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UINTAH BASIN STANDARD / VERNAL EXPRESS

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A Guide for Parents & Students for the Coming School Year!

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Uintah School District start/ dismiss times First day of school: Aug. 18.; kindergarten first day, Aug. 23.; preschool, Aug. 29.

Start time Uintah High School: Monday 9:17 a.m., Tuesday through Friday 7:45 a.m.

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Uintah Middle School: Monday 9:20 a.m., Tuesday through Friday 7:40 a.m.

Vernal Middle School: Monday 9:20 a.m.,, Tuesday through Friday 7:40 a.m.

Ashley Elementary School, Davis Elementary School, Discovery Elementary School, Maeser Elementary School, Naples Elementary School, Eagle View Elementary School and Lapoint Elementary School: Grades one through five 8:30 a.m.; afternoon kindergarten start time: 12:30 p.m Monday through Thursday; Friday start 10:35 a.m.

Preschool, 3-year-old: Monday/Wednesday, Tuesday/Thursday, Wednesday/Friday; 90 minute sessions 8:30 a.m., 10 a.m., noon.

Ashley Elementary School: Aug. 4 and 5, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.; Back to school Night, Aug. 17, 6 to 7 p.m.

Discovery Elementary School: Aug. 4 and 5, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

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Preschool, 4-year-old: Tuesday/Wednesday/Thursday; 8:30 to 10:45 a.m. or 11:15 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.

Dismiss time

Uintah High School, 2:25 p.m.; Uintah Middle School, 2:30 p.m., Vernal Middle School, 2:30 p.m.

Ashley Elementary School, Davis Elementary School, Discovery Elementary School, Maeser Elementary School and Naples Elementary School: grades one through five, Monday through Thursday, 3:30 p.m., Friday 12:30 p.m.; morning kindergarten, Monday through Thursday, 11:30 a.m., Friday 10:20 a.m.

Eagle View Elementary School, Monday through Thursday, 2:20 p.m., Friday 11:45 a.m.

Lapoint Elementary School, Monday through Thursday, 3:30 p.m., Friday 12:45 p.m.

Uintah School District Registration Davis Elementary School: Aug. 4 and 5, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.; Back to School Night, Aug. 17.

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Lapoint Elementary School: Aug. 4 and 5, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Maeser Elementary School: Aug. 4 and 5, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.; Back to School Open House, Aug. 17, 3 to 4:30 p.m.

Naples Elementary School: Aug. 4 and 5, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.; Back to School Night, Aug. 16, 5:30 to 7 p.m.

Uintah Middle School: New students to the district only, Aug. 4 and 5, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.; sixth grade orientation, Aug. 15, 6 p.m.; seventh and eighth grade back to school open house, Aug. 16, 6 p.m.

Vernal Middle School: New students to the district only, Aug. 4 and 5, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.; sixth grade and new students to the district orientation, Aug. 16, 6 p.m. get schedules and locker information at orientation; seventh and eighth grade schedules and locker information will be sent in the mail the week of Aug. 12.

Uintah High School: New students to the district only, Aug. 4, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. in person; current district students register online as of Aug. 4 at www.uintahhigh.net.; freshman orientation, Aug. 16, 6 p.m.

Ashley Valley Education Center: Aug. 4

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Get the required school shots at the same time that you are registering

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Courtesy of Julie Wilde

The senior classes of 2013, 2015 and 2016 all pitched in to give this gift of a large s“U� to the school after welders at UBATC helped to build it. Pictured Left to right: Jeff oTaniguchi, Marlie Holmes, Charlie Rich, Alec Mullins, Cole Redding, Alek Holmes, ,Jaydon Walker and Rick Northington

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TriCounty Health Department and Uintah School District are partnering to bring vaccines to you. On Aug. 4 and 5 from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Vernal Middle School located at 721 W. 100 S., in Vernal. The heath department and district are teaming up to provide vaccines for children during seventh grade registration.

Insurance is accepted. The health department also participates in the Vaccines for Children Program which provides vaccines to children that have no insurance and cannot afford the vaccines.

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Duchesne County School District Registration Altamont Elementary School New Students: Aug. 10, 8:30 a.m. - 3 p.m.

All Students: Aug. 11, 8:30 a.m. - 3 p.m.

Centennial Elementary School Aug. 9, 7 a.m. - 3 p.m.

Aug. 10, 11 a.m. - 7 p.m.

Duchesne Elementary School Aug. 8-9, 8 a.m. - 4 p.m.

Con Amore Aug. 10-11, 9 a.m. - 3 p.m.

Duchesne County School District Closures Sept. 5 – Labor Day

Jan. 16 – Martin Luther King, Jr. Day

Roosevelt Junior High School Aug. 11, 8 a.m. - 4 p.m.

Aug. 12, 7 a.m. - 3 p.m.

Oct. 20-21 – UEA Weekend

Jan. 17 – Training Day, No Students

Nov. 23-25 – Thanksgiving Break

Feb. 20 – Presidents Day

Altamont High School Aug. 8-10, 8 a.m. - 2 p.m.

Dec. 21-30 – Christmas Break

April 10-14 – Spring Break

East Elementary School Aug. 9, 11 a.m. - 6 p.m.

Aug. 10, 7:30 a.m. - 2 p.m.

Duchesne High School Grades 9-12: Aug. 8, 9 a.m. - 4 p.m.

Grades 7-8: Aug. 9, 9 a.m. - 12 p.m.

New Students: Aug. 10, 1 p.m. - 4 p.m.

Kings Peak Elementary School Aug. 10-11, 7:30 a.m. - 2:30 p.m.

Tabiona High School Aug. 9-10, 8:30 a.m. - 3 p.m.

