Oct. 10, 2023 School Board meeting

Greetings, and Happy October.

Student growth and safety, policies and program updates were the main topics at this month’s School Board meeting. Here are your highlights.

“Kudos,” from Member Kelly Preece and the rest of the board on all the extra activities and opportunities for student learning and growth, from MMS’s S.T.E.A.M. night to FFA’s Farm Day with the elementary students, another successful College Application Week at MHS, our growing mountain bike club, and more.

Destiny Field, Student Intervention Services Director, reported on the services and programs for students through our Morgan Rise program. Destiny and her team are helping students to complete courses and with credit recovery as well as providing other support services. She also addressed the need for additional counseling services, including mental health and career exploration. Some of those services are being met with the addition of Scott Hunt to the high school’s counseling team, the elementary schools’ counselors helping with social skills in the kindergarten classes, and interns at several schools.

To improve safety, the district has partnered with the sheriff’s office to add another School Resource Officer, Nate Hutchinson, who is based at Mountain Green Middle School; Deputy Chalmers is based at the high school. All campuses are also in the process of reviewing their emergency response and evacuation plans.

The principals reported on end-of-level assessments from the last school year and their plans for student growth. Morgan schools scored above the state average consistently, but there is always room for improvement. The schools are using additional interventions and study skills courses to close some learning gaps. Things you can do at home include reading with your kiddos, helping them carve out time for independent reading, and talking with your kids and their teachers about areas they seem to struggle with in their homework.

At the high school, more students took the ACT Aspire this year, which is a positive trend. The ACT Aspire covers the same content as the ACT with more time for each section so that students can show mastery of skills and concepts as they adapt to the structure of the test. Part of the feedback includes a predicted ACT score. Watch for more information on all end-of-level assessments in the spring.

The Davis Technical College (DTC) Foundation recognized Morgan School District this month with an Education Partner Award. Morgan High School students can begin programs at DTC that lead to certifications in technical fields and trades and credit for courses that transfer to Utah’s universities. Contact your student’s counselor for more information. λ