Show Home and School: Gunnison High will Vital Links President by LILY ESKELSEN Utah Education Association I like conferences always enjoy getting to finally meet each parent Although many would come to night I on the first week of school wouldn’t know the kids well enough to match each family face By conference lime some weeks after school opens I know my kids and want to know their parents The most frustrating part of is the extremey limconferences ited time I have so much to say and only about ten minutes to say it Parents can help make conferences more productive by coming prepared with some key information and key questions Let the teacher know how your child feels about school This is harder than it seems because the standard line from a kid when asked about school is “It’s boring” (By the way they say that about their I Start home life too) Be specific with something positive “He seems in the novel you very interested assigned him” “She likes earning reward points for good behavior" Then ask your questions AH the questions you’ve been saving up “John says you don’t care if his Will you work is spelled correctly tell me about that?” “How can we interests at Sally’s encourage home?” What are Kevin’s weaknesses? “Can you suggest home exercises to reinforce school lessons?” Remember can be questions asked in a hostile way which can put a teacher on the defensive They can also be asked in the spirit of understand to better wanting Conferences arc the best opportunity we have to become more effective partners Local schools will have more say in decisions and why? What’s new in The 1991 Legislature is providing $800000 for Site Based Decision Making Pilot Programs (Senate Bill 30) over a period to help local school communities function with greater autonomy and flexibility while holding them accountable for results This means that more power is being given to local schools to make decisions which will be best for their own situation - instead of having local and state school boards The eagermake those decisions ness of schools to raise their own expectations for excellence and their need for financial incentives to do it are also cited as reasons What must the programs be? The bill defines a decision making pilot program as one designed by a local school classified emgroup of teachers ployees administrators and parents who will make decisions on the school level on matters critical to reaching goals they have set for their school How are the funds being distributed? Sixteen pilot schools have been selected by the State Office of Education to participate in a pilot Each school will receive program an initial $25000 as money Senate Bill 30 calls for additional grants of $15000 each and the following year each will receive $10000 Manti High unof Lewis der the principalship Mullins is one of the sixteen schools chosen The bill requires that each pilot schoolwide set specific school academic and goals Sanpete Co Economic Development needs your help and ideas Sanpete County Office of Ecoand Utah nomic Development are Power and Light Company sponsoring a Forum Discussion on Tourism and Recreation in Sanpete October 17 County on Thursday 1991 at 7:30 pm Snow College West Campus Room 137 345 West The purpose of the 100 North meeting will be to identify and and tourism recreation discuss possibilities in Sanpete County sites like the This includes Skyline drive Fairview Museum Manti Temple and Yuba Lake but we need to idenmore importantly tify other recreation and tourism Is there a prime locapossibilities tion in our mountains or valley for cross country skiing snowmobil-inbicycling trails hiking trails tennis golf fishing or baseball other outdoor activities which could be developed for the benefit of us all We are also trying to identify and develop historic tourism sites Are there historic buildings which need to be preserved and restored? Are the sites in our county where an historic event occurred which need to be marked and remembered? Sanpete County has a history we all can be proud of We want to identify and preserve it The Sanpete County commisthe office of sion has authorized Economic Development to develop a masterplan on tourism in Sanpete This plan will be impleCounty over the mented and developed for next five years in preparation the State of Utah Centennial celebration in 1996 We invite and encourage all residents of Sanpete County who in tourism and its are interested to come and particidevelopment We need pate in the discussion everyone input and participation Divorced men lose contact with chidren Most divorced men have little or no contact with their children as the kids grow up a University of In North Carolina study showed fact of 261 divorced dads aged had frequent percent just contact with their grown children with 53 of married compared No married fathers had fathers lost contact with their gown children but one in three divorced dads did Although a good relationship with dad after divorce is found to the bighelp a child’s adjustment gest loser of all may turn out to be after he’s grown older the father Adult children in the US are a primary source of care giving to older people and divorced fathers arc the segment of the population that’s increasing most rapidly - ft 1 Close Up Foundation in particpate in both national and community affairs They want to become involved" said Lynch During the week the students will participate in numerous seminars and workshops with Washington officials where they will question the experts and then share their views with students from other areas of the country Included in the schedule will be a day on Capitol Hill where they will have the opportunity to observe the legislative process and often meet with members of Conan interest The Close up Foundation has again invited schools from across Utah to participate in its government studies program during the Invitations school year to the schools have been issued by die Foundation’s Heidi Lynch coordinator for Utah community who is developing meetings with teaches in the area Gunnison Valley High School arc one of the schools in the that will be participating program The Utah students will travel to during Washington weeks todcvclopan understanding and of die federal government current events An estimated 560 participants from Utah are expected this year “We offer the students the opas a portunity to see Washington living city by taking them into the buildings they often sec only on television and then questioning law and policy makers they may only read about gress A teacher from each of the Utah Schools will accompany the students not