Neola Elementary School Aug. 9-10, 7:30 a.m. - 3:30 p.m.

Union High School New Students: Aug. 10, 8 a.m. - 3 p.m.

Freshmen Orientation: Aug. 10, 6 p.m.

Open Registration: Aug. 11, 1 p.m. - 7 p.m.

Aug. 12, 8 a.m. - 2 p.m.

Tabiona Elementary School Aug. 9-10, 8:30 a.m. - 3 p.m.

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Uintah County School District Closures Sept. 5, Labor Day

Dec. 22 through Jan 3, Christmas Break

Sept. 26, Professional Development Day

Jan. 16, Martin Luther King, Jr. Day

Oct. 19, Parent Teacher Conference Trade Day

Feb. 27, Professional Development Day

Oct. 20,21,24, Fall Break

April 17, 18, 19, Spring Break

Nov. 23, 24, 25, Thanksgiving Break

April 20, Parent Teacher Conference Trade Day

Dec. 21, Parent Teacher Conference Trade Day

May 26, last day of school and Uintah High School Graduation

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White House Academy calendar

5 Uintah Basin Christian Academy calendar Aug. 21, back to school night

Dec. 23 through Jan. 2, Christmas break

Aug. 22, first day of school

Jan. 16, Martin Luther King, Jr. Day

Sept. 5, Labor Day, no school

Jan. 19, parent teacher conference, 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.

Sept. 2, back to school barbecue and orientation, 5:30 p.m.

Dec. 21 through Jan. 3, Christmas break, no school

Sept. 6, first day of school

Jan. 16, no school, national holiday

Oct. 19 through Oct. 21, fall break, no school

Feb. 8 and Feb. 9, parent teacher conference, 3:15 p.m.

Oct. 26 and 27, parent teacher conference, 3:15 p.m.

Feb. 20, no school, President’s Day

Oct. 28, parent teacher conference 1 p.m. to 3:30 p.m.

April 17 though April 21, Easter Break, no school

Nov. 23 through Nov. 25, Thanksgiving break

Nov. 23 through Nov. 25, Thanksgiving break, no school

May 26, last day of school

Sept. 26, Teacher-in-Service, no school Oct. 27, parent teacher conference 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.

Jan. 20, parent teacher conference, 1 p.m. to 3:30 p.m.

Feb. 20, President’s Day March 27, Teacher-in-Service, no school

April 14 through April 21, Spring Break May 26, last day of school

White House Academy hours

Grades one through eight, 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Pre-kindergarten, noon to 3 p.m., Tuesdays and Thursdays

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Kindergarten, 8:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.

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Terra Academy New Year Terra Academy Registration will be Aug. 2 through 4 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. The Back to School Open House will be Tuesday, Aug. 16 at 6 p.m. for grades k-12.

Please come and gather the information you will need to make your 2016-2017 year successful. For more information on orientation and registration, see www. theterraacademy.org and click on the 20162017 button at the top of the page. For enrollment questions, please email info@ theterraacademy.org

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true.

“We made some commitments through the bond process on Union and we’re going to be able to stay consistent with those,” said Forsyth. “I don’t think people are going to see an increase in their taxes and LeeNichole Maret that sort of thing because of the bond. The lmarett@ubmedia.biz promises that came along with those bonds The start of the school year is right we’re going to be able to adhere to. We feel around the corner and big things are very positive about the status of the district happening in Duchesne County School and the way things sit right now.”

District. As the new year approaches, the Construction is proceeding faster than administration wants parents, students anticipated, with the project on track for and community members to be aware of its scheduled completion date. several key things taking place in Duchesne “We’re ahead of schedule,” said Forsyth.

“We had kind of a wet spring. We had all County Schools. that rain in April and May. They had dug the hole for the auditorium, and they had NEW UNION HIGH SCHOOL to actually pump that to keep going. But In November 2015, a bond was passed we’ve got footers for the auditorium. We’ve approving funds for the construction of got walls going up for the gymnasium. We a new Union High School in Roosevelt. thought we’d have about a 27-month buildGround was broken on the project in April ing, and we’re easily on track to occupy in 2016, and work continues to move forward. fall of ’18.”

“The Union High School project is re Both the district and the general conally still the focus: ironing out roads and ac- tractors, Westland Construction, hoped to cess there, working with STRATA, working keep a great deal of the work on the project with UBATC, just to coordinate activities. in the Basin. Though most subcontractors That’s a two-and-a-half year project, so were hired from out of the area, a great that’s an ongoing thing,” said Scott Forsyth, percentage of the workers on the job are Student Services Director for the district. local.

“Passing the bond was huge and we were “One thing I really want people to know so grateful for the community support on is that we are hiring lots of local help,” Forsyth said. “I walked out one day and that.”

When the bond was passed, financial talked to a foreman out there, and said ‘How experts felt strongly that it would not nega- many people are on your team?’ He was tively impact taxes for county residents. doing plumbing, I think, and on his crew, Even with the economic downturn in the they had about 15 people that he oversaw, area, that prediction seems to be holding and 12 of those were local help. While the

The state of Duchesne County School District

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general contractors are not of the area, they came out looking to hire local people.

They’re pulling from the area to hire their help.”

The new Union High School is one of the largest construction projects in the area in recent years and the hope is that it will benefit the local economy.

“We do feel that it is benefiting our economy and a lot of the money can stay local. They are employing local people. I’ve talked to a couple students who graduated high school recently that are going to come on to the project to do masonry and tile work. We are trying to keep as much of that work here local as they can,” said Forsyth.

“A lot of their machinery, rather than bringing their own out from the Wasatch front, they’ve rented local equipment here. They really are trying to support the area a lot.

