Superintendent's Newsletter - May 7, 2021
Dear Salt Lake City School District community,
This week, I had the honor to be at Glendale Middle School when the First Lady of the United States, Dr. Jill Biden, visited the school during her trip to Utah. She spent over an hour at the school, where she met with students in Glendale’s ukulele club and then visited with students in the Techniques for Tough Times class. Dr. Biden was extremely impressed with the students and their teachers.
The First Lady also spoke to some of our Glendale teachers. She praised them, and all teachers, for their dedication during what she said may have been the worst teaching year ever. She congratulated Glendale teachers for the substantial steps they have taken in the past several weeks to help students make significant improvements in their academic achievement. I want to add my own THANK YOU, especially during National Teacher Appreciation Week, to our dedicated educators across the district. Being an educator is difficult in any year. To have done what our educators did during a pandemic is incredible, and we owe them a debt of gratitude for everything they’ve done this year to support our students and families.
The First Lady was joined on stage by Utah First Lady Abby Cox, Meadowlark Elementary teacher and Utah Teacher of the Year John Arthur, and Glendale Middle School student Rosa Sanchez. All three shared comments thanking and congratulating teachers at Glendale and throughout the state.
Thank you to everyone at Glendale Middle School for making this visit by the First Lady so wonderful, and thanks to our Executive Director of Communications and Community Relations, Yándary Chatwin, for coordinating the countless details with the team from the White House.
End-of-Year Activities
The school year is quickly coming to an end. With the end of the school year comes testing, dances, celebrations, and graduations. I know our principals and teachers have been working tirelessly on all of these events. To help you better understand how we are preparing for these activities, we have posted two new pages on our district website. The first page contains the guidelines for dances, field trips, and other activities. The second webpage lists detailed information for our upcoming high school graduations. I encourage you to review these pages as we try to celebrate our students while also keeping them safe and healthy.
National Teacher of the Year
The 2021 National Teacher of the Year was announced this week, and unfortunately, Meadowlark Elementary School teacher John Arthur did not win. We extend our congratulations to Juliana Urtubey for being selected as the 2021 National Teacher of the Year!
While Mr. Arthur, our own national finalist and Utah Teacher of Year, did not win, his positive influence on students and teachers alike is unmistakable. He will always be a winner to us!
P-EBT Benefits Reminder
Emergency food assistance is available for our families who qualify for free or reduced-price school meals. These families, and families of students who attend our Community Eligibility Provision schools (Bennion Elementary, Edison Elementary, Liberty Elementary, Meadowlark Elementary, and Riley Elementary), may receive Pandemic Electronic Benefits Transfer (P-EBT) benefits (a pre-loaded grocery debit card) from the federal government.
Some of you may have already been part of this program during March-May of last year, but this current round of P-EBT is for the 2020-21 school year. However, to qualify for this round of P-EBT, students must be signed up to receive free or reduced-price school meals. The deadline to apply for free and reduced-price meals through our Child Nutrition Department is next Monday, May 10, 2021. Make sure you fill out an application no later than Monday.
Please go to the district website, where we have more information about P-EBT benefits - Federal Food Assistance for Families | News Details - Salt Lake City School District (slcschools.org).
Upcoming Events
- May 12, 2021 – Community food distribution at the Rose Park Community Learning Center
Parents - Salt Lake City School District (slcschools.org) - May 13, 2021 – Community food distribution at the Liberty and Glendale Community Learning Centers
Parents - Salt Lake City School District (slcschools.org) - May 18, 2021 – Board of Education Meeting
2020-21 Board Meetings - Salt Lake City School District (slcschools.org)
Sincerely,
Larry Madden
Interim Superintendent
Salt Lake City School District