On Friday, the students from Mountain Green Elementary School participated in the fourth annual Walk-a-Thon. Each year, the PTSO sponsors this event in an effort to raise funds to help pay for school activities and field trips, school equipment, teacher needs, emergency back packs, library books, and many other things that would not be possible to have if it were not for the funds raised from this event.
Ten art students from Morgan Middle School have been selected to send their artwork to Japan for the International Children’s Art Exhibition. Students enrolled in Art II classes at the middle school were invited to participate. Each student created an original work of art following this year’s theme “Vehicle.” Works were made from a variety of media: pencil, charcoal, watercolor, pastels, chalk, and colored pencil. A panel of judges made up of administration and faculty then selected 10 pieces to represent the school at the exhibition.
One of my assigned tasks at Morgan High School is the supervision and coordination of all the activities offered by our school. A major lesson I have come to learn as the assiastant principal/athletic administrator is the effect our fans have on the school climate during competition season. In this article I will explain some of the do’s on don’ts of watching high school athletics. Our fans have a great influence on our school community and our student athletes, but in some cases fans have caused turmoil and strife among our teams. When negative actions occur, it takes away the fun and excitement for those who are deeply invested.
Teachers and administrators across the district are working together in enhancing student learning in all schools. Small groups of educators are meeting each Wednesday, focusing their attention on best practices and remediation strategies for students under their care.
The Morgan Education Foundation continues to raise funds to support student learning within the Morgan District. Recently, the group sponsored their annual golf tournament at Round Valley and netted $3,400 in revenues. This event is only one of many organized by the group each year.
OnTimeBus helps parents and students keep track of regular bus rides to and from school, as well as extracurricular rides that take place throughout the day. With little effort, children can track where the bus is and how soon it will be at their stop. This can decrease morning tension and help ensure the children make it on time to their bus stop with minimal waiting. This means different things to different people.
I want to start off by saying how excited we are at Morgan Middle School for the start of a new school year. It is great to see our students and staff in the halls smiling, renewing old and making new acquaintances. We are happy that school has started and are eager to teach the children of our community.
The Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act was approved by the federal government and is now law. Morgan School District, and many other districts in the state, participate in the national school lunch program and are required to comply with the new standards and guidelines set by the government. The new lunch menus are now aligned with this law. We will be offering more fruits and vegetables, whole grains, and fewer desserts. Students participating in the school lunch program must choose at least one fruit or vegetable, plus two other food items. They may also choose to take all of the food items offered which would include both the fruit and vegetable. This change will help ensure that students will have on their tray a healthy, balanced meal everyday that meets federal government guidelines.
When Anna Phelps takes her turn to drive a carpool of kids to Morgan Middle School, she is hearing a common complaint: the students just don’t like school lunch anymore and are starting to pack their lunches. Even on pizza day.
The students of Morgan Elementary have just stepped into the 2012-2013 school year and their teachers have their classes up and running. On Tuesday, Aug. 28, parents sat in miniature chairs at miniature desks to listen to big plans for the upcoming year.
As we begin a new year at Morgan High School, I am excited to renew many of the relationships I have with our wonderful students. As staff members of Morgan High School and Morgan School District, we are always looking for ways to improve our school system and continue to provide the students of this great valley a top quality education.
Sometimes there are misconceptions about PTSO. Courtney Gualco, the new MES PTSO president, wants everyone to know what PTSO is all about. “We’re a support to the parents, teachers and students of our school,” Gualco explained. “We try and help make school a pleasant experience. Any parent can participate in PTSO and there are many ways to help.”
Jade Pittel, a colleague and teacher at Alta Elementary School in Jackson, Wyoming, recently shared her insight as both an educator and parent with regards to the nightly homework struggle. It is with her permission that I share her wit and wisdom on the subject.
Morgan Elementary School is looking forward to another great school year. We have some great new additions to our faculty this year. We would like to welcome Mrs. Waller, who has been a lifelong resident of Morgan. She will be teaching fifth grade. We are also excited to have Miss Booker join our elementary family. She previously taught in the Ogden School District. She will be teaching fourth grade this year.
It is exciting to start our fifth year at Mountain Green elementary school. As you can tell from all of the new homes being built, our school is growing. This year at Mountain Green Elementary, we will be having our teacher professional training days on the same day of the week as the rest of the district. Therefore, early out day will be on Wednesdays at 1:15 p.m. We will be starting each day at 8:30 a.m., which is five minutes earlier this year. The normal time for school ending has not changed, ending time is at 3:20 p.m.
