Parents! (And grandparents!) Want to know what Christmas gifts teachers in our community schools treasure most regardless of the grade level they teach? Gifts made or cards/thank-you notes written (or colored) by the kids they teach! Second runner up at the elementary school level was gift cards to Utah Idaho Supply (two locations: 2665/2708 Washington Blvd. in Ogden, and 448 W. 2000 N. in Layton), and third was books, books, books for their classrooms.
While interviewing several teachers in our community to obtain this info, I was both touched and shocked to learn how much money many of them spend out of pocket (particularly our elementary school teachers) to make learning more interesting and fun for our children in their classrooms = try $2,000 a year for one teacher, and another teacher last year spent 1/2 her paycheck each month! Just so you know, the median teacher salary for Utah in 2009-2010 was $46,340 which was approximately $8,000 less than the national average (2010-2011 Utah State Office of Education "FingertipFacts", http://www.schools.utah.gov/ ). If you and your children were wondering how to express "Merry Christmas" to your childrens' teachers this season, hopefully this information helps!
Next, don't forget the Olde Town Christmas this Saturday (Dec. 3rd) on Commercial Street in Morgan from 3 - 6:30pm! (Santa's coming! A Christmas Boutique and Cafe! Free hot chocolate, cotton candy, train rides, and Mrs. Claus Story Time! Ringing of the Bells and Tree Lighting Ceremony at 6pm.)
Also, don't forget the Community Food Drive for the Morgan County Food Pantry. Mountain Green Elementary School is accepting donations now through Friday, Dec. 9th. Am I correct in assuming that Morgan Elementary and Morgan Middle School are accepting donations as well?! (Someone let me know!)
Calendar Dates - PTSOs, Community Councils, Morgan Empowered, and Board of Education:
(Note for Moms with infants/toddlers still at home: Your kids are welcome! We all do it and we are all used to it - we value your input, ideas, and assistance! Just make sure to bring quiet toys and non-messy snacks to help keep them occupied. The leaders of these organizations try to keep these meetings to an hour.)
Mountain Green Elementary School -
PTSO: Tuesday, Dec. 6th at 9:00am (Check-in with the secretaries - they will direct you where to go)
Community Council: Not meeting in December
Morgan Elementary School -
PTSO: Thursday, Dec. 8th at 9:30am (in the cafeteria)
Community Council: Dec. 5th at 3:45pm (in the library)
Morgan Middle School -
PTSO: Tuesday, Dec. 6th at 1pm (usually in room #120 - check with the secretaries)
Community Council: Not meeting in December
Morgan High School -
PTSO: Thursday, Dec. 1st at 8:30am (Counseling Center) (Note: This might be cancelled and rescheduled. Keep posted...)
Community Council: Thursday, Dec. 1st at 7:00am (Counseling Center)
Morgan Empowered - Tuesday, Dec. 13th at 9:30am (Morgan School District Office)
Board of Education, Morgan School District - Tuesday, Dec. 13th at 6pm (Morgan School District Office) (Note: The Board of Education meeting is 2.5 hours more or less. The agenda is posted on the District Office door AND on the Morgan County School District website. You can pick and choose what item(s) on the agenda you are interested in learning more about and know the approximate time that subject will be addressed. I would recommend coming 10-15 min. before the time specified for that particular subject just in case they are ahead of schedule. You do not have to stay for the entire meeting!)
That's it! Blog-in next time for Day Twenty!
Tuesday, November 29, 2011
Friday, November 11, 2011
Day Eighteen - Don't Miss this Upcoming Holiday Info!
Mark your calendars, Morgan County Community!
An Olde Town Christmas Celebration
on Commercial Street will be
Saturday, December 3rd from 3 pm - 7 pm.
THIS IS AN A W E S O M E EVENT FOR YOUR WHOLE FAMILY!
Keep reading...
Provided FREE for our community will be:
- Ringing of the Bells and Tree Lighting Ceremony at 6pm.
- Santa Claus(!!!!)
- Mrs. Claus’ Story Time
- Bob Peterson impersonating “the Grinch”,
- Dance and Choral performances
- an Activity Room for the kids
- Coloring Contest
- Hot chocolate and cotton candy
- Train rides, and ...
- ...a Ginger Bread House Contest with $300/$200/$100/$25 cash prizes for the winners!
There will also be a Christmas Café and a Christmas Boutique (call Tiffany Ellis for the Boutique – 389-3081). Spread the word in your organizations!
The committee (this is sponsored by Morgan City) is still looking for volunteers (Scouts?! Youth organizations?! Families and individuals wanting to catch the Christmas spirit?!), so anyone interested in helping may call the City offices at 829-3461 or Shelly Betz at 735-1638.
