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Show OR EM TIMES Thursday, August 23, 2007 mm Page 6 (QM M(; S MM) IDEAS Scera Park prepares for the new year Melissa Mayntz I'iii i-nls m;i spi-nd ;i week or two till', hi;' m hcx, supplies, shopping tor new dress code li u-ndlv atliM' ;iml Ionising on oilier k io school necessities, necessi-ties, bill I h schools themselves liuve ;t mil' h more i -(implicated pirn ess i ' ensure ih;it every -l Mm; run smoothly on the ! ir si d;iv S i i i I 'ar k I leinentarv. with Its I i'l .Indents anil 20 levellers levell-ers he;1,. in preparing lor the von," ;;iiiih school year' m April, ,n c . ii i In i', lo I oni ( ;irter. I he sc hool's pi ini ipal " I luil s when I know what ins ,latl needs are." Carter said ( in rent lacull v members ai e involved in I he interview pi i es . v. h Ii ' arl'-r said help, the laeiiltv select new hiIm i s u ho will (unci ion well as pai l ol a grade level ieam I eacher s must have ( lasses, and th.it is the next step that Si eta I 'ark takes to prepare lor the upcoming year. In May, ( 'arter meets with teachers toon! lure student class place-inenls place-inenls lor the next year. He includes t he tear hers' input, he said, because they know very Ballroom dance team begins training at camp Melissa Mayntz I he ( )l IS ballroom dance team headed hack into training train-ing with an intensive i amp last week before the students headed hack into the classroom on I uesdav. ( irganicd by coaches lirad and Michelle I laymond, this is I he first year I he ballroom team has participated in a summer sum-mer i amp session, but the 1 1 ay -nionds lelt it would be a good av lo help the team prepare lor the coming year. "We w anted to provide the kids an opportunity toget right bark into the swing of things." Hi ad I laymond said. Throughout the summer, the dance team has met weekly for practice, but the camp was a more intensive training session focusing on refreshing students about basic steps and introducing introduc-ing some conditioning techniques tech-niques and new choreography. "Several of the students who are on our team have not had much ballroom training in the past, so we're building a foundation that we can work II1 VJJ Mi 11 UJJ n w ; LNr 'H kVMIf.Uw kl4Vytfi4iiJlJI A INSMtANCE AGENCY home auto life business no TO (W 374-0395 v w i 1 ' mm E 601 West Stata 8t. - tehl 768-3312 763 S Hwy 91 - Payson 465-9898 1476 N Freedom Blvd - Provo 377-3674 , 333 N Freedom Blvd -Latino Branch.. 655-0777 ) 90 W. Center St - Spanish Fork 798-1423 757 E 400 So. - SprtngvMa 491-8993 ' 309 S Main - Nephl 1-435-623-2322 ! 315 W Mam - Eureka 1-435-433-2008 . . K LA. ..... FROM CLASSROOMS AND EDUCATORS well each student's strengths and weaknesses and can help match them up with the tear her who will best fit their educational needs. " The teachers have an important im-portant role in this," he said. "We do this as a team." ' Classes must also be balanced bal-anced with the appropriate numbers of students and a mix of genders, academic abilities and other traits. Just hiring teachers and assigning as-signing students is not enough to prepare a school for a new academic year, however. "Another important aspect of gelling back to school is of course the building," Carter said. At the end of the school year. Carter asks teachers to turn in summer repair needs lists lor their classrxms, and he prepares a master set of summer maintenance tasks that the custodial staff attends to alter the year ends. Tasks typically include lighting and plumbing repairs, cleaning desks, repairing windows, pruning trees and waxing floors. While the school's repairs are completed during the summer, teachers are also preparing for the new year by from," Brad I laymond said. At the same time, the camp also helped students come toget her to build camaraderie camarade-rie and team spirit to get the school year off to a good start. "We wanted the kids to spend some time together and give them a chance to bond as a team," Michelle I laymond said. "We also wanted to get everyone on the same page and to get started on our routines." There are 22 students on the ballrrxMn dance team this year, with several openings still available for young men. The initial tryouts were in May, but the I laymonds plan to hold additional ad-ditional tryouts beginning Monday Mon-day to fill the open positions. "It's always a struggle to fill all the spots for men," Brad I laymond said. I Xiring the summer practices, practic-es, the I laymonds focused on basic techniques and planned around team members' absences absenc-es for scouting, family vacations vaca-tions and