Morgan Middle School is excited about this new school year. We have lots of fun things planned. The sixth grade will have their back to school night on Aug. 22 at 5:30 p.m. to get things started. Aug. 23 will be the first day of school and will be a full day of school. Our PTSO is sponsoring a Back to School Bash fund raiser on Aug. 24 from 2:30-4:30 p.m. at the middle school. The Bash costs $10 to attend and there will be activities and megatoys. Those who attend should plan on getting wet. There will also be drinks and food for an additional cost. For more information on the bash, contact PTSO President Shalece Sanders 801-876-3458.
With the commencement of the 2012-13 school year a rudimentary form of Professional Learning Communities will be implemented in all schools within the district. Presently, Morgan Elementary School, Mountain Green Elementary School, and Morgan Middle School employ basic models of PLCs. Morgan High School has had periodic departmental planning sessions, but nothing continuous or direction focused.
The Morgan School District is not alone in these struggling economic times. Districts throughout the state and nation face challenging dilemmas as the fight to balance continually shrinking operating budgets continues.
Every year local youth look forward to an appearance from one of our very own Utah Jazz players. This year, local Jr. Jazz participants will meet Jazz forward, #3, DeMarre Carroll. Carroll was born July 27, 1986, is 6’8” and just finished his third year in the NBA and his first year with the Jazz.
The new Trojan Century Center has become an unnecessary stumbling block in discussions regarding the need to increase property taxes to fund education.
The following is a compilation of Campus Connections I submitted to The Morgan County News in late April and early May. Slight changes have been made based on recent board actions and budget updates since that time. It is rather lengthy, but I would encourage you to read it in its entirety.
The new Trojan Century Center has become an unnecessary stumbling block in discussions regarding the need to increase property taxes to fund education.
Morgan resident Jimmy Jones, a 5th grade teacher at Cook Elementary School in Syracuse, Davis School District, has been selected from a pool of more than 300 applicants to participate in the Library of Congress “Teaching with Primary Sources Summer Teacher Institute” during the week of July 16-20, 2012.
The Morgan County School Board voted to continue serving breakfast to Morgan Elementary Students in the 2012-2013 year. Morgan Elementary was the first school in the district to offer a breakfast program. After watching the program closely, board members and other district administrators said they may consider offering a similar program at Morgan Middle School.
District officials are considering a new tardy policy at Morgan Middle School.
The new policy is based on one already in place at Roosevelt Junior High, Morgan Middle School Principal Terry Allen said. In surveying his staff, 90 percent responded that they liked the new policy.
The Morgan County School Board approved a new high school attendance policy.
“Attendance is always a difficult thing,” said Morgan High School Principal Wade Murdock.
The Morgan High Troyettes are off to a fresh start this year. Their new coach is Kim Ball. She is a great new addition to the team!
The Troyettes just returned from camp where they received a spirit award, technique award, and an award for their performance!
Tyson Butterfield, Keaton Cox, Haskin Hardman, Morgan Kotter, Darrin Nielson, and Cameron Skinner from Morgan High School were among the 222 students excelling in math and science who attended Utah State University’s 21st Annual Engineering State program in Logan, UT, June 11 – 14, 2012.
The school district is in financial trouble, enough that two top administrators are doing something drastic to save costs.
Superintendent Ken Adams announced his retirement, effective April 16, 2013. The state retirement board has already approved the move, Adams said.
We all look back and think of teachers that have inspired us—those who teach us more than what can be captured within the confines of textbook. For the past 40 years, Morgan Middle School art teacher Steve Carrigan was one of those.
The Morgan School District is developing a new policy governing fund-raising and donations. Not only does it put restrictions on the type of fund-raising allowed in schools, it also protects local merchants and assigns guidelines for vendors and advertisers wishing to solicit students and district employees.
Although the Morgan County School Board voted to dip into pay-as-you-go funds to balance the “bare bones” budget this year, they are promising the tax payers a tax increase next year.
Even though summer is here for over 2,000 Morgan students, it only takes about two weeks before the kids start to ask, “What can I do today, mom?” As educators we hope you will take time with your children to continue the process of learning as the summer progresses.
Even though summer is here for over 2,000 Morgan students, it only takes about two weeks before the kids start to ask, “What can I do today, mom?” As educators we hope you will take time with your children to continue the process of learning as the summer progresses.
