UAESP RURAL PRINCIPAL OF THE YEAR

Congratulations to the Utah Association of Elementary School Principals (UAESP) Rural Principal of the Year, Stacey Peterson! Stacey received this well-deserved award at the Elementary Principal Conference in St. George on Thursday, February 13th.

Stacey is the principal of Moroni Elementary. She has been the principal for nine years, since 2011.  She worked as an instructional coach and a media specialist for six years before becoming a principal in North Sanpete School District. Prior to working in North Sanpete, Stacey was a district media special in Jordan District and taught third grade at Alta View Elementary.

Creative efforts helped Stacey to raise achievement levels at Moroni Elementary. With a high economically disadvantaged population and a second language challenge, the school has struggled in the past. This past year, as dual immersion is reaching the upper grades, Moroni Elementary has greatly improved academically, showing double digit growth in academic areas and showing even higher growth with their lowest 25% and English Learner populations. Stacey not only sends her teachers to the best training available in the state and out of state, she also teaches the ESL Endorsement classes at Snow College in Ephraim, Utah. She trains paraprofessionals and other classified staff to meet the needs of her students. Stacey was key in expanding the district preschool to serve more economically disadvantaged students. She also applied for and was awarded funding to implement full-day kindergarten, which has netted significant gains in academic performance. She is always willing to do what is needed, even when it is hard. Moroni Elementary is a great school because of Stacey Peterson!

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SPANISH DUAL LANGUAGE IMMERSION  PROGRAM (DLI)

North Sanpete School District started a Spanish Dual Immersion program at Moroni Elementary School in the fall of 2014.  First through sixth grade students from Moroni and across the district have been learning half their day in Spanish and the other half in English with impressive results.  Although rare in rural Utah, Dual Immersion programs are common on the Wasatch Front and have reported significant student achievement. In the early grades, dual immersion students often score slightly behind their English only peers, but by third grade dual immersion students often surpass their English only peers in English language state testing.  This is in addition to learning a second language with a native accent. To learn more about the state model for Dual Immersion, visit http://www.utahspanishdli.org/ and http://www.utahdli.org/. You can also visit Dual Immersion under the parent tab of our district website.

Students in Moroni Elementary will be automatically enrolled, and need not apply.  Additional openings may be available.  This past year, students from Fairview, Fountain Green, Mt. Pleasant, and Spring City were assigned designated bus stops and rode in the front seat of the middle school bus to Moroni (under careful watch of the bus driver) for inclusion in the Dual Immersion experience. Transportation is planned for this coming year as well.

2020-2021 Dual Language Immersion program applications are currently being accepted and are due by February 21, 2020.  Current kindergarten and first grade students are invited to apply.  January 15th of the second grade year is the latest non-Spanish speakers can enter dual immersion and expect success. Learn more about the application process by clicking here. 

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NSSD SCHOOL TECHNOLOGY INVENTORY REPORT

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