News 2016-17

This was the third consecutive year Hawthorne fifth and sixth-grade students participated in JA Biztown.  After several weeks of planning and organizing, the students were responsible for all of the activities in JA City for a day.  

On May 5, Bonneville held its annual Arts and Science FEST. The community gathered together after hours at Bonneville to support the arts and science programs at Bonneville. Students were able to buy cupcakes made by their teachers, participate in a variety of science and art activities, purchase cards with their own artwork on them, and eat delicious tacos from a taco truck.

Hawthorne’s annual Shakespeare Festival is a thirty-year tradition. Students in grades four, five, and six produce three plays each year which are performed in repertory in their classrooms during the day for student audiences and in the evening for family and friends. The plays are double-cast; each class performs ten times during the week.

Open Classroom’s 4/5 blended classes spent many hours preparing for a play on History. This included making the props, scenery, running technology, and finding the costumes for the play. The students had to learn about the music and dances from the time period.

In honor of Earth Day, Bonneville Elementary worked together to collect paper recycling. Students, staff, and the community banded together in a friendly competition to see which class and grade could collect the most paper and cardboard.

Edison had another successful year with Junior Achievement. Junior Achievement is an organization that has the goal of inspiring and educating students on the global economy. Every year Junior Achievement goes to over 200,000 classrooms and volunteers teach the students for one day. The volunteers are successful entrepreneurs, college students, and business people.

Every year, Open Classroom students pick a culture that they want to study and do a hands-on activity with the rest of the school. These activities include food, dances, activities, and other things that happen in that culture. Each classroom does something different and the other grades get to go through the classrooms and learn about other cultures.

In May, Bonneville Elementary had a delightful assembly with author Jake Halpern. Mr. Halpern was on a book tour promoting his books Nightfall and Edgeland.

Edison students work hard all school year long, so the Edison Eagles ended the school year with some fun.

Salt Lake City School District will be performing network and system maintenance June 15, 5:00 p.m. – June 18, 2017.

At the end of the school year and over summer, Open Classroom students going into eighth grade have to investigate and prepare for their eighth-grade project. Their eighth-grade projects are something that they are passionate about and willing to work towards for the duration of the school year.

This school year, students in Backman’s third and fifth-grade classes sported blue fitness bands and could be spotted running laps on the playground and dancing in the classroom to get as many steps as possible. All this activity helped them get fit but had an even more important purpose: feeding hundreds of people throughout the world through UNICEF’s Kid Power program.

For the first time, Northwest Middle School offered students a chance to hone their argument skills in a debate class during second semester. Educator Becky Stewart led students through speaking drills, sparring activities, and topical research to prepare students for competition.

Parkview had a strong finish to a great year! We are proud of the improvement our students made over the year in Math, Language Arts, and Science. Each teacher and the students in his/her class worked hard to improve their test scores and grow and learn together. Much of this success stems from the strategies taught to students, such as learning targets, success criteria, and feedback.

The last week of May, Backman Lions spent time focusing on the future during College and Career Week. Students dressed for their future careers, did art projects based on the colleges they want to attend and participated in Career Day. This year more than 25 presenters came to speak their careers.

For the last two years, educators Aimee Tatton and Elena Olivo have been coordinating the after-school girls group Go Girlz. The program is supported by the University of Utah’s Women’s Resource Center. University of Utah facilitators, who are University of Utah undergrad and graduate students, regularly attend and teach the weekly lessons.

All district offices, schools, and facilities will be closed at least one day each week from June 9 through August 4. 

The last month of school at Beacon Heights was full of year-end festivities including drama and dance performances. Fifth-grade students at Beacon Heights helped to finish the year by performing a play about the Boston Tea Party and the American Revolution. The students studied drama for one trimester where they learned to integrate the Utah Core with the arts.

The 2016-2017 school year at Indian Hills Elementary ended with a bang! Students wrapped this year up with the Hogle Zoo, The Leonardo, singing, and science.

As part of global citizenship study, some of Newman Elementary’s fifth-grade students have been involved in several projects that have benefited kids around the world: UNICEF KidPower, HeroRats, and SoleHope. Fifth-grade teacher Adrienne Warren guided this process, but she stated that they took ownership of the projects and made a difference in their global community. 

Northwest Middle School held their annual Celebration of Dance in March. Approximately 250 students participated. It was an extravaganza of multi-cultural dance genres such as Latin, African, Polynesian, Bollywood, hip hop, swing, and modern. The auditorium was packed with family and friends.

In compliance with the State Fire Marshal's request, the district will be testing the fire alarm systems in our schools this summer. We have scheduled the tests for this time of year to minimize the impact on the schools. The testing will include all fire horns, including any located on the outside of our schools.

Hillside Middle School’s performing art programs celebrated another wonderful year of success through their most highly anticipated event. On May 20, Hillside’s Band 2, Orchestra 2, and Mixed Choir performed at The Music in the Parks Festival. This event is an opportunity for students and teachers to showcase their finest work and to celebrate a year of hard work with some fun.

Mountain View Elementary had an amazing time during the 5K Fun Run on May 25! The students ran hard the day of the race. We had many wonderful sponsors and volunteers to help make the event special and to run smoothly. A huge shout out to Ms. Bradley for coordinating, fund raising, setting up and planning an event that students will be talking about for years to come. Way to go!

This month, Ensign students (grades 4-6) had the opportunity to watch government in action. Ensign had the honor of hosting Governor Gary Herbert and many other legislators, and concerned citizens, as he spoke to the gathered crowd and then signed eight bills into law, including money for clean-air buses. Alongside the Governor, our safety patrol students were able to witness the signing.

And the District Teacher of the Year is... Erin Newsome! The surprise announcement was made this morning by Superintendent Dr. Alexa Cunningham at Horizonte Instruction and Training Center, where Erin teaches language arts. 

Edison fourth-grade students have been working hard using their investigative skills in science this year. These Edison students has been very fortunate to have a program directed by the Natural History Museum of Utah called Youth Teaching Youth come to our school and teach them science.

Congratulations to Highland High and their winning MESA team. Math, Engineering, Science Achievement (MESA) is nationally recognized for its innovative and effective academic development program. Advisors Bonnie Bourgeous and Chelsea Parrish lead the MESA club at Highland and have engaged their students in numerous activities where the Engineering Design Process is put into action.

First-grade students at Uintah Elementary enjoyed partnering up with East High School juniors and seniors this past month to learn about physics. Ms. Niven’s, Physics teachers, walked her students to Uintah to work, teach, and collaborate with our first-grade students.

Glendale Middle School’s Latinos in Action students participated in an environmental science activity in collaboration with local architectural firm GSBS, focusing on sustainable design principles.

Dani Bainsmith, a science teacher at Northwest Middle School, has been selected to receive the 2016-17 Outstanding Biology Teacher award for the state of Utah.

West High School, Highland High School, Glendale Middle School, and Edison Elementary School were selected by a panel of judges as the winners of the Earth Day Recycle Bin Painting Competition.  Talented students from multiple schools spent hours preparing and then painting the GreenFiber recycle bins that are located on their campuses.  

Uintah Unicorn students celebrated their artistic visions of the visual arts as well as their joy of music at the annual arts night tradition on Friday, May 12th. Uintah believes that all children should create through the visual arts, music, dance and drama to have a complete education with the other subject cores taught.

Beacon Heights recently celebrated their yearly Art Night. Students displayed their visual art and showed their performing arts they had been working on since the beginning of the year. The walls and halls of the school were decorated with paintings, murals, and 3-D sculpture to show off a year of creativity and artistic talent.

There are only two weeks left to catch Escalante sixth-grade students' show at The City Library, up through May 30th! Located on the main floor by the welcome desk, Politics is Personal is a visual art exploration about political issues that are important to these students in this particular historical moment.

Salt Lake City School District is proud to announce it has reached a tentative agreement with the Salt Lake Education Association that will provide new teachers a starting salary of nearly $44,000 and will increase overall compensation for all teachers in the district by nine percent. The significant increase comes without an increase to taxpayers

Whittier Elementary was led this year by its first student body government, under the tutelage of Paulette Nemelka. Last year, students made posters and campaigned for different positions like President, Publicist, and Safety Patrol. Fifth-grade students then voted for whom they thought was the best qualified, and the students delivered.