When you have your last child leave your home, you realize that you are not an expert on anything related to raising children. Number six has just left the nest and graduated last week from Morgan High School.
On May 11 the kindergarten students joined the FFA students for a farm field trip at Morgan’s Diamond D Ranch. They learned about horses, cows, baby animals, crops, roping, barrel racing, and played keyhole and goat tying. They had lots of fun and learned much. The FFA students loved helping the kids learn about animals.
The fifth grade students from Mountain Green Elementary School spent the year learning about United States history and government. As a culminating activity to demonstrate what they had learned, they put on a “Great American” program for their parents and the MGES studentbody.
For the past two years the Morgan County School District has been investigating the possibility of creating a dual immersion program within the district. This educational program has a distinctive 50/50 curriculum in English and a second language that is integrated for academic content. It is aligned with the Utah State Core. It begins in first grade and adds an additional grade each year until the sixth grade. These second-language teachers generally come from outside the district and they usually replace a teacher within the school that is being transferred or replaced.
“Good people of Morgan Elementary School. We live in a great nation full of opportunity, full of optimism, full of hope”, begins JA Biztown mayor Nate Preslar. “ In recent months I believe that our freedoms and liberties have been slowly deteriorating. Unemployment is rising, the income gap is growing, and men and women march on Washington D.C. in protest. Yes, the Dow has dropped tremendously, and in Greece, Neo Nazis are gaining political power. The world and its future may appear bleak to you. Don’t give up. Coming to J.A. Biztown, you may see a town that is insignificant, that is just another fieldtrip. I on the other hand, see a town of hope, a town of prosperity, a town of promise, and a town of opportunity waiting for us. Students don’t believe the future is bleak, where others see disparity, I see opportunity. How do we harness this opportunity? We start today! I believe in America and the free market. I believe in competition and hard work, and I believe in you! Don’t give up, there is opportunity awaiting us in life and in this town. God bless you, and God bless America!”
Every year, Mountain Green Elementary fourth grade students visit the state’s capital and receive a tour where they explore the different rooms where each branch of government operates. This year, though, thanks to the efforts of Mountain Green resident and former Utah Representative Brad Winn, our fourth grade students received a special treat.
The Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010 was passed by a bipartisan congress in late 2010. The Act recognized that foods and beverages sold in schools were generally of poor quality and changed the requirements for school meals and for the school environment in which the meals are served.
May 10, 2012, Morgan High School held their 16th annual Scholarship Awards Night in the high school auditorium. Over 100 students received scholarships to help them in furthering their education.
The eighty-fifth Morgan Utah and Morgan Utah North Stake Seminary Graduation exercises will be held Sunday, May 20 at 7 p.m. in the Morgan Utah Stake building.
Wednesday, May 9, the Morgan FFA Chapter held its annual banquet where we honored many students for their outstanding accomplishments. We believe that congratulations are in order for all those who gained their Greenhand, Chapter, State, and American degree. Greenhand: Alex Eddington, Kennedy Gibson, Hanna Giles, Chase Grandpre, McKenna Hales, Annie Hodges, Linsday Mahan, Kailyn Nelson, Mariah Remund, Taylor Sherburn, Miranda Smith, Ty Stephens, and Taisha Vollmer. Chapter: Bryce Preece, Jessica Carter, Tabatha Carter, Isaac Cannon, Jake Cannon, Jessica Larsen, Marissa Morgan, Courtney Sanders, and Tyson Spens. State: Christina Andersen, Nate Buchanan, Garrett Eddington, Shawn Francis, and Megan Stapley. American: Ethan Porter. We would also like to honor Hanna Giles and Luke Larsen for being selected as our Star Greenhands.
The girls from Mountain Green Elementary School had a fun filled evening with their dads or grandpas at the PTSO sponsored Daddy Daughter Dance. This was an amazing night where the girls had the opportunity to get all dressed up for a special evening out with their dads. The girls and their dads got to fill out a “get to know your sheet” together as well as purchase jewelry keepsakes, get their pictures taken, eat lots of treats and have a wonderful time dancing. Thanks to the Mountain Green Elementary PTSO for their wonderful support and effort to make this an enjoyable evening for all those who came.
Megan Stapley, a 2012 graduate of Morgan High School FFA (Future Farmers of America), has been awarded a $1,000 scholarship by Barber Brothers Ford and Ford Motor Company. Stapley’s parents are Kurt Stapley and Maggee Stapley of Morgan. Stapley plans to study at Weber State University.
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