Kearns
High School community topics
Granite Youth Symphony
The state core curriculum mandates arts education K-12 and includes the areas of
music, visual arts, drama and dance. Granite School District has always voiced
strong support for arts education and has made multiple efforts in recent years
to bolster such programs in its schools.
A jewel in the Granite District programs crown is the Granite Youth Symphony
Orchestra. Organized in 1957 to provide advanced musical training and
performance experiences for Granite School District’s most gifted and talented
student musicians, it has become a model of excellence not only in Utah but
throughout much of the United States.
The Granite Youth Symphony presents a Children’s Concert to over 3,000
elementary students and then again to the public every year and has performed
side by side with the Utah Symphony on three occasions and six times locally at
the Festival of Trees. The Granite Youth Symphony has also performed at numerous
national conventions both in Salt Lake City and across the country and has been
featured in such prestigious venues as the Kennedy Center for the Performing
Arts and Carnegie Hall. Collectively, the GYS has performed concerts in
twenty-five states, the District of Columbia and two Canadian provinces.
Students in the Granite Youth Symphony are truly wonderful representatives of
Granite School District. They hold a collective grade point average of 3.6 on a
scale of 4.0. They are student body and academic leaders in their respective
schools. They are serious musicians, all planning on college educations. 97%
plan to continue music study in college, and 33% intend to pursue music
professionally. Many graduates of the Granite Youth Symphony teach in Utah
schools, and others are now with such groups as the Utah and Boston Symphony
Orchestras. The four directors of the GYS are themselves former graduates of it.
Asked at Kearns High School community meeting, December 12, 2007
Top
Promoting board of
education community meetings
Some Granite School District patrons have expressed a desire more citizens would
attend the board’s community meetings at high schools. We have been asked how
the meetings were promoted and communicated to parents.
In November 2007, the district sent a notice to every student’s home which
described the meetings and gave the date, time, and location of all nine
meetings. During the week prior to each meeting, the schools in the high school
network that hosted the meeting send another notice to students homes reminding
parents of the opportunity to attend the meeting at their local high school.
The meetings have also been promoted in the Deseret Morning News, the Salt Lake
Tribune, on the district website, and in district newsletters.
Asked at Kearns High School community meeting, December 12, 2007
Top
Concurrent enrollment, Ed-net
classes
Granite School District is proud of its partnership with Salt Lake Community
College and offers more concurrent enrollment courses than most districts in the
state. Indeed, last year nearly 6,000 Granite students took advantage of
concurrent enrollment courses and earned some 18,846 concurrent credits. Local
high schools determine what courses they will offer for concurrent credit based
on identified student needs and teaching staff qualifications - teachers of
concurrent courses must have master’s degrees. Courses are also offered in
accordance with articulation agreements crafted between the district and the
community college which outline relevant courses that support identified career
pathways for students. This thoughtful approach helps students move seamlessly
and smoothly from the public education system into higher education.
Granite District is committed to providing diverse educational opportunities for
its students, and concurrent enrollment options will continue to strategically
expand.
Asked at Kearns High School community meeting, December 12, 2007
Top
Home schooling credits
High school graduation is a significant step in fulfilling the mission of
Granite School District: “To prepare every student with the knowledge and skills
needed for lifelong success in a changing world.”Programs preparing students for
high school graduation are based on a specific course of study outlined by the
Utah State Office of Education as well as specific credit requirements which can
generally be earned in a variety of accredited settings. Students seeking credit
for academic work done in non-accredited settings (e.g. home school,
non-accredited private schools, etc.) are referred to the District Credit
Evaluation Committee for evaluation of the academic work and activities
completed in relationship to the state core curriculum and prescribed
instructional objectives.