other camps. "We expected that we would have people gone all summer long," Michelle Haymond said, though she was pleased that f Mrnf Richard foote www.footeinsurance.com 305 N. FREEDOM BLVD. PROVO r v r v .a m. -0 J w AS W Or Wlb.V I A A. I I 1 federally insured up lo S250.0U attending professional training and workshops. Every Scera Park teacher attended a three day intensive training seminar this summer presented by the state of Utah and focusing on math and science techniques. Carter also attended different administrative meetings and workshops to refresh his own skills. Other summer tasks include updating the student and faculty fac-ulty handbooks and adjusting the school's budget as necessary neces-sary to meet the needs of the upcoming year. One of the most important summer tasks for both teachers teach-ers and principals preparing for a new school year is vacation. vaca-tion. Carter said that the time off helps everyone refresh themselves and rejuvenate their energy for the rigors of a new school year. According to Carter, back to school preparation does not end when students enter the classroom. There are many tasks that need to be focused on during the first few days to ensure that students get off to a great start, including meeting meet-ing parents at Back to School Night, posting class lists and helping new students find their way around the building. the majority of the team members mem-bers were able to make most of the practices. The camp, then, was organized orga-nized as an intense refresher after the more mild summer practices, and ended with a car wash fundraiser. Because the OHS ballroom dance team is still a new organization, funding can be a challenge. Competition fees, travel costs, costumes, music editing and guest choreographers' fees add up quickly. "A simple dress in the ballroom ball-room world can easily cost $300 to $500," Michelle Haymond Hay-mond said. At the same time, the Hay-monds Hay-monds practice different levels of economy to make the sport more affordable. Michelle Haymond said the team will buy used dresses or adopt older costumes for new routines rou-tines whenever possible. Brad Haymond said the team is also interested in arranging sponsorships spon-sorships and donations, both of which are tax deductible for the businesses involved. "We are a young program and we're still working out the Liixr n : 1 i ii mill ii i ii 1 1 1 i ii mi in m r ' RossScKofie : "" ' ' ( BH mm IS J. Carter emphasized that parents' back to school preparation prepa-ration should not end on the first day of school either. Parents who get involved and volunteer in the school offer invaluable services to teachers and students. That support is crucial for students' success, and Carter said that Scera Park Elementary is very fortunate for-tunate to have highly involved parents. "We have a wonderful, wonderful won-derful set of parents here at Scera Park," he said. For Carter, the best part of preparing for the beginning of a new school year is seeing the months of effort pay off when students are excited to start a new year. "There's such a gleam in their eye and excitement in their face," he said. Carter will be very visible in the next week as he introduces intro-duces himself to every class and takes pictures of students enjoying their first few days of class. Those pictures will become part of an end of the year video in May to celebrate this year's successes, and that excitement ex-citement is the best motivation of all to make preparations for another great year. sponsorships," he said. The Haymonds are especially espe-cially interested in successful fundraising this year as they hope to qualify for a tour opportunity op-portunity at the end of the school year that would involve performances at Southern California Cali-fornia schools and Disneyland as well as workshop opportunities opportuni-ties with professional ballroom dancers. The tour would take place in June, but audition tapes must be submitted in March. The ballroom team will also be participating in the Latin Formation Team Medley category cat-egory at the national competition competi-tion at BYU for the first time this year, and multiple performances, perfor-mances, concerts and other competitions are planned. With so much planned throughout the school year, the early camp is essential to help dancers perfect their skills and prepare for their first performance per-formance at the homecoming assembly on Sept. 14. The first competition will be at BYU in early November, and the Haymonds hope that the early training will shine once the students stu-dents take the floor. Find New & Used Building