Alpine School District Update

1. Alpine School District Health Fairs are scheduled as follows:
November 12, 2009 from 2-6 P.M. at Lindon Elementary
November 19, 2009 from 2-6 P.M. at American Fork Junior High
November 24, 2009 from 2-6 P.M. at the District Office Board Room
Immunizations will be provided at all three. The cost for the flu shot is $23.00, and the cost for pneumonia is $45.00. It is not clear at this time if the H1N1 shot will be available.

2. As you are well aware, there have been several recent confirmed cases of H1N1 within our district boundaries. This includes many of our employees and students. A reminder to all employees that if you are sick, you should stay home. We are also asking parents to keep their students home if they are sick. In doing so, there has been some feedback from parents who feel pressure from their students who are being “punished” for staying home. Please work with students who have had to remain home because of illness. This week is the end of the term for many of you, which means it is a busy time. Remember that if a student has been excused by a parent because of illness, they are allowed to make up the work they missed. Thank you for working together as we are entering into what will surely be a long flu season.

3. There have been several schools that have experienced a “break in” over the last few weeks. There has been some vandalism, as well as equipment and some cash stolen. We ask that employees be extra vigilant in taking ownership of the security of our buildings. Remember to keep things of value locked in a secure location. Make sure doors are secure and locked behind you as you come and go from your schools. You should also keep an eye on things, especially if you are in your buildings after regular school hours.

4. October 19-23 is officially “Bus Safety Week.” This is a great time to thank our 300 bus drivers. We have 260 buses running about 1,100 routes. They make 8,000 stops per day and transport more than 37,000 students district wide. We appreciate all they do in keeping our students safe each day.

Upcoming Legislative meetings

Here are some dates and times you'll want to be aware of.

October 22 (this Thursday--you can register on site)
Utah PTA Advocacy Conference
Utah State Capitol
9:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.

October 30
Critical Issues Conference ($40 register online or on site)
Utah Cultural Celebration Center
7:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.

November 2
Region 9 Legislative Involvement Conference (all PTA members invited to attend--free of charge)
Alpine School District Board Room
10:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.

February 11
Utah PTA Day at the Legislature (advance registration required--check the Utah PTA Web site for more info)
Utah State Capitol
Time TBA

Hope to see you at one or more of these great events!

10/13 School Board Meeting Highlights

The Board of Education met in a study session prior to the regular board meeting Tuesday evening at the district office. The purpose of the study session was to debrief from the recent School Community Council/PTA meetings.

The regular board meeting began with several recognitions:

1. Greg Sheide - Recently selected from nearly 500 peers to be this year's "4A Coach of the Year for Distinguished Service."
2. Congratulations to the State Championship girl's tennis team from Orem High School.

• Lynsi Pearson - 2009 Tennis Team Coach of the Year
• Team Members - Ellery Young, Whitnie Pearson, Kelsie Craig, Callie Craig, Sydney Madsen, Jessie Dyer, and Kristee Rowley
  

There were three action items for the evening:

1. Requests for Out-of-state Travel
2. The Assurances portion of the Consolidated Utah Student Achievement Plan (CUSAP)
3. Change in location for the October 27 and November 10 Board Meetings to accommodate the dedication of two new schools

• The location for the October 27 meeting will now be at North Point Elementary School instead of Shelley Elementary.
• The location for the November 10 meeting will now be at Westlake High School instead of Orchard Elementary.
• The school dedications will take place right before each of these meetings.

There were two discussion items for the evening:

1. Schools closed to out-of area attendance for the 2010-2011 school year.
2. Proposed Board Meeting schedule for 2010.
   

The next Board Meeting will be on October 27 at North Point Elementary. The dedication of this new school will begin at 6:00 p.m. followed by the Board Meeting at 7:00 p.m.

Petition

If you are interested in signing this petition, please let me know.

Utahns for Ethical Government (UEG)

Why Sign the UEG Ballot Initiative?

1. The UEG ballot initiative will place Utah among the ethical leaders of the 50 states instead of at the back of the pack.

• Utah is one of only 10 states without an Independent Ethics Commission.
• Utah is one of only six states that do not set limits on campaign contributions.
• Utah has been given grades of F and D- on its disclosure reporting requirements by two separate independent organizations.

2. Signing the UEG ballot initiative will show the Utah Legislature that voters care about legislators’ integrity and ethical behavior.

• The Legislature has taken only small steps to reform itself.
• The Legislature needs to be accountable to the people, not to special interests.
• Legislators work for us, not the other way around.

3. The UEG ballot initiative will give voice to the people, whose voice is being drowned out by special interest money.

• The fundamental right of one-person-one-vote is significantly diminished and access is limited when one person’s vote competes with so much corporate money and with unlimited contributions from a few wealthy individuals and groups.

4. The UEG ballot initiative will help legislators.

• UEG ethical standards make it easier for honest people to remain honest.
• UEG ethical standards clarify what is not acceptable and will protect legislators from lobbyist and special interest pressures.
• The Commission will develop a mandatory ethics training program for the Legislature and legislative staff.
• If a legislator is in doubt about an action, the legislator can seek an opinion from the Commission to determine whether the contemplated action would be ethical.

