Dear Secondary Parents,
We are both sad and excited to announce a change in science. After many years of amazing teaching, Mr. Wright is pursuing an employment opportunity outside of education. We are so grateful for his devoted service, and our students have been blessed by his teaching and his example. We know our students, parents, and staff will miss him! Mr. Wright will always be part of our APA Salem community, and we hope to see him during carpool and attending school events as a parent.
We are excited to introduce our new science teacher, Ms. Desiree Gates. Ms. Gates graduated from UVU with a degree in Biotechnology, and has been working in the field as a microbiologist for the last 10 years. We are so lucky to have someone with a great depth of knowledge in her field join us as the new science teacher in Salem.
This presents us with an opportunity to offer a science class that is more aligned with what the local school districts teach. Starting Monday, we will be transitioning both 9th grade classes from physics or earth science to biology. The foundation they received thus far has supported their mastery of the scientific method and has prepared them for the end of year state tests, which includes content from all three subject areas. The 7th and 8th grade curriculum will stay the same.
Starting Monday October 2, Mr. Wright will transition each 9th grade class to the biology curriculum. Ms. Gates will join him on Monday October 9 and they will team teach until the end of the term. Mr. Wright will begin his new job at the term break. We wish him the best in his new job!
Mr. Wright is presenting this news to the students today during his classes. Please let us know if your student needs any support from us during this transition.
Sincerely,
Mrs. Peery – epeery@apamail.org
Mrs. Elmer – kelmer@apamail.org