In this issue...

May 2, 2008

May 6^th Regular Governing Board Meeting

The Governing Board Meetings scheduled for Tuesday, May 6, 2008 will be held at Saguaro High School in the Lecture Hall, 6250 N. 82nd St., Scottsdale.

The 3 p.m. Public Meeting and the 5:30 p.m. Work/Study are open to the public and will be broadcast live to Saguaro’s Auditorium. Live video streaming will also be provided online through the District Web site at www.susd.org.

To view the Work/Study online, visit www.susd.org on May 6th at the appropriate time and click on the Live Video Stream icon. You will need Windows Media Player or the Flip4Mac player to view the online video stream.

If you are using a PC you and do not already have Windows Media Player, please download it free at: http://www.microsoft.com/windows/windowsmedia/player/download/download.aspx

If you are using a Mac, please download the Flip4Mac software and player free at: http://www.flip4mac.com/wmv_download.htm

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Two Principals Nominated for Award

Jan Howard, principal at Cherokee Elementary School, and Dr. Michael Helminski, principal at Kiva Elementary School, were selected, based on the nomination and survey feedback from staff and parents, as a finalist for the AZ Leads Circle of Honor award.

While the Circle of Honor recognizes the top 1 percent of Arizona principals, it is more than recognition; it is an induction to an institute of leaders who will commit to sharing their expertise and mentoring to improve school leadership in Arizona. Those selected for this honor will be asked to commit 30 hours over a two-year period to the development of future leaders. After this period of “active duty,” the honorees remain as members of the Circle, and may choose to continue the commitment to leadership development at their option.

The selection process include a site visit from a team of AZ LEADS members. Those principals who are inducted into the Circle will be recognized at a reception on June 30^th as part of the Leading Change Institute, at the Hilton El Conquistador in Tucson.

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Celebrate National Teacher Appreciation Week May 4-10

Do you know how we came to celebrate National Teacher Appreciation Day and Week? In 1944, Arkansas teacher Mattye Whyte Woodridge began corresponding with political and education leaders about the need for a national day to honor teachers. Woodridge wrote to Eleanor Roosevelt, who in 1953 persuaded the 81^st Congress to proclaim a National Teacher Day.

The National Education Association (NEA), along with its Kansas and Indiana state affiliates, lobbied Congress to create a national day celebrating teachers. Congress declared March 7, 1980, as National Teacher Day for that year only. NEA and its affiliates continued to observe National Teacher Day on the first Tuesday in March until 1985, when the National PTA established Teacher Appreciation Week as the first full week of May. The NEA Representative Assembly then voted to make the Tuesday of that week National Teacher Day.

Celebrated on the Tuesday of the first full week of May, the actual date varies each year. In 2008, National Teacher Day is May 6^th.

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Celebrate National School Nurse Day

This year's theme for National School Nurse Day is "School Nurses in Action: Transforming School Communities." National School Nurse Day was established to foster a better understanding of the role of nurses in the educational setting. Since 1972, National School Nurse Day has been set aside to recognize school nurses. National School Nurse Day is always the Wednesday within National Nurse Week, which this year is May 6^th through May 12^th.

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Healthy Fundraising

SUSD’s Wellness Policy was established with the goal to “create a total school environment that is conducive to healthy eating, physical activity and an over-all healthy environment.” To help meet this goal, the District encourages non-food items to be sold as part of school-sponsored fundraising activities and bans foods of minimal nutritional value from being sold during the school day.

If your group is considering a fundraiser, please remember these important benefits of healthy fundraising:

• Healthy Kids Learn Better: research clearly demonstrates that good nutrition is linked to better behavior and academic performance. To provide the best possible learning environment for children, schools must also provide an environment that supports healthy behaviors.
• Provides Consistent Messages: fundraising with healthy foods and non-food items demonstrates a school commitment to promoting healthy behaviors. It supports the classroom lessons students are learning about health, instead of contradicting them.
• Promotes a Healthy School Environment: students need to receive consistent, reliable health information and ample opportunities to use it. Finding healthy alternatives to fundraising is an important part of providing a healthy school environment.

Read more...

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Governor's Office for Children, Youth and Families Accepting Applications

The Governor's Youth Commission (GYC), a diverse and representative body of Arizona high school students who advise Governor Napolitano on important youth issues, is now accepting applications for the 2008-2009 year. Applications and instructions are available online at http://www.gocyf.az.gov/CYD/BRD_AGYC.asp. All applications must be received no later than Friday, May 16 at 3 p.m.

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Southern Scottsdale and Greater Airpark Area Visioning Workshops

The City of Scottsdale is in the process of updating its General Plan. In preparation for this process, the City has identified six “Community Areas” within the City. A Community Area Plan will be prepared for each of the six areas, including Southern Scottsdale and the Greater Airpark Area, to ensure that the long term vision for Scottsdale is completed with the 2011 General Plan Update. For more information and to register, please visit http://www.scottsdaleaz.gov/planning/areaplans or call the Scottsdale Advance Planning Division at 480-312-7990.

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Scottsdale Republic Features SUSD Teachers

Do you know an outstanding teacher in the Scottsdale Unified School District? Would you like that teacher to be recognized in the newspaper? The Scottsdale Republic runs a weekly feature highlighting a different SUSD teacher each week. To nominate a teacher for this feature, simply fill out the online Teacher Nomination Form.

*Please note that a high resolution digital photo must be submitted to be considered for publication.

