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Show Volume XXII Issue XI The Ogden Valley news Page 13 August 1, 2014 Sixth-Grade Students Write about Valley Elementary Implements WholeBeing Part of Their Community School Reading Initiative: Volunteers needed Our school began a near skill level to improve fluency, vocabulary, writ- Sixth graders at Valley Elementary were recently asked to submit essays for an essay contest sponsored by the Community Foundation of Ogden Valley (CFOV). The theme was, “How I Can Be a Part of the Community Foundation for Ogden Valley, or Here’s How I Benefit by Giving Money or Time, or Both, to Help Others through the CFOV. Ten cash awards of $25 each were awarded to ten students for their winning essays, which are being printed in The Ogden Valley news. C O M M U N I T Y F O U N D AT I O N O F OGDEN VALLEY Support Paradise By McCady Creager Ogden Valley is a paradise of blue skies, alfalfa fields, farms, and friends. The CFOV, or Community Foundation of Ogden Valley, is an organization that keeps the Valley in good appearance. The CFOV has supported walkways for pedestrians that would otherwise be forced into weeds by the road, and parks, and many other features. I can help them in many ways. I can pick noxious weeds on the trails, and respect our parks. Attending the Amazing Raise (sort of like a carnival race) helps raise money for them. Donating money is a big help to them, which I can participate in. But one very effective thing I could do is to call them and ask them what I can do to help them. You can report any vandalism to them, too. The CFOV has improved our valley and I can show my appreciation to them by donating money and enjoying what they’ve done to supply the Valley with more things that we can do. Going for walks on pathways is a pleasuring moment as you look up at the mountains, clouds drifting away from the trees, or listen to a bird’s song. The Valley is a remarkable part of the Rocky Mountains that the CFOV is making even a better place. I can do a lot to assist them. LETTERS TO THE EDITOR cont. from page 2 hunting and trapping seasons are, then avoid those places. Maybe do some more homework and meet the dyers woad guy and pull weeds. Maybe you need to go to a place that has a HOA (homeowners association). Then you can vent and make the rules! My name is John Montgomery and I approve of this message. John Montgomery, Liberty EDITOR’S VIEW cont. from page 3 ing planning elements that, theoretically are guided by the plan, state that future planning and zoning should help protect air quality and water resources, identify and promote the preservation of open space, establish mechanisms to preserve open space in the Valley, identify sensitive lands within the Valley and ensure that development does not harm them. Also, planning ordinances and decisions should be made and adopted to ensure that wildlife and wildlife habitat protection are considered in the planning processes, and that critical wildlife habitat areas, and a means for their protection, are identified and adopted; and, finally, the Valley’s rural atmosphere and rural lifestyle should be maintained. My response to this vision adopted by the Valley-wide community as a roadmap to guide our elected officials as they administer and govern unincorporated Ogden Valley, and the resounding dissonance found when one stops to take a hard look at the actual development that has occurred and is continuing to transpire in Ogden Valley, is best expressed in the form of an exasperated question . . . What happened!? I have a personal vision for the Valley, too, not much different than the Vision Statement adopted in the 90’s. I have a vision of people coming to the Valley whose only goal is to appreciate and respect the treasure that it is— not to exploit, pander, or pimp it for economic gain. I have a vision that those who visit and live in Ogden Valley will respect its heritage and history. I have a vision that whatever measures needed will be taken to ensure that cool, clean waters continue to flow in her streams and through her deep, rich aquifers, which are the sustenance of life absolutely necessary to sustain sensitive ecosystems that make the Wasatch Mountains and Ogden Valley so unique. I have a vision that, by the time I die, a clear blue daytime canopy and a star-studded evening awning will continue to crown and glorify this bit of heaven on earth; and that, as I lie awake late into the still of a cool summer evening, the only sound I hear, will be the richness of pure silence. I have a vision that someday the commercial raping of our mountains and mountain tops will cease—no more garish, overbearing commercial music fests, no more motocross events, no more jumbo screens in the tops of the mountains, no more irreverence—just soulfilling serenity and the beauty and entertainment provided courtesy of Mother Nature. And the only price to hold on to these most precious of all commodities . . . an insistent doggedness and commitment to protect these assets through responsible community involvement and speaking up loudly in their defense. As a community, let’s band together and change the way we’ve been doing business; let’s protect what’s truly important, and educate our elected officials on what are vision truly is for our community, then ensure they are accountable for supporting this vision; let’s turn the tide when it