Recent news coverage of school lunch issues may have caused some confusion among our parents about our school lunch and breakfast programs, especially the issue of qualifying for free and reduced lunch.

Congratulations to our 2017 Teacher Recruitment Scholarship Recipients from Salt Lake City School District! This is a collaborative program between Salt Lake Community College, University of Utah and the five districts across the Wasatch Front. Each recipient will receive full SLCC tuition and support for books and fees.

It was a perfect day for going out to "the old ball game." The sun was shining, the sky was blue and you could hear the crack of a ball when it punched a ball over the outfield fence. Nibley Park students where there to watch the game. Sponsored by Prevention Dimensions, more than 12,000 students filled the bleachers to watch the Salt Lake Bees play the Omaha Storm Chasers.

Carol Flower’s first-grade class and Tonya Aiken’s fourth-grade class at Whittier Elementary delivered fantastic student-created operas through Opera by Children. The students sang with enthusiasm, conviction, and were succinct in their acting skills.

It has been a great month at Mountain View Elementary. Students have been integrating dance with curriculum studied in the classroom. Second and fourth-grade students are demonstrating learning in the classroom through dance and making connections with the world. Fourth-grade students integrated visual art, music, and dance into science and social studies content they learned about Utah.

The focus of the literacy night at Bennion Elementary was academic maintenance. The event opened with a general session where parents were presented with research on the learning regression student’s face after a summer break.

...And because Icarus did not listen to his father’s warnings and flew too close to the sun, his waxen wings melted. Daedalus, horrified, could only watch as his son fell from the heavens and drowned in the sea.

Utah Food Bank’s newest program, Mobile School Pantry, complements both school meal programs and other childhood hunger programs. It provides a cost-effective food distribution point for children and their families at the end of the school day in a safe and trusted environment—the school playground.

May 4 was the perfect date for the Annual Dilworth Art Night. Even Darth Vader, Kylo Ren, Jyn Erso, Rey and a Commander participated at Dilworth Elementary along with hundreds of friends, neighbors, students and faculty. So much to see and do…art displays, food, music, crafts, cupcakes, tomato plants and flowers, make and take crafts, something for everyone.

Kindergarten through sixth-grade students came into the Beacon Heights gymnasium dressed in western attire to learn historic and modern square dancing last week. Students were grouped into boy/girl partnerships before going into the assembly. Over the next hour, students learned tidbits of history and social etiquette. They learned country line dances as well as other modern square dances.

East High School invites you to a free screening of Dying in Vein. The movie is a deeply personal exploration of opiate and heroin addiction through a cinéma vérité style that drops you directly into the lives of an addict in recovery, a couple trying to get clean, a family grieving the loss of their son and an Emergency Room Physician trying to save one patient at time.

Franklin Elementary School couldn’t be more proud! Fernando Rodriquez has been chosen by Math Hoops – a National Basketball association – to represent Franklin Elementary, Utah, the Jazz, and Math Hoops in a math competition.

Cristina Shrum, a fourth-grade teacher at Lincoln Elementary, had the opportunity to travel to San Juan Ostenculco, Guatemala this spring and visit a private school there. Knowing that this was an opportunity for her students too, she asked them to prepare informational packets for the Guatemalan students about Utah. Her students were curious about what school was like in Guatemala, so Mrs.

Sarah Pickett, a second-grade student at Beacon Heights, recently represented the state of Utah for Reflections in photography at the National competition. Reflections is a national PTA program that encourages artistic creativity in the classroom and at home. The 2016-2017 theme was “What is Your Story.”

UDOT will be repairing bridges in the Foothill Drive/Parleys Canyon area along I-80 and I-215. The construction work on these bridge decks and substructures will necessitate lane closures and detours. This UDOT project will preserve infrastructure and optimize mobility along I-80, one of Utah’s most heavily traveled freeways.

Studies show that yoga and breathing exercises can help decrease testing anxiety and stress. With this in mind, the lucky third graders at Lincoln Elementary have been practicing yoga every week during April and May with Angela Marie Singh. Becky Page, a teacher who practices yoga regularly, connected with Angela through a mutual friend at Centered City Yoga.

Everyone that has walked into Edison Elementary knows how extraordinary our students are. Our students are hardworking, loving kids that always strive for greatness and our fifth-grade “reading experts” are no exception.

Last month, the West High ELP Math Club competed at MathCounts State Chapter, a competition that tests the math problem solving skills of middle school students. The West High team placed fourth in the state.

On Monday at Escalante the Utah Museum of Contemporary Art (UMOCA) showed us that if you cannot go to the art, the art will come to you, courtesy of the Art Truck, a traveling art exhibit/outreach program of contemporary art.

Ensign's Annual Night at the Library was Friday, April 21. It featured the amazing performer Nino Reyos. His presentation on Native American heritage and culture included story telling, singing, and dancing.

For the past year, Lincoln Elementary students, staff, and parents have been eagerly watching the progress on the construction site next door. Adjusting to the extra noise and limited playground space was rewarded last week when staff and School Community Council members were invited for a peek inside the new Liberty Elementary.

Indian Hills Elementary has had a great month! Sixth grade went back in time to the time of myths and god while students through all grades were able to learn some great dance moves through the instruction of professional dancers. 

The Molina Foundation donated 3,600 new books to the students of M. Lynn Bennion Elementary. Many of the books were given to the library for check-out, and the rest went home with the students.

After coming back from spring recess, Parkview had a wonderful assembly put on by the jump rope team known as Just Jumpin’. Just Jumpin’, sponsored by the Intermountain Healthcare Live Well program, helps promote people to live an active and healthy life style.

On March 30, 2017, third-grade students at Uintah performed Seussical Kids for students and their families. Ms. Hess, drama teacher, started working with third graders after returning from winter break. Ms. Hess held auditions for the speaking/lead parts during the first month of practice. For several months, students had only two thirty-minute time slots for drama each week.

Paula Marquez, a fifth-grade teacher at Highland Park Elementary recently received a STEM classroom grant from The Utah STEM Action Center to purchased hands-on science and engineering activities for her classroom.  The grant she received enables her to build her classroom library with items that include creators like Roominate, ZOOB Builderz and Little Bits.  These tools will help Paula accomp

In Hannah Wille’s classroom at Backman Elementary, second-grade students wiggle eagerly and wave from their seats as fifth-grade students from Jacki Baron’s class filter in, waving back. The students can barely contain their excitement at seeing their Backman Buddies, students from an older grade who serve as mentors for younger students.

Students in Mr. Pieter Lingen’s fourth grade class at Highland Park learned about tales of courage first hand this past March. As a class, they read fables and decided to write an opera based on a few of their favorites. The students worked together to write the lyrics based on three famous fables: the Tortoise and the Hare, the Lion and the Mouse and The Three Billy Goats Gruff.

Glendale Middle School is home to one of the most diverse student populations in the Salt Lake City School District. Each year, as the grand finale to the year round celebrations and expressions of our rich cultural and linguistic heritage, the student body presents a Multicultural Assembly.

On April 4, at Bryant Middle School, students from six middle schools competed against each other to see who would be the champion of the first annual Battle of the Books organized by Bryant Middle School Librarian, Emily DeJong, and Salt Lake City School District Library Director, Tiffany Hall.

Selene Mansfield's fifth-grade class from Mountain View Elementary began an opera back in November as a collection of short stories. They read “The House on Mango Street” by Sandra Cisneros to study a vignette writing structure and then participated in national novel writing month to publish a book of short personal narratives.

Backman students were racking up kind acts in the month of February during a school-wide focus on Random Acts of Kindness. The idea grew out of the district Character Education committee’s focus on kindness during February. During the first week of the month, Kindness Kits were delivered to each classroom.

The Backman community will sponsor an Earth Day event April 22 to both continue the clean up of the Jordan River area that borders the school and celebrate science. This is the second such event the school and its community partners have sponsored this year.

