Weber High School competed in the UHSAA/Unified Sports State Track meet held at Copper Hills, and emerged as the State Champions.

Unified Sports is a team event that pairs two special needs students with two other students from their high school to compete in events. The four team members participate in the events and their times are combined together to determine the winners.

The events included: 100 meters dash, 200 meter dash, 4 x 100 relay, 4 x 400 relay, Shot Put, Long Jump and the 400.

Weber won the 400 and the 4 x 100. They took 3^rd in the shot put and 5^th in the 100 and 200, and took 3^rd in the long jump.

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Students from across Weber School District participated in the Math and Science Olympiad and Iron Kid dual events held at Weber County Fairgrounds on May 12-13. This annual 2-day event gives students the opportunity to compete with their peers in math, science, and fitness challenges.

Two to three students are chosen from grades 3, 4, 5, and 6 from each school in the district to participate. In the weeks prior to the Olympiad and Iron Kid, students practice their skills by playing math and science games such as Set, Krypto, Pentominoes, and Tile Trials. Schools also participate in fitness activities and competitions. Top contenders in each event are chosen to represent their respective school and grade at the Olympiad and Iron Kid at the Fairgrounds. 

In the Math and Science Olympiad, trials are timed and the top teams are awarded 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place medals. The Olympiad concludes with a propeller car race. The Iron Kid event also has timed trials in which the kids place in 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place. The Iron Kid event culminates in a timed hula hoop contest. Contenders left standing at the end of their timed trial are awarded a medal. All participants in the Iron Kid event are given a participation ribbon.

The kids all expressed their excitement at being able to represent their school and their grade level in this year's competition. Nerves aside, they were all happy to get away from the classroom for the day and enjoy competing with their peers.

We would like to thank the small army of staff, faculty, and volunteers that helped make this year's event a success.

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According to the 2014 ACT statistics, 1,845,787 students took the ACT. Out of those 1,845,787 students, 1,407 got a perfect score of 36. For those doing the math, that's 0.076 percent. If a student scores a 33 or higher they are considered to be in the top one percent of test-takers and, according to many, are in "Ivy-League Territory," meaning that competitive schools start looking at them more closely. However, a student scoring a perfect 36 is nearly unheard of; but not for Bonneville High School junior Jared Christiansen.

"I looked it up on my phone because I didn't know when the scores were going to be posted and I was like, ‘Wait...that says 36. What?!'" Jared says he couldn't believe it.  He immediately told his family and then told a couple of friends. Jared's mom, MaryAnn Christiansen, says that Jared has been very humble about the whole thing. He hasn't wanted the attention from it at school, but she said that everyone has been very excited for him and very positive which has been fun.

As a student who is involved in the cross country team, the track team, keeps up on all of his homework, and still finds time to hang out with his friends, Jared didn't have too much time to focus on strictly studying for the ACT. Both Jared and MaryAnn recommend that every student plan on taking the test twice and taking practice tests if possible. The first time he took it, in the fall, Jared scored a 33 and said it helped him know the format, what to expect, and how to pace himself. "The first time I ran out of time on the math questions and had to guess on the last few. The second time I didn't spend as much time double checking I just went through as fast as I could so I made sure I had enough time."

MaryAnn and Jared both say that while practice tests helped, Jared's rigorous course schedule helped prepare him most for the test. "Jared has always been diligent in what teachers ask, getting his homework in on time, and just doing what he's supposed to do." MaryAnn says. "Being more challenged in high school makes it so that when you get to the test it's not as hard because you already know you can do hard things."

Jared's post-graduation plans include serving a mission and then college. He is still looking at school and deciding where he wants to apply but he knows he wants to go into engineering. One thing's for sure, no matter where he chooses to go, his future is bright!

Congratulations to Jared and all of our other students who worked hard and scored fantastically on the ACT! We can't wait to see what great things you do in the future!

For more information on the ACT and how to prepare for the test please see your school's counselor and http://www.actstudent.org/

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Weber School District will be offering free school lunch to all children ages 18 and under this summer at eight elementary schools from Roy to North Ogden. School lunch will be offered Monday through Friday from 11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Adults accompanying children may eat for $3.25. 

USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer. For more information, contact Weber School District Child Nutrition at 801-476-7833 or 801-476-7838

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Weber School District students participated in the HOSA: Future Health Professionals National Leadership Conference in Anaheim, California, June 24-27. The theme of the conference was Dream-Inspire-Lead.

