Builder Theme: I am a builder when I build with enthusiasm.
“Enthusiasm is one of the most powerful engines of success. When you do a thing, do it with all your might. Put your whole soul into it. Stamp it with your own personality. Be active, be energetic and faithful, and you will accomplish your objective. Nothing great was ever achieved without enthusiasm.”
– Ralph Waldo Emerson
Upcoming WV2 & WV3 Events ★
- Friday, September 22nd – 12:00pm dismissal for secondary only
- Wednesday, September 27th – Sistema Staff and Student Showcase – Multi-Purpose Room 5pm
School Contact Information
- 385-351-3090
- Administrative Director 385-351-3090 x1131
- Press 1 for Elementary Office
- Press 2 for Junior High Office & Secondary attendance
- Press 3 for High School Office
WV2 & WV3 ★
Lockdown Drill: We will be holding a lockdown drill towards the end of this week. We would like to remind all families that during a lockdown nobody will be authorized to enter the building. This means that if you arrive at the time of the lockdown drill, you will need to wait until it is over to enter the building.
Cell Phones, Tablets & Smart Watches: Devices with cellular capabilities are NOT authorized for student use from the time they enter the building in the morning, until they exit the building for dismissal/pickup. During carpool, while waiting at the curb, students are authorized to text and call ONLY. Cell phones and watches with cellular capabilities must be stored in backpacks at all times and will only be authorized to be taken out once the students exit the building at dismissal. Additionally, smart devices are NOT authorized for student use at any time while inside the building after hours. Students always have access to our school phones if they need to contact their parent or guardian and families can always call the school if they need to relay a message to their student.
“Minimize Tech/Maximize Happiness!” campaign. We are launching a new initiative to help protect our students from the harms of social media and smart devices. Please visit the link below to learn more. .https://www.americanprep.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/Minimize-Tech_Maximize-Happiness.pdf?utm_campaign=Campus%20Updates&utm_medium=email&_hsmi=267316862&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-9uHtj64PTJEUyHpOqLrooAHM4U-FhzbIvns1dWfOIRp76cMzR19_mA6w1sd_h6sLmTSTiigZPzpczmtU20M29Xtrfs_A&utm_content=267316862&utm_source=hs_email
Then, please join our Facebook Group – Minimize Tech-Maximize Happiness, where we will share ideas with each other on how to navigate the world without smart devices for our children!
Elementary ★
Uniform Infractions: We have had many students wearing light blue shirts to school. As a reminder, light blue shirts are only allowed in secondary. Khaki pants for girls are only allowed on Fridays. Monday-Thursday girls can wear navy pants, or plaid/navy jumpers. 4th- 6th grade white shirts can not be polos. Your student must wear a white button down broadcloth or cotton collared dress shirt with white or clear buttons. Sleeves can be short or long.
Please review our K-6 uniform guide here: https://www.americanprep.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/Uniform-Guide-2023-24-Elementary-7-19-3-pm.pdf
Elementary Chess Club – At this time we do not have any staff that can host the elementary chess club. If there are any parents who would like to volunteer for this position, please contact Trina Christensen at tchristensen@apamail.org.
Secondary ★
Secondary Intervention Parent Teacher Conferences: On Friday, September 22nd we will hold our intervention parent teacher conferences for secondary students from 12:30pm to 3:30pm. These conferences are by invitation and are targeted meetings to help students who are struggling with their academic engagement or attendance. Please note that all secondary students are dismissed at noon on September 22nd and we will not have 9th period nor Collegium Hall programs that day. Teachers will be emailing or calling to invite parents to attend the parent conferences.
7th Grade Career Expo: We are seeking volunteers to help with our upcoming 7th grade Career Expo that will be held on 26 September 2023 from 8:00-12:00. We are seeking anyone who would like to talk about their career with the 7th graders on that day. If you would like to volunteer or would like additional information please email Mr. Ramirez at aramirez@apamail.org.
Uniforms: We sincerely appreciate the effort to help maintain and build our positive culture. We wanted to reiterate specific aspects of the uniform policy a small percentage of students are struggling with. The longer students are out of compliance with uniform, the more likely it is for other students to copy those trends that are not in alignment with our policy. We also want to remind families and students that if students do not fix their uniform problem, they will not be permitted to enter class.
– “Hair that is an unnatural color or extreme styling is distracting and not allowed.” Students that come with unnaturally colored hair will be asked to fix the hair in a reasonable time frame or they will not be permitted into class.
– “Slacks must fit the following description: Uniform style slacks (no denim or corduroy). Belted, pleated or flat front, long enough to cover top of shoe, short enough to stay off floor when worn with shoes, worn no more than 2” below waist, no cargo pants or outside pockets (patch pockets)…No tight-fitting slacks (must be able to pinch one inch of fabric in front and back). Slacks may NOT be tapered.” Students that are sagging their pants will be asked to fix their pants. If students do not comply with wearing the slacks properly, they may be asked to be picked up from school.
