test not an aptitude test. ACTs website has helpful information such as test locations, sample tests and the opportunity to order test prep materials. The ACT is given nationwide and is taken by more than one million high school graduates each year. Contractual leave available to employees during Olympics From time to time, the district receives inquires from the public and the media concerning why schools won't close for the Olympics: and some employees believe they have been denied the opportunity to serve as volunteers or to attend Olympic events. Martin Bastes, superintendent's assistant for Human Resources, Policy Compliance and Law' says all employees will have full access to contractual leave opportunities during the Olympics. Employees who are eligible for vacation may use vacation days. Personal leave will be available with only the standard limitations. Ixave w'ithout pay is another option: A significant number of people will be off track during the Olympics. Many Olympic events will be staged in the evenings, which would allow volunteer opportunities and attendance where tickets are available. In addition. Presidents' Day (when all district locations are closed) falls during the Olympics. The decision to remain open during the Games was made by the Granite Board of Education after several years of seeking input from the public and consulting with the Salt Lake Olympic Committee and other sources, including employee representatives and district administrators. The decision 'VA. 'f P became more complicated when the Utah State Office of Education announced that it will not waive any portion of the 180190 rule. (180 days 190 hours of instruction). That being the case, any days and times missed for the Olympics would have to be made up. To close would leave 17 year-roun- d schools in an untenable situation. They are already. on an extended day and have just three weeks available in July between the end of one academic year and the beginning of another. That is the only time when 1 makeups would be possible. In traditional schools, summer heat is a major factor when scheduling makeups. Other issues considered by the Board included: The high cost and limited availability of Olympic events tickets; The fact that the vast majority of schools are not impacted by Olympic venues; District maintenance needs; The fact that SLOC will make opportunities available for school groups during the Games; Parent opposition to closing for the Games. 3 principals honored At the administrators conference held in Park City, the School Services directors paid tribute to 13 principals an assistant principal who were Crestview Paul Shepherd, formerly Cottonwood, now Fox Hills Nancy Sorensen, Philo T. Farnsworth. nominated by their peers for innovative and outstanding leadership in their schools and network. Each received a handsome Junior high honorees were: plaque. Jefferson Honored from high schools were: Sue Brady, Central , Elementary principals were: Ernie Broderick, formerly of Oakwood, now at Magna Julianne Clarke, , Momingside, Frankie Hall, Valley Crest Rosanne Newell, cvitk fyudy 'WeeU ?- began writing this almost two ago, I explained that I would try to keep the patrons abreast of what was happening in the schools and how the Granite Board of Education was spending our tax dollars. In doing so I had no idea that I by notif) ing the community of issues that impact them, the personal toll to msself. ins family or my friends vs ill be so great. Instead of dealing with the issues, some individual- - have sought fit to jttj-- k the individual instead of the concern at hand. Since rumors have surfaced as to what I have said or have not said or what m responsibility to the citizens is, I gue-- s I need to devote some space for clarification. On Aug. 2. while attending the Granite School District's Administrators Conference in Park City, I w as approached by some junior high principals. They were concerned that after meeting with the West Valley Police Chief earlier, that they would have to begin this )ear e without the services of a police officer. I met with Superintendent Ronnenkamp explaining the impact that this would have on the community. In previous years, the citizens have been very vocal as to their commitment to having the officers in the schools. He would have to do what was best for the district, but I would notify the patrons through my column. also contacted the West Valley Chief of Police to gamer the rational for the decrease in services. He informed me of his limited manpower and the Dan Jones survey recently taken in the community w'hich stated that traffic issues were the major concern of the community and tha he needed to put his resources to those wishes. I reiterated the safety concerns I When full-tim- I and the importance of providing a safe learning environment for our students. I sought a meeting with City Manger John Patterson. In the past he had been an extremely strong advocate of working with the district. I cannot say enough good words about his staff and their commitment to the children of West Valley. Joe Moore and the Economic Development Department have been very vocal about the SAT and CRT scores in the schools and have been very supportive in improving the education level of the residents. Russ Condie and the Neighbor Services Department have written many grants that have infused millions of dollars into such schools as Redwood. Pioneer and Academy Park. meeting was scheduled for Aug. 6. 1 notified Diana Bevan of the meeting and told her I would let her know of the outcome. She had been involved in previous years with the issue and has given endless volunteer hours for the betterment of our commu- A nity. The day of the meeting, representatives of the local PTA's attended, w ithout my invitation. The atmosphere or climate of the beginning of school is generally how the school year progresses and Mr. Patterson agreed to allow the full staffing for two and a half weeks. A reevaluation would take place in tw;o weeks with the district and the city. At the Granite School Board meeting on Aug. 7, 1 was informed that 1 should not be meeting with the city manager. I contacted John the next day and informed him that the Superintendent would be contacting him and explained the reason- ing- - The Superintendent and the , City officials met and it.was agreed that the city would contin -' ue their commitment to the schools. The Granite Police Department does a marvelous job taking care of this large district with the resources available. West Valley Police is one of the finest in the country and between the two, parents can rest a little easier. I must agree with Police Chief Kerstein that the primary role of the parent cannot be assumed by the police or the school. 1 have been condemned for visiting the schools and meeting with the patrons, but as an elected official, I am not sure how you can represent a constituency without meeting them on their turf. The numbers quoted in my column have come into question, but I have a copy of the grant and would be happy to share it with anyone at any time. 1 did not quote a time frame for the data, but representatives of the PTA garnered and passed out that information. New data has been released by the Chief of Police and I will leave it to the community to address the irregularities. I have thought about the situation and have asked myself, "What if something serious would happen and we didn't have the police officers in the schools?" I would do it all over again. firmly believe that had I not done everything possible to protect our children in the schools, I could not live with myself if something terrible would occur. A reminder that the proposed junior high boundary changes have come to the school board. Contact your local school for the modifications. Your input is necessary. My email is judyweeksqwest.net or phone is you have con7 me at cerns or question that I can help you with regarding tfie schools. Let's make this a great school year! The I 966-557- . Art Cox, West Lake Carole Harris, Brockbank Nancy Jadallah, Churchill Karl Moody, Thomas Ranked;.!. Dave Gourley, Taylorsville Waisea Lesuma, Kearns High (assistant) Dave Stevens, Granger 2001 Sales Satisfaction Saturn of Sab Lake 8 th South and West Temple or As Voted by Consumer Saturn of Orem 1260 South Sandhill Ro' Golden Living ut cde&i&ttftfy National Assisted Living Week Freedom Wall Dedication Jordan River Parkway Park (700 W. 4500 S.) Saturday, September 22 at 0:00 AM Saturn of River dale between Raerdale and Roy IZU SL1 2nd SC2 j Sponsored by Taylorsville Exchange Club Golden Living Choir Refreshments for 60 months for qualified buyers on 2002 Saturn I ft Example: Stk22i)102 2002 Saturn SL1 Save up to S41C35 m Finance Charges Open House Thursday, September 13 from 10:00 AM - 5:00 PM Refreshments Learn about assisted living Special events and activities throughout the day Bring this ad to our Open House for a special Golden Living take home treat. Name Address A'S N S ,) LIKING Make An Informed Choice Golden Living - 966-428- 6 Phone ( Inquiring for. ) 2011 W 4700 S Taylorsville, UT 84118 2002s Aviilir'j T Different ' 1,1 H Kind of Company. A - u s 1 1.9 Of1? 41 Different Kind of Car. |