In accordance with the Asbestos Hazard Emergency Response Act regulations (AHERA), this is to serve as the annual notification for the Salt Lake City School District for 2017. Building re-inspections are being conducted on a six month cycle. Each school’s Asbestos Management Plan is available for review in the building’s main office or custodial office.

Science, technology, engineering, arts and math could be spotted at every turn at Backman Elementary during their recent STEAM-focused family night this spring. Brightly colored art projects focusing on everything from seeds to magnetic fields lined the halls.

Emerson has had two full weeks of art. Art night 2017 continued the tradition of celebrating the importance of art at Emerson. The wet weather did not stop families from coming out to enjoy a night of crafts, music, food and art. The hallways were decorated with master pieces from the school year and parents could even pay to have the work framed or order custom art cards.

Three Newman Elementary students won grand prizes in the recent Cesar Chavez Literacy and Arts Social Justice Contest. Jaylynn Pendleton (second grade), Aelianna Jacobson (third grade) and Jaidyn Valdez (fourth grade) were our Grand Prize winners representing the Salt Lake City School District. They were honored at a special banquet held at Little America Hotel. 

FIRST Robotics Team #3006 Red Rock Robotics from West High School in Salt Lake City, UT won first place in the Idaho State Regional, and the team, made up of thirty high school students and four adult mentors, will move on to compete in the World’s FRC competition in Houston, Texas.

State and district end of year testing focuses on math and language arts for grades kindergarten-third and math, language arts, and science for fourth and fifth grade students. Here are some helpful tips for parents to help their children be successful on their state and district tests.

I cannot pinpoint a moment in time when I made a decision to be a teacher. Events unfolded serendipitously and powerfully until I reached the conclusion, “It is never too late to be what you might have been.” This quote, erroneously attributed to George Eliot, is nevertheless true for me. What I might have been was a teacher; through hard work and determination, I became one.

Third, fourth, and fifth-grade students at Parkview Elementary had the opportunity to hear from Nate Orchard of the NFL in an assembly. Nate attended sixth grade at Parkview Elementary. He told the students about his upbringing and about how he was able to overcome challenges by enduring, and never giving up.

Family Art Studio is a unique parent/child art class offered in the evenings at Escalante Elementary. Families come together during 6-8 weekly sessions to find inspiration, make art, and eat dinner.

The third-grade students in Ms. Travers’ class created an original opera called The Legend of the Tumbleweed. It is a continuation of the story of the Sekoa tribe, that was created by her students of Room 209 back in 2012. The new story begins with the tribe celebrating the end of the dry season with a trip to the desert to collect flowers.

College and Career Readiness Day finally arrived at Newman Elementary. Fourth, fifth and sixth grade students at Newman Elementary have been anticipating representatives from around the state to introduce them to academic and career options.

LDS Hospital hosted a gallery stroll for the students at Wasatch Elementary School on Thursday, March 23. Classes took turns taking the yellow school bus to go to the hospital throughout the morning. Wasatch has had a working partnership with LDS Hospital for many years.

In its third year at Escalante Elementary, Leadership Basketball League or “LBL” as it is known, is a thriving program. Fourth-grade teacher Alan Stevens conceived of the program as a way to mentor students not only in basketball, but in leadership skills that will help them now and in the future.

Salt Lake City School District students did an incredible job at the Utah History Fair. This year, the theme was Taking a Stand in History, and students were invited to research individuals or groups of people at the local, national, or global level who impacted history by taking a stand and inspiring others. Congratulations to the following students who placed in the regional competition.

Friday, March 24, was Ensign Elementary's Annual Gallery Stroll. It was a fantastic family night and fundraiser that featured performances by our band and orchestra as well as our sixth-grade students performing traditional Filipino Tinikling. Student art was on display throughout the school.

Newman’s second graders can hardly contain their excitement when they see their mentors arrive from the Salt Lake Center for Science Education (SLCSE). SLCSE students who have enrolled in a mentoring class have been coming every Friday since the beginning of the school year, working with the students in groups and individually to help meet their academic needs.

Mike’s volunteer career began twenty years ago at Indian Hills Elementary where he worked in a special education classroom and the library.  Fortunately for Uintah Elementary, Mr. Mike joined our school community.  He has been working at Uintah for five years, and has helped us in many different ways.

Hillside's Marching Band, under the direction of Leland Watson marched in the Salt Lake City St. Patrick’s Day Parade on Saturday, March 18.  The young band performers were greeted with a cheering crowd as they marched the parade route.  The St.

The Salt Lake Valley Science and Engineering Fair was recently held at the University of Utah March 21-23, with the Awards Ceremony at Olympus High School on Friday, March 24.  Salt Lake City School District is proud of all students who participated in this event, as we came away with 94 awards! 

The PTA and teachers had a big surprise in store for the students at Wasatch Elementary School on Friday, March 24.  Julie Livers the PTA president at Wasatch, saw a pop up opera in a school in England and felt it would be fabulous for our students as well.  The PTA readily agreed.  The students were told that the PTA was sponsoring an Etiquette Lunch for our whole school.  The week before each

The fifth grade at Highland Park spent Friday, March 24, back in time in U.S. History as they performed their musical and wax museum "We Celebrate America." Students spent the majority of the year researching an important person who greatly influenced the history of America.

Our Superintendent, Dr. Alexa Cunningham, spends one morning each month meeting and speaking with parents, students, and teachers. These Superintendent Breakfasts are hosted at a different school each month, and they give Dr. Cunningham a chance to learn what issues are important to our community.

When Kim Koeven, a science teacher at Glendale Middle School, first saw the movie Hidden Figures she was moved by its powerful themes.  “It has such a positive message for girls interested in science. It really shows them they can achieve and overcomes some of the typical stereotypes about women in mathematics and science.” Inspired, Ms.

The registration date for this year's District Summer Camp at Bonneville is coming quickly. The camp offers academic morning classes in math and reading. The enrichment program includes hands-on projects, outdoor activities, fun fieldtrips, computer lab skills development, and exciting guest programs. 

There are four sessions available this year.

This is a great opportunity for school personnel, students, and parents to learn more about what services are available to help families with disabilities access community support, from early childhood to post-school transition.

On March 11, approximately 150 community members and students and faculty from Innovations High Early College School ran a Dash to D.C. 5K to raise funds for a trip to Washington D.C.

Congratulations to the district’s Martin Luther King Jr. Essay Contest winners. For the past several years this essay contest was led by the Utah State Office of Education, but this year the state office was not able to be part of the contest, Instead of letting the tradition fade, the Salt Lake City School District held its own contest.

The Highland Park school and community came together Friday night in mass to help fundraise at the 12th Annual Arts Night.  Highland Park Elementary is a model school for the arts and is one of the few schools in the nation that provides visual art, music, and dance to all students. Every 5th and 6th grader also has the option of taking band, strings and general music.

Innovations Early College High School graduated 19 students in February, which was only halfway through term two. These students worked through all their classes to finish high school earlier than their classmates; some students are walking across the stage an entire year early.

Kellie May has been selected for the Outstanding Public School Teacher Award by the University of Utah. This annual award is given to educators identified as exemplary in their work in K-12 classrooms and to recognize the impact teachers have in influencing students' educational aspirations beyond high school.

What a spectacular art exhibition! On March 16, the students of Newman Elementary filled the gymnasium and hallways with their art. From pre-k students to sixth grade, every student participated. Guided by their art teacher, Mr. Paul Heath, the students worked all year to create art which tied to their science or social studies core curriculum, using all the elements of art. 

Pi, the wonderful number which starts with 3.14 and goes on forever, and pie were on the order for math night at Franklin Elementary School Tuesday, March 14. Students from the school were so excited to learn about pi and dividing circles into equal “slices.”

Glendale Middle School students have been selected as winners of the 2017 Western States THINK Challenge. Students earned this award for their accomplishments with the Think Through Math digital learning program. Glendale received the digital learning grant through the STEM Action Center to help increase student achievement in mathematics.