From Weber High School’s HOSA Chapter, the Public Service Announcement (PSA) team took 1st place at nationals competing against teams from all over the country, Canada, Mexico, and Italy.   The team consisted of Kencaid Lunt, Henderson Bird, Austin Spilker, Christian Protzman, David Suisse, and Matt Hansen.  The team was required to make a 30 second video on concussion prevention, treatment and recognition and give a four minute presentation about the topic.  Also from Weber High School, Weston Lee placed in the top ten (10) in Job Seeking Skills.

From Fremont High School’s HOSA Chapter, Raquel Lemon placed in the top ten (10) in Medical Terminology.

Roy High’s HOSA chapter was given National Recognition for earning almost $2000 for LLS. This recognition came from the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.

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Your student’s score reports from the 2015 administration of the SAGE end-of-level assessments are now available on the Parent Portal. In order to access these reports, simply complete the following steps:

1. Log into your Portal account.
2. Identify the student for whom you wish to view reports.
3. Click on the documents tab.
4. Click on the View Document link following Year 15 Student Assessment of Growth and Excellence.

All test reports for your student are located in a single file. The file includes the English Language Arts (ELA) component (with a Writing subscore), the Mathematics report and a Science report for grades four and above.

SAGE results are reported with a scale score and a proficiency level for each test. A scale score represents a student’s performance on a particular test and is reported as a number from 100-900+ for each test. These scale scores allow for consistent interpretation of the scores and provide a clear illustration of student growth from year to year.

SAGE tests were developed to include vertical scales in both Mathematics and English Language Arts (ELA). These scales link the subject-based assessments from grade to grade to provide information relative to student growth over time. Vertical scales are used in Math and ELA since the content standards in these disciplines follow a meaningful progression over time. However, Science assessments do not include a vertical scale since proficiency in one grade/course doesn’t necessarily require proficiency from the previous grade/course. In other words, proficiency in Physics doesn’t necessarily affect a student’s potential for success in Chemistry.

A great deal of information about your student is present on the Individual Student Reports. The scale on the left side of each document serves as a “thermometer” to indicate your student’s performance on each SAGE test. The thick, horizontal, black line in the middle of the graphic represents the scale score necessary to be considered proficient. The text next to each scale score documents the skills and abilities students who fall into each of these categories demonstrated during testing. The Reporting Category section details your student’s strengths and weaknesses relative to their overall performance on the given SAGE assessment. A legend is provided in the upper right-hand corner of the document to better help you understand this section.

In the lower-right corner, you can compare your student’s score to those of the school, the district and the state for that grade level and subject. Math and ELA reports also include a graphic of Student Performance over Time to illustrate changes in testing performance from one year to the next. The taupe, horizontal line indicates the scale score necessary to be proficient on the given exam.

As you study the SAGE reports for your student, please keep in mind that these scores are only a single measure of performance for your child. In order to truly understand the skills, abilities and needs of each student, one must consider the entire picture of student achievement including many more elements than test scores. If you have questions about these reports, please contact your building administrator. 

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Weber School District students represented Utah at the Family Career and Community Leaders of America Leadership Conference in Washington DC July 4 through July 9.

Roy High School had two students who competed in the culinary arts competition.

• Felipe Estrada and Cici Moreno. They received a silver medal for their accomplishments.

Bonneville High School had 11 students in Washington DC for the national competition.

• Hailey Jeffries and Nicholette Houston brought home a gold medal, scoring a 98 out of 100 on their Food Innovations project.
• Kaitlin Buckway and Carlee Combe took home a silver medal with their Chapter in Review Display Occupational Category.
• Katie Hassell, Kimberly Palos, and Emma London earned a silver medal with their Promote and Publicize FCCLA! project.
• Aspen Jarvis and Abby Walker’s Chapter Service Project Display in the Occupational Category received a silver metal
• Olivia Nicholas and Kortney Stevens received a silver medal for their Food Innovations Project.

 
Weber School District and Bonneville High School will also be represented at the state level by Aspen Jarvis as the Utah FCCLA VP of Development.

The students, along with their advisors, Roy High School Gaylene Greenwood and Bonneville High School Susan Hill, Melissa Judkins and Erin Dea, put in many late nights and early mornings preparing for the competition. We want to congratulate them for their outstanding job representing Utah and Weber County School District in our country’s capitol.

