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Show A8 Sanpete Messenger/Gunnison Valley Edition Wednesday, October 4, 2006 Gunnison Elementary ranks ninth in state for best reading progress By Tanya Y. Spencer Education Editor GUNNISON—Gunnison Valley Elementary School is the ninth best school among rural schools in the state for 2nd grade reading progress. Glenn Haslem, of Delta South Elementary School in Delta and an educational doctorate candidate of George Fox University in Oregon, compiled data from schools that are members of the Utah Rural Schools Association and then ranked them according to the progress each school made over a three-year period. Haslem used the reading subtest of the Utah State Criterion Reference Test (CRT) for his research. The base year he used was the 2001 scores. Haslem then compared the CRT reading scores from the 2004 test. To keep the ranking system simple and equal, he only compared the progress each school made from its own 2001 scores to its own 2004 scores. The purpose was to gauge the progress each school made independent of any other school. “Second grade is such a pivotal grade in reading instruction,” Haslem says. It is widely accepted that students who fail to become strong readers by the end of the third grade struggle academically. The title of his dissertation is “The Best Second Grade Readers in Utah.” Of the more than 100 member schools in the Utah Rural Schools Association, Haslem ranked the top one-third according to the school’s individual progress. Gunnison Valley Elementary took the spot for the ninth best second grade in Utah. Principal Grant Hansen, in response to his school’s ranking, said, “We decided to invest in the kids... before any problem actually materialized.” Last year in an effort to improve reading, Hansen hired Robyn Hendrickson as the school’s reading specialist. Hendrickson’s job involves supporting all the teachers in the school, not just the second grade. If any teacher discovers a student with a particular reading challenge he or she refers that student to Hendrickson. She then works with the children in small groups or oneon-one until the reading problem is remediated. “The program is very fluid in that the kids can move in and out of it according to their ability and need,” Hansen said. Gunnison Elementary receives federal Title I funds to augment educational services. Each principal uses the funds at his or her discretion. School briefs Compiled by Tanya Y. Spencer No school Oct. 1213 for UEA break. GUNNISON VALLEY MIDDLE SCHOOL Parent-teacher conferences will be held this week. Students will have a half-day of school on Thursday so parents can meet with teachers from 3-6 p.m. There will no school held on Friday. Teachers will be available from 8 a.m.- noon on Friday to meet with parents. The school will be sponsoring a food drive in conjunction with Red Ribbon Week Oct. 9-11. Students are encouraged to bring non-perishable food items. All donations will be given to the Sanpete County food bank. The theme for this year’s Red Ribbon writing contest is “I can be drug-free.” To further help students be successful readers by the end of third grade, Hansen earmarked part of his school’s money for optional full-day kindergarten. Of the 13 students who participated in full-day kindergarten last year, 12 passed the state core. The remaining student missed passing by only one question. Hansen also used Title I funds to hire a English as a Second Language (ESL) reading specialist, Adriana Hatch. “We have seen a lot of growth in our ESL population. Adriana speaks Spanish and has a background in education.” The effort has paid off. All of the school’s ESL students have moved up to at least functional proficiency. One other Sanpete County school, Fairview Elementary, was ranked on Haslem’s list. The school took the 27th spot. Haslem found that the top schools had several things in common. The top schools invest their trust land money into hiring personnel to teach reading and music and to purchase textbooks, equipment and other supportive materials for all subjects but especially reading and math. The trust land program was devised as a method for providing money for state schools. When Utah was granted statehood, in lieu of being charged taxes on federal lands, the government gave land to Utah schools. The schools own 3.3 million acres of land as a result. Income is most commonly generated through leasing mineral or animal rights. The money is then put into a permanent savings account and held. Schools receive a stipend off of the interest generated from that account. Top schools also use the recommendations of the National Reading Panel (2000), which encourages, among other things, phonemic awareness (the sounds of language), fluency, accuracy and comprehension. The school reading specialists are also active partners in writing and implementing school improvement plans. Most of the reading specialists have a state reading endorsement (which requires additional education beyond the teaching credential) or have received specialized training as reading specialists. Perhaps most intriguing is that 75 percent of the second grade teachers have been professional educators for at least 11 years. Mona Elementary near Nephi earned the “best second grade readers in Utah” distinction. Haslem is a veteran teacher. He started at Neola Elementary (which ranked second), but he has been at Delta South Elementary School for the past 17 years. Haslem will present his findings to the Utah Rural Schools Association next week. KAREN PRISBREY / MESSENGER PHOTO Students at Gunnison Valley Elementary are served lunch by cafeteria workers Charlotte Follette, Nadine Hansen, and Shari Malmgren. School lunch cleverly Two students receive Gunnison Pride Awards mixed with politics for some great entrees By Tanya Y. Spencer Staff writer GUNNISON—Gunnison Valley High School faculty and administration have selected McKeisha Hermansen and Ryan Williams to receive the Gunnison Bulldog Pride Award. McKeisha, a senior, is the daughter of Scott and Mallory Hermansen of Gunnison. She is serving as the student body secretary. As a student body officer, McKeisha has helped to plan the activities including homecoming, the back-to-school dance and the assemblies. She is also serving on the Gunnison Youth City Council. McKeisha is a member of the National Honor Society and the band. She was also on the drill team for three years. Her hobbies are camping, four-wheeling and gymnastics. Ryan is the son of Craig and Nancy Williams. He is the student body activity director and has helped plan the school’s activities including mud volleyball and the carnival games for homecoming. Ryan is also involved in band and drama. He is comfortable as an actor and working the lights and sound for the productions. He is a self-proclaimed sports fanatic. He has played tennis for the past two years. Ryan says he has attended nearly all of the sport- By Karen Prisbrey Staff writer McKeisha Hermansen Ryan Williams ing events and tries to catch all the concerts and plays. Some of Ryan’s hobbies include hanging out and eating waffles at the Ashton’s. He enjoys driving around the most, but with the price of gas he says it is just too expensive. GUNNISON — Heddi Spaghetti, Rocco Taco, Pete Pizza, Ricky Chicken or Sally Salad are among the tasty menu selections students at Gunnison Elementary will have to choose from during National School Lunch week beginning Monday Oct. 9. These five entree choices, that research has shown are the most popular among school students, have been transformed into election candidates for students to vote on during the week of Oct. 2 through Oct. 6. The candidates receiving the most votes will be served during National School Lunch Week. According to GVES Cafeteria manager JoAnn Anderson, “cafeteria workers will present the candidates to students on Tuesday afternoon, Oct. 3. and ballots will be handed out at that time. Students are to hand in their votes by Friday, Oct. 6.” Entree choices for each candidate includes the following: Heddi Spaghetti: Spaghetti, tossed salad with ranch dressing, French bread, broccoli, Snicker doodles, and milk. Rocco Taco: Hard shell Tacos, broccoli, orange slices, frosted cinnamon roll, and milk. Pete Pizza: Pizza, green beans, veggies and dip, mandarin oranges, fruit pan dowdy, whipped topping and milk. Ricky Chicken: Chicken Nuggets with ranch dressing, potato wedges, tear bread, corn, rosy applesauce and milk. Sally Salad: Green Salad with ranch dressing, chicken noodle soup, yeast rolls, a fruit basket and milk. Because this will be a short school week due to UEA on Thursday and Friday, October, 12 and 13, students will vote for three choices on their ballots. Parents, grandparents, and siblings are invited to come to school and eat lunch with their students on Monday, Tuesday or Wednesday, Oct. 9 through the 11. Cost of the lunch is $2.50 for adults and $1.50 for children. Anderson says “that those eating lunches will need to contact the school at 528-7880 the day before you eat, or by 9:00 a.m. the day you want to attend, so that enough food has been prepared for students and their guests.” |