Utah Charter School Conversations

Meet the delightful and experienced Lani Rounds, Principal at Bridge Elementary in Roy, UT. A long-time educator, Lani has worked with multiple charter schools in leadership positions, but began in education as a SPED teacher. Designing Bridge Elementary after Special Education principles of personalized learning, her school is active, "sometimes noisy," and full of enthusiastic professionals. Her teachers receive 16 hours/week toward PPCD (preparation, professional development, collaboration, and data analysis) to deliver personalized learning plans for every child.  Learn about this method of education, integrating specialities into math and language arts, and how a "no desk" environment supports it all.

Lani describes the "happy clicker" she uses to highlight the good things happening around her and how it has helped students as well. (about minute 34). 

Lani also mentions the "ARL" route to her teaching after work as a berry picker at Sacco Fruits (age 10) to the IRS (for 13 years!) and as an IT professional testing software. ARL is an Alternate Route to Licensure used for years by the State to train teachers who were entering teaching outside a teacher preparation program at a university. The current route for teacher training is the APPEL (Alternate Pathway to Professional Educator License) program.

The Utah Association of Public Charter Schools is a non-profit organization that promotes excellence in Utah's public charter schools through advocacy, training, and technical support. Our podcast is produced, hosted, and edited by Gina James. Original music was composed by James Valentine.

Please subscribe to this podcast and visit us on Facebook and Instagram. Find student stories and training videos on our YouTube channel.

In this double episode (!) we get two interviews-first with Marie Steffenson, Associate Executive Director, State Charter School Board. Marie has extensive experience with Utah's charter schools as a teacher, instructional coach, and school director. Her desire to build relationships and support charter schools comes through. We discuss what an authorizer does, what supportive authorization looks like, and the organization of the SCSB.

In our second interview (beginning at 35:00), we meet Dr. Paul Kremer, Executive Director, State Charter School Board. Dr. Kremer joined the SCSB in October 2023 from broad experience with charter schools in Arizona. Dr. Kremer seeks to fulfill the SCSB strategic plan to better serve the charter schools the SCSB authorizes. We discuss the great things going on in Utah's charter schools and how to make things even better.

State Charter School Board Website: https://www.utahscsb.org/
State Charter School Board Strategic Plan: file:///Users/ginajames/Downloads/SCSB%20Strategic%20Plan%20221208.pdf From May 11, 2023 SCSB Board Meeting

The Utah Association of Public Charter Schools is a non-profit organization that promotes excellence in Utah's public charter schools through advocacy, training, and technical support. Our podcast is produced, hosted, and edited by Gina James. Original music was composed by James Valentine.

Please subscribe to this podcast and visit us on Facebook and Instagram. Find student stories and training videos on our YouTube channel.

This episode covers items pertinent to public charter schools coming up in the Utah State Legislature session. Royce Van Tassell, Executive Director, UAPCS, is right in the center of conversations with lawmakers and let's us know what to watch for. The 45 day session runs from January 16, 2024-March 1, 2024.

We discuss the following items:

• Governor's Budget Recommendations
• HB 29, Rep. Ivory,  sensitive materials bill
• HB 84, Rep. Wilcox,  school safety amendments
• HB 182, Rep. Lisonbee, student survey amendments
• Teacher empowerment bill
• Charter school law updates

The Utah Association of Public Charter Schools is a non-profit organization that promotes excellence in Utah's public charter schools through advocacy, training, and technical support. Our podcast is produced, hosted, and edited by Gina James. Original music was composed by James Valentine.

Please subscribe to this podcast and visit us on Facebook and Instagram. Find student stories and training videos on our YouTube channel.

Join the discussion with Brittany Luck, Principal, Uintah River High School, and Ronee Wopsock Pawwinnee, Ute Indian Tribe Education Director to talk about Uintah River High School. This public charter school is located on Ute tribal land in Fort Duchesne, UT.  The school serves 80 students, most with tribal affiliation (506 students refer to federally funded appropriations for American Indian and Alaskan Native students). The school is designed to foster cultural appreciation by teaching the Ute language and participating in tribal celebrations. They also are sensitive to tribal customs and individualize student learning to be sure that education works within traditions. A close relationship with the Ute Indian Education Department ensures that ensures that the charter school and tribal council work together to deliver an environment of supportive education geared toward lifelong learning.

The Utah Association of Public Charter Schools is a non-profit organization that promotes excellence in Utah's public charter schools through advocacy, training, and technical support. Our podcast is produced, hosted, and edited by Gina James. Original music was composed by James Valentine.

Please subscribe to this podcast and visit us on Facebook and Instagram. Find student stories and training videos on our YouTube channel.

We're all on a long road trip together...it helps to stay positive, focus on the same goals, and have mutual respect. Join this conversation with Simon Raubenheimer, Principal, Endeavor Hall, to learn how a South African native, runs a school with nearly a third English language learners. One of the Simon's tools is his positive outlook on life and the ability to build a family-like community around the school.