5. The UEG ballot initiative will prohibit legislators from accepting gifts (for example, meals, athletic tickets, entertainment, and travel) from lobbyists.

• Legislators are already paid per diems ($54 for food and $120 for lodging), so their living costs during the session are covered.
• Accepting gifts creates the perception, if not the reality, that special interest groups are buying access and votes.

Did You Know?

Did you know that under current law:

• Legislators can be lobbyists while serving in office. They also can lobby for themselves or a business (if it is not primarily a lobbying organization) as soon as they leave office.

What’s the matter with this?

1) Utahns do not know whom their legislator is representing while in office--the public or their lobbying organization?

2) We do not know whether the serving legislator is tempted to vote a certain way while in office in hopes of securing a job or a lobbying contract after the session ends.

No man can serve two masters with equal faith. The master should be the people of Utah, not the lobbying organization.

• Legislators can accept appointments to corporate boards when the corporation may have matters to come before the Legislature and when the principal qualification to serve is the legislator’s status as a legislator.

• Legislators can sponsor bills that give a specific financial benefit to themselves or their business interests without sufficient disclosure of their conflicts of interest.

• Legislators are not prevented from using their official positions to threaten judges and agency heads and to get employees of the executive branch fired for not ruling a certain way.

• Legislators can spend campaign funds on non-campaign personal expenses.

• Legislators can contribute to each other’s campaigns with money that was given to them for expected use in their own campaign. They can acquire a war chest and give money to other legislators or legislative candidates to curry favor with them and influence legislative leadership decisions.

• Legislators can accept unlimited donations to their campaigns from individuals, corporations, and other special interest groups.

This citizen-led initiative will improve the ethical landscape,

assuring that legislators do not profit or appear to profit

from their positions of trust.

Follow us at www.utahethics.org and on twitter and the UEG facebook page.

Supplementary Information for Signature Gatherers

1. The UEG initiative is nonpartisan.

• It is supported by Republicans, Democrats, Independents, and other voters.
• Its supporters include a number of former legislators and community leaders, both Republicans and Democrats.

2. The UEG initiative preserves the constitutional authority of the legislature to discipline its own members but provides a measure of independence from legislative politics.

• The Independent Ethics Commission will be an arm of the legislative branch of state government selected by legislative leadership.
• The five Commissioners will be selected at random from a pool of 20 qualified citizens, all of whom must be unanimously agreed to by the Republican and Democratic leadership of the House and Senate. The Commissioners must agree to operate in a non-partisan fashion.
• The Commission will review complaints of ethical misconduct submitted by any three persons, and decide whether to dismiss the complaint or to hold hearings and make recommendations to the Legislature with respect to the discipline of a member.
• The Senate or House decides whether to accept or reject the recommendations of the Commission but must do so in a public vote.

3. The Office of the Independent Ethics Commission will be a small office.

• The office will have a paid Executive Director and small staff.
• The staff will have the expertise and technology to conduct investigations and gather evidence for the Commission.
• The Commissioners will not be salaried but will be paid a per diem to cover their expenses for actual days worked.

4. Our initiative is a separate initiative from the Fair Boundaries (redistricting) initiative to establish an independent commission to redraw the boundaries for federal and state legislative districts after the 2010 census.

• The initiatives are congruent because both are interested in improving public trust in their government and reducing partisanship in decisions that should be nonpartisan, but they focus on different problems and have different sponsors.

5. Our initiative is not part of the work of the Governor’s Commission on Strengthening Democracy, which is focusing on election law reform, campaign financing, and lobbying and which will make recommendations to Governor Herbert in November.

• The original charge to the Commission to study ethics and redistricting issues was withdrawn by Governor Huntsman under pressure from legislative leaders, which gave increased importance to the work of Utahns for Ethical Government and Fair Boundaries.

More detailed information is found in the Executive Summary and Frequently Asked Questions sections of the UEG website at www.utahethics.org. The complete initiative can be downloaded from the website, along with favorable editorials that have been published since the initiative was launched on August 12^th.

Alpine School District Board Meeting 9/22

The Board of Education met in their regular Board Meeting at 6 PM on Tuesday, September 22, at Northridge Elementary School in Orem. The meeting began with the posting of the colors and the Pledge of Allegiance by Scout Troop #597, all students at Northridge.

Mr. Harvey's 6th grade music class then did a beautiful job singing the song "One Voice" - reminding us that each of us haS a voice and we can all make a difference.

Principal Kim Bird recognized the following Northridge Elementary students:
1. Jacob Henderson - A 6th grade student who is a true friend to others. He also tutors other students in reading.
2. Liberty Ritchie - Also a 6th grade student who loves school and is a friend to all.
3. Myles Mattinson - A 3rd grade student who works hard and is doing great in school.
4. Tucker Harris - A 1st grade student who read 30 books and did 57 homework activities over the summer!
5. Ian and Hunter Chiniquy - 4th grade brothers who are very polite and have good manners.
6. Mary Elizabeth Thomas - A talented 5th grader student who is involved in orchestra, storytelling, choir, and ballroom.