We’re confident that they will continue to do that as we move forward, and we’re happy with how that’s working. “ EDUCATION AS A CAREER One of the district’s big goals for the coming year is to encourage more students to pursue a career in teaching.

“We’re looking at some programs to encourage more high school students in the area to go into teaching,” Forsyth said. “We don’t currently have a shortage of teachers in our area—we filled all of our positions this year—but we’re always looking for high school students and college students interested in going into the teaching profession. That’s going to be one of our major focuses this year, to push education as a career and encourage more people to look into being a teacher.”

Teacher retention rates are higher when local students become local teachers.

“We find that if I can take a kid who grew up in the Basin and get them through college and get them into teaching, then they’re going to stay here. But if I go out and recruit a teacher in, I’m only going to keep them 4-5 years,” said Forsyth. “There’s always a draw to be closer to home, and if I can get a kid who grew up here and get them back here to teach, I’ve got a career teacher that’s going to stay. “ Additionally, the district is embracing the new Academic Pathway to Teaching laws put into place last June as possible avenue for getting more teachers.

“We’re really going to work through

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the new alternate route to licensure,” said Forsyth. “There are some great people in the area with Bachelor’s degrees who now, if they can pass those Praxis exams and work with the district, can become a licensed teacher in an alternate route. We’re going to pursue that and really just encourage more people to get into that.”

ECONOMIC DOWNTURN No organization in the Basin can escape the effects of the downturn in oil and gas, and the school district is no exception.

However, the impact has been much more mild than anticipated.

“With the economy downturn, things have been a little slow, and we’ve had a lot of applicants. Lots of people are looking for work. Where normally we’d have a position where we’d have two or three applicants, we’re now seeing 20 plus applicants for the same positions. This year, I’ve actually had applicants come in that we don’t have positions for,” Forsyth said.

Enrollment was expected to drop dramatically, but instead has decreased only slightly.

“We thought we would see a bigger downturn (in enrollment) than we have,” said Forsyth. “Our October 1 counts are our official counts that provide funding. I would say that from October of ‘15 to this October of ’16, we’ll be down maybe 100 kids district wide. We expected it to be huge. We heard stories that in July, U-Haul’s would just be rolling out of the community, but we have a lot of people moving in as well.

Our district has hired four or five new teachers that are bringing families into the area. There were a lot of fears about what would actually happen, and I think that those fears didn’t come to fruition. We’re usually around 5,000 students, and I think we’ll still be pretty close to that number.”

Additionally, the district suffered no reduction in workforce this year.

“We had no reduction in force of our teachers at all. We lost a few positions due to retirement and leaving the area, just through attrition, but we didn’t have to cut any positions,” Forsyth said. “Originally we thought we may have to reduce our force by two or three, but we did not have to.

We were able to retain all of our teaching positions. No one lost a job because of the downturn. We’ve been pleasantly surprised there.”

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STANDARDS-BASED GRADING Last year, the elementary schools in the district introduced a standards-based grading system for K-6 grade students.

That program will continue to be a focus in the district this year.

“The point of mastery-based grading is that they want grades to show what kids know, not that they brought a pencil to class every day and they were on time,” said Forsyth. “When I was in school, I think I could have gotten an A in P.E. class just for showing up every day, but what did I learn?

We want mastery-based grading to show that if my student gets an A in math, then he really has learned the content and those grades are reflective of what he knows.”

Administrators believe that standardsbased grading gives a much better picture of a student’s knowledge than a traditional letter grade. However, it’s a learning curve for parents who are used to the traditional system.

“We want to get away from where grades reflect behavior and following rules and more what’s my student learning? As a parent, it’s going to be a little more of a reality check for me, but once I really understand that it’s showing what my student’s learning, there will be a willingness to adjust, I think,” Forsyth said. “The better job we can do as a district to educate our parents about mastery-based grading, the more they’ll be on board with it. It’s a learning curve for parents. They’re not opposed to it once they understand it, but we’re finding that teachers who use standards-based grading

consistently can predict how students are going to do on the SAGE test almost to 100 percent accuracy. It may not be what they want to hear, but it is telling parents much more accurately how their kids are learning the material in school.”

SAGE TESTING AND SCHOOL GRADES Both SAGE test scores and school grades in the district went up in the 2015-2016 school year.

“Out of 27 categories in SAGE, we improved in 24,” said Curriculum Director Jason Young. “We’ve had the same set of standards now for four years, and the test for three of those four. The consistency is helping us a lot. If the standards all change and the tests change, then we’re back to square one. Being able to meet the standards comes with time and consistency in using the same system.”

Secondary schools in the district saw a particularly marked improvement in math scores.

“My biggest ‘aha’ thing from SAGE this year was math. We saw some great jumps in math,” said Forsyth. “There were lots of areas of improvement, but as I looked at scores, I was most impressed with our math scores. Math has always been an area where we’ve kind of struggled as a district.

There’s this idea that no one’s good and math, and I think out of math, English, and science, math kind of gets the bad rap.

To see the improvement in math this year made me really happy.”

Improving SAGE scores will impact

school grades and administrators think grades will go up again as well.

“I think school grades will be up again this year,” Forsyth said. “We had a couple of F schools two years that then became C schools, and I’m pretty confident we’ll be up again this year. Things have looked really good for improvement, and I think it goes right back to mastery-based grading. Teachers have a much better idea of how their kids are performing, and they can predict how they’re going to do on the SAGE test, and can better identify where they’re falling short. We’re better able to target our deficiencies and improve them.”

NEW ELEMENTARY TEXTBOOKS All elementary schools in the district will see a big change this year in the form of new textbooks.

“We’ve got new textbooks in all of our elementaries in the district in math, science and English this year,” said Young. “I’m extremely excited for the new resources our teachers will have this year. Again, there’s the consistency. When you have a set of solid standards and you stick with it consistently, you can see the improvement.