comes to winners and losers, and make sure that the winners are those who are truly vested in our community. A copy of Mr. Ewert’s recent study, Ogden Valley Maximum Zoning Density Study, can be viewed by visiting <www.co.weber.ut.us/ mediawiki/images/2/2b/7-16-14_--_Zoning_ Density_Study_FINAL_IMGUPDATE.pdf> Protect Nature By Bryce Ferrin One of my family’s favorite things to do is to go biking along the bike path in Ogden Valley. I like the bike path because it is beautiful, long, and my legs get a good workout. I am glad that there are people out there like members of the CFOV who want to protect nature and its beauty. I would be glad to donate my time and money to the CFOV. Each year my family participates in the Amazing Raise. It gives me an opportunity to donate money to support the CFOV. I want people to feel inspired to help protect nature. I am so glad that the CFOV is around to protect nature. I Can Be Part of the CFOV By Hannah Hill I can be a part of the Community Foundation for Ogden Valley by donating my time. I could clean up the Eden Park before I leave, because I live right next to the park, and go there often, and I am very grateful to have the park by my house! I also ride my bike on the trails by my house when I go to school. I can clean up the trails if there is garbage, and not litter on the trails. I am so grateful that there are trails by my house, because I can get to my friend’s house by using them, and I can ride my bike to and from school. I can help the community by cleaning up after myself wherever I go, and help everyone else clean up after themselves too! I can also help my community by cleaning up dyer’s woad; this will make the community look much better! This will be a good thing for my community because we will be cleaner, the community will be cleaner, and there won’t be garbage all over the parks, roads, and sidewalks. It will be a much better thing now that our community is clean! school-wide (K-5) small group reading initiative last year in an effort to increase student reading achievement on the DIBELS assessment. We have utilized small group reading strategies for many years, but this was the first time we focused efforts on a program school-wide. The DIBELS acronym stands for Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills. This assessment system is a set of procedures and measures for assessing the acquisition of early literacy skills for students from kindergarten through sixth grade. The program we chose to highlight in the small group instruction was called Read Naturally. The Read Naturally Strategy combines the three powerful, research-proven strategies of teachermodeling, repeated reading, and progress monitoring to create an effective tool that individualizes instruction and improves reading proficiency. Using adult support, and tracking their progress, students work with high-interest material at their ing, and comprehension. Many wonderful volunteers helped us with these reading groups last year. The small groups allowed us to work with every child daily to improve reading and writing skills. At year end, grade-level reading accuracy improved across the board according to DIBELS measurements. We plan to continue the effort this year in grades Kindergarten thru sixth, and hope to involve as many wonderful volunteers as possible. We need volunteers to read with students every Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday from 8:50 to 10:10 a.m. Please join us in assisting our students be the best they can be! If you would like to help but are unable to come on all four days, we will work to arrange a schedule that will accommodate the times you are available. For more information, please contact Valley Elementary Reading Specialist Mrs. Wendy Zaccardi at wzaccardi@wsd.net or by calling the school at 801-452-4180. Youth Essay Contest Announced in Preparation for OV Constitution Day A call for youth essays has been announced for the Ogden Valley Constitution Day Event slated for Wednesday, September 17, 2014. Entries should be no more than one (1) page long and on the subject, “How I can uphold and defend the Constitution.” This essay contest is for residents of Ogden Valley and Ogden Canyon who are between the ages of 8 - 12 and 13 - 17. Winners of the essay contest, from both categories, will receive prize money in amounts to be determined shortly, and will read their essays at this fall’s Constitution event. Please send your essay, along with your name, age, address, and contact information to Nathan Buttars at <buttarslaw@gmail.com> Winning essays will be chosen by a panel of independent and neutral judges. Watch for more announce- ments in The Ogden Valley news. Also, this is a call for sponsors for the winners of the Youth Essay Contest of the Ogden Valley Constitution Day event. Inquiries for sponsoring one of the youth winners of the essay contest can be sent to Nathan Buttars at <buttarslaw@gmail. com> Thank you, in advance, for providing our youth increased incentives to reflect on, research, and write about our enduring Constitution. Finally, this is also a call for local artists to display their patriotic art. You can display as many pieces as you would like, and you are also permitted to sale your art at the September event. Inquiries should be sent to Forrest Brown at <brownfamily09@msn.com> Thank you for your support of this most important event! |