Congratulations to these students who represent all of the other great student at Northridge Elementary.

Guy Fugal, representing the Alpine Foundation, then, recognized 6 other people from Northridge:
1. Janeen Graham - A teacher who loves coming to work. Her love of teaching is contagious to those around her.
2. Rolfe Andrus - A "one of a kind" teacher who is "strong, steady, and consistent."
3. Cindy Jaramillo - A former teacher who now facilitates the STAR reading program.
4. Stacee Smith - A lucky "catch" for Northridge this summer. She also helps with the STAR reading program.
5. Wendy Mitchell - A volunteer who puts a smile on faces at Northridge daily. Service for others is her middle name.
6. Tracy Alder - A volunteer who has dedicated her life to serving others. She organizes the home reading library.

Congratulations and thank you for the service you give to the students of Northridge Elementary.

PTA Presidents Tiffany Benson and Marci Lameraux then reported about the "Green Revolution" taking place at Northridge this year. Students participate in setting goals each month and earn beads for their "dog tags".

School Community Chair Carolyn Longhurt expressed appreciation for the partnership with the PTA as well as the school principal and faculty. The SCC uses their bulletin board as well as their website to communicate to patrons at Northridge.

Principal Kim Bird reported on the progress of Professional Learning Communities at Northridge over the last five years. She recognized the faculty and staff for their hard work and dedication. She also expressed appreciation to the patrons and students at Northridge.

Thank you to all of the faculty, staff, patrons, and students for an impressive job hosting Board Meeting this month. Northridge Elementary is obviously a great place for students to achieve.

The action item for the evening was a real estate purchase contract.

David Smith from the district office then gave an impressive report on AYP and UPASS data for Alpine School District.

Board Member Tim Osborn reported on the groundbreaking of the new MATC building located at Thanksgiving Point in Lehi. The building will be complete in approximately 15 months.

Board Member JoDee Sundberg reported on the ongoing PTA/SCC meetings currently taking place at schools around the district. She commented on the privilege it is for Board Members to be able to listen to discussions and concerns of patrons in our schools.

Board Member Chrissy Hannemann reported on the progress of the district curriculum committee.

The next Board Meeting will be held on October 13 at the district offices.

School Board Meeting Highlights

The Alpine School District Board of Education met in a closed session before the regular Board Meeting on Tuesday, September 8. The purpose of the closed session both before and after the regular meeting was the discuss personnel, property, and matters of litigation.

The regular meeting began with the School Board recognizing three outstanding employees.

1. Vicki Ahlstrom is a sixth grade gifted and talented teacher at Sego Lily Elementary. She recently won the Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching.

2. Natalie Robinson is a district math instructional coach for fifth and sixth grade teachers. She also recently won the Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching.

*This award is the highest recognition that a K-12 math or science teacher may receive in the United States. It was enacted by Congress in 1983.

3. Suzanne Hadfield is an agricultural educator at Pleasant Grove High School. She was recently selected by the National Association of Agrucultural Educators as the 2009 Utah Outstanding Young Member.

Board Members received three reports from Cabinet Members about the beginning of the school year.

Barry Graff spoke about a relatively "quiet and calm" start at the junior high level. Both Lakeridge and American Fork Junior High Schools are enjoying additions and classroom improvements that happened over the summer. He also reported about the great Professional Development Days that happened across the district the week school began.

Kathy Janzen reported on the progress of Skyward, the new district "student information system." Skyward is being implemented at the elementary level this year in phases and at the secondary level next year. She also reported on the opening of two new elementary schools, North Point and Sage Hills, and expressed appreciation to the many people who helped with that process.

Rhonda Bromley reported on the fact that the first three weeks of school in ASD have been successful, in spite of many challenges. The important thing is that students have been safe coming to and from as well as during school, and have been engaged in the learning process. There is a good, positive feeling in the schools so far - thanks to the district's great employees.

Board Members reviewed the upcoming PTA/School Community Council presentations/discussions that will begin next week across the district.

The Superintendent discussed Board Committee Assignments for the coming year.

Board President Debbie Taylor reviewed Board Member inservice assignments for study sessions for the rest of the year.

The next Board Meeting will be on September 22 at Northridge Elementary School.

Meet Your Candidates--Online

A new Web site has been created by the State Elections Office to provide information to voters. Once you get there, click on "Voter Information" listed on the left-hand side of the screen. Enter the required information and your voter information will appear. Click on "Sample Ballot" to bring up the names of candidates on your ballot.

You can click on the candidate names in blue type to view their statements of qualifications. Candidate names appearing in black type did not submit a statement. Candidates were not required to submit statements. Statements for candidates in a district not requiring a primary will not show until the general election ballot is posted.