Month: September 2018

New Lunch Menu Piloted at Jeremy Ranch Elementary

Students attending Jeremy Ranch Elementary will get the chance to taste 24 new lunch items during the month of October. The school is piloting the district’s new menu that provides healthier options for students.

The new menu officially kicks off Monday, Oct. 1, during lunch that is served from 11 to 12:30 p.m. The menu will feature  roasted chicken thigh’s with homemade barbecue sauce, homemade potato salad, Kodiak Cakes cornbread, a salad bar featuring fresh fruits and vegetables, freshly prepared sandwiches, and a hummus and pita plate. Student, parents, and staff are invited Monday to try the new menu items for themselves. (Student meals are $2.25 and adult meals are $3.50.)

R.J. Owen, director of Child Nutrition Services, said the menu items will feature more scratch cooking and more offerings of fruits and vegetables. “Every day we will serve 2-3 fruit and 5-6 vegetable options during lunch. The district’s goal is to make Park City School District a leader in the field of school nutrition.”

Owen also said the benefits of school lunch include: prepared hot meals, nutritionally balanced meals, and improved attendance and test scores through a healthier diet.

Adding healthier options to the menu is expensive, Owen said, but can be sustainable over time if the district increases the number of students participating in the breakfast and lunch programs. He invites students to try school lunch, especially in October when new items are being featured.

Some of the homemade items that will be piloted at Jeremy Ranch Elementary in October include: Hawaiian chicken and fresh vegetable stir fry, cheesy chicken pasta with basil, fresh roasted flatbread, sesame noodles with chicken and fresh vegetables, and shredded pork tacos.

Click here to view the October lunch menu at Jeremy Ranch Elementary.

Board Meeting Summary | Sept. 18, 2018

Superintendent Report

Superintendent Jill Gildea said that the district had a successful launch of the new school year. She noted the Park City Education Foundation, Park City Municipal, and other community partners are developing strategic initiatives this year, which will assist the board. Teachers and the community will be involved in the master planning process this year, including an upcoming Future of Learning Summit. She said students’ voices will also be important since they are the end user.

Student Report

Student board member Steven Mitchell said Park City High students are being surveyed on various topics to make sure their voices are heard before student events and activities are planned.

Summer Projects

Todd Hansen, director of Building and Grounds, presented an overview of the completed summer projects throughout the district. A full list of projects is available here. Business Administrator Todd Hauber told the board the district is replacing two buses with propane buses and a propane fueling station is currently being installed.

Board Priorities

The Board reviewed information from its recent Retreat and is working on establishing tasks related to its 2018-19 priorities, which focus on academic excellence, student experience, organization, staff and board performance, operation and legal effectiveness, and future development.

K-3 Early Literacy Plan Approved

The board approved the district’s K-3 Early Literacy Plan, as required by legislation to receive state funding. Interim Associate Superintendent of Teaching and Learning Traci Evans and Elementary Curriculum Specialist Julie Hastings said the district will do the following this school year:

– Continue using a task force model to support embedded monthly professional development at each school focused on early literacy for K-3 teachers.

– Continue Wilson Fundations professional learning, including beginning of the year training for third-grade teachers and providing coaching support.

– Roll out third grade Wilson Fundations materials and replenish consumables in K-2 grades.

– DIBELS training to amplify K-3

– Train teachers and interventionists on administering and interpreting the results of Kilpatrick’s PAST

–  Purchase additional iReady licenses needed in K-3 (early intervention literacy software)

Goals for the 2018-19 school year include:

–Kindergarten: increase the percentage of kindergarten students reaching proficiency on the DIBELS composite by 11%

–Grade 1: Move 29% of the students who score Below/Well Below benchmark at the beginning of the year to At/Above benchmark by end of the year.

–Grade 2: Move 22% of the students who score Below/Well Below benchmark at the beginning of the year to At/Above benchmark by end of the year.

–Grade 3: Move 34% of the students who score Below/Well Below benchmark at the beginning of the year to At/Above benchmark by end of the year.

Board President Andrew Caplan said there is a wide spectrum of academic success in the community. He believes the literacy plan is a good plan for the majority of students, but the district needs to go above and beyond the state requirements to meet the needs of all students.

Board member Petra Butler said equity and access is one of the board’s top priorities and the board is willing to provide the necessary resources to build a strong literacy foundation for reading in grades K-3.

Three PCHS Miners Named National Merit Scholar Semifinalists

From left: Principal Roger Arbabi, Harrison Paas, PCHS counselors Liz Moskal and Kristen Hall, Dennis Rothwell, and Cameron Stevens

It is one of the country’s most prestigious scholarship competitions — the National Merit Scholarship Program.

Today, three Park City High seniors were announced as semi-finalists in the program: Harrison Paas, Dennis Rothwell, and Cameron Stevens.

The 2019 nationwide pool of semi-finalists represents less than one percent of U.S. high school seniors, and are chosen from a field of 1.6 million students at more than 22,000 high schools.

The finalists and winners will be announced Spring 2019 and will be selected on the basis of their skills, accomplishments, and potential for success in rigorous college studies. The finalists will compete for $31 million in scholarships.

