Jill Gammon, a sixth-grade teacher at Butterfield Canyon Elementary, recently returned from a social studies teacher workshop in Germany. Gammon was able to visit businesses, schools, industries, and government offices and learn about the challenges of modern Germany, especially those challenges Eastern Germany is dealing with since the Berlin Wall came down.

Gammon went as part of a two-week seminar offered by the Transatlantic Outreach Program (TOP) of the Goethe Institute. The goal of TOP is to encourage cross-cultural dialogue and to provide social studies educators with global understanding from an international perspective.

Social studies and history teachers who are interested in the TOP program should contact Pam Su’a, 801-567-8320, pamela.sua@jordan.k12.ut.us. ★

Heartland Elementary is looking for copies of the following titles:

Fourth Grade:
Houghton Mifflin Basal Reading Book, 2001; ISBN 0-618-01235-4
The Utah Adventure 4th Edition, 2005; ISBN 0-87905-719-X

Sixth Grade:
Houghton Mifflin Triumphs, 2005; ISBN 0-618-24121-5
Spelling: Linking Words to Meaning, 2002; ISBN 0-7398-5058-X
Eastern Hemisphere, 1993; ISBN 0-02-146008-6

Anyone with information on any of these titles is asked to contact Principal Aaron Ichimura, 801-565-7533. ★

To be eligible to participate in the employee-funded sick leave bank for the 2009-10 academic year, an employee must donate one day of accumulated sick leave and meet all other criteria in the Sick Leave policy.  Please be aware the policies for licensed and classified employees are slightly different this year and have different requirements for eligibility.  Copies of both policies were provided to all school administrators and department directors.

On July 1, one day of sick leave was deducted from each eligible employee for the employee-funded sick leave bank.  Should an employee wish to opt out of the employee-funded sick leave bank, he/she must complete and return the employee-funded sick leave bank “Opt Out Form” before Sept. 1.  Forms received after Sept. 1 will not be accepted.   The sick leave deducted on July 1, will be returned to each employee who submitted an “Opt Out Form.” Employees who “opt out” of the employee-funded sick leave bank will be ineligible to receive sick bank benefits for the duration of the 2009-10 school year.

For more information regarding the sick bank opt out process, please contact your immediate supervisor. ★