WELCOME TO NORTHEASTERN UTAH!!
On behalf of the entire community, we’re pleased to welcome you to Heber City as an international guest teacher. Your knowledge and experience will help students broaden their perspectives to reach their ambitious goals; the skills and example you share with our youth as a teacher will help them grow significantly and prepare them for the future. Thank you for your willingness to teach our children.
We want you to enjoy your time with us and help you be a part of the community. This guide explains some of the area’s rich history and culture, provides practical information about living in Northeastern Utah, and suggests a number of local activities.
While this guide covers most basic information, we strongly encourage you to work closely with colleagues during your stay who can also help you quickly find information and solutions to everyday situations.
Guest teachers often find this time as one of the most rewarding and unique opportunities in their lives. There are occasional challenges, but as a community, we will work together to overcome any obstacles that you encounter. We hope that your time will in the United States and in our community will be an enriching and valuable experience.
We’re glad you’re here—enjoy your stay.
Contact Information:
Wasatch County School District
101 East 200 North
Heber, UT 84032
435-654-0280
Getting Your Utah Teaching License in Five Easy Steps
Her email is brenda.mcmurtrey@schools.utah.gov
Sample: Dear Brenda,
My name is (your name here) and I am a guest teacher from (country). My CACTUS ID # is (insert number here).
My address is (street) (city) (zip) and here is my phone number: (phone)
I am teaching (grade level) at (school). Please post my license. Thank you!
In 2008, the Utah Senate passed the International Initiatives, creating funding for Utah schools to begin Dual Language Immersion pro-grams in Mandarin Chinese, French, and Spanish, Portuguese and German. Wasatch County School District (WCSD) began with one school program in 2008 in Spanish and has continued to add school programs throughout the district.
There are now five elementary Spanish programs, two middle school programs and one high school Spanish program. In 2017, there will be almost 1700 students participating with 250 students added annually.
WCSD is a part of the Utah Dual Language Immersion Program which follows a fifty-fifty model, in which students spend half of their school day in the target language and the other half-day in English. The WCSD’s programs begin in 1st grade, with a few starting in kindergarten. All state-sponsored schools with Dual Language Immersion programs are required to implement the fifty-fifty model and use two teachers, one who instructs exclusively in the target language for half of the day and a second who teaches in English for the remainder of the day.
From kindergarten through third grade, the target language curriculum includes Spanish literacy and the majority of the content subjects (math, science, and social studies). The English curriculum focuses on English language arts and some collaborative reinforcement of the content. Teamwork is essential!
The curriculum shifts in the fourth and fifth grades with most of the conceptual instruction in math and social science taught in English. In the sixth grade, social science, natural sciences and Spansih Literacy are taught in the target language. These curriculum changes in the upper grades purposefully allow for more instruction time in the target language, focusing on literacy study and increasing student language proficiency. Specific language proficiency goals are set at each grade level in all areas: reading, writing, speaking, and listening.
The WCSD Secondary Dual Language Immersion Program offers Spanish DLI 5 Honors and an 0.5 semester elective called Culture, History & Media in grades seven through nine. Participating students are expected to enroll in Advanced Placement language coursework and complete the AP exam in either the ninth or tenth grade.
In tenth through twelve grades, students will be offered upper division university- level coursework with six major Utah universities.
Utah DLI Pathway
When you come to Wasatch County School District, you will be placed with a host family for two to four weeks. You will have your own bedroom(s) and access to a bathroom and kitchen facilities. Most times, the family will provide meals and you will have the chance to get to know them and experience some typical American family life. Host families may even provide transportation to your school, shopping, site-seeing excursions, etc., as they are able. There is no rent or payment due for this interim period.
This is an ideal opportunity for cross-cultural exchange while simultaneously easing into to the new community. During this transition period, you can make your housing and/or transportation arrangements for the remainder of your stay, with assistance as necessary from your host family, school and/or district personnel.
Mi consejo es que intenten resolver las necesidades básicas cuanto antes (coche, casa, permiso de conducir…) y que se apoyen en maestros de DLI con experiencia. Que intenten saber, lo más claro posible, cómo funciona este sistema educativo y la escuela en la que van a trabajar.
Que visiten alguna clase de los maestros con experiencia de su mismo grado de otras escuelas, porque les va ayudar mucho ver cómo organizan las clases, cómo enseñan las distintas materias, cómo se organizan con el compañero de dual, etc.
Location of Utah in U.S. Location of Wasatch in Utah
Cities and towns in Wasatch County are: Heber City, Midway, Charleston, Daniel, Hideout, Independence, Interlaken, and Wallsburg.
Choose your adventure!!
More Heber Attraction Details (click HERE)
Things to do in Park City (24 miles from Heber City)
Things to do in Salt Lake City (45 miles from Heber City)
Things to do in Utah Valley (30 miles from Heber City)