May 11, 2007
Nurse Honored for Saving a Student's Life
Donna Musser, a nurse at Cherokee Elementary School, was honored Wednesday for her quick reactions for using an Automated External Defibrillator to save a second grade student, who has a heart condition, when he collapsed outside his teacher's door.
She received the first Heart Hero Award from the Cardiac Arrhythmia Institute, the American Heart Association's Heart Saver Award, and accolades from the Rural/Metro Fire Department and Paradise Valley and Scottsdale officials as part of National School Nurse Day.
Dr. Himanshu Shukla and the Cardiac Arrthythmia Institute were honored and thanked for donating Automated External Defibrillators (AEDs) to all 33 Scottsdale Unified School District schools.
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Two Teachers Named Teacher of the Year Mrs. Nancy Smith, a second grade teacher at Laguna Elementary School, and Jennifer Blalock, a kindergarten teacher at Cochise Elementary School, were nominated by staff, parents and students for the Wal-Mart Teacher of the Year award.
The Scottsdale Sam’s Club marketing team, presented Nancy and Jennifer with a $100 gift card, a certificate and shirt. They also presented a check to each school for $1,000.
Nancy has been teaching for 29 years. For 20 years, she has taught Yavapai and Laguna students. Jennifer has been teaching at Cochise since 1993.
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Instructional Technology Wins Award
On April 28th, Ariane Cleverly, instructional technology trainer, and the Instructional Technology Team received the Arizona Technology in Education Alliance (AzTEA) Exemplary Web Site Award for Educational Programs/Educational Content. AzTEA is a professional non-profit organization devoted to increasing student achievement through technology in teaching and learning. This award is selected annually from a list of nominees.
One of Ariane's many roles is as Web designer for Scottsdale Unified School District’s Instructional Technology Team. She and the team provide technology training in the integration and implementation of District adopted software and e-Learning programs. The team of 12 is committed to providing leadership for the integration of technology, embedding technology within the curriculum and facilitating the implementation of new technology for the SUSD learning community. With Ariane's expertise, the team has a wealth of tech resources posted on their Web site, including quick tip cards, videos, step-by-step Instructions, Internet resources and weekly tech tips. The site also provides a prominent link to the SUSD Tech Plan, which emphasizes the purpose, focus and future of technology District-wide. To learn more about Instructional Technology, please visit http://its.susd.org.
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 Reading is Fun Week — May 13-19
"Reading is Fun Week" is a reminder of how important books are in our lives! The Scottsdale Public Libraries has something for everyone — whether you like adventure, fantasy, drama, true crime, nonfiction or poetry. For more information about Scottsdale Libraries, please visit http://library.scottsdaleaz.gov/ .
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Pima Student Takes Reading to the Next Level
 Sixth grader Brian Ahern has become the first Pima student to ever reach 1,000 Accelerated Reader points in one school year. This amazing reader has led the way in the quantity of reading done by Pima students over the past two years. The books read by Brian this school year represent more than 6,713,498 words.
The average points per student is about 90 per year. About 190 students per year reach the 200 point mark, 50 students per year reach the 200 points, and about three students per year get to 500 points. Brian is the only student to ever get past 600 points in a single school year!
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Jump Start the START SMART Process!
 Is your child entering kindergarten this August? If so, Community Schools is offering a summer Kindergarten Jump Start program to students entering kindergarten in the Scottsdale Unified School District at the following locations Hopi, Kiva and Zuni. This unique summer program is designed to give your child a glimpse into what it will be like to be a kindergartner. Activities are designed to foster both social and educational growth in children. Don't miss out on this amazing educational opportunity. Space is limited, so Register Today! For more information, please view the brochure .
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Are You Related to Rev. Winfield Scott, the founder of Scottsdale?
 The Scottsdale Historical Society would like to know if you are related to Rev. Winfield Scott. One of the goals is to encourage local residents and others to reach out and connect with Winfield and his family. The Scottsdale Historical Society has already identified 1st and 2nd cousins living in Arizona. Read more...
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Zuni Expands Comprehensive Gifted Program
Scottsdale Unified School District's Gifted Services is pleased to announce the addition of a second grade cluster class to the Comprehensive Gifted Program at Zuni Elementary School for the 2007-2008 school year. Beth Parsons, a teacher at Zuni, will be working with other Self Contained Gifted teachers to offer a complete Gifted curriculum designed for students who have extraordinary academic needs, abilities and intellectual potential found in the top three percent of the population. The current program at Zuni includes grades 3, 4 and 5.
Please join Gifted Services for a tour of the program on May 16th from 1-3 p.m. at Zuni Elementary School, 9181 E. Redfield Road, Scottsdale. For information and an application, please call Robin Madison at 480-484-2833.
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Tonalea Elementary School hosted its annual Cinco de Mayo celebration on May 4th. The festivities included dancers, food and fun for all. More than 300 parents, students, staff and guests attended the celebration, including Mayor Mary Manross. The event was coordinated by Lisa Sampson, a parent and volunteer at the school.