The Salt Lake City School District Visual Arts Show runs March 14 - 17, with a reception on Thursday, Match 16, starting at 6:30 p.m. The show is hosted at the Beverley Taylor Sorenson Arts and Education Complex, 1720 Campus Center Dr., University of Utah. 

Indian Hills Elementary is proud of the amazing students we have and the talents that they possess.  We have everything from recorders, to dancing, singing, to beautiful songs from the orchestra.

Graduate students from the University of Utah’s Program in Neuroscience visited North Star to teach students about how the brain develops and functions as part of Brain Awareness Week, a worldwide campaign organized by the Society for Neuroscience and the Dana Alliance for Brain Initiatives.

We educators aren’t likely to admit it, (at least not while they are still enrolled at our high school,) but there are some students whose apparently limitless potential fills us with a sense of humility, and even awe.  Sterling Scholars are chosen from a very small, elite group of students whose achievements and ambitions are enough to strain the limits of a resume.  This year, there are fourt

“I promise to read each day and night. I know it’s the key to growing up right.” These are the first two lines from Dr. Seuss’s Reader’s Oath. Last week, students, teachers and administrators had a wonderful time celebrating Dr. Seuss on Read Across America Day.

The month of February certainly set a tone of love and friendship throughout East High and the many activities that took place. First, the leopards kicked off the month with their traditional annual Sadie Hawkins’ dance on Saturday, February 4. It was the perfect way for East High Student Government to put together a fun event where love and friendship could bloom!

“Education Forms the Mind but the Soul Makes the Man.”

This quote from my great, great grandfather was hung and said in our home while we were growing up and now hangs in my office at Hillside Middle School.

When most people think of middle school art classes, they think of an art class where you paint, create clay figures, and sketch. But that isn’t the beginning of Clayton’s art classes. Here at our school, we are offered a variety of art classes, such as dance, choir, band, orchestra, theater, photography, multicultural crafts, and, obviously, your typical art class.

I have always wanted to be a teacher.  I have two younger sisters and as the oldest I took great pleasure in setting up “school” in my bedroom where I could give them directions and assignments (they haven’t exactly forgiven me for that).  Every job I have ever had has involved working in a school.   What I didn’t know back then was that what I really wanted was to be a special education teache

Congratulations to Salt Lake City School District Math Champions!  Three teams from SLCSD have been invited to the MathCounts State Finalists Competition on March 25. Selected top middle school teams throughout Utah are invited to compete and the winners will move forward to compete in the MathCounts National Competition in Florida. Our teams have practiced and prepared well for this honor.

Mrs. Brings’ ELP language arts class recently competed in the District Cesar Chavez Visual and Language Arts Contest. Students wrote an essay or created a piece of art that centered around the questions: “What can be done to support the rights of people in our communities? What Social Justice causes are people fighting for today that make a difference in the lives of individuals?” 

On February 23, the Dilworth fifth grade presented their annual Patriotic Program under the direction of Linette Sheffield, fifth-grade social studies teacher.  This program tells the story of United States history and includes many songs that encourage Patriotism.  With the help of our music conductor, Sharon Jorgensen, students learned and performed ten songs, some having to do with U. S.

February 20-25, 2017 was National Engineering Week. The purposes of National Engineering Week are to celebrate the difference engineers make in the world, raise awareness for the need of engineers, and bring engineering to life for kids. Parkview Elementary fifth-graders had the opportunity to meet and do activities with engineers from the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE).

The nomination period is now open for the 2018 Teacher of the Year award! Not only will the 2018 Salt Lake City School District Teacher of the Year receive a $2,000 award in addition to the $500 award for being one of the four finalists, the teacher who is selected will be a candidate for the Utah Teacher of the Year award.

Indian Hills Elementary fifth-grade students have taken a musical television special from 1973 and created their own musical, Dr. Seuss on the Loose.

Emerson students love to read! Students from kindergarten through sixth grade showed their love of reading in February. Students had fun meeting the PTA’s reading challenge the week of February 6. Students tracked their reading in class and at home to earn a place at Camps Read a Lot. Ms.

Hillside Middle School has built amazing school plays over the past few years. This year proved to be the most spectacular of all.  187 students performed in The Lion King Junior.   Over 4,000 costume pieces were used, and student actors had more than 580 costume changes in the first act alone.

Mrs. Angela Mecham's third-grade class at Highland Park just successfully wrote songs and performed a musical based on The Coat of Patches, an old Yiddish folktale. Mrs. Mecham determined the folktale the students started with and then the class got to work.

Congratulations to Zach Schrieter, a student at Highland High School, for winning the Utah High School Activities Association (UHSAA) Spirit of Sport Award! The UHSAA Spirit of Sport Award seeks to recognize those individuals who exemplify the ideals of sport that represent the core mission of education-based activities. 

Salt Lake Community College (SLCC) is showcasing photographs submitted by students from Whittier Elementary, Glendale Middle School, and Innovations Early College High School.  SLCC has been partnering with these three schools since September on a project called “Beloved Community,” inspired by Martin Luther King. 

One of the many responsibilities of a middle school is to offer college and career awareness exploration activities for students. Hillside Middle School has a robust college and career readiness program.

Liz Donakey and Jenessa Van Buren, educators from the Springville Art Museum, gave the students at Bennion Elementary the opportunity to appreciate and contemplate pieces of art from the museum’s collection.  The Springville Art Museum along with nine other humanities organizations such as The Utah Shakespeare Festival and The Timpanogos Storytelling Festival form POPS (Professional Outreach Pr

On Thursday, February 9, Dilworth Elementary was packed with students eager to participate in the Second Annual Science Family Fun Night. Over 300 students participated in 10 different hands-on STEM activities. The event was a huge success and is a tribute to what is possible when different committees within the school work together to improve educational opportunities for all students.

For months, the students at Mountain View Elementary have been preparing for the school’s science fair. Many of the students worked on their projects at school with the support of teachers and parents.

Escalante is lucky to have a beautiful atrium in the center of our school, visible from our upstairs and downstairs halls. It makes a perfect place for collective art making involving large groups of students as makers and audience. Collective art is art making that is created using large groups of people negotiating working together to tell a visual story.

Last week, the firefighters from the Salt Lake City Fire Department Station 4 visited our school.

Emerson’s second-grade teachers have made some fun changes in their classroom this school year.  The new Power Team decided their students needed chances to move their bodies throughout the day to help students stay engaged in their learning.  GoNoodle, a fun and very entertaining online program, got them off to a good start.

Discovery Gateway has a new Kindergarten Science Program, and they came to Wasatch to share with our kindergarten students.  On January 19, the students were involved in a 45 minute session with inquiry-based experiences that cover the Utah Core Science Standard for the kindergarten curriculum.  The topic was potential energy. 

On Saturday, February 4, Dilworth Elementary hosted the Second Annual Dilworth Chess Tournament.  About 300 people came, including parents and coaches of the players.  There were approximately 170 players, with ages ranging from 5 years old to 18 years old.  There were 22 students representing our school.

We are utilizing our bulletin boards as interactive conversational sites for everyone in our community to learn about each other. Two boards are up right now in our stairwells- “Career Path” and “I Love You This Much!”

Emerson’s hallways are filled with student art work. Students in all classes work once a month with the amazing Regina Stenberg. Regina has spent the last five years building a strong art program for Emerson students built on technique, varied mediums, and art history. Ms.

One of the first things you learn about film making is how much you have to work together. Sometimes it was easy and everyone agreed on what to do. Other times people just wanted to have their way on everything.

“What do you want to be when you grow up?” a question asked of me many times during my early and adolescent years.  While nurse, stewardess, and mom were considerations, my answer, when quizzed, was always, “I want to be a teacher.”

The first week in February is National School Counseling Week, so this is a perfect time to reflect on the path that brought me to my job as an elementary school counselor at Backman Elementary. 

Emerson Elementary students got to show off their hard work and knowledge on February 2, during their annual science night.  The upper-grade students have been working hard in class and at home using the scientific process.  Parents were welcome to come and celebrate hard work and learn about many student discoveries in the field of science and engineering. 