– “Skirts must be to the knee – touching the calf when the knee is bent to 90 degrees.” If students do not comply with wearing the skirt properly, they may be asked to be picked up from school.
Please review the 7th-12th grade uniform guide here: https://www.americanprep.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/Uniform-Guide-2023-24-Secondary-7-19-3pm.pdf
Compliance ★
Professional Qualifications – Our parent surveys consistently express confidence and overwhelming satisfaction with our teachers at American Prep. In accordance with state regulation, all APA teachers are licensed through one of three licensing paths: Professional, Associates and LEA specific. Parents are welcome at any time to request information regarding the professional qualifications of the student’s classroom teachers including: 1) whether the teacher has met State qualification and licensing criteria for the grade levels and subject areas in which the teacher provides instruction or whether the teacher is teaching under emergency or other provisional status through which State qualification or licensing criteria have been waived; 2) the baccalaureate degree major of the teacher and any other graduate certification or degree held by the teacher, and the field of discipline of the certification or degree; and 3) whether the child is provided services by paraprofessionals and, if so, their qualifications.
District Parent and Family Engagement Policy – American Prep recognizes that parent and family engagement is key to student achievement. We provide many opportunities for parents and family members to participate in, and stay informed of, their student’s academic achievement.
American Preparatory Academy trains staff annually during pre-service and teacher academy on how to communicate, build meaningful connections, and otherwise involve parents/families and the school. These topics are reinforced during professional development opportunities throughout the year as needed. Additional details regarding Parent and Family Engagement are available in the annual Parent-Student Handbooks (PSHB) which are distributed annually, posted on the school websites, and available in Spanish at our West Valley campuses. For the full District Parent and Family Engagement Policy, please refer to this link on the Policy page of the americanprep.org website.
School Parent and Family Engagement Policies – School Parent Involvement Policies vary slightly by campus and are located within the Parent-Student Handbooks https://www.americanprep.org/parent-student-handbooks/. These Handbooks are distributed annually to parents and are now accessible on the APA website under the Parent Library drop-down tab. West Valley Parent-Student Handbooks will be available in Spanish.
Mandated Assessments and Opt-Outs – American Preparatory recognizes that Standardized Testing is an essential tool for measuring student learning and teacher success. The data obtained from these assessments may be utilized by teachers and administrators to review student academic progress, plan instruction, and share with students and parents. Summative assessments allow for data to be used in public reporting about school quality. Parent’s may opt-out of most state standardized tests by submitting a Parental Exclusion form to the Academic Director. You can learn more about the state assessments administered at American Prep and find the testing schedules for your student’s campus by following this link: https://www.americanprep.org/state-assessments/
Counselor’s office ★
Enrollment ★
For questions regarding Kindergarten – 6th grade enrollment, contact Ms. Guastella at hguastella@apamail.org
For questions regarding 7th grade – 12th grade enrollment, contact Mrs. Patterson at mpatterson@apamail.org
Sistema Notes ♪
We have had such a great week of music-making! An email was sent last week going over our new homework reports that we have our students complete during their Sistema homework time. In case you missed it, here is the information below.
We have begun using a new homework report stapled to the BACK of your child’s learning plan. This is only for students who either have a designated homework class during Sistema after school or who stay for the end of the program for our extended homework time. We wanted to send an email to help you better understand how to read this report and how you can best help your child at home. As mentioned at our parent orientation meeting in August, we cannot guarantee that your child will complete ALL their homework during Sistema. Having them note what they have worked on will help all of us to work together to help them succeed.
We will be sending home updated missing work reports this week. Our first incentive of this school year will be on Friday, October 13th from 4-5:30 p.m. that day. If your child comes home with a missing work report, please help them to get their missing work completed and turned in to school. The midterm missing work deadline is this Friday, September 22nd. All missing work needs to be turned in before this date. We want to see many of our Sistema students at our first no missing homework incentive of the school year.
As a reminder, if your child is also participating in after school activities such as soccer or volleyball and miss their classes in Sistema, they need to practice every day they miss so they don’t fall behind in their Sistema classes. Each student has been invited to join the Google Classroom for their instrument and singing classes. Thank you for ensuring that your child is practicing at home.
We have a few events taking place over the next couple of weeks. Please make a note of the following on your family calendar:
Thursday, September 21st – Sistema Ensemble Day: As a reminder, our dismissal times are slightly different on Thursdays. Please refer to your dismissal times flier for reference.
Wednesday, September 27th – Staff and Student Showcase at 5 p.m. in the MP Room: If your child’s class will be performing, they will be sent home with a flier stapled to the top of their learning plan on Friday, September 22nd.
Thank you so much for your support. What an incredible Sistema Utah community we are developing!
Character Development ★
- For Volunteering opportunities please email us at wv2ambassadors@apamail.org
Careers ★
Food Service Employee WV2 – Part time food service employee needed. Pay Range: $14.51-$16 per hour. Schedule is Monday – Friday 8:30am-1:30pm. Bilingual preferred. Email questions to lunch@apamail.org