Students who desire to earn credits required for graduation by demonstrating
competency in a particular content area rather than by taking a course may, with
the approval of the school counselor and through the SEOP process, attempt to
demonstrate that competency by taking a test. Tests are currently available in
the following areas and can be scheduled through the Granite District Testing
Center:
Algebra 1
Biology
Computer Technology
Earth Systems Science
Fitness for Life
General Financial Literacy
Geography for Life
U.S. Government & Citizenship
World Languages
Information on the process, fees and restrictions is
available on the district website.
Asked at Kearns High School community meeting, December 12, 2007
Top
Homework
Parents and students have always had opinions about homework assigned in
schools, and those opinions run the gamut from “too much” to “not nearly
enough”.
Granite School District has not created a prescriptive policy on homework but
recognizes the positive contribution it can make to a student’s education if
implemented wisely and strategically. To that end, following are administrative
recommendations concerning homework that are intended to guide schools as they
address homework issues and communicate their expectations to their communities:
Premise:
The core curriculum is extensive, and instructional time during the school day
is limited. Homework provides an extended learning experience for students,
ideally with parental guidance and participation.
Purpose:
Homework should be meaningful, purposeful, and related to the core curriculum.
It might be differentiated and involve student choice. An appropriate and
effective homework assignment requires a student to demonstrate understanding of
a concept, show that understanding in a new or different way, apply a concept to
a specific problem, and/or integrate the concept with something else.
Thoughtfully assigned, homework reinforces learning of one core concept and
provides a bridge to learning the next.
Caution:
Students who have not utilized class time provided to complete a class
assignment may need additional time on that task. This constitutes makeup work
and should not be confused with homework. Additionally, teachers should be
cognizant of students’ busy lives outside of school and attempt to coordinate
their homework assignments with one another.
Asked at Kearns High School community meeting, December 12, 2007
Top
Railroad crossing safety issues
Students are not to cross or hangout around the train tracks located on the east
side of Kearns High School. This is indeed an unsafe area and should not be used
as an access point to school.
Repairs are made to the fence to restrict student access over the tracks, but
students tend to cut holes through the fence as those repairs are made. Please
inform your students not to cross the railroad tracks on the way to school at
places not designed for that purpose.
Asked at Kearns High School community meeting, December 12, 2007
Top
Recycling program
Several schools are currently recycling paper, plastic, and metal products. The
costs associated with collection and pickup of these items is often an expense
to the school. We encourage any group or school that wishes to participate in a
recycling program to do so, however it will be at the expense of that group
and/or school to pay for related costs.
Asked at Kearns High School community meeting, December 12, 2007
Top
Safety issues in crossing busy
streets
Several concerns were expressed about snow removal, crossing guards, and traffic
signals on 5600 West, and 6200 South near Jefferson Junior High and Bridger
Elementary schools. Mayor Caroon was in attendance at this meeting and gave a
county phone number (468-2940) to call for assistance and/or to address your
concerns.
Asked at Kearns High School community meeting, December 12, 2007
Top
Food
Waste
Plate waste is the amount of food that a student throws away after the meal. We
are required to serve a predetermined amount of food to meet the federal
guidelines on nutritional content and total calories of a planned meal. If a
student does not eat that much volume then there would be plate waste.
Asked at Kearns High School community meeting, December 12, 2007
Top
Snow removal and black ice
Salt provided at schools by the Maintenance Department salt trucks is handled on
a priority basis, meaning low sunlight areas, high slope areas, etc. are salted
first. However, all schools receive salted parking lots at some time after a
snow storm if there is a threat of ice where we have vehicle or pedestrian
traffic. Three salt trucks are on a constant loop around the district during
these times. This is a very expensive proposition and Maintenance Services has
increased the amount of salt provided by salt trucks by tenfold during the last
ten years.
All walkways and entrances are handled onsite by the Custodial Services staff.
Schools are given a yearly budget for the purchase of salt for the sidewalks and
walkways. If additional funds are needed, the principal should contact the
Custodial Services supervisor.