Shoot, Shoot, Shoot – make those swishers so our team can win. Franklin students had the opportunity to “play” some basketball with two Utah Jazz players, Shelvin Mack and Raul Neto. The students practiced their math skills and had the Jazz players shoot baskets from selected locations that related to the equations the students solved.

On February 6, 2017, Bonneville Elementary students had the privilege of meeting Lisa McMann, author of the Unwanted Series.

This week we began a class on weaving with the third-grade classes. Our Library Aid/Playground Assistant brought her loom and woven materials to the library to showcase her beautiful samples of what a loom and crafter can create. Our third-grade students were able to try out what it would be like to weave a table runner.

On January 26, Mathletes from eight schools came together to compete in the Salt Lake City School District MathCounts Competition. Congratulations to West High students for their success as the top three 2017 Countdown winners!

Ensign Elementary received one of 200 nationwide pop-up exhibits from the National Archives, called the The Bill of Rights and You, commemorating the 225th anniversary of the ratification of the landmark Bill of Rights document. As part of this exhibit we have created a learning classroom featuring historical information which includes the 1964 Civil Rights Act, reproduction historical document

Emily Pierce, Bryant’s Art teacher, has been successful at providing art supplies for her students through Donors Choose grants.  Over the last 2 years, Ms. Pierce has received over $4000 in art supplies for various projects, including glass fusing supplies, Scholastic Art magazines, and supplies for Sumi-e art.  Her latest success was with supplies for Encaustic painting.

Jeffrey Zivkovic, a math teacher at Bryant Middle School, has seen his students motivated to learn math concepts through playing the game Math Hoops.  Math Hoops is a board game that simulates playing basketball, but students do math to make points.

On a Thursday night this fall, Backman Elementary’s halls were filled with families pouring into the auditorium, excited to see students in first, fourth and sixth grade perform.  The school held its first Sharing Traditions family night of the year, Día de Muertos, with special dance performances as well as visual art displays and literature components.  Chara Huckins, the school’s movement te

Please join us for our next parent seminar, February 22, at West High School. 

Edison fifth-grade students were thrilled to be a part of the National Association of Women in Construction (NAWIC) Lego building challenge. Each student was given one hundred Lego blocks and a combination of a rock, string, foil, and cardboard. Students had 45 minutes to construct a structure of their choice.

For almost a month now, the students at Lincoln Elementary have been preparing for the school’s annual science fair. Instead of working on projects at home, however, the students have been very busy working on campus after school hours with the support of dozens of teachers and parent volunteers.

January 19, 2016 was an exciting day for 127 Innovations Early College High School students. All were recognized in the school assembly for their hard work and progress during the Winter Break. Earning a total of 50.25 credits, each of the 127 students completed at least one term (.25 credit) in classes during the two week break.

On January 9, 2017 Ben Behunin was able to share his thoughts and visions as an artist with the students of Newman Elementary. Inspired by his mom who made art with her kids daily, he always thought of himself as an artist. 

Did you know that there are over 400 versions of the Cinderella story?! The second and third-grade students at Lincoln Elementary had the opportunity to hear a version called, “The Gift of the Crocodile” told by a professional storyteller. Instead of reading the story aloud, the storyteller performed it, and several others stories, for the students.

Last week we had spectacular turnout for our annual Science Fair. We had classroom projects from lower grades and even entries from third-grade students!

Highland Park Elementary students showed their school spirit through acts of kindness during the week of Roadrunner Days. Roadrunner Days began several years ago with Principal Shelley Halverson as a way to promote school spirit and a community of caring characteristics. The PTA helped with her ideas and continues now with Principal Debora Cluff. 

Today I will learn about Parkview’s Evidence Based Instructional Strategy, so I can better understand what goes on in classrooms school-wide. To do this, I will read an article with information about learning targets and success criteria.

One important part of education is for students to have opportunities to socialize and to celebrate together with fun activities. On the final school day in December, Hillside Middle School uses an assembly schedule for our middle school students for both of these purposes by hosting an Ugly Sweater Dance and Activity Day. 

Robots have invaded Ms. Park’s fifth-grade math class at Newman Elementary!  The students have been using their robotic minds throughout the past term and earned the privilege to use the robots from the Educational Technology Department.

The students in third grade at Lincoln Elementary have been studying how cultural factors shape the many communities around the world.  They have been gathering information from books, the Internet, and maps.  However, on January 24, they were able to learn about Russia from the best source of all – the school’s very own native Russian – Svetlana Winward, a third grade teacher!

Riley Elementary recently partnered with the Utah Education Policy Center (UEPC) to support our school's turnaround efforts. The UEPC provides professional learning opportunities to teachers, to get our students closer to mastery on priority grade level standards. Last week, Riley teachers and coaches were visited by Dr.

Today, the Tesoro Foundation presented a $66,000 grant to West High School to help improve the school’s overall year-to-year math SAGE scores, by providing additional in-class and afterschool tutoring for students. The additional tutoring is focused on the incoming freshman class.  The grant has two parts: first, $23,000 for the tutoring and second, $43,000 to purchase graphing calculators, whi

Students at Mountain View Elementary entertained proud parents, grandparents, family members, and friends during a winter sing- along assembly before the Holiday break. The auditorium was filled to capacity with excited and enthusiastic students, staff and parents as they gathered together to listen to each grade level perform their songs.  

Three third-grade classrooms hosted Biography Week at Newman Elementary right before Winter Break. Dressed as a famous person, third-grade students informed each other and their parents on their chosen biography.  

Inspiring Educators

As we make our way through life, we often look back and think of an educator who has, in some way, inspired us to things we never thought possible. 

Screenagers is an award winning documentary film for families and people of all ages. This film explores the physical and chemical changes in our brains when we engage in screen time and especially how a teen brain is effected.

Information meetings will be held this month for parents who are interested in enrolling their elementary school students in the district's Extended Learning Program.

Fifth-grade students at Parkview Elementary are being inspired and prepared to succeed in a global economy through a program known as Junior Achievement. This program offers exciting opportunities for students to learn skills they need to “own their economic success, plan for their futures and make smart academic and economic choices” (juniorachievement.org).

In late November, Ms. Morrill’s and Ms. Warren’s fifth grade classes from Newman Elementary were presented with a challenge to race soda cans across the gym floor without physically touching the cans!  They were each presented with a balloon and an aluminum soda can.  The students learned the fundamentals of static electricity in order to reach their goal.

Congratulations to Cate Praggastis on receiving the Empowering Young Minds award on behalf of the Somos Utah Hispanic Chamber of Commerce Foundation

Congratulations to Elaine Turner, East High language arts teacher, for becoming our district’s newest National Board Certified teacher.  Congratulations also goes to Laura Cheney, West High School math coach, and Jean Vandertoolen, Highland High art teacher, for renewing their National Board certification.  National Board certification is the highest teaching credential available, and Salt Lake

Elizabeth Tabish teaches a unique group piano program, presently taught only at Glendale Middle School. The program was started with the generous support of two local philanthropists, Liz and Bart Warner, over twenty years ago. 

It was an exciting evening for those who attended the College Knowledge event at Salt Lake Community College and Innovations High School last month.  The event kicked off with an outstanding keynote address presented by Richard Kaufusi, Director of the Opportunity Scholars Program at the University of Utah, Eccles School of Business.  Mr.

Winter brought a standing room only crowd to Newman Elementary’s Holiday Family Night and morning “Sing Along” assembly on December 22 and 23.    

During the 2016-2017 academic year, Innovations Early College High School teachers have started doing cross-curriculum collaboration which is benefitting students. One of the main examples of this being done is a Building America course that combines US history and language arts 11.

Students at Highland Park are spring cleaning their homes early and donating their gently used toys to a great cause over the months of December and January. Mrs. Leaver, a former 6th grade teacher at Highland Park, is taking all of the small toys students donate to Panajachel, Guatemala in February.

Becoming a good reader is the one of the most essential skills needed to be successful in life. The Salt Lake City Police Department (SLCPD) knows that, and they helped reinforce that message to students at Riley Elementary. 