The Utah Association of Public Charter Schools is a non-profit organization that promotes excellence in Utah's public charter schools through advocacy, training, and technical support. Our podcast is produced, hosted, and edited by Gina James. Original music was composed by James Valentine.

Please subscribe to this podcast and visit us on Facebook and Instagram. Find student stories and training videos on our YouTube channel.

This discussion covers all things UCAS (Utah County Academy of Sciences) including its partnership with Utah Valley University, close-knit student group, and leadership in communication that brings together students and staff for great student success. The great majority of UCAS graduates have completed an Associate degree which covers a significant portion of their general college education. Additionally, the senior year experience at UCAS is held primarily on-campus at Utah Valley University giving students college experience and excellent learning opportunities. 

Ms. Derbidge has been with UCAS since its 2005 beginning. Her enthusiasm for the program and love of continued learning is evident in our conversation. She shares professional development lessons that have helped the school grow in student success (UCAS is always among the top-ranked high schools in Utah) and positive culture (teacher retention is high). 

The Utah Association of Public Charter Schools is a non-profit organization that promotes excellence in Utah's public charter schools through advocacy, training, and technical support. Our podcast is produced, hosted, and edited by Gina James. Original music was composed by James Valentine.

Please subscribe to this podcast and visit us on Facebook and Instagram. Find student stories and training videos on our YouTube channel.

Join today's conversation with Angela Fanjul, Director of Dual Immersion Academy in Salt Lake City, UT. We discuss how a variety of Hispanic cultures (teachers and students from many different Spanish-speaking countries) come together to work toward the common goal of excellent education and proficiency in two languages. We talk about their immersion model (different from many district school programs) and supports they offer to help all students and families (97% of the staff is bilingual). 

You will want to join the Feria de las Culturas (Cultural Fair) in October or visit Espanolandia in the spring! Or start watching telenovelas from Spain. Listen in to be in the know!

The Utah Association of Public Charter Schools is a non-profit organization that promotes excellence in Utah's public charter schools through advocacy, training, and technical support. Our podcast is produced, hosted, and edited by Gina James. Original music was composed by James Valentine.

Please subscribe to this podcast and visit us on Facebook and Instagram. Find student stories and training videos on our YouTube channel.

Enjoy the delightful Sheena Alaiasa and Kaniela Kamala with Pacific Heritage Academy as we discuss using cultural heritage to help students understand themselves, value others, and as an approach to learning. For ten years, Pacific Heritage Academy has been serving students in the Rose Park neighborhood of Salt Lake City. Sheena and Kaniela discuss the demographic changes of their students, challenges of covid to learning, and helping teachers avoid burnout.

We mention Hamish Brewer, guest of the 2023 UAPCS Conference and a study about the benefits of adolescents knowing their family history.  In 2014, Sheena was named the MetLife/National Association of Secondary Principals Middle School Principal of the Year.  We are fortunate to see how she has applied her expertise at Pacific Heritage Academy...and how her "hobby" is reading curriculum materials!

The Utah Association of Public Charter Schools is a non-profit organization that promotes excellence in Utah's public charter schools through advocacy, training, and technical support. Our podcast is produced, hosted, and edited by Gina James. Original music was composed by James Valentine.

Please subscribe to this podcast and visit us on Facebook and Instagram. Find student stories and training videos on our YouTube channel.

The Winter Sports School in Park City, UT has a unique mission and school schedule (they attend school April-November). Learn about how very serious student athletes (Olympians even!) can get a world-class education while pursuing world records. Our discussion includes how teachers and students work together to create flexibility with academic rigor. We also learn about how WSS is addressing the demand on student's attention through thoughtful education and conversations around electronic device usage. (They use Project Reboot.) WSS Executive Director, Tess Miner-Farra, is uniquely qualified to lead a school through her academic background and familiarity with Olympic athletes (her husband, John Farra, was a 1992 Olympian).

The Utah Association of Public Charter Schools is a non-profit organization that promotes excellence in Utah's public charter schools through advocacy, training, and technical support. Our podcast is produced, hosted, and edited by Gina James. Original music was composed by James Valentine.

Please subscribe to this podcast and visit us on Facebook and Instagram. Find student stories and training videos on our YouTube channel.

The Vista School in Ivins, UT hosts Vex Robotics competitions. Join us at the December 2022 competition and learn all about Vex! Many thanks to the students, parents, and teams from across the region that spoke to me:

• Vista School Middle School Division Champions and World Competitors
• Success Academy, Utah Tech
• Moapa Valley
• Doral Academy, Las Vegas
• Bear River 

Vex Robotics is a curriculum, and extra-curricular activity. Vista School incorporates it from kindergarten on to emphasize STEM education that keeps students engaged. Visit the Utah Charters podcast page for photos and videos from the competition. Watch one competition match on YouTube.

The Utah Association of Public Charter Schools is a non-profit organization that promotes excellence in Utah's public charter schools through advocacy, training, and technical support. Our podcast is produced, hosted, and edited by Gina James. Original music was composed by James Valentine.

Please subscribe to this podcast and visit us on Facebook and Instagram. Find student stories and training videos on our YouTube channel.