PCSD Nurses Remind Parents When Sick Students Should Stay Home

In an effort to control the spread of infectious diseases at school and allow students to be available for learning, Park City School District nurses want  parents and guardians to follow district guidelines when deciding whether or not to send students to school.

“Every effort is being made in the school setting to properly clean and sanitize our students’ work and play areas, but the best defense is prevention,” said District Nurse Suzanne Tanner.

Students should remain home from school for the following reasons:

–Any temperature greater than 100 degrees. Children should be fever free, without fever reducing medications for 24 hours prior to returning to school.

–Vomiting and/or diarrhea require that the student remain home until 24 hours after the symptoms have subsided without medication.

–If your child has a heavy, moist productive cough, chest congestion, or discolored nasal drainage.

–Any rash of unknown origin should be evaluated and cleared by a physician prior to the student returning.

–Strep infections require early treatment and students are encouraged to remain at home for the first 24 hours. In addition, students should be fever free and feeling well before returning to school.

–If your child has pinkeye (conjunctivitis), he/she needs to have completed 24 hours of medication.

“As a general rule, students should remain home until they have been symptom free for 24 hours. This is important for your child’s health and the health of his/her classmates,” Tanner said. “Please continue to remind your children of the importance of frequent hand washing, proper nutrition, adequate rest and proper use and disposal of tissues during this school year.”

Tanner also asks that parents/guardians notify the school of the student absences and also given a reason for the absence. “This helps us monitor disease outbreaks and disease prevention,” she said.

Please refer to the District’s Guidelines for Student Illness and Exclusion for further information.

Sept. 10 Front Line Blue Line Focused on Dark Web, Harmful Drugs

Parents are invited Monday, Sept. 10, to spend an evening with law enforcement learning about drugs and the Dark Web. “The Front Line Blue Line — Parents and Police Working Together,” is presented by the Summit County Sheriff’s Office and members of the Summit County Mental Wellness Alliance.

“Educating parents on issues affecting our student is a subject that is incredibly important,” said Dr. Ben Belnap, Associate Superintendent of Student Wellness. “This is one of the most important events our parents can attend all year.”

The event, which is for parents only, begins at 6 p.m. at the Eccles Center.  Park City School District Superintendent Jill Gildea will welcome parents, and remarks will be give by Sheriff Justin Martinez, Park City Police Chief Wade Carpenter, Lt. Greg Winterton (drugs and harmful substances), and Special Agent Clinton Kehr (the Dark Web) from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms.

The Dark Web is a subset of the dark web or deep web, is a place where illegal activity thrives and criminals function in perceived anonymity. Illegal drugs are one of the most dangerous categories of goods marketed on the Dark net, according to the Department of Homeland Security.

Following the speakers, a resource fair featuring 20 community partners will be held in the Park City High gym.

Free childcare will be available for children ages 4-11.

NOTE: The community is also invited to attend an Open House from 5-6 p.m. in the lower lobby of the Eccles Center to meet the district’s new Superintendent, Dr. Jill Gildea.

KPCW Story

Park Record Article

Meet New Superintendent at Open House Sept. 10

Park City School District Superintendent Jill Gildea will be introduced to the community during an Open House on Monday, Sept. 10, prior to the Front Line Blue Line event. She will meet with the public from 5-6 p.m. in the lower lobby of the Eccles Center.

Dr. Gildea is known as a learner-centered and future-focused educator who keeps students at the forefront of all decisions.

Her goals for the coming year include:

–To learn and recognize the school district and individual school building culture, strengths, and areas identified for continuous growth.

–To review strategic planning, with an eye toward continued focus on best practice strategies in teaching and learning and supporting best practice operational strategies.

–To assess the state of the school district, including core approaches to teaching and learning, operations, business systems, finances and budgeting, reviewing externally funded and conducted audits, evaluations, and reviews in order to take timely action for improvement.

–To focus organizational efforts and align resources, financial and human, to ensure all students are provided a world-class education that will prepare them to be life, college, and global workforce ready.

Superintendent Gildea considers it “an honor to have the opportunity to join an innovative and progressive system like PCSD.” She previously served as Superintendent of Greenwich Public Schools in Greenwich, Connecticut, and for seven years was Superintendent of Fremont School District in Mundelein, Illinois.

During her 30 years in education, Dr. Gildea has held administrative positions of superintendent for eleven years, assistant superintendent, educational programs director, curriculum director, high school division administrator, elementary principal, and has taught at the middle and high school settings.

An award winning and published educator, Dr. Gildea has been recognized as an exemplary educational leader and for her work in communications and fiscal management. She was a 2014 Finalist for the National Association of School Superintendents’ (NASS) Superintendent of the Year Award; the National School Public Relations Association (NSPRA) 2013 Golden Achievement Award in Communications recipient, and has received the Illinois Association of School Business Officials’ (IASBO) Meritorious Budget Awards in Financial Budgeting for six years running (2012-2017.)

The Superintendent received her superintendent’s endorsement from National Louis University (2004), Evanston, Illinois and a master of education in language and literacy also from National Louis University (1992), a doctorate in curriculum and supervision from Northern Illinois University (2002), and a bachelor of arts in English and Secondary Education from Bradley University (1986).