Students were hunched over microscopes, frantically writing down notes, and having excited conversations with lab partners. These students were involved in the week long BioEYES Science lab at Bryant Middle School in December.

Sixth-grade girls at Jackson Elementary have been mentored and supported by the Women’s Resource Center at the University of Utah since 2010! How have they been in engaged for the past seven years?

Kris Lancaster-Grant was recently awarded the 2016 H. Kenton Reavis Special Educator. The Kenton Reavis Special Educator Award goes to an educator who teaches students with emotional disturbances and behavior disorders.

“Adelante promotes collaboration among many partners and high expectations so that our children can be successful from elementary school to the university.”
 - Dr. Maria Franquiz, Dean College of Education, University of Utah.

Wasatch Elementary School has nine sixth grade library aides.  They help Monday through Friday in the library in the mornings before school begins.  They help with putting away books, checking in and out books, straightening shelves, and helping students that are on the computers in the morning.  

For their annual winter holiday performance, Beacon Heights second-grade students sang and danced about celebrating the differences around them.

“Given current events in our world,” said Margot Wolfe, a second-grade teacher. “We decided to focus our program on peace. These kids made me really emotional.”

Bonneville’s sixth-grade class delighted audiences with their performance of Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night. With two different casts, the sixth-grade class put on four separate performances.

In December, Escalante students and staff took an express trip to the North Pole thanks to generous support and the leadership of Rob Corcoran, owner of Influence Realty and Relocation.

Walk into Bonneville Elementary any morning around 7:30 and you’ll find about 20 students working hard to learn a second language: Spanish. Two classes each meet twice a week in the morning to learn and develop Spanish skills. Taught by Meg Garfield, the program is in its second year. The program is inspired by a dual-immersion philosophy. Ms.

Northwest Middle School along with West High School and elementary schools Backman, Escalante, Meadowlark, Newman, North Star, and Rose Park are working together to implement restorative practices. Currently, there are over 15 schools within Salt Lake School District that are implementing the practice.  Restorative practices are being used in several school districts around the nation. 

We are so excited to have Ines Lazalde join our school community. She is in her first year of school counseling and wanted to be a counselor because she had a tough time fully believing in herself in school. According to Inez, “It took me a long time to believe in myself. I actually graduated from college, managed a business, and then decided to go back and improve my G.P.A.

Students at Uintah having been working hard over the past few months to create a new piece of art for the school. The art work has been entered in the Foothill Shopping Village Art Show. The school whose art project receives the most votes will earn a cash prize!

William Shakespeare once said, “The play’s the thing.” Well, the play was certainly “the thing” for Dilworth Elementary fifth-grade students, who performed Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing.

Watching students read books is good. Watching students enjoy reading is better. Watching students enjoy reading, get excited to read, and teach other students how to read is the best.

There is a magical place at Backman Elementary, tucked in the shadows of the science classrooms. It is a place where plump pumpkins grow on vines, ruby red tomatoes and bright orange carrots are plucked by smiling students and the scent of basil and other herbs calms even the most distraught student.

Open Classrooms sixth, seventh, and eighth-grade students had the opportunity to go up to the University of Utah and see what it would be like to be in college.  Every student participates in two workshops/activities. The first workshop was a 30 minute “College 101” presentation.

Edison is all about Harry Potter this school year. We have transformed our school into a Hogwarts work of art. Edison has even turned student incentive programs into fun Harry Potter rewards. One Harry Potter reward that Edison students can earn is called Head Master Honors. Head Master Honors is the ultimate reward.

An ‘Under the Sea’ theme may capture the activities in this year’s Creative Pursuits competition that Ms. Sydney McDonald sponsors. The first place prize was reeled in by the fifth grade team, Noah, Zander and Jade. These inventive engineers designed a bubble detector to work under water to locate and stop escaping oxygen. 

10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1… Blast Off! Third-grade students at Mountain View Elementary exploded into the Milky Way, tilted, rotated, and reached up and down at their dance performance on Friday, December. “Do you think you’re ready to use your whole body?”  Dance teacher Tina Misaka asked near the beginning of the performance, which featured learning objectives in both science and dance.

Judi Marcy, a sixth-grade teacher at Beacon Heights, was just awarded an American Graduate Champion through Utah Education Network (UEN).

An American Graduate Champion is considered someone who provides guidance, academic support, encouragement or other help for people to achieve their educational dreams.

Many traditions start with just one person. Indian Hills Elementary sixth grade teacher, Jennifer Mergens, is that one person. Jennifer Mergens has been involved in the Festival of Trees for 17 years. Indian Hills has been a part of that tradition for 12 years.

Earlier this month Bryant student groups presented the Bryant Winter Concert. Orchestra I and II, Band I and II, Choir I and II, dance, and drama students performed at the event. The music groups performed a combination of holiday music and traditional music.

The Ensign kindergarten classes have two students traveling with their parents to Cuba to live with the local people. They are part of a service project endeavoring to support the schools there. Kindergarten students took a moment to view pictures of the Cuban countryside, observe school classrooms in Cuba, and watch a video of school children.

Last month made itself known with its drastic weather change. Though the season brought the chilly days and snow-filled nights with it, the warmth from our dear Leopards’ hearts shined through in many different ways throughout the whole month of November.

Congratulations are in order for three Nibley Park Teachers. Kimberly Dean, Lisa Owen and Brooke Williams have been designated as a Prime Time Teachers for the 2016-2017 school year. Kim, Brooke, and Lisa represent the fine teachers we have at Nibley Park. The work of these teachers was honored by the Salt Lake City School District Title I Department.

Students in Ms. Jenning's classroom at Uintah Elementary have been working hard to create their own wax museum exhibit. Based on the fourth-grade writing core, students were expected to write about a famous character writing in third person and afterwards make presentations in first person. 

Ms. Heise’s Fourth graders at Indian Hills Elementary recently showed off their engineering skills in a STEM activity in class. Students were challenged to see who could create the tallest tower using only toothpicks and marshmallows. The tower could not fall over. 

Mountain View has had many visitors this school year, starting with award winning author Duncan Tonatiuah. In September Tonatiuah came to Mountain View and read one of his books to the school community.  It was a privilege to have him at our school.

The Salt Lake City School District has again received two awards for its Comprehensive Annual Financial Report (CAFR). This marks nearly 40 consecutive years the district has been honored for this report.

STAY IN SCHOOL! This was the overall theme for the fifth and sixth-grade Franklin Elementary students who listened to presentations by volunteers from many different occupations. The students learned what it was like to use both your feet and arms to control an airplane, they learned about how music is a very important part of one’s life.

The students at Dilworth Elementary have the holiday spirit.  Over the past week, students continued the fifteen-year tradition of making ornaments and decorating Sugarhouse Zions Bank’s Christmas tree. On Friday, December 2, our Peer Leadership Team, along with their advisor, Ms. Shelly Stansfield and our principal, Jared Wright hung over 100 ornaments to adorn the bank’s tree.

Three third-grade classes at Escalante have spent the past six weeks creating a beautiful “Ancestor Tree.”

Meadowlark’s student council took a trip to the Utah State Capitol in the midst of our Nation’s historic election. They went to learn more about how government works and how they, as a newly formed student council, can work to uplift the community of Meadowlark Elementary. 

This year at Northwest Middle School, 17 interdisciplinary teachers are planning various field trip opportunities to extend student learning outside the walls of the classroom.  According to research, field trips have a positive impact on students’ cognitive skills, knowledge, interests, and future career choices.  Additionally, field trips increase student understanding and knowledge about the

What’s better than a charity 5k race on a brisk, fall morning? A race that involves donuts!

Music offers so many benefits to a child’s life. Multiple studies have been done that show that music can lead to improved memory, language, reasoning, coordination, self-esteem, and student engagement, just to name of few.

About 80 Highland Park fourth through sixth-grade students mustered up their courage to board the Jolly Roger and become swashbucklin’ buccaneers.  They performed “Pirates: The Musical” by John Hacobson and Roger Emerson on November 10- 11 to a crowd of “landlubbers.”