Asked at Kearns High School community meeting, December 12, 2007
Top
Crossing guard at 5600 West
The principal and community council have sent a letter to UDOT regarding a
signal on 5600 West across from Jefferson Jr. High School. They have also spoken
to UDOT and will push for a new signal on 5600 West similar to the Hunter High
School signal. It will stop traffic only when the walk button is pushed.
Asked at Kearns High School community meeting, December 12, 2007
Top
Addressing school concerns
When there are specific concerns regarding a school such as student supervision,
littered grounds and hallways, teacher dress standards, changing the structure
of lunch recess, student discipline, teacher assignments and grading procedures,
patrons should contact the principal and/or the School Community Council for
assistance in addressing the problems. If the patron does not receive
satisfaction in resolving the concern, then it is appropriate to call the School
Services Director, who supervises the principal, and ask for assistance in
resolving the concern.
Asked at Kearns High School community meeting, December 12, 2007
Top
School schedules
Most of the elementary schools in the district are on a traditional 9-month
schedule. There are 14 elementary schools on year-round calendar schedules. Two
of these schools are on a single track schedule. As year round schools decrease
in enrollment and are taken off of the year round schedule, they are given a
choice to move back to a traditional 9-month schedule or move to a single track
year round schedule depending upon the preference of the patrons. The Board of
Education recognizes the educational benefits of the single track year round
schedule. Air conditioning costs as well as lack of majority support from year
round school patrons have prevented the district from creating any additional
single track year round schools at this time.
All of the middle level (7-9 grades) schools have the option of being on a
traditional 7 period, 8 period, block, or modified block schedule. The decision
is school-based and must include the approval of the School Community Council,
the majority of parents and the majority of staff members. All schedules must be
approved by the Granite Board of Education.
Asked at Kearns High School community meeting, December 12, 2007
Top
Wednesday
afternoon collaboration time (early outs)
For many years, elementary school teachers have had 2 hours each week for lesson
planning and preparation. This usually occurs on Friday afternoon unless school
is not in session on Friday. During this critical time, teachers plan for up to
30 lessons for the next week. However, teachers have expressed that they have
not had sufficient time to review student data and collaborate with other
teachers on behalf of students. Research shows that these activities are vital
in helping students achieve. Beginning with the current school year, teachers
are allowed 6 Wednesday afternoons throughout the year to analyze student data,
share effective instructional practices with colleagues and discuss student
needs. This time was created for teachers by standardizing all lunch recesses
across the district to 35 minutes. Students still receive the same hours of
instructional time during the year as before. In fact, students receive ten
hours more than the 990 instructional hours required by the State Board of
Education. The Granite School District Board of Education approved these days in
November of 2006 and the information has been posted on the district website for
School Calendars since December of 2006. Additionally, schools were asked to
provide this information to parents at the beginning of the school year. A
committee has been formed consisting of parents, teachers and principals to
evaluate the Wednesday collaboration pilot and will make recommendations to the
Board of Education in the spring of 2008.
Asked at Kearns High School community meeting, December 12, 2007
Top
Impact on Programs
New districts (in the event of a division,
both districts are “new” districts) do not receive an infusion of new resources.
The revenue, largely based on student enrollment, is the same as prior to a
division but would need to go further because of necessary duplications. For
example, the law requires that each district have a superintendent and a
business administrator. As a practical matter, districts also need central
staffs to coordinate transportation, school lunch, facility maintenance,
technology, special education, career and technical education, curriculum and
instruction, human resources, payroll, accounting, and so on. The functions
would all need to be provided although, depending on the size of new districts,
some of the functions could possibly be provided by the same individual.
In any event, a negative net effect on student opportunities in both new
districts would be anticipated in the event of a district division. Studies
conducted on behalf of Holladay City, South Salt Lake City, and Salt Lake County
did not address or plan for this eventuality.