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This month the Weber School District was given the opportunity to recognize Mrs. Melanie Bateman and Mr. Jason Tuveson during our monthly school board meeting.  Mrs. Bateman was nominated for the Extra Mile Award by Principal Scott Zellmer of Kanesville Elementary, and Mr. Tuveson was nominated for the Extra Mile Award by Mrs. Joanne Hobbs, former principal of North Park School (now Uintah Elementary).

Mr. Jason Tuveson is North Park Elementary’s Head Custodian.  Mrs. Hobbs states, “When you walk down the shiny new halls at North Park Elementary, or gaze at the morning sunrise in the new bank of east-facing windows, it is Jason Tuveson, the school’s custodian that can be thanked for enjoying this tidy, clean facility.”  She goes on to say, “Jason welcomes each new day with positivity and cheerfulness that is easily caught. He makes himself available to all staff members as custodial needs arise. Jason is known to assist struggling students who need a break, inviting them to assist him in sweeping up a mess, or erasing scuff marks off the tile.  In addition, he has been a mentor utilized by Canyon View for students that shadow him in their ‘Life’ program.”  Jason exemplifies “North Park Tiger Pride” in all that he does.  The North Park students are blessed to have such a dedicated ally in Mr. Tuveson.

When describing Mrs. Melanie Bateman, Kanesville Principal Scott Zellmer states that she is the “heart and soul” of this great school.  Melanie has been the Head Secretary at Kanesville since 1994.  Mr. Zellmer admires Melanie’s  ability to handle any obstacle with a smile.  When recently faced with the daunting task of learning new financial software, Melanie gladly took on the challenge without complaint.  The staff at Kanesville rely on her organizational skills, efficiency, and emotional support.  Perhaps most importantly, the students know that they can come to Mrs. Bateman if they are in need of a little TLC.  Melanie once told Mr. Zellmer that if a child thinks they need a Band-Aid, we give it to them, regardless of the need.  She stated, “Sometimes a Band-Aid is more about showing you care than about covering a scrape.”

Congratulations to these two deserving award winners.  Thank you for allowing us the opportunity to recognize your unique gifts and talents.  We express our gratitude for your dedication and enthusiasm!

At the end of August, Margaret Rostkowski, a former educator, author, and member of the Weber Reads project, met with the elementary reading specialists to share information about this year's selected focus--Shakespeare. Weber Reads is an annual community-wide reading program which provides an opportunity for people of all ages to read, reflect, and engage in conversations around a selected text or literary author. As a part of this project, each elementary and secondary school receives a box of books and sample lesson plans centered on the selected author or literary work. Teachers can also make arrangements for volunteers from the library to visit their school and do a presentation on Shakespeare. Included in this year's collection is a variety of both narrative and informational books which promise to be engaging and informative to students of all ages. The books and lesson plans will be located in the school libraries to support teachers of all content areas throughout the year. Additional information, lesson plans, a description of each of the books selected, and upcoming events that will be held at various branches of the Weber County Library are available online at the Weber Reads website: http://www.weberpl.lib.ut.us/discover/weber-reads. 

Elementary books from Weber Reads

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 Like Any Other Kid, ADA Playground Provided at Green Acres Elementary

     The Weber School Foundation has done it again!!  For the past several years at the Christmas Tree Jubilee, patrons and sponsors have responded with overwhelming generosity to a special “ask”, a time when donations are requested for a specific project.  The last two years, the “ask” has been designated for the purpose of providing amazing playgrounds that are ADA accessible so that students with special needs and their typical peers can  enjoy playing  together.  

     A recent ribbon-cutting ceremony was held during back to school night at Green Acres Elementary for the newest playground.  From the enthusiasm of the students playing to the joy on the parents’ and teachers’ faces, it was clear that this endeavor did everything hoped for and more!  The playground is all-inclusive through a series of ramps wide enough for wheelchair access.  Now all students will be able to utilize the fun equipment and socialize through play. This is the third school to benefit from the foundation for an accessible playground- and a plan is in the works for a fourth one next year.  The commitment is real: to provide an accessible playground for all students to enjoy at each elementary school.  

     What an incredible endeavor!  We are so grateful to the Weber School Foundation, their board members and staff, the countless volunteers, and the many dedicated patrons and sponsors.  You are helping to make a dream come true for students with special needs to enjoy playing… just like any other kid!                

http://foundation.wsd.net/

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