as a chaperon but as a participant in the program designed to acquaint them with issues and new educational methods To ensure that all types of students arc able to participate in the program Close Up provides fellowship funds to each of the schools for teachers and low income students “Through the experience we have found that they return home with Education Chief wrong in blaming parents for Utah school problems and State Governor Bangcrter School Superintendent Jay Taggart are wrong in blaming Utah parents for the failures of Utah public to Howard schools according President of the Utah Stephenson “It’s the Taxpayers Association system that’s at fault not parents” Stephenson said On Monday Governor Bangcrter gave Utah parents an “F” in his education report card Superintendent Taggart said he’s tired of parents beating him up for not doing a good job “Utah has the most dedicated parents of any state in the nation and for Governor Bangerter to give them an “F” shows that he’s out of touch with reality” Stephenson said “When parents are given freedom how and of choice in determining where their children are educated then they will deserve the praise or blame for how well their children “We’re talking about the things that have made the American economy work: freedom of choice and competition” Stephenson said “If we weren’t allowed to choose where we’d be up in wc buy groceries arms Surely our children’s education is even more important than groceries” he said Stephenson likened the American public educational system to the Soviet agricultural system “The incentives are the same the lack of control by the consumer is the same even our school reform movements are similar to the failed Soviet economic reforms of ten and fifteen years ago” he said areeducated Ourprescntmonopo-listicentrally planned educational parents system has disenfranchised and families from the educational process Parentshavelittlecontrol over which school their children attend or which teacher they get Only the wealthy can afford to make those kinds of choices and even they have to pay twice for education: once through taxes and again through tuition to a private school” school Stephenson said parents of eduage children should be given cational choice through a voucher we now the dollars where system student to spend would follow each whatever school the parents selected Schools would then have to comorder to obtain pete for students in Schools that failed to funding marketrespond to the education unless the place would not survive improved “Giving Utah parents an “F” for the failure of public schools is like “F” giving Soviet consumers an for the failure of the Soviet economic system” Mr Stephenson Utahns teachers shouldn’t said That would be get an “F” either like giving Soviet workers an”F” Soviet system the failure of for the It is the system that is at fault not We have an educathe people tional system where consumers of our educational product have very little say in what is done Even our teachers have little control over how they teach those children most are made by a of the decisions central planning bureaucracy Mr Stephenson said Utahns don’t have freedom of choice in educain those presently tion because control of the educational monopoly - the educational bureaucrats the union leaders and the slate PT A officials - don’t want to give up the bupower they have enjoyed as insiders for so many reaucratic decades ‘These ‘hardliners’ are the ones who deserve the failing grade” he said Where in the West is the water the best? All Utah Fourth graders That is one of many questions and answers Utah’s fourth graders will find in an informative water education booklet being distributed of Water by the Utah Division Resources to the state’s elementary schools The colorful comic book style pamphlet contains basic water facts and information about Utah’s water It is being distributed as part of Water Education Month in Utah during October The pamphlet introduces students will soon know to the hydrologic cycle sources of water water uses water systems water and treatment pollution cloud seeding and conservation much more It is an excellent source of information for teachers and to Virginia according parents Jensen water cducationconserva-tiocoordinator at the division contact For more information the Utah Division of Water Resources 1636 West North Temple SLC UT84116 Phone Annual Rifle Raffle The Annual Rifle Raffle is underway for the Gunnison Valley Jaycees The winner will win a featherweight 270 rifle with a 3x9 scope Tickets are available from all Jaycee members and at Rasmussens where they gun is on display Biggest single food operation in University’s Young Brigham Food Services dished out more than million meals to students staff and guests last year making it number one among colleges in the nation in meals served according and Institutions to Restaurants Magazine B YU has a very high participate more than 85 rate among the 6(XK) residents of its boarding halls One factor in the high number of meals served is the LDS Church’s Missionary Training Center located on the B YU campus contracts with BYU Food Services for its cafeteof the misria “More than 95 - sionaries participate” said Samuel Brooks BYU food services director In addition vending machines across campus concessions for the Utah is Marriott Center and Cougar Stadium and a large catering business bring in more than $23 million each year One of the biggest demands on the BYU operation occurs in August with BYU’s popular Education Week Nearly 30 (X)0 people from throughout the nation descend on the campus for the event Unlike many other college food which are subsidized by university funds and endowments BYU Food Services is completely “Wc pay all our self sustaining services own bills The single biggest food operation in Utah and one of the largest in the nation — isn’t located near any Golden Arches It operates in the shadow of the big block Y - Roger If the people who always apologize for taking so much of your time really meant it they wouldn't do it The secret of pubspeaking: think up a good beginning then a good ending Then keep them as close together as possible lic There's always an easy solution to every human problem - neat plausible and wrong The difference between a puppy and a sports fan is that a puppy stops making noise after a couple of weeks How many procrastinators does it take to screw in a light bulb? They're supposed to tell us tomorrow Don't put it off - open your IRA Account today at Gunnison Valley Bank Your Home FDIC Owned Independent Bank EQUAL HOUSING LENDER mmsmm Qffiiiana5i |