Lorrie Orton, teacher of Functional Academics at Northwest Middle School, is Salt Lake School District’s Special Education Teacher of the Year for 2017. Orton is an inspiring educator who works tirelessly to ensure her students are held to the highest standards and are fully integrated into Northwest Middle School’s culture and included in activities.

Franklin Elementary School had the privilege of having our fabulous district technology group bring their robots and expertise with Hour of Code. More than twenty families came to experience the fun of “driving” robots and coding with the new Hour of Code programs.

Marianne Plumridge, Uintah’s secretary, became a U.S. Citizen on October 13^th, 2016.  Although Marianne has lived in the United States since 1979, she finally decided to join our team.  Marianne was sworn in by Judge David Nuffer, and afterwards all members in attendance watched a short video of Barack Obama welcoming her as the newest U.S. Citizen.  Then, U.S.

What’s better than reading? Reading and eating bagels! Books and Bagels occurs four times a year at Bennion Elementary. Students come with their family, choose a brand new free book, and share that book with their family as everyone enjoys bagels and cream cheese, coffee, and juice.

Teacher Javier Viana teaches Techniques for Tough Times at Northwest Middle School.  The curriculum was developed by Salt Lake high school teacher and researcher Leigh Vandenakker.  She designed the curriculum to help students navigate difficult life issues using positive, proactive strategies.  Northwest is one of two middle schools in the district to implement the program.  This year is the s

Emerson students have been studying what it means to be an American. Ms. Blacker’s second-grade students wrote about it and about what they would do if they were President.

Hillside Middle School loves the Blues. Hillside has had several students each year who deal with Type 1 Diabetes, so in conjunction with National Diabetes Awareness Month, Hillside sponsored Hillside’s Do the Blue 2016 Day.  On Monday, November 7, students and adults at Hillside were encouraged to wear blue for juvenile Type 1 Diabetes awareness.

Indian Hills Elementary marked the completion of their 6^th Annual Fun Run this year. The Fun Run took place on the third level of the school playground.  Each class began their session with a warm-up from DJ Rob.  DJ Rob had the kids shaking and stretching to the beat of the music.  When the time came to begin their race, each class lined up at the starting line and waited for the ho

School libraries—and the role of librarian—have changed!  Due to the digitization of content and wide internet accessibility, school libraries no longer function as a repository of printed materials accessible only in one physical location whose singular role is book checkout.

Students from the “Know Greater Heroes” class at Salt Lake Community College visited Bennion Elementary with an assembly that had three objectives.

Each fall, Open Classroom students, teachers, and parents take a field-trip to Antelope Island. Their purpose is to build community within the school and to experience field science. Different classrooms participate in pre- and post-projects involving Antelope Island and the Great Salt Lake.

Oskar and Julia were the first performers this year at Wasatch Elementary School’s Brown Bag Lunch Series. The students were surprised and very excited to have a musical performance taking place as they came into lunch. There was a whole lot of dancing going on while the students ate lunch. 

This year’s eighth-grade graduating class at the Open Classroom Charter School attended Canyonlands Field Institute for a week in Moab. The purpose of their trip was to get outdoor field science experience, form collaborative friendships, give back to the local area, and gain a greater sense of place in our environment. 

On November 11, the nation celebrated those that served, or are currently serving in the military. On that day, Ms. Mendez’s second-grade class at Uintah Elementary got a special treat. Ryan, who is in his eleventh year serving our country in the U.S. Army visited her class in full uniform. 

Cressida Crowell, author and illustrator of the popular series How to Train Your Dragon, visited Bonneville Elementary for a school-wise assembly. Crowell shared the history of how she became a writer and illustrator. She also encouraged students to explore their own writing abilities.

Last month, Wasatch Elementary School honored our veterans with our Veterans Day Program. This was a tribute to those who have given their time, talents, and lives to protect our country. Our sixth-grade students have been studying the conflicts in which our service men and women have been diligently serving. The students portrayed through poetry, tableau, music, dance, and flag ceremonies to h

Autumn seems to set the mood for upcoming holidays. As the leaves turn gold and air gets cold, it is fun to celebrate life and diversity. The fourth grade at Nibley Park School held a dance assembly to honor life and diversity. We have our own special dancers right in the school!

In honor of American Indian Heritage Month, the Utah State Board of Education and Salt Lake City School District -Title VI (Indian Education) partnered with the Natural History Museum of Utah.

Once a month, the local Kiwanis organization acknowledges accomplishments, growth and leadership potential of Nibley Park students. The students receive a Kiwanis Club Terrific Kids award.

Rose Skuppin is not a name you will often hear in the hallways of Whittier Elemenatary, yet the school would suffer without her. She is the manager of the school cafeteria and has a major job to accomplish each day with her efficient crew of four workers - Maribel Barboza, Sandra Caligiuri, Loretta Jeppson, and Margaret Holiday.

It’s that time of year when parents and children say, “Just what am I going to do with all my Halloween candy?” The Dilworth PTA sponsored a “Donate your Halloween Candy to the Troops” week, November 2-9. The PTA reached out to Operation Gratitude to see how Dilworth Elementary and our community could become involved.

Ensign Elementary students in fifth and sixth grades honored veterans with a presentation for both the school and parents. The students sang patriotic songs, recited the Pledge of Allegiance and the Gettysburg Address, presented a flag ceremony, and provided information about wars that American soldiers have been a part of.

Dear Family and School Community,

We are extremely fortunate to have such a diverse community where we have students hailing from six out of seven continents, speaking over 100+ languages and practicing a plethora of religious doctrines.

October certainly marked a month full of teambuilding opportunities for all the East High Leopards.

One of the students and teachers’ favorite things about October is UEA weekend. Everyone loves a short break to recharge for the school year; it can’t be any better! Or can it?

At the end of a school day, on one October day, quiet and empty halls are transformed into dark, cavernous passages.  Young ghouls and zombies have been hidden throughout the passages awaiting their visitors. As the school doors opened, students, parents, friends and siblings streamed into Hillside Middle School’s Haunted Hallways.

Wasatch Elementary School is pleased to announce that Eliana Zinger, a fifth-grade student, won the Utah Educational Savings Plan Make Your Mark bookmark contest for 2016. 

Studies have shown that the atmosphere of a school is critical to student learning. It provides students a safe place to study and perform. Most people immediately think this is the responsibility of the teacher, which is partly true. At Whittier Elementary, the custodial crew has an enormous impact on student learning that often goes unnoticed.

Bryant Middle School is a school-wide Achievement Via Individual Determination (AVID) school. Last summer, 6 teachers from Bryant were able to go to the AVID Summer Institute in San Diego.  They learned about the AVID program and how to implement AVID in their classrooms. AVID’s mission is “to close the achievement gap by preparing all students for college readiness and success in a global soci

This year Dilworth’s Peer Leadership Team (comprised of two students from each fifth- and sixth-grade classroom) voted to partner with the Lions Club and the City of South Salt Lake to help refugees and low-income families in our neighborhood.  There was an event entitled “Healthy Halloween” held at the Arts & Community Center on October 22.

The first Town Meeting of the year at Wasatch Elementary School was on Monday, October 31.  What an appropriate performance for Halloween as, Ms. Lloyd’s second grade class preformed “The Spider and the Fly” based on the cautionary tale by Mary Howitt, art work by Tony DiTerlizzi.

On a beautiful, sunny, fall day over thirty students in the Lincoln Elementary Afterschool Program enjoyed an afternoon of bike riding.

How do we apply our attention to the Golden Rule to reduce “wrecking behavior” (bullying) and support “building behavior” in our classrooms? On October 7, Mountain View Students attended a Golden Rule Assembly to learn how to apply this rule through magic.

Franklin Elementary students in fourth, fifth, and sixth grades were incredibly enriched with learning how to dance. The Ririe-Woodbury dance team came to Franklin every day for two weeks to work with these students. The students learned how to feel the music and express themselves through the art of dance.