To view Cherokee teacher John Avianantos' nomination that ran in the Scottsdale Republic , please visit: http://www.azcentral.com/community/scottsdale/articles/2008/04/29/20080429sr-teacher0430avianantos-ON.html

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Upcoming Events

• Gifted Services is hosting Comprehensive Gifted Program Tours at the following schools:
  • Mohave Middle, 5520 N. 86th St., Scottsdale, from 11 a.m.-12:30p.m. on May 7^th
  • Zuni Elementary, 9181 Redfield Road, Scottsdale, from 1-3 p.m. on May 14^th
  • Desert Canyon Middle, 10203 E. McDowell Mountain Ranch Road, Scottsdale, from 2-4 p.m. on May 21^st

  Reserve your seat today by e-mailing your name, address and phone number to Robin Madison. Also, indicate the location and date you plan to attend.

  You may view frequently asked questions, the criteria for acceptance into the program and download the application at www.susd.org/district/gifted/Comprehensive.cfm.

• If you plan on participating in middle or high schools sports, you must have a physical. Scottsdale Unified School District athletes can get a sports physical at the following location:
  • May 31 from 7 a.m.-noon at Scottsdale Healthcare Osborn Outpatient Therapy Services, 3134 N. Civic Center Plaza.
    

view the flyer

• Prep for the SAT this Summer. Kaplan classes start soon. Reserve your spot today by registering at 1-800-KAP-TEST or kaptest.com/sat. For more information, please view the flyer.
   
• The Arts in Education Council would like to recognize the efforts of individuals who have demonstrated exceptional support for the fine arts in a school or schools within the Scottsdale Unified School District. These awards will be presented at our Spring Appreciation Luncheon on May 15^th. You can submit the nomination by mailing it to Bonnie Sneed, 10830 E. Raintree Drive, Scottsdale, AZ 85255-1800, e-mail artsined@cox.net or fax 480-342-9157.
  
  Winners will receive recognition at the 2008 Arts in Education Council Spring Appreciation and Recognition Luncheon on May 15 at the Scottsdale Resort and Conference Center, 7700 E. McCormick Parkway. For more information, please view the flyer.
   
• Scottsdale Community College (SCC) Piper Scholars Program will offer scholarships to eight Scottsdale Unified School District Seniors (Class of 2008). Scholarship recipients will receive $1,500 for the Fall semester and $1,500 for the Spring semester for a maximum of four semesters if all eligibility requirements are maintained.

  This unique program is only available to students in the Scottsdale Unified School District. The application deadline is May 9, 2008. Information about the application process and complete details for this and other SCC Scholarships can be found by clicking on “Available Scholarships” at www.scottsdalecc.edu/financial or calling 480-423-6549.

• Sequoya Elementary School is hosting an Information Night from 6-7 p.m. on May 20th in the Cafeteria, 11808 N. 64th St., Scottsdale. Learn about Sequoya's academic programs and numerous community-building events designed to make the school a place where families and staff work together to promote academic excellence and personal growth for each child. For more information, please view the flyer.
   
• AAA Arizona and the Maricopa Association of Governments are currently seeking candidates for the 2^nd Annual Crossing Guard of the Year Award. Applications are due no later than May 31. For more information and the nomination form, please view the flyer.

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Excellence in the Classroom
The Fourth Annual Fifth Grade Math Competition took place this past Saturday at Kiva Elementary School. Sixty-two students gathered to try their best at problem solving, estimation, computation and mental math in both team and individual competitions. Twelve elementary schools were represented.

Judges were Karen Beckvar, Governing Board president; Roni Scholz, a teacher at Hohokam; and Rowena Schatenberg, a retired gifted specialist.

Team Competition Winners:
First Place - Zuni
Second Place - Anasazi
Third Place - Pima

Individual Awards:
1st Place- Sejal Aggarwal - Zuni
2nd Place- Corbin Cieniawski - Zuni
3rd Place- Helen Cai - Anasazi
4th Place- Sally Welbourn - Anasazi
5th Place- Sean Sipes - Zuni
6th Place- David Mancuso - DCES
7th Place- Harrison Whyte - Kiva
8th Place- Nina Muscal - Pima

Estimation Jar winner-Samantha Mooney - Yavapai

Many thanks to the amazingly dedicated Gifted Specialists for bringing the teams and giving up their own Saturday! A special thank you to Jennifer Liebhaber, Kiva, for organizing the event!

Another winning student was junior Scott Breckenridge who won 2nd place for telephone skills and professionalism in using the telephone.

Minitown is a multiple-day program designed especially for 60-80 7th and 8th graders from a single school or a single school district. The program seeks to improve school communities by developing role models and leaders who embody respect, inclusion and awareness. The program curriculum guides delegates to meet new people, share their ideas and feelings, overcome prejudice and build leadership skills. Delegates return to their schools with the energy and tools they need to foster a healthy campus culture.

Four groups participated, including the Concert Band, the String Orchestra and two Keyboard groups. Both Keyboard groups received Gold awards, Strings received a Silver award and Band earned a Bronze award. CRMS had 62 students representing the school at this festival, along with 11 chaperones and parent attendees. Students were able to observe and listen to school performing groups from all over the country. There were 26 schools and 1,700 participants in attendance.

Congratulations to all 62 musicians who performed four short concerts for other schools and parents in attendance. This is the seventh year that CRMS has been represented at this festival. Congratulations to the three music teachers: Mrs. Marj Sherman, Mrs. Sophia Greenberg and Mr. Kevin Kampman.

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To view archived issues or subscribe to Community Connection, please visit our Web site at: www.susd.org/district/communications/emss.cfm

To submit an idea for coverage in Community Connection, please send an e-mail to Jo Davidson.

Community Connection is generally distributed every Friday, and was sent to you by Scottsdale Unified School District - 3811 N. 44th St., Phoenix, AZ 85018. You are receiving this e-mail because you signed up via our Web site. You may update your account preferences or unsubscribe through our Web site, or contact us at SUSDCommunications@susd.org.