The Next Thing You Need to Know:
Tracy Kumer (I'm not sure about the spelling of her last name, but that's how you pronounce it) at the Morgan Food Pantry is accepting Thanksgiving Day dinner food items (canned veggies, boxed stuffing, hams, turkeys, roll mixes, cranberry sauce, pies, etc.), and an Eagle Scout at Ridley’s is also collecting T-day food. Call the City for the Food Pantry hours (829-3461). Gather your family together and plan how your family can help!
DON'T GET A TICKET!!!
Mountain Green Elementary School principal, Tom McFarland, has expressed concern that many parents are not following the rules for the “round about” by MGES, and asked for the sheriff department to give attention to this area. So PARENTS! BE AWARE and obey the "round about" traffic rules!
And Last-But-Definitely-Not-Least:
Happy Veterans Day to all of Our Veterans! You are appreciated and valued in our Morgan County community. Thank you for serving our country and making sacrifices in your families and in your personal lives to preserve our nation and to protect our freedoms that we take so often for granted. God bless you, and God bless America!
Morgan County Families: Do something as a family to show/express appreciation for a Veteran in your neighborhood, and come back and share it with us on the Morgan Community Network!
Morgan County Families: Do something as a family to show/express appreciation for a Veteran in your neighborhood, and come back and share it with us on the Morgan Community Network!
Blog-in next time for Day Nineteen...
Tuesday, November 8, 2011
Day Seventeen - March2Success = increase ACT/SAT scores from home
Parents! Do you have middle schoolers and/or high schoolers who want to score 5 -10 points higher on their future ACT/SAT test? Here's what I learned at the last State Board of Education meeting last Friday:
I saw a presentation on the "March2Success" program that is sponsored by the US Army and is available to the public for FREE on-line! Parents, teachers, mentors and KIDS as young as 8th graders can all do it whenever they have free time. March2Success is designed to first assess a student's math, science and English skills and discover the student's weaknesses. Next it will kick out lesson plans for your student based on their weaknesses. Reading comprehension is a big focus. March2Success has a 70% success rate getting kids out of remediation and back into regular English classes. (How awesome is that!)
March2Success also has SAT/ACT practice tests and flash cards available to your student; the questions come right off the tests themselves. There is also a computer game in the March2Success program called "Zero Hour Threat" that tests the kids' knowledge in a fun and engaging way. The best part is that if the student does not get the question right, the game immediately gives him/her feedback as to why he/she got the question wrong. 83.6% of the students using March2Success increased their math general purpose test scores using this program.
Here's how to access this awesome tool: http://www.march2success.com/. A registration site will pop up to get your student registered for the program. An additional tool is offered to help assess your student's interests/talents/personal strengths for possible future career ideas. It's called the ASVAB test. (It is NOT a military test; don't worry! I was assured that there are no obligations.) It is the only test that is taken on paper. Everything else is on-line. The benefits of taking the ASVAB test in addition to March2Success is greater understanding and awareness of possible career paths for your student.
Let me know how you like it when you try it!
Blog in next time for Day Eighteen!
I saw a presentation on the "March2Success" program that is sponsored by the US Army and is available to the public for FREE on-line! Parents, teachers, mentors and KIDS as young as 8th graders can all do it whenever they have free time. March2Success is designed to first assess a student's math, science and English skills and discover the student's weaknesses. Next it will kick out lesson plans for your student based on their weaknesses. Reading comprehension is a big focus. March2Success has a 70% success rate getting kids out of remediation and back into regular English classes. (How awesome is that!)
March2Success also has SAT/ACT practice tests and flash cards available to your student; the questions come right off the tests themselves. There is also a computer game in the March2Success program called "Zero Hour Threat" that tests the kids' knowledge in a fun and engaging way. The best part is that if the student does not get the question right, the game immediately gives him/her feedback as to why he/she got the question wrong. 83.6% of the students using March2Success increased their math general purpose test scores using this program.
Here's how to access this awesome tool: http://www.march2success.com/. A registration site will pop up to get your student registered for the program. An additional tool is offered to help assess your student's interests/talents/personal strengths for possible future career ideas. It's called the ASVAB test. (It is NOT a military test; don't worry! I was assured that there are no obligations.) It is the only test that is taken on paper. Everything else is on-line. The benefits of taking the ASVAB test in addition to March2Success is greater understanding and awareness of possible career paths for your student.
Let me know how you like it when you try it!
Blog in next time for Day Eighteen!
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