Wasatch Warriors are accountable, respectful, and excellent!
School Mission
The Wasatch Jr. High School community is dedicated to providing engaging academics and enriching experiences while encouraging individual creativity in a safe environment.
Extracurricular Programs
Wasatch offers a variety of extracurricular opportunities: Intramural sports, Math Counts, MESA, Reflections, Science Fair, Cultural Fair, French Club, Robotics, Lego League, Chess, Debate and the Wasatch Leadership Team.
School Background
Wasatch Junior High opened in 1959. In 1962, enrollment reached a peak of 1,559 students. In July, 2005, the building was destroyed by a devastating fire. From 2005 – 2008, Wasatch students attended school with neighboring Churchill Junior High. Three years later, in August, 2008, the new Wasatch opened its doors to 820 students.
Wasatch students continue to perform exceedingly well on the Student Assessment of Growth and Excellence (SAGE). Wasatch scores on these tests are among the highest in the state.
Wasatch currently houses about 820 students, grades 6-8.
About 65% of our students come from outside of our school boundaries. Students come from Park City and all across the Salt Lake valley to attend Wasatch.
School Focus
At WJH our number one focus is our students! This focus encompasses many things, including of course excellence in academics, academic growth at all ability levels, providing a variety of engaging course offerings, teaching social maturity and responsibility, student safety, etc. Our school mission statement states that, “the Wasatch Junior High School community is dedicated to providing engaging academic and enriching experiences while encouraging individual creativity in a safe environment”. This mission statement is something that we take very serious at WJH.
WJH has a reputation for academic achievement, high expectations, and academic rigor. However, although our students perform very well on all required state, district, and national testing, that is not good enough. We are always looking for areas to better ourselves in order to benefit our students. It is because of this belief that we have begun a journey of intense collaboration and communication known as PLC’s (Professional Learning Communities). These communities engage staff members in the work of analyzing each common core standard to determine specific skills and concepts that all students are expected to master. These concepts/skills are being rewritten by staff in student-friendly terms so that students are very aware of learning and performance expectations ahead of time. Each department is also working towards creating common formative assessments that all teachers will give within each content area at approximately the same time. Student assessment data from the CFA’s (common formative assessments) will be used by our teachers to improve teaching and learning, and to show learning growth for each student. Teachers will be able to collaborate about common CFA data, share ideas, discuss effective teaching strategies, discuss ways in which to help struggling students learn more effectively, plan ways to expand learning for those that have already mastered the concept, etc. The CFA data and collaboration are essential in order to identify areas where change and improvement are needed, and to know exactly where each student excels or needs help. Teachers will also work towards providing interventions for those students who have not mastered individual standards or concepts. All staff members have implemented proficiency based grading as we believe it is a more genuine assessment of required skills and concepts.
Wasatch students and staff conduct Warrior Time , which is an intervention/tutoring/study hall program and usually begins in September. This is a 30 min. block of time set aside within our regular schedule one day a week. During the 30 min. time period students will be in intervention where specific concepts or skills are retaught, tutoring where small groups can work together or individuals can get additional help or study hall where quiet individual study can take place. All students at some point will need intervention if we are indeed challenging our students regardless of their ability level. This program has been and will continue to be discussed with our PTA and community council as well because we know that parent input is essential for program success. Students will be given the opportunity to provide feedback and program ideas throughout the process as well.
Our students are very important to us, and that is why we have taken on the challenge of truly determining in which specific area(s) our students need the most intense assistance or extended learning. We are excited to continue along this journey and know that it is in the best interest of all WJH students.
Computers and Technology
All classrooms have digital projectors, teacher computers, voice enhancement systems, Smart Board technology, and document cameras. Every student is issued a Chromebook for student instruction, projects and assignments. It is the student’s responsibility to maintain their issued Chromebook. Through the internet patrons are able to access student grades, teacher web pages, and email addresses of all staff. All staff is working on maintaining and updating new teacher web pages through a program named CANVAS. Our school has a very useful website where parents can find information about general school activities, policies, teacher websites and emails, curriculum, testing data, district information, etc. Parents can pay their students’ class fees as well on our school website. Our community has been very supportive in their donation of money or equipment needed to keep our school updated with technology. All support in the past, present, and future is very much appreciated!
Student Promotion
The majority of WJH students attend Skyline High School, which has the same high expectations for academic performance as Wasatch insists upon.