Materials & More for a LOT LESS at our Home Improvement Outlet Factory demo Little Giant Ladders $100 off retail Never-installed Amsco & Aspen windows $6.50sq ft New range hoods still in boxes New wood and vinyl blinds-still in boxes New doors and door hardware Half price on all paint for rest of July Furniture, plumbing, cabinets and much much more. All proceeds go towards building homes for Utah Families Habitat for Humanity 626 N. Freedom Blvd., Provo PfOQWfO Cfl, 3REST0R for questions UVCJIJ C (373-7867) 10-6 M-f, 9-3 Sat Orem High School Welcome dance There will be a Fall Welcome dance Saturday from 8-11 p.m. in the school gym. Call 227-8765 for more details. Hi Week Orem High will celebrate Hi Week Aug. 27-31 27-31 with a series of activities to welcome students back to school and get ready for a great school year. The festivities festivi-ties will end with an assembly Aug. 31. Dance team openings The OHS Ballroom Dance Team has several openings available for new members, particularly young men. No prior experience is necessary. Tryouts will begin Aug. 27. Contact Brad or Michelle Haymond for details. Update emergency information informa-tion Parents are encouraged encour-aged to update all emergency contact information, including includ-ing cell phone numbers and e-mail e-mail addresses, by contacting the Main Office. Canyon View Junior High School Magazine drive fundraiser The annual magazine drive fundraiser kicks off Wednesday. Wednes-day. This is a great opportunity opportu-nity to renew subscriptions and help raise money for Canyon View. Call 227-8748 for details. School photos School pictures pic-tures will be taken Aug. 31, including photos for student identification cards. Retakes will be offered at a later date. Cascade Elementary Join the PTA Parents are encouraged to join the Cascade Cas-cade PTA and help support valuable school programs such as Red Ribbon Week, teacher appreciation, Reflections Reflec-tions and more. Volunteer opportunities are available. Call 227-8707 for more information. infor-mation. Foothill Elementary Kindergarten assessments Kindergarten assessments continue through Monday by appointment only. Parents who did not receive an appointment ap-pointment letter in the mail should call 227-2465 for more information. The first day of school for kindergarten students stu-dents is Tuesday. Back to School Night Parents Par-ents are invited to Back to School Night Aug. 30 from 6:30-8 p.m. to walk due Hillcrest Elementary Back 'to school fair Today is the last day for the back to school book fair from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the school library. All profits will be used to help purchase library books, classroom class-room DVD players and other media equipment. Volunteers needed Parent Par-ent volunteers are needed to help out in individual classrooms. class-rooms. Interested parents can contact their child's teacher for more information and opportunities. op-portunities. Scera Park Elementary Hearing tests Hearing tests will be administered to all kindergarten, first, third and fifth grade students on Wednesday. Storyteller assembly Scera Park students will participate in a storyteller assembly as-sembly Wednesday to focus on the fun of reading and literacy. Call 227-8730 for details. Fifth, sixth grade field trip Fifth and sixth grade students will visit the Timpanogos Storytelling Festival on Aug. 31. Parents should contact their child's fifth or sixth grade teacher for more information. Sharon Elementary School Back to School night Parents Par-ents are invited to Back to School Night Wednesday from 6-8 p.m. to meet students' stu-dents' teachers and visit classrooms. class-rooms. PTA sign-ups will also be available. Hearing tests Hearing tests will be given to all first, third and fifth grade students on Wednesday. Call 227-8733 for details. Noah Webster Academy Souper Can fundraiser The Souper Cans fundraiser continues through Monday. Call 426-6624 for more information. infor-mation. Parent training Right Start Parent Training will be offered covering kindergarten, kindergar-ten, first and second grade math skills on Aug. 30 from 6:30-8 p.m. This training teaches parents techniques to help their students with important academic skills. Contact the Main Office for details. 801-224-0921 Aleef Betsy, our latest Orchard Park graduate. When Betsy came to us in January of this year, she had been unable to a long-standing medical LI condition. Her goal was to someday walk out of Orchard Park. On August 9th she did just that. Betsy is a living example of what one can accomplish with hard work and courage. mm 1 1 |