If you pull the rug out from under teachers every other year, then it’s a lot harder to do your job.”

The new textbooks will be better aligned with Utah standards than any other the district has had in place in the past.

“For as long as I can remember, Utah has had their own set of standards that are unique,” Young said. “Textbook publishers don’t accommodate that. They publish for

Texas and California and Florida. What they’ll do is they’ll take every standard imaginable and put it in a book, so that if Utah comes and says ‘Does it match our core?’ they can say, ‘Oh yeah, because it’s got everything you can imagine.’ Then our teachers have to sift through and find what they can actually use. That’s how it’s always been for Utah teachers. Now, with common core, the standards align much more closely with other states, and now publishers are writing textbooks for us for the first time ever. For the first time, we actually have materials for us here in Utah. It’s taken a little while, but we finally have really good resources.”

GOALS FOR THE YEAR

Last year was a year of major changes in Duchesne County School District. This year, the focus is less on change and more on refinement.

“We’re not going to try to roll out anything new,” said Forsyth. “We’re just going to take time to develop and refine what we’re already doing. You won’t see anything earth-shattering from us this year.

Teachers are more content because things are consistent. We’re seeing less need for hiring. Morale is really good in the district and spirits are up. This last year was the fourth year in a row we were able to give a little bit of a cost-of-living increase, even with the economy. Our biggest goal is to continue to improve on the systems already in place.”

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RJHS New Drop-Off and Pick-Up Zones

With the addition of a new sidewalk and guidance barriers, Roosevelt Junior High School now has three pick-up and drop-off locations: on the north side of the school along 200 South, on the east side of the school (by the Band and Orchestra door), and on the south side of the building at the Main Entry doors. Please refer to the map.

Parent / Visitor Parking Student Pickup / Drop Off Faculty Parking

Students are to walk strictly from sidewalk to vehicle during pick up and drop off. Crosswalks are to be used when crossing the street.

Students are not allowed to walk in parking lots during pick up and drop off times

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Uintah School District prepares for 2016-2017 school year Liberty Best lbest@ubmedia.biz Uintah School District Superintendent of Schools Mark Dockins is looking forward to the upcoming school year; staffing is looking good, curriculum and scheduling is in place and tasks are getting accomplished.

Dockins said as far as teachers and faculty, schools are pretty much set. Only a few positions are open recently, due to a small amount of people leaving the area last minute.

“This has been the first year in my term in Superintendent that we haven’t been scrambling to fill 10 or 15 teaching positions,” Dockins said.

With staffing covered, Dockins said there are still projects that the district is working on. One of which is a new program at Uintah High School, an expansion from the foods program.

The Pro Start program is a way to not only teach students how to cook but to also teach caterings, hosting banquets, sales and marketing. The program is designed to teach students a broader range than simply how to cook meals, but also how to prepare and present meals as well.

“Someone that can go through that maybe they can run their own restaurant some day,” Dockins said. “That’s the whole

concept behind that.”

The new program requires a remodel onto Uintah High School. Dockins said that the original remodel took place before the program was implemented and therefore was not in the original design plans. Remodeling is currently taking place to accommodate Pro Start.

“It’s scheduled to be done about the beginning of school,” he said. “It may go into spring but I think we may get it done during the school year.”

Ashley Valley Education Center is also looking at a remodel, though that is still in the architectural planning phase. AVEC will

soon have classrooms in the main portion of the building. Dockins said the remodel of AVEC is probably going to be done sometime next summer.

Walmart donated backpacks and supplies to help assist students in need that may not be able to afford school supplies. Donations were given to Uintah School District with the assistance of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Glines Steak Relief Society.

According to Shannon Deets, student services director with the district, the donations should be able to help roughly 100 students.

Ways you can make school day to make mornings less hectic Many families find the rush is on to make it to school and work on time each morning.

Feeling rushed in the morning is a recipe for added stress. Rushing through things is a poor way to begin a day, and those feelings of uneasiness can put a damper on the rest of the day ahead.

Making mornings less hectic involves a few different strategies that parents and kids can easily incorporate into their daily routines. · Wake up slightly earlier. Getting up earlier than normal, even if it’s just 15 to 20 minutes before you’re accustomed to getting out of bed, can help reduce morn-

ing stress. Resist the temptation to hit the snooze button over and over again. A few extra minutes each morning can make you feel more relaxed and make for a smooth, stress-free start to the day. · Get some work done the night before.

Prepare lunches the night before and have them ready in the refrigerator. In addition, lay your clothes for the following day out each night. This saves time and takes a couple more things off your morning to-do list. · Ease back into a routine. As a new school year dawns or a long vacation comes to an end, begin going to bed earlier and start

waking up earlier as well. This can make the transition from carefree mornings to busy mornings go more smoothly. · Prep backpacks in the evening. Look through folders, sign paperwork, check assignments, and do whatever is you need to do the night before to save your family from having to scramble in the morning. This ensures those permission slips get signed and items make it back into school bags. · Opt for school lunch a few times. Look ahead on the school lunch menu and speak with children about which meals they enjoy.

Let kids purchase school lunch on those days to give yourself a day off from lunch detail.

· Have quick breakfast foods available.

Smoothies, cereal bars, oatmeal, and wholegrain cereals are fast and nutritious ways to start the day. · Carpool whenever possible. Busy families can save themselves extra work by proposing a neighborhood carpool. Sharing school dropoff detail frees time up for parents once or twice a week, and kids may enjoy traveling to school with their friends.

Mornings can be tricky when family members are getting ready for school and work at the same time. By practicing a few daily rituals, it’s possible to curb the rush and start the day happier and more relaxed.