Asked at Kearns High School community meeting, December 12, 2007
Top
Teacher shortage and teacher
retention
The current national teacher shortage represents arguably the most imminent
threat to our nation’s schools. The teacher shortage has become a real issue in
the state of Utah as well, and is certainly affecting the Granite School
District. As of November 1, 2007, there are 173 teaching positions across the
state of Utah that have yet to be filled. We were fortunate in Granite School
District to begin the school year fully staffed. There are many reasons for the
teacher shortage, but perhaps the most alarming are the number of teaching
candidates that are enrolling at our local universities. According to a recent
survey of all universities along the Wasatch front ranging from Utah State University
to Dixie College, enrollment in teacher preparation programs have dipped 30% in
the past five years. This has made it very difficult for school districts like
Granite to recruit highly qualified teachers, and to keep pace with the number
of teaching openings they have each year. To help alleviate this problem,
Granite is expanding their recruiting base to other states, particularly those
states that have a surplus of teaching candidates.
Although Granite School District has a higher teacher retention rate than the
national average, we still lose teachers to surrounding states who pay their
teachers more than we do in the state of Utah. It is our hope that the state
legislature will continue to fund teacher salaries the way they have the past
few years which will help decrease the salary gap in that currently exist.
Asked at Kearns High School community meeting, December 12, 2007
Top
Alcohol and drug testing
The district has received a $1.2 million alcohol prevention grant. The vast
majority of the funds will be spent on enhancing the high school health
curriculum and instruction. As a small part of the grant, an alcohol and drug
testing program will be piloted with student athletes. It is important to know
that saliva, not urine, will be tested. The consequences for a positive test
will a parent meeting, including an opportunity to explain if a medication could
have caused a false positive, and those already prescribed by the Utah High
School Activities Association for alcohol or drug use.
Asked at Kearns High School community meeting, December 12, 2007
Top
Fundraisers
The board of education has adopted policies regarding fundraisers, wellness, and
nutrition and vending. The policies limit the number of school fundraisers and
encourage schools to reinforce nutrition and wellness in their activities –
which would include fundraisers. Parents are encouraged to let the school
administration know their thoughts regarding fundraisers, wellness and
nutrition.
Asked at Kearns High School community meeting, December 12, 2007
Top
Increased funding
for Educational Equity programs
The legislature provides some funding targeted to students who are at risk. We
have high hopes and expectations for students who are learning English and are
strongly supporting the state office of education’s request to the legislature
to provide a specific appropriation for English language learners.
Asked at Kearns High School community meeting, December 12, 2007
Top
Opportunities for
academically gifted students
Granite District long ago acknowledged its need to differentiate educational
opportunities for academically gifted students by convening a gifted task force
which created a continuum of services from which schools would create their
gifted service patterns. Though the term Access Program is no longer used to
define those services, every school is expected to provide appropriate
educational experiences for gifted students that include time spent with gifted
peers and a properly endorsed teacher. Students who qualify as highly gifted may
choose to attend one of the two gifted magnet schools in Granite District.
Originally comprised of grades three through six, both magnet schools have now
expanded to include grades one and two which serve students identified in
kindergarten as advanced readers. Beyond the Basics is a district program that
provides summer classes for gifted students who choose to participate in one of
several integrated learning experiences provided by master teachers in the
gifted arena.
As gifted students leave elementary school they are encouraged to opt for a
rigorous academic course schedule including honors classes at the junior high,
though among our sixteen junior highs, the opportunities available to students
can be different.
The education of young adolescents is both challenging and rewarding. At the
root of quality middle level education is the belief that students in our junior
highs require developmentally appropriate experiences provided by caring adults.
They learn best when involved with integrated, engaging curricula provided in a
team structure. In enriched learning environments, these students thrive on
instruction based on exploration, discovery, and application of learned concepts
to the real world. What these characteristics look like may be very different
from community to community; essential to quality middle level education is the
concept of responsiveness to individual student needs and choices.