At Lincoln Elementary, Kristen Valdez starts every year by asking her fifth-grade students how they want to help the people in their community. This year’s community service project idea came from Adi Sowders, whose mother is a U.S. soldier. Adi’s mom is currently serving in Honduras and Adi wanted to do something that would be meaningful to both her and the soldiers in her troop. 

What do a disgruntled penguin and a misunderstood monster have in common? They are the subject of two picture books by Jory John, New York Times bestselling author and recipient of two E.B. White Read-Aloud Honors. 

Where can one go to find two astounding authors? Whittier Elementary. Erica Hammon and Geoff Griffin are both Special Education teachers by day, and authors by night. They have a passion for teaching students, which spills over into the type of books they write. Their writing styles are different, yet engaging and profound. 

In an effort this year to get all parents and the community involved, Highland Park has put iPads into the hands of teachers, and we are pushing out all the great things that are happening in our classrooms.

Congratulations to Robyn Johnson! She was awarded the Teacher of Tomorrow Award from the Utah chapter of Association of Supervision and Curriculum Development. This award is given to one student from each teacher preparation program in Utah in recognition of exemplary achievement and promise as an educator. Johnson was nominated by her professors at Weber State University. 

The ghosts, goblins, and witches came out in all of their creative glory at Wasatch Elementary School.

The Family Art Night at Bennion Elementary was “spooktacularly” successful. The annual event happened at Halloween time, and the pirates, princesses, and super heroes who attended enjoyed coloring Dia de los Muertos masks and making Lego creations.

Timer rings. Students quickly move. iPods, worksheets, books, computers. Students are ready to learn again in under 15 seconds.

Highland Park is moving its discipline program in a positive new direction this year! As one of the school-wide goals for improving our overall discipline program, there are many new components that have added quite a bit of interest for the students.

Every grade level has reading goals that teachers strive for every student to meet. Edison teachers are thinking outside the box to find engaging ways to help their students reach success.

There is a great energy at Parkview Elementary this year because we have adopted the Achievement Via Individual Determination (AVID) program.

Enjoyable. Mesmerizing. Safe. Fun. Exciting. All of these could be used to describe the performance at Whittier Elementary on Monday, October 10. Students in grades K-6 each learned a song depicting an important value. 

In 2004, Escalante Elementary students worked with Machelle Dahl and Heather Aiono to solve the soggy soccer fields. They discovered that the playground had been built on top of natural artesian wells. The school used funds from National Geographic, Ford Motor Company, and a Radical School Renovation prize to build a pond with surrounding gardens.

There are moments in a child’s education that are truly once in a lifetime. Many of Hillside Middle School’s Orchestra 2 and Band 2 students recently enjoyed an event that will not occur again for another century. This year, Utah’s State Capitol building celebrated its 100^th anniversary. As a part of the celebration, the newly renovated building was opened for tours and a variety of

Gov. Gary R. Herbert and Superintendent Sydnee Dickson issued the following statement on Friday, November 11, in regards to recent reports of student harassment in Utah schools:

Teachers are constantly look for ways to inspire, educate, and provide learning opportunities for students at Whittier Elementary in the Salt Lake City School District. However, Linda Parker and Thupten Norgyal go above and beyond these responsibilities each day.

Ensign Elementary is proud to be the first school in the district to implement a new program: Student Safety Patrol. As part of community outreach, Detective Moronae Lealaogata of the Salt Lake City Police Department and Alen Gibic, the SLCPD Community Affairs Officer for District 3, came out and trained twelve lucky sixth-grade students to be Safety Patrol Members.

If you see kids getting busy protecting the environment around Nibley Park and dressed in superhero Green Team tie dye shirts, you’ll know you’ve met a member of the Nibley Park Green Team. In October, boys and girls of all ages gathered in our community garden spot to get organized.

Franklin students had the wonderful opportunity to host a Clark Planetarium assembly. The presenter had a variety of very cool experiments to show the whole student body. He showed the students how air pressure works by taking the air out of a sphere and having students attempt to pull the sphere apart. The students that tried could not pry the sphere apart.

“We are living. Soaring higher.
Elevated. Rising. Utah!”

Highland Park fourth-grade students sang these words loudly inside the Utah State Capitol during its Centennial Celebration.

As the back-to-school rush settled down, the East High leopards were in for an impactful month ahead in September. The amazing Leopard PTA came together to make East High’s first-ever Homecoming Carnival a reality! The carnival occurred on Monday, September 19^th, 2016 from 5pm to 7pm.

Ensign Elementary kindergarten students celebrated their similarities and differences with a unique activity this fall. Kindergarten teacher Heather Thomas read them Todd Parr's book "It's Okay to Be Different."  Afterwards, they discussed that it was okay for people to look different and like different things and that we should respect everybody no matter what. 

Students in first grade at Uintah Elementary have been learning, first-hand, about the life cycle of plants. Red Butte Garden provided all supplies necessary for our grow labs. A Red Butte expert came to teach the first lesson and helped students plant their Brassica Rapa Wisconsin Fast Plant seeds.

You already know Curious George’s man in the yellow hat. Well, Mr. Steven Winters, educational assistant, is our man in the big hat! You can spot Mr. Winters and his hat on our campus in the morning, at lunch and after school, helping students to stay safe and be on time.  Right from the start, Nibley Park recognized Mr.

Nibley Park's Student Body Vice President saw a need among his fellow students and decided to do something about it.

Last month, author and Bryant alumnus, Shannon Hale spoke to students at Bryant Middle School.

Kindergarten through sixth graders all took to the Beacon Heights playground to run laps and earn pledges in their annual race called “March for Microbes.”

Nibley Park just hosted its third annual History Makers Assembly.

In connection with a ribbon cutting ceremony for the school's newly remodeled library, Bryant Middle School, is issuing “The Challenge” to all students and staff...

Beacon Heights Elementary students learned about the writing process from well known children’s author Mac Barnett.

The implementation of AVID can clearly be seen as you walk the halls of Mountain View.

Students at Lincoln Elementary recently learned how to care for a pet and how to safely meet a new dog.

Highland Park has created a student leadership team, which helps run school activities. The team is comprised of representatives from grades two through six.

Did you know that Emerson Elementary is one of the oldest schools in Salt Lake District?

Over 500 Bonneville students took to the sidewalks to raise money for school programs and events.

Ms. Haddix spoke to the students about how she creates her characters and the settings of her books.

Emerson Elementary's community garden is in full bloom with plants and learning.

Author Margaret Peterson Haddix recently visited Bryant Middle School and spoke with students about how she writes her books.

Highland Park Elementary kindergarten students have a knack for making bugs... and eating them!

Edison Elementary is beaming with pride, after being named a Top School in the district.

Fitness, fun, and fund raising go hand in hand at Highland Park Elementary's Jog-a-thon.

Indian Hills students recently had a chance to get fit and help raise money for the school at the same time.

Hillside Middle School students have developed some unique friendships through an elective class called “peer tutoring.”

Ensign Elementary is focusing on positive beahvior, and they are using carnivals to help teach the lessons.

A new 60-foot mural at Escalante Elementary paints the picture of school success.

At the first of each school year, Glendale and Mountain View celebrate with a neighborhood carnival.

Highland Park Elementary fourth-grade students recently took a trip to Silver Lake, a chance to learn outside the classroom.

Each year on the first day of school students, families, and employees gather to raise the flag at Parkview Elementary.

The Leopard Prowl at East High welcomed this year's freshmen to the school.

It's not just the students who learn new things at school. Check out this story from Dilworth Elementary.

Each year our schools conduct drills so students know just what to do in the event of an emergency.

Enjoy a cup of coffee or hot chocolate and a sweet treat as you mingle with the superintendent, school leadership, and other parents. (en español)

Three Salt Lake City School District teachers are being recognized by the Presidential Awards for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching.

Three employees from our Child Nutrition Department were recently named the best in the state. 

Congratulations to Nathan Auck, a teacher at the Horizonte Instruction and Training Center. He has been selected as an Albert Einstein Distinguished Educator Fellow at the U.S. Department of Energy.