Uintah School District

Mission Statement: Uintah School District Students will acquire the critical skills and attributes of a productive citizen.

to Registration Dates and Times

Generally, registration for school in Uintah School District will take place August 4th & 5th. If new patrons to the area have questions about where to register their children, please call the district office at 781-3100. Parents of students new to the district must supply the student’s birth certificate, immunization records, name and address of previous school, and proof of residency (e.g., current utility bill) at registration. Students will not be allowed to start school without current immunizations.

Most schools in Uintah School District will register on August 4th and 5th (Thursday and Friday). Schools will be open from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. on either of these two days. Exceptions to these registration dates and times are:

Uintah Middle School: new students to the district may register August 4th and 5th between 9:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. All other students of the district are already registered. 6th grade orientation will be on Monday, August 15th at 6:00 p.m. 7th & 8th grade Back to School Open House will be on Tuesday, August 16th at 6:00 p.m.

Vernal Middle School: new students to the district may register August 4th and 5th between 9:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. All other students of the district are already registered. 6th grade and new student orientation will be on Tuesday, August 16th at 6:00 p.m. Students will receive their schedules and lockers at that time. 7th and 8th grade schedules and locker information will be mailed the week of August 12th.

Uintah High School: new students to the district may register August 4th and 5th between 9:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. Registration for returning students will be online beginning August 4th at www.uintahhigh.net. Unless information has changed there is NO need for returning students to register. Fees may be paid at www.uintahhigh.net. Materials will not be sent by mail. Freshman orientation will be on Tuesday, August 16th at 6:00 p.m.

Uintah Online: is accepting registration between now and October 1st. Please visit www.uintahonline.com to register.

Special Notes: If you are interested in serving on your child’s school community council, please contact your child’s school directly to find out particulars about how you can be involved. Each of our school community councils plays an important part in the operation of our schools.

First Day of School for Grades 1-12 is Thursday August 18, 2016 | First Day of Kindergarten is Thursday, August 25, 2016 | First Day of Preschool is Monday, August 29, 2016

For Complete School Registration Information Look for the Ad in the Vernal Express & Uintah Basin Standard School / Principal

Telephone

Grades

Ashley Elementary C. Weldon

435-781-3170

K - 5th

School / Principal

Eagle View Elementary 435-722-2247 R. Stearmer / C. Jones

Telephone Grades School / Principal K - 8th

Naples Elementary D. Chatham

Telephone Grades School / Principal

Davis Elementary R. Johnson

435-781-3155

K - 5th

Lapoint Elementary D. Atkin

435-247-2637

K - 5th

Vernal Middle School 435-781-3140 6th -8th M. Leis / C. Labrum

Maeser Elementary D. Williams

435-781-3160

435-781-3150 K - 5th

Telephone

Grades

Uintah High School 435-781-3110 9th - 12th J. Wilde / S. Shipton / B. Sivert/C. Reutzel/C. Nerdin

School / Principal

Telephone

School / Principal Telephone

Ashley Valley 435-781-4675 Central 435-781-3125 Education Center Education Center A. McKea T. Chew central cove preschool - special ashley valley high school - adult education related services - parent education program adult esl - youth in custody literacy services

to Discovery Elementary 435-781-3146 T. Christensen

K - 5th

K - 5th

Uintah Middle School 435-781-3130 6th - 8th K. Hawkins / S. Dowling

uintah online navigators

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Making Communities Healthier Ashley Regional Medical Center is fully accredited by the Joint Commission and Centers for Medicare and Medicaid.

Ashley Regional Medical Center is proud to be your hospital, providing quality health care right here in our community. Some of the many services Ashley Regional provides are: WOMEN’S SERVICES

PHYSICAL THERAPY

OTHER SERVICES

Digital Mammography

Injury Rehab

Clinical Lab

High Risk Obstetrics

Chemotherapy

Newborn Care

Pre-Employment Testing

Neonatology

Work Studies

Sleep Studies

Gynecology

Sports Injuries

Headache Clinic

Birthing Place for new moms and babies

Headache Treatment

WorkPoint Occupational Medicine

Diabetes Education

SURGICAL SERVICES RADIOLOGY SERVICES

General Surgery

Digital x-rays

Gynecology

64 Slice CT 4-D Ultrasound

Ear, Nose & Throat (ENT)

MRI

Eye Surgery

Nuclear Medicine

Oral Surgery

Orthopedics

LEVEL IV TRAUMA CENTER CHEST PAIN ACCREDITED

Podiatry

Ashley Regional M E D I C A L

C E N T E R

150 West 100 North Vernal, Utah 84078 435-789-3342 • 866-725-2862 Ashleyregional.com

How to help and support schools

Good schools help to harbor a strong While you don’t have to get behind every sense of community. Children often make fundraiser, participating in just a few can their first friends at school, and parents help the school raise needed funds. often meet their neighbors through school- · Keep a clean campus. Students and sponsored activities. parents can work together to keep the Students and school districts face a new school and surrounding areas clean. Orgaset of challenges each year. Many of them nize trash pickup days when participants can be remedied or made less daunting with gather and dispose of litter. Parents also the help of volunteers. Here are some of the can pitch in to make school grounds more many ways men and women can support aesthetically appealing. Donate and plant the schools in their flowers or trees, and communities. encourage groups that Schools are an integral part of · Practice open at the school, such many communities. Explore the meet communication. Paras Boy and Girl Scout many ways to support schools ents of children in troops, to donate their the school should time and effort as well. with donations, volunteerism become familiar with

· Donate books and more teachers and the staff to the library. Members in the school. Find a of the community can balance between being involved and being ensure students have plenty of reading intrusive. Joining the PTA is one way to be materials available to them by donating active in the goings-on of the school. When used books in good condition to the school the opportunity arises, exercise your right library. If you can afford it, purchase new vote on proposed policy changes and pro- books on summer reading lists and donate grams. Show an interest in your children’s them to the school library. Schools also may assignments and ask to meet with teachers appreciate donated subscriptions to magaif the need arises. Doing so illustrates to the zines, newspapers and other periodicals. teacher that there is a connection at home · Send in complete supplies. Teachers and they’re not alone in the journey. often ask parents to supplement supplies · Participate in school fundraisers. for their classrooms. Remember to send in Schools may not have enough money to cover what is requested when school supply lists all of their needs, and fundraisers are vital are given to students. This helps classrooms to the success of many schools. Fundraisers run more efficiently and may reduce outmay provide money for the entire school of-pocket expenditures for teachers. or be collected for particular efforts, such as new technology or athletic uniforms.