Granite District’s Board of Education has mandated that all its junior high
schools organize students into teams, provide common planning time for teachers
through which they can integrate curriculum, and provide professional learning
for teachers that meets the needs of young adolescents. The board also allowed
flexibility of student scheduling to accomplish these goals. It is both this
flexibility and responsiveness to student needs that determine course offerings,
extracurricular activities, collaborative experiences, etc. that vary from
school to school. Parents of gifted students are encouraged to investigate
course offerings and programs among the schools to best match their students’
needs with the options available.
A variety of Advanced Placement (AP) classes are then available to gifted
students in all Granite District high schools. In addition, the International
Baccalaureate Programme is also available at two sites for highly motivated
students who are interested in a demanding two-year pre-university international
curriculum reflecting global standards.
Asked at Kearns High School community meeting, December 12, 2007
Top
Safe walking routes
Each school community council is asked to submit a “Safe Walking Route”
recommendation to the district – for distribution to patrons – each year. Some
PTAs have established McGruff House, neighborhood watch, or similar programs in
the past. We are supportive of such programs in partnership with the community.
Asked at Kearns High School community meeting, December 12, 2007
Top
School choice
It is the policy of the state, regularly reaffirmed by the legislature, to
afford families as much choice in the selection of schools for their children to
attend as possible. Granite School District complies carefully with laws
regarding parent and student desires to attend schools other than the “boundary”
school.
Asked at Kearns High School community meeting, December 12, 2007
Top
Tardy policies
The law allows for the issuance of truancy citations by schools. Recognizing
that students who are in halls after classes have started are both tardy and
truant, some schools, in connection with their school community councils, have
adopted school wide plans invoking fines to encourage students to be in class on
time. All of these plans include alternate methods to take care of fines other
than through cash.
Parents who are concerned about the programs are encouraged to let school
community council members and the school administration know their viewpoints.
Asked at Kearns High School community meeting, December 12, 2007
Top
Parent volunteers in reading
The Utah State Office of Education provides training to support literacy at Utah
schools with the assistance of community volunteers and peer tutors through the
STAR and Cross-Age Tutoring Programs. The STAR Tutoring Program provides a
structure for using community volunteers to support readers. When a school
desires to participate, a facilitator is identified among the staff and is sent
for training. The responsibilities of the facilitator include providing training
for the volunteers, overseeing the materials used, and coordinating schedules
between the tutors and the students served. Schools provide the leveled texts
used by the tutors with the students.br>
A different model, the Cross-Age Tutoring Program, involves older students
working with younger ones in a structured reading program; again participants
are well trained and the necessary materials provided.
Both tutoring programs are being used successfully throughout the state and are
options available to elementary schools in Granite District who wish to
encourage more community and volunteer involvement. Several of our schools are
already participating in one or both of these programs.
Parent volunteers provide wonderful instructional support when they assist in
school classrooms. Volunteer hours tallied in Granite District schools annually
number in the tens of thousands. If you would like to volunteer in your
neighborhood school, contact the principal or local PTA officer.
Asked at Kearns High School community meeting, December 12, 2007
TTop
Schools appreciate parent volunteers
The public education system relies heavily on the support of its local
communities in preparing students to take their places in the world. PTA and PTO
organizations marshal parent support for classroom activities and fundraising;
other organized parent groups take such forms as booster clubs and special
interest associations (e.g., gifted parents). But more help is always needed.
Parent volunteers provide wonderful instructional support when they assist in
school classrooms, allowing teachers to work with small groups or individual
students. They help with after school programs, tutor in math and reading,
sponsor school wide arts, physical education and service projects; and serve as
guest speakers in their areas of expertise. Volunteer hours tallied in Granite
District schools annually number in the tens of thousands. If you would like to
volunteer in your neighborhood school, contact the principal or local PTA
officer - someone’s child will always be the better for it./p>
Asked at Kearns High School community meeting, December 12, 2007
TTop