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Show Teacher prep period concerns school board by Kathleen Irving If it can be accomplished at little cost, elementary students throughout through-out the Uintah School District may be dismissed 45 minutes to two hours early one day each week for 25 weeks to allow teachers time for preparation. The period of time the students will be free will vary by school. Discovery Principal Wayne Gurney presented the suggestion, along with several others, to board members as they anxiously awaited election returns last Tuesday. Gurney reminded the board, at whose request his committee was formed, that, unlike secondary teachers, elementary teachers have no preparation time during the regular regu-lar school day. 'There is obviously a need for our teachers to prepare for classes," said Gumey. "Being better prepared means a better education for our kids." Gurney said his committee's first choice option was to have the district dis-trict employ specialists to teach computers, art, music and physical education which would free up classroom teachers during the day for preparation time. Given the currently cur-rently tight district budget, however, he said they were not recommending recommend-ing that plan for this year. He then introduced the option of dismissing children early one day each week which is being done in other districts in the state. "It is fully possible to release the AIDS spokesperson to headline Sen. Hatch's women's conference Mary Fisher, a member of the National Commission on AIDS, will headline Sen. Orrin Hatch's 8th annual women's conference Friday, Nov. 20, at the Salt Lake Salt Palace. Fisher first gained recognition when former President Ford appointed ap-pointed her to travel to numerous states to do advance work for the White House, but it was her candid outspokenness concerning AIDS that gave her national prominence. Fisher, who was infected with the HIV virus by her former husband, was appointed to the Commission on AIDS by President Bush, replacing replac-ing "Magic" Johnson. Fisher will relate her own experiences in fighting fight-ing the deadly virus. Fisher is the mother of two and was recently honored with the prestigious pres-tigious AmFAR Award of Courage because of her work on public awareness on HIVAIDS. The theme of the conference is Discovering the Diversity and Unity To Your Aging tips for elderly population Uintah Basin Public Health Department People are living longer than ever before, with the over 65 population increasing the fastest. The National Institute on Aging recently announced its 10 tips for healthy aging. Eat a balanced diet. The same advice applies to everyone: watch the fat intake. Eat more grains, vegetables veg-etables and fruits. Appetite decreases decreas-es as we age but it is important to eat a good diet on a regular basis to keep up your health. Regular exercise exer-cise will generate an appetite as well as keeping your bones and muscles stronger and healthier. Don't smoke. It is never too late to quit a tobacco habit. The benefits of quitting far outweigh your excuses for continuing. Practice safety habits at home to prevent falls and fractures. Falls arc the leading cause of death from injury for people over 65. Many falls can be prevented by maintaining maintain-ing menial and physical health and by cultivating good safety habits. All people can prevent falls by their atlitudc and actions: care about safety; recognize a potential accident acci-dent situation when you sec it and avoid it; be aware of your abilities and limitations and use proper judgment; judg-ment; do things the safe way even if it takes longer or is more difficult. Always wear your scatbclt. students for two hours each week and still meet the state requirement of providing 990 hours of studentteacher contact time per year." The state has changed its yearly school-in-session requirement from 180 days to 990 hours to eliminate the possibility of counting minimum days as full days in the classroom. The 990 hours averages out to 5.5 school hours per day for 180 days. All of the schools in the Uintah District hold classes longer than the required 990 hours. Board vice president Gene Anfinson derided the suggestion asking if teachers were just tired or wanted less student contact time. "Here we are back to minimums again," he said in reference to the proposed cutback in school attendance atten-dance hours. "Do they just want . more time off?" Gurney assured him that was not the case. He said that elementary teachers are responsible to teach seven required subjects, and given the change in schedules made this year to accommodate bussing, they had no contract time in which to prepare for their classes. "We have teachers who stay at school until 8 and 9 at night trying to prepare for the next day. They'll still do that even if we give them extra preparation time, but they need a show of support. We will not let inservice or anything else interfere in-terfere with that time; We will require re-quire them to stay at the school." Davis Elementary Principal Dixie Allen supported Gurney's proposal. of Women, and Fisher is but one of several prominent speakers. Helen Thomas, White House correspondent correspon-dent and bureau chief for United Press-International, will be keynote speaker. "This conference will bring together to-gether experts on a variety of subjects," sub-jects," Hatch said. "We'll be hearing hear-ing from specialists on women in management, domestic violence, stress, reconstructive surgery, and hear from those who have survived cancer." Other workshops during the daylong day-long conference will include topics on minority unity, blending families, fami-lies, financial realities, medical myths, and the effects of television and the media. Senator Hatch will also address what can be accomplished under the Clinton Administration and what the "year of the woman" means for Congress. 'This should be one of the best conferences we've had," Hatch added. , Health Don't drink and drive. If you drink, do so in moderation, and let someone else drive. Avoid overexposure to the sun and the cold. Keep personal and financial records in order to simplify budgeting budget-ing and investing. Plan long-term housing and financial needs. Maintain contact with family and friends. Stay active through work, recreation and community. Keep a positive attitude toward life. Do things that make you happy. Getting old is a fact of life. With current medical advances it is conceivable con-ceivable a majority of us will live to be a "ripe old age." Your health practices can affect your quality of life while you are young and when you get older. Be sure to get regular check-ups. It is never too late to make the needed changes to have the best quality of life as is individually individ-ually possible. Temperr.;ures Dale. High. Low. Nov. 3 44 26 Nov. 4 41 27 .01 Nov. 5 45 26 Nov. 6 47 26 Nov. 7 50 27 Nov. 8 44 21 .07 Nov. 9 46 26 She referred to research she and board member Ed Oscarson had completed which showed that students stu-dents do not benefit as much from extended school hours per day or school days per year as they do from having well prepared teachers. Other board members asked if consideration had been given to the impact the early dismissal would have on parents. "I know there are some parents who would think this was great," said board president Dennis Judd, "but there are going to be a lot of parents concerned about day care. We have to remember the problems we had when we changed the start schedule for the schools this year." While Gurney acceded his committee com-mittee had considered family impact, im-pact, he offered no solutions for the potential problem. He also said the district would need to find funding for 10 hours of bus driver time and an additional 274 transport miles per week, if his proposal is accepted. accept-ed. The board directed district staff members to determine whether the state would reimburse transportation costs and asked that a public hearing hear-ing be scheduled in early December before officially acting on the proposal. pro-posal. They did, however, allow students at West Middle School one Friday off per month for teacher training and preparation. Students at West are currently in class an equivalent of 21.6 days longer than required. This action will trim 7 days from regular attendance and have no financial impact on the dis State-wide town meeting to address public prayer A state-wide town meeting of the Religious Liberty Committee will be held today, Nov. 11, at 7 p.m. using us-ing the Education Network (ED-NET), (ED-NET), a two-way, audio and video, closed circuit microwave television system that will connect different population centers throughout the state. The meeting will be held through the system at Uintah High School, Media Center. The public is invited to address the committee and express their views as to what, if anything, the committee should recommend to the 1993 Legislature. The 20-member Religious Liberty Committee which was appointed by Legislative 'leadership 'lead-ership has been studying the implications impli-cations of a court decision to eliminate elimi-nate prayer in public meetings. Entries needed for Christmas parade Nov. 27 The Vernal Chamber of Commerce's Christmas committee is finalizing plans for the kick-off to Christmas in Vernal. The last parade of the year, the annual an-nual Christmas parade, will begin at 4:30 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 27 at the roller skating rink on West Main Street in Vernal. The parade route will travel east on Main Street to the Utah Field House Museum and the Dinosaur Gardens for the annual lighting of the Gardens. Parade participants are needed! Anyone who would like to enter in the parade should contact Shirley Freestone at 781-1217, Lucille Caldwell at 789-0686 or the Chamber of Commerce, 789-1352. Dirk Labrum's Patented award-winning award-winning TRINITRON tubes give the sharpest, brightest picture ever available. SONY'S exclusive flat screen gives the absolute brightest and most dynamic color picture. Seeing Is believing. Dirk Labrum's In business since 1974. We're here to stay I trict Principal Sherrill Lamb said the action is also consistent with the four day week worked by many parents par-ents of the school's native population. popula-tion. Board members also took no official offi-cial action on the proposal to grandfather grand-father Chapter 1 teaching aides back into their full benefit plan. The aides are contracted to work 7 hours daily and, as of this school year, are required to pay part of their health insurance costs. The group contends con-tends their seven hour day should be considered a full-time equivalency, just as the days of six hour cooks and four hour bus drivers are. A committee headed by Superintendent Grant Drollinger recommended that the benefits not be restored this year. Drollinger said that because the 1992-93 budget was set, the only way the district could pay full benefits was to eliminate elimi-nate part-time positions it has currently cur-rently filled. He suggested the aides wait until spring to renegotiate their benefit package. A representative for the aides was asked to poll the group to determine whether they would rather have the part-time positions eliminated this year and receive their benefits or wait for negotiations. The school board will not hold its regular meeting Nov. 23 in honor of the Thanksgiving holiday. They meet again Dec. 1. The swearing in ceremony for the three recently elected board members, Valda Massey, Gene Harvey and Brian Spendlove, is tentatively scheduled for the first week in January. Some legal experts believe this decision de-cision may also impact teaching of religions in public schools. Beginning at 8 a.m. on Monday, Nov. 9, reservations for a three minute time slot on the agenda will be taken at the Office of Legislative Research and General Counsel in Room 436 of the State Capitol, 538-1032, 538-1032, until the available time on the EDNET system is occupied. If all the available time is not reserved in this process, a sign up sheet will be available on a first come first serve basis, but due to the time restrictions restric-tions and the technical nature of the EDNET system, the committee is only able to guarantee a place on the agenda for people who make reservations reser-vations within the three-hour allotted allot-ted time restriction. You Are Invited to a FREE Public Education Seminar The Fail Proof Way to Pass Along Your Estate to Your Heirs Without Lawyers, Courts, or the Probate System. PLACE: GOLDEN AGE CENTER 155 S. 100 W., Vernal, Utah DATE: THURS. NOV. 19 at 1 p.m. - 2:30 p.m. & 7 p.m. - 8:30 p.m. Sponsored by: Larry & Janis Nash, TTS FINANCIAL Featuring: Richard H. Bradley, Attorney-at-Law R.S.V.P. - 789-5000 The Presentation will discuss: How to avoid the cost of Probate & State Taxes Estate Planning & the New Tax Laws When a Living Trust is appropriate, or Family Limited Partnership Features the best In the The Sony VHS VCR Technologically superior. Operationally simple 660 West Main, Votnal 789-507 1 Hour; Mon Vernal Express First woman Joins Vernal Guard The first woman to join the Vernal Unit of the Utah Army National Guard signed up last month. Angela G. Rodriguez is not a newcomer to the military. She has 15 years experience in the military, eight years were in Germany. She has received numerous commendations commenda-tions for her military service. 'There are so many women in the military, I don't think my enlistment in the Vernal Unit is a big deal," she said. "Some in the unit may still be in shock." She became interested in the local guard unit after finding the Vernal BLM offices and seeing the Guard Armory across the street. Ms. Rodriguez is a resident of Jensen. She graduated from Columbia College in business in 1991. Senate Committee appoints two new Judges In preparation for Senate confirmation confir-mation of Judges, Ms. Kay Aldrich Lindsay was appointed as Juvenile Court Judge in the Fourth and Eighth Judicial Districts, and Mr. Guy R. Bumingham was appointed as District Court Judge of the Fourth Judicial District. These individuals were appointed to replace retiring Juvenile Court Judge Merrill L. Hermanscn and retiring re-tiring District Court Judge Cullen Y. Christensen. The Fourth District includes in-cludes Juab, Millard, Utah, and Wasatch Counties. The Eighth Judicial District consists of Daggett, Duchesne, and Uintah Counties. The Senate Confirmation Committee met yesterday, Nov. 10, 1992 at 3 p.m. in room 305 State Capitol, to make a recommendation to the Senate on the confirmations. The Senate will meet on Nov 18. A new law passed during the 1992 General Session provides that comments com-ments received by the Judiciary Senate Confirmation Committee LIVING TRUSTS TTTTTTTTYT business today. - Thura 9am-7pm, Frl & Sat 9anv9pm E m SONY ,rj Ey 3 I Wednesday, Nov. 11, 1992 I i' ,'; ANGELA G. RODRIGUEZ is the first woman to join the Vernal Utah Army National Guard unit. will be reviewed by the chairman of the committee and two members of that committee, one selected by the president of the Senate and one selected se-lected by the Senate minority leader, to determine whether a committee meeting or a public hearing should be held. The statute, established by Senate Resolution No. 7, provides procedures for Senate confirmation of judges and permits senators to review re-view appointees and public reactions reac-tions to appointees prior to a vole regarding confirmation. A public hearing is not mandatory, but will be held if any one of the three committee com-mittee members requests it. The resolution provides that the Senate Judiciary Confirmation Committee be composed of no more than seven Senators. Members of the committee arc Senator Dclpha A. Baird (R-Holladay), chair, and Senators Haven J. Barlow (R-Layton), (R-Layton), Lylc W. Hillyard (R-Logan), (R-Logan), Craig A. Peterson (R-Orcm), (R-Orcm), Karen Shepherd (D-Salt Lake City), and Robert C. Stcincr (D-SaltLakc City). Shop from your home first! Check the ads in the Vernal Express. How to best hold title to property & protect it How to Limit Heroic Medical Care How to tell if your Will is obsolete Secure guardianship for your minor children A.S.C. NASA bought theirs. Have you bought yours? We will not be undersold by anyonel A.S.C. Initunt t(nndng with APC 8 burnt no pnymont til Fb. 93 ra CED i ) |