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How families can cut screen time No matter where you look, screens are everywhere. The proliferation of easily portable tablets and smartphones means many people, adults and children alike, are never too far from the nearest screen. While that accessibility has dramatically changed the way many people live their lives, excessive exposure to screen time can produce a host of unwanted side effects.

Steven Gortmaker, a professor of the practice of health sociology at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, has studied the negative effects of excessive screen time on children since the 1980s. According to Gortmaker, such effects include higher rates of obesity among kids who watch too much television and difficulty sleeping among youngsters with access to small screens, such as the screens of smartphones. In addition, a 2012 study published in the journal Psychiatry Research linked screen time with impaired cognitive function in young males.

But adults are not immune to the effects of excessive screen time, either. Spending significant time being sedentary and staring at screens can increase adults’ risk for cardiovascular disease. An Australian study published in the December 2012 issue of the British Journal of Sports Medicine found that, compared with persons who watch no television, those who spend a lifetime average of six hours per day watching television can expect to live 4.8 fewer years.

So what can families do to cut back on their screen time? While it likely won’t be easy to put down smartphones and tablets and turn off laptops and televisions, the following are a handful of ways for families to spend less time staring at screens. · Remove televisions from bedrooms. Parents may find it impossible to gauge, much less control, how much time their kids spend watching television when youngsters have TV’s in their bedrooms. Though this will likely be met with considerable resistance, remove televisions from bedrooms in your home. Set a positive example for kids by removing your own bedroom television as well. Come kids’ bedtimes, make sure all devices, including smartphones and tablets, are left in common areas of the home rather than bedrooms so kids are not tempted to watch videos instead of falling asleep. · Institute a “no screens” rule during meals.

Many parents grew up in households that did not allow televisions to be on during meals, and while the times might have changed with respect to the technology, similar rules can still prevail today. A “no screens” rule during meals gives parents and their kids time to catch up, bond and foster stronger relationships. · Do not use the television for background noise. Turn the television off when it’s serving as just background noise. If you need background noise, turn on some music instead.

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Reducing screen time can improve overall health and help family members reconnect with one another. · Log screen time. Logging screen time for each member of the family can provide an estimate of just how much time the whole family spends staring at screens. Encourage each member of the family to spend as much time being physically active as he or

she spends staring at screens. Set goals for each member of the family to reduce their screen time, even rewarding those who reach their goals.

Practice school bus safety every day The National Safety Council says 25 million students in the United States begin and end their school days on school buses.

The NCS adds that riding a bus to school is 13 times safer than riding in a family vehicle and 10 times safer than walking.

Although buses are designed for safety, student riders can do a lot to make their bus trips even safer. · Stand only in the designated school bus stop. Always stand on the sidewalk, lawn or curb where the school bus stop is located.

Stay away from the street because traffic in the morning and the afternoon can be very busy and hectic. · Arrive at the stop early. Rushing to the bus stop may cause you to make errors in judgment, including running in traffic to catch the bus. Leave early so you have ample time to catch the bus and obey all traffic laws. · Only board and exit the bus when it is safe. Wait for the bus to come to a complete stop before boarding or exiting. The driver will engage the stop sign and put on the flashing red lights. Move around the bus only when it is stopped. · Keep the aisles clear. Stay out of the aisle when the bus is in motion and store backpacks on your lap or under your seat so they are not tripping hazards. · Use seat restraints. Use seat restraints when available on the school bus. While not every school bus has seatbelts, many now do. · Stay in your seat. Remain in your seat while the bus is in motion. Keep your hands inside of the windows. Do not get up to

engage with other riders. ·Keep a good distance between you and the bus. Exit the bus and cross in front where the driver can see you. If you cannot see the driver, he or she cannot see you. Check for safety signals from the driver to proceed

when traffic has stopped. Always walk, never run, around a bus. · Do not goof off. When on the bus, always behave so that you can hear any safety instructions and be aware of your surroundings. Behaving also means one less

distraction for drivers.

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UBMedia

The school supply list webpage is available for grades kindergarten through 12, lists per grade things that may be important to consider when it comes to school shopping.

Lists recommended by grade on www. school-supply-list.com Kindergarten 12 - #2 Pencils 24 - Crayons - 1 Box 1 - Pink Eraser 8 - Broad Tip Markers - 1 Package 2 - Glue Sticks 1 - Bottle of School Glue 1 - Box of Tissues 1 - Bottle of Hand Sanitizer 1 - Pair of Fiskar Blunt Tip Scissors 1 - Pencil Box 3 - Plastic Pocket Folders with Brads 2 - Wide Ruled Spiral Bound Notebooks 2 - Primary Composition Notebooks First grade 12 - # 2 Pencils 24 - Crayons 2 - Glue Sticks 1 - Box of Tissues 1 - Pink Eraser 8 - Broad Tip Markers 1 - Pair of Fiskar Scissors 1 - Pencil Case 1 - Wide-Ruled Spiral Bound Notebook 3 - Pocket Folders 12 -Pencil Crayons Second grade

12 - #2 Pencils 2 - Glue Sticks 1 - Box of Tissues 1 - Pink Eraser 8 - Broad Tip Markers 1 - Pair of Fiskar Scissors 1 - Pencil Case 1 - Wide-Ruled Spiral Bound Notebook 3 - Pocket Folders 12 - Pencil Crayons

2 - Glue Sticks 1 - Box of Tissues 1 - Pink Eraser 8 - Broad Tip Markers 1 - Pair of Fiskers Scissors 1 - Pencil Case 2 - Wide-Ruled Spiral Bound Notebooks 4 - Pocket Folders 12 - Pencil Crayons 2 - Pkg Wide Ruled Loose Leaf Paper

Third grade

Fourth grade

12 - #2 Pencils

12 - #2 Pencils 2 - Glue Sticks 2 - Pink Erasers 1 - Pkg. Washable Felt Markers 1 - Pair Scissors 1 - Pencil Case 10 - Pocket Folders 1 - Pkg. Lined Paper 1 - Pkg. Plain Paper 8 - Lined Notebooks 2 - Blue Pens 1 - Red Pen 1 - Ruler 1 - Pkg. Pencil Crayons Fifth grade 12 - #2 Pencils 2 - Glue Sticks 2 - Pink Erasers 1 - Pkg. Washable Felt Markers 1 - Pair Scissors 1 - Pencil Case 10 - Pocket Folders 1 - Pkg. Lined Paper 1 - Pkg. Plain Paper 8 - Lined Notebooks 2 - Blue Pens 1 - Red Pen 1 - Ruler 1 - Pkg. Pencil Crayons Sixth grade 12 - #2 Pencils 2 - Glue Sticks 1 - White Glue 1 - Pink Erasers 1 - White Eraser 1 - Pkg. Washable Felt Markers 1 - Pair Scissors

1 - Pencil Case 10 - Duo-Tangs 2 - Pkg. Lined Paper 1 - Pkg. Plain Paper 4 - Lined Notebooks 5 - Blue Pens 2 - Red Pens 1 - Ruler 1 - Pkg. Pencil Crayons 2 - 1” Binders 8 - Subject Dividers 1 - Scientific Calculator 1 - Geometry Set 1 - Pocket Dictionary 1 - Pencil Sharpener 3 - Highlighter Pens Seventh grade 2 - Glue Sticks 1 - White Glue 1 - Pink Erasers 1 - White Eraser 1 - Pkg. Washable Felt Markers 1 - Pair Scissors 1 - Pencil Case 10 - Pocket Folders 2 - Pkg. Lined Paper 1 - Pkg. Plain Paper 4 - Lined Notebooks 10 - Blue Pens 3 - Red Pens 1 - Ruler 1 - Pkg. Pencil Crayons 2 - 1” Binders 8 - Subject Dividers 1 - Scientific Calculator 1 - Geometry Set 1 - Pocket Dictionary 1 - Pencil Sharpener 3 - Highlighter Pens Eighth grade 12 - #2 Pencils 2 - Glue Sticks 1 - White Glue 1 - Pink Erasers 1 - White Eraser 1 - Pkg. Washable Felt Markers 1 - Pair Scissors 1 - Pencil Case 10 - Pocket Folders

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2 - Pkg. Lined Paper 1 - Pkg. Plain Paper 4 - Lined Notebooks 10 - Blue Pens 3 - Red Pens 1 - Ruler 1 - Pkg. Pencil Crayons 2 - 1” Binders 8 - Subject Dividers 1 - Scientific Calculator 1 - Geometry Set 1 - Pocket Dictionary 1 - Thesaurus 1 - Pencil Sharpener 3 Highlighter Pens 1 - Agenda Book/Student Planner 1 - Stapler 1 - Staple Remover 3 - Highlighter Pens Ninth grade 12 - #2 Pencils 2 - Glue Sticks 1 - White Glue 1 - Pink Erasers 1 - White Eraser 1 - Pkg. Washable Felt Markers 1 - Pair Scissors 1 - Pencil Case 10 - Pocket Folders 2 - Pkg. Lined Paper 1 - Pkg. Plain Paper 10 - Blue Pens 3 - Red Pens 1 - Ruler 1 - Pkg. Pencil Crayons 2 - 1” Binders 8 - Subject Dividers 1 - Scientific Calculator 1 - Geometry Set 1 - Pocket Dictionary 1 - Thesaurus 1 - Pencil Sharpener 3 - Highlighter Pens 1 - Agenda Book/Student Planner 1 - Stapler 1 - Staple Remover Tenth grade 12 - #2 Pencils 2 - Glue Sticks 1 - White Glue 1 - Pink Erasers 1 - White Eraser 1 - Pkg. Washable Felt Markers 1 - Pair Scissors 1 - Pencil Case 10 - Pocket Folders 2 - Pkg. Lined Paper 1 - Pkg. Plain Paper 10 - Blue Pens 3 - Red Pens 1 - Ruler 1 - Pkg. Pencil Crayons 2 - 1” Binders 8 - Subject Dividers 1 - Scientific Calculator 1 - Geometry Set 1 - Pocket Dictionary 1 - Thesaurus

1 - Pencil Sharpener 3 - Highlighter Pens 1 - Agenda Book/Student Planner 1 - Stapler 1 - Staple Remover 1 - Bottle Correction Fluid Eleventh grade 12 - #2 Pencils 2 - Glue Sticks 1 - White Glue 1 - Pink Erasers 1 - White Eraser 1 - Pkg. Washable Felt Markers 1 - Pair Scissors 1 - Pencil Case 10 - Pocket Folders 2 - Pkg. Lined Paper 1 - Pkg. Plain Paper 10 - Blue Pens 3 - Red Pens 1 - Ruler 1 - Pkg. Pencil Crayons 2 - 1” Binders 8 - Subject Dividers 1 - Scientific Calculator 1 - Geometry Set 1 - Pocket Dictionary 1 - Thesaurus 1 - Pencil Sharpener 3 - Highlighter Pens 1 - Agenda Book/Student Planner 1 - Stapler 1 - Staple Remover 1 - Bottle Correction Fluid

Don’t Forget Your School Immunizations

Twelfth grade 12 - #2 Pencils 2 - Glue Sticks 1 - White Glue 1 - Pink Erasers 1 - White Eraser 1 - Pkg. Washable Felt Markers 1 - Pair Scissors 1 - Pencil Case 10 - Pocket Folders 2 - Pkg. Lined Paper 1 - Pkg. Plain Paper 10 - Blue Pens 3 - Red Pens 1 - Ruler 1 - Pkg. Pencil Crayons 2 - 1” Binders 8 - Subject Dividers 1 - Scientific Calculator 1 - Geometry Set 1 - Pocket Dictionary 1 - Thesaurus 1 - Pencil Sharpener 3 - Highlighter Pens 1 - Agenda Book/Student Planner 1 - Stapler 1 - Staple Remover 1 - Bottle Correction Fluid 3 - Mechanical Pencils 1 - Pkg Pencil Leads

Your new healthcare home in Vernal Welcoming New Patients | Same and Next Day Appointments

Adult Well Checks | Well Child Checks | Immunixations | Vision Screenings Health Education | Diabetes Treatment | Insurance Assistance Pharmacy Assistance | Behavioral Health | Dental Services

Private Insurance | Medicaid | Medicare | CHIP Sliding Scale Fees for Qualified Uninsured

1680 West Hwy 40, Suite 201 Vernal, UT 84078 | 435.789.2024 | mountainlands.org

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ROBERT DeBERRY, UB MEDIA

UBATC carpentry program instructor Trent Tomlinson works with a group of Uintah High School students during their UBATC carpentry class at the Vernal Campus.

Hands-on carpentry program builds experience Nichole Nelson nnelson@ubmedia.biz

The Uintah Basin Applied Technology College carpentry program gives students hands-on experience building an actual home and administrators brought the program back to the Vernal campus for the 2015 school year.

“We really appreciate the community support in bringing this program back,” said Tammy Wilkerson, Associate Vice President of Program Development at UBATC. Heading up the program is Vernal native Trent Tomlinson. During his short time teaching at UBATC he has more than doubled his enrollment. When the program launched last year, there were 30 students enrolled for the first trimester. By the start of the second trimester there were 70 students enrolled.

Tomlinson said he has always enjoyed

working with young people and is excited about this new opportunity. He attributes the program’s success so far to the relationship he’s developed with his students.

“We strive to have a family environment in our classroom,” Tomlinson said. “I just try to let the kids know that I do care about what they’re doing. I want to know how they’ve been. Whether it’s a sporting activity, a scouting activity, a church activity — whatever it might be, I just show them that as an instructor I genuinely care about their well-being.”

Tomlinson hopes these students will become the next general contractors for the Basin. And because of that he really pushes education. He hopes his students will all go to college and will take the knowledge he’s giving them and use it to help them make a good living.

“We’re really excited about Trent (Tomlinson) and the expertise that he brings to

the program,” Wilkerson said. “We hope that the program will continue to grow so that we can have the same type of program in Vernal that we have in Roosevelt, so that we can build houses and give the students that complete experience of carpentry.”

Students in the program learn how to frame and layout a structure, plan for materials and estimate the cost of a project.

So far this year, the students have built a doghouse and a 12x12 shed. Next they’re building a hunting lodge, which could also double as a glorified “man cave.” The doghouse and shed will be put up on auction.

Anyone interested in checking out their work and possibly purchasing their products can go to the Vernal campus to see them.

“It’s a customized shed that’s insulated, it has electricity wired, it’s trimmed out and we antiqued all the wood on the outside to make it more rustic” Tomlinson said. “It’s a very, very, very good-looking shed.”

Right now Tomlinson’s goal is to teach the students the foundational skills they need so that next year they’ll have both beginner and intermediate students and they can begin building homes.

School officials have identified four lots close to campus that they are in the process of purchasing. Next year the students will build homes on those lots.

Tomlinson hopes to get contractors in the area to get involved in the program as well.

“I’d just like to ask the contractors in the Basin, if you have old material that you want to donate, we could make something and sell it or put it in the SkillsUSA contest,” Tomlinson said. “These kids in the Basin, these are our future contractors.”

Anyone interested in seeing what the students are currently up to can follow their Facebook Page: UBATC Construction Trades.

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High School Students!

Did you know you can earn a

UBATC Certificate?

UNION

UINTAH

VISIT YOUR HIGH SCHOOL COUNSELOR

ALTAMONT

TERRA ACADEMY

DUCHESNE

TABIONA

MANILA UINTAH RIVER ATHENIAN ACADEMY

CALL UBATC TO REGISTER FOR CLASSES

435.722.6933

UBATC CERTIFICATES AND PROGRAMS Business & Industry Energy Services Trades

Civil Technology • Culinary Arts • Office Professional Farm Business Management

CDL/Truck Driving • OSHA Training • Well Control Automation • Petroleum Technology • Energy Services Safety

Carpentry • Welding • POST (Police Officer Standards & Training) Automotive Technology • Electrical Apprenticeship • Heavy Duty Diesel

Medical

Practical Nursing • Pharmacy Technician Medical Assistant • Nursing Assistant

Your Career